Deluged With Books Cafe

Another Alice Hoffman book off the list though it left me a little bit wanting. The American suburbs, where every house looks the same and standing out is much avoided. It was 1950s and one day in a Long Island suburbia, there arrives Nora Silk who appears to be the embodiment of the opposite. Nora is eager to be close to her neighbors but everyone is not so keen. Behind the neat gardens and nicely painted doors, there lies the secret troubles of its residents. It seems Nora's unwelcome presence stirs upheavals among the neighborhood and it was when things started to get interesting. Seventh Heaven was a much muted pleasure than Hoffman's other works. Perhaps it was merely a subjective matter, not having lived in the suburbs myself. The smaller dose of magic in it was almost drowned by the placed normality and the realities of its time. Nevertheless, this intimate portrayal allows me to venture into their world and those who could relate to it so much would surely enjoy...

"Some things could only be found in Sidwell it seemed: pink apples, black owls, and my brother, James." Books of Alice Hoffman never fail to put a dash of magic to an otherwise ordinary and banal day. To get lost in her world with its spellbinding story and fantasy intertwined, as denotes her books, is always something I look forward. So when Nightbird  recently came out, I was pleased to grab a hold of it (and ignored my reading list by putting it first). This is something new, for a start, from her other books I've read. It is like a children story told at bedtime. Yet, I didn't mind and find it very much enchanting. Magic and childhood always go hand in hand and I refuse to have my sinister adulthood rear its sarcastic head. In a lot of ways, I believe there is a Twig in all of us; in her interests, awkward bearings, and insecurities. That all we needed is someone who could help us bloom, coax us out of our shell and stick with us despite the odds. I love...

"Find a map of British Columbia.” The rugged coasts of Pacific Northwest are almost familiar to me now. I came across its breathtaking and raw beauty when I first read Susan Vreeland’s The Forest Lover of where she waxed poetic about it. So here again I meet the majestic mountains, the dark forests, the tumultuous sea, the mystical dreams and the people of Kitamaat who breathe life into the book. Monkey Beach tells the nostalgic recollections of Lisa Marie, a young Native American woman from Haisla, as she sailed to the sea in search of her missing brother. Her hasty journey is fraught with peril and reminiscences which eventually bring light to the unfolding drama and mystery surrounding her family, her brother’s death, her unique supernatural gift and the social struggle of the residents in their remote Indian village being at a cultural crossroads. This originally came out more than a decade ago and I would have totally missed it had it not been published ag...

There’s magic and garden and romance; a good premise for an enjoyable reading. Sarah Addison Allen does magic realism with a sprinkle of humor (that's not necessarily dark), twisting the magic recipe theme into a parade of funny yet sweet quirks. Garden Spells  is the first in the Waverly Family series centering on the sisters Clair and Sydney and their journey to making peace with each other, dealing with a temperamental apple tree in the backyard, love life and small-town scrutiny. It's my first time reading Sarah Addison Allen and her book has been on my reading list for some time as it was said it's quite reminiscent of Alice Hoffman's works. It took a blogger who loves gardening to give me the needed push and I simply fell into it without stopping. I loved the warmth of the Waverly home, a Queen Anne architecture on Pendland Street. Evanelle Waverly is perhaps the most beloved figure out of them all. There are characters to be fond of and there are some t...

Title :  Love and Other Unknown Variables Author :  Shannon Lee Alexander Genre : Contemporary Romance, Young Adult Published: October 7, 2014 Publisher : Entangled: Teen Rating : ♨♨♨♨ 1/2 ( 4 1/2of 5 c ups) Review: Beautiful, funny, poignant. It had me laughing and crying, face palming and trying to hide the tears falling, while at work or commuting or anywhere not in the safety of my room. Who knew that mathematical equations hold their own romantic poetry?  Or that Charlie and Charlotte are pieces of the same puzzle who just fit like so. Or that love is one equation that holds infinite possibilities if you take the chance . Synopsis: Charlie Hanson has a clear vision of his future. A senior at Brighton School of Mathematics and Science, he knows he’ll graduate, go to MIT, and inevitably discover solutions to the universe’s greatest unanswered questions. He’s that smart. But Charlie’s future blurs the moment he reaches out to touch the tattoo on a beautifu...

A young unassuming wife lives in the shadow of her powerful mother-in-law’s household.  Rather sinister and bittersweet, The Mother in Law Cure captures the ways of a matriarch wielding authority over sons, husband and anyone who gets in the way of her wishes. It started off with Humara’s story when she was younger and beset by a hunger filled by an unexplained dark magic and with it, she was able to sway events to her ends. But somewhere along the way it becomes Miriam’s as she gradually shines from the background with her quiet ways and hidden wit. Gentle Miriam treated with indifference by her husband and mother-in-law but who may yet hold the power to rise above them all. The contrast between the two women sets the temper of the writing and becomes groundwork for half-veiled battle of wills. Humara’s presence seeps into the pages like bold strokes of ink, corrupted and unavoidable. Miriam, with her impenetrable mask, could be a bit unpredictable. She glides o...

Isabel Monfort, married to Quintin Mendizabal, intended to write the story of the Mendizabals and the Monforts, to account the history behind each generation. But somewhere along the way, it turned into something else, a novel about freedom from the clutching hands of power whether it be political and familial. In this saga of a wealthy Puerto Rican family, secrets go abound with riches and status. Beginning with Buenaventura Mendizabal’s arrival to the island in the early twentieth century as a descendant of old Spanish Conquistadors, it encompassed several decades up until the mid-nineties. One day, Quintin discovers the manuscripts and was in complete disagreement with the accuracy of the facts he read, claiming it a tale of fiction bending to the writer’s whims. With each passing chapter however, Isabel’s writing becomes more poignant, displaying the innermost thoughts and desires of each character. As the drama escalates in the story, so does the conflict in the Men...

She mixes more than flour and sugar into her cake batter, and he’s about to find out if a little bit of magic is to his taste... Bakeshop owner Emma Stevens has a secret — a delicious, slightly unorthodox secret. Each Monday, she mixes up a premonition to share with the bachelors of Buttermilk Falls, and sets one lucky man on the path to true love. When reporter Jason Levine finds himself mixed up in a Las Vegas bachelorette party, he hears the strangest rumour: the marriage is happening thanks to magic cake batter. Seriously sceptical, and sick of frauds, Jason journeys to the backwater town of Buttermilk Falls to expose the baker and release the townspeople from her evil clutches. But when Jason meets Emma, tempers flare and sparks fly. Will Jason cling to his logic at the expense of a future, or will he let himself fall under Emma’s spell? Review: An engaging and lighthearted romance with elements that may be considered magical. Emma has a special touch in t...

A nostalgic tale about childhood, love, lore and family, When the Cypress Whispers attempts to capture the longings of a young woman who reached the American Dream and yet torn and bound to her old roots. Daphne arrives to the island of Erikousa, Greece after six years. Being a four-star chef in New York, there was no time to visit her grandmother to whom she spent many beautiful Greek summers as a child growing up in America. With all the happy memories the island brought to her, Daphne has decided to have her own wedding take place on the island. But as the day of the affair approaches, the spirit of family and the island life stirs something in her, awakens her into new understandings and reminding her of things she had forgotten in her busy life. Her grandmother, whom she calls Yia-yia, harbors secrets; stories of old about cypresses whispering, stories of wisdom and unfailing courage which Yia-yia yearns to impart to her beloved granddaughter before it’s too late.

One of the classics in Chicano literature, Bless me, Ultima  is a poignant novel about a boy who, on the threshold of manhood, seeks himself through his own roots, pushing the confines of his upbringing, opening his mind to the magic and changes in the world and the exploration of other beliefs. Through it all, there is Ultima, who is his guide to wisdom. There's something sultry in the pull of magic realism. Not only that, the colorful textures of Chicano and Latin America literature, such as  this , bring about a cauldron of tastes and tempestuousness in the air. The book reminisces of the old vaqueros of what is now New Mexico, the little towns and family ranches, the infiltrating pagan faith that still exists and always, the feel of the beating sun and the mystery of spirits in nature.

Witch stories most often capture my interest. This one, though, is nothing I expected which could turn out a good thing. I say it was a good surprise. The heroine, Athena, is quite elusive. Apart from the collected conversations of people acquainted with her, we never really know who she is. We only get to read her thoughts through second hand accounts and there's the uncertainty if some are more accurate than not. She has been called many names, influenced others with her spiritual beliefs and sought much knowledge about the feminine power, but who exactly is she? That is what makes this an intriguing tale.

There's food, herbs and recipes, magic and romance, family squabbles and hints of bitter sweetness, with ghosts even; it is heartwarming as it is magical. These elements prevalent on Latin American literature always draw me in. Language aside, perhaps it is its proximity to our own culture that enables me to appreciate it as if looking on cloudy mirrors. Tita, the youngest in the De La Garza family, is bound by tradition to remain at the ranch and take care of her mother, never to marry. She falls in love with Pedro who cannot get enough of the delicious dishes she cooks. To be close to her, Pedro marries her sister in desperation. Will their love ever prevail against all odds?

Practicality and magic tossed around with a dash of sisters that couldn't be anymore different, eccentric aunts, a dusty manor, an array of black cats, and tantalizing attractions of the opposite sex and you'll be in for a little dark fable if not entertainment. When the beautiful and precocious sisters, Gillian and Sally, are orphaned at a young age, they are taken to a small town in Massachusetts to be raised by their aunts, who happen to dwell in the darkest, eeriest house in town. As they become more aware of their aunt's mysterious and sometimes frightening powers, and their own powers begin to surface, the sisters grow determined to escape their strange upbringing by blending into "normal" society. But both find that they cannot elude their magic-filled past. And when trouble strikes, in the form of a menacing backyard ghost, the sisters must not only reunite three generations of Owens women but embrace their magic as a gift. ( * )