The Scent of Rain and Lightening

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The Scent of Rain and Lightening by Nancy Pickard (read end April-beginning May 2012)


I haven't read much mystery, so I was intrigued when the book club picked this book.  I didn't make it to the discussion group, so I  missed some others' points-of-view on the book.  Based in Kansas, Pickard writes back and forth in present-day to 1986 in order to explain the history of the Linder family, the most influential family in the county.  In the beginning, it was hard to keep the sons separate, but when the narrative went back to 1986, the characters were easy to recognize.  Being an influential family (i.e. wealthy), Hugh and Annabelle Linder feel they have an obligation to help troubled young men by hiring them as ranch hands.  One in particular, Billy Crosby, is a difficult young man who doesn't seem to improve his life at all.  At times, they compare to Billy's failures to the successes of their future son-law-law Meryl Tapper, who is studying law.  After a string of unfortunate events, the eldest son, Hugh-Jay and his wife Laurie, are murdered, leaving their 3-year-old daughter, Jody, to be raised by her grandparents.  How they are murdered builds up through the book and the writing doesn't disappoint.  But after Crosby has been commuted, by his son, lots of questions come up.  Did Billy really do it?  If he didn't, then who would?!


Just as the title suggests, weather is a big part of the book.  There are a lot of metaphors and layers of meaning going along with the weather, along with the Testament Rocks, which is mentioned frequently through the book.  The ending is unreal-- truly surprising!  Although I appreciated such a unpredictable and, at times, disturbing conclusion, I also felt that Pickard didn't lay sufficient groundwork leading to the ultimate discovery.  Heartbreak and heartache after another, there is some hope at the end for Jody, and after feeling for the Linder family, that was a relief to read!

4/5 stars!

Garden Spells

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 Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen (read in April 2012)


I just finished a great little novel called Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen.  It’s set in North Carolina, in a small town where family legends still run true.  The themes that run through the book are passions, family roots, finding your own path, and love.  I loved getting to know the characters, my favorites were Claire and Evanelle.  The descriptions of the garden and flowers were very whimsical.  It’s very well written and loved how everything went together pretty well.  For future reference, this book is best suited for high school students and older because of allusions and flat-out literal scenes of sex, abuse and strong language (there you go, I feel like the MPAA of books.)  I wrote down only one quotation while reading this book, but that’s enough to make it memorable, especially since it’s the central theme of the book and incidentally in life, as well:

“You are who you are, whether you like it or not, so why not like it?” ~Fred Walker, pg. 200

 Food and love make this book yummy.  Here is link (from the author's website) for recipes using botanical flower petals: Garden Spells Recipes.

I give Garden Spells 4/5 stars.


*Review is copied from my other blog.

Girl in Translation

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Girl in Translation by Jean Kwok (read in March 2012)

Seemingly based on the author's real life experiences, this is a story of a young girl and her mother immigrating to the US from Hong Kong.  They are indebted to the mother's sister and brother-in-law in helping them come over and giving them "opportunities" of living in a filthy, rat-filled apartment and working in their factory in Chinatown.  The beginning isn't easy for Kimberly (Ah-Kim) and we see her navigate her way through school, learning English, meeting friends and helping her mom in the factory.  Kimberly is a gifted student and feels the pressure to excel so their life can improve.  Kwok's writing is excellent and makes it more authentic by writing what Kimberly hears from her teacher and friends in English.  Those in the book club said that it helped them see how hard it is to learn a new language. 

Soon it's apparent that Kimberly needs to keep both her worlds separate-- that of school and in the factory.  This balancing act takes time and we see how she adapts to both her environments.  Even though Kimberly needs to be the strong one, feeling the pressure to improve their life, filing taxes, translating everything for her mother, her relationship with her mother is still mutual.  She needs her mother's emotional strength and there are some great bonding moments, as well.  The family dynamic is interesting, and the differences in the cultures are apparent.  The ending really made me think... a lot.  Many women in the book club didn't care for the ending, but I tried to get into Kimberly's head, trying to figure out why she made the decisions that she did.  This is a coming-of-age book-- romance, hardship, finding your place, misunderstandings, triumph, disappointment-- all of it. 

I give Girl in Translation 4/5 stars.

The Hunger Games

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The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (read in January 2012)

This book was an incredible journey.  I read this before the movie came out, and I haven't seen the movie yet.  The beginning was very emotional, showing sisterly love and loss.  As a parent, it definitely hit me in a different way than a few years ago.  Katniss, the protagonist, is a strong girl who is also an archery extraordinaire and basically the head of the household since her father died.  This futuristic tale takes place in a post-apocalyptic world called Panem, where the United States existed.  Every year, to remind every district about the dangers of rebellion, the Capitol creates The Hunger Games, choosing one girl and one boy from each of the remaining 12 districts via lottery.  After a emotional-stirring sacrifice, Katniss becomes a tribute along with a boy named Peeta (representing District 12.)  The character development is incredible as you get to know Peeta, the other competitors, and District 12's mentor Haymitch.  Katniss' character development is also worth noting, with even in a life-or-death situation there is teenage angst- a coming to age story.  I could just feel the anticipation while reading it, and really had no idea what would come next.

There is so much strategy, suspense, love, friendship and adventure in this novel.  As you read it, you can picture where each district exists in the current United States' geography.  There is a lot to think about with classes, competition, sacrifice, government, freedom, and "big-brother" (just to name a few!)  Worth all the hype!

I give Hunger Games 4/5 stars.