When Stone Wings Fly

Author: Karen Barnett
Genre: Fiction
Publisher: Kregel Publications, 2022
Pages: 344
Rating: Recommend

Synopsis: Kieran Lucas' grandmother is slipping into dementia, and, when her memory is gone, Kieran's last tie to the family she barely knows will be lost forever. Worse, Granny Mac is being tormented by flashbacks of her mother's death and the loss of their home.

In 1931, Rose McCauley's Smoky Mountains home is threatened by the Tennessee Great Smoky's Park Commission as they create a new national park. But Rosie vows the only way they'll get her land is if they haul her out in a pine box. When a compromise offers her and her disabled sister the opportunity to stay for her lifetime, it seems too good to be true.

Ornithologist Benton Fuller arrives to conduct a bird survey for the park and the two form a tenuous bond. But their friendship broadens a rift between her and the other mountain folk who are suspicious of any government connections. Then the discovery of an illegal still in the woods near her cabin leads to a violent clash between sides that could destroy them all.

Eighty-five years later, Kieran heads back to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park to find answers to great-grandmother's mysterious death and bring peace to Granny Mac before it's too late. Park Historian Zach Jensen may be the key to locating both answers and a precious family heirloom. But just as in the past, Kieran's needs clash with government regulations. Will Zach block her from recovering what she needs and solving this family mystery?

Review: I love Karen Barnett's Vintage National Park series, and was initially disappointed that she went in another direction with the Great Smokey Mountains National Park story. However, I enjoyed this novel, and surprisingly, enjoyed the present day story most. 

Vintage National Park Series
Book 1, The Road to Paradise
Book 2, Where the Fire Falls
Book 3, Ever Faithful

What So Proudly We Hailed

Author: Marc Leepson
Genre: Non-Fiction
Publisher: St. Martin's Publishing Group, 2014
Pages: 256
Rating: Recommend

Synopsis: What So Proudly We Hailed is the first full length biography of Francis Scott Key in more than 75 years. In this fascinating look at early America, historian Marc Leepson explores the life and legacy of Francis Scott Key. Standing alongside Betsy Ross, Thomas Paine, Patrick Henry, Paul Revere, and John Hancock in history, Key made his mark as an American icon by one single and unforgettable act, writing The Star-Spangled Banner. 

Review: My husband and I are history buffs and one of the places we wanted to visit was Fort McHenry. I knew Francis Scott Key wrote the Star-Spangled Banner during the Battle of Baltimore in 1814, but I went looking for more information about him. He seemed like one of those "forgotten" historical figures.

What So Proudly We Hailed answered all of my questions and was readable, not dry like some biographies can be. 

We made it to Fort McHenry before I finished reading the book, but knowing something about Key made visiting the fort even more interesting. Finishing the book after visiting brought the pages to life even more.

If I have one complaint or issue with the book it's that the author, like so many others in 2022, view 19th century America through a modern-day lens.

The Beach Trap

Author: Ali Brady
Genre: Chick Lit
Publisher: Penguin Publishing Group, 2022
Pages: 384
Rating: Recommend

Synopsis: When twelve-year-olds Kate Steiner and Blake O'Neill meet at Camp Chickawah, they have an instant connection. But everything falls apart when they learn they're not just best friends - they're also half sisters. Confused and betrayed, the girls break off all contact.

Fifteen years later, when their father dies suddenly, Kat and Blake discover he's left them a joint inheritance: the family beach house in Destin, Florida. The two sisters are immediately at odds. Blake, who has recently been demoted from regular nanny to dog nanny, wants to sell the house, while social media influencer Kat is desperate to hold on to the place where she lived so many happy memories. 

Kat and Blake reluctantly join forces to renovate the dilapidated house, with the understanding that Kat will buy Blake out at the end of the summer. The women clash as Blake's renovation plans conflict with Kat's creative vision; meanwhile, each sister find herself drawn into a summer romance. As the weeks pass, the two women realize the most difficult project they face this summer will be coming to grips with their shared past - and learning how to become sisters.

Review: I picked this book up on the day between a week-long Florida vacation and the day I returned to work. It was a perfect way to continue the vacation high. A little bit Parent Trap and a little bit HGTV reno show, it was a fun read (and bonus, set in Florida).

Love Finds You in Paradise, Pennsylvania

Author: Loree Lough
Genre: Christian Fiction
Publisher: Summerside Press, 2009
Pages: 320
Rating: Recommend

Synopsis: For as long as anyone can remember, tourists have flocked to the quaint town of Paradise, Pennsylvania, where Amish buggies are as common as shops selling handcrafted goods. But to attorney Julia Spencer this town is anything but a paradise. Raised in foster homes, Julia has succeeded in life only through steely determination and independence. The close-knit Amish people are a mystery to her, but local veterinarian Simon Thomas knows them well and is fiercely protective of their simple ways, which are increasingly threatened by the outside world. When Julia agrees to defend a local teenager charged in a case involving an Amish boy, she and Simon find themselves on opposite sides of an intense and emotional legal battle. Just when it seems they will never understand one another, God has something to teach them both about the power of forgiveness. . .and the joys to be found in Paradise.

Review: The prompt in one of my book clubs for August is, "read a book set in your home state." My home home state is Pennsylvania, and between Philadelphia and Pittsburgh, we have Amish country. There are a ton of novels set in this locale. I haven't read one in years so I decided to travel down this path to keep the challenge reading light and fun.

The ending is obvious before you even begin reading, but the journey is fun. I enjoyed the novel for what it was, but at times I was thinking, "enough already." There is a lot of filler text and unimportant dialogue (both spoken and mental). It's typical for this genre, which I think is perfect for summertime reading. 

There are other books in the "Love Finds You" series, and I'm looking forward to reading them in between novel with heavier or more intense themes - my palate cleansers so to speak.

Love Finds You in Poetry, Texas

Author: Janice Hanna    
Genre: Christian Fiction    
Publisher: Summerside Press, 2009
Pages: 310
Rating: Recommend

Synopsis: Belinda Bauer in her ivory tower. . .In the German community of Poetry, Texas, Belinda spies and opportunity. The tiny town is filled with loggers and railroad men in need of wives, so she sets herself up as a marriage broker. She writes little poems to be printed in newspapers all over the country and one by one, women begin to arrive in Poetry. There's only one problem: Belinda doesn't have a clue what she's doing and all the brides marry the wrong men! One client is particularly unhappy. Georg Kaufman, the local barber, has lost more than one prospective wife to Belinda's fumbled attempts. For some reason, she can't seem to find Georg's "perfect match," though it's not for lack of trying. Is there a poetic ending in store for Georg and for Belinda herself?

Review: Cute, fluffy, easy-reading. I enjoyed the Texas story, and I can't resist mail-order bride books. This was a perfect, summertime reading book.

Comfort Me with Apples

Author: Catherynn M. Valente
Genre: Science Fiction / Fantasy
Publisher: Tom Doherty Associates, 2021
Pages: 112
Rating: Highly Recommend

Synopsis: Sophia was made for him. Her perfect husband. She can feel it in her bones. He is perfect. Their home together in Arcadia Gardens is perfect. Everything is perfect.

It's just that he's away so much. So often. He works so hard. She misses him. And he misses her. He says he does, so it must be true. He is the perfect husband and everything is perfect.

But sometimes Sophia wonders about things. Strange things. Dark things. The look on her husband's face when he comes back from a long business trip. The questions he will not answer. The locked basement she is never allowed to enter. And whenever she asks the neighbors, they can't quite meet her gaze. . .

But everything is perfect. Isn't it?

Review: I was following, thinking I was figuring it out, and then nope. I was on the right track though. I thought this book was great. Saying much more than that enters spoiler territory.