New Discovery

While at a friend's house recently, I picked up a book off of her bookshelf while she was busy with something else. The title of the book was "Cure for Death By Lightening" by Gail Anderson-Dergatz. Who, as it turns out lives on the Shuswap near Salmon Arm, which is where most of her novels are set. She calls it Turtle Valley. It didn't take long to draw me entirely into the book and I sadly placed back on the bookshelf. But I went home and ordered it from the library. The story is a modern myth that draws on both European and Native traditions. I had to remind myself of this as I got into reading it and so many bad things happened to the main character, Beth Weeks. I almost took it back to the library but then I remembered that it was symbolic. Then I could handle reading it. And I loved it. So many archetypal themes running through the book so beautifully woven.

I went on to read "Recipe for Bees" by her as well (Amy, you would love this one - all the honey and bees). This one is not a myth - just a great novel. I have a few more of her novels out of the library and stacked by my bed for reading. I love discovering an author I didn't know about and love and I love that the landscape in her novels is so familiar to me. She tells a wonderful, rich, meaningful story.

I love to read novels in the middle of winter and the middle of summer. I found a great source for book suggestions here. It is a blog for the Phillipsburg Public Library. I don't actually know where Phillipsburg is - somewhere in the US. So there aren't Canadian Authors mentioned very often but still lots of good novels. I've enjoyed some of their suggestions over Christmas, too, like "Nice to Come Home To" by Rebecca Flowers - not as deep as Gail Anderson-Dergatz but a well-told, light, entertaining story - similar to Jennifer Weiner.