The Search: Blog Tour

The Search is a quiet little charmer of a book. A romantic story set in Amish country, The Search is part three in the Lancaster County Secrets series of women's Christian romance novels. This story centres around two young women, one named Bess and the other Lainey O'Toole. At first it is unclear what the two women might have in common and how their stories are intertwined. Bess is the grandaughter of Bertha Riehl, and she is sent for the summer to Pennsylvania to help care for her grandmother after some surgery has left Bertha in need. Well, the surgery turns out to have been a bit of a stretch and the grandmother, a bit of a scheming puppet-master. Bertha is a comical character who Bess learns to love over the course of the summer. Bess and Bertha and the farmhand Billy will all work together throughout the summer at Rose Hill farm, living off the land and learning how to grow roses. The roses, of course, are a metaphor for the characters within the book, some blooming like Bess, others slowly withering like Simon and Bertha and, yet another group still twinning together like the hybrids Billy has learned to graft into new variations on the traditional flower. Throughout the summer Bertha mischieviously tells Bess she must teach her how to drive a car and repeatedly "borrows" a police car to give her lessons. When Bertha manages to get herself and Bess thrown into jail, her son Jonah must return home. Thus Bertha successfully orchestrates the return of her son Jonah, Bess's father. Lainey O'Toole has remained in Stoney Ridge following some car troubles. She is an aspiring chef who once lived in Stoney Ridge and didn't intend to return, but winds up spending far more time there than intended. While she is there revisiting her old home, she is confronted by her past and the choices made so long ago, on a night when Jonah and his young family were involved in a horse and buggy accident just outside Lainey's old childhood home. When Bertha Riehl's brother, the drunk Simon, who has been shunned by the Amish community for many years, is near death, Bertha seeks a family member to donate bone marrow. Finding a match for the old miserable Simon starts a whole subplot that will call DNA and lineage into question. When Bess is eventually found to be a perfect match, everybody but Jonah, it seems, understands what that must mean. This is a story well told. Suzanne Woods Fisher has successfully created several strong female characters that really are the heart of this book. The author shows restraint and purpose in capturing the reality of Amish life. Suzanne Woods Fisher is the author of The Choice and The Waiting. I have not read either one of the earlier stories, so I know that this novel can stand on its own, or in the context of the series. Based on how much I enjoyed this story, I would happily choose either of those other books. Getting to know the characters in The Search was enjoyable. The characters are engaging and well rounded and driven by psychological struggles and romantic desires. I found this book to be a nice surprise and truly enjoyed the strong female characters.
The Search by Suzanne Woods Fisher, Jan. 2001, Revell, a division of Baker Publishing Group, US $14.99, 297 pages with discussion guide.

Thriftymommastips rating is $$$$ out of $$$$$.
I received a copy of this book in order to review it. The opinions in this blog are my own.

Little Princes: When Passion Meets Talent and Equals Change

When I received Little Princes in the mail for review I made a snap judgement call that this was about to be a story of an American who adopted some children internationally. Turns out, I proved the old adage you can't judge a book by its cover. Little Princes by Conor Grennan combines passion, talent and a desire to change the world. On a quest to journey the world and fill a gap year of sorts, Grennan chooses in 2006 to travel to Nepal and work in an orphanage named Little Princes. He is young and single. He is also not prepared for what meets him there. Grennan is plunged right into a civil war zone. Despite little experience with children, Grennan is quickly enamoured by the tiny orphans. Nevertheless he does his three months there and leaves to travel the Globe. In Thailand, while visiting a friend, he feels the need to return. This book is a lovely and inspiring memoir about Grennan's passion. It is sparked when he first sets foot in the orphanage and it continues to grow after he leaves, causing him to return again. He stays to learn more about Nepalese culture and as he learns more of the nature of poverty, he also discovers that the orphans in his charge, are, in nearly all of the cases victims of child traffickers. Despite horrific violence and danger posed by Maoist rebels, Grennan risks his life to find their families and return them home. This is the story of a man who refused to look away when he realized death certificates had been forged and that government corruption was rampant in Nepal. It is a passionate story and a moving memoir. Over the years that he worked at Little Princes, Grennan, visited family in the United States. In 2006 on one of the visits home, he set up a foundation to protect the Nepalese children. Next Generation Nepal is still active in the country and has a web site for more information. In light of the discoveries made here in this book, others should more thoroughly investigate other areas of the world where child trafficking may very well be just as rampant.

Little Princes: One Man’s Promise to Bring Home the Lost Children of Nepal, Conor Grennan
ISBN 9780061930058, publication date Feb. 1, 2011, William Morrow publishers, $25.99, 304 pages with colour photo insert and Index.
Thriftymommasbrainfood rating $$$$$ out of $$$$$
I received a copy of this book to review. The opinions in this blog are all my own.

The Poison Tree: A Sweet, Surprising and Sophisticated Thriller

The Poison Tree is as decadent as your finest chocolate, a truly delicious hold-all-my-calls kind of book. It has all of the elements of a bestseller and, at times reminded me a bit of a drug trip. This read was truly addictive and when it was over I was truly craving more. The Poison Tree, by first time author Erin Kelly, arrived accompanying the latest novel of a more established author and I wasn't even planning to give this a read for months because it wasn't requested by me and my list of titles to review is massive. But from the second I picked this one up I was gone. The Poison Tree begins as Karen Clarke and daughter Alice,9, have just picked up Rex Capel from prison. He has been there serving a sentence for murder. Now he is to be reintegrated into his former life, or what is left of that life. We know Rex is Alice's father, but we don't know why he was in prison exactly. The narrator Karen, preoccupied and somewhat paranoid, lets drop a single name BIBA on the car ride back to their new life together and that sets the stage for the slow unravelling of the story of Rex, Biba and Karen. Rex and Biba are brother and sister, orphans they claim, inaccurately. Karen, a gifted language student, is going through the motions of completing her ascent into academia saddled with a dull boyfriend named Simon. When he breaks up with her she finds herself numb to the loss and open to the idea of possibility. Right on the cusp of one memorable summer, Karen encounters Biba, a young actress seeking a dialect coach. Biba is a force of nature, flamboyant, exotic and charmingly magnetic. But the very energy that fuels her desirability also threatens to consume her and anyone who gets close to her. Kelly's first novel could have easily slipped into softcore porn territory, but it falls just shy of treading there, showing remarkable restraint on the part of the author. This is the story of one self indulgent summer that changes the course of all their lives. There are many surprises here in this taut thriller that is extremely well written for a first novel. I hesitate to spoil any of them for my readers. Erin Kelly is a former freelance journalist from North London. Her prose can be quite lovely; for instance: "That night in bed I lay awake on my right-hand side. Bruises, like sunburn are nocturnal and the one on my left thigh was waking up as I tried to sleep, a soft dark badge to commemorate the day's chases and revelations." Strangely, this is a novel that works very well alternating back and forth between past and present. The author does so in a logical fashion, as her narrator moves in and out memory, often triggered by a word. Kelly doesn't superimpose a new chapter or alternate voices to cue the reader to her intent. Although there are a few jarring transitions, for the most part, this style creates a hazy almost drugged feel to the book, echoing the experience of that summer. The past blurs with the present and the effect is almost seamless, organic. Tiny clues are dropped throughout the book about the crimes that took place and the ensuing scandal. But in the end I didn't find the outcome to be predictable at all. In fact, as I slowly guessed one plot twist another would blindside me. If I had to pick a single fault in this amazing read it would be the prologue which sets the tone, but also isn't really necessary to the plot. The title of the novel is taken from William Blake's poem "A Poison Tree." The Poison Tree is a stunning debut.

The Poison Tree, by Erin Kelly, Paula Dorman Books Viking, Jan. 10, 2011, 322 pages, $26.50 US and $33.50 Canadian. Thriftymommastips rates this one $$$$ out of $$$$$. I received a free copy of the book in order to complete this review.

Tales From the Treehouse: Jane and The Raven King

Jane and The Raven King is by Stephen Chambers, Sourcebooks, Jabberwocky, published last month Dec. 2010, $6.99 US and $8.99 Canadian, paperback, 256 pages.

My full written review is at New York Journal of Books.

This one gets five $$$$$ out of $$$$$. We thoroughly loved this character and her quest to save the world. Great strong plot and compelling adventure fantasy fiction for ages nine to 12.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Second Chance: How Adoption Saved a Boy With Autism and His Shelter Dog: Blog Tour

Second Chance is a touching story of a boy with autism and his shelter dog Chance. I liked the story itself and the idea of this book and I believe you can never have too many adoption books in your home library if your family is formed by adoption. However, for me there were slight narrative problems that detracted from the overall effect of the book. I applaud the author for choosing this topic matter and would still recommend this book to parents of children with special needs. However, I personally found the dog as narrator to be grating and, an unfortunate choice.  The author Sandra Gerencher was a special education teacher in the public school system and she adopted a son with autism. Gerencher has worked and rescued several dogs from certain death in high kill shelters. Chance is adopted by the author and her son and this is the story of how that came about. Chance is a puppy who gets a second chance when he is taken to the boy's home to meet the many other dogs already living there.The adoption of this dog is a catalyst to talk further about themes of adoption, loss and second chances. I think the most compelling and interesting plot here is a bigger picture story, that is really just touched on here. The use of animals as service dogs and helpers has become a growing phenomenon that isn't being fully explored right now in research or in non fiction. Chance is an example of the many ways in which animals positively impact children who are disabled, abused or traumatized. There is much anecdotal evidence that adopting an animal into a home where a child has been adopted or is being fostered, makes a great difference emotionally to the stability of the child. And dogs like Chance can be excellent candidates for bridging traumas children have gone through, similarly they can be effective therapy dogs or cats. For me personally, I think this story might have worked better and been more effective as a tool for change had it been written as a non fiction story straight up in reportorial style without the gimmicks. As it is, it's difficult to take a dog narrator seriously. Second Chance is $12.95 and a portion of the price goes to the Humane Society.

Human Body Detectives: CDs and Workbooks Review

How do you teach school-aged children about science, healthy eating and the body? Well, the Human Body Detectives series, by Canadian Heather Manley, now living in Hawaii, is one of the smartest tools available. Dr. Heather Manley is a naturopathic doctor and a parent who created the series called Human Body Detectives. (http://www.humanbodydetectives.com/) There are three stories so far in this series and each one tackles a topic of biology and features sisters Merrin and Pearl as they are transported through the human body in search of clues as to what might be happening to a friend or a relative. In Battle With The Bugs, Merrin and Pearl are vacationing with family in Mexico when their young cousin Max gets ill. Together, they journey inside Max's immune system and learn how the body fights bugs. The story is educational and entertaining. My kids were using very complex science terms like leukocytes and macrophages after only hearing this audiobook once. The drawings on the app _downloadable app for the digestive system book called Lucky Escape _ and on the workbook pages are dynamite and truly high quality. I loved that this series came with an audio CD. I like these a lot for reinforcing learning in the car.

You can purchase the CD set with workbook and colour stickers for only $15.00 through Dr. Heather Manley's web site. The app for Lucky Escape is a steal at $1.99. I give this series a $$$$$ out of $$$$$. Educational, smart and makes sense for families on the go. Also promotes healthy eating in children. Meant for ages four and upto 12.

(Join us later this week Thursday, Jan. 6th at 1 p.m. EST for a twitter party #drheather and you could win your own set of these books and CDs.) Stay tuned for more details.

Disaster Preparedness: A Memoir

In a memoir entitled Disaster Preparedness nothing much happens at all - unless you count the daily business of life and growing up in the 70s as a disaster. Heather Havrilesky is author of the sarcastic Rabbit blog. Up until this past year she was a staff writer at Salon.com. Havrilesky’s blog is clever and entertaining. She tackles all manner of pop culture, entertainment and personalities. At the heart of this non-fiction memoir is an interesting metaphor about life and the messy process of growing up at a time when children were raised in a culture of fear. Hard not to grow up slightly maladapted or anxious if some adult, teacher or newscaster is always shouting "It's the end of the world!"  The Iran Hostage Crisis, The Regan years and constant threats of World War 3 were reference points for Havrilesky's formative years. The cultural references here in Disaster Preparedness are both fun, resonant and slightly grating. At times the references were a bit overly familiar to me, a writer of about the same age as Havrilesky. In fact at times I felt as if I might have been reading a story of my own early years. Havrilesky was raised by parents that argued bitterly and then got a divorce, which is hardly earth shattering. Many children of the time period were in the same boat. Havrilesky's gift is sarcasm and she excels at recreating the 70s in fine detail. There are scenes here of birthday parties gone awry and parents acting out ridiculous soap operas as if life too were a performance. “Around the time my parents stopped making the slightest effort to hide their distaste for each other, we started taking long family vacations in the car each summer. This is the perverse logic of two people caught in a crumbling marriage: Instead of spending as little time together as possible, they vow to spend more time together, thinking they might reignite some lost spark through the purgatory of enforced contact.” She is at her best when skewering rights of passage like high school cheerleading tryouts, which she dubs a masochistic ritual. Sarcasm is one of the most difficult tools for a writer to make jump off the page, but Havrilesky's on line writing has clearly helped her to hone this style. Fans who follow her on line writing will enjoy this memoir, but it is not the type of read that will appeal to everyone. At times I couldn't wait for this book to be done, but I love a good metaphor and this idea of life as a great series of disasters that happen between the lines while waiting on perfection, well that is a truly gorgeous use of this literary device. And the ending, well it is empowering and lovely and strangely perfect.

Thriftymommasbrainfood rating $$$ out of $$$$$
• Disaster Preparedness, by Heather Havrilesky, Dec. 30, 2010 Riverhead Hardcover Books (Penguin Books USA), New York, 256 pages, $25.95 or $32.50 Canada, Hardcover ISBN 978-1-59448-768-2

I was given a copy of this book to review. My opinion is all my own.