June by Miranda Beverly-Whitemore

It tickled me to read this book in June (even though the June in this case refers to a girl named June rather than the month. The book uses a dual narrative, one past, one present, to tell the story of the summer of 1955 in a small town in Ohio, when Hollywood came to town, and the repercussions it had into present day for Cassie, a young woman still fresh from the death of the grandmother who raised her. As Cassie hides from the world in the grand old house she inherited, Hollywood again comes knocking, when she finds that she has inherited the entire estate of the star of that long ago movie. Even though there were a few plot devices and foreshadowing that was easy to spot,  Miranda Beverly-Whittemore surprised me on one element.

Thank you to Blogging for Books and the publisher for sending me this copy.

Chapel of Ease by Alex Bledsoe (Publication date September 6 2016)

I believe in magic. I don't mean the hocus-pocus stuff, but in an underlying magic that is the song and beauty of our world, something, that, if we're very lucky, or very blessed, or maybe blind, stupid drunk, we can occasionally unlock. I think it's that belief that makes me like books that give secret histories-- a magic woven in between our own known world and history that, in the telling, doesn't necessarily change what we, the unmusical, know, but once we learn gives added dimension. I think this is also one of the reasons I like Alex Bledsoe's novels of the Tufa so much. The Tufa are magic hidden in plain sight. And in each of Bledsoe's four Tufa novels, we get a little glimpse of the song that carries them.

This novel, Chapel of Ease, is due out September 6, 2016. I am completely grateful to Diana Pho at Tor Books, for not making me wait that long, and getting me an ARC. Chapel of Ease stands apart from the first three books (The Hum and the Shiver, A Wisp of A Thing, The Long Black Curl) as it is partially set in New York City, but overlaps for a portion of the book with the familiar setting of Cloud County. My experience with the other three books was to get completely lost in the rhythms, melodies, and words laced throughout the story. With this book, though the novel is essentially about a musical written by a Tufa, to open off-Broadway, the music didn't carry me as much, but the telling of the story did. Maybe that's because I also happen to love books that weave two story-lines. And, if one is in the past, and one present day, even better. From the moment this story started, through to the very last lines, it held me. (See plot summary kindly provided by Tor Books here.)

Reading this in the wake of the horrific shooting in Orlando also helped a bit in my processing of that tear in our fabric of humanity. The explorations of differences in groups of people, in sexual orientation, in beliefs, and even in the biases of country vs city/city vs country that were so carefully, and eloquently developed within the plot helped with my own inner dialogue.  It all flowed quite naturally, as a piece of the plot, not like the remuddles I've seen plastered on other stories to bring them up to date. I'm so very happy to have a novel that presents a really interesting non-stereotypical gay man as a main character, not as a sidekick. I, as a straight woman, really liked being inside his head, and in his heart. I also liked yet another glimpse of the magic that may be hidden in our world, and how it may not be confined only to those mountains in Cloud County.

I have to wait a bit for the next novel in the series (even for an ARC) but I will try to be patient. We're headed to our mountain cabin in Rabun county, and I may even dust off my dulcimer. But, before that, I have a big decision to make: which of Alex Bledsoe's series do I explore next?

tags:2016-read, a-favorite-author, advanced-reader-copy, corresponded-with-author, didn-t-want-to-put-it-down, fantasy, made-me-look-something-up, made-me-think, magic, magical, part-start-of-a-series, places-i-have-been, rabun-county-and-thereabouts, read, thought-provoking, tor, will-look-for-more-by-this-author

All Summer Long by Dorothea Benton Frank

I like reading. I like Charleston. I like reading books set in Charleston. So, Dotty Frank's All Summer Long should have been a walk in walk in Waterfront Park, Slam dunk at the Joe (and maybe TD Arena at CofC for the dunk), day at the beach (Folly, Sullivans, Isle of Palms, and heck, even Kiawah, Seabrook, or Edisto) for me. Right?

Except it wasn't. The only things that engaged me in this book was the dedication to Pat at the beginning (assuming that Pat was Pat Conroy) and the memory of flying into Charleston from New York City, and reading  Frank's description of the same flight path. But even then, I shuddered. "Scarlett's ringlets"? Even as a joke? Nevah. The characters felt dead to me, and even my beloved lowcountry failed to breathe a spark of life (or interest ) into the story.

Dorthea Benton Frank's books tend to either be a hit or a miss for me, rarely lukewarm. But I keep reading them, because when the combo hits a homer into the marsh from The Joe, I wanna be there in my kayak to catch it. I am currently rethinking that plan. My apologies to the author and to her fans.

Tags: 2016-read, an-author-i-read, give-me-my-time-back, read, thank-you-charleston-county-library, thought-i-was-gonna-like

Simply Calligraphy by Judy Derrick

I'm working hard to improve my hand lettering. Calligraphy has always mystified me, mostly because I am too impulsive to follow all the directions given. I wan instant results, and that just doesn't happen. However, this is the first book that has actually made calligraphy approachable to me, mostly because it is straightforward, and recognizes that though the idea setup will, with practice, produce ideal results, most people aren't going to build a calligraphy desk or acquire eleventy billion nibs and handles and inks. When Judy Detrick said to practice on notebook paper, I think I fell in love.

I'm still practicing, which is more than I've done with any of the other calligraphy books I've tried. My only wish is that there were more full alphabets for me to see and play with, but that's what the internet is for.

My thanks to Blogging for Books and the publisher for sending this copy my way. I have to keep it hidden so my granddaughter doesn't steal it from me when she comes over.

Aunty Lee's Chilled Revenge by Ovida Yu

Set in Singapore, this cozy centers on the death of a tourist, the sister of the notorious "Puppy Killer", a British ex-pat who'd had a puppy euthanized, and caused a scandal years before. Aunty Lee, and her cast of characters, come into play because the Puppy Killer has returned (with her now-murdered sister) to sue the people who originally brought charges, and made the case an internet sensation. And of course, all those people know Aunty Lee.

This was my first foray into Aunty Lee's world. I found the dishes and descriptions of her cafe items interesting, though had to look up each and every one to make sure I had it right, as there was no glossary to help me distinguish Katong Laksa from Cheng tng, (I read an ARC, and a glossary may be included in the final.) There were a lot of folks involved on Aunty's side of things, which took some sorting out, and not that much description of the city beyond food culture. But still, I found it interesting. These internationally set cozies are good for giving snippets of culture usually not represented in mysteries, and a series allows the reader to learn at a leisurely pace.

As to the mystery itself, it soon became obvious where the story was leading in terms of one main element. The hints in the backstory just had me rather impatient for the reveal to know I was right. There also were enough annoying characters still left that I was wishing one or two of them might be picked off instead.

If another Aunty Lee story falls into my hands, I may give it a go, but may not seek her out otherwise. Thanks to LibraryThing Early Reviewers for sending the book my way. Sorry I didn't like it more.

bookshelves: early-review-librarything, advanced-reader-copy, 2016-read, taught-me-something, made-me-look-something-up, cozy-type-mystery, ok-but-not-great, rounded-up-in-star-rating 

Read from June 18 to 20, 2016

The Long Black Curl by Alex Bledsoe

I've been to Cloud County, home of the Tufa, twice before. Alex Bledsoe took me there, in the first two books of this series. I would have gone back sooner, but 2015 was a crummy year for me, health wise, and my reading slowed, and I was unable to get to this book when it came out. But now, thanks to the magic of the author, and the good sense of my public library, I was able to fly on a song to the land of the Tufa. Once again, I found good writing, fabulous characters, and an enthralling storyline. Yes, that's magic.

Time moves differently in Cloud County. There are faces which have been around for decades, if not centuries, and not necessarily because genes have been passed along to descendants. But in all the years the Tufa have lived there, only two have been banished, "sung out" of the community, unable to return, and unable to find the music and the magic which are lifeblood to Tufa. But now, one has returned, and is out for vengeance.

This is a story of community and family, love and loss, retribution and redemption. Some might even make comparisons to Romeo and Juliet, though for me, that was a lesser part of the plot-line than the journey of the individual characters. It is a tale that deepens the reader's ability to glimpse into a culture carefully crafted by Bledsoe to incorporate music, art, legend, and lore of our own world. Music winds its way through Bledsoe's writing, and plays a background melody for me as I read, reawakening old memories of Child ballads, and rhythms of forgotten tunes I once hummed close to heart, my fingers busy on my dulcimer. Reading these books of the Tufa, for me, becomes a multidimensional experience, those songs of my own past guiding the words of the story. But even without the accompaniment, the story captivates.

Tags: 2016-read, a-favorite-author, didn-t-want-to-put-it-down, fantasy, great-title, made-me-look-something-up, magic, paranormal, part-start-of-a-series, rabun-county-and-thereabouts, read, thank-you-charleston-county-library, tor, will-look-for-more-by-this-author
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Smoke by Dan Vyleta

As far as premises go, this is a good one: a dystopian-isa Victorian England, where sin is visible in the form of smoke that seeps and escapes from your body with each bit of anger, lust, greed, or worse. Except, the upper class seems to be able to overcome their tendencies to smoke, leaving the underbelly of society to wallow in their own soot, thieving, killing, and morally depraved. Yet, has it always been this way?

To me, the most compelling aspect of this story was how smoke came into the world, and the cover-up of the time before smoke. But this isn't addressed as thoroughly as other aspects. The story centers around Charlie, Thomas, (and later Livia), three adolescents born to the upper class, swept into the mysteries around smoke. There is evil, too, that emanates from both the world of politics and from the prestigious boys boarding school Charlie and Thomas attend. Told from varying points of view (both theirs and other characters) the story unfolds, but for me, without a satisfying conclusion.

I wish I could remember who recommended this book so highly to me. I'd like to discuss it with them.

tags: 2016-read, alternate-history, dystopian-ish, fantasy, read, read-on-recommendation, rounded-up-in-star-rating, thank-you-charleston-county-library, thought-i-was-gonna-like, great-cover