The Silver Boat

The Silver Boat by Luanne Rice is set in Martha's Vinyard and traces the lives of three sisters looking for their father who sailed away to Ireland 28 years earlier and was never heard from again.

I loved Dar, the main character, who is a graphic novelist and uses her art as a means of understanding herself. I didn't always understand the motivations of the other two sisters, their characters weren't as well developed.

I think Rice is a wonderful writer, especially when writing about family dynamics, and the novel kept me engaged and interested throughout, but it wasn't my favorite novel of hers.

Tea Shop Mysteries

Chamomile Mourning, Dragonwell Dead, and Silver Needle Murder, are the latest Tea Shop Mysteries by Laura Childs that I have read. It is fun to revisit friends Theodosia Browning, proprietor of the Indigo Tea Shop, her dog Earl Grey, master tea blender Drayton, and their chef and baker Haley.

There is always a mystery brewing in historic Charleston, and Theodosia and crew help solve it over many, many good cups of tea. These books are good fun for tea drinkers and mystery lovers alike.

Eddie Would Go

Eddie Would Go-The Story of Eddie Aikau, Hawaiian Hero, by Stuart H. Coleman, is the true story of Hawaii's favorite Big Wave Surfer and all around Waterman, Eddie Aikau.

It is a tragedy, as Eddie was lost at sea at only 32 years old trying to save his fellow crewmen onboard the Hawaiian Canoe Hokule'a. If you've never heard of the Hokule'a, it's worth reading just for that.

It is also a story of inspiration and hope. Eddie was part of a larger revival of Hawaiian culture, and his memory and bravery have inspired so many people over the years, including myself.

Coleman does a wonderful job telling the story of his life and his family, his humble beginnings and his rise to one of the best surfers in the world. There are hundreds of people in these pages whose lives were saved or inspired by Eddie.

There was never a wave too big for Eddie to surf, or conditions too dangerous that he wouldn't risk his own life to swim out and save someone else-hence the phrase-'Eddie Would Go,' that one can see plastered on bumper stickers all over Hawaii. He was a true Hawaiian hero.

The Sacred Power of Huna

The Sacred Power of Huna, Spirituality and Shamanism in Hawai'i by Dr. Rima Morrell, is a book that takes a deep look at the ancient teachings of Hawaiian Kahunas (spiritual masters.)

At first, I questioned reading a book like this written by a westerner, but Rima spent many years living in Hawaii and studying with Kahunas, and seems to be Hawaiian at heart.

We learn of the sacred power of the Hawaiian chant and the hula, among other things. It is a beautiful introduction to spiritual teachings that we can all learn from.

Waking Up in Eden

Waking Up in Eden, by journalist Lucinda Fleeson is partly a memoir, partly a botany lesson, and fully a wonderful story of what it means to live in Hawaii.

Flesson left her job with the Philadelphia Inquirer to come to Kauai and work at the National Tropical Botanical Garden. This book tells the story of her journey, and along the way we learn of the imperilled state of Hawaii's native plants.

At it's heart, it is a very personal story of one woman's quest to simplify her life and find what truly matters. There were some parts of the book that felt out of place when Fleeson veered too far away from the subject at hand, but overall it was a wonderful and educational read. Highly recommended.

The Red Garden

The Red Garden is the latest novel from Alice Hoffman. I think Hoffman is a wonderful writer. She imbues everything she writes with a bit of magic realism. However, I was less taken in by this book than I have been by her others.

We follow the settlers of Blackwell, a small town in the Berkshires from it's founding in the late 18th century, to present day. The novel is written in vignettes, each leading into the next. The problem with this, is that there are so many characters to remember and trying to keep their connections in mind becomes tiresome. Also, once I would get really interested in a character, it was time to move on to the next story.

The Red Garden of the title didn't seem as central to the story as I thought it would be. I would have like to have seen this aspect of the novel much more developed. It seemed to me that the bears were actually central to the story.

As always, Hoffman's writing is wonderful, and as a concept, this was a very interesting way to present a novel. For me though, it just didn't really work.

Miss New India

Miss New India by Bharati Mukherjee is a novel about the changing face of India, especially Bangalore, the call center of the world. This is the first of Mukherjee's novels that I have read, but it won't be the last.

We follow Anjali/Angie Bose from her small town of Gauripur to the big city of Bangalore, and a world she has no idea how to navigate. Mukerjee is brilliant at depicting a changing India, where young people-girls especially- are desperately trying to break out of the traditional roles expected of them (ie arranged marriages) and find a life of freedom and happiness and financial independence on their own.

Sometimes the plot wore thin, and not all of the characters were developed as much as I would have liked, but it is still a fascinating and timely novel that I enjoyed reading.

Blood Orange Brewing

Blood Orange Brewing is another Tea Shop Mystery by Laura Childs. We revisit the Indigo Tea Shop in Charleston, and its plucky owner, Theodosia Browning, trying to solve the latest mystery.

I didn't like this one quite as much as Scones and Bones. However, if you enjoy a good cup of tea, these books are fun, quick reads.

Home Repair

Home Repair by Liz Rosenberg is a beautifully written and engaging novel that I couldn't put down.

Eve, the main character, lost her first husband in a car crash thirteen years ago. Chuck, her second, and much younger husband, has just walked out on her and the kids during the middle of a garage sale never to return. Eve is left to pick up the pieces.

Rosenberg has created a character in Eve that is so real, sad, flawed, vulnerable, yet ultimately resiliant and capable. The story was moving and believable and the writing flowed in a way which reminded me that Rosenberg is a poet as well as a novelist. I loved this book.

Conquistadora

Conquistadora by Esmeralda Santiago, is historical fiction about 19th century Puerto Rico, during the days of the sugar cane plantations. I was really excited to read this novel, as I have loved all of Santiago's other books.

This is the story of Ana, who left Spain and travelled to Puerto Rico with two brothers to take over a sugar cane plantation during the mid-1800's. We follow Ana through her adventure to the new world, falling in love, being the patrona of a plantation, and trying to come to terms with owning the slaves who work for her. This a very well researched, epic novel.

However, it was hard to relate to, or really care about, any of the characters, so I found it less enjoyable than I had hoped. I still think Santiago is a wonderful writer, but I was a little disappointed by this novel.

Disappearing Moon Cafe

Disappearing Moon Cafe by Sky Lee is a fascinating and disturbing novel about four generations of Chinese women that make up the Wong family. Immigrants to Canada in the early 1900's when there were 10 Chinese men to every 1 woman. This had many disastrous repercussion, one of which was rampant incest.

While trying to keep track of all the people in this family tree and uncover all the secrets of their true identities, I felt quite overwhelmed. The story is told in part by Kae, a 4th generation Wong woman trying to untangle the web of her family's past. Lee brings the story together by the end, so we have an understanding of the larger picture, but the journey was quite confusing, and not really that enjoyable. None of the characters are developed enough or likable enough to care about.

Still, it is an interesting and honest look at Canada's Chinese immigrant population, particularly the women.

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

This month's choice for my local library's book club pick is The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie. I have seen the movie Smoke Signals, but didn't know it was written by Alexie, and I haven't read anything else by him. I was in for quite a wonderful surprise with this novel.

Based on Alexie's own life story as a teen growing up on a reservation in Wellpinit, Washington and going to an all white school 20 miles away in Reardon, this is an often hilarious, often tragically sad novel. It is filled with wonderful drawings by Ellen Forney that help bring the character of Arnold Spirit alive. It's impossible not to root for him, against all odds.

Alexie's writing is so fresh and so original, I was drawn in from the very first page. I absolutely loved this book.