Today's Read: A Certain Summer by Patricia Beard

How exactly would you live your life if your husband had been reported missing in action but was not declared dead? In 1948, Helen Wadsworth was lost in just such a limbo. How could she move on while still hoping Arthur will return to her and their son? But even more difficult, should she even be thinking of a life without him?

Nothing ever changed at Wauregan. That was island's purpose, its life force—and its myth. If there were questions, there were answers, either in the Rule Book devised by its founders and unaltered in half a century, or in the collective memory of its summer people.

The colony's traditions had survived two world wars and the Great Depression, yet in the summer of 1948, undercurrents and disruptions caused by the recent conflict swirled and sucked.

—A Certain Summer by Patricia Beard (Simon & Schuster / Gallery Books, 2013, p.1)

Quick Facts

• Setting: Wauregan Island off the New England coast
• Circumstances: Helen and her son return to the island, looking forward to the comfort of the summer community
• Characters: Helen and her teenage son, Jack; Frank and Peter, veterans and potential suitors; the island community
• Genre: historical fiction with a bit of mystery; some romance
• Themes: effects of war on relationships and marriage; differences between veterans and the loved ones left behind; coming to terms with loss; the magic of summer places
• Miscellaneous: although billed as women's fiction and a good summer read, the novel examines deeper issues

Want to Know More?

In this short video, Patricia Beard discusses A Certain Summer and what inspired her to write historical fiction.

Buy A Certain Summer at an indie or other bookstore near you.
ISBN-13: 9781476710266
Copyright © cbl for Beth Fish Reads, all rights reserved (see review policy).

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Review: Looking for Me by Beth Hoffman

From the Kentucky farm country to the center of Charleston and back again, Teddi Overman has spent a lifetime balancing her passions for high-end art and antiques with her rural roots. Despite success and a solid professional reputation, won through hard work boosted by helping hands, Teddi is haunted by her past, especially by the sudden disappearance of her younger brother, more than a dozen years earlier.

Beth Hoffman's second novel, Looking for Me, explores the sorrows and joys of traveling the path toward one's truest self. For Teddi and her brother, Josh, the journey stretched the bonds of family love to their limits. But were their choices really more painful and destructive than that of their mother, Franny, who gave up her dreams to tend to her husband?

Who we become as adults is shaped by our past and the gifts we are given by those who love us. Teddi looks deep beneath the rust and tarnish, the burns and nicks to see the beauty of an abused chair. She pauses to listen to the heirlooms tell their stories and takes the responsibility of restoring each antique to its pride and glory. Josh turned these same instincts to nature, preserving, protecting, and healing the plants and animals of his beloved wilderness.

Although Franny was never able to become a nurse and was far from a nurturing mother, her children inherited her desire to heal. If only Franny could recognize herself in Teddi and build on their similarities, she might find a way to help them both live with the uncertainty of Josh's fate. At what point do you move on? Do you ever stop looking and hoping?

Looking for Me is about the connections between people, within families, to nature, with the past. It's about a head-strong girl who loves her family and farm but who knows she can't stay. It's about how we never forget our loved ones and about how near impossible it is to live fully when our grief is mixed with hope and faith.

In fact, such dichotomous combinations color the novel. The writing is beautiful yet homey; the plot is simple yet complex; and we are in turns both smiling and teary. In a word, Beth Hoffman has written about real life. One of Hoffman's greatest strengths is in how easy it is to become emotionally involved with her characters. She writes from the heart and with such an authentic voice, we come by our love for her work as naturally as if we were reading about our own kin.

We are the authors of our lives, and, through choice or circumstance, some of us leave our stories unfinished or untold. Though it's taken me a long while to get here, I've come to accept that life, like the vast woodlands that surround my childhood home, is layered with mysteries. (p. 354; uncorrected proof)

Buy Looking for Me at an indie or other bookstore near you.
Published by Viking / Pamela Dorman Books, May 2013
ISBN-13: 9780670025831
Rating: A+
Copyright © cbl for Beth Fish Reads, all rights reserved (see review policy).

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Weekend Cooking: Tequila Lime Chicken

Weekend Cooking is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book (novel, nonfiction) reviews, cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, quotations, photographs. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend. You do not have to post on the weekend. Please link to your specific post, not your blog's home page. For more information, see the welcome post.

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When I'm looking for a sure-fire success with the minimum of fuss, one of the first cooks I turn to is Ina Garten. I own most of her cookbooks, and they are all well used. Family Style: Easy Ideas and Recipes That Make Everyone Feel Like Family is one of my favorites.

Now that the weather here in central Pennsylvania has finally broken, we've officially begun our season of eating outdoors. To celebrate the first truly nice weekend, Mr. BFR suggested that we grill Tequila Lime Chicken, an easy, tasty centerpiece to any summer dinner. We served it with asparagus, a salad, and homemade dinner rolls.

The recipe calls for gold tequila, but I've had just as much luck with white (clear). Garten also suggests that you can add a tablespoon of minced cilantro to the marinade; I add a bit more than that. And I always squeeze my own lime juice, though I sometimes cheat on the orange juice. Leftovers make great sandwiches the next day.

Tequila Lime Chicken
Serves 4-6

• 1/2 cup gold tequila
• 1 cup freshly squeezed lime juice (5-6 limes)
• 1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice (2 oranges)
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh jalapeno pepper (1 pepper seeded)
• 1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic (3 cloves)
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 3 whole (6 split) boneless chicken breasts, skin on

Combine the tequila, lime juice, orange juice, chili powder, jalapeno pepper, garlic, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Add the chicken breasts. Refrigerate overnight.

Heat a grill with coals and brush the rack with oil to prevent the chicken from sticking. Remove the chicken breasts from the marinade, sprinkle well with salt and pepper, and grill them skin-side down for about 5 minutes, until nicely browned. Turn the chicken and cook for another 10 minutes, until just cooked through. Remove from the grill to a plate. Cover tightly and allow to rest for 5 minutes. Serve hot or at room temperature.

You can find the recipe online at the Food Network website. Photo credit: Food Network website.

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Imprint Friday: The Sweet Dead Life by Joy Preble

Welcome to Imprint Friday and today's featured imprint: Soho Teen. Stop by each week to be introduced to a must-read title from one of my favorite imprints. I know you'll be adding many of these books to your wish list.

To round out my celebration of Children's Book Week, I'm featuring a book from the relatively new Soho Teen imprint. When I read the premise of Joy Preble's new novel, The Sweet Dead Life, I knew it was a young adult novel for me. I liked that it had a contemporary setting and I was curious about how it was going to address the business of angels.

Here's the publisher's summary:

"I found out two things today: One, I think I'm dying. And two, my brother is a perv."

So begins the diary of Jenna Samuels, who is having a very bad year. Her mother spends all day in bed. Dad vanished when she was eight. Her older brother, Casey, tries to hold together what’s left of the family by working two after-school jobs—difficult, as he’s stoned all the time. To make matters worse, Jenna is sick. Really sick. When she collapses one day, Casey tries to race her to the hospital in their beat-up Prius and crashes instead.

Jenna wakes up in the ER to find Casey beside her, looking pretty good. Better than ever, in fact. Downright . . . angelic. The flab and zits? Gone. Before long, Jenna figures out that her brother didn’t survive the accident at all, and she isn’t just sick; she’s being poisoned. Casey has been sent back to help Jenna find out who’s got it out for her, a mystery that leads to more questions about their mother’s depression and their father’s disappearance.

Right off the bat I want to note that although The Sweet Dead Life does indeed have angels, Preble has taken a fresh approach. Yes, Casey is looking pretty good, but he's living at home, and he himself isn't quite sure what to make of those strange feathery nubs that are beginning to form on his back. Death may have made him clean up his act, but he's still a teenager and has the attitude to match.

It's fourteen-year-old Jenna, however, who steals the show. The novel is told through her journal entries, which allows us to see her unguarded thoughts. She may swear a bit more than the average young teen, but she's full of spunk and has a resilient spirit.

Two other aspects of The Sweet Dead Life are worth noting. First, the mystery of what happened to Mr. Samuels and why Jenna was poisoned is very well set up. There are several possibilities and a few red herrings to throw us off track, but the plot is not so twisty that we can't have fun trying to figure it out all on our own.

Second, I liked the fact that this young adult paranormal novel does not involve an all-consuming love story. In fact, the book focuses on family, especially bothers and sisters. Preble must have an older brother because Jenna and Casey's relationship is incredibly realistic. The Samuels household is absolutely not The Waltons, which makes it easy to care about Jenna's future.

If you're looking for a contemporary young adult novel with believable characters (never mind the angels) and an engaging plot, then be sure to pick up The Sweet Dead Life by Joy Preble. The balanced mix of mystery and light paranormal elements give the book a broad appeal, and the deeper issues of family, depression, drugs, and abandonment give the story some meat.

Soho Teen, an imprint of Soho Press, released its first book in January 2013. Its debut catalog offers a strong lineup covering a variety of genres. To learn more about the imprint, visit the website, like the Facebook page, and follow them on Twitter.

Buy The Sweet Dead Life at an indie or other bookstore near you.
Published by Soho Press / Soho Teen, May 2013
ISBN-13: 9781616951504
Copyright © cbl for Beth Fish Reads, all rights reserved (see review policy).

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Review: Big Nate Game On! by Lincoln Peirce

Are you familiar with Nate Wright? Although I've read reviews of other Big Nate graphic novels by Lincoln Peirce, Big Nate Game On! is the the first one I've read and it's a perfect choice for Children's Book Week.

The first thing I learned about Nate is that he definitely doesn't have a self-esteem problem. He's convinced he's the best at whatever he does. Now far it be it for me to discourage such a positive attitude, but, um, Nate doesn't exactly live up to his self-made reputation. Fortunately, his friends put up with him and he has just enough luck to see him through. His long-suffering coach is a little less tolerant, but coaching sixth-graders is no walk in the park.

The collection of comics in Big Nate Game On! lets us tag along as Nate makes a name for himself (not necessarily in a good way) in athletics. Each of the three sports he plays brings out a different aspect of his personality. On the BB court, Nate practices trash talking more than he does his dribble. During the summer, he tries to come up with a cooler baseball team name than the Chez Lindas, named after their beauty parlor sponsor. And when playing soccer, he has to overcome a bit of jealousy while convincing himself that he's the star of the team.

Nate, his friends, his coach, his cranky gym teacher, and even cats all add to the fun of this laugh-out-loud look at middle grade sports. You and your kids will get a kick out of Nate's antics. Take a look at the scan (click to enlarge it) to get an idea of just how much trouble Nate can get into.

Although you can certainly read Big Nate Game On! purely for fun, teachers and parents will find plenty to talk about, such as friendship, sportsmanship, coaching, jealousy, and playing fair. Although it might sound odd to suggest a collection of comics for a book club, I think this book would be perfect. Boys, especially, will laugh over Nate's efforts to outwit the coach, outplay the bigger boys, and outrun cats (he's scared of them!). Whether they read the book on their own or with others, young readers will love Big Nate Game On!

Here is a short video of Lincoln Peirce explaining how he comes up with ideas for Big Nate and demonstrating how he draws the gym teacher.

Buy Big Nate Game On! at an Indie or other bookstore near you.
Andrews McMeel, 2013
ISBN-13: 9781449427771
Rating: B+
Source: Review (see review policy)
Copyright © cbl for Beth Fish Reads, all rights reserved (see review policy).

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