Between Shadows Kathleen Cook Waldron
Coteau Books
When his grandfather dies unexpectedly, Ari and his remaining family gather at the cabin deep in the woods. At the reading of the will, another surprise greets Ari, his dad and his aunt: Grandpa left the cabin and all his land to Ari. Uninterested in the remote property that conjures painful memories, Ari’s dad and aunt make plans to sell everything. Ari is determined to change their minds.
Author Kathleen Cook Waldron brings to the story her own experience living in the bush. The details of the cabin and surrounding land and community are told in vivid detail so that even the most urban readers can perfectly picture the serene woods, playful stream and peaceful lake.
Through Waldron’s clean storytelling, we follow a grieving family as they wrestle with loss. I loved how each member of Ari’s family reconnected with his grandfather through the experience of staying at the cabin. Though he’s no longer present, his love for his family is so clear in the things he left behind. Each character discovers and responds to these unwritten love letters from their father or grandfather. In these moments, Waldron’s writing is moving, subtle and clever.
This is a great story about the opportunity grieving families have to rediscover their lost loved one and renew relationships with one another. The rustic setting gently reminds us to consider what’s really important.
Over the next few weeks, The Story Sanctuary will be home to reviews for some great new releases as well as some catch-up reviews on recent or past releases. Here are a few you can expect to see…
When You Leave by Monica Ropal
This was one of those stories that left me pining for another chapter. Really great characters and tension. Very angsty story, which is so often what I crave in YA.
Between Shadows by Kathleen Cook Waldron
I had the pleasure of meeting this author and talking about the book with her late last year. Her description of the story and its characters were so intriguing that I’ve been thinking about them ever since. Can’t wait to crack the cover on this one!
Zeroboxer by Fonda Lee
I found myself drawn to it because it’s so different from my usual reading pick. Boxing and political intrigue? I’m so game.
All the Rage by Courtney Summers
Apparently NetGalley flagged this one for me because I loved We Were Liars by E. Lockhart (which I definitely did!) So I’m nervous – it’s usually a bad idea for me to go into a book expecting it to be like another book – but hopeful. Sounds like it’s got some deep psychological exploration in it, and I’m always up for that.
Red Queen by Victoria Aveyard
Twitter has been abuzz with praise for this novel. It’s sort of X-men meets fairy tale. Loads of political drama, intrigue and betrayal.
The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison
This is a book that caught my eye on another reviewer’s to-read list. The cover is really intriguing, and I find myself really curious about a story in which the goblin is the good guy. There aren’t too many of those.
Fairest by Marissa Meyer
This is one of those rare series in which I’ve read all the books leading up to this one. I’m super excited to read it. Meyer brings really imaginative story world to every book in the Lunar Chronicles. I’m as interested in Queen Levana’s history as I am in how Meyer constructs Levana’s world.
Fix by Force by Jason Warne
I’ve almost picked this novel up several times, and this month I’ll finally read and review it. It’s a coming-of-age plus drug battle type story, another of my known literary weaknesses.
This week our family had to make a difficult decision. Our Siamese-Russian Blue cat battled serious health issues for some time. Because of her age, it wasn’t wholly unexpected. But she was in great pain, and we couldn’t let her continue to suffer. We said goodbye and brought her to our vet’s office to be humanely put to sleep.
She’d been a member of our family for nearly thirteen years, and we love and miss her. Probably none more so than her feline companion, who is now alone during the days for the first time since she was a kitten.
So… in honor of our loss, I’ve made a list of memorable cats in literature. Hope you enjoy.
1. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
A childhood classic with just the right amount of whimsy for any cat lover.
2. Heartless by Anne Elisabeth Stengl
Who could forget Princess Una’s feisty cat Monster? The orange ball of fur turns out to be much more than an ordinary feline.
3. Bunnicula by James and Deborah Howe
I remember reading this one as a kid and laughing out loud over the suspicious antics of Chester the cat as he tries again and again to prove the Bunnicula isn’t the innocent rabbit he seems.
4. Warriors books by Erin Hunter
There are several series out now following the stories of a family of cats as they look for new homes, fight off those who would steal their territory, and build a bright future for their little ones.
5. It’s Like This, Cat
I liked this one as a child, too. Adopting an animal can’t help but change our lives. It certainly did for Dave.
6. The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley
Brave dragon-slayer Aerin marches into a battle she knows she cannot win accompanied by an army of desert dogs and wild cats. Though the animals don’t enter the story until near the end, they are faithful companions in Aerin’s time of need.
7. The Underneath by Kathi Appelt
A lonely hound with an abusive owner befriends a calico cat and her kittens. The story is a bit dark but beautifully written. Who can read this without wanting to scoop up those sweet (and slightly mischievous) kittens and take them home?
8. Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban
All right, so Crookshanks isn’t the most loveable of cats. Not all cats are sweet and cuddly. But what we cat owners know and treasure about our feline friends is the knowledge that often beneath that frenzy of claws is a loving heart. It may be more difficult to earn the affection of a cat, but once that bond is formed, we get to see a side of our kitties that no one else does. They may puzzle over our devotion, but we know loving our cats is well worth it.
Who’s your favorite?
Do you have a favorite storybook cat? Share the book title and a bit about it in the comments!
Every year the deadly capaill uisce emerge from the sea. Lucky riders will capture one of these bloodthirsty water horses and ride in the Scorpio Races, competing for a prize purse – it’s enough money to change a life. And it’s exactly what Puck Connolly is hoping to achieve. If she can win the race, she can keep her family together in their home. If she loses, she will lose everything.
Sean Kendrick knows too well the risks of the race. As a boy, he watched his father murdered by the violent water horses during the Scorpio Race. Sean isn’t too worried – he’s won before and he will win again. He intends to win freedom for himself and the horse who means more to him than anything.
The race brings Sean and Puck into one another’s lives as uneasy and unlikely allies. As their friendship begins to deepen, both know one simple, terrible truth: there can be only one winner to the Scorpio Races.
From the very first page, Stiefvater immerses readers in the tumultuous world of Thisby Island with its mythic history, charming towns and haunting cliffs. The story unfolds through lyrical, emotionally charged prose, introducing the desperate and headstrong Puck, her brothers and her beloved island pony. Opposite Puck, we find Sean Kendrick, a renowned horse trainer and thoughtful/silent type. The American buyer who follows Sean around works as a great foil to add humor and lightness to Sean’s reclusive nature.
As the story progresses, the stakes continue to elevate. Every time it seems like the characters find a way out, some new conflict arises – definitely kept me on the edge of my seat! And those capaill uisce are terrifying. One scene is so intense I still shudder to think about it! (Not gross, just really suspenseful.)
This is a fantastic story. Phenomenal characters. Absolutely incredible story world. High-energy storytelling. This is Stiefvater at her best. (I’ve read Shiver and the first three of the Raven Cycle series as well.)
Language Content
Infrequent use of mild profanity.
Sexual Content Brief sexual reference.
Spiritual Content Many of the islanders attend a Catholic church. Puck visits Father Mooneyhan to confess her sins. There are other references to things like whether playing cards or getting angry is a sin.
The water horses also have a lot of lore and magic surrounding them. Riders use charms like bits of iron and bells to try to control them.
Violence The water horses are deadly and unpredictable. Puck and her brother discover several animals that have been mutilated and killed by the capaill uisce. Puck is attacked and threatened by them. Several islanders are killed by the water horses.
Seraphina has lived a carefully unnoticed life. Even as a talented musician, she’s always avoided the spotlight in order to protect a terrible secret that, if discovered, will threaten her life and that of her family.
When a prince of Goredd is murdered, rumors circulate that a dragon is the culprit. These rumors threaten the uneasy peace between humans and dragons. Drawn into the murder investigation, Seraphina helps the handsome captain of the guard, Prince Lucien, to bring the killer to justice.
Seraphina’s quick thinking and easy lying has always protected her in the past. Now her friendship with the betrothed prince threatens to out her. When the investigation reveals a terrible plot jeopardizing the entire kingdom, Seraphina is forced to choose between her secrecy and the survival of all she loves.
Political intrigue. Murder. Fantasy. Romance. This story has it all. Unforgettable characters march across each chapter. Dragon culture is well-developed and very different from other dragon stories. Hartman does a great job throwing the human and dragon characters in situations in which the cultures clash, sometimes in humorous ways. The murder investigation keeps the tension high. This is one book you won’t want to put down until the last page.
Profanity/Crude Language Content
No profanity.
Sexual Content Brief suggestive comments.
Spiritual Content Seraphina discovers she can use her mind to communicate with others. She also meets several others with varied unusual abilities.
It seems that the human population worship a large collection of revered saints at various shrines. One of the clever ways Hartman incorporates this into the story is through the use of colloquialisms based on different saints. “St. Daan in a pan!” someone might shout.
Violence A prince’s body is found. He has been beheaded. No gory details.
Brief battles between human and dragon or dragon and dragon.
Drug Content
Seraphina consumes too much wine and nearly gives away her secret.
Today on The Story Sanctuary, John Davidson, author of Bricks, is here to give us some behind-the-scenes information about the development of his thought-provoking debut novel.
A story is often inspired by a question. What question inspired you to write this novel?
What a great question. For BRICKS, I think it would be: When the pieces of your life are shattered, where do you begin to put them back together? I think the answer for me was family, but what if your family wasn’t who they said they were? All stories are about questions asked and (sometimes) answered.
Were there things about your favorite character which couldn’t be included in the novel?
I didn’t really put a lot about Slim’s mother in the book, but part of that was because not going into too much depth allowed for the greater unspoken sympathy for him. I watch my wife mother our kids, and I know what lengths she would go for them, so to have a mother that abandoned you. Nothing in life can shape and scar you as much as that.
Is there a scene or moment in your novel that really sticks with you? Can you tell us a little bit about it?
I like the scene in Slim’s trailer where Cori realizes what all Slim has been going through, but I really enjoyed building the individual characters stories—helping them recover the things the storm stole from them. In the Wizard of Oz, a culminating scene reveals how the characters had what they’d gone looking for all along. But I wanted to give each of the characters their own scene where they fully appreciate what they lost—each of those scenes are the ones I had the most fun writing.
What do you most hope that readers take away from your novel?
That life is a journey. It’s not necessarily about building or rebuilding, it’s about something more basic, keeping on. It’s about depending on your family and learning that the truest way to feel better about yourself is to do as the Bible says in Philippians 2:3: Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves.
I recently read Torn Away by Jennifer Brown, also about the aftermath of a vicious tornado. Are you familiar with this story? If so, how is your novel similar or different? (Do you think Brown’s readers would also enjoy Bricks?)
Yes! I definitely think there are similarities. The biggest being the loss of family and how the idea of family doesn’t necessarily have to fit inside a preconceived notion. While Jersey, the MC in Jennifer’s book, physically loses part of her family in the storm, my MC—Cori, finds that the tornado reveals things that force her to redefine what she always thought family was. I do think they would enjoy it—hope they would, at least.
If you can share, can you tell us a little bit about a new project you’re working on?
I’ve just finished up a YA fantasy/fairy tale that falls somewhere between The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and The Princess Bride about a princess whose parents divorce has broken true love’s bonds. As a result a divorce court curse is placed on their daughter. To replace what her parent’s broke, she must now find her own true love before she turns eighteen–only she’s pretty sure true love is just a fairy tale. It’s comedic absurdity—Monty Python or maybe even like Galavant.
I love writing, and I write a lot. My biggest problem is I love stories first and foremost which means I don’t really stick to any one genre. I love thrillers, sci-fi, fantasy, contemporary and any mish-mash of sub-genres mostly in the middle-grade or young-adult age group. For now, I just plan to enjoy writing and let the rest of the stuff work itself out.
Is there an up-and-coming author you’re following with interest right now? Can you tell us about an author or novel you think deserves a greater spotlight?
I had been writing quite a bit of sci-fi, dystopian, post-apocalyptic stuff so I was reading several titles from those genres. One author that did a really nice job of matching style with setting was Mindy McGinnis. She has a new novel coming out soon—her third, so I’m interested to see if she uses the same style or varies it. I know my writing still is mostly all over the map, so I like to keep an eye on that.
More about Bricks by John Davidson
Sixteen-year old Cori Reigns learns that not all tornadoes take you to magical places. Some take your house, your school, and life as you knew it. Struggling to put the pieces of her life back together, Cori learns to rebuild what the storm destroyed by trusting a family she didn’t know she had and by helping friends she never appreciated.
