Venco

This novel for adults from YA author Cherie Dimaline was engrossing. Lucky St. James had a tumultuous childhood with a drug addict mother who came and went and finally left for good--dead from cancer when Lucky was eight. Her dad died from drugs before Lucky could even remember him. Lucky was taken in by her paternal grandmother, Stella and now that Lucky is a young adult, the tables have turned and she is taking care of an increasingly confused and obstreperous old woman. Stella still has lots of spirited energy but drives Lucky crazy by wandering off at all hours. And now they have received an eviction notice from the only home Stella has ever known, even if it is just a tiny Toronto apartment. When Lucky investigates one of Stella's old stories about a tunnel from the next building that comes in to theirs in the basement laundry room, she finds the tunnel does exist, and as she explores, she come across a small silver spoon that says "Salem" on the handle with a crudely engraved witch. Thus begin adventures for Lucky and Stella they could never have imagined. 

Lucky is the sixth to find her spoon, from the seven that are destined for witches to form a world changing coven. Lucky is skeptical to say the least when she is recruited to join them in Salem and then sent off to find the 7th spoon and witch. "As Lucky and Stella head to New Orleans in search of the spoon, they journey through an American landscape populated with wise women working against the oppressive forces of patriarchy and capitalism. The regionally based magic system values multicultural traditions, including Lucky's Métis Indigenous knowledge" (Library Journal). Meanwhile, the lone remaining member of an ancient and vengeful group of witch hunters, the Benandanti, is determined to stop her. 

As Booklist points out, Lucky hasn't been lucky so far, but maybe she will find a new family along with her substantial powers; they also liked the tale. "Through the various coven members and MacGuffin-hunting road trips we are shown a vibrantly diverse cross section of womanhood as well as folk beliefs and magical thought across the country. ...Fans of magical realism and ladies getting stuff done will enjoy this ride."

Kirkus concludes their review by saying, "A propulsive read full of intriguing detail, this novel is well written, engaging, and, more than anything, enjoyable. If the dichotomy between the feminine (good) and masculine (bad) is a bit stark, this is made up for by the genuine affection the reader will feel for Dimaline’s irreverent, badass witches as they battle for the future of their family and the future of the world, one and the same in Dimaline’s inclusive vision. Fast, fun, and full of charm(s)." I agree.

West with Giraffes

This charming, if somewhat bittersweet story is a fictionalized account of true events that occurred in 1938--the Dust Bowl was driving destitute farmers west to California in droves and Hitler's power and aggression was on the rise in Europe. Woodrow Wilson Nickel, has watched the rest of his family die from dust pneumonia or suicide (in the case of his abusive father) so he makes his way to New York City to work for a distant cousin on the docks. When a hurricane hits, his cousin is killed and Woody is once again left to his own devices. When a freighter that somehow survived the hurricane comes limping into port, Woody is amazed to see that 2 of the crates on board carry giraffes who have suffered only one broken leg between them. He follows then to quarantine, observes the people around the giraffes--including a young woman photographer who claims to work for Life magazine, and eventually talks himself into the position of driver for the giraffes' cross country trip to the San Diego zoo. The appearance of the customized truck with the two giraffes--named by Woody as Boy and Girl--excites awe, greed and violence along the way. But more importantly, Woody learns about himself and the amazing connection to be had with these two animals. Based on true events, weaving real life characters in with the fictional ones--all of which is clarified in the Author's Notes. I thought the last part of the book blurb on the cover summed it up well: "Part adventure, part historical saga, and part coming-of-age love story, West with Giraffes explores what it means to be changed by the grace of animals, the kindness of strangers, the passing of time, and a story told before it's too late"

Billy Summers

I have not read much of Stephen King's work, but this was a well constructed, heart-full interweaving of several stories that had me going to the end of the 783 pages. Billy Summers grew up poor. His mother was continually bringing home bad men. When one of them stomped his younger sister to death in a drunken rage, Billy grabbed the man's gun and shot him. Billy was eventually placed in a foster home, joined the Marines as soon as he could, and went to Iraq after being trained as a sniper. Now he makes his living killing bad men. He won't take a job unless he believes the target is seriously a "bad" person....like the man who killed his sister, Cathy. And Billy is not your ordinary assassin; he loves to read but he hides his light beneath a bushel basket of a "dumb self persona" when dealing with his potential employers. The New York Times' reviewer handily informs us that "Among the authors name-checked in its spacious narrative are Shakespeare, Wordsworth, Dickens, Faulkner, Tim O’Brien, Cormac McCarthy and Robert Stone, along with Billy’s own favorites, Thomas Hardy and Émile Zola." When he agrees to take on one final job with a big payout, his antenna immediately begin to suspect something is off. Nevertheless, Billy is a man of his word and he continues living in a small southern town under an assumed identity, posing as a writer with a deadline. In the process, he makes friends with his neighbors and their children, dates a woman from the building where his "office" is, fertilizes his lawn so it looks really nice, and starts writing a fictionalized account of his life. But the book gets less and less fictionalized as he gets closer to the present day. Billy is no fool and he knows he is being set up somehow, so he makes his own plans for escape after the target is killed. Then he becomes the target--with a $6 million bounty on his head. He risks his own safety by rescuing a young woman who is gang raped and she becomes his traveling companion and--almost and then fully--his accomplice in taking out one last very bad man.  

Publishers Weekly describes the book as a "tripwire-taut thriller."The Guardian says it is "his best book in years." Kirkus concludes "Murder most foul and mayhem most entertaining. Another worthy page-turner from a protean master. "