Joyce's Choices: Books for All Reasons

from The Canadian Laker - 2022 August/September

Tuba Bach Festival 2022

Books for All Reasons

BY JOYCE B. WILCOX

There are times when a book grabs your attention because it offers a unique perspective on life, and other times because it’s about a fascinating period in history that never ceases to amaze you. Of course there are simply occasions your interest may be piqued because an author offers a warm, whimsical, and what-if slant as to why things happen. And then there are instances where you’re interested because a story is co-penned by two well-known and talented celebrities offering an intriguing odd-fellow mix of their ideas which somehow works extremely well.

Lastly and quite naturally, whether you come from a large family, a small family, or are an only child, a novel about family relationships, secrets, and dynamics is always captivating. With this bevy of books I’ve selected for this issue, you’ll have all of these attention grabbing options available. Of course, if you’re anything like me, you’ll end up reading them all and quite possibly enjoying every word.

Golden Girl

by Elin Hilderbrand

If you’re looking to discover the ingredients necessary for an escape read this summer, look no further. With a setting spanning the months of June through August that’s filled with romance, mystery, and mouthwatering meals on the sandy seashores of Nantucket, your summer beach read plate should be full with Golden Girl. Except that Elin Hilderbrand also serves up this family saga with side orders of delicious dialogue and scrumptious surprises, all the while sprinkling it with her powerful prose. In a whimsical, yet heartfelt manner, Hilderbrand has found new ways to explore escapist fiction from multiple perspectives. She manages to capture her readers’ interest from the first pages when they discover that Vivian Howe, author of thirteen beach novels, is tragically killed in a hit-and-run accident while jogging near her home on Nantucket Island on one beautiful June morning. No one knows who committed the crime except the perp and Martha, a Person from Beyond, who has been assigned to assist Vivian with her transition into the afterlife. Since she has been so tragically taken, Martha allows Vivian to eavesdrop on her family and friends for this one last summer and also grants her three “nudges” to change the outcome of events on Earth for her family. But she must choose wisely.

Did I mention that Vivian’s a divorced mother of two young adult daughters with complex problems of their own? Or that she has a troubled son who just graduated from high school? Did I also mention that Vivian has an exhusband with a girlfriend, a couple of ex-boyfriends, a supportive but sassy best friend, and plenty of extended family and in-laws to further complicate the various subplots? But don’t worry, I won’t mention who committed the crime or how things are resolved. That’s for you and Vivian to find out. And you’ll have Martha there to help you along the way.

Salt to the Sea

by Ruta Sepetys

Although much has been written about WWII, this is one more novel that you’re going to want to include on your must-read-list. With the turning of each page, the incredible amount of research necessary for the writing of this remarkable work of historical fiction becomes very obvious. Capturing the inner most thoughts, dreams, and fears of her four main characters, Ruta Sepetys is true to her journalistic craft even when the work is fiction. She has the capability of looking at the big picture of an event, and including elements in her writing which allow the reader to see through a microscope while simultaneously looking through a telescope. By peeling back the devastation of wartime, Sepetys reveals the beauty, hope, perseverance, and love that was once forgotten and now will be long remembered.

Salt to the Sea closely follows the lives of four WWII emigrants trying to save their lives as they, along with thousands of others, frantically flee their four respective homelands to seek refuge aboard the Wilhelm Gustloff, a ship promising freedom. Their varied pasts are gradually, masterfully, and alternately divulged as the reader embarks on each of their heroic and harrowing journeys with them. Within each short and wellcrafted chapter, the reader slowly learns the motivational force for survival of each character. As they run for their lives, we’re told that guilt is a hunter; fate is a hunter; shame is a hunter; and fear is a hunter; causing the reader to hunt for the truth. As their stories unravel and intertwine, history is not only revealed, but the amazing creative talent of Ruta Sepetys is also disclosed.

South of the Buttonwood Tree

by Heather Webber

When you’re a writer of over 30 books who has mastered three different genres, it’s no wonder that you’re able to combine the elements of each and create your own category for a novel. South of the Buttonwood Tree by Heather Webber is a captivating story with dibs and dabs of the elements found in her cozy mysteries, romance novels, and paranormal mysteries. What more could a reader want? The novel offers the best of those three genres and then some. There’s an amateur sleuth; a truly relatable hero; and a feel-good love story that leaves you with a warm heart. As an added touch of whimsical Southern charm, there’s a tree which leaves mystical messages and houses which communicate. In addition to that, it all takes place in an intimate and enchanting small town. That’s a pararom-cozy-mystery if there ever was one.

Heather Webber has done an excellent job of weaving her warmhearted story of Blue Bishop, a children’s book writer and illustrator. Blue is also a young woman who has a knack for finding lost things including pets, buttons, wandering dementia patients, and even an abandoned newborn baby. The town is turned upside down trying to place the child in temporary custody, while also attempting to determine the identity of her parents. Blue befriends Sarah Grace, a realtor with a big heart for assisting the down-and-out, who happens to be another young woman with a special and whimsical talent; she’s a house whisperer, able to communicate with houses. They both come from families with multiple long-held secrets which have caused chaos, heartache, and family drama. The two young women are struggling with loss, abandoned relationships, and the need to understand the truth. Secrets are slowly and sometimes painfully revealed as

love reenters their lives, sacrifices are made, and the small-town charms of this southern town are peeled back and made to blossom south of the buttonwood tree.

Run, Rose, Run

by James Patterson & Dolly Parton

Patterson and Parton go together like a spicy, hot bowl of chili accompanied with a side dish of melt-in-yourmouth buttery country biscuits. His portions of chapters are consumed in small explosive spoonful’s as they tantalize your reading taste buds, while she provides the savoring relief with each bite with her down-home flavor and sassy charm. In other words both celebrities have cooked up something outside of the box and this recipe works well to create a thriller-mystery with country charisma.

Aspiring country-western singer and song writer AnnieLee is struggling to catch a break in the business and get noticed in Nashville, and at the same time avoid getting caught up in her past. As she literally sings for her supper in various Nashville saloons, she catches the eye of another talented musician, Ethan Blake. He puts her in touch with retiring musical superstar, Ruthanna, who readily recognizes new talent and attempts to take her under her wing in the music business. Unfortunately for AnnieLee, just as the two women form a close friendship, her new career is also noticed by a mysterious and dangerous man from her past. This persistent pursuer who is always skulking in the shadows threatens bodily harm, and it’s a race against the clock as AnnieLee runs for her life.

While Patterson has taken a step outside of his usual espionage thrillers and made a leap into the competitive country music industry, his usual multi-layered plots with dashes of danger, mystery, and romance are ever present. The reader also peels away the protagonist’s past through playful southern dialogue and several choruses, verses, and refrains of reoccurring new songs by Dolly Parton. Paragraph by paragraph or verse by verse, Run, Rose, Run is a hit.

The Sweeney Sisters

by Lian Dolan

Coming from a fairly large family of six children, I have always been intrigued with books about sibling dynamics and while having two sisters and five sisters-in-law of my own, I was naturally drawn to Lian Dolan’s novel, The Sweeney Sisters. This novel takes a good look at the special bonds between sisters and also exposes their weakest links. Who better to explore sisterhood than an author who calls herself a professional

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sister? Dolan’s career started over twenty years ago when she and her four sisters created a radio show which later became a podcast entitled Satellite Sisters. Author of three other novels, Lian Dolan’s The Sweeney Sisters explores the good, the bad, and the not so pretty sides of sisterhood, while discovering that DNA can run deeper than we think. Liza, Maggie, and Trisha started out quite close as sisters, but things changed after their mother died fifteen years ago. They’ve since grown up, grown apart and moved apart, but still feel their bonds. Now as young women in their thirties with their own respective careers and relationships, they learn that their father, William Sweeney, an internationally famous writer, has unexpectedly passed away. The three gather at the family home in Southport, Connecticut to honor him with a traditional Irish wake and it is here that Serena, an unexpected guest, arrives claiming to be a Sweeney sister. She’s recently had a DNA test performed and has discovered that she’s a fifty percent genetic match with her former childhood neighbors. Raised as an only child, Serena is as shocked as the other three sisters are to learn that apparently her mother and William Sweeney were involved early in his marriage. This changes what everyone knows of their past, as well as their current lives.

What does this all mean to the Sweeney family dynamics? Did William Sweeney know about the child? Better yet, did his now deceased wife know? What about their father’s literary legacy? If Serena’s genetic testing is correct, what now happens with their inheritance? You’ll have to read The Sweeney Sisters to find the answers. Simply put, Lian Dolan’s family portrait presents a compassionate picture worth perusing.

This issue’s choices contain a little of this and a little of that, so I hope you’re prepared to sample from my chaptercuterie board and find a book or two for all reasons to read. I also hope that you’re enjoying the new alphabet blocks utilized in today’s book jacket photo. I know that I sure do! The previous set, while quite attractive, had a limited use of letters due to containing only 16 six-sided cubes which included some sides with punctuation. This translates to phrases with a maximum of 16 letters and a limited repetition of some of the letters. In other words, I spent what felt like as much time forming my titles with the floral blocks as I did writing my articles.

A special thank you goes out to my dear husband, Dave, for searching endlessly for an attractive addition to accompany my floral cardboard set. I never would have guessed that I’d be so thrilled to receive wooden blocks for my 68th birthday! And yes, in case you’re wondering, I am sharing this new set with my 4-year-old grandson, Jack.