Family of Readers

Best part of the kids getting books for Easter. They read and read and read. I love it!

Also, the other night, I went to tuck in Ray and Mill and found Ray reading her Spanish-English dictionary. 

And Millie reading the Book of Mormon.

I love my little family of READERS!

MindGames release

Look what's in my hot little hands!!!

I am so excited to be included in this anthology from the LDS Beta Readers. It has been such a fun experience. 
Here's the back cover blurb:

Sometimes the mind does more than play tricks on you--it plays twisted games. In this collaboration, wrap your brains around 25 stories ranging from soul-bending and heartbreaking to enchanting and sublime.
Follow a teacher trapped at a mysterious convention, a man whose only chance at survival is a finicky love potion, a student who sees the monsters in others, a syrian boy coming to grips with a new reality, and many more.
This collection features award-winning offerings from established and up-and-coming authors from the LDS Beta Readers group. Are you ready to play?

With so many stories, there's bound to be something you like, a little something in almost every genre. And they're short, which is perfect for busy moms, like me. Or people with short attention spans, like me. 

My story, "Strings", is the first in this collection of 25 short mind-bending stories. 

Cora wants to leave her past behind her but she can't let go of her music. When she decides to buy a piano, she finds it has strings attached. 

(haha. do you get it? strings attached?)

Here's a sneak peak:

If you would like to purchase "MindGames"-- send me an email, comment or message me and I'll get you one. 

$3 - ebook

$10 - paperback

$11 - ebook AND paperback

So fun to add this anthology to my collection of published works. 

("Lesson From My Parents" {essay}, "why i don't hide my freckles anymore" {essay}, "MindGames" {short story})

Book Review: Hurricane Coltrane

I just finished reading a book written by a fantastic debut author, Taya Okerlund. Taya was in my critique group last year at WIFYR. I remember getting her chapters for critique and thinking, "Wow!" I read it through twice with no critiques because the writing was so lovely. When I found out she was under contract for the book, I wasn't surprised. It's been a long wait for me to get my hands on this book.

"Hurricane Coltrane" is a middle-grade novel set in southern Utah. Here is the back cover story:

"Merrill Hinton is a lightning rod in a town named for bad weather. He's an ace in math, but not smart enough to put together the pieces of his puzzling life, especially where finding his unknown father is concerned.

Musical genius Robbie Stubbs was born in nearby polygamist compound Colorado City. He has the chops to become another John Coltrane, but that will take running away from home, and into a firestorm of controversy--the kind his friend Merrill knows best.

Merrill sets Robbie onto a course that could rocket them both onto center stage, but being the focus of wide public attention will create serious issues. Robbie's mother is not well, and the shock of her son breaking the family rules like this may put her over the edge.

And Merrill Hinton? His precarious future will be compromised in ways he doesn't yet realize.

There is so much to love about this book. The setting is interesting and different enough to keep our attention but there are enough familiar details in the relationships to make us feel right at home. The small town feel is so well-drawn, it's easy to feel like you're welcome for an extended visit. Even when the group of kids go to L.A., we get a real sense of place and setting. 

Okerlund does a great job at feeding us motivation and emotion through the main characters, Merrill and Robbie. It is so easy to love them and sympathize with them. For me, it was especially compelling to read and connect with the music part of the story. So much can be portrayed and expressed through music, joy, enthusiasm, sorrow. It's all there and nicely done.

There's not a lot to critique about this story. I felt like it jumped around just a bit to show the passage of time and it left me a little disjointed at times. From a mother's perspective, I like that she didn't ease up on the vocabulary. That's always nice. I also appreciate that there are strong, female characters in Merrill's mom and grandma. The relationships weren't perfect and I appreciated that it provided an avenue to acknowledge that sometimes family relationships are hard and that they take work and compromise. Even Robbie, though we don't know very much about his mother, we know she supported and loved him and tried to protect him. 

Loyalty is a key theme in the story, between both family and friends. The story is set up perfectly for this theme to be explored and expressed at just the right time in the narrative. I really enjoyed this story and feel like I made some new friends. I'm excited to let my middle-graders read this story and talk about it with them. This is a great recommended read or all ages.

Book Review: two cozy mysteries

 

I knew "The Bishop's Wife" by Mette Ivie Harrison was coming for some time. I went to a writer's workshop at Pleasant Grove Library a year or so ago. Mette was there and mentioned that her agent was interested in her idea to set a murder mystery in a Mormon neighborhood and that a Mormon woman would acquire clues to solve the mystery using unique-to-Mormons experiences, like visiting teaching. I was intrigued and thought it sounded like a lot of fun and I was looking forward to reading it.

So, about a year later, here comes the book, "The Bishop's Wife." I went to the book launch at the Provo Library. It was not what I expected. Harrison's presentation was very interesting, heart-breaking at moments. She was very honest and real, raw even, with her retelling of laying the foundation for this book. And I really appreciate that. But I was surprised by the actual novel and it wasn't at all what I expected. What I was hoping to be a cozy mystery with some  Mormon themes turned into what felt like a Mormon expose to me. Enough of the rant, here's the review.

The story is about Linda Wallheim, a Bishop's wife in the SLC area. Early in the book we learn about the disappearance of a young wife in the Wallheim's ward (eerily similar to the Susan Powell case.) Before long, Linda suspects the husband killed her. As Linda searches for clues, she involves herself in the life of the six-year-old daughter of the missing mom. The secrets she uncovers are many and some of them are dark and insidious.

One of my main problems with this novel is that it took a quarter to a third of the book to get to the meat of the mystery. For the first several chapters, I felt like I was being introduced to the Mormon church and culture.  Much of it felt like a lecture or special report into the inner working of the church. My qualm was that not all of it really related to the story so why was it included? And it was Linda's interpretation and perspective on the church. Many of the things Harrison pointed out or felt the need to explain were not my personal experience, interpretation or perspective. I'm a member and I don't feel the same way Harrison portrayed the church in general to feel. One of the things that bothered me a lot was that the Bishop (Linda's husband) take the Lord's name in vain three times. I can see a Bishop cursing. In fact, I've heard it myself. But never the Lord's name. So there are just a bunch of those things. I just felt like she was looking for opportunities to include weird, titillating subjects in the Mormon culture. It was overboard in my opinion. I wished she had just told the story and shown some of the culture instead of explaining it. And also the ending was totally unbelievable. A normal person would never do what Linda did.

Anyway, once the mystery got going, it was a much more enjoyable read. And there were several other story lines that were interesting and rewarding. I just didn't like Linda as much as I wanted. She was nosy and had a chip on her shoulder. So I guess she was human, which is a good thing. Just not as likable as I had hoped.

Will I be reading more of the series? No. Harrison listed some of the topics she will tackle in other books in the series and I'm just not interested. It seems more agenda driven than good characters with a good story. Maybe my skin is thin and I'm easily offended. Maybe I don't want to take the effort to look deeply at some of the controversial issues in the church. Maybe I'm too invested in my religion and culture to see it put on display this way. You may be right. To each his own. Maybe I prefer lighter mysteries.





"Lemon Tart" by Josi Kilpack. I read this soon after "The Bishop's Wife" and I liked it better. No agendas. 

But these darn women who just can't seem to mind their own business. Sadie is the nosy neighbor in this cozy mystery and it had so many twists and turns, it was the only thing that kept me reading. (Can you tell this is not my first genre of choice?) Sadie keeps a close eye on her cul-de-sac through her front window and has a tendency to solve problems by cooking and baking her way out of them. When a young, single-mom neighbor is murdered and her young son is missing, Sadie can't help but get involved. 

Sadie finds herself in trouble and at odds, not only with neighbors, in-laws and her boyfriend, she also develops a tense relationship with the police who are working the case. Thanks to the help of her daughter, she follows the clues and solves the case. Come to find out, she is quite fierce when she needs to be.

This was a fun, quick read. I really liked Sadie and was rooting for her the whole way through!

Book Review: two middle grade recommendations

While I was reading "Three Times Lucky," Mill was reading "Sugar" by Jewell Parker Rhodes.  "Sugar" is about a young black girl in the late 1800's, after the blacks were freed from being slaves and many moved north to find a new, free future for themselves. But many stayed with their previous work; same work conditions, but less abuse and little pay. So Sugar is a young, middle-grade age girl who has lost her mother (who died) and her father, who was sold off as a slave somewhere else before he was free.

Sugar develops a make-shift family with the other slaves working on the sugarcane plantation and also makes friends with Billy, son of the owner. When the owner buys/hires more help for his fields, Sugar's life changes. The new help are immigrants from China! The rest of the book is about the previous slaves adjusting to the Chinese workers and an interesting blend of culture at a time when all kinds of cultural and color-based ideas were changing.

I loved the blending of cultures in such an interesting and transitional time period. The initial hesitancy between Chinese and African-Americans felt true and honest. I loved the depiction of unity and sense of feeling within each group. Sugar was a fun, spunky character and I'm sure that's what drew my daughter into the story.

One draw back was word choice and sentence structure. It was really distracting for me. Some of the reading just felt like a bunch of fragmented sentences. I assume the author was just trying to use language as another way to demonstrate the culture and cadence of each group, but the loss of subject in many of the sentences really bothered me. 

This is a great middle-grade book, though not my first choice. Camille really loved it so that says a lot. And I loved that it introduced so many different cultures and also a very interesting introduction to an important period of history. 

"Secrets of the Cicada Summer" by Andrea Beaty. The cute middle grade novel is full of secrets that are slowly doled out throughout the story. Eleven year old Lily had something traumatic happen in her past and now she doesn't talk, but she sure does think a lot. And we get to read all of it. When a new girl comes to town, Lily feels threatened. But when it appears the new girl also comes with a mysterious past, Lily puts the skills she learned from her favorite Nancy Drew mystery novels to use and figures out the story behind the newcomer. She also makes a few discoveries about her own past as well. 

I really enjoyed this novel, the sweet characterization of Lily and the supporting role of loved ones surrounding her. Although the story deals with a few heavy topics, such as death and abuse, it is all couched in the love of a small town and reliable, supportive adults. I can't wait for my girls to read it and talk about it together.

Book Review: Three Times Lucky

Time for a book review....

"Three Times Lucky" by Sheila Turnage.

This is a great middle reader book, though I must admit, it took me a couple of chapters to get in to it. There are a lot of characters and they are all seem to be introduced at once at the local restaurant, which was a tad bit confusing. Millie (9yo) started it a couple of days ago and she feels the same way. She wanted to stop, but I told her to keep going because it will be worth it!

The story is about a baby who was found during a hurricane, found floating in the flooding on a billboard by a man who has completely lost his memory. He names her Mo, short for Moses. She grows up in a very small town full of an eclectic group of people. It's almost over the top, to be honest, a little hard to believe until I decided to suspend my belief for the sake of the story, which is a really fun story.

When a big city detective comes to town and a dead body is found by the river, Mo gets involved in the biggest mystery ever to set foot in their small town. The action really goes into overdrive when another big storm hits land. There is a little violence which is not seen but alluded to. (Child abuse by a drunken father, kidnapping, blood smeared on a wall.) So if your reader is too young, it might raise some questions to discuss together. I'll see how it goes with Millie.

Clearly, the driving force of this novel is Mo. She is an orphan with a lot of personality and very sympathetic at the same time. She's spunky and entertaining, but also endearing and so easy to love. I couldn't wait for Mill to read this. This is a great story full of fun characters and an exciting mystery. Readers of all ages will enjoy this book.

Book Review: The Secret Keeper

I just finished reading Kate Morton’s “the Secret Keeper.” It’s long and fat and I read it in 3 days so I could go to bookclub and not have the ending spoiled.

This is the second Kate Morton book I’ve read (the Forgotten Garden was the first) and it did not disappoint. In fact, it was fantastic. One of the things I love about Morton’s writing is that she places you so firmly in the setting, which is important because the two books I’ve read jump around quite a bit both in time and place.

“The Secret Keeper,” set in England, is about a daughter, her mother, a shared traumatic experience and the search for a long held secret. Laurel returns home in 2011 to Greenacre, together with her siblings, to be with her mother in her final days. Being home brings back all sorts of memories for Laurel and soon she has more questions than answers. That starts her on a massive search for answers that takes us back in time to 1941 and 1961 (or thereabouts).

The trip through time is historically interesting and Morton does a wonderful job of staying true to history and making it come alive so much that you feel you are there. When she whisks you off to another time and place, you are loath to leave where you came from until she wraps you up in the new setting. But it’s not abrupt. It’s skillfully and gently done. The skill of writing it takes to do that is beyond me. It’s amazing.

The characters are well drawn, the setting is tangible, the prose is inspiring. My only problem was that I wanted the answers as much as Laurel and a few times I just wanted less fluff and more answers. But that’s her style and it sure is beautiful writing. One of my favorite parts of this novel is that the characters, the main protagonists, the hero/heroines have faults. So though you love them, you also want to shake them by the shoulder and beg them to be stronger or more patient or more kind.

My favorite character was Jimmy, the love interest in 1941. So loyal and principled. He was a photographer and took photos of the fall-out from the London Blitz. About one of the pictures of a newly orphaned, young girl, the book reads: “Small individual tragedies like this little girl’s were nothing to the larger scale of the war; she and her tap shoes could be swept as easily as dust beneath history’s carpet. That photograph was real, though; it captured its moment and preserved it for the future like an insect in amber. It reminded Jimmy why what he did, recording the truth of the war, was important.”

One of the themes of the novel is that we often don’t know the story, the history, of the people we love, our families and in particular to this book, our mothers. Laurel didn’t know her mother’s past. Dolly didn’t know the past of the woman who employed her. The book gives us insight into the past of all the main characters and guess what? The past becomes super important and fascinating.

So it got me thinking about my mom and sure, I know a few stories here and there but what about the meat? Do I know enough? Do my kids know enough? After reading this book, I am so motivated to know my own mother’s past and learn from her personal history, because it’s important.

Familysearch.org has a new campaign called #meetmygrandma. You go to the website HERE and watch an awesome little video. Then you click through and you can enter a memory about your grandma. The goal is 10,000 memories in 10 days, Sept 20-30. They also have a link to 20 questions you can ask your grandma. Sounds like a worthwhile endeavor to me.

I must confess, my admiration for this book was greatly increased when Morton referenced the Tardis from Doctor Who. How can you go wrong with a book that sweeps generations and mentions the Tardis? So read “The Secret Keeper”! Then go read “The Forgotten Garden.” You will be transported to amazing times and places and you won’t regret it.

Easter 2014

Easter has been spectacular this year. We have loved watching this video produced by the LDS Church: Because of Him.

We were also invited to attend a production of "Lamb of God." It was a community event that brought many different religious congregations together and it was beautiful. I'm looking like crazy to find a free soundtrack. Here is a sample.

 

The spirit has been rich in our home and the love of our Savior is abundant as we reflect on His sacrifice and resurrection and all the hope, joy and love that follows. I am so grateful to be a member of His church.

 

I just want to make that clear before I delve into more of the secular activities of Easter. I know and my family knows what the true meaning of Easter is!

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If my memory serves me correctly, this year was the 9th annual Apricot Place Easter Egg Hunt. That's a lot of years folks. A lot of years of being AWESOME! This year we had fewer children and more eggs, I think. The children ran from house to house, stopping at each to hear how many eggs to gather per child. The parents followed behind, talking and enjoying each other's company.

 

This activity is usually the first time we emerge from our homes after our winter hibernation. It is fun to get reacquainted with one another and this Easter Saturday morning was the perfect weather to do so.

 

Easter wouldn't be Easter without Miss Edna and Sal sitting on their porch handing out marshmallow eggs. We LOVE Miss Edna!!!

 

Getting ready to enjoy the spoils of the hunt.

 

Seems like the kids got just as much candy for Easter as they did for Halloween. But Easter generally has more chocolate to offer, so I'm not complaining.

And what is Easter without bunnies. This year we have plenty. We also enjoy having Dad around for the afternoon. He really knows how to let loose when he's not in a suit and tie. Check out the goggles. He must be in disguise.

 

We enjoyed our eggs immensely with plenty of salt.

We also enjoyed the spoils of our baskets.

 

Especially the books that the Easter Bunny brings every year. Parker was asking me what book he was getting every day of the week leading up to Easter. He was pleased. Everyone was. So far, I've read two of them. I can't wait to get to the rest.