Edisto by Padgett Powell | Book Review

Stats: 

Paperback, 192 pages

Published April 15, 1985

Description from Goodreads:

Simons Everson Manigault ('You say it 'Simmons.' I'm a rare one-m Simons") lives with his mother, an eccentric professor (known as the Duchess), on an isolated and undeveloped strip of South Carolina coast. Convinced that her son can be a writer of genius, the Duchess has immersed Simons in the literary classics since birth ("Like some kids swat mobiles, I was to thumb pages") and has given him free rein to gather material in such spots as the Baby Grand, a local black nightclub. ("It was an assignment. I'm supposed to write. I'm supposed get good at it.")

My thoughts:

I was looking at books on NetGalley and Edisto caught my attentions. It is set in the South in the 1970's. I love books set in the South when they are written well and truthful. Edisto is one of those books.
The narrator is a twelve year old white boy named Simons. He lives with his mother, who surrounds him with literature and wants him to be a writer, and has an absent father. He is very bright and has an incredible vocabulary.He meets a mixed race man named Taurus, and is then immersed in the African American culture of south Carolina.
While it is hard to believe that a twelve year old boys speaks the way Simons does and acts the way he does, the writing style is wonderful. The book is fast paced and fairly short. It is a great coming of age story and it's comparison to Catcher in the Rye is inevitable.
I would highly recommend this book.

More from the Author:  Visit his website.

My previous review:  The Longings of Wayward Girls

It is important to note that I received this book from NetGalley in return for a book review. That being said, the feelings expressed in this review are my own and were not influenced by an outside source.

The Longings of Wayward Girls by Karen Brown | Book Review

STATS:Paperback, 336 pages (I had a Kindle version)
Published July 2, 2013
Washington Square Press
Series - No

Description From Goodreads:
It's an idyllic New England summer, and Sadie is a precocious only child on the edge of adolescence. It seems like July and August will pass lazily by, just as they have every year before. But one day, Sadie and her best friend play a seemingly harmless prank on a neighborhood girl. Soon after, that same little girl disappears from a backyard barbecue—and she is never seen again. Twenty years pass, and Sadie is still living in the same quiet suburb. She’s married to a good man, has two beautiful children, and seems to have put her past behind her. But when a boy from her old neighborhood returns to town, the nightmares of that summer will begin to resurface, and its unsolved mysteries will finally become clear.

My thoughts:
I am so glad that I was able to get an ARC of this book on NetGalley. From the first page of a news report about missing girl Laura Loomis, I was drawn completely in. The story is mainly focused on Sadie Watkins, who is now an adult. it alternated between summers in the 1970's to her present day which is the summer of 2003. But it did take a little reading to see how Laura and Sadie are connected.
Throughout the book, you see the longings of Sadie as a child to have a "normal" mother and of her as an adult trying to find peace with a recent miscarriage. The story turns out to be as much about a Town haunted with missing children as that of Sadie being haunted by her past.
I truly enjoyed this book even if it was a little macabre. It reminded me of Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn that I read earlier this year. I completely recommend it to anyone ready to but down the beach reads for fall.

More About the Author: Visit her website.

My Previous Review: The Chaneysville Incident

It is important to note that I received this Kindle edition as a courtesy from Washington Square Press via NetGalley in return for a book review. That being said, the feelings expressed in this review are my own and were not influenced by an outside source.

Just One Day | Book Review

Just One Day

by

Sharla Lovelace



Description from Goodreads:

She has nothing but time . . .

Twenty-four hours. That’s how long Andie Fremont has to say yes—or no. At forty-four with a daughter in college, she’s no young kitten with starry-eyed ideas of what love is. Still, when the man who is everything she should want pops the question with a ring he knows isn’t her style, during a party she didn’t want to have, Andie balks. Something tells her that it isn’t right.
Looking to clear her head, Andie hits the Texas highway in search of an answer. And when she stumbles upon an old roadside diner she decides waffles might be it, at least for now. What she didn’t expect to find was Jesse Montgomery. The man who stole her heart and broke it all in one day, two decades earlier.
As a Texas-size storm takes shape outside, the electricity between Andie and Jesse builds inside. Suddenly Andie is faced with more than just yes or no. As the storm clears there are two men who will want answers  

My Thoughts:
Just One Day is a novella. I was needing something that would be a fast and easy read. This was it! I main character, Andie, is a woman. What makes this different from what I usually read is that she is not a twenty something looking for love. She is a forty something with a past and a life and real problems. She is totally believable and even thought the story is shorter than a novel, you really get to know her since it is packed with information and still has little to no "fluff". The descriptions of the party on the yacht and the storm were amazing.  You could feel like you were there with her.  The twists and turns in the book were unexpected and wonderful. I think that the story of a woman having to make tough choices about her relationships is pretty common in a romance novel and we think we know what is going to happen.  This book really surprised me and kept me wanting to know more. This is the first Sharla Lovelace that I have read and I look forward to reading more from her.  Overall - I think that it is well written, a nice story, and perfect when you are looking for something quick and attention grabbing.  
Happy Reading!
Kyetra

Other reviews this week -
Forever Friday by Timothy Lewis
Change The World Before Friday - Mark Kimball Moulton (Children's Book)

It is important to note that I received this book from NetGalley in return for a book review. That being said, the feelings expressed in this review are my own and were not influenced by an outside source.

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Enjoy the little things, for one day you may look back and realize that they were the big things.

-  Robert Brault

Book Club Friday | The Cradle & The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox

This week I read:

The description from Goodreads: 
Early one summer morning, Matthew Bishop kisses his still-sleeping wife Marissa, gets dressed and eases his truck through Milwaukee, bound for the highway. His wife, pregnant with their first child, has asked him to find the antique cradle taken years before by her mother Caroline when she abandoned Marissa, never to contact her daughter again. Soon to be a mother herself, Marissa now dreams of nothing else but bringing her baby home to the cradle she herself slept in. His wife does not know-does not want to know-where her mother lives, but Matt has an address for Caroline's sister near by and with any luck, he will be home in time for dinner.
Only as Matt tries to track down his wife's mother, he discovers that Caroline, upon leaving Marissa, has led a life increasingly plagued by impulse and irrationality, a mysterious life that grows more inexplicable with each new lead Matt gains, and door he enters. As hours turn into days and Caroline's trail takes Matt from Wisconsin to Minnesota, Illinois, and beyond in search of the cradle, Matt makes a discovery that will forever change Marissa's life, and faces a decision that will challenge everything he has ever known.
Elegant and astonishing, Patrick Somerville tells the story of one man's journey into the heart of marriage, parenthood, and what it means to be a family. Confirming the arrival of an exuberantly talented new writer, THE CRADLE is an uniquely imaginative debut novel that radiates with wisdom and wonder.
My Thoughts: 
I picked up this book at Dollar Tree.  It looked nice if you judge a book by it's cover (and I do).  The description was interesting so I thought that I would give it a try. 
This really was a great read and was worth my time.   It is a story about what really matters in life and how choices effect so many people.  Good things can happen at odd times.

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I also read:

Description from Goodreads:
In the middle of tending to the everyday business at her vintage-clothing shop and sidestepping her married boyfriend’s attempts at commitment, Iris Lockhart receives a stunning phone call: Her great-aunt Esme, whom she never knew existed, is being released from Cauldstone Hospital—where she has been locked away for more than sixty-one years.
Iris’s grandmother Kitty always claimed to be an only child. But Esme’s papers prove she is Kitty’s sister, and Iris can see the shadow of her dead father in Esme’s face. 
Esme has been labeled harmless—sane enough to coexist with the rest of the world. But she's still basically a stranger, a family member never mentioned by the family, and one who is sure to bring life-altering secrets with her when she leaves the ward. If Iris takes her in, what dangerous truths might she inherit?
A gothic, intricate tale of family secrets, lost lives, and the freedom brought by truth, The Vanishing Act of Esme Lennox will haunt you long past its final page.
My Thoughts:
This is another book that I knew nothing about.  I saw it in our local used book store.  It had history and mystery so I decided to give it a chance.
I am glad that I did.  The book was very interesting.  There are no chapters.  Just one ongoing story told from  3 different angles.  Kitty, Esme, and Iris.  
It is very sad to see how people were treated years ago and what little you had to do to be put in an insane asylum.  There are so many secrets and it keeps you thinking about what could have been.
The one thing that I didn't love was the ending.  It just ended.  It stopped.  That was it.  While what happens in the last few pages is easy to figure out, there is not a lot of closure for the characters.

Linking up with -

Book Club Friday | The Violets of March

Description from Goodreads:
A heartbroken woman stumbled upon a diary and steps into the life of its anonymous author.
In her twenties, Emily Wilson was on top of the world: she had a bestselling novel, a husband plucked from the pages of GQ, and a one-way ticket to happily ever after.
Ten years later, the tide has turned on Emily's good fortune. So when her great-aunt Bee invites her to spend the month of March on Bainbridge Island in Washington State, Emily accepts, longing to be healed by the sea. Researching her next book, Emily discovers a red velvet diary, dated 1943, whose contents reveal startling connections to her own life.
A mesmerizing debut with an idyllic setting and intriguing dual story line, The Violets of March announces Sarah Jio as a writer to watch.   My Thoughts: This was my third novel by Sarah Jio.  I now have to wait for her new book to come out.  And I can't wait. I loved this book.  From the moment I picked it up, I could not put it down and read it in a little over a day.  It had the perfect mix of history, mystery, and love.  Which all of Sarah Jio's novel have in common. I love Emily and Bee.  Their relationship changes throughout the book and both come to terms with their pasts.  It was a great read!   *** If you love Sarah Jio, she has two books that I know of that are being published in 2013.  The Last Camilla is coming in late May, and Morning Glory in November.    I am linking up with Book Club Friday and Literary Friday.  

 

Speaking of reading...

I am completely in love with reading again.  I have not really read in years, but in my high school and early adult years, it was something that I really enjoyed.  Life got in the way and it was one of things that I gave up.  Now, I can't imagine why.
I love the Book Club Friday linkup at Blonde, Undercover Blonde.  It helps me find a lot of new books that I would otherwise never think of or read.  Which brings me to Goodreads.  I so love Goodreads.  I joined a few years back and never learned to use it to my advantage.
As I look at Book Club Friday, I have the screen to Goodreads open.  As I see a book review that looks good, I add it to the "To Read" shelf on Goodreads.  It works out great.  Except that I have a lot of books on that list already and I am pretty sure that I will be reading forever to cover them all.
Goodreads also works out great with the library.  My library has a card catalogue online and reserve ability.  I open up the library in one screen and Goodreads on the other.  Then I start the process of seeing what books are in and add them to my list.  My library even pulls those for me and has them at the desk when I get there.  It makes me feel very VIP, and is great when you are in a hurry.  Just drop off and grab.
Goodreads has a 2012 Reading Challenge. I signed up with my goal of 12 books for the year and had to increase to 30.  I think that I may just have to increase that again.  Yeppie!

ALSO - Goodhousekeeping has a monthly book review with suggestions.  I love reading the reviews and I have found a few greats books that way. Here is the link, just in case you don't get the magazine at home.

Do you have any places that you find great book recommendations?
And - if you have time- follow me at Goodreads. 

Children's Book Day

Tomorrow is National Children's Book Day.  It is meant to encourage children to read and to promote the love of books.  April 2nd was chosen since it is the birthday of Hans Christian Andersen.
I thought that I would take the opportunity to show you a few of the books that Taft loves right now.
The Pout Pout Fish:

When I first heard his teacher reading it to the class, I thought that it was a little strange.  After reading it myself, I love it too.  The grumpy old fish learns to love and it has a great ending.

This is a new book that Gran brought just in time for Easter.  Since Taft's favorite stuffed animal of all time is his bunny, he loves to read about them too.

Since Dr. Seuss Week at school, this has been a big favorite.  We had a copy at home and a friends brought Taft a few book that they out grew.  This was one and when Taft saw me give it to his class at school, he was in a panic.  He thought that we gave his away.  That took a little explaining.
What are your kids favorite books right now?

Mushroom Madness

The first is finally here.  In fact, it got here WAY to fast.  Today is the first day for a lot of people for a new beginning.  I need a new beginning in many ways.  My house is a disaster.  Literally, a disaster.  It may take all year to get it back in order and where it needs to be to make me happy.  I think that I can do it though.  I started yesterday by moving things around and even doing some touch up painting on areas that have taken a beating by a child and a big dog.  I have many projects in my mind and hopefully will get them finished as soon as possible. 
One thing on my 2012 Goal List was to get a library card.  I got an early start on that on Friday.  I realized that the library would be closed on Monday and we had things to do on Saturday, so Taft and I went to the Flagler County Public Library after I picked him up from school.  He loves the bookstore so I thought that he wold be a fan. 
He was a fan of the Children's Library and played while we picked him out a few books.
When it got time for me to pick a book for myself, he was not as good.  In fact, I was pretty sure that he would get us kicked out of the library all together and that they were going to take back my shiny, new, green library card.  But I got a book.  The Distant Hours by Kate Morton.  So far it is great.
Taft has tons of books and I knew that there has to be a way to keep the library books out of the general population and safe.  (His hands do not need to be on the books without supervision).  I settled on a basket on the counter by the fridge.  I let him know that they are there and to let me know when he wants one.  He was happy with that.

We read the first one today.  Mushroom in the Rain by Mirra Ginsburg and went outside to find some pretty big mushrooms in the yard. 

I did cook the first new recipe of the year today and it was great.  I also got all the ornaments on Taft's tree photographed so I can work on getting those in a book.  At the moment, I am thinking that a 12x12 scrapbook will be perfect to hold photos and descriptions of Taft's ornaments and the family ornaments.  Just divide them up with the Becky Higgins Scrapbook Dividers and since I took all vertical photos, the Pocket Pages in Design D would be perfect. Neither are in stock at the moment.
 Now - on to tomorrow.  I only got Taft's Christmas Tree down so I still have work to do.

March Reading

One of my goals with Taft for the year is to read more.  He got a box of new books from Gran last week.  I thought that it was the perfect opportunity to start really reading.  We were very lucky that at one of my baby showers, people brought me books to start Taft's library.  We got a great selection of board books, picture books, and books that he will grow into.  Many have them have still not been read since Taft sticks to his favorites.

So - I decided that in March, we would read one new (unread), book a day.  I tried to start it off with a book that Taft would find exciting.  We chose The Very Lonely Firefly by Eric Carle.  This version is a board book and the last page has a little battery in it to make all the little firefly's blink.  He loved it!  Then he was begging to read, "more books, more books". 

We followed it up with an educational book.  Shiny Touchy Smelly.  He loved the fact that there is a scratch and sniff on each page. 

We also read a little book called My Day.  It is a poem describing what you do throughout the day.  I couldn't find a picture of it but I will try to scan it later.  I think that we got off to a great start.