Darkwood

Finished December 2
Darkwood by M.E. Breen

This children's novel is set in another land, where there is magic. In Howland, darkness comes suddenly and completely. There is no moon, no stars, and people are afraid of what is out in the dark, particularly of what is in the forest. Annie Trewitt lives with her aunt and uncle, on a farm near the woods. She has been taught to fear the the creatures of the dark, the kinderstalk. Children have been disappearing from their community, like Annie's sister Page. No trace is found of them. When Annie hears her aunt and uncle making terrible plans for her, she knows she must venture into the forest.
Annie survives, and begins to learn that all is not what it seems, and that she has abilities she never dreamed of. As Annie journeys farther in the kingdom, she finds her own destiny as well as those she thought were lost forever.
A tale of growing up, of courage, of taking a step into the unknown. A story of learning that things aren't always what they seem, and of believing in oneself.

The Unfinished Angel

Finished December 2
The Unfinished Angel by Sharon Creech

This lovely children's novel tells a tale of an angel who lives in an old house in a small village in Switzerland. For a long time the angel has been watching theneighbours, an old lady Signora Divino and her grandson Vinny, but not really doing that much. The angel feels like it doesn't know what it should be doing or how to do angel-like things. While it is supposed to understand all languages, it isn't really that good at them, and the words it uses aren't always right. It hasn't seen any other angels and isn't sure where to find them and what the extent of territory it is responsible for. The angel likes animals and when feeling upset flishes (yet that is what it calls it) up to see the goats, which always make it feel better.
But then the American man Mr. Pomodoro and the girl Zola come to live in the house and things start to happen. To start, Zola can see the angel and knows it is an angel and expects it to do angel things. Like when she finds the homeless children in the barn before the angel notices and want the angel to fix things. Like when Vinny throws garbage and Zola wants the angel to fix things. But though the angel helps when it can, everyone discovers that sometimes it is the people that do most of the fixing.
I love the use of onomatopoeia in the words used by the angel. A good example is Mr Pomodoro tappling at the keys for his dimputer. The book plays with language in both the words the angel uses and Zola's playful utterings.  The whole book feels playful and fun, and gives the reader a good feeling inside.

Criminal

Finished December 1
Criminal by Karin Slaughter, read by Kathleen Early

This thriller takes us back and forth between the present and the summer of 1975. It also brings together two characters from previous novels, GBI detective Will Trent, and doctor Sara Linton. In the present, Will and Sara are early in their relationship, still learning about each other. Will has been sidelined to less active duty very recently by his boss Amanda Wagner, and when a college student goes missing he wonders why he isn't on the case. When he discovers there is a link to his own past, he must go through heartache and self-doubt as he faces his demons.
In 1975, Amanda is a young policewoman, facing discrimination and her own doubts in her career. When she and her partner Evelyn are sent to a housing project on what proves to be a false case, they learn about some missing women. They are intrigued by the case, despite being warned off by fellow officers, and are determined to get to the truth of the matter. The two women are tested to the extent of their ability, and put themselves in immense danger, but prove themselves as police officers in a way that changes their workplace.
This is a tale of social history, self-knowledge, and friendship.
A wonderful book, with so much more than just a good thriller case.

Hoopla

Finished December 1
Hoopla: the art of unexpected embroidery by Leanne Prain, photography by Jeff Christenson

This is an interesting book profiling modern embroidery artists. It contains interviews, photographs of their work, and discussions of different trends in this art form.
I am an embroiderer who has stuck to more traditional embroidery, but this book opened my eyes to new ways of thinking about embroidery and got my creative juices flowing. Now I just have to make time for that creativity.
The book offers some project plans and patterns from some of these artists that will inspire and give a starting point to those interested in these new ideas.

The Year Swallows Came Early

Finished November 30
The Year Swallows Came Early by Kathryn Fitzmaurice

This children's novel is set in the California town of San Juan Capistrano. Eleanor Robinson has the nickname Groovy, given to her by her father. She loves to cook and constantly works to develop her skills planning to go to cooking school one day. She is friends with the owners of a local restaurant The Swallow and often helps them out. Groovy's father is a bit of a drifter, and keeps changing jobs, while her mother is a hairstylist hooked on horoscopes. As the book opens, Groovy's dad is pulled aside as they are walking to his new job, and arrested. While this naturally upsets her, she looks to her mother for answers and finds they are more complex than she imagined. As she relies on her friends for support, and helps them with their own problems, she also learns more about her own family history and the great-grandmother she is named for.
This is a book of friends, of forgiveness, and of family and offers many discussion points for young readers.

Darkmans

Finished November 26
Darkmans by Nicola Barker

I've had this on the shelf for a while and finally tackled it. Like all of her books that I've read, it isn't straightforward, and it took me awhile to figure out what the different fonts indicated. One font stands for thoughts, and one for speech in a foreign language. The story takes place in Ashford a modern town near the Chunnel. At the center of this story are Beede and his son Kane. Beede runs the laundry at the local hospital, but has been involved over the years in various civic activities. Kane deals in the black market for prescription drugs. The two live in the same house, with separate living spaces. They've lived largely separate lives for years, but the actions here bring them together. Beede has been helping Elen deal with some issues around the health of her husband Dory. Elen is a bit of a mysterious woman, one of those women who seem to draw men of all types and she's been drawing Beede for a while. When she meets Kane by chance, he also finds himself interested in her despite himself.
Elen and Dory also have a child, a young boy named Fleet, who lives in his own world and shows signs of high intelligence in certain areas. I couldn't help but think that he is autistic.
Dory has insisted that they move into a new suburb and their house has had numerous problems. The builder they hired has been dragging his feet on getting any real work done, and things have been getting tense. Dory also seems prone to going into trance-like states where he does things that he doesn't remember later.
Another central character is Kane's ex-girlfriend, Kelly Broad. Kelly is a girl from a disreputable family, a girl who dresses flirtatiously, but is really pretty good underneath. Kelly thinks Beede is behind the disappearance of some of Kane's supply a while back, a disappearance that she was blamed for. She is trying to clear her name, and perhaps interested in Kane still.
A young Turkish Kurd who comes to Kelly's aid is an interesting touch, He understands more English than he speaks, and is quite well-spoken when talking his own language, and has an interesting background. And an interesting phobia, salad.
Also figuring in the story is John Scogin, a court-jester from the court of Edward IV, a man we mostly see traces of, like a ghost.
All these characters, and more, interact in interesting ways and reveal their own idiosyncrasies as they do. This is a book about fathers and sons, love and jealousy, past and present, a book about the way some things just get under your skin and never let you go. The book became more and more fascinating the further I read, and at 838 pages, that made it very interesting. Barker is never a disappointment.

Mr Stink

Finished November 25
Mr Stink by David Walliams, illustrated by Quentin Blake

This is a great children's novel. Chloe is an unhappy little girl. She has no friends at school, is constantly compared unfavourably to her over-achieving younger sister by her ambitious mother, and finds comfort in food. She has seen the homeless man, known around town as Mr Stink, sitting in the park with his dog and has wondered about his story. When she approaches him, she discovers that he is a good listener and actually takes an interest in her. Chloe offers Mr Stink her family's shed as a place to stay, but how will her mother react when she finds out, and what effect will it have on her mother's political aspirations?
This book raises the question of judging someone by how they appear, and focusing on what is really important in one's life.

The Silver Nutmeg

Finished November 24
The Silver Nutmeg by Palmer Brown

This book follows Beyond the Pawpaw Trees, and once again Anna Lavinia is having adventures. When her father returned last time, he wanted her to have another point of view and made a hole in the garden wall for that purpose. But he didn't finish the job, leaving a hole that Anna Lavinia must clamber through. The view through the hole is of Dew Pond Hill, because a hill with a dew pond is something special.
The land is going through a dry spell, with the well run dry, meaning Anna Lavinia must go to the spring for water for her mother. On one of her trips, she returns to find a visitor, Uncle Jeffrey, who has come to replenish their spice supply and tell stories. Anna Lavinia gets permission from her mother to go to the dew pond and there she finds a new friend, Toby, and insight into Uncle Jeffrey's life.
A lovely tale of adventure.

The Patience Stone

Finished November 24
The Patience Stone by Atiq Rahimi, translated by Polly McLean

This short novel is set in a single room, in a war zone, perhaps in Afghanistan. In the room, a man lies comatose, unmoving, being tended to my a woman. As we discover this woman is his wife, and he has been injured as a result of a fight. The woman's relatives, including her husband's family have abandoned her and her children, and she struggles to look after the children and her husband.
She talks to him, and begins to be more and open, expressing her feelings, her secrets, her innermost thoughts. He is for her the patience stone, the stone that absorbs all secrets until it finally explodes, the stone of a fable that she has been told.
Despite the fact that the reader only sees what happens within the room, the world outside intrudes. The war, the destruction, the uncertainty all show themselves. This is a story that reveals the life of a woman in a very restrictive society, the struggles and the actions women must take to keep going.

The Ghost of Thomas Kempe

Finished November 24
The Ghost of Thomas Kempe by Penelope Lively

This children's novel centers on a young boy, James and his family. They've recently moved into an old stone cottage in Oxfordshire, and the attic room has been fixed up for James' bedroom.
Besides James there is his sister Helen and their parents. Shortly after they moved in, a dog appeared and joined the family, and James named him Tim.
Strange things are happening around the house and James is getting the blame, but he isn't responsible. Gradually James begins to realize that there is a ghost that seems to be behind it all, and he looks for more information about ghosts, and how to get rid of them.
It is only when he learns more about his ghost's circumstances and tries to communicate with it that he begins to have success. But first there is much trouble, not only for James, but for his community as well.
It is interesting to watch this young boy problem solve, looking for information, finding allies, and being open to different options. A great story.