Speak to the Winds by Ruth Moore - early reviewer
Evocative novel set on a small island off the coast of Maine originally settled (1855-1910, per the opening chapter) by Scottish quarrymen, whose descendants continue to live on the island full-time, eking out a living as best they can. Ruth Moore - who was born on a similar small Maine island in 1903 - originally published this book in 1956. Set over the period of a year, beginning one Christmas season and ending the following winter, the book has a bit of a timeless quality to it, and it's hard to figure out just what year (or even decade) in which the book takes place. No one on the tiny island has a car, although some younger family members living and working or going to school on the nearby mainland have access to one.
The main story centers on a feud that began at a church Christmas pageant that eventually divides the town. Even now-year-round resident Miss Greenwood, formerly one of the "summer people" and thus considered an outsider by most of the island's inhabitants, is inadvertently drawn into the quarrel when she gets an Episcopalian pastor to provide an Easter service. The main character, Elbridge Gillam, a descendant of one of the community's founders, tries to stay out of the fray. The real main character, however, is the island itself, and the effects of storms and other weather on it and its inhabitants.
I really enjoyed this slice-of-life regional novel, and would like to read more by Ruth Moore. The library in Bass Harbor, Maine, where she lived from 1947 until her death in 1989, has a web page devoted to her with numerous resources.
Girls Who Green the World by Diana Kapp, illustrated by Ana Jarén - early reviewer
I was very impressed with Girls Who Green the World! This collective biography profiles 34 "rebel women out to save our planet," as the subtitle states. They are doing everything from finding alternatives for toxic ingredients in cosmetics and clothing and new uses for materials usually considered as garbage, to reducing use of plastics and fossil fuels and decreasing food waste. Their stories are inspiring.
Author Diana Kapp begins with an introduction to the book and to the climate change problem, including a couple pages of infographics. The profiles are interspersed with various facts and segments on ways to take action.
Each profile begins with a wonderful, full-page color portrait (in markers, pencils, and acrylics) by Spanish artist Ana Jarén. These flattering illustrations emphasize the racial, ethnic, and cultural diversity of the subjects. This is followed by the subject's answers to initial questions to make them more relatable, like "a word or phrase I most overuse," "a habit I'm trying to give up," or "something I used to do before I realized how bad it was for the environment." The author interviewed each subject and includes quotations from their responses, in their own words.
The book ends with a call to action, sources for the information in the infographics (I wish sources had also been included for the interspersed facts), and acknowledgments. The book is aimed at tweens, teens, and young adults, but I'd say it's appropriate for anyone wanting to make a difference, from age 11 up.
I'm 65, and I found this book to be quite motivating. For example, after reading the profile of Sarah Paiji Yoo, cofounder and CEO of Blueland, I was intrigued by her company's innovative cleaning products that are good for the environment AND get rid of the water (and thus the need for plastic), and have ordered some of them to try. I found myself making notes throughout the book of other products to investigate and practices to implement to help save our planet.
A fact from (unnumbered) page 264, worth following up: "FACT: In 2012, Yale students found that mycelium in the Amazon rain forest can survive on a diet of only plastic. This mushroom root is able to break down polyurethane plastic on its own. They wonder if it can be used at the bottom of landfills to slowly break down plastics there."
A Caribbean Heiress in Paris - by Adriana Herrera - Bookreporter, historical romance, trade paperback
This is a fun beach read. Set in 1889 in Paris (during the Exposition Universelle) and Scotland, this historical romance features a mixed-race heroine (mother a native of the Dominican Republic, Scottish father), probably the first such book I've read to do so.
Luz Alana Heith-Benzan is a rum heiress, and has come to Paris and Scotland to find new markets for her products. At the Exposition, she meets James Evanston "Evan" Sinclair, a Scottish earl who makes whisky, when they are mistakenly assigned the same table at a distillery exhibition.
Like all good romances, this one has its tropes (common literary or thematic devices used in storytelling, which I've italicized), the main one being a marriage of convenience between Luz and Evan. This alpha hero and heroine are afraid to commit, but you've got a billionaire virgin and a royal playboy with Instalust who both want a fling, so you can imagine where this all leads, but of course Luz and Evan are the last to know there's more to their relationship than just sex. It's nice to read a romance novel with the focus on the woman' pleasure, however.
The diverse characters are the strength of this story. Evan has a Trinidadian staff, two strong-willed sisters, a Columbian half-brother, and Jamaican cousins. There are non-heterosexual characters in the book as well. Luz is part of a girl gang called "Las Léonas" (the lionesses) that travels with her, and this is the first book in the series of that name.
According to an interview with author Adriana Herrera, the next book in the series will be about her artist friend Manuela Caceres (who has a lesbian romance), and I expect another will be about her other best friend, Aurora Montalban, a doctor (perhaps a romance with Evan's half-brother Apollo?). I could also see books in the future about Luz' little sister Clarita, and maybe even their cousin Amaranta.
In that interview, another one, and the book's author's note, Herrera talks about the research she did for the book. That research makes the historical details in the book feel right. However, "the characters frequently think and act anachronistically in an effort to appeal to modern sensibilities," as noted in Publisher Weekly's review, and I felt that as well. It's a romance, though, not standard historical fiction.
The Bad Angel Brothers by Paul Theroux - advance reader edition
Evidently, I won a copy of this advance reader edition in a HarperCollins Book Club Girl giveaway - I don't remember being informed I was a winner. The "Bad Angel Brothers" are Frank and Cal Belanger - how Belanger became "Bad Angel" as a local nickname is beyond me. They grew up in the town of Littleford, Massachusetts. Frank, the elder, stays and becomes a successful ambulance-chasing lawyer. Cal is a geologist, and spends much of his early adult years looking for (and finding) gold, emeralds, cobalt, and other precious metals in Arizona, Alaska, Columbia, Zambia, and other remote places.
The book revolves around the relationship between Frank and Cal. It is told entirely from Cal's viewpoint. Frank is clearly manipulative, but I had to wonder after a while if Cal is an unreliable narrator. If Frank is so awful, and from so early on, why does Cal continue to trust him? If Frank was my sibling, I would have never gone back to Littleford to live (as Cal did). Most (but not all) of the book's other characters seem to think Frank is wonderful. And Cal's fantasies about Frank's demise are pretty gruesome.
For me, the best parts of this books were the descriptions of Cal's geology work and trips. It's no surprise to learn that author Paul Theroux is best known as a travel writer. While I wasn't too crazy about this book, I'd be interested in reading some of his nonfiction.
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