Book Review: Light on Snow

I haven't touched an Anita Shreve book in over a dozen years. I remember reading The Pilot's Wife back when Bryce was small. Perhaps the buzz generated by Oprah caused me to pick up the book. While I don't remember my opinion, I know that I purchased a few Shreve paperbacks in the few years before our move to Indiana. Obviously I enjoyed it enough to invest in another read by Shreve (although I read none of those paperbacks despite their continued presence on my bookshelves downstairs).

In Light on Snow, Shreve snags the reader into the story when eleven-year-old Nicky and her father discover an abandoned infant in the snow on their isolated property. Nicky narrates the memories of this shocking turn of events that upended their lives. Nicky's father is still smarting from the wound of an accident that claimed the lives of his wife and youngest daughter, Clara. He has retreated from society but cannot continue this safety when the mother of the abandoned infant shows up to thank him for rescuing her daughter. Nicky, too, experiences an ache for her absent mother and baby sister. Will the renegade mother fill that void?

The book explores grief with a depth of tenderness and insight. It captures the response to life and death in the eyes of an adolescent girl. Shreve certainly has a storyteller's skill. She weaves the tale with flashbacks to flesh out a full understanding of the difficulties each character must face. I relished the audio experience because it held my attention and I eagerly anticipated the few moments I've been able to snag for my treadmill exercise.

Book Review: All the Breaking Waves

The cover promised "a gripping tale of long-buried secrets, the strength of forgiveness, and the healing power of returning home for good." Kerry Londsdale's novel, All the Breaking Waves, sounded like a redemption story. I'm a sucker for a good dose of redemption. Alas, I didn't end the story convinced it kept the promises.

Molly Brennan is an art history professor with an eight-year-old daughter who suffers from night terrors. These aren't your run-of-the-mill nightmares. No, Cassie can see into the future and each vision promises additional information about what is coming. I probably wouldn't have balked at that if the crux of the story hadn't centered on Cassie's premonition of her mother's death. This horrendous idea drives the protagonist to return to the home she fled and to confront a past mistake.

I continued reading because I wanted to see if they could counteract the vision by taking necessary steps. Still, throughout much of the book, I was hesitant to suspend my disbelief. If you thought you might die by drowning, you would get as far away from water as possible, yet Molly returns to her beach-front home. Moreover, how could a mother encourage further nightmares on her daughter simply so she can gain more information about the premonition? These details left me scratching my head in wonder. Indeed, they kept me from developing an interest in the main character. While the daughter was endearing, the mother never appealed.

Although I ended the book with a feeling of dissatisfaction, I still would be open to attempting this author's debut novel, Everything We Keep. Her debut garnered thousands of five star Amazon reviews. It sounds like a romantic suspense novel in a similar vein to Ghosted. One reviewer even tweeted the author to exclaim that every time she thought she knew what was going on, it pulled the rug out from under her. With all the buzz surrounding that first novel, I'd be willing to give it a go.

Another Wedding Witnessed

For many years, we hosted my extensive side of the family for an annual Christmas gathering. With 30 family members, it was often a daunting prospect (given that hospitality is not my spiritual gift - my home is not a showcase home and my cooking skills leave much to be desired). While I enjoyed those festivities, we needed some time off, so we have curtailed our invitations. Thankfully, my oldest brother, David, filled the need for family contact because his three children, Kirsten, Eric, and Kari, were all slated for imminent marriage. We attended Kirsten's wedding to Keith in 2016, Kari's wedding to Clayton in 2017, and finally, Eric's wedding to Tabatha in early October of 2018.

I say "finally" because Eric and Tabatha dated for six years. As a children's librarian and a middle school teacher, they are a perfect match. At every Christmas gathering, a murmur arose questioning whether Eric had popped the question yet. I don't know if he was clinging to a plan or just needed a lengthier courtship, but when he finally proposed, he did it in style. Miriam, David's wife, is Scottish and they decided to take a family trip together to Scotland this summer.

While there, Eric and Tabatha hiked to the top of a mountain where he asked her to marry him. How perfect! How romantic!

(Photo by Tabatha)

We RSVPed for the four of us, all the while wondering whether Bryce would be able to get off work to accompany us. In the end, all plans shifted. Sean's team went undefeated and they scheduled the championship game on the same day as the wedding. Moreover, Trevor, with his broken leg, didn't relish the idea of attending a wedding on crutches (although I should say, I noticed a teenager among the guests who was not only on crutches, but also on two inch heels - her doctor would have shuddered, no doubt). Suddenly, it looked like I was on my own for a trip to a wedding in the Chicago suburbs. Thankfully, Bryce and his girlfriend, Elizabeth, decided to join me and even offered to do a majority of the driving (I only had to get to Purdue and back). I was grateful for a chance to spend time with Bryce and Elizabeth and for an opportunity to gather with my family members once again.

They had the same adorable flower girl from Kirsten's wedding:

(Photo by Evie Polsley)

The wedding party itself was huge, given the number of bridesmaids and groomsmen (16):

(Photo by Sam Arias)

What a joy to watch the bride enter and these two lives merge into one unit with a host of prayerful witnesses:

(Photo by Adrienne Morgan)

Great family photo, showing off Kirsten's delightful baby bump! Then it was on to the reception (they had intended an outdoor reception, but due to the possibility of rain, it was moved indoors):

We had a wonderful time around the table, reminiscing about dreadful college roommate experiences, hilarious teenaged hijinks (the time David attempted to jump over our parent's small vehicle and ended up landing on and cracking the windshield), and memories made in that wedding location back when my siblings and I were young (and still had hair - ha). Apologies for my horrible photo of my table-mates:

(Sibling photo by Bryce - sadly missing my sister, Dawn, because her employers wouldn't release her from a last minute meeting despite her airline ticket and hotel reservation in hand - we also missed my parents who were unable to make the trip north from Florida due to my mother's dementia.)

As we prepared to leave, Miriam suggested it might be my turn next to host a wedding and gather the family together. However, my older brother, Mark, has six kids (both older and younger than my own), so I'm thinking he might be next in line. Regardless of who pops a question next, I relish the idea of more opportunities to gather and wish these youngsters well as they set off to establish lives of their own. What a privilege to witness the precious initial moments of a covenant relationship! What joy to gather with family spread far and wide (IL, KY, TN, and WI)!

Book Review: The Wildling Sisters

Last year, Eve Chase swept me away with her novel, Black Rabbit Hall. I loved the atmosphere, the mystery, the characters, and the writing. While I didn't enjoy this one quite as much, it was a riveting read. Very similar in tone and setting, The Wildling Sisters charts stories from two different times (a modern woman's life intersects with the past lives in a house she inhabits). The stories are set in the English countryside in an old manor home. This particular setting always sucks me in and I'm happy to allow my imagination to take up residence alongside the characters.

In 1959, fifteen-year-old Margo Wilde spends her summer at Applecote Manor together with her three sisters. They are apprehensive because they haven't visited the Manor, or their aunt and uncle, in five years, not since their cousin Audrey disappeared. Fifty years later, Jessie and her widowed husband Will purchase Applecote Manor in an attempt to solidify their new family. Jessie hopes to flee the tenacious grip of Will's dead wife and finally bond fully with his recalcitrant teenage daughter, Bella. But Bella is fixated on the stories swirling about the house's mysterious past and determined not to let Jessie or her toddler step-sister Romy into her heart.

Eve Chase did a marvelous job of introducing new enticing details with each progressive chapter. The book opens with a bang as the Wildling sisters drag away a dead body. Whose body? Why and how did he die? In the second chapter, we meet Jessie and a host of new questions. Why was Bella expelled from her school? Will the move to the countryside strengthen their family bonds or sever them further? With expert pacing, the reader happily swings from past to present as the separate stories unfold until they converge in the telling reveal.

I read the entire second half of the novel while waiting in the car as Trevor attended his football team's away game. Two hours slipped away. This was a splendid tale of two vastly different bonds: those between close siblings and those between blended family members. It bears hints of Daphne Du Maurier's Rebecca blended with Louisa May Alcott's Little Women. Kate Morton fans will find a comfortable fit in an Eve Chase novel. Still, I believe Chase's debut, Black Rabbit Hall, was a notch better.

A Grand Adventure - IRT's Holmes and Watson

Photo by Elijah O'Donnell on Unsplash

What a grand adventure I experienced this past Sunday when I attended the IRT's magnificent performance of Jeffrey Hatcher's play, Holmes and Watson. I knew to expect something brilliant because I enjoyed the IRT's production of Hatcher's version of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde back in 2012. Several of the actors from Jekyll and Hyde were back again for this Arthur Conan Doyle spin-off. Moreover, I had the privilege of attending with a good friend and playwright herself, Stacy Post (and also ran into a book club member). We caught the tail-end of the pre-performance talk and had an excellent discussion while waiting for the play to commence, as Stacy explained more about the actors (members of the Actor's Equity Association, thus a restriction on photography).

The set, designed by Robert Mark Morgan (scenic designer) and Michael Klaers (lighting designer), was stunning. With moveable side staircases and hallways, the set draws your attention to a center stage with a background of a formidable bar structure in the shape of an eye (where we view most of the flashbacks). It evokes the barren feel of an insane asylum set on an island in Scotland. Plus, the skillful use of lighting combined with sound effects brings out the feel of the Reichenbach Falls (the place where Holmes supposedly met his demise).

In the words of Morgan (found in the playbill), "The location... is a designer's dream, simply because of the limitless possibilities it presents... a fortress that became a lighthouse and then became an insane asylum.... We've attempted to approach the set and staging in layers with the knowledge that, like the Holmes story itself, it will reveal itself to you as the play goes on." That is what I most loved about the set design: the way it moved and shifted to reveal different aspects of the story bit by bit.

The tale is simple, yet provides an element of mystery and a complete turnaround of understanding by the end. The ground we rest upon is always shifting. When Dr. Watson is called to the isolated asylum to inspect three inmates all claiming to be the deceased Sherlock Holmes, he doesn't know what to expect. As he confers with each inmate, the audience shares his confusion - which is the real Sherlock Holmes? Is it inmate #1 - who, from the very first moments, sounds much like the deductive clue-splicer? Is it inmate #2 - a ragamuffin of a man, bound in a straight-jacket for the safety of himself and others? Or is it the blind, deaf, and mute inmate whose catatonic state belies incredible trauma? And what are the authorities prepared to do once Watson identifies the real Sherlock?

I have to admit, I practically jumped out of my skin with every artificial gunshot (even when I saw the pointed weapon and knew the shots were immanent). I marveled at the expert portrayal of the characters that kept me guessing clear to the end. I loved the matron's exaggerated pointed glares at Watson. The play was laced with humor throughout. Plus, I did not suspect the turn of events until the moment they played out. Indeed, the clues burned away even as you viewed them!

Days are limited, with performances running through October 21st. If you live in the Indy area and haven't secured tickets, it is a show well-worth the price of admission. As we left the theatre, Stacy wished aloud that she had the time and opportunity to see it again. Much like my reaction to my recent read of Ghosted, it begs to be experienced again with the full realm of knowledge at your disposal from the outset. If you still need convincing, take a moment to view this trailer, certain to whet your appetite for the thrilling experience of this play:

Book Review: Walk Two Moons - Highly Recommend

How did I miss this Newbery book for so long? Sharon Creech's Walk Two Moons won the Newbery Medal in 1995, before any of my sons were even born. I should have discovered this gem by now! Although the book holds universal appeal, I wish I had a young tween girl in my life so we could read and experience it together. Alas, my boys no longer want me to read aloud to them - what a sad, sad day.

The book garnered many notes of praise:

"This story sings." - Booklist

"A richly layered novel about real and metaphorical journeys." - School Library Journal

"Packed with humor and affection... an odyssey of unexpected twists and surprising conclusions." - Newbery Award Selection Committee

I cannot describe this marvelous book any better than the cover copy does:

In her own singularly beautiful style, Newbery Medal winner Sharon Creech intricately weaves together two tales, one funny, one bittersweet, to create a heartwarming, compelling, and utterly moving story of love, loss, and the complexity of human emotion.

Thirteen-year-old Salamanca Tree Hiddle, proud of her country roots and the "Indian-ness in her blood," travels from Ohio to Idaho with her eccentric grandparents. Along the way, she tells them of the story of Phoebe Winterbottom, who received mysterious messages, who met a "potential lunatic," and whose mother disappeared.

As Sal entertains her grandparents with Phoebe's outrageous story, her own story begins to unfold—the story of a thirteen-year-old girl whose only wish is to be reunited with her missing mother.

In my own words, I can only say that the writing absolutely sings and the story evokes such strong emotion that it brought me to tears at the end. What a powerfully moving book! What a masterpiece of great storytelling! I urge you, if you haven't encountered this touching tale, to give it a chance to warm and open your heart as it did mine.

The Joy of Victory

When we first moved to this rural location in Indiana, we tried to integrate our oldest son into his peer group by placing him on a league basketball team. What a tremendous mistake! Indiana takes its basketball very seriously. They wean kids from bottles to basketballs. Bryce had never played a day of basketball in his young life. The other kids resented his presence on their team. They rarely passed the ball his direction, and he spent a fair amount of time riding the bench. Instead of boosting his self-esteem, it derailed a bit.

Several years ago, Trevor begged and begged to join the youth football league. The outset cost of $200 gave me pause. What if we invested in the experience and the boy returned from the first practices whining about how hard it was? Would it be a similar fiasco to the basketball attempt? Therefore, I put him off and put him off, promising that he could play when offered at the middle school at a more reasonable cost. He joined the team in 7th grade and by the start of his 8th grade season improved enough that the coach planned to play him on both offense and defense. Even though he contemplated quitting early on because the conditioning was hard, he persevered and ended up enjoying it. Sadly, his broken leg cut his opportunities short this year.

Last year, Sean developed a real enthusiasm for the sport because the boys on the league teams played football with him during every recess at school. Here we were again, facing the league involvement dilemma. This time, I relented. We paid the fees, discovering later it was only the tip of the iceberg as we also had to contribute for several fundraising activities and coach recognition gifts. As expected, after the first practices, Sean talked about quitting. The conditioning was brutal. He complained about the running and other exercises he perceived as pointless. Despite his resistance, we insisted that he persist (especially after spending so much)!

(Sean is at the right end of the top row. - team and individual photos by Rebecca Saylor)

(He proudly selected his big brother's number, 48!)

His tune changed over time. He discovered the secret - he enjoyed winning. Moreover, he learned that to get to the win, you must put in the practice. At the beginning, I would say he wasn't aggressive enough. In the tackle position, he sometimes let opposing players through the line. But, the more he practiced, the more he improved. Plus, he was fortunate to be playing with other boys who had years of experience. Their team was invincible. They ended the season last Saturday UNDEFEATED and took the championship trophy and individual rings home. It thrilled Sean to participate on the team and to experience the joy of victory.

Sometimes relentless practice (even on seemingly pointless drills) pays off and you encounter the thrill of winning! Now that the football season is over, I'm breathing a big sigh of relief. Because of Trevor's broken leg, I put in loads of time and mileage in the ten minute back-and-forth trips to the middle school four to six times a day. While I'm glad Sean reaped many benefits from his participation in the sport, I'm encountering my own joy - the thrill of the season's end.

Book Review: Ghosted

With Liane Moriarty's endorsement on the cover, I was game to give this book, Ghosted, a try. The premise is intriguing. After Sarah and Eddie spend a week together falling in love, Eddie leaves for a brief trip with a promise to call when he returns... but the call never comes. Convinced something is keeping him from calling, Sarah cannot let go despite that advice from her friends. Is it merely a guy thing? The tendency to renege on a promised call. Or is something desperately wrong?

This book was a mind-blower. It reminds me of the movie, "The Game." Just when you think you've figured out what's going on, it pulls the rug out from under you and you have to re-frame your point of reference. The twists and turns were unexpected and shocking. As soon as I finished, I wanted to read it a second time, to go back and experience those first moments of exposition with a fuller understanding at my disposal. This author is skilled at dropping small clues and red herrings so you don't even know you've made assumptions. I long to dissect this novel from a writer's perspective, to study and learn from it.

But, it was rather contrived. How could she be pining so intensely after a seven-day romance? Plus, I should warn, it wasn't a clean novel. I'm always perturbed when a woman meets a man and beds him on the first night (where is prudence and restraint?). Thus, I had to force down my ethical disturbance. I kept hearing myself tell the characters they wouldn't find themselves in this pickle if they had acted with more integrity, honesty, and chastity.

Still, the author does an outstanding job of creating a sense of love and longing, of dissecting grief, and exploring the crazy things that often tear us apart. I rooted for resolution and redemption. By Part Two and Part Three, I was riveted. I devoured the book, desperate to solve the puzzle. If you can suspend your disbelief and brace yourself for shaky ground, this book provides a wild ride and enough unexpected trajectories to keep you guessing right until the end.

Writers Need a Sabbath

Photo by Debby Hudson on Unsplash

My laptop was in the shop for repairs all last week. As the one device in our home with Microsoft Word, it's the only place I can work on my novels. This evoked mixed feelings. Even though the inability to work on my writing brought frustration, it also brought a whole different overwhelming feeling: a perplexing combination of relief and freedom. It lifted the weight of expectation. I didn't have to worry about my productivity level because it was out of my hands.

As a result, I'm now contemplating taking a breather from my writing efforts. I suppose I've become too consumed with the elusive goal of achieving publication. My January resolutions all leaned that direction. Mentally, I am constantly agitating over what I should do to achieve that goal. It is draining. Perhaps, I desperately need a writing hiatus. The writing loses the element of fun when expectation overshadows eagerness.

I will admit, this is rather unsettling, a month before my annual November Nanowrimo efforts. Even though I had already considered passing on this year's challenge, it feels too much like surrender. Then again, maybe surrender is exactly what I need at this moment. It is also scary because I think I see my writing as my raison d'etre (reason for existence). Without that as a focus, what do I do with myself? (My husband would say, "Clean, woman! Clean!" - ha!)

I long for feedback from other writers. Is this a normal patch in the road? Am I coming to the end of my writing reserves? Am I giving up by taking time off from my writing goals? How long should my hiatus last? If you are a writer, how do you handle the need for a break? Even God took a Sabbath rest after His creation. Should I wonder at my soul's need for a breather? Who knows, maybe a Sabbath is the key!

Book Review: The Hidden Gallery

The Hidden Gallery is book two in The Incorrigible Children of Ashton Place series. Although the narrator's voice was grating when offering dialogue from Lady Constance in the first installment, I choked back my hesitation and gave this second audio book a try. No change! Thankfully, it's primarily Lady Constance's shrill voice I cannot abide, and she only made it to a few scenes in the second book. Still, I'm not sure I'll continue, even though my library has all six books in the series available in audio form.

After a disastrous demolition at the holiday party, the incorrigible children make their way to London while workers make repairs on Ashton Place. In the city, they meet pigeons, palace guards (with bearskin hats) and parrots. Each brings out their wolfish tendencies. But their governess, Miss Penelope Lumley, does her best to tame the children and lead them on adventures in the city, all the while following clues from a unique guidebook. This perplexing book, a gift from her former headmistress, leads them to the hidden gallery.

The books in this series hold my attention, but never get closer to a resolution. At the end of this second installment, the reader still doesn't know the parentage of either the incorrigible children or the governess. I wished the book had given more time to London locations. Indeed, my interest is flagging. I'm weary of the condescending tone of the narrator who interjects vocabulary lessons and reminds the reader that Miss Lumley's time differs greatly from our modern experience. However, precocious children may find this series appealing, especially if they enjoyed The Series of Unfortunate Events. If my boys were younger, and we were anticipating a road trip, this might be a reasonable choice.