A Gaggle of Book Reviews

Jackfish, The Vanishing Village is a new novel by Sarah Felix Burns, published by Inanna Publications of Canada. The story is a mix of real historical events and places, combined with a fictionized storyline of a woman which reads like a memoir, moving back and forth between the past and the present day. Jackfish, The Vanishing Village is a deeply moving and haunting book that will stay in your thoughts long after you put it down. It is not an easy read, but it is one will help you understand the lives of others, and be grateful for your own life.

Jackfish, The Vanishing Village is divided into 4 parts, each section dealing with the emotional growth of Clemance, our narrator and main character. Clemance is trying to cope with a multitude of emotional baggage that all comes to a head when she is taken off her anti-depressant due to an unexpected pregnancy at 42. The book is dedicated to all those who "battle the demons of guilt, shame, addiction, and mental illness", all of which are present in Clemance. Sarah Burns’ writing deftly brings us inside the mind of a woman trying to cope with her present life and her past life, as the demons of her past haunt her daily.

The town of Jackfish, Ontario is was a real town, one that was kept alive through the fishing and logging industries; it was abandoned when trains started using diesel, and no longer needed to stop in Jackfish for coal. Sarah Burns has adapted Jackfish to fit her story, just as she has utilized other real people, places, and events to create a book that feels incredibly real. The rawness of emotion in Jackfish, The Vanishing Village also pulls the reader into the story, Clemance’s story tugs at you.

I had to put down Jackfish, The Vanishing Village a few times during the time I was reading it. Though I am a fast reader, it took several days to read this book; I needed to intersperse it with other, lighter fare. Clemance, her husband Bernie, her friends, and her family are drawn so clearly they jump to life, and the story follows these intense characters. Just as this is not a light read, it is not an easy read, either. Clemance’s life was not an easy one prior to her marriage and pregnancy, and the medication-free pregnancy is triggering memories of those hard times.

Switching back and forth between the present and the past is not easy for authors, nor for the reader. However, in Jackfish, The Vanishing Village, Sarah Burns has written segues that help us understand why Clemance’s mind drifts to the past from the present. The flashback style works so well because we can see inside Clemance’s mind and understand what she is thinking. There are many mysteries locked within Clemance’s brain, though, and we uncover them slowly as she is ready to deal with them. We, the readers, also grow to really like Clemance, and her earlier actions are easier to accept when we have developed a relationship with her.

Jackfish, The Vanishing Village is an amazingly intricate and intense book, one that truly feels real. If you are a memoir buff, and are considering reading some fiction, this is the right book for you! If you enjoy women’s fiction or literary fiction, you will not be able to put down Jackfish, The Vanishing Village. If you are very sensitive and easily troubled, I would not suggest this book. That said, I am incredibly glad that I read Jackfish, The Vanishing Village, it put my own troubles into a new perspective, and also helped me understand Clemance’s world, and the world of others struggling with abuse, addiction, poverty, and mental illness. Clemance’s life story is one that I will never forget, one that others should read.

Yay! February 26 - the day Kim Harrison’s newest book is released! If you haven’t already bought The Outlaw Demon Wails (Rachel Morgan, Book 6), click on that link and order it. If you’re impatient and own a Kindle, then you can buy it and have it downloaded in moments. The rest of us will need to wait for shipping or drive to a store.

While you’re awaiting your copy of The Outlaw Demon Wails, be sure to read our (spoiler free) book review, as well as our (also spoiler free) interview with Kim Harrison.

Don’t forget to pick up the mass market paperback of For a Few Demons More, it has a Rachel & Kisten short story at the end that is absolutely worth the price of the book!

WIN IT!!!

Leave a comment on this entry, and you could win a copy of The Woman Who Is Always Tan And Has a Flat Stomach: And Other Annoying People! Winner will be selected at 12 midnight March 3.  Don’t miss our interview with Lisa and Lauren!

Lauren Anderson and Lisa Perry have written the ultimate book to help imperfect parents feel normal - The Woman Who Is Always Tan And Has a Flat Stomach: And Other Annoying People. Have you ever felt like the only woman who doesn’t knit? Have you ever wanted to thwack your husband on the head for obsessive video camera use? Have you ever felt intimidated by the homes that are decorated for every holiday? Have you ever needed an antidote to the Martha Stewart factor in suburbia? Don’t worry - The Woman Who Is Always Tan And Has a Flat Stomach: And Other Annoying People is here for you!

But wait, there’s more! Lisa Perry and Lauren Anderson have taken written snapshots of those people, the ones that make you feel inadequate and irate, all at once. Realizing that you aren’t alone in those feelings is one of the first steps toward acceptance of your imperfect self. Laughing at caricatures of “perfect” people, and even caricatures of ourselves can help you get through the dark, dull winter days. I could see myself on both sides - as the caricatured person and as the imperfect person, and I laughed equally hard at both.

Each annoying person is given their own short (2-5 page) chapter in which we see the imperfect author vs the annoying person. The caricatures are beautifully written - they stay within the bounds of humor, but with a bit of an edge. The book includes chapters about:

• The Husband Who Either Asks for Inane Instructions or Else Gives Inane Instructions
• The Woman Who Has Her Christmas Cards, Shopping, and Decorating Done Before Thanksgiving
• The Perfect Soccer Mom Who Knows All the International Rules of Soccer
• The Wine Connoisseur Woman Whose Wine Rests More than I Do
• The Woman Who Cleans Out the Refrigerator Every Thursday Whether It Smells or Not
• The Infomercial Couple Who Start Every Sentence with “But Wait! There’s More!”
• The Husband Who Doesn’t Notice When His Wife Redecorates the Living and Dining Rooms

There’s nothing quite like a book that contemplates polygamy as a solution for a stressful holiday season! (One wife to make the cookies, one for shopping, one for writing the cards, one for decorating…) I can understand why Lauren Allison and Lisa Perry self-published The Woman Who Is Always Tan in 2005, it needed to be out in the world. In their introduction they thank their “perfect” friends, “Without you, our self-esteem would never have plummeted and we never would have written about our many inadequacies.” These women have a flair for bringing humor to parenting and self-esteem issues, and an ability to help the reader laugh at herself and rejoice in her imperfect self.

This book was so much fun, and if laughter counts as exercise, I giggled away several pounds! Anyone who needs a laugh should pick up a copy of The Woman Who Is Always Tan And Has a Flat Stomach: And Other Annoying People. Carry it with you so it can perk you up on days when you’re down. It’s a nice, thin book that’s easy to carry, with short chapters that can perk you up in moments. Be sure to buy copies of The Woman Who Is Always Tan for your other mom friends - they will thank you!  Don’t miss our interview with Lisa and Lauren!

Don’t forget to comment on this entry, and try to win a copy of The Woman Who Is Always Tan! Leave your comment before March 3 for an opportunity to win!

This book was received from the publisher for review

Boxcar Kid by Norma Charles is a new young adult/tween novel about family life during the Westward expansion in Canada. Set at Fraser Mills, a lumber mill in British Columbia, in 1909, Boxcar Kid follows Luc and the Godin starting with their arrival from Quebec. While the novel is written as fiction, the location is real, and the situation could really have happened. Coquitlam, British Columbia grew rapidly in 1909-1910 when French loggers from Quebec moved west to work for Fraser Mills and the growing logging industry.

Luc is the thirteen year old oldest child in the Godin family in Boxcar Kid. Luc has a mother, a father, a twelve year old sister Rita, a five year old sister Clara, and a baby brother named Joseph. We soon realize that there was an older son, Leo, who died in an accident within the previous year. The entire family is excited about the move to Fraser Mills, and eager to see the new home that was built for them by the loggers. However, upon their arrival they learn that the homes were not built, and that the four families that moved to the mill will be sharing an empty boxcar in place of a home.

Norma Charles has a wonderful skill for creating characters - each of the main characters jumps off the page, pulling the reader into the story. Facts merge with fiction as we learn about horse care, doctors, schooling, and the object of Luc’s fascination - bicycles! At the beginning of Boxcar Kid, Luc feels worthless - he is nervous around horses after the accident that killed his brother, and his younger sister happily takes his place working with their father. Luc helps a bit with the younger children, but finds himself helping new arrivals, translating between French and English. His academic skills are soon a boon, and a chance for him to help his family and himself.

The world of a lumber mill was completely foreign to me, as was the history of westward expansion in Canada. In Boxcar Kid, Norma Charles does an amazing job of intertwining a wonderful coming-of-age story with a unique historical background. As with Valerie Sherrard’s Three Million Acres of Flame, the story and the characters pull the reader in, and the history lesson sneaks in unexpectedly! Luc, his family, and his friends are wonderful characters - no cardboard cut-outs or stereotypical characters. It feels as if we are peeking through time into the lives of people almost 100 years ago; we see the prejudices against the Chinese, bicycles, and the difficulty of a language barrier that crops up even when moving within the same country.

I loved Boxcar Kid, and recommend it to the 9+ age group of tweens and Young Adult. Parents should know that there is a little flirting, but nothing beyond that. There is some discussion of death, as well as accidents. That said, there is very little violence overall. This is a great read to reinforce the value of family, of being confident in yourself, and in learning some history, too! Boxcar Kid is a wonderful, quick read that kids will enjoy and that can spark some great discussions, too.

This book was received from the publisher for review

Ghost of a Chance is a paranormal mystery written by Kate Marsh, a pen name for the fantastic paranormal author Katie MacAlister. I have raved about Katie’s books previously, and I was thrilled to find a new book written by her. If you have read her Dark Ones (vampires) series, you will have a good insight into the background of Ghost of a Chance, as she uses the same paranormal world for both. If you haven’t read the Dark Ones books, you will be able to quickly pick up the vocabulary of the paranormal society inside Ghost of a Chance, but you should really pick up Katie MacAlister’s books; they’re great reads.

While there are mysteries and suspense in all of Katie’s books, Ghost of a Chance focuses on the mystery, rather than romance. Karma Marx is an unhappily married woman whose job is to “clean” houses; she exorcises spirits from their homes and banishes them. She’s soft hearted, and tends to move the spirits to her own home rather than banishing them completely, so she has several entities living with her, but in hiding from her husband Spider. When Karma stands up for herself and asks for a divorce, Spider agrees to divorce without contesting, with the stipulation that she “clean” one last house for him.

Nothing is ever that simple, though is it? When Karma arrives at the house, she finds the previous owner, Adam, a poltergeist, disinterested in moving. While several people are in the house there is an unexpected death. Adam seals the house so that no one can leave or enter, and he and Karma set out to discover the identity of the murderer.

The reader follows along as we read about the investigation from Karma’s point of view. Ghost of a Chance is an interesting variation on the “locked room” type of mystery. No one is quite who they seem, and their supernatural powers alter the possibilities for alibis. Additionally, there are ghosts, a unicorn, and others within the house that can testify to a person/being’s whereabouts. There are clues that point you away from one possibility and towards another. Is the solution the one which is the most obvious, or is it one that you never expected? While parts of the mystery went exactly as I expected, there were several big surprises. The quirks and abilities of each character are as unexpected as the ending; and those quirks make the characters (living or not) incredibly realistic.

It was a lot of fun to read a book that included two of my top book loves - the paranormal world and mysteries! I highly recommend Ghost of a Chance, by Kate Marsh to anyone who enjoys Katie MacAlister’s novels, as well as to anyone who likes a good mystery or a good paranormal story. This novel is worth taking a chance if you haven’t read paranormals before - the mystery is great, and the characters have depth, you can really imagine having coffee with Karma - or maybe some tea. There is some great humor mixed with the mystery and paranormal; Ghost of a Chance is a great read.

Demon Envy is author Erin Lynn’s first foray into the Young Adult genre. Writing as Erin McCarthy, she has created some wonderful paranormal novels with romance, including Sucker Bet which we reviewed here. Demon Envy is just as well-written and fascinating as the adult novels, but with age-appropriate themes and activities. The stage is set when sixteen year old Kenzie Sutcliffe accidentally drops some of her prescription acne cream down the shower drain, and it opens up a portal to hell. Specifically a portal to one of hell’s prisons, and a prisoner escapes - appearing in her shower as she’s washing her face!

After Kenzie freaks out, she and the demon Levi (yes, his name is an anagram of evil) negotiate an understanding. Levi will stay at the Sutcliffe home and go to school with Kenzie, and he and Kenzie will work together to close the portal before another prisoner or a guard comes through the shower portal. Levi works some demon magic to get Kenzie’s parents OK with the plan, and to make sure he can go to school despite having no ID or transfer records. Why does he want to go to school? Levi is an Envy demon, and he feeds off the jealousy of humans; high schools make for great eating for an envy demon!

There’s a knack for writing for the Young Adult market, and it isn’t just in reworking a plot so that it doesn’t cross into inappropriate behavior for the under 18 set. Some authors can’t make the switch work, while others manage to be equally successful in both markets. Erin manages to write books in different voices, all of which feel real. Kenzie and her friends act like realistic teens. The parents in Demon Envy are pretty oblivious, but that’s normal for Young Adult novels.

Demon Envy includes several themes that are frequently used in this genre: a girl on the outside of popularity, new kid who becomes popular right away, and the girl has a crush on the popular sports star. However, Erin puts a new spin on them and makes them feel fresh. Adding a demon who feeds on high school jealousies is definitely unique! Plus, each of the characters has their own quirks that make them interesting and fun rather than a cardboard stereotype.

If you’re a teen who wants a new spin on the typical Young Adult read, pick up Demon Envy. If you’re the parent of a teen who likes Young Adult fantasy and the YA version of chick lit, pick up a copy of Demon Envy. If you’re an adult who has loved the many novels by Erin McCarthy, definitely pick up Demon Envy to read her Young Adult writing. No matter why you are picking up Demon Envy, you’ll really enjoy it, and we highly recommend it. This is another book where the only problem is that the next book, Speed Limit Demon won’t be out until November!

Did I Expect Angels? is the intense first novel by Kathryn Maughan. This is a story that will require a nearby box of Kleenex, but it is ultimately an uplifting novel about the effect one person can have on another’s life. Kathryn Maughan’s book has inspired others to talk about unexpected angels who have helped them on her book’s website. In a way, the idea reminds me of the concept in Pay It Forward - the book and the movie, but rather than focusing on a wide range of people, Did I Expect Angels? focuses on the lives of two people - Jennifer and Henry. While the storyline discusses faith and angels, this is not a novel to be dismissed due to your own beliefs; there is no preaching, just two beautiful stories.

When we first meet Jennifer, she’s despondently walking through the drug store, planning to buy 2 bottles of aspirin. Henry is the greeter at the drug store, a friendly guy with whom she has chatted frequently; Jennifer had visited Costa Rica, where Henry was born. Henry picks up on Jennifer’s desperation that evening, and asks her to come with him for a few minutes. Reluctantly, Jennifer agrees, and she joins Henry and his daughter Rosita for a hot chocolate at a local diner.

The story within Did I Expect Angels? happens at one table at the diner, in one evening. However, the story transcends time and space, recalling forty years of an older man’s life, and the love and loss of a younger woman’s life. Sitting with her at the diner, Henry tells Jennifer about his childhood in Costa Rica, how he and his family immigrated to the United States, and the joys and hardships in his life. As Henry tells her his story, Jennifer’s attention fades in and out; she listens to him, but also starts remembering her own story.

Kathryn Maughan skillfully weaves together Henry’s tale with the story of Jennifer’s love for her husband and daughter, and her profound grief after the loss of her husband. The reader is pulled into the lives of both characters, and needs to know what has happened to them, and how they will be helped. I had to put down Did I Expect Angels? a few times so that I could find tissues, but I did not want to put it down; I needed to know what would happen next for both Jennifer and Henry.

Maughan was inspired to write the novel after reading articles about the first Christmas September 11, and the grief of the widows and widowers as they coped through their first holiday.

As I read and listened to all these stories, I thought, “What about next Christmas? Is that going to be any easier? And the one after that? Will the newspeople talk about it next year?”

In our society, grief is given a time limit - if you are still grieving after a few months, it’s gone on for too long. Unfortunately, human minds and hearts are unique, and each of us heals in our own time. I am very impressed with not only how Jennifer’s debilitating grief is treated in Did I Expect Angels?, but also how sensitive Maughan is to those who continue to struggle. Jennifer and Henry share their grief, but they are also linked together with hope as their unexpected angels assist them.

I have been dealing with chronic pain for over two years, and have had my fair share of friends who couldn’t cope and thought I was too upset for too long. However, I’ve also been lucky enough to have a few unexpected angels who helped me when times were toughest. At the end of the novel, I found myself with tears in my eyes and an uplifted heart.

Did I Expect Angels? is a beautiful book that will deeply affect you. If you are looking for a beautiful and intense read, look no farther - this is your book. If you are surviving grief, Did I Expect Angels? can offer some hope. Be sure to check out the book’s website, and leave a video message about the unexpected angels that have helped you. I recommend Did I Expect Angels?, but though it is ultimately hopeful, I would still recommend a cheerful book as a follow-up to this one!