Author Archives: Margo

Escaped and Missing!

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Ever want to disappear, escape from your life? When I find a good book that’s exactly what happens. I lean towards the genres of Historical Fiction, Mystery, and occasional a combination of both.

The list of subjects found under the mystery genre is long: there’s paranormal and knitting and everything in-between. Super sleuth I’m not but I have discovered my own pattern of favorites:

  • Missing Persons
  • Murder
  • Detective
  • Victim

Below is a list of mysteries I read over the last year that reflect these topics. Each story is similar in that the reader is lead down his or her detective path exploring and imagining possible outcomes. What’s different is the style, tone, circumstances, and scenarios ranging from atmospheric/contemplative to thriller/page turner.

The Vanishing Half by Brit Bennett

I read The Vanishing Half when it first came out last spring. Set in a fictional small town, the story begins in the 1950’s spanning to the 90’s. A pair of twin sisters take two different life paths when they conspire to escape to New Orleans for a better life. Stella finds work in an office and is wooed by the ‘good life’ and the attraction of her boss. She accepts his proposal leaving all others behind. Her light brown skin tone grants her access into a new world, one she is determined to keep hidden and separate from her past.  Desiree’s dreams, however, don’t materialize as she imagined. More historical fiction than mystery, The Vanishing Half addresses emotional issues of family and race. Bennett’s characterizations make this a compelling read.

Lost Boy Found by Kirsten Alexander

In 1913, long before television and radio were a source of communication, four-year-old Sonny Davenport wanders off the family’s vacation property. A huge search party ensues without a lead. Shock and fear turn into a depression and desolation that unravels a once happy family. Desperate to appease his wife Mary, John resorts to taking matters in his own hands. Using his wealth and the power of persuasion, blame is pinned on the poor and innocent which even by today’s standards seems unconscionable.

The Red Lotus by Chris Bohjalian

Red Lotus captured my attention immediately. Austin and his new girlfriend, an ER doctor, are on a bicycling tour in Vietnam. Near the end of their trip, Austin insists on taking a solo bike ride against their tour guide’s safety warnings. The reader learns right away of his demise. A complex plot involving an illegal international web follows. “The Red Lotus is a fascinating story of those who dedicate their lives to saving people, and those who instead peddle death to the highest bidder“… provided by the publisher.

Before She Was Helen by Caroline Cooney

Over the course of working from home, I listened to a podcast featuring authors discussing their latest novels. Beloved children’s author Cooney announced she had written her first adult novel. Before She Was Helen interested me because the story depicts a complex older woman as the main character. Helen goes ‘missing’ intentionally, creating two separate lives: the one her family knows about and the other she portrays living in her retirement community. Helen gets tangled unwittingly in a murder when she sends an incriminating text to her nephew with an attached photo. Humorous and heartbreaking, Before She Was Helen is a murder mystery and more.

When the Stars go Dark by Paula McLain

Pivoting from historical fiction (The Paris Wife) to a missing person’s investigation, McLain’s latest book did not disappoint. Several young women turn up missing in a northwest coastal region of California. Kidnapped? Runaways? Are the events related?  Suffering from her own trauma, San Francisco detective Anna Hart returns to her hometown of Mendocino, California to re-evaluate and take a needed break. Anna can’t rest when she learns of one local young girl who has disappeared without explanation.

“As past and present collide, Anna realizes that she has been led to this moment… As Anna becomes obsessed with these missing girls, she must learn that true courage means getting out of her own way and learning to let others in.”–provided by the publisher.

The Sanatorium by Sarah Pearse

My grandmother used to say: “Location, Location, Location!” Of course she was referring to real estate, but I can say that the same rings true in classic murder mystery. Think Agatha Christie’s Murder on the Orient Express or Lifeboat directed by Alfred Hitchcock … the setting can create suspense.

Perched on a cliff in the Swiss Alps, a renovated sanatorium turned upscale hotel, Le Sommet, is the setting for this thriller. A murder is followed by an avalanche that blocks the local police out, isolating guests, staff, and the killer setting the tone for this fast-paced novel. Weary and unsettled Elin Warner is on a leave of absence as a detective in the UK. Invited to join the celebration of her estranged brother and former girlfriend Laure. When Laure disappears old suspicions and tensions mount. Suspense ratchets up as the storm intensifies. The Sanatorium is more of a whodunit than a missing person; a debut novel sure to climb the best seller lists. So, here’s my take on a good mystery: it needs to be engaging, provide multifaceted characters, and be a story that sweeps you away to a different era or intriguing location. In my early days reading mysteries I was pacified with the predictable, but I quickly tired of reading the same author who invariably employed a similar plot and characters for each novel.

Finishing a good mystery is a bit like putting the last piece in a jigsaw puzzle.

The Question isn’t What’s in Your Closet but Why?

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Earlier this year I decided to clear out the guestroom closet that had become a free for all. I pulled everything out and was dismayed by the 4 years accumulation of stuff that I found and did my best to sort and shift.

Recently, I also attempted to organize years’ worth of loose photos. A few weeks into this heroic endeavor, multiple stacks, and several wastebasket loads of photos…. I gave up. Organizing closets and photos, or any area out of order, can loom large, making us feel defeated before we even begin.

Luckily I came across a new approach and way to view my stuff in Gretchen Rubin’s new book Outer Order Inner Calm: Declutter and Organize to Make More Room for Happiness.

The concepts of decluttering and organizing are hugely popular and there are a ton of books on the subject. In addition to Rubin’s book I found Martha Stewart’s latest Martha Stewart’s Organizing, Kyle Chayka’s The Longing for Less, and several books by Japanese sensation Marie Kondo, best known for coining the phrase ‘Does it Spark Joy?’

What is different in Rubin’s book is the ‘how’ of adopting change to fit lifestyle as opposed to a methodology. It reads like a guidebook balancing practicality with real life.

Here are a couple of her thoughts to consider: “there is not a best way to create a better life” and “for some people what looks like disorder works just fine.’” Isn’t that freeing! I took copious notes but a lot of it is common sense for example: “If you don’t own it you don’t have to organize it.” The book is broken up into 5 short chapters.

Here’s a snippet from the introduction:

  • Outer order saves time, money, space, energy, and patience
  • Outer order creates a feeling of sanctuary
  • Outer order reduces guilt and
  • Outer order creates a sense of possibility

Making choices: Do I need it? Do I love it? Do I use it? These questions are not an end in themselves. Rubin unpacks a mini psychology lesson, not a one size fits all approach.

The author explains “Outer order isn’t a matter of having less or having more; it’s a matter of wanting what we have.” This can serve as a launching point, making space to step back and assess what you have and lead to the process of deciding: do I need it, use it, or want it.

In addition to examining our stuff, Rubin’s approach tells us to ask ourselves what the purpose of doing a task is. If you set out without a clear purpose for cleaning your garage, you may get distracted and not finish. But if your purpose is to clean the garage so you have a place to park your car in the winter, chances are you’ll succeed.

Doing the simplest of task such as making your bed each morning, can set the tone for the day. Rubin admits some will disagree and take delight in not making their beds “Everyone’s happiness looks different.”

Tips: Don’t stockpile unless you plan on using it. Beware of fake work — spending a lot of time on a project. Perfecting something can become time consuming with little results. Beware of the Endowment Effect — freebies, giveaways, collecting for collecting sake.

The author sites an observation by David Ekerdt, a professor of sociology and gerontology: After age fifty chances that a person will divest himself or herself of possessions diminishes with each decade.

Gretchen says our identity plays into our reasoning, keeping too much stuff can keep us stuck. If you have a box full of mementos, sort through them and save a few to display. I encourage everyone wanting to make a fresh start to dive into this book for a deeper explanation and exploration of how to create order and find the happiness of inner harmony.

So often in life, I’ll be learning something new in one area only to find lessons reasserting themselves elsewhere. That place happened to be in Anne Tyler’s latest book The Redhead by the Side of the Road about a quirky, doggedly determined, yet endearing character named Micah. Micah is a neat freak but it’s not working out too well for him. For Anne Tyler Fans this is CLASSIC Tyler style.

My boxes of photos have not gone anywhere, while the closet is growing stuff inside it again. But I’m energized knowing I can start small and keep consistent: one day at a time.

For the Love of the Library

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Two books have made their way off their virtual shelves and into my heart:

Palaces for the People by Eric Klinenberg and The Library Book by Susan Orlean 

Both books capture the essence, character, and importance of public libraries, prompting me to express my love for the library:

For the Love of the Library 

The Library is a place: to gather, visit, meet, explore, discover, learn, laugh, and play. 

The Library is a place: to rest, re-energize, be seen,  be heard, connect,  disconnect,  give voice, and be challenged. 

The Library is a place: of collections, story times, games, art, lectures, and book clubs. 

The Library is a place: to dream, to imagine, to engage, to grow, to be. 
 

Working outside the walls of the library, my fondness and appreciation has grown stronger.

Klinenberg’s work details how social infrastructure affects ones quality of life; places to gather like libraries, community gardens, and schools help give us a sense of well being. The book is interspersed with stories of triumph and tragedy. In a society that is growing increasingly polarized, he sites multiple examples of communities coming together and learning from one another.

Members of the Bayside Neighborhood Community Garden

Where relationships exist, communities survive despite circumstance. I’ve seen evidence of this in my neighborhood. In the community garden, people are spending more time together and relationships, along with plants, are thriving.

Orlean’s re-telling of the 1986 Los Angeles Library fire and the history of libraries in her book sends out a similar message. Cutting across socio-economic, generational, and cultural lines, the library by design is a place for all people.

Beyond the books, brick, and mortar, the library lives on in your story and mine. This is just a long and difficult chapter. I want our library back and I think most would agree: a virtual library just isn’t the same thing. 

These two books intersected my path at just the right time, offering me perspective and gratitude for this recess from the normal and predictable. 

In conclusion, I’d like to share this quote that I have taped to my desk. Take care. We’ll get there! 

Gratitude is the ability to experience life as a gift. It liberates us from the prison of self-preoccupation.  

John Ortberg

A Diamond in the Rough?

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There’s a reason that the nightly news ends with a ‘good news story,’ we need hope. Hope gives us energy. Hearing and watching stories of how others have triumphed over the odds inspires and helps us to think better of others and ourselves.

We had our own good news story live last evening when we looked out our living room window and spotted a young couple setting up a Covid 19 style birthday party in our neighborhood. We stood in awe as decorations went up in the pouring rain and the little family waited a good 40 minutes until a trail of young families, including the 32 year old birthday girl, arrived dressed to party. We joined in from our deck as everyone sang happy birthday. 9AE6593F-91F3-4616-AFBD-EBE8A02EDC1F

Last evening was remarkable, but other days it’s been a bit like searching for diamonds in the rough. I’ve found Cloud Library the easier of the two online ebook apps to use when doing a subject search. I began my search on self-care and health but, landed on inspirational books and stories of courage. I encourage you to do your own search. Cloud Library has an extensive topic search although some titles overlap.

Hello I Want to Die Please Fix Me by Anna Mehler Papemy

I don’t want to die, however in my more broken and vulnerable moments I feel like I need to be fixed. Author Anna Mehler-Paperny tracks her quest for knowledge and her desire to get well. Impeccably reported, Hello I Want to Die Please Fix Me is a profoundly compelling story about the human spirit and the myriad ways we treat (and fail to treat) depression, a condition that accounts for more years swallowed up by disability than any other in the world.

Last May I blogged on depression. No one was more surprised than me on the response I received, which attests to the importance of mental health. More recently co-worker Linda blogged on the subject as part of her Did You Know series.

Almost Everything by Anne Lamott

I’ve enjoyed and shared my enthusiasm for Lamott’s candor in a previous post. I can’t think of a better time to revisit her in Almost Everything. In this profound and funny book, Lamott calls for each of us to rediscover the nuggets of hope and wisdom that are buried within us so we can make life sweeter than we ever imagined. Her work is divided into short chapters that explore life’s essential truths. Candid and caring, insightful and sometimes hilarious, Almost Everything is the book we need and that only Anne Lamott can write.

The Boy, the Mole, the Fox, and the Horse by Charlie Mackesy

Whimsical comes to mind when reading this short summary: From the revered British illustrator, a modern fable for all ages that explores life’s universal lessons, featuring 100 color and black-and-white drawings. “What do you want to be when you grow up?” asked the mole.“ Kind,” said the boy.

Walking with Peety: the Dog Who Saved my Life by Eric O’Grey

Eric was 150 pounds, overweight, depressed, and sick. After a lifetime of failed diet attempts… sound familiar?…Walking with Peety is for anyone who is ready to make a change in his or her life, and for everyone who knows the joy, love, and hope that dogs can bring. This is more than a tale of mutual rescue. This is an epic story of friendship and strength

Broken Places & Outer Spaces by Nnedi Okorafor

A powerful journey from star athlete to sudden paralysis to creative awakening, award-winning science fiction writer Nnedi Okorafor shows that what we think are our limitations have the potential to become our greatest strengths.

We’ve heard it, and we’ve said it a thousand times over these past weeks “We’re in this together.” Author Philip Yancey once wrote “We don’t get to choose the family we’re born into.” So much of life is about not having control, yet seeing a spontaneous birthday party outside in the rain and finding books with amazing stories and insights helps us along our way. A bit like finding a diamond in the rough.

Hoopla is?

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Today I cancelled my Amazon Prime. You may be thinking: is she crazy!

The tall blue vans are making their rounds in my neighborhood like birds in spring. As I drove down Evergreen Way Sunday evening, I spotted no less than 4 vans gassing up. I thought to myself: things must be getting serious.

That was earlier this week and it is true; things are serious. I was told on Monday along with other city employees 60 years and older in my department, that I would be telecommuting from home as a safety measure. Sunday March 22 the library will be closed temporarily until further notice.

At first I found all this news so hard to grapple with, but it is not the end and I’m choosing to look at the many marvelous options now available. As a wannabe optimist, I look at this as an opportunity to learn new things. This includes looking at the library’s digital collection with fresh eyes.

A few weeks back I overheard one of my co-workers rave about how she loves Hoopla because of all the free stuff. Keyword FREE! Hoopla is accessible to library users with an Everett Public Library card in conjunction with their pin number.

Hoopla offers not just one thing but a variety of online venues. For instance, under the tab video you can select Movies or Television. So lets say you missed an episode of your favorite TV show or maybe you don’t want to wait in for the DVD. My husband and I are die hard Doc Martin fans and I am very pleased to see season 9 is available on Hoopla.

I’m not particularly ‘Techy.’ But I was pleasantly surprised how easy it is to navigate in this app.

HOOPLA basics: There is Video, Music, and even Books. The book selection has a wide variety and genre of Graphic Novels and Comic books.

Browsing in any of the categories allows you to view popular, recommend, or featured items plus the Genre of your choice. The choices are endless. Here are some I hope to borrow.

Video:

Movie: Love Comes Softly We’ve enjoyed this tearjerker featuring Katherine Heigl, but it’s a feel good movie as well, and to be honest I need a feel good movie about now.

Television: I highly Doc Martin Season 9, hands down my favorite season yet. There is also a good selection of BBC mystery and a plethora of other shows.

Music:

Got kiddos, kiddos at home? Put on Moana or Frozen and let the music do its magic. Don’t miss, It’s Such a Good Feeling: The Best of Mister Rogers.

The adult collection is comprehensive from A-Z, including Grammy nominees and winners.

Books:

Confession: I’ve only checked out one Graphic Novel in my lifetime. It was actually very good, however. Looking under the genre Non-Fiction, I found a winner. How to Read Nancy. Nancy was my first and favorite cartoon as a little girl. How cool is it to rediscover a beloved character!

The end of the story: I still have an account with Amazon, I’m not that crazy! However, I am saving money in one small way by shopping at the library for FREE!

The Dutch House

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I can still remember my first diary. It was blue with a little lock and key, inside it contained my secret thoughts and youthful dreams. Nowadays, I journal spilling my thoughts onto paper in order to keep the cobwebs of my mind clear. Writing is therapeutic but writing something for someone else to read is an exercise of the imagination. Reading good literature stimulates my mind and inspires me to write, luring me out of the comfort zone of staying in my head.

Over the holiday we had the pleasure of spending time with our son and daughter-in-law. As is common in these rich visits, the topic of art and creativity came up. One of our conversations centered on the medium of writing where I found myself waxing eloquent on what I think makes for a good book.

Characterization is pivotal. In The Dutch House by Anne Patchett, Danny recounts the story of his life from his early memories to the present. The story seamlessly moves the reader back and forth from past to present without confusion of time, place or setting. A rare talent!

Anne Patchett’s latest novel is told in the first person and felt a bit like reading someone’s diary. It is a story of substance, interjected with Danny’s intimate thoughts as he grows up and as a grown man. The book is also a survey on the complexity of family and the myriad of issues that can arise and how one deals with hurt, mistrust, health, and abandonment.

A mystique surrounds The Dutch House, a stately home whose previous owner’s portrait still hangs on the wall. It’s after World War II and the house lies abandoned and in decline. Danny’s father Cyril Conroy makes his first major real estate investment by buying the house, moving his wife and young daughter, Maeve, out of poverty and into a new life of comfort and ease, or so he hopes.

Maeve is about 10 years older than Danny, their inseparable relationship solidified by their mother’s absence and their father’s neglect. Maeve is brave, smart, and confident. She fills Danny in on life before he was born and the things he was too young to remember after his mother left. The brother/sister bond is strengthened when their father marries a younger woman, Andrea, who has strategically won her way into The Dutch House and their father’s affections.

As a boy, Danny learns unforgettable lessons while spending Saturdays with his dad as he collects rent and makes repairs for his various tenants. The practice of meeting people of lesser means and the business of being a landlord plants a seed deep in Danny’s soul.

Their stepmother is a hard and demanding woman, ungrateful for the loyal housekeepers. Andrea clearly runs the show. Once Maeve has gone off to college, she inserts herself further into the family by moving Maeve’s room up to the attic. This allows her eldest daughter Norma to have Maeve’s room with its coveted window seat. When Cyril suddenly dies from a heart attack it’s not long before Andrea dismisses both Danny and Maeve, taking over the house and inheritance.

After college Maeve returns to their home town despite her potential to make more of her life in the big city. She is a devoted employee helping to revolutionize her employer’s frozen vegetable business. Danny lives in New York where he pursues a medical degree, maximizing the only inheritance money Andrea concedes to him. His real interest lies elsewhere, but his unwavering devotion to his sister compels him to push through school. Throughout the novel there is a cyclical scene of brother and sister parked down the driveway a distance from the Dutch House. They are irresistibly drawn to the house and sit smoking cigarettes recalling their past and imagining what’s transpired since their departure.

I don’t want to give too much away; there is a reason the book has a long waiting list. The novel begins and ends at the Dutch House. Patchett unveils a story so unexpected and unpredictable, masterfully opening metaphorically closed doors and exploring family dynamics amid poverty, wealth, inheritance, and more. It is a book worth reading!

Depression isn’t forever

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Writing of a personal nature— sharing a part of my life, I take the risk of allowing myself to be exposed.

I grew up in a big family and as a kid I felt loved and secure, but once I got into my teens my world turned upside down. During those years music and books impacted me. The spellbinding music of the 60’s and 70’s coupled with books like Go Ask Alice, published anonymously in 1971, and I Never Promised You A Rose Garden, published in 1964, fueled my young easily-influenced brain, tightening the tentacles of darkness. I experienced a deep depression and was ripe for self-destruction. I considered thoughts of taking my life.

Sadly, there are many people (young, old and in between) who out of desperation view suicide as the only solution to their pain. Depression is a tough subject to discuss, yet it’s a conversation that cannot be ignored. Consider the character of Eleanor in Gail Honeyman’s debut novel Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine. The reader quickly discovers that Eleanor is not fine. She fastidiously maintains her Monday through Friday job keeping to herself, then on Friday night with equal purpose she stops off to pick-up a frozen pizza and 2 bottles of Vodka which she proceeds to drink over the weekend.

It is easier to discuss a complex character in a book than it is to admit you may be struggling with depression or suicide. It’s awkward, no one knows what to say, so often nothing is said at all — It is my sincere intent to open up the dialogue in hopes that lives may be saved. Indeed it is a hard subject to discuss because those who suffer feel stuck and weighed down by the stigma of shame.

Today more and more resources are becoming available, which is encouraging, because the truth is that mental illness comes in a multitude of manifestations, depression being one of them. I recently came across two books in the Library’s collection that offer insight and hope.

Just Peachy: Comics About Depression, Anxiety, Love, and Finding the Humor In Being Sad by Holly Chisholm is a great little book, a quick read and an outstanding example of the power of art as a tool for recovery.

If You Feel too Much: Thoughts on Things Found and Lost and Hoped for is a collection of personal essays by Jamie Tworkowski. The book evolved after he wrote an earlier story about helping a friend in her struggle with depression, drugs and self-injury. The piece was called “To Write Love on Her Arms.” The piece went viral and the outcome led to the organization TWLOHA an internationally recognized leader in suicide prevention worldwide.

Grace June’s “Phil”

Last October my daughter-in-law, who bravely admits her own struggle with depression, received grant funding to develop a forum bringing light on the subject of suicide. She used the medium of photography to convey a message of hope and healing dubbing the project Survivor Series. The photo essay was compiled into a book of individuals who had either lost a loved one to suicide or had contemplated taking their own life.

For the culmination of her yearlong project, she hosted an event inviting the community and those photographed for the project. Photos were on display with a brief synopsis of each story. A portion of the evening was an open mic in a second building where a poetry group kicked things off, followed by anyone who wanted to standing up and share their story.

The evening was successful and affirming for those in the infancy of their grief as well as for others who, like my husband who lost his brother 20 years ago, have been grieving for a much longer time. It also was a catalyst for change in the Spokane community. The exhibit is currently on display at the Spokane Public Library.

Next month my husband and daughter will team up with hundreds of people to walk through the night on the streets of San Francisco in the Out of Darkness Overnight. The walk serves to raise money and bring attention and support to our nation’s increasing number of suicide deaths.

Thank you for reading this blog. It takes courage and honesty to admit the need for help. We’re not meant to walk this life alone. If you want more information on suicide prevention, there are people who are trained to help at the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline.

Succulent and Sultry

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If Christine Mangan’s debut novel Tangerine was not on your radar when it released a year ago, you may want to check it out now. Mangan draws on her rich memories of Tangier with a seductive style and a mystery that cannot be ignored.

Starting with the prologue, hints of madness give the reader a subtle sliver of what lies ahead. The narrative alternates between Alice, a young woman living on a monthly allowance from a trust, and Lucy who grew up living in an apartment over the garage where her father worked.

Lucy’s scholarship affords her an opportunity to attend Bennington Women’s College, only a few miles from the small town in Vermont where she grew up. Such a fate grants her access to a life she’s only heard of. Is it by chance or is it random that Lucy and Alice become roommates?

Alice is in the charge of her doting aunt who’s become like a parent after the death of Alice’s own parents. Their deaths were an accident for which Alice believes herself to be at fault. This fact has left her withdrawn and bereft.

They say opposites attract: Alice is shy and quiet, Lucy confident and bold. The two form a friendship that grows over the course of time. They make plans to travel after graduation, with Alice generously offering to pay Lucy’s way to Paris.

Lucy draws Alice out of her grieving and Alice is delighted to have a friend and confident in Lucy. She shares her deepest secret about the tragic loss of her parents. Lucy lets out bits and pieces of her past keeping elements of her life secret, but she revels in the closeness and camaraderie she shares with Alice.

A well-developed plot unravels beginning in Tangier, 1956. Alice is living in a small sultry apartment married for convenience to John, who unlike Alice is swept up in the exotic allure of the place and its people. Alice is stuck: gone is the light-hearted care free young college woman who’d blossomed in the years spent with Lucy.

And then one day out of the blue Lucy shows up in Tangier at Alice’s door— unexpected and uninvited.

This is where the mystery and intrigue begins. Who is telling the truth? Why is Alice not excited to see her old college roommate? How did Lucy discover where Alice is living?

Mangan masterfully gives shape and presence to her characters while skillfully building the readers understanding through the fluctuation of narration. As revelations grow, so to does the suspense. We learn the shocking reason why Alice did not stay in contact with Lucy. And we find that Lucy is cunning and clever and much, much more.

Though I’m bursting to say more I dare not!

The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah

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When Kristin Hannah’s new book The Great Alone became available there was a bit of a buzz around the office. When I received notice that my electronic hold was available the timing couldn’t have been more perfect: we were scheduled to leave on vacation the following day.

Once the pilot gave the okay to power on electronic devices, I pulled out my new iPad with a relish of anticipation only to be quickly disappointed that I’d failed to download the book.

Lesson number one: You do not need to use Wi-Fi to read or listen to e-books or e-audio books, but you do need to download them to your device. I’d only gone as far as checking the book out; consequently it was unavailable on my flight down. However, I was pleased to access it on my return flight. Being on vacation is the best place to start a book. I sat on my sister’s patio on a balmy Tucson morning and entered into the uncharted pages of The Great Alone.

Alaska and Maine have long-held a fascination for me. They are destinations where I imagine adventures with unique grandeur and scenic marine swept beauty. Someday I hope to travel to these geographic east/west opposites. So far my experience has been literary. I have been to Maine in Christina Baker-Kline’s A Piece of the World and to the Alaskan Yukon through Eowyn Ivey’s To the Bright Edge of the World.

Hannah’s book engaged me from the get go. Set in Seattle in 1974, the story quickly moves into the wild outskirts of the Kenai Peninsula in Alaska. Ernt Allbright is a Vietnam vet and POW survivor who receives his ticket out of Seattle via an unexpected inheritance of land from a deceased army buddy. The family packs their meager belongings into a VW van and head up the ALCAN Highway.

Told through the eyes of Lenora (Leni), Hannah fleshes out a dysfunctional family bound by fear and devotion. I sympathized with Leni who had to move from school to school, starting over far too many times. The peacekeeper of her family, she maintains a protective and loving relationship with her mom and a skewed but respectful relationship with her unpredictable father.

Situating the novel in a rugged and remote outpost of Alaska during the post-Vietnam era creates a tension that slowly builds in the pit of your stomach and continues to grow. Hoping to escape reoccurring nightmares and failed attempts to keep work after returning from Vietnam, Leni’s father promises things will be different this time around. Secrets, shame, and disillusion begin to breed contempt, however.

For me, it is difficult to understand how a woman can allow a man to beat her in one moment and then take him back in the next, but that’s what Leni’s mother Cora does. She makes excuses explaining that her father is sick; mother and daughter form an alliance and learn to speak the language of silence. Leni’s mom chose her man over a stable home and parents who loved her — Leni doesn’t have a choice.

The family arrives at the start of summer where deceptive sunshine floods into the late hours and food is in abundance. Had it not been for the intervention of wise and caring neighbors who extended their kindness by helping the Allbrights prepare, the family would never have survived their first Alaskan winter. The hopeful enthusiasm for a fresh start begins to fade as the long dark days of an Alaskan winter creep in. The promise Leni’s dad made to stop drinking and beating his wife slowing dissipates, replaced by violence and vengeance fueled by whiskey and a growing paranoia.

The stage is set for disaster and the plot thickens. Leni’s father’s jealousy is aimed at the father of her best friend Matthew. Leni and her mother become adept survivalists not only in the Alaskan Wilderness, but in their own home.

At the time of this writing there are 26 holds on the book, but the list was longer when I was reading the electronic version. At first I couldn’t put the book down, but I was forced to in order to meet the deadline for my book club. Then, about two-thirds of the way through The Great Alone the story took a turn and went from a page turner to a ‘I can finish this later’ type of book. I was not ready to completely give up, however, and was fortunate enough to snag a large print copy to continue reading.

I grew up in the Northwest and in the era depicted in Hannah’s story I would’ve been about the same age as Leni, but my life looked much different. Even though I had my own family drama by the early 80’s, I was living my own dream: young, newly married and starting a family. We lived out in the country with a wood stove and thrived on simplicity. My idea of roughing it was romanticized by Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House on the Prairie. I knew little of the horrific aftermath of the Vietnam War and less of the devastation it took on men like Ernt.

The Great Alone is a story of ‘behind closed doors’ giving insight into the pain and suffering that our country was still reeling from in the late 70’s early 80’s. Things were not perfect. Hannah captures and develops believable characters and portrays a young family trapped in crisis. I found the transition of pace and tension shifting gears a bit abrupt, but I loved the beautiful description of Alaska and how the story segues into a redemptive ending.

The Great Alone is a must read for 2018!

Sail in and Saddle up!

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If one of your goals this year is to join a book club or simply get out of your comfort zone and try something new, then look no further!

Everett Public Library’s Evergreen Branch Southside Book Club commences its first book discussion of 2018 on Tuesday, February 13th at 6:30. We will be talking about Before the Wind by Jim Lynch and you can expect a welcome atmosphere, light refreshments, and an enjoyable exchange of insights and comments. Consider yourself invited.

If you are participating in the 2018 Reading Challenge at the Everett Public Library, Before the Wind is the perfect match for the month of January. This book is a classic Northwest story by a local author. It is set on the inland waters of Puget Sound where boating in all its forms is a way of life for many. The story follows the Johannssen family. A family that is a portrait of dysfunction bound together by their love of sailing.

Locals will recognize landmarks and your knowledge, or lack thereof, of sailing will not affect your enjoyment of this book. Lynch captures the nuances of Northwest living (for example “rain becomes your roommate”) and he appreciates the mystical love affair men and women have with their craft, be they seaworthy or not. My colleague Leslie blogged on this very same book two years ago, sharing first hand her families own experience.

If book club or sailing isn’t your thing, saddle up and come out for an evening with author Craig Johnson, best known for the award-winning Longmire mystery book and TV series. Johnson will be speaking at the Everett Performing Arts Center on Saturday, February 10th at 7 pm followed by a chance to meet and socialize with the author. This event is sponsored by the Friends of the Everett Public Library and, appropriately enough, Rainier Beer: Walt’s favorite drink.

The series is about sheriff Longmire and is set in Wyoming. Local law enforcement and a nearby Native American population are the perfect mix for solving crime and creating the Wild West tension of lawlessness. My husband and I just started watching the TV series and are hooked by the credible characters and adventure. Both the books and DVDs are available at the library.