KimberlyFish

The Distant Hours

Wandering through my favorite bookstore, Barrons, the other day I turned to see a new book propped on a low shelf and for reasons I can’t define, (short of my addiction to fiction) bought it. The Distant Hours, by Kate Morton, proved to be one of those books that I couldn’t put down once I started and, no doubt, will linger long after I turned the last page. It’s two stories (or three, or maybe four) told through a series of undeniably circumstantial events. The unlikelihood of those circumstances doesn’t diminish the gripping nature of the story–as a matter of fact by the end the circumstances are so tightly bound that it leaves one with the idea the story couldn’t have been told any other way. I would love to give you a summary but I’m not–I couldn’t do it justice. So go with this, a WWII Gothic tale set in a moldy castle with a lot of thunderstorms, betrayals, heartbreaks, murders, and madness. And that’s just the historical story. The current story is wrought with its own secrets, unclaimed destinies and heartaches, but true to the talent of Kate Morton, it all works out in a satisfying manner that left me in awe of her writing craft as well as of her detailed (and wickedly talented) imagination.

Already Home

I read Susan Mallery’s novel, Already Home, over the course of a few weekends and found it delightful, particularly as it got rolling toward the middle. Because I think this was more women’s fiction than true roman fiction the female characters were plentiful and well-developed, even some of the secondary characters had a rich backstory. But I’m getting ahead of myself–the jist of the story is a LA chef returns to Texas to put her life back together after a failed marriage. In the course of figuring out how she’s going to support herself–and still satisfy her creativity–she opens a kitchen shop on a cute town square. But, she’s a chef not a businesswoman and she comes to rely heavily on the savvy salesperson she hires. These two unlikely friends grow to depend on each other quickly, particularly through the upheaval caused when biological parents arrive on the scene and boyfriends turn bad. Ms. Mallery gave full entre into the women’s minds/perceptions/backgrounds and even so much with mothers too that it was really a girl fest for strong, amazing women. The men in this book get a bit of short shift. They don’t seem to have the same depth or resonance as the women—even the good guys don’t get a lot of stage time. I think where this novel is so lovely is weaving together the influence of mothers and daughters, both biological and adopted (even those that are absorbed into families.) You’ll enjoy this peek into a family and come away wishing you could be friends with the characters.

6 must-read magazines

For those of you’ve who asked–not that I get stopped in the grocery store to answer this pressing question, but–here are the 6 magazines that I read (almost cover-to-cover) as soon as they hit my mailbox.

Gardens and Guns: (I know crazy, right.) This may be the most perfect magazine for a displaced Georgian since I used to cruise the Army PX in Germany for back issues of  Southern Living magazine. The articles are border-line literary in their text and prose, the photos are evocative, and the content never fails to surprise me. I’ve developed a previously-unknown affection for hunting dogs courtesy of their on-going essay feature, Good Dogs. Reading this magazine is indulging in the fantasy that I was born to a lineage of julep-drinking Southern matriarchs, dashed by financial absurdities of an inherited fortune, and owned vacation homes both in the Blue Ridge mountains and something quaint along the coast. I consider this a must-read magazine, now that I’ve discovered it. (Thanks, Mom.)

Victoria: (Bliss, their subtext and mine.) I page through this magazine first for the photos. The photography is nothing short of art. Reading the articles is a secondary effort after I’ve soaked up as much beauty, grace, culture, and refinement as possible from the images. This magazine is to me what a B-12 shot is to others. And one day, one fateful day, I will set a table as lovely as the ones in this magazine.

Entertainment Weekly: I consider this a professional resource, in addition to feeding my interest in celebrity gossip. It always offers the back story on movies, TV, music and books that other entertainment industry mags skip over. It also helps that they have a feature highlighting absurd script quotes from the week of TV and a Bullseye feature that pokes fun at the ludicrous nature of celebrity.

Southern Living: The go-to magazine for staying current in the world in which I live–and wish to travel more around. Born in the South, it’s my goal to never leave it. The editors of this magazine seem to share my vision and foster my lifeblood through travel features, home interiors, slice-of-life articles, and their infamous (and richly tested) recipes. I’ve built dinner parties around the menus featured in this magazine.

MORE: New to the scene, this magazine is the thinking (and over 40) woman’s guide to all things relevant, fashionable, cultural, and necessary to a healthy, proactive life. Of course, I would read this.

Voice of the Martyrs: I’ll be honest, I can’t actually read this magazine cover-to-cover. I’m too haunted by the stories (even the blacked out images in the photos) to do more than be humbled that I live so freely and generously in the country of my birth. This magazine does serve as an honesty bullet when I get caught up in the minutiae of my existence as wife, mom, writer, daughter, volunteer, etc. I hope to never forget the persecuted Christians who live bigger lives than I do.

Summer at Tiffany’s

Finished reading a sweet, darling memoir written by an 82-year old women regarding the summer she and her best friend and fellow Kappa sister, jumped the train in Iowa and headed to Manhattan for a summer of adventure. Through some amazing good fortune these girls landed jobs at Tiffany’s (the first girls ever hired as pages in the 1940s male-dominated world of high end jewelry sales.) With the backdrop of WW II, glamourous Manhattan, and stores like Bonwit Teller, the memoir recaptures a glimpse into “The Greatest Generation” that many historians would have breezed past. At it root, this easy read is really a love letter to all things Tiffany. Delightful.

The September Society

I read a review of Charles Finch’s pre-World War 1, British mystery saga with interest in the Dallas Morning News–I love that era, love all things English, and as long as the deaths aren’t too graphic, love a good mystery novel. The September Society is number two or three in collection that features a wry, intelligent detective (also quite monied and well-connected) named, Charles Lennox. (Think Sherlock Holmes meets Mr. Darcy.) Mr. Finch does his research about the British military and its role in India–and after having read this novel–it safe to say he also has a longstanding admiration for Oxford and it’s many universities. He writes with a certain sense of place that when his main character longs for something I have to think Mr. Finch longs for it too. I thought the mystery a little lacking since the prologue gives some major clues to the next chain of events, but he’s created some wonderful characters–that I would have enjoyed hearing more of through dialogue, but had to be satisfied with stilted conversations and sometimes a page or more of narrative. In addition to Mr. Lennox, his neighbor Lady Jane is delightful (and worthy of her own story, I’m sure.) As well as a possible protege in an unlikely source–a dissipated aristocrat with more time on his hands than is good for him. It was a pleasant way to spend a pollen-coated Sunday afternoon. I am not through reading of Charles Lennox so I’ll have to purchase another of Mr. Finch’s novels.

Love, Charleston

Love, Charleston, a wonderful contemporary novel by Beth Webb Hart, exceeded my expectations (based on the cover blurb.) This is far more than a romantic story, it’s really a poignant glimpse into three marriages (one which is in the making.)  It was deeply moving in its tender care of a woman going to very depths of a post-partum depression and of yet another who comes to the brink of jeopardizing her marriage. The gentle, Southern hand Ms. Hart uses to craft her story brings on wonderful Charleston seasons and a beloved glimpse into a town she clearly loves. I thoroughly enjoyed this story and will look for another by the gifted Ms. Hart.

A Rather Charming Invitation

Since I first read of Penny Nichols in CA Belmond’s novel, A Rather Lovely Inheritance (totally charming!) it’s been my goal to become CA Belmond when I grow up. I don’t know how to do this, as this writer creates so many levels of entertainment, insight, art and poignancy with a pen saturated in Riviera sunshine, but it’s a goal and I reach for it. For you see, Penny Nichols is living the life I’d want to live if I could be a literary character. Yes, for the price of $15.99 you too can slip into an adventure and be transported to a chateau on the South of France or a pricey apartment in London, via a very elegant and old world styled car. In this third book of Penny Nichol’s adventures across Europe, she is on the eve of planning her wedding to the nearly perfect Jeremy Laidley. A Rather Charming Invitation begins with the arrival of yet another one of Penny’s curious relatives (they dot the continent) and sets into motion a journey that not only becomes an anthropology study on the nature of happily married couples, but also digs deep into the mysteries of communication during the reign of Louis, the Sun King (in this case a tapestry with clues to a treasure.) Penny and Jeremy are remarkably comfortable running among the social set of Cannes and Monte Carlo (yet another enviable trait) and mix it up with some high rolling characters. Plus they have a gorgeous yacht of their own which plays in a big part in their just-in-the-nick-of-time rescue. Maybe you can see why this novel created the perfect armchair reading experience for a snowy day. Please join me in adding this book (really, the author) to a collection of the best written fiction on the market today.

Larkspur Cove

Lisa Wingate writes another stellar book in the moving story of a single mother coming to terms with the woman she is underneath the hurt. Larkspur Cove is situated on beautiful Moses Lake, home to wildlife (both human and otherwise,) cliffs, vacation homes, and a few tragedies–the welcome sign read “if you’re lucky enough to be at the lake, you’re lucky enough.” But being at the lake isn’t a vacation for Andrea Henderson and her teenaged son, Dustin, it’s recovery. She’s there to rebuild her life and find out what she’s made of. What woman couldn’t relate to that? Lisa weaves in enough quirky characters and homespun wisdom to make the journey to self-discovery both poignant and joyful. You celebrate with the characters when the overcome the odds. And that’s good story-telling. Lisa’s books are always a delight and this one is no exception.

Heat Wave

You know that feeling you get when you’ve overdosed on a particular beloved dessert? That’s the way I feel having read “Richard Castle’s” novel, Heat Wave.  An unapologetic fan of the TV show, Castle, on ABC, I particularly enjoyed the blurring lines between reality/TV/marketing genius in creating a hard copy of the book that is plot central to the show. All the innuendo going on between Richard Castle and Kate Beckett in the TV show is made more intriguing when you read how Richard translates that tension into his novel of NYPD Detective Nikki Heat and her journalist tag-a-long, Jameson Rook (and undisguised copy of Richard Castle.) The layers to the plot between novel and TV show are priceless. And let me just say, reading the book was exactly like following a two-hour season finale episode of the TV show–with some name changes to protect the imaginary. The thing that just makes this brilliant is the marketing biz behind the idea. I can’t imagine that the television  writers planned from day one to introduce a “real” book to coincide with Richard Castle’s novel debuts on the TV show, but I’m sure the sale numbers have replaced any misgivings they might have had about whether an imaginary plot device could translate into real world transactions. And like any traditional book, the “publisher” scored endorsements from James Patterson and Stephen Cannell for the cover–how cool is that?–as if an incentive to read the story was necessary. With this new season’s plot twist related to the movie rights of Heat Wave and Naked Heat, it should prove to be even more entertaining when the feature length film debuts.  I’m quite sure the writer of this novel is the same writer directing the think tank in their plotting sessions at the production studio, but knowing both the show and now reading the novel just makes the illusion all the more fun. Kudos to Castle Writer–whoever you are.

Read the fine print

In preparation for hours on a plane to and from Walt Disney World last week, I loaded my Kindle with several e-books that seemed interesting, after reading plot summaries. Next time I’m going to read the fine print for some sort key words or phrases that denotes “adult content.” I just hate throwing away good money.