TLC BOOK TOURS: The RainBirds by Clarissa Goenawan

The RainBirds by Clarissa Goenawan

Hardcover: 336 pages

Publisher: Soho Press (March 6, 2018)

Description:
Set in an imagined town outside Tokyo, Clarissa Goenawan’s dark, spellbinding literary debut follows a young man’s path to self-discovery in the wake of his sister’s murder. 

Ren Ishida has nearly completed his graduate degree at Keio University when he receives news of his sister’s violent death. Keiko was stabbed one rainy night on her way home, and there are no leads. Ren heads to Akakawa to conclude his sister’s affairs, failing to understand why she chose to abandon the family and Tokyo for this desolate place years ago.

But then Ren is offered Keiko’s newly vacant teaching position at a prestigious local cram school and her bizarre former arrangement of free lodging at a wealthy politician’s mansion in exchange for reading to the man’s ailing wife. He accepts both, abandoning Tokyo and his crumbling relationship there in order to better understand his sister’s life and what took place the night of her death.

As Ren comes to know the eccentric local figures, from the enigmatic politician who’s boarding him to his fellow teachers and a rebellious, captivating young female student, he delves into his shared childhood with Keiko and what followed. Haunted in his dreams by a young girl who is desperately trying to tell him something, Ren realizes that Keiko Ishida kept many secrets, even from him.

My Thoughts:
The cover of The RainBirds is enchanting and eye-catching, and from the description appealed to me immensely. The dream sequences are hauntingly beautiful with just a touch of magical surreal creepiness and foreboding. Think of the Japanese horror films such as The Ring’ and you’ll get a sense of the mood. However outside of these genuinely atmospheric, slightly unnerving moments the book didn’t have much hold on me and at 19% I didn’t feel invested or compelled to read any further at this time.

These are only my thoughts and so please read what others have to say from the TLC Blog Tour below.

A Bustle Most Anticipated Book of 2018

“Luminous, sinister, and page-turning all at once. I loved it.”

—Kate Hamer, internationally bestselling author of The Girl in the Red Coat and The Doll Funeral

“A beautiful mystery setup with a complex, magical love story.”

—Eka Kurniawan, award-winning author of Beauty Is a Wound and Vengeance Is Mine, All Others Pay Cash

“A beautiful, well-crafted story, Rainbirds is an exploration of grief, love and loss. Clarissa Goenawan has written a powerful debut novel that will leave readers craving more.”—Hollie Overton, internationally bestselling author of Baby Doll and The Walls

“Like the imaginary town in Japan in which it takes place, Rainbirds possesses a charm that is at once cloistered, quiet, and mysterious. Carefully crafted and paced, the novel captivates with its reflective, dreamlike tone. A promising debut from Clarissa Goenawan.”—Dee Lestari, award-winning singer-songwriter and author of the Supernova series

“Rainbirds is that rarest of debut novels—confident, transportive, and utterly enthralling. Clarissa Goenawan explores the mysteries of small-town Japan, drawing readers in with understated prose, then ensnaring with a subtle spell, exposing, grain by grain, the secrets behind a young woman’s death.”

—Barry Lancet, award-winning author of The Spy Across the Table and Japantown

“A hauntingly moving story of loss and alienation.”—Jake Arnott, internationally bestselling author of The Long Firm and The House of Rumour 

About Clarissa Goenawan

Clarissa Goenawan is an Indonesian-born Singaporean writer. Her award-winning short fiction has appeared in literary magazines and anthologies in Singapore, Australia, the UK, and the US. Rainbirds is her first novel.

Connect with Clarissa

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram

Clarissa Goenawan’s TLC Book Tours TOUR STOPS:

Monday, March 5th: SJ2B House of Books

Tuesday, March 6th: Reading Reality

Wednesday, March 7th: @readingbringsjoy

Thursday, March 8th: A Bookish Way of Life

Friday, March 9th: @bookishconnoisseur

Monday, March 12th: Broken Teepee

Tuesday, March 13th: Books a la Mode

Wednesday, March 14th: Spin a Tale Reviews and @spinatale

Thursday, March 15th: Book Chatter

Monday, March 19th: The Literary Llama and @theliteraryllama

Tuesday, March 20th: @athousandbookstoread

Wednesday, March 21st: @ladyofthelibrary

Thursday, March 22nd: Patricia’s Wisdom

Monday, March 26th: Write Read Life

TEASER TUESDAY : Pedro Paramo by Juan Rulfo

 Teaser Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme hosted by

 The Purple Booker

It is very easy to play along:

• Grab your current read and open to a random page

• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page

• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! 

• Share the title & author, too, so that other participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

Here are my teasers this month:
“It was during the dog days, the season when the August wind blows hot, venomous with the rotten stench of Saporania blossoms.
The road rose and fell. It rises or falls depending on whether you are coming or going. If you are leaving its uphill, but as you arrive it's downhill."

Title: Pedro Paramo by Juan Rulfo

Published by Serpent’s Tail (first published 1955)

Synopsis:
Swearing to his dying mother that he'll find the father he has never met, a certain Pedro Paramo, Juan Preciado sets out across the barren plains of Mexico for Comala, the hallucinatory ghost town his father presided over like a feudal lord. Between the realms of the living and the dead, in fragments of dreams and the nightly whispers of Comala's ghosts, there emerges the tragic tale of Pedro Paramo and the town whose every corner holds the taint of his rotten soul.

My Thoughts:
'Pedro Paramo' was sadly the only novel by Mexican author Juan Rulfo.  Originally published in 1955, it is the novel that started the genre for magical realism, and also the inspiration for Gabriel Garcia Marquez’s, '100 Years of Solitude'.

I have only just read the first page so far and will say more about it in due course.

TLC Book Tours: Hannah Who Fell From The Sky by Christopher Meades

HANNA WHO FELL FROM THE SKY

By Christopher Meades

Hardcover: 352 pages

Publisher: Park Row Books (September 26, 2017)

TLC Book Tour September/October 2017

From highly acclaimed, award-winning author Christopher Meades comes a magical, provocative tale of forbidden love and one girl’s struggle for liberation

About Hanna Who Fell from the Sky
Hanna has never been outside her secluded community of Clearhaven. She has never questioned why her father has four wives or why she has fourteen brothers and sisters. And in only one week, on her eighteenth birthday, Hanna will follow tradition and become the fifth wife of a man more than twice her age.
But just days before the wedding, Hanna meets Daniel, an enigmatic stranger who challenges her to question her fate and to follow her own will. Then her mother tells her a secret—one that could grant Hanna the freedom she’s known only in her dreams. As her world unravels around her, Hanna must decide whether she was really meant for something greater than the claustrophobic world of Clearhaven. But can she abandon her beloved younger sister and the only home she’s ever known? Or is there another option—one too fantastical to believe?

With lush, evocative prose, Christopher Meades takes readers on an emotional journey into a fascinating, unknown world—and, along the way, brilliantly illuminates complexities of faith, identity and how our origins shape who we are.

“Beautiful and delicate, Meades has written a powerful meditation on how we define ourselves, the gift and cruelty of faith, and the redemptive act of storytelling. A gorgeous blend of dreamy folklore and gritty reality.” -Erika Swyler, bestselling author of The Book of Speculation
“A strange and beautiful fable with shades of Deliverance, Room, and Winter’s Bone.” -Laline Paull, award-winning author of The Bees
“As she slashes through the mythology that restrains her, Hanna rises like a phoenix. Christopher Meades weaves a feast of paradox and surprise.” -Benjamin Ludwig, author of Ginny Moon
“Compelling and provocative, Meades weaves elements of magical realism into his poignant coming-of-age tale. In Hanna, readers will find a new heroine, one who uncovers the secrets of her repressive society as she journeys toward self-discovery.” -Paula Treick DeBoard, author of The Drowning Girls
“With original characters and graceful prose, Christopher Meades has created an indelible novel about faith, family and love. Your heart will soar and ache for Hanna on her thoroughly original coming-of-age journey.” -Kelly Simmons, author of The Fifth of July

My Thoughts:
Unfortunately, I was unable to finish reading this one due to work and personal commitments. Therefore, feel unable to comment apart from to say that the short amount I read was well written and definitely had promise.
For more qualified and informative reviews please check out what other readers on the TLC Book Tour had to say about Hannah Who Fell From The Sky below.

I would like to thank the publisher and TLC Book Tours for providing me with an advanced digital copy to enable me to take part in this tour and to apologise for not being able to fully participate on this occasion.

ABOUT CHRISTOPHER  MEADES

Christopher Meades is the author of three previous novels, including THE LAST HICCUP, which won the 2013 Canadian Authors Association Award for Fiction. In addition, Meades’s work has appeared in several literary journals including The Potomac Review and The Fiddlehead. He lives in British Columbia, Canada, with his family.

Christopher Meades TLC BOOK TOUR STOPS:

Monday, September 18th: Girls in Books – Instagram

Tuesday, September 26th: Bookworm Everlasting blog and Instagram

Wednesday, September 27th: Books a la Mode – author guest post

Wednesday, September 27th: Mama Reads

Thursday, September 28th: Kahakai Kitchen

Friday, September 29th: SJ2B House of Books

Monday, October 2nd: Katy’s Library blog and Instagram

Tuesday, October 3rd: A Thousand Books to Read – Instagram

Wednesday, October 4th: Cheryl’s Book Nook

Friday, October 6th: From the TBR Pile

Monday, October 9th: Caryn, The Book Whisperer

Tuesday, October 10th: The Mind of a Book Nerd blog and Instagram

Wednesday, October 11th: Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers

Thursday, October 12th: Blogging with A

Friday, October 13th: A Holland Reads

Monday, October 16th: Books & Bindings

Tuesday, October 17th: Girls in Books blog and Instagram

Wednesday, October 18th: Patricia’s Wisdom

Thursday, October 19th: Suzy Approved

Friday, October 20th: Thoughts from a Highly Caffeinated Mind

Monday, October 23rd: Broken Teepee

Tuesday, October 24th: Palmer’s Page Turners

Thursday, October 26th: Girl Who Reads

Thursday, October 26th: The Sketchy Reader

Friday, October 27th: Thoughts on This ‘n That

They Were Like Family To Me by Helen Maryles Shankman

The stunningly beautiful and heartbreaking novel 'In the Land of Armadillos' by Helen Maryles Shankman has been republished under the new title 'They Were Like Family To Me'

One of my 'absolute favourites' this year you can read my original review here: http://sj2bhouseofbooks.blogspot.co.uk/2016/03/in-land-of-armadillos-by-helen-maryles.html

Unfortunately not yet published in the U.K.

TLC Book Tours Review of Beulah's House of Prayer by Cynthia A Graham

Beulah's House of Prayer by Cynthia A Graham

Pages: 224 pages

Publisher: Brick Mantel Books (July 12, 2016)

Source: Publisher/TLC Book Tours

Rating:

Disclaimer: A complimentary digital copy of 'Beulah's House Of Prayer' was provided by the publisher via TLC Book Tours in exchange for an honest unbiased review.

Read in August 2016

Synopsis:
Some storms bring destruction. Others bring salvation.
In 1934 the tiny town of Barmy, Oklahoma, is in desperate need of a miracle. The cows are hungry, the rain won’t fall, most of Main Street is boarded up. Young aspiring trapeze artist Sugar Watson is dumped unceremoniously into this bleak setting with little money and only one thing on her mind—escape. Beulah Clinton, a Holy Ghost preacher, has dedicated herself to helping the distressed in this ragged little wasteland, and Sugar soon finds herself thrown in with Marigold Lawford, the simple-minded widow of the richest man in town, and Homer Guppy, a boy trouble follows like dust after a wind.
Despite Sugar’s immediate distaste of Barmy, Beulah’s patience, Marigold’s kindness, and Homer’s unconditional love make her reconsider the meaning of home.
On Black Sunday, the worst dust storm in history brings with it a choice: Sugar must decide whether or not to return home, leaving the hospitality—and love—of Barmy’s inhabitants. A stunning Depression-era literary novel with a touch of magical realism, Beulah’s House of Prayer captivates until the very end.

My Thoughts:
I read ''Beneath Still Waters' by Cynthia A Graham back in March of this year and was very impressed with her debut historical crime novel so when 'Beulah's House of Prayer' popped up for review with the 'TLC Book Tours', I jumped at the chance to be a tour host.

Beulah Clinton, a kindly but fierce lay preacher, surprisingly isn't the main character of this story however she is the pivital character that the townsfolk's lives revolve around in this desolate dusty town.  She arrives in Barmy with just her wagon drawn by two mules and sets up a boarding house where anyone in need of sustenance or comfort is always welcome.

Sugar Watson, the narrator's mother finds herself stranded in town with little more than her fathers trunk and a coffin with his body inside. Self centred, with a tendency towards spitefulness when things do not go her way, Sugar is not a likeable young girl.  With nowhere to go she reluctantly accepts Beulah's offer to stay for as long as she needs at the boarding house with her and another homeless boarder, Marigold Lawford a sweet natured, put upon young widow.

Several of the chapters begin with an event reminiscent in the narrators mind which gently blend into the narration of the past to continue the storyline.

Barmy is a 'godforsaken' place frequented by huge, violent dust storms which bring bad health and life threatening ailments in its wake. It tirelessly seeps in through every tiny crack or crevice and into homes to be inhaled and ingested by everyone. Dust tirelessly coats household surfaces no matter how many times it is cleaned away. There is no escape even from within the safety of their homes. The storms appear to foretell the arrival of bad news, upheavals, and crisis points for the townsfolk, with one almighty storm towards the end of the book bringing with it devastation and revelation in biblical proportions.

At times it is an immensely touching tale with scenes so tender and heartbreaking that I was moved to tears. One such scene is of Homer Guppy, the towns 'bad boy' who doesn't want to leave the side of the dying Sugar because she would be afraid to be alone in the dark. (It's okay, no spoilers given.) The characters were utterly believable and I felt fully invested in them, I watched them grow, learn about love, sacrifice, and to care for, and be cared about, it genuinely hurt to feel their pain.

Moments of humour are also evident as shown in a scene where Homer and Sugar are busy digging hole after hole in the yard, trying to find Beulah's buried mason jars full of money, unaware that they are being watched by an amused Beulah through the kitchen window.

Beulah's House of Prayer is set during the depression era of the 1930's in the 'Dust Bowl' days of the Oklahoma Panhandle and is written with such depth of character, a light touch of southern gothic, and accompanied by a twist of magical realism. It was an absolute delight to read.

Ultimately it is a tale of coming to terms with what you have and who you are, taking a long hard look at yourself and making amends. It is also about patience, friendship, hope, healing, redemption and forgiveness, and above all the power of love.

I highly recommend this quick, heartwarming tale.

About Cynthia A. Graham

Cynthia A. Graham is the winner of several writing awards, including a Gold IPPY and a Midwest Book Award for Beneath Still Waters, and her short stories have appeared in both university and national literary publications. She attained a B.A. in English from the Pierre Laclede Honors College at the University of Missouri in St. Louis. Cynthia is a member of the Historical Novel Society, the St. Louis Writers’ Guild, the Missouri Writers’ Guild, and Sisters in Crime. She is the author of two works of historical mystery: Beneath Still Waters and Behind Every Door. Beulah’s House of Prayer is her first foray in the land of magical realism.

Praise for Beulah's House of Prayer:
“Cynthia A. Graham’s novel, Beulah’s House of Prayer, is chock-full of what Flannery O’Connor called ‘large and startling figures.’ But these are not caricatures; they are people with whom you will fall in love and think you know in real life. You will care about their travails and want to turn to that last page to see what becomes of them—but with Dust Bowl descriptions reminiscent of Steinbeck’s Grapes of Wrath, a break-neck speed conclusion, and a fascinating love story in the mix, you’ll be conflicted about how fast you want to get there.” —David Armand, author, The Gorge, Harlow, and The Pugilist s Wife

“Beulah’s House of Prayer blends the stark reality of Steinbeck and the grace and imagery of Willa Cather into a beautifully-rendered story of struggle and faith in Depression and Dust Bowl era Oklahoma a place where ‘communion is the wheat I grow and the blood I sweat.’  Steeped in metaphor, this moving novel is at once compelling and poetic. It is the kind of story that often finds its way onto the big screen. One heck of a good read!” —Dixon Hearne, author, From Tickfaw to Shongaloo and Delta Flats: Stories in the Key of Blues and Hope.

Cynthia A. Graham’s TLC Book Tours TOUR STOPS:

Tuesday, September 6th: Bewitched Bookworms

Wednesday, September 7th: SJ2B House of Books

Friday, September 9th: Buried Under Books

Monday, September 12th: Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Thursday, September 15th: Kahakai Kitchen

Monday, September 19th: FictionZeal

Wednesday, September 21st: Write Read Life

In The Land of Armadillos by Helen Maryles Shankman

In The Land of Armadillos by Helen Maryles Shankman

Pages: 304 (Hardback)

Genre: Magical Realism, Folklore, Holocaust, Short Stories

Publisher: Scribner

Source: Publisher via NetGalley

Recommended for fans of:

David Mitchell's Cloud Atlas, Sun-Mi Hwang's The Hen who Dreamed She Could Fly

RATING:

Synopsis:

A radiant debut collection of linked stories from a two-time Pushcart Prize nominee, set in a German-occupied town in Poland, where tales of myth and folklore meet the real-life monsters of the Nazi invasion.

1942. With the Nazi Party at the height of its power, the occupying army empties Poland’s towns and cities of their Jewish populations. As neighbor turns on neighbor and survival often demands unthinkable choices, Poland has become a moral quagmire—a place of shifting truths and blinding ambiguities.

Blending folklore and fact, Helen Maryles Shankman shows us the people of Wlodawa, a remote Polish town: we meet a cold-blooded SS officer dedicated to rescuing the creator of his son’s favorite picture book, even as he helps exterminate the artist’s friends and family; a Messiah who appears in a little boy’s bedroom to announce that he is quitting; a young Jewish girl who is hidden by the town’s most outspoken anti-Semite—and his talking dog. And walking among these tales are two unforgettable figures: the enigmatic and silver-tongued Willy Reinhart, Commandant of the forced labor camp who has grand schemes to protect “his” Jews, and Soroka, the Jewish saddlemaker and his family, struggling to survive.

Channeling the mythic magic of classic storytellers like Sholem Aleichem and Isaac Bashevis Singer and the psychological acuity of modern-day masters like Nicole Krauss and Nathan Englander, In the Land of Armadillos is a testament to the persistence of humanity in the most inhuman conditions.

What I Thought:
These intertwined short stories take place in Wlodawa, a small village in Poland during WWII during the nazi occupation and include:

1 In the Land of the Armadillos, narrated by a nazi officer;
2 The Partizans;
3 The Messiah;
4 They Were LIke Family to Me;
5 The Jew Hater, the second story narrated by a nazi officer.

I adored everything about this book from the cover artwork (the author's own) depicting two of the 'fictional' characters from the titular story of the book, to the exquisite prose and narrative of each of the interconnected short stories.

Holocaust written as magical realism fiction ! ... Surely that cannot do justice to the horrific mass murder of so many during this evil period in history.  However, Helen Maryles Shankman has written a beautiful rendition full of mysticism and religious folklore about her characters and married the horrific reality with magical realism perfectly. In an interview with review blogger, Jeffrey Keen, she says; "...Magic is the only way I can approach the horror of what happened across Europe in 1945. Without it, all that is left is grim, inexplicable reality..."

Source: Review and interview: http://jeffreykeeten.booklikes.com/post/1291928/in-the-land-of-armadillos-by-helen-maryles-shankman).

The stories in this book so affected me that they tore a hole in my soul and I literally cried as the emotive scenes played out, but ultimately I also felt a spark of hope and faith in the eventual power of good triumphing over evil. I held my kindle to my chest on numerous occasions after reading such powerful passages.

In The Land of Armadillos is a book that sucked me in, halted me in my tracks and made me think and evaluate, even reevaluate the actions of certain individuals ... simply stunning, moving, and uplifting ... I want everyone who has a heart to experience this masterpiece. An awe inspiring book that will stay with me for a very long time.

You can read more about In The Land of Armadillos and Helen Maryles Shankman here: http://helenmarylesshankman.com

Disclaimer: A complimentary copy of In The Land of Armadillos was provided by Scribner via Netgalley in exchange for an honest unbiased review.

The Improbable Wonders of Moojie Littleman by Robin Gregory

The Improbable Wonders of Moojie Littleman

Robin Gregory

Genre: Teenage/Young Adult, Magical Realism & Coming of age

Publisher: Mad Mystical Journey Press

Source: Digital ARC via instaFreebiedotcom

Pages: 310 (Paperback)

Unfinished - DNF at 38%

Synopsis:
Moojie Littleman has never been much good at controlling his spiritual healing powers. Abandoned at birth to a convent in 1892, he amuses himself by magically snuffing out candles with the blink of an eye, or by sending objects into flight with the power of his mind. When he doesn't get his way, he causes the wind to rip off the nuns' veils and flash their knickers. He is not much good at being part of a family either.

Adopted before his first birthday, his parents soon realize that he cannot walk or talk or learn like most children, and he has a whopping temper. When Moojie is eight years old, he performs a healing miracle, and also loses his mother to a freak accident. His disapproving father sends him to live at St. Isidore's Fainting Goat Dairy with his grandfather, and then disappears.

Moojie's outcome lies in the balance as he strikes up a forbidden friendship with an otherworldly clan of outcasts who call themselves the Light-Eaters. When a natural disaster strikes, Moojie must decide whether to escape through a portal into another universe with the clan and the girl he loves or save the only family he has, therefore fulfilling a surprising destiny.

What I thought:
I loved the eye catching beautiful cover for this one and thoroughly enjoyed the first few chapters. The characters were well penned and an intreaguing plot-line looked promising. I prepared myself for full immersion into Moojie's magical realm.

Moojie's character developed from being a disabled and weak child into a more mature, much stronger individual drawing strength from his weaknesses. At about the 100 page mark the narrative seemed to lose its way becoming disjointed and began to drag. Conversations between the Light-Eaters and Moojie I found perplexing and rather irritating. I didn't 'get' the Light-Eaters...either what they were or what their purpose was, and quite frankly I felt alienated to such an extent that I lost interest in reading any further.

It maybe that had I persevered with the story I would have been rewarded with a truly magical fantastical adventure just as the majority of readers say they had. However due to my lack of involvement with certain characters and the puzzling elements of the storyline I aborted my reading of it around 38%.

Disclaimer: I'd like to thank the author for providing me with a complementary digital copy for my honest thoughts on this book. Although not entirely to my liking I believe it will be a real treat for other readers.

The Improbable Wonders of Moojie Littleman is Robin Gregory's debut offering and although I didn't finish reading it, I did think it shows huge potential and would certainly like to see what she writes next.

The Lemoncholy of Annie Aster by Scott Wilbanks

The Lemoncholy of Annie Aster by Scott Wilbanks

Genre: Magical Realism, Historical Fantasy, Literary Fiction,
Time Travel, Contemporary

Pages: 400

Format: e-ARC

ISBN: 9781492612469

Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark (Aug 4, 2015)

Source: Publisher/Netgalley

Rating:

Synopsis: 

Annabelle Aster has discovered a curious thing behind her home in San Francisco--a letterbox perched atop a picket fence.  The note inside is blunt—trespass is dealt with at the business end of a shotgun in these parts!—spurring some lively correspondence between the Bay Area orphan and her new neighbor, a feisty widow living in nineteenth-century Kansas.

The source of mischief is an antique door Annie installed at the rear of her house.  The man who made the door—a famed Victorian illusionist—died under mysterious circumstances.

Annie and her new neighbor, with the help of friends and strangers alike, must solve the mystery of what connects them before one of them is convicted of a murder that has yet to happen…and somehow already did.

"Annie wandered past a weather-beaten signpost in the wheat field
where her backyard used to be. "

My Thoughts:
I really wasn't expecting The Lemoncholy of Annie Aster to be as good as it was.  I'd initially requested a review copy based on the gorgeous looking front cover, and intriguing title, but put it on the back burner to read later.  However the publisher asked me if I'd like to take part in a 'book tour' for the title and I said that I would.  I'm so glad the book leaped to the top of the list as I simply loved its charm and innocence from the outset.

The characterisation in The Lemoncholy of Annie Aster is fabulous. The characters are fabulously-drawn, and so vivid they are easy to picture as real people. I found them and the story totally charming and compelling.

The Lemoncholy of Annie Aster is set in two time frames, the present and the early 1900's.  It is a delightful tale about true friendships and finding your place in the world, with magic, time travel, a murder mystery, oh and a romance, or two along the way.  The Lemoncholy of Annie Aster had me reading well into the early hours and I just hated to put it down.

The characters are a mixed band of misfits, from Annie, a throw back to the Victorian era with a dress style and lifestyle to match; her best friend Christian an amnesiac with a severe stutter; Elsbeth the widower in Kansas to whom Annie corresponds via time-travel mailboxes; Cap'n, a street-wise urchin, and the dastardly Mr Culler with his psychotic sidekick Mr Danyer.

Annie, gets more excitement and adventure than she ever dreamed imaginable with her impulse purchase of an antique door she installs as her back door.  A door with magical properties ... a time travel portal passing through Annie's San Franciscan back yard to a wheat field in Kansas from a century before.

With help from her best friend Christian and some lively compatriots they meet along the way, they endeavour to solve the problematic mysteries which present themselves at practically every turn.

As for my favourite character I would find it difficult to choose between Annie, Elsbeth and Christian as they were all equally endearing and compelling in their own right.  I loved them all for their unique and peculiar traits: Annie for her vulnerability but no messing strength of character and drive, Elsbeth for her initial feistiness who then transforms into a caring motherly figure, and Christian for his sensitivity.  He is perhaps the most complex character. Fiercely loyal to his friends he also a loner and lacks confidence in himself and is torn about what he should do regarding his personal relationships. Christian is definitely a character I'd like to know more about.

There are a number of supporting characters and so much going on that I had to, at times, give it my full attention or lose track of the relationships and events occurring due to the complexity of the story line.

The Lemonscholy Life of Annie Aster is a delightful, feel-good, heart-warming tale.  Thoroughly entertaining, and enchanting, it is the perfect Summer read.

I look forward to seeing what Scott Wilbanks comes up with next. Another instalment of Annie Aster perhaps, but whatever it is I'm sure it'll be another gem I'll not want to miss.


Disclaimer: A complimentary copy of The Lemoncholy of Annie Aster was provided by Sourcebooks Landmark via Netgalley in exchange for an honest unbiased review.



Images: Art work used with kind permission of Scott Wilbanks
1. Annie, 2. "Cap'n, before orphanhood", 3. Elsbeth's cabin and wheat-field.

About The Author: Scott Wilbanks graduated summa cum laude from The University of Oklahoma and went on to garner several national titles in the sport of gymnastics.

Scott's husband, Mike, is a New Zealander by birth, and the two split their time between the two countries while Scott is at work on his next standalone novel.