COYER Blackout Winter Storm - let the reading and reviewing commence!

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Winter looks like it is arriving shortly in Minnesota.  They are forecasting snow!  So, it looks like a great time for me to get caught up on my reading.

This winter I will be doing the COYER Blackout Winter Storm challenge.  To do this, I will need to read books that cost me or would cost me less than $1.  Luckily, I can use the massive backlog of ARCs I have on my Kindle Paperwhite to meet the challenge.  And, for every 10 books over 100 pages, I get to read a book I want.  Sigh, I so want to read my ARCs!  This will not be a difficult challenge for me!

I have tons of reading to get underway, starting December 17, and it looks like I might be buying a book for a group member.  I can hardly wait to get started.

Let the reviews begin!  Oh, but I have to wait a month.  Wow - that might be the toughest part!

Wish me luck!

For Time and All Eternities by Mette Ivie Harrison

I was given an advance reader copy by Edelweiss/Above the Treeline. I can only hope they wanted opinions well in advance of the 1/2017 publication date so they would have plenty of time to edit the final copy. I am not trying to be mean. Let me just explain my experience. The ARC I was given was in kindle format and did not have the cover or any information about the author, etc. My first thought was this was a first time author with limited experience who could use more editing direction. Then I double checked the website where I obtained the ARC and discovered this was an experienced author. Not only that, this is the third book in a series. I actually thought, "maybe there was a mistake and they sent me the wrong book". But, no, it was the right one. The first chapters of the book are conversations between mother and son, and wife and husband regarding the evils of the stance taken by the Mormon leaders regarding LGBT members. This is basically a sermon by the author told in conversation format that is stiff, uncomfortable and very boring. Throw in discussion of the history of polygamy in the Mormon church, and you have quite the rousing first couple of chapters! ( I am not saying these issues are unimportant, by the way...) When I went back to double check they had sent me the correct file, I noted why I had requested it in the first place. This is a mystery. To me, the mystery is simple - how will the author get anyone to read to the murder part if the book begins in such a boring and tedious manner? As a librarian, I read a lot of books, but cannot give an author this much time to create a story. Mystery readers will not be as patient. I do not recommend this title unless the beginning is fixed prior to publication.

The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey 5 Star great for book clubs

The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

We selected Snow Child for our November 2016 book club read. It was unanimously well-liked by the club members. The books is very well-written and the language describes a raw, but breathtaking Alaska of the 1920's. It is easy to see why this book was nominated for the Pulitzer Prize. It is a stunning book.

As the description of the book indicates, the Snow Child is based on an old fable of a lonely old couple who build a snow girl who comes alive. In the Snow Child, Mabel and Jack, a couple in their fifties, have moved to Alaska. The loss of their only child has left them feeling as outsiders in their families and they determine a change of location could help them start a fresh life. They move to Alaska with the idea they will work side by side to clear land and farm. But, the life is harder than they expected, and despite their agreement to work as a team, Jack takes on all of the farm work and leaves Mabel alone most days to just care for their home. He is doing back-breaking work, and she is left bored and unable to contribute. The two are growing further and further apart.

One day in a light mood, the couple decide to build a snowman. But, as they build it, they turn it into the shape of a little girl. They put on mittens, a scarf, blue eyes and straw for hair. The next day they find the snow girl smashed and her mittens and scarf missing. That is when they begin to spot the little girl running through the woods and snow. This is when Faina (fah eena) comes into their life.

The story then is their life in Alaska, how Faina changes things, and the puzzle of who or what Faina is. Jack has discovered information about her background, but this does not explain the true snow child of Faina, and the reader is left, as are Jack and Mabel, questioning the reality and the mythology of the child.

To me the book reads like a Greek Tragedy. Throughout the book there is the joy of friendship and family, as well as the struggle to make a life in the Alaska wild. But, from the very beginning there is a sense that Faina's story will not end well. Despite Jack's convincing argument that Faina is simply a real little girl with a tragic background which has left her unwilling to be tied down, Mabel cannot help seeing the parallels to the fable. Throughout the story we see an unvarnished tale of the deaths required of beautiful creatures in order for Jack and Mabel, along with their friends George, Esther and Garrett, to survive. But, can Faina survive living the normal life of a wife and mother? What will this do to her free spirit?

A very engaging story that leaves much to the imagination of the reader while seemingly heading down a predetermined path. But, is it?

Highly recommended for book clubs. This one leaves a lot to be discussed.



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