Not all sunshine and rainbows, but wonderful nonetheless
592098
Though Im not one for reading short stories, I found each of the eleven stories found in Incendiary Girls to be enchanting. The stories, while can be quite dark in theme, have unique voices that sets them apart not only by content but through literary techniques. Each story has a distinct voice and perspective.
The magical realism that permeates through the stories definitely help ease the heavy subject matter that each presents. My personal favorite was No Monsters Here. From the beginning until the end, I was caught in suspense along with the character as they struggled to make sense of the eerie presence of a seemingly lost loved one.
While I liked the stories in the book, its definitely not a light read. I think itd be better experienced through an audio book.
1158430
So the book is not at all perfect.  The plot hangs on too many coincidences, only explained by deus ex machina and move along with too many well-hashed, threadbare tropes.  But the narrative and the voices of the book are absolutely wonderful and, for all that I find fault with the plot, it moves along quickly and has the deeply researched air that one expects from a more sophisticated adult novel of the Eco model.

I listened to it on Audible and found myself inventing reasons to go for long walks and taking the long way 'round to and from work just to extend the time I listened to this work each day.  A lovely book, definitely one to buy, even if imperfect.
4330342
After read it, I looked around: people were lovely, the sky was more colorful, and the trees looked beautiful! It was magical, this is a book that makes us happy!
4129987
Like the strawberries in wintertime of the title, this book is a ray of sunshine. Reading it without a smile on your face and more hope in your heart is impossible. You will feel as if you have just had a lovely lunch on the beach with a dear old friend who truly understands how to appreciate the simple, but important, things in life. Mr. Woodburn creates a great sense of intimacy with his readers, making you feel as if you are with a great friend. This is a great read for anyone, but it is especially wonderful for graduates, nature-lovers, literary buffs, sports enthusiasts, and anyone looking to add a little happiness to life.
4579721
A wonderful and quite necessary companion to the other soundtrack for the film. Whereas that album captures the uplifting and leave-all-your-cares-behind escapist sentiment of not just the water park but of summer itself, this collection of short pieces captures the deeper, more winsome, more emotional moments of the film. From the darker tensions between the boy, Duncan, and his broken family to those intimate moments at the park and what will probably be the best days of his adolescent life, these tracks are at times joyous, at times as moody a a rainy day and at times inquisitive. Again, it's hard to think that one can fully appreciate the film's emotional musical movement without combining this album with the other soundtrack.
2471471
To the dark melancholy of 'Don't Fall In Love...', Okkervil River's brand new offering 'Down The River of Golden Dreams' is a ray of sunshine. Well, dark sunshine. Sunshine behind a cloud... with rain. 'Down the River of Golden Dreams' is that sunshine between rain, then. With lovely wind noises.
  Decidedly more up-beat, this album drops the predominantly mandolin and thrashed acoustic guitar of it's predecessor in favour of wurlitzer in a sleeker, more refined and mature sound- still irrevocably that 'Okkervil River' sound, with no small thanks to Sheff's bitter-sweet and immensely distinctive, soulful vocals.
  It is a glorious anthology of short stories, each one memorable, meaningful and double-edged- that is, an occasionally rusty, serrated edge- so if manufactured pop is your haunt- you have been warned.
  Approach this with an open mind and you will be rewarded, enlightened and uplifted, for 'tis a beautiful creation, but fragile; so tip-toe towards it, lest it shatters.
2193099
I have a tendency to give objects I find a story, creating a backstory for them that is rich and full of life. Knowing that there is a whole room filled with objects for which stories were created (at least in Hogan's work) seemed logical to me, and make my heart more than happy.

And Sunshine, the next door neighbor girl? I love her. She is a young adult with Down syndrome, and reminded me quite a bit of my daughter. I do wish she had more of a life beyond the story (as all the other characters seem to have), but she I loved her. She was an integral part of the story, including the work of reuniting the items with their lost owners--this, to me, was perfect.

The Keeper of Lost Things is a character-driven novel, in that the lost things are characters -- and the characters are lost things. Each lost thing has a story which must be uncovered, during which the actual characters are telling the stories and uncovering their truths.

The story of Eunice and Bomber, who met the same day Anthony's fiancee died, is almost worth its own book. I can't really say it was parallel to Anthony and Laura's story: I would say it was more diagonal, running side by side but destined to intersect.

The story is a little too cute, a little too sweet at times, and it could have done without the touch of supernatural (which works fine, but not necessary). But honestly, I loved it. I think I needed to know that life works out sometimes, and that all the objects in the world have a story to someone out there. I needed the cute story, and the happy ending.
4881861
Laurie Anderson's new release is a wonderful, strange, and, for her, unusually warm record. It is clear that, though she has apparently abandoned the idea of an album version of her Moby Dick show, the songs related to that show that open the album set the tone for the more personal seeming songs on the remainder of the disk. I love the way she moves the listener from the cosmic whale that shows itself only "in parts" to a consideration of the uncontrollable aspects of life (even when it seems like we are in control). The notion that these lyrics are "laughable" as compared with her early material seems quite misguided to me, as the "ironic detatchment" characteristic of much earlier Anderson material would not fit the overall mood of the album very well. And what's wrong with juxtaposing nursury rhymes with observations about ancient Egypt? Maybe that's just how life seems sometimes.
3440484
While this is by no means a perfect book, Hegi has done some wonderful things here, not the least of which is to convey the development of a character shaped by a consciousness of being different and outside the norm. Of course one can't help but think of The Tin Drum when reading this, but Trudi the dwarf is more than just a female version of Grass' Osker. Hegi captures beautifully Trudi's stuggle for human connection in a world where most are won't to treat her as less than human, as well as her need to maintain a sense of personal agency in the face of overwhelming historical forces. The novel unfolds in a German town near the Rhine during the dark years from WWI to just after WWII, a setting that enables Hegi to present a constellation of characters whose challenges amplify Trudi's own. Perhaps Hegi's most significant achievement is in helping us grasp the daily rhythms and life choices of those living in dehumanizing times, and how it is through often small incremental steps that we create hell on earth. Though the writing is sometimes flat, there are some amazing passages that capture Trudi's deepening sense of her storytelling abilities -- and of the powers and responsibilities that are hers because of these abilities.
1606242
Most of Quent Cordair's short stories, so far, are uplifting little gems written from a benevolent, sunlit sense-of-life and leave you with the feeling that you live in a rational, orderly universe, filled with great beauty and possibilities.  "Sheltered" is a little different.  You still finish reading it with the sense of having glimpsed a sunlit, orderly world, but the story is more of a cautionary tale, like a good TWILIGHT ZONE episode would be.
  And speaking of THE TWILIGHT ZONE, fans of the show will remember the episode called, coincidentally, "The Shelter".  The focus, in that episode, was on the envy the unprepared would feel toward those who do prepare for disasters.  "The Shelter" was aired the year before that of the Cuban Missile Crisis, but nevertheless there was growing and justifiable concern in this country that it could be the target of a nuclear attack.  The man who builds a shelter for his family and himself in the story is portrayed as rational, and having a proper perspective on reality.
  That may or may not be the case with Reginald B. Wakefield, the protagonist of "Sheltered".  With all the threats of nuclear war (contrary to popular belief, that danger still exists), bio-warfare, terrorism of all kinds and natural disasters--in other words, both metaphysical and man-made catastrophes--that we are alerted to in the news, Reginald has decided to build a shelter to safeguard his family and himself against all these possibilities.  The shelter he puts together is a masterpiece of ultra-preparedness.  (As a matter-of-fact, if I ever finish a newspaper and, in response to what I've read, begin to develop an apocalyptic mind-set, I just might start building such a shelter myself, using Mr. Cordair's story as a construction manual.)  Preparedness is a virtue.  But beyond a certain point, does that virtue become a vice, eroding and then destroying the values that can only be properly enjoyed today?
  As you read "Sheltered", you're not quite sure whether Reginald is a meticulous forward-thinker or an obsessive-compulsive on steroids.  You can't say for sure whether he's imagining too much or--if he's right.  I enjoyed this uncertainty; it is the source of the story's suspense.
  If "Sheltered" shows us life "as it might be and ought to be" as we read it, it is because Reginald is a long-range thinker and a man of action.  If the story shows us life as it might be and ought NOT to be, it is because Reginald places undue importance on every detail of his shelter-building, so much so that his consequent state-of-mind is, in itself, an apocalyptic disaster.
1948302
All strong songs, but some stand out stronger than others: "Blwyddyn I Heno" (A Year from This Night) and the moving "Teyrnas y Ser" (In the Realm of the Summer Stars) are just to name two.  Another, "Morwyn y Blodau" (Lady of the Flowers) reminiscent of a good Clannad work.  This album is beautiful, inside and out (although my CD has a very slightly different cover), and is strongly recommended.
1089306
Like the second in the series better, but this one is also lovely.
4715235
On the one hand it's not my favorite book, but on the other hand, I loved it. The characters are quirky and fun, the story moves along to a wonderful ending, and all in all, it left me feeling very good.
4642785
This book was so perfect for me that I don't feel like a completely objective reviewer. Ive recently realized that I love books where peoples lives intersect in such a way that they all help each other become happier. This is one of those books. Like The Wedding Bees and other books with a vivid, happy atmosphere, the author clearly chose her similes and metaphors carefully to add to the mood shes trying to create. There was a little more conflict than in The Wedding Bees, conflict which largely involved two particularly dislikable characters. Although I adored The Wedding Bees for what it is, the addition of those protagonists made this a slightly less fluffy book. The main characters really got a chance to grow as they learned to stand up to the dislikable characters when it was necessary for their own happiness.

Another bookish love Ive recently discovered is the genre of magical realism. I think I love magical realism so much because I like happy stories and there isn't much thats more optimistic than magic that you almost believe could exist. I actually would have liked to see the details of the magic fleshed out a little more than they were, but it was pretty well done. It was certainly internally consistent and there are a few things that hint at a magical system connecting the different magical events. At the end of the book, I didn't feel like it was something new and spectacular. It was, however, a perfect comfort book, superbly written and a delight to read.
98520
I'm not sure anymore how I came across this unusual book of stories, but I'm glad I did. They are a bit odd at times (odd in a good sense of the word) and have some wonderfully quirky characters. There are three rounds of stories, each one culminating in a Christmas tale; the Christmas tales are the best of the bunch. The stories are told in a bumbling and loveable way, more as a storyteller might tell them than as a writer might write them. That, however, only adds to their down-home charm.

The stories reveal the best and the worst of any community, particularly small, devoutly religious communities. From the introduction one can infer that they are at least semi-autobiographical, stories of the painful childhood of one storyteller and writer. However, the stories are full of hope and the hope comes mostly from the characters on the margin of society. In particular, there is Gletha, the person that the community by-and-large considers to be unsavory and clearly not a "christian" by their standards. Gletha, in turn, lives with grace and love in the midst of the shunning that comes to her from the "good" people of the community, caring for the child whose adoptive parents can barely see beyond their own inner turmoil and mental illness.

This is a great book, one that is overlooked and unknown. It is worth at least one read-through. For myself, I keep it by my bedside and over the years I have read most of the stories numerous times. The pages of the Christmas stories reveal a wear and tear that are testament to those many readings. I wish that more people would find this book.
4969262
I got this book for my daughter, but I read it first.  It is beautifully written, and very engaging.  Yes, Stargirl is not realistic.  She's not really meant to be realistic, though, so it works.  At it's heart, the book is about individuality and nonconformity, but the writer accomplishes much more than that.  Even though his characters are exaggerated, he manages to capture many of the emotions and anxieties that kids feel going through their school years; especially in small, rural communities.  If you read a few of the one star ratings, you will notice that the reviews are poorly written and that the reviewers do not seem particularly reliable as far as literature goes; and very closed minded.  This really is a wonderful book that can be enjoyed by a wide range of ages.  However, I would say that I would be careful about recommending it to a teenage boy.  The picturesque writing style, and the romantic nature of the book will not appeal to the majority of them.  I don't think my son would particularly enjoy it.  My daughter, however, enjoyed it very much.
298540
"I am wandering now.
Through this world
I am wandering, wandering,
These are the days I live now."
(from "Planets")

AWKWARD ANNIE is beautiful and melancholy.  I don't want to read too much into the music knowing how difficult the last two years have been for Kate.  I can imagine, though, it must have been as tough as her liner notes indicate.  It's funny how you want artists you love to be happy and free from the heartaches which plague most humans.  John McCusker must have been a tough genius to live with.  The good news is that Kate has made one helluvah debut as producer and arranger.  Definitely not adrift without the guiding brilliance of John.

The poignancy is potent in many places in the record--most strongly in "The Bitter Boy," "Farewell," "Planets," "Andrew Lammie" and "Daughter of Heaven."  How many of the lyrics and sentiments are meant to be autobiographical I don't know--hard to avoid thinking so with "The Bitter Boy."  As to her usual high standard, she mixes lovely traditionals (for which she's written music) and several gorgeous originals which--as is always the case with Kate--sound somehow old and new at the same time.

One characteristic, I think, of her producing and arranging is a new emphasis on instrumental interludes in the midst of the songs.  I count eight songs in which the magic combination of instrumentalists are allowed to do their own thing for extended periods.  How beautiful those players play.  Several songs have a whole group of string players and several others a great mix of horns.  The banjo figures in several songs more than in previous albums.  And what a group of harmony singers: Eddi, Chris, Joe and the amazing deep voice of John Hudson.  The latter and Eddi Reader work such choral magic in my favorite song on the album, "Blooming Heather," that I get goosebumps every time I listen to it.  This--in spite of all the versions I've heard and liked of this song under its more common name, "Wild Mountain Thyme."  This is the best version, the most moving one, I know of this great song.  Overall, my favorites are "The Bitter Boy," "John Barbury," "High on a Hill," "Planets," "Daughter of Heaven," and, of course, "Blooming Heather."  One signature moment--Donald Shaw's gorgeous piano work in "John Barbury."  Exquisite.  And Kate and Eddi were made to harmonize.

I hope the artistic achievement of AWKWARD ANNIE and the support of her family give Kate much solace.