The Life Intended by Kristin Harmel is an easy read for early Summer.

THE LIFE INTENDED by Kristin Harmel is a book of intense love, loss, grief, and letting go. There are so many books that carry these themes, but luckily this book has a few twists and turns that make it out of the ordinary.

The main character, Kate, loses her husband in the first chapter. We don't really know him enough to grieve as we often do for well-established characters, but Ms. Harmel seems to know that and she wants us to feel the pain of his loose as deeply as Kate does. Thus, through Kate's memories and  a series of dreams, many years later as Kate is trying to move on with her life, we get to know Patrick and their never-born daughter. These dreams guide Kate and give us great insight into Patrick, the daughter, and Kate.

The dreams save Kate from making a mistake and settling for a so-so life. They guide Kate to letting go and accepting a fulfilling life that was intended for her.

All the characters are very real, easy to relate to, and important to Kate and the reader. The book is an easy read, takes a few predictable roads, but then throws in a great surprise...at least it was for me. I think young women, mothers, and those who like easy reading books will enjoy this book.

Available at major markets and online.

STYLE ME VINTAGE leaves me shouting "Style Me Impressed!"

Style Me Vintage by Liz Tregenza...Oh my, what a wonderful book. A fun read, a great research resource for those studying fashion, the 1940's, culture, etc. I am so glad I requested this book from Net Galley and so pleased that they fulfilled my request.

It is hard to describe, but the blurb on the front of the book describes it as "A practical and inspirational guide to the hair, make-up and fashions of the 40's." It is all that and so entertaining. As an added bonus, there are practical tips for today's women who want to borrow any of the styles discussed. Step-by-step instructions and great 'how to's" complete with photos.

The book covers everything from the utility dresses of WWII to high fashion,  swimwear, lingerie, wedding fashions and makeup. Hair styles, shoulder pads, and ration coupons for clothing are all there. Where to find  vintage clothing and how to care for it can be found.

This book is indeed a treasure. While it is not an in-depth study,  I can see colleges using this book in their fashion/textiles programs, make-up artists for small theaters, and authors researching this era, all using this book. And having fun while doing it.

The author is a vintage fashion specialist and historian. She has worked for a number of museums including the V&A and Hampshire museums service. She co-curated her first museum show at the age of 20 and has since contributed to numerous books and research papers. She is an avid collector of all things novelty and blogs about vintage clothing as Advantage in Vintage.

Thanks Liz Tregenza for a wonderful addition to many libraries. If you are looking for the book, be sure you get the one by Liz. The title is used on many others also.

 

The book is not yet available, but publication is set for early November 2015. It should be available at all major outlets. It can be pre-ordered at http://www.amazon.com/Style-Me-Vintage-Liz-Tregenza/dp/1909815934#reader_B00W9LU4YU

 

Remembering the 10th Mountain Division US Army as V-E Day approaches

As the world prepares to commemorate the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II in Europe, I would like to share a few photos of the 10th Mountain Division from WWII. They arrived in Italy in December 1944 and soon were fighting the Germans for Riva Ridge, Mt. Belvedere and terrain north from there to Lake Garda, Italy.
I hope those surviving today  are healthy and happy on this 70th anniversary.

    

 

 

In TWILIGHT OF MEMORY my hero, a soldier in the 10th Division, 86th Regiment, was gravely wounded in the Riva Ridge/Mt. Belvedere fighting. He spent almost three months in a coma. Thus, he was unaware when the fighting ceased. Here is an excerpt from several weeks later when, after regaining consciousness, he learned of the end of the war and other world events he had 'slept' through. Henry is being cared for in an Italian Villa by English and Italian medical personnel. He has asked his English nurse Daisy to tell him about the end of the war and his Division.

Henry is speaking: "Tell me about the end of the war.  I feel like I must be the only person on earth who doesn’t know that. It makes me feel foolish and somewhat useless.”

“You are not foolish, nor useless. Henry, you have been unconscious, which Dottore Antonio says is a good thing because it let your brain and your body heal. He did not rush to wake you.”

“I know, but I’m not sure I like that,” he said somewhat sullenly.

 

“Be quiet, dear. You won the war.”

 

“Not me."

 

"Yes, you and every other Allied warrior..." 

 

“Now back to your concern for your unit. As Dottore said, your mates, and others too, can’t let you guys have all the credit, chased the Germans North to Lake Gardo. There the Germans that your Division had been pursuing surrendered. Dottore learned they would only surrender to your General or someone from your Division, because they said the 10^th Division was full of mighty warriors.”

“That’s true,” said Henry, “except for me, ” Henry remarked again.

“Henry, you said you could accept things that you cannot change. So accept this. You were severely wounded, almost mortally. You suffered from battle wounds and from a direct gunshot to the head. That you lived is a miracle from God. Think of those who did not live but who were on that mountain with you. Yes, there were many. Does their death make them less heroic? No, I thought not. Neither do your wounds. Now, stop belittling yourself and listen quietly. There is more.”

She looked him directly in the eyes and said, “Your president is dead.”

A startled Henry looked at her. “What? President Roosevelt is dead? How? When? Was he murdered by some sniveling coward?”

“No, sweetheart. He was sitting quietly, posing for a portrait I believe, and he died of natural causes. I believe it was a cerebral hemorrhage. They are nasty things. Nothing could be done for him.”

“Oh, my,” said Henry softly. He was quiet for a moment as was Daisy. Finally he said, “So that makes, who, ah…, Harry Truman our president.”

“Yes, I think that is who Dottore said.”

“This is all too much to understand. I feel like Rip Van Winkle.”

“Who?”

Shaking his head Henry replied. “Never mind. He wasn’t real. I take it this is all real.”

“Very real, but there is one more thing.”

“I don’t know if I want to hear it,” Henry replied.

“Yes, I think you might. Hitler is dead. He killed himself.”

Henry let out a breath but said nothing for a moment. Then he looked at Daisy and, thinking of the Yamamotos, asked, “What about the Emperor of Japan?”

“Ah, Japan,” Daisy sighed. “Japan still fights. The war is over in Europe, but not in Japan. It should end soon. Everyone is expecting them to surrender, but they have not done so yet.”

 

Available in paperback and Kindle at Amazon (US), Amazon (UK), and Amazon (IT). US edition:

http://www.amazon.com/Twilight-Memory-Julia-Faye-Smith/dp/1495420205

 

Also, check out my Pinterest board on the 10th Mountain Division and Twilight of Memory.

 https://www.pinterest.com/juliafsmith7/10th-mountain-division-and-the-twilight-of-memory/ 

Don't forget to watch the musical tribute to the 10th Mountain Division        http://www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3D4tJCjLtlybU

 

    

UNDERTOW, a Middle Grades/Young Adult by Michael Buckley, hooked me from the beginning. Great Summer reading choice.

"First, we feared them. Then we fought them. Now they might be our only hope."

This book is so outside the normal read for me, that I wasn't expecting to like it. I not only liked it, I loved it. Thinking I would force myself to read it for I had said I would write a review, I found, instead, that I was reading for hours, devouring it. Then when it was finished, I felt bereft.

The wonderful heroine, Lyric Walker's life is forever changed when she witnesses the arrival of thousands of creatures from the sea...the Alpha. These are ocean dwelling beings bringing surprise and interest which soon turn to suspicion, distrust and wild  paranoia.

The setting is Coney Island, Brooklyn, NY. The arrival of 'the things' turns Coney Island into a police state. The descriptions of the island paints a terrifyingly deteriorated community, not the happy vacation spot so many have enjoyed for years.

Things must change. The Alpha must be controlled and/or eradicated. Lyric is enlisted in a plot to try to humanize the creatures. It is a plot many, including the governor, work to destroy. Lyric and her friends are caught in the middle. Her family, too, is not only caught in the middle but enmeshed in the mystery the Alpha bring.

Lyric is a realistic, likable character. A new and gritty female heroine. Get to know her, her family and friends and especially the Alpha in this beautifully written book.

UNDERTOW pulled me in and under from the first chapter. There are strange innovative creatures, good friends in jeopardy, a teenage world turned upside down, a family mystery, and oh, so much more too pull you in and under. It is action packed, emotional, and thoroughly satisfying. It should be a hit with YA/MG reader this hot summer.

Publication date: May 5, 2015.

Available in hardback, Kindle, and audio editions.

From personal tragedy comes a powerful story. If you are a reader of realistic fiction, check out Kathryn Craft's The Far End Of Happy which releases May 5th.

BOOK TRAILER LINK:  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nhh5cxMCTVY

 

ABOUT THE FAR END OF HAPPY:

 

The Far End of Happy is a powerful new novel based on author Kathryn Craft’s personal experience with a stand-off involving her husband.  Here Craft delivers “real, raw emotion” (Library Journal) exploring a marriage unraveled by mental illness; and one man’s spiral towards a violent conclusion that tests the courage, love, and hope of the three women he leaves behind.

When the emotionally troubled Jeff engages police in a deadly stand-off, his wife, mother-in-law, and mother struggle to understand why the man they love has turned his back on the life they have given him, the one they all believe is still worth living.

“Framing the novel within a 12-hour period keeps the pages turning (Library Journal).” Narrating from the alternating perspectives of three women, whose lives will be forever altered by Jeff Farnham, gives an intimate look at the steps a woman will take to get the help her husband so urgently needs while desperately trying to keep her children safe.

 

ABOUT KATHRYN CRAFT:

A former dance critic who wrote for The Morning Call daily newspaper in Allentown, Pennsylvania, for nineteen years. Craft wrote exclusively nonfiction until she was plunged in the kind of real-life drama that demands attention. In 1997, after fifteen years of marriage, her husband committed suicide in a police standoff, leaving her and their two young sons.

The Far End of Happy was born from Craft’s need to make sense of what her husband had done. Kathryn has been a leader in the southeastern Pennsylvania writing scene for more than a decade and is also the author of The Art of Falling. She lives in Doylestown, Pennsylvania. Website: www.kathryncraft.com

 

 

Fall through time with Anna Belfrage's A Rip in the Veil. A delightful beginning to a series.

A Rip in the Veil is Anna Belfrage's introductory novel for her series of eight novels of the Graham Saga. This first book introduces us to Alex and Matthew. Matthew is three hundred years older than Alex, but in time travel or time slips, this does not matter, nor should it.

Alex leaves the present century through a thunderstorm and awakens in Matthew's century three hundred years previously. She leaves left behind some very real, very loving people, including her father and her young son. Confusion and dismay grip her. At first she fights, but as she gets to know the Scottish Matthew, and as she accepts that she may not return to life as she knew it, she comes to accept what has happened to her. She also learns to love Matthew as the strong, loving, albeit stubborn, man that he is.

This plotline seems simple and possibly short lived. There is a major complication, however. Alex learns that her mother has traveled through time, and when Alex was born, her mom  was indeed a time traveler to a future century, Alex's century. Just where did her mother belong?  Learning her mother's history and a mystery that it brings, Alex comes face to face with witch hunts, accusations of heresy, and burnings at the stake. And her mother's mysterious, malevolent  art.  All of that is Alex's past.

What is her future? Luckily for us, Anna has given us seven more novels to travel through time with Alex. Thus, there are many questions: will she have another time slip? If so, where and to what time will she go? Will her son, who possibly has some time travel genes, ever experience a time slip, and could he and Alex find each other? Will she again see her mother? And what about poor earth and time bound Matthew? Will he be around for long?

I don't know the answer to any of these questions for I have only read the first book, but you can rest assured I will read others. I have to learn the answers to my own questions.

http://www.amazon.com/A-Rip-Veil-Graham-Saga/dp/1781321671

If you like time travel or time slip novels, I highly recommend Anna's series.

A gentle book of family, friends, and forgiveness completes Adrian Fogelin's Tallahassee middle grades series.

Some Kind of Magic by Adrian Fogelin, set for April publication, follows the lives of characters we met earlier in Adrian's series. Now, those young characters are spending their last summer together before high school. They know changes are coming. Some welcome the approaching changes, others do not.

As the book opens, we see the core group of friends, Cass, Jemmie, Ben, and Justin, shooting hoops on this second day of summer break. The personalities of the characters tell us that the friends are approaching this summer with different interests and feelings. Can they stay together for one last summer before the approaching year of change?

They can, and they do, but with one big difference. Shooting hoops and spending time at each other's houses suddenly are not the all encompassing activities. Change, expected in the fall, arrives in early summer from unexpected sources---a kid brother, a missing uncle, a secret hideout in the nearby woods, and a hat. A magic hat?

Ben's kid brother Cody wants desperately to hang out with his brother's friends for he has often been on the fringes of their activities and feels they are his friends as well as Ben's friends. They tolerate him, sometimes more so than others, but will he really fit in in any way during this special summer?

Yes, he will for it is Cody who find's Uncle Paul's old hat, a hat that he immediately proclaims is magic. Is it? Well, Cody certainly thinks so, and through him and the hat the group experiences a summer that helps them grow and learn; that helps them understand the past and see, for a moment,  the magic.

And was it the magic of the hat that brought Uncle Paul, with his haunting memory, home after so many years? Perhaps. Whatever the reason, he is back and with him a mystery and some personal demons that have had him running for years.

Uncle Paul and the group of friends must come to terms with events from Paul's past and must turn and face the future. Doing so becomes a challenge for all of them, but it must be done for them to move forward. Can they do it? Can they bury the past, literally?

Read this gentle yet compelling book of childhood's last summer, growth toward acceptance of things that cannot be changed, and sustained friendship. It is a fitting end to the series that began with the award winning Crossing Jordon. Check out all the books in the series and get to know these young friends as they face life's problems during their growing years. The series is generally aimed at grades 5-8, or late elementary and middle grades.

Adrian Fogelin lives and writes in Tallahassee, Fl. She encourages the children in her neighborhood to find the joy in reading and in life through her Front Porch Library. Read about Adrian's project at  http://www.tallahassee.com/story/life/causes/2014/09/05/front-porch-library-needs-hand/15148241/

Published by Peachtree Publishing. Available on line and at major outlets.