Historical fiction

The Storycatcher by Ann Hite

the storycatcher

Photo Credit: Goodreads

Summary from Goodreads:

 Shelly Parker never much liked Faith Dobbins, the uppity way that girl bossed her around. But they had more in common than she knew. Shelly tried to ignore the haints that warned her Faith’s tyrannical father, Pastor Dobbins, was a devil in disguise. But when Faith started acting strange, Shelly couldn’t avoid the past—not anymore.

Critically acclaimed, award-winning author Ann Hite beckons readers back to the Depression-era South, from the saltwater marshes of Georgia’s coast to the whispering winds of North Carolina’s mystical Black Mountain, in a mesmerizing gothic tale about the dark family secrets that come back to haunt us.

 

 

Secrets don’t die with the deceased. Sometimes the deceased stay around to help the living see the secrets.

Shelly Parker has a gift. Or maybe it’s more of a curse. She can see and hear people who have died. The deceased speak to Shelly- give her warnings. It’s not an easy gift to have and sometime Shells feels uncomfortable. But the spirits persist, the communicate to Shelly because she needs to know the secrets. Shelly’s gift can save people, help people- a mighty big job for a young lady. Shelly, as a worker for Pastor Dobbins, knows about his temper and bad side. But does she know all there is to Pastor Dobbins? She will. A spirit will make sure of that- for her sake as well as for others.

When Faith (a girl Shelly has never cared for), Pastor Dobbin’s daughter, begins to act strange- Shelly wonders why. She does not have to wonder long, as she soon realizes that a spirit is using Faith to tell a story- a secret that she took to her grave. It’s a story that Shelly needs to learn, a secret that needs to be revealed. Together, Faith and Shelly, two unlikely allies, must find out the secrets- even the secrets that are almost too painful to reveal.

Set in Depression-era South, Faith, Shelly and the spirits take the reader on a journey- a journey where much will be revealed.

 

Traveling With T’s Thoughts

This is my first Ann Hite book. Through talk of my blog friends, I had heard praises of Ann Hite’s previous work, Ghost on Black Mountain, and was told to request The Storycatcher as soon as it was available for review. The Storycatcher, while not a direct sequel from my understanding, is a sequel of sorts for Ghost. Perhaps that was part of the problem- since I had not read the first book. While the language and the descriptions were wonderful, I felt not connected to the book as I had anticipated. I think, for me, there were quite a few characters and a timeline that changed- which normally I do like. However, it took longer for me to catch on in this book. Lastly, and this is no reflection of the book itself, my e-ARC copy suffered from many problems- I was unable to see what appeared to be a map and possibly a family tree- which, after looking through other reviews, would have come in handy for character organization.

Do I recommend this book? Yes, because the writing was quite interesting. Ann Hite’s phrasing and descriptions are something different, something that is worth checking out. For me, I plan to revisit Ann’s world- however, this time I will be visiting her in paperback (and keeping track of the characters on a sheet of paper!)

 

*This copy was requested through Netgalley. The above thoughts and opinions are mine alone.

 

The Firebird by Susanna Kearsley

the firebird

Photo Credit: Amazon

The Firebird is July’s She Reads Book Club pick. Part historical fiction, some magical realism, romance, and a mystery- this book has much that can and will appeal to a variety of readers.

Nicola has a gift (or a curse as she sees it sometimes). She can touch an object and see things from it’s past. Nicola works for an art dealer, Sebastian, in London. A woman comes in desperate to see this little bird- a bird that she claims to have belonged to Empress Catherine at one time. Sebastian is interested- but since there is no proof- he cannot buy the bird. Nicola, though, before the lady leaves, touches the bird. Instantly she has a vision of Empress Catherine telling a girl named Anna “You were never a nobody”. She knows the bird is what the woman claims- yet, she can’t reveal what knows without revealing her “gift”.

Nicola, shaken, thinks about what to do next. She goes in search of a person that she knows from 2 years ago- a man named Rob. He has a gift like Nicola- yet, he does not regard it as a curse. When Nicola and Rob meet again- the reader finds out about their history- and that there is still something unfinished between them. Together, the 2 of them embark on an adventure- an adventure that is designed to prove the truth about the firebird.

While on this adventure, with both Nicola and Rob using their gifts- they learn about this mysterious Anna. Her background, her story, how and why Nicola had a vision of her with Empress Catherine. Told in alternating tales, what Anna lived through and how her life was and the story of  Nicola and Rob – The Firebird takes the reader from past to present and through a multitude of historical references.

Partly a romantic story, party a historical fiction, a few dashes of magical realism- The Firebird opens the reader to a world they may never have dreamed of knowing- and a story, Anna’s story, that they are better for reading.

My thoughts:

Conflicted. The little synopsis about this book had me intrigued. I began reading- and the first chapter or so, I was intrigued. Interested. Curious. Then Nicola goes in search of Rob- and I encounter a dialect that I’m not familiar with. Words such as “Aye, Ken and more”. I re-read the sections, and essentially get the meaning. Yet, it’s distracting to me. I find myself in a reading groove- and then the Scottish dialect rears it’s head. I continue, though, partly because I want to know what happens. Anna has caught my interest. Nicola and Rob have caught my interest.

The story continues and I faithfully read- I’m learning quite a bit as the book is well researched- and yet, the amount of characters is almost hard to keep up with- some are mentioned at 1 point- and then not mentioned again for nearly 200 pages. I found myself wishing I’d made a note of each character. Then, when I’m about convinced that it’s not the book’s fault, it’s me- some books just don’t capture my attention- I start getting a bit more caught up in the story- Anna’s older, her story is growing more and more interesting as the pages go. The interactions between Nicola and Rob are better- the unfinished history between them is apparent. Even the Scottish dialect is not distracting me. I flew through the last 100 or so pages- dying to know what happens next. Who can be trusted, who can’t be- what will become of Anna?

With the ending being as strong as it was- it definitely ended the book on a positive note (for me!) I liked how things were revealed bit by bit- and how the author used misdirection at times. However, it took several pages for me to get to this point- and honestly, if I’d borrowed this book from a library- I’d have returned it before I finished it. In the end, I’m a better person for having read this- for sticking with it. For learning about an unfamiliar author to me. My advice for you, if you decide to read this, is to know that it’s slow moving- it will get to a point that the reader has to know what happens next- but it takes it’s time getting there.

* This book was provided to me by She Reads in exchange for a fair and honest review. The above opinions and thoughts are mine alone.

What are your reading goals for 2013?

With all the fesitivies and resolutions of the new year- you may have not been thinking too much about reading goals. But, now that we are a few days into the 2013 year- perhaps it’s time to begin considering some potential reading goals.

My reading goals for 2013:

– Read 115 books in the Goodreads Reading Challenge. for 2012- I challenged myself to originally 100- then I changed it to 110. I ended 2012 with 111 books read.

– Reading at least 13 cozies in the Cruisin Thru the Cozies Reading Challenge 2013. 13 books will earn me the title of Super Sleuth. Currently, I’m on book 3 in the challenge. I’m anticipating reading some cozies that people have given me over the years that I had not read- as well as continuing with my favorite cozy authors.

– To read 1 or 2 classics- I read Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen and The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald in 2012. I anticipate reading another Jane Austen- and trying to decide on another classic.

– To read at least 5 books that have been sitting on my “to be read”shelf for some time. I buy books, people give books, books come in for review. And the new ones always catch my attention- so the ones that are on my shelf sit and patiently wait. I need to be more fair to them- it’s time for them to have some time in the spotlight.

– While it’s not a reading goal, exactly, I resolve to keep my Goodreads shelves updated and my real bookshelves organized and nice looking.

Fingers crossed that at the end of 2013- I’ll have met or exceeded my original goals.

Looking for more ideas for reading goals? She Reads has several! And they want to know “What are you reading goals for 2013”? Is it to read more of a particular author? Read the books on your TBR shelf? Try audio? Maybe e-books? Whatever your reading goal- it’s a worthy one- so drop back by and share!