July and the Single Heart

July and the Single Heart by Vi Zetterwall, © 2015, CC Productions

Many books make their way to my TBR pile. Some are irresistible classics and others are monthly picks from my book club. I can't resist used book stores or garage sales either. Of course, I'm lucky to have promoters and publishers send me books to review on occasion as well. The last was how Vi Zetterwall's book made its way into my hands. The coin that came with it was a special perk which I am waiting to see do its magic...

July Harris is the youngest of six sisters in a wealthy family. All her siblings have gotten married and as she rapidly nears her thirtieth birthday, they are anxiously waiting for her to follow in their footsteps. The trick is that most of them don't care a heartbeat about her happiness. If July, the last of the sisters, marries by her thirtieth birthday, they are all set to inherit millions as set out by their grandfather's will. July's problem is that she doesn't have a boyfriend, let alone had a date in years. So as the clock ticks down, her father steps in.

July and the Single Heart is a quick read. It is one of twelve books/novellas which Zetterwall wrote over the course of a year. While the story isn't exactly spellbinding—Daddy forces her to choose between the five suitors he has selected, for a price—I do recognize the talent and dedication it takes to produce that many books in such a short time. Writing them is one thing, but then promoting them afterwards is another herculean task that is almost more work than the writing itself. So if the simple romance plot—girl is duped by many suitors and almost lets the right one get away—it can be excused by the fact that Zetterwall churned out 12 reasonable books in short order. That in itself is a laudable effort.

All of the books are stand-alone, but for the coin that materializes in all of them to magically help the main heroine along in life and love. Once the coin's task is met, it is then passed along into other needy hands.

And now I have one of my own. Could I use help in life or love? Maybe a pinch, so I'll keep rubbing mine. Hopefully soon enough it will pass into another's hands who needs a leg up in that department though. In the interim, I give a nod to Vi for sharing her 235-page novella with me. Good luck with your own life and love. ❤

The Anger Meridian

The Anger Meridian by Kaylie Jones, © 2015, Akashic Books

Akashic Books has sent me several books, including a few from their Kaylie Jones Books imprint. When The Anger Meridian arrived in the mail, I was excited to read a novel by the woman who inspired this offset; Kaylie Jones herself. Knowing she already has several books under her belt, one of which was adapted for a Merchant Ivory film (A Soldier's Daughter Never Cries - 1998), I dove right in.

At 3:35am Merryn Huntley is awakened by the doorbell. Assuming her husband is drunk again and not able to manage the lock, she steels herself and casually opens the door. What she finds is two police officers there to tell her her husband has died in a car accident. A much younger woman was in the car with him and it looks like his pre-occupation led him to slam headlong into a tree, killing them both instantly. While this frees Merryn from a loveless marriage, the circumstances around the death will be scandalous and she doesn't want her 9-year-old daughter Tenney to suffer through the indignity.

At least that's what Merryn tells herself as she hastily packs a bag and flees to her mother's home in San Miguel, Mexico. The truth is far more complicated.

Anxiety attack after anxiety attack plague Merryn as she braces herself for her mother's disapproving stare. Despite being a grown woman, and mother herself, Merryn falls back into being kowtowed by overbearing Bibi. But a life spent ignoring the truth and walking the fine line of stability unravels as the FBI arrives at her mother's doorstep in Mexico examining her husband's questionable business dealings. Fearing even more disapproval from her mother, she desperately tries to please everyone around her, but is spiralling out of control. And now it is finally time to face the truth she has never let herself see, or lose the respect of her daughter and herself forever.

The Anger Meridian moves along at a good clip and entices the reader to keep pace. Hemmed in at every turn, Merryn can no longer rely on old coping methods to get by, but finally learns to stand up for herself. Along the way, her daughter is there to give her the strength it takes to break free from old habits that don't serve her. Tenney is really the shining star of the novel, with wisdom beyond her years and a maturity her mother is hard-pressed to match. I have to admit that Merryn's weak will makes her not exactly the most compelling leading lady, but once she finally faces her fear of the truth and accepts it, she can finally breathe for the first time in her life. With a loveless mother, weak-willed father and philandering husband, it's amazing she gets there at all, but Jones gave me just enough hope to read through to the end.

This novel has a nice mix of drama, romance, and mystery that will keep you turning the pages through to the end. Thanks for the read Akashic Press!

Luck

You know it's going to be a good day when you get this in the mail—a good luck coin. It came with a book too. Next up on the TBR pile is July and the Single Heart by Vi Zetterwall.

~

rub for luck

in life and love

soon great riches

will fall from above

~

I've got my fingers crossed and will keep my new talisman close by,

just in case...

Sepia Memories

no matter 

the words, deeds 

or other valiant efforts

yesterday will always be 

this old tattered snapshot

that keeps fading into sepia memories

which only I can see
~

Little Beasts

Little Beasts by Matthew McGevna, © 2015, Akashic Books

I am grateful to the folks at Akashic Books for allowing me the chance to get a sneak peek at some of their newest titles. They recently sent me another book from their Kaylie Jones Books series for me to review. And while the topic held dark and sometimes violent images, I flew through the pages.

The twitch of violence is in every whiff of breeze in the hot July air of Turnbull. For three 8-year-old boys looking for distractions from summer boredom, the forest behind their working-class homes is the perfect retreat. Close enough to hear their mother's call, but far enough away to find mischief. And when they stumble upon a treehouse-in-the-making, that distraction becomes an obsession for Dallas, which ultimately changes the course of their summer and the rest of their lives.

The boys aren't the only kids in the poor neighbourhood who are listless though. When they come across three 15-year-old boys fraught with teen-angst—think girls, bullying, ambition—the mix becomes deadly. After an incident goes too far, the consequences are extreme and everyone involved has to reassess their lives and their places in the world.

McGevna loosely based his book on actual events that happened in Long Island in 1979. The pent-up emotions that run throughout the characters are scary in the innocence that they have of the consequences. Actions beget reactions and sometimes there is no coming back from them. But is there a way to forestall them in the first place? In the poor town of Turnbull, it seems like the events were inevitable.

While the story touched on unpleasant events and emotions, it left me wondering how people fall through the cracks and whether with a little pause and foresight, some of these events could be prevented. Because even though it is a work of fiction, I am only too aware that hot tempers do exist in real life and often amount to regretted violence that can't be taken back.

Perhaps we could all use a moment to stop and breathe sometimes, before we say or do something we regret. You might find yourself thinking back to this book, long after it's done. And that is a mark of a good book to me.

LadyBug Lunch

Lady Bug Caprese Salad - cherry tomatoes, black olives, basil leaves, and mozzarella

Posted by Greens First on Thursday, March 19, 2015

  Omg, these are the cutest things! Take salad to new heights with these scrumptious little ladies. I just might have to make these for a summer salad or to a backyard barbeque...

"Who invited the ladybugs to lunch?"

The Back of the Turtle

The Back of the Turtle by Thomas King, © 2014, Harper Collins

I first came across Thomas King in a Canadian Lit class in university. We read 'Green Grass, Running Water' and I loved our discussions that unfolded the many layers of the story. I have returned to the book several times and am enamoured with the tale every time I revisit it. So when I heard tell that King had a new book out, it immediately went on my TBR list. When I spied it at my local library, I couldn't resist picking it up, despite having 2-3 other books on the go. As soon as I cracked it, the other books fell neglected on my bedside table.

Not only was 'The Back of the Turtle' nominated for the coveted Governor General's award for Fiction in 2014, but King walked away a winner. And I can understand why. He created another thought-provoking tale filled with humour, multi-layered depth, serious contemplations of genetically modified products and their potential environmental ramifications, and a study in human relationships. All that squeezed into 518 pages, but reading like a much shorter book.

King introduces Gabriel, a brilliant scientist, but socially awkward individual who doesn't seem to fit in anywhere. He creates an incredibly devastating defoliant, akin to Agent Orange, which inadvertently gets spread in a small BC town, killing people, wildlife and pretty much anything in its path. As the story progresses, we discover that a nearby Indian Reserve has also been affected, which just so happens to be where his estranged mother and sister live. In guilt and remorse, he returns to the town to commit suicide, but some of the inhabitants of Samaritan Bay throw his plan off-kilter.

One can't help but read into characters and the deeper meanings scattered throughout this tale. Gabriel as messenger? As right-hand man to God or destroyer of Jerusalem? He certainly brought devastation to Samaritan Bay. And Samaritan Bay; is it a place of salvation, where people in distress can find help? After devastation, there is rebirth. Even Mara is more than just a returned resident; is she not akin to the Buddhist Mara who is herself a temptress? There are also many Native tales which weave and pull the story together in King's trademark magical realistic way, of which I for one am a fan. And while I'm sure I missed some of the significations of bits and pieces of the tale, that only means I will need to revisit the story again in the future.

As for you, I highly recommend King's most recent novel. It will make you contemplate corporate greed, debate the merits of genetic modifications, question your relationship with the past and how you can come to peace with it, but most importantly, you should enjoy this read. Two thumbs up from me!

Ghost Town

The Last of Duncrief

Untold history

languishing into ruin

only ghosts remain

~

Not far from where I live, an old ghost town has almost disappeared back into the realms of history. Only a decrepit house stands where once hope flourished. No mill left to mark settler's dreams. No plaque planted to tell its tale. Just broken glass, battered boards and a hint of what could have been in small-town Ontario...

scars

soft petals tinged by

past breezes, freezes, memories

forever noted

yet beauty amidst the scars

show strength in our tomorrows

Mizpah

11 - the number of years we would have had
what would have happened?
where would we be?
would it have been deserving of steel?
or would we have survived babies?

7 - the number of years you've been gone
so many moments
lost before their time
I've stumbled and reworked them
a life that should have been our prime

3 - the number of years we had
marriage was a gift
one I didn't quite  foresee
you gave me all your everything
your love for eternity

∞
I never will forget
the days when you were mine
I still live them every day
our hearts will always twine

Happy Anniversary my love. We would have been married 11 years today. While our days were stolen early, I'll always celebrate the time I had with you and take joy in your living memory left to me in our children. Blessings to you sweet man.

We've got mizpah...

predictions

walking down the street

April air 

freezes

words 

into wisps

of thought that

break

on naked knees

thrown down

in challenge of the

weather

predictions

that were right 

all along

~snow~
✵

waves

I dwell behind flash-
ing cursors
so as not 
to upset 
my
place,
space in
an uncertain
universe of married
thoughts, ideas,
calisthenics
that rock
egos
fragile
after fractious
flings in the netherworld
of love, restrained and drained

no more

words

~

words

thoughts, ideas

gathering, forming, flowing

oh to edit the perfect sentence

language

~