Book review of The Lightkeeper's Daughters by Jean. E. Pendziwol

 

From the back of the book:

 

Though her mind is still sharp, Elizabeth's eyes have failed. No longer able to linger over her beloved books or gaze at the paintings that move her spirit, she fills the void with music and memories of her family—a past that suddenly becomes all too present when her late father's journals are found amid the ruins of an old shipwreck.

With the help of Morgan, a delinquent teenager performing community service, Elizabeth goes through the diaries, a journey through time that brings the two women closer together. Entry by entry, these unlikely friends are drawn deep into a world far removed from their own—to Porphyry Island on Lake Superior, where Elizabeth’s father manned the lighthouse seventy years before.

As the words on these musty pages come alive, Elizabeth and Morgan begin to realize that their fates are connected to the isolated island in ways they never dreamed. While the discovery of Morgan's connection sheds light onto her own family mysteries, the faded pages of the journals hold more questions than answers for Elizabeth, and threaten the very core of who she is.

 

Expected publication: July 4th 2017 by Harper Collins.

 

ISBN

0062572032 (ISBN13: 9780062572035)

 

Leona's Review:

 

This is my first read by Jean E. Pendziwol. I received a complimentary copy to read and review from the author.

 

Morgan was caught spraying graffiti and was to sent to a senior citizen home for community service. Her first project was to paint a fence.

Morgan met Elizabeth and they became connected by Morgan reading the journals of Elizabeth's father since Elizabeth is blind.

Elizabeth begins to tell Morgan the story about the life and her family at the Porphry Point Lighthouse. There are chapters that take the reader into Canada on Lake Superior. This is a book of fiction but has many historical places. Some are Trowbrige Island, Port Arthur, Sleeping Giant Island and Pie Island in Ontario. 

What a read this is about a mystery of a family. When Elizabeth was telling her family history, I had a hard time putting down the book.

Elizabeth and Emily are twins. Emily does not talk but has a special talent of drawing and connecting with nature. Elizabeth takes care of her sister and understands her.

I have to say I absolutely did not like the language used by Morgan. I have problems reading books with the f word and the a** word.

World War ll is part of the history of the book. The brothers of Elizabeth, Peter and Charlie, are in the war.

Some of my notes that I took are the garden, collecting gull eggs on Hardscrabble Island, World War ll, shipwrecks, maintaining the lighthouse, a found wooden cross, Fibber McGee and Molly, winter, storms, collecting plants, dragonflies, Canada Dominion Day, Great Depression and foster homes for Morgan.

The assistant lightkeeper, David Fletcher, brought gifts for Elizabeth and Emily. Books for Elizabeth and paints for Emily.

The Lightkeeper's Daughters left me interested until the end and I was very surprised at the many turns in the book.

I am giving it a 5 star read even though I did not like some of the language. It is a good read.

The opinions are my own.

 

Jean E. Pendziwol may be found at www.jeanpendziwol.com, @JeanPendziwol and facebook.com/JeanE.Pendziwol.

 

Leona Olson

http:www.mnleona.blogspot.com

 

 

  

The Mezcal Rush: Explorations in Agave Country

by Granville Greene

The Mezcal Rush: Explorations in Agave Country

From goodreads.com:

In pursuit of the story behind a beguiling drink, Granville Greene embarks on a journey through remote Mexican highlands to learn about the history, cultures, and traditions surrounding mezcal. In recent years the smoky flavored agave distillate has become a craft cocktail darling, rivaling even its better-known cousin tequila, and it can sell for over $100 a bottle in the In pursuit of the story behind a beguiling drink, Granville Greene embarks on a journey through remote Mexican highlands to learn about the history, cultures, and traditions surrounding mezcal. In recent years the smoky flavored agave distillate has become a craft cocktail darling, rivaling even its better-known cousin tequila, and it can sell for over $100 a bottle in the U.S.

But unlike most high-end spirits, mezcals are typically produced by and for subsistence farming communities, where distillers have been swept up in a hot new trend in which they have very little voice. Greene visits indigenous villages in Oaxaca and Guerrero states, meeting maestros mezcaleros who create their signature smallbatch drinks using local plants and artisanal production methods honed through generations of mezcal-making families.

As Greene details the sights, smells, and intoxicating flavors of Mexico, he turns his eye to the broader context of impoverished villages in a changing economic and political landscape. He explores the gold-rush style surge of micro-distilled mezcals as luxury exports, and the consequent overharvesting that threatens the diversity of wild agaves, as he finds the oldest distilled spirit in the Americas at a crossroads.

Hardcover, 256 pages

Published March 14th 2017 by Counterpoint  

ISBN

1619028441 (ISBN13: 9781619028449)

From the back of the book:

Editorial Reviews

Review

Praise for The Mezcal Rush

"A rich, inclusive portrait of one of the world's great drinks." ―Kirkus Reviews

"An artful combination of travel narrative and research―I felt as if I was sipping mezcal through Mexico as I read it." ―Baylor Chapman, author of The Plant Recipe Book

"A unique and fascinating journey following the mezcal trail from remote Mexican villages to trendy bars abroad, from indigenous fiestas to mixology events crammed with modish tipplers. Greene's lively and skillful blend of travelogue and social commentary charts the sometimes troubled links between these very different worlds." ―Gideon Rachman, chief foreign affairs commentator, The Financial Times

About the Author

GRANVILLE GREENE is a graduate of The Writing Seminars at Johns Hopkins University. He has written for Outside, The New York Times, and many other publications. He lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico.

• 

Leona's Review:

This was a very interesting book that covers the people, the plants, the making of mezcal, procedures, and some political points.

I learned there are so many types of mezcal and they come from the personalities of the growers and the areas they live. Not all of them are smoky as many people think. There are different types of mezcal.  There are many different flavors and aromas and water plays an important part in the production of the mezcal.

Mezcal is used as a ceremonial drink for marriages, baptisms and first communions. It is used for medicinal purposes such as rubbing on sick children, intestinal problems, bone pains and by women after childbirth.

Men interviewed for the book says mezcal is not for getting drunk.

The Ford Motor Company partnered with Jose Cuervo to use leftover agave plant fibers for bioplastic car parts in 2016.

I took many notes from the book:

Maple syrup, rice, honey, water, comals, food, families, water streams, warm orange soda, old cars, no gas pumps so they got gas in a plastic jug, smelled butter, boiled rabbit, huipils, agave Goddess Nayahuel, Day of the Dead, Columbusing (find something not new), brand names, George Clooney, embroidered cloths, the sculptor Francisco Toledo, Chef Alejandro Ruiz Olmedo, social networking, saints on dashboards, history of mezcal, one book said all tasted the same but Granville Greene disagrees, daddy long legs, individual techniques, Lighting Nectar from the gods and burros.

I have studied the Maya so many places were familiar to me. I added the daddy long legs as I have seen many in my home state of Texas.

There is a glossary at the end of the book as well as Cited Books.

I won a complimentary copy of The Mezcal Rush from Goodreads.com. The opinions are my own.

I give it a five star rating and I think all bars who serve mezcal should read it. No recipes but it pulls the reader into the people and the making of the mezcal.

"Has a bit of spirit from one who makes it" page 179

Leona Olson

http://www.mnleona.blogspot.com

 

 

Trouble Purse Sued (St. Polycarp Mystery Book 4)

Marianna Heusler (Goodreads Author)

 

From goodreads.com: 

 

After an unfortunate turn of events at St. Polycarp, Mrs. Johnson has been appointed as the interim principal of the school. At first the thought of being the principal was exciting, but the reality of dealing with a budget that didn't begin to cover the school's expenses, demanding parents, a clique of disrespectful teachers and recalcitrant students had wrung every bit of patience and good humor from her psyche.

The prospect that her role might become permanent deeped her anxiety but then she learned that she might end up with no job at all. Apparently the archdiocese was deciding whether to close St. Polycarp for good. It seemed that fund-raising was going to be critical—thousands of dollars—and she didn't think that the children's sales of chocolate bars was going to keep St. Polycarp's doors open.

That's why when Mrs. Hopwood, her best friend and sleuthing partner in solving a series of unfortunate—murderous events—offers to donate some vintage clothing and accessories she recently inherited from her aunt Eunice to raise money for the school, Mrs. Johnson agrees.

The catch—a fashion show with students as the models—flyers, catalogues, online bids—another grand scheme hatched by Mrs. Hopwood that only gives Mrs. Johnson a bigger migraine and in true St. Polycarp fashion spurs a series of unfortunate events.

 

Leona's Review:

 

This is my first read by Marianna Heusler. I received a complimentary copy from the author to read and review.

 

It took me awhile  to get into the book with so many characters and problems. This is a dark cozy mystery.
The main characters are two who work at St. Polycarp Catholic School, Mrs. Johnson and Mrs. Hopwood. There is Tracy, a lady who fell on bad times after her husband is murdered. We have the student, Melissa Ortiz, whose father is about to be released from prison for a murder he said he did not commit. Other characters make a long line-up.

The school is falling on hard times and will close unless they can raise some money. Mrs. Hopwood's aunt died and as Mrs. Hopwood was cleaning out the attic, she found some vintage clothes. They decided to hold a sale and fashion show to raise the money.

There are a number of murders and lots of mystery; I will say that the end surprised me.

Mrs. Johnson and Mrs. Hopwood got irritated with each other quite a bit and I finally told myself to think of them as sisters who argue but still are the best of friends. Also the title was not very clear to me, so when I repeated it three times, it made sense to me.

I want to give it a 3.75 star. Not quite a 4 star but certainly not a 3 star. The opinions are my own.

I will read the other books in the series even though this was a stand alone read.

 

Find Marianna Heusler at:

www.mariannamystery.com

Her fashion blog is mariannaheusler.typepad.com

She is a goodreads.com author.

Marianna has also written for Woman's World Magazine.

 

Leona Olson

http://www.mnleona.blogspot.com