Grown Ups, Magical

Rules of Magic by Alice Hoffman

Patricia McDonald Uttaro

IMG_0232“Writing itself was a magical act in which imagination altered reality and gave form to power.”

This is how Hoffman describes the power found in the writing of women, in this case the Owens women who we first came to know in Practical Magic. That book told the story of Sally and Gillian Owens and how they broke the curse on their family which made it impossible for them to love someone without tragedy. This book goes back two generations before Sally and Gillian, telling the stories of Franny, Jet (the Aunts), and Vincent (the Grandfather).

Hoffman builds a bigger world where there are Owens women and men all over the world, but the nucleus of the family remains on Magnolia Street in Massachusetts. We learn more about Maria Owens, caster of the infamous curse, and how she loved and was betrayed by an equally infamous witch-hunter in the 17th century. The focus here, though, is the three Owens siblings – Franny, Jet, and Vincent – and their lives in New York City through the 1950s-1960’s.

When we first meet the trio, they have no idea they’re witches. Their parents have kept the knowledge from them, trying to ensure they will live normal lives. Franny is the scientist, Jet the poet, and Vincent the musician. While their lives seem normal enough, they all know there is something different and special about themselves and their family. Exactly what that specialness is comes to light when they go to Massachusetts to spend the summer with Aunt Isabelle, when they learn about their magical heritage. They spend the next two decades experiencing great tragedy, running away from love, and participating in the major events of the time – Stonewall, Vietnam, the Summer of Love. Hoffman neatly connects Rules of Magic with Practical Magic at the very end, and I was left thinking about who will be cast in the film that will surely follow.

All the usual things a reader expects from Alice Hoffman are here – lovely writing, strong female characters, a solid and engaging story – so this will definitely be one of the hot books this Fall. I enjoyed learning about the Owens family history, and found the primary trio of characters both charming and exasperating. This was an advanced review copy, so I am sure there will be some editing, which is needed. There are parts of the story which could move a little faster, and I think the ages for Sally & Gillian at the end are too young for their behavior and language, but those are nit-picky things that truly don’t affect the readability factor of this wonderful story. It’s not necessary to have read (or to re-read) Practical Magic before you read this one, but I guarantee you will want to read it after you finish.

Publication Date: October 10, 2017
Published by Simon & Schuster
Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced review copy

Magical, Mystery, Young Adult

The Hazel Wood by Melissa Albert

Patricia McDonald Uttaro

Do you believe in fairytales? If you answered yes, do you think you could survive in a fairytale world? Alice Crewe knows nothing about the world of fairytales, called The Hinterland here, until her famous grandmother dies. Althea Proserpine wrote a mysterious, rare book of completely original tales after disappearing in the European woods for several years. All Alice knows about Althea is that she and her mother, Ella, have been running from her for years. But now she’s dead and everything changes. Ella disappears, Alice is being followed, and weird things are happening wherever Alice goes. She becomes focused on finding Ella, and the trail eventually leads her to Althea’s mysterious compound deep in the forests of upstate New York. There Alice discovers the true story behind her birth, her relationship with her mother, and her role in the Hinterland.

Everyone knows there is a dark side to fairytales, and Melissa Albert freely explores that darkness in a fresh and inventive manner in this debut novel. Albert has been writing for teens and an online audience for a long time, and that experience has resulted in a richly plotted, beautifully written, imaginative reboot of the fairytale world. What if the stories are real? What happens when the order of things is disrupted? What happens when the stories change? Alice definitely shakes things up when she gets into The Hinterland. She’s the clod in the churn, the pebble in the shoe, and she is most definitely *not* the “Alice” as written into the story ‘Alice-Three-Times.” At one point, when she is acting all contrary to the story, she says

“I did it because a girl doing nothing in a fairytale ends up dead or worse, but a girl who makes a decision usually gets a reward.”

Seems like a sensible choice to me!

Albert explores many themes here: people who use stories to escape from their real lives, people who manipulate others to affect the outcome of a story, people who challenge the status quo for love, people who *can* and *do* change. Alice and Ella are both flawed characters, but you end up loving them in spite of their flaws simply because they love each other so fiercely. The Hazel Wood is a little bit Beautiful Creatures meets The Matrix and is dead-on entertaining. Highly recommended.

Publication Date: January 30, 2018
Published by Flatiron Books
Thanks to NetGalley for the advanced copy.

Mystery

Blood Card by Elly Griffiths

Patricia McDonald Uttaro

Not very many authors can successfully write two completely separate mystery/suspense series at the same time without plot lines and characters crossing over, however unintentionally. Griffiths does a pretty fine job of it with this third entry in her Max Mephisto series (her other being the Ruth Galloway series). 

We first met Max in The Zig Zag Girl, where Griffiths laid out the past experiences of The Magic Men, a super-secret group of spies assembled during World War II specifically to mislead the enemy through illusion. Max and Edgar Stephens, now a Detective Inspector, joined forces then to solve a grisly murder tied to one of Max’s magic tricks, the Zig Zag Girl.

In Blood Card, Max and Edgar reunite at the request of a mysterious military man who asks them to look into the murder of one of their former commanders, who was found in bed with a knife sticking out of his chest, and an ace of hearts, the “blood card,” next to him. As usually happens with magicians, all is not what it seems, and Max & Edgar soon connect the death of their former commander to other mysterious happenings, including the supposed suicide of a local gypsy woman. They proceed to gather clues through a trip to the United States, brushes with death and anarchists, and an opportunity to appear on television until they come to understand the end game is far more dangerous than any of them bargained for.

As is typical for Griffiths’ stories, there are dozens of loose ends, red herrings, and clever clues flying through this story. Also typical for Griffiths, all those tasty little bits of information are gathered together and resolved handily by the end. I was not an immediate fan of the Mephisto series when I first read Zig Zag Girl, but Max and Edgar (and Ruby, Max’s daughter & Edgar’s fiancee) are growing on me. I liked them all a bit better in Smoke & Mirrors; Blood Card has left me fond of all of them and looking forward to the next in the series. Recommended for fans of British mysteries.

Publication Date: September 5, 2017
Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt
Thanks to Edelweiss for the advanced copy

Grown Ups, Magical, Micro Reviews

To the Bright Edge of the World by Eowyn Ivey

Patricia McDonald Uttaro

IMG_0225I fell in love with Eowyn Ivey’s work when I read her debut novel, The Snow Child, and then met her while she was in Rochester for Writer’s & Books “Rochester Reads.” When To the Bright Edge of the World was first published, I devoured it, and wrote this on Goodreads:

Ivey has produced another brilliant novel of the Alaskan wilderness, blending history and adventure through the telling of three simultaneous stories. Typically, South American authors tend to write the best magical realism, but Ivey is just as adept at merging fantasy and reality, plus she has given us a splendid character in Sophie Forrester. Hands down, one of the best of 2016.

The book is newly released in paperback, so will be showing up on shelves in stores and libraries again. My recommendation from 2016 still stands. If you love magical realism blended with a little history and a strong female protagonist, you should pick this one up.

 

General

Anticipated Fall Releases

Patricia McDonald Uttaro

Autumn is my season for many reasons, not the least of which is the slew of brand new books that hit the market. Here are some I am anticipating:

September

Blood Card by Elly Griffith – The third in Griffith’s Max Mephisto series and every bit as good as the earlier entries. In this case, Max, his comrade in arms Edgar, and his daughter Ruby help foil an anarchist’s attack during the coronation of Queen Elizabeth II.

Secret History of Witches by Louise Morgan – See my full review of this captivating tale of a line of Romani witches.

October

Rules of Magic by Alice Hoffman – If you loved Practical Magic, this prequel is a must-read. Telling the stories of the Aunts and Sally & Gillian’s parents & grandparents from Practical Magic, as well as filling out the history of the Owens family, this one gives you all the feels.

Goblins of Bellwater by Molly Ringle – See my full review of this wonderful story where fantasy and fairy tales collide.

In the Midst of Winter by Isabel Allende – A story of love, kindness, and humanity revolving around three people brought together by accident in Brooklyn. And really…it’s Isabel Allende. How can you go wrong?

Strange Weather by Joe Hill – Thinking this will be just the ticket for the cold, dark days leading up to Halloween. Horror stories from the current Master of the genre.

Hiddensee: A Tale of the Once and Future Nutcracker by Gregory Maguire – Maguire takes on the Nutcracker story in this imaginative look at the German origins of the story blended with the tale of Drosselmeier, the toymaker who carves the title character.

Sisters First by Jenna Bush Hager and Barbara Pierce Bush – A funny, readable memoir from the former First Daughters.

Sticky Fingers: The Life and Times of Jann Wenner and Rolling Stone Magazine by Joe Hagan – The first official biography of the man who shaped rock-n-roll and defined generations through the last four decades. Total juiciness!

Member of the Family: My Story of Charles Manson, Life Inside His Cult, and the Darkness That Ended the Sixties by Dianne Lake – A fresh take on the Manson Family from its youngest member who helped prosecute Charlie and the others.

December

Girl in the Tower by Katherine Arden – I’ve been waiting for the sequel to Arden’s clever, lyrical debut, The Bear and the Nightingale. This is it. For anyone who loves Russian folktales, or a skillful blend of fairytale, adventure, and romance featuring a strong female lead.

What are you anticipating this fall?

 

Children's, Cookbooks, Grown Ups, Micro Reviews

Micro-Reviews

Patricia McDonald Uttaro

I’ve been reading a lot lately, but not all of what I’ve read has inspired me to write a fully fledged review. Instead, here are a few micro-reviews of some books slated for publication this Fall.

IMG_0204David Tanis Market Cooking: Recipes & Revelations, Ingredient by Ingredient by David Tanis
Artisan Books
Publication Date – October 3, 2017

Cooking with fresh, seasonal produce is certainly not a new thing – experienced cooks have been doing it for years. However, as Tanis points out in this lovely, information-packed, highly readable cookbook, many cooks today are seduced by easily acquired but often flavorless supermarket produce. Tanis’ mission is to direct cooks back to their own locally produced food, which always tastes better.

This title caught my eye on NetGalley because it’s CSA season, when I invariably get the odd vegetable that I’ve never cooked. I was not disappointed. Tanis provided me with tasty ways to cook parsnips, greens, and even celery root, as well as new takes on old favorites like corn and potatoes. His recipe for Creamed Corn is super simple and absolutely delicious.

There is no pretentiousness here, as I often find with “cheffy” cookbooks – just simple, easy to follow recipes that rely on the deliciousness of fresh food. Highly recommended.

IMG_0205Brave Red, Smart Frog: A New Book of Old Tales by Emily Jenkins
illustrated by Rohan Daniel Eason
Candlewick Press
Publication Date – September 5, 2017

Emily Jenkins has taken the language of old timey fairy tales and turned it upside down in this 21st century retelling of classics like Snow White and the Frog Prince. The bones of the stories remain, but each has new language, new cadence, and new sassiness in the characters, which is completely refreshing. As I read, I felt like these stories could easily turn up in an animated series on Nickelodeon. What a wonderful way to take beautiful but clunky old fairy tales and make them new again. Well done!

IMG_0206Uncommon Type by Tom Hanks
Knopf Doubleday
Publication Date – October 17, 2017

I really tried to like this book, but it was a straight-up snoozer for me. There’s no question that Hanks can write. His prose is really quite good, but I just found this collection of short stories to be D.U.L.L. There are a couple stories built around a kernel of an idea that could be developed into full-blown books, but most are just odd and sad. It may just be that I am not a fan of literary fiction, but I have to wonder if this collection would have been published at all if not for Hanks’ fame. It will be popular and in demand, though, so libraries should buy a copy.

IMG_0203Healthy Meal Prep by Stephanie Tornatore and Adam Bannon
DK Alpha Books
Publication Date – December 12, 2017

My daughter and I have recently become meal preppers, since I always struggle to have a healthy lunch and she is just beginning her first year of a rigorous doctorate program and will be at school all day, then go right to work. We’ve had some fun trolling Pinterest for ideas, but quickly found that there’s not a lot of variety there, so I was happy to find this book on NetGalley.

Tornatore and Bannon have created a readable, attractive, and easy to follow guide to prepping a remarkable variety of meals. While I am not vegan, I appreciated the inclusion of meat-free meals. I also really liked the inclusion of an equipment list for each week, as well as the Prep Day Action Plan. Another bonus is the inclusion of breakfasts and desserts. The book is filled with helpful tips and advice, and the recipes are easy to follow. Combine all that with beautiful, eye-catching photography and you’ve got a hit. Recommended.

Historical, Magical, Mystery

Secret History of Witches by Louisa Morgan

Patricia McDonald Uttaro

IMG_0200The concept of women’s power being rooted in magic has become a regular theme in recent fiction, and The Secret History of Witches adds to that growing genre. Louisa Morgan has created a captivating tale of six generations of Romani witches, women whose talents include “simples” like healing potions, knowledge of the weather, affinity for animals or growing things, and, most importantly, seeing the future.

The story begins in Brittany in the early decades of the 19th century, where the Orchiere family is cornered in a ring of standing stones by an angry mob out to burn them. Matriarch Ursule, a powerful seer, uses her power to hide her family. This act takes her life, but not before she sees her family travel across the sea to a farm on a cliff, where they will live in peace. The family buries Ursule between the stones, and heads off across the sea, where they find the farm, just as Ursule predicted, on the Cornish coast. The sisters continue to perform the family rites in a hidden cave, but none of them possess Ursule’s magic until the youngest sister, Nanette, comes of age. Nanette is the only sister to whom Ursule’s scrying stone responds.

The stone becomes the thread tying the family together through subsequent generations. The stone is the indicator of magic – if it responds to you, you’ve got it. Each generation experiences its own heartaches and tragedies. At the same time, the belief in magic waxes and wanes, until we end up with Veronica, who has no mother or aunt to initiate her into the magic of the Orchiere witches. This is where the story stretches belief a bit, by introducing Veronica to a coven of aristocratic witches led by the Queen of England during World War II. The best part? The Queen is descended from the Glamis witches. If you know Shakespeare, you’ll get the reference. The Queen’s coven instructs Veronica in the magic of her ancestors and draws her into their work focused on defeating Hitler, including exhausting work meant to manipulate the weather to assist with the Normandy invasion.

Morgan has created a readable, entertaining story around women and how they acquire and wield power. The writing and character development is well done, with a strong thread binding each generation together. I found Morgan’s honest portrayals of each generation’s “witch” to be refreshing, meaning they were not all paragons. In fact, some were downright unlikable. She balances the stories of each generation skillfully to demonstrate the idea that magic and power can corrupt if not used properly, culminating in the decision by Morwen, the second-to-last witch, of putting it away altogether.

The introduction of the Queen’s coven was unexpected and rather delightful. This is the woman I’ve known as the Queen Mother – the dainty, perfectly coiffed woman off to the side of the current Queen Elizabeth. I found it interesting that the Queen laments that neither of her daughters has shown any inclination to the craft, although Margaret might still have a chance. I also appreciated the way in which the author brought the Orchiere line full circle by connecting Veronica with a young man of Romani descent from Brittany, where her family originated.

This joins The Witch’s Daughter and other books by Paula Brackston, the Physick Book of Deliverance Dane by Katherine Howe, the All Souls Trilogy by Deborah Harkness, Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman, and the Waverly novels by Sarah Addison Allen as one of my favorite “witchy” books. Recommended.

Publication Date: September 5, 2017
Thanks to Edelweiss+ for the review copy

 

Young Adult

Concentration Camps of Canada by Baron Alexander Deschauer

Patricia McDonald Uttaro

CampsIn the 19th century, the government of Canada, like the United States, began a systematic assault on Indigenous People. Land was confiscated. Rules and laws were established that controlled where and when Indigenous People could live, work, and travel. Perhaps the most insidious, disgusting action was the establishment of compulsory schools for Indigenous children, who were removed from their families, starved, abused, and indoctrinated into Christianity and the white way of life.

Concentration Camps of Canada attempts to tell the story of one man who lived through the school system, became a war hero, but still lost his family and everything dear to him. I say “attempts” because this is less of a story and more a collection of vignettes stitched together in a rough story form. We first meet the boy, Migizi, as he arrives at school, completely unprepared for what he will encounter. Several chapters recount his experiences with being beaten by the nuns and priests who ran the school, enduring barely edible food, spartan living conditions, constant exposure to sickness and death, and sexual abuse culminating in the suicide of his one close friend.

The first four chapters focus on Migizi’s life at the school, then suddenly in chapter 5, Migizi is a young man working on a farm, attracted to the farmer’s daughter and ultimately beaten and told to leave her alone. Then he is a drunken husband with three children in the next chapter, then he’s working in a tannery, then he’s in the Army and a brave hero, then he’s remarried, then he’s losing his children…you get the idea. There are no transitions here, no resolutions. The writing is capable enough, and there are parts where it really sings, but there is no cohesive story here, often resulting in wooden dialog and awkward moments. For example, the description of Migizi repairing communication wires in the middle of a field in World War II is presented as dialog between Migizi and a fellow soldier, but it sounds stilted and unnatural, as though the soldier were reading a news story.

I believe the author’s intent to shine a light on the compulsory schools and treatment of Indigenous People in Canada is well-intentioned. However, the mashing up of several true stories has resulted in a muddy, disjointed narrative. There is no authentic storytelling here. It’s a bit like a Kennedy writing The Underground Railroad – the good intent is there, but the authenticity is lacking. The horror of what happened to Migizi comes through, but in a clinical “news story” kind of way.

The author claims that Hitler’s concentration camps were inspired by the compulsory schools; some quick research does not fully support that. It is widely believed that Hitler admired the reservation system used in the United States and Canada, so it’s certainly not a leap to assume he was aware of the schools and their organization. However, by titling this book “Concentration Camps of Canada,” the author attempts to make the connection, but the book itself does not support the theory. This topic is far too serious to be reduced to a sensationalized headline or title.

Despite the shortcomings, I will say that this book, more than any other I’ve read recently, has prompted me to do some research and dig deeper into this shameful piece of history. The story is simple enough that it will appeal to the YA audience, and it would make a decent supplement to a social studies segment on First Nation people, if only to ignite discussion and further research on compulsory schools and concentration camps.

 

Historical, Magical, Mystery, Romance

House of Shadows by Nicola Cornick

Patricia McDonald Uttaro

IMG_0195Elizabeth Stuart (1596-1662), daughter of James VI, wife of Frederick V, known as the Winter Queen due to her single winter as Queen of Bohemia. Not a familiar queen to most, but an engaging subject in this entertaining piece of semi-historical fiction from Nicola Cornick which blends history, mystery, mysticism, and romance.

The story opens at the close of Elizabeth’s life with a deathbed scene between her and William Craven, to whom she transfers ownership of the mysterious Sistrin Pearl. The pearl, we come to understand, is a powerful vessel for magic when combined with a particular crystal mirror. Elizabeth and Frederick, members of the clandestine order Knights of the Rosy Cross, use the pearl and mirror to foresee the outcome of battles and negotiations during their lifetime of effort to regain control of their Palatine lands. Craven, Frederick’s trusted advisor and defender, becomes the love of Elizabeth’s life, although hurt and betrayal abound throughout. Despite all the intrigue, or perhaps because of it, the pearl and mirror drive the actions of the 17th century characters through to Elizabeth’s final breaths.

Fast forward to present day, where Holly Ansell is woken in the middle of the night by a frantic phone call from her young niece, who reports that her Daddy, Holly’s brother Ben, is missing. Holly hotfoots to Ashdown Dean and the old mill where she and Ben grew up, only to find that no one seems to know much about why Ben was there and, more importantly, where he’s gone. As the days pass, Holly learns that Ben was researching family history, as well as Elizabeth Stuart, the Winter Queen. As she digs deeper, she discovers that Ben was searching for the Sistrin Pearl and the Crystal Mirror and that the story of the Winter Queen and William Craven has more significance than she could possibly imagine, both for her and the magnetic and handsome Mark, a local developer to whom Holly is attracted. Past and present come crashing together as Holly uncovers the stories of Elizabeth, Craven, and their descendants, and finally discovers what happened to Ben.

It seems I’ve been reading a lot of multi-century, historical-mystery-romances lately. Some are good, some are not so good. House of Shadows, fortunately, is one of the good ones. The author moves seamlessly between the 17th and 21st centuries, and paces the chapters and action well. Often in stories like this, the chapters are too long and full of extraneous detail, making it difficult to remember what happened in the previous chapters/centuries. Cornick devotes just enough time to each story – Elizabeth/William and Holly/Mark – alternating between past and present but always managing to tie the two together. The mystery of Ben’s disappearance keeps the action flowing in the present day, while William and Elizabeth tie everything together in the past.

The stories are interesting, and the characters are appealing. I can’t comment on the accuracy of the history, but I am intrigued enough by the Winter Queen to do some research and learn more about her, Frederick of Bohemia, and the Rosicrucians (Order of the Rosy Cross). When a novel prompts me to do that, I count it as a winner. Recommended.

Publication Date: October 17, 2017
Thanks to Edelweiss+ for the review copy

Historical, Magical, Mystery, Romance

The Fortune Teller by Gwendolyn Womack

Patricia McDonald Uttaro

IMG_0190Part mystery, part psychic adventure, part romance – The Fortune Teller has it all. The story opens with a death, that of Marcel Bossard, renowned collector of rare books and manuscripts. That disturbing scene is followed by our introduction to Semele Cavnow, an employee of the auction firm hired to sell the Bossard collection. As she begins her work, she feels an immediate, unusual attraction to Bossard’s son, Theo, which only intensifies as she spends more time in the Bossard home in Switzerland. Eventually, she finds a hidden book, very ancient and very mysterious, but not as mysterious as the handwritten note left in the book by Marcel Bossard, which is addressed specifically to her.

As Semele translates the book, the story splits in two – the present day story revolving around the book, and the ancient story which begins in 45 bc at the Library of Alexandria. The book, it turns out, was written by a powerful seer, selected by the Egyptian Goddess Wadjet to shape the future. Semele is stunned to discover that the seer wrote to her by name in the book, and that the book foretells what will happen to Semele and Theo in the present day. Typical action-adventure ensues, with Semele eventually coming face to face with the evil genius who put all the story-pieces in play for his own demented purpose.

With this second novel, Womack cements her place in the genre with authors such as M.J. Rose and Kate Mosse. Her writing is engaging and clever, the characters and their stories are interesting, and the action moves along at a decent pace. Blending two story arcs – one in the past and one in the present – can sometimes lead to a disjointed narrative, but Womack has paced her chapters perfectly. The story is fascinating and heartbreaking at the same time, and I loved the way Womack brought two strands of the story (Nettie and Lilyas) together at the end. The only dissonance for me is the way in which Semele’s adoption news is handled. (She found out she was adopted when looking through papers after her father died.) Her reaction seemed really extreme, although the scene where she confronts her mother over her father’s death rang true. Despite this one minor issue, I thoroughly enjoyed the story and was captivated to the very end.

The Fortune Teller joins favorites such as M.J. Rose’s Reincarnationist series, Susanna Kearsley’s The Winter Sea, and Kate Mosse’s Labyrinth and Sepulchre on my bookshelves. I read and enjoyed Womack’s first book, Memory Painter, but this, her sophomore effort, is even better. Recommended.