Three books and a couple of wahoos

Before I do anything else, I have to tell you the biggest wahoo of the week, thus far, and it's huge (it just happens to also be the miracle referred to, above). It's such an amazing miraculous, totally unexpected phenomenon that, honestly, I think y'all need to get a cup of water, sit down and steel yourselves before I tell you because you might just faint.

Ready? Everyone okay? Here's my huge, gigantic, mind-boggling wahoo: I renewed my driver's license in less than ten minutes. Whoa!!! Can you believe that? I was fully expecting to spend the entire morning with a number in my hand, in a room full of cranky people. I even brought three books to choose from while I waited. Instead, I walked in the door and not one person was seated in the waiting room. I reached for a number and the clerk said, "You can come on back here, ma'am." Is that freaky, or what?

Now, it wasn't a perfect experience. My vision has become better with age and I wanted to have the vision restriction removed; but, the clerk was talking to another clerk the whole time she typed and she ignored that request. Still, everything happened so fast that I was hard pressed to complain. So, wahoo for a miracle at the Driver's License Bureau - quick service!!!

I can't think of any other great wahoos, so I guess I'll throw in one stupid wahoo: Wahoo for butterflies. Told you it was stupid. I've probably also already used that one, but butterflies are absolutely everywhere in Vicksburg, right now, and pretty much the only thing I've been photographing (besides swimmers).

Don't worry, I didn't stick my nose near his wings; that's a cropped photo. And, now, a few brief reviews.

Elsewhere by Gabrielle Zevin - 288 pages, Young Adult fiction
Copyright 2002, Square Fish

Fifteen-year-old Lizzie was certainly not expecting to die. It happened so fast. Now, she's on a cruise ship in her pajamas and the afterlife is . . . well, weird. Everyone ages backwards. Lizzie ends up living with a grandmother she never met during her real lifetime, and she slowly discovers that you have to use the life you're given, regardless of how long it may be or which direction you end up aging.

Elsewhere is a totally bizarre take on the afterlife. I thought the story was cute and Lizzie was pleasantly snarky without ever becoming annoying. But, the idea of aging backward really bothered me and I thought the author tried a little too hard to prove how clever she was. Still, it's a fun and original read. I enjoyed it and will read more by Zevin.

Raising Ourselves: A Gwich'in Coming of Age Story from the Yukon River by Velma Wallis - 212 pages, Nonfiction (memoir)
Copyright 2002, Epicenter Press

After Wallis wrote a tale her mother told her as a child (Two Old Women) and it became an international bestseller, she returned to the true story of her childhood. The tale of a native Alaskan childhood, Raising Ourselves tells about the loss of ancestral Gwich'in religion and traditions, the plague of alcoholism among natives and what it was like to grow up an impoverished child in a family with 13 children. A very illuminating memoir that helps to explain why - when white settlers brought their religion and disease to the Yukon - the pain of losing family members, friends and tradition caused the majority of the population to turn to alcohol for comfort. Raising Ourselves is sad, shocking and inspiring; it's amazing that Wallis managed to survive, much less become a bestselling author.

I ordered this book through Paperback Swap and the sender, Lexie, actually paid extra to get the book to me faster because she read my blog and knew I'd just had a birthday. So, enormous thanks and hugs to Lexie!!!

Mum's the Word by Kate Collins - 283 pages, fiction
Copyright 2002, Signet Mystery

Law-school dropout Abby Knight enjoys running her flower shop, Bloomers, and driving her vintage yellow Corvette. But, when an SUV driver rams her Corvette near the scene of a murder, she decides to hunt down the SUV's owner and find the murderer; she's convinced they're one and the same. The hunky local bar owner, a former cop, helps her out. A mix of police corruption, a powerful politician and a very nasty wife abuser mean danger for Abby at every turn.

Mum's the Word is the first in the Flower Shop Mystery series and my second read for the Cozy Mystery Challenge. I enjoyed it. Kate Collins has a nice, breezy style, which I find better than average (for this particular genre). However, I did think Collins left a couple of things unexplained.

I suppose Raising Ourselves and Elsewhere are books that I read justforthehelluvit.

Now reading: Lottery by Patricia Wood and, of course, Haunted Castles of the World when I feel like it and haven't set it down somewhere I'm not likely to find it.

Hohoho, Merry Wednesday! And, Happy Thursday to those of you who live in the future.

Bookfool with butterflies on the side

Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen

Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen
Released Aug. 28, 2007
Published by Bantam Books (a division of Random House)
290 intoxicating pages

First things first: Huge, smoochy thanks to Random House for publishing this magical book.

Second: I have to admit that I was so completely swept up in the story of Claire Waverley, her unusual family and their magical tree that I completely neglected to mark a single quote. But, I knew I was going to love Garden Spells from the first paragraph. So, I'll just quote the first paragraph. Please bear in mind that my copy is an advanced reader and the final copy could conceivably be different. But, I can't imagine why anyone would mess with it, so here you go:

Every smiley moon, without fail, Claire dreamed of her childhood. She always tried to stay awake those nights when the stars winked and the moon was just a cresting sliver smiling provocatively down at the world, the way pretty women on vintage billboards used to smile as they sold cigarettes and limeade. On those nights in the summer, Claire would garden by the light of the solar-powered footpath lamps, weeding and trimming the night bloomers - the moon vine and the angel's trumpet, the night jasmine and the flowering tobacco. These weren't a part of the Waverley legacy of edible flowers, but sleepless as she often was, Claire had added flowers to the garden to give her something to do at night when she was so wound up that frustration singed the edge of her nightgown and she set tiny fires with her fingertips.

I reread that paragraph twice when I first opened the book, I liked it so much. Garden Spells is the story of Claire Waverley. Alone in her large family home in Bascom, North Carolina, Claire runs a successful catering business. She uses herbs and flowers in her unusual recipes, each of which have specific purposes. Violets, for example, are supposed to induce calm, bring on happiness and ensure a good night's sleep.

Claire is a solitary woman and believes herself to be, for the most part, content. Then, her sister returns from a lengthy absence and a new neighbor baffles her with his affection, forcing her life into new directions.

I'm not going to say a great deal about this book because I don't want to ruin it, so I'll make just a few general comments:

1. I thought the story was totally captivating, but a few times I skidded to a halt because of a twisty sentence. In other words, sometimes the author's grammar left something to be desired. Hopefully, those problems have been fixed in the final copy.

2. Because I enjoyed the book so much, I wanted everyone else to love it and went rushing off to read other reviews. A few folks complained that the storyline was far too close to that of Practical Magic, but that seemed to be the only major complaint (apart from one or two who thought the writing was not spectacular). I haven't yet read Practical Magic, but I would have to agree that there's a similar quirkiness to that of the characters in the lone Alice Hoffman book I've read, Turtle Moon. Quirkiness is good; in a book with a Southern setting, it seems particularly fitting to me.

3. Even though I loved the first paragraph of Garden Spells, I admit to thinking that it wasn't as well-written as I'd hoped. And, yet, I loved the characters and their story so much that it didn't matter. There are times that the desire to savor lyrical language can take a backseat to the joy of escaping into a magical setting. That was the case - at least for me - with Garden Spells. I particularly loved the magical apple tree (which has quite a personality all its own) and its role in the denouement of the book. If I felt there was anything at all to complain about, it might be the fact that most of the characters' flaws are very mild. But, I just don't feel like complaining. I liked the book too much.

4. I enjoyed Garden Spells enough that I'll be bouncing in my little computer chair when the author finishes a second book.

Need I say more?

Apologies for my absence, this weekend. We were busy watching this nifty bunch of kids swim in the local meet hosted by my son's school:


And, then, I suppose the heat exacerbated the migraine I was already fighting, late in the week. Yesterday, I was immobilized by pain. Today, I'm relieved to have yesterday over with. I'll try to catch up on my blog-hopping, tomorrow.

Currently reading: Alas, Babylon by Pat Frank - hope to finish that one by tomorrow

Totally unexpected bonus inside a box with the ravioli-maker attachment hubby ordered:
The Passion of Artemisia by Susan Vreeland, and
A History of Costume by Carl Kohler

Seriously! Someone actually used books as padding for a ravioli-maker attachment box. Can you believe it? The husband's reaction was priceless (and unrepeatable).

Hope everyone had a terrific weekend!