Derby Public Library's Blog

The Sunshine Sisters by Jane Green

First Line: All those years when Ronni thought she was sick, all those years convinced that every mole was melanoma, every cough was lung cancer, every case of heartburn was an oncoming heart attack, after all those years, when the gods finally stopped taking care of her she wasn’t scared.

Summary: Ronni Sunshine is a London-born actress who made it to the B list in Hollywood during her prime. Now, years later, her life is coming to an end. Her last wish is to have her three estranged daughters return home to be with her in her final hours. Nell, Meredith, and Lizzy endured a rough childhood, taking second place to Ronni’s career, and now with their mother calling them home, they must face their insecurities, jealousies, and the reconciliation they secretly desire.

Highlights: This book is an excellent summer read! It’s dramatic, but not overwhelming, romantic, but not mushy, and full of juicy gossip, beach-side leisure, and even a little tears. The best element of this book are the characters; they are deep, complicated, and flawed. The relationships between them is so relatable, especially for readers who’ve experienced family drama. While the story isn’t the most groundbreaking, it’s easy to connect with and makes for a quick and enjoyable read.

Lowlights: The weaker parts of the novel are in the middle part of the story which slows down as we experience the sisters’ backstories. The book also gets convoluted at times as people come and go in the story. The story may also not be great for readers who enjoy a lot of action in the plot. Most of the events in the story center on the character’s development so it may read more slowly for a reader seeking a story with constant movement.

FYI: This book is great for lovers of Running with Scissors by Augusten Burroughs, and authors Celest Ng and Lianne Moriarty. Also, note that this book does have a few steamy sections that would rival erotica, but there aren’t enough to qualify the book itself as a romance.

Many children have grown up in the shadow of Louisiana’s Greenmount State Penitentiary. Most of them—sons and daughters of corrections officers and staff—left the place as soon as they could. Yet Ginny Polk chose to come back to work as a prison cook. She knows the harsh reality of life within those walls—the cries of men being beaten, the lines of shuffling inmates chained together. Yet she has never seen them as monsters, not even the ones sentenced to execution. That’s why, among her duties, Ginny has taken on a special responsibility: preparing their last meals.

I found this book to be beautiful is so many ways. The relationships between the characters, the shifting of perspective, the atmosphere and most importantly the FOOD! Even something as simple as making biscuits seemed calming and magical the way Mikulenacak describes it.  The detail I enjoyed most about this book was finding all of the recipes listed throughout the story in the back of the book. None of them of anything fancy, just southern comfort food but that’s what makes them even more irresistible! I never thought I’d want to make something call Pork Neck Stew so bad in my life! However, if you read this book and still aren’t enticed to make the stew rest assured there are several other recipes I’m sure you will enjoy.

Also, I found this article/interview with Mikulenacak I think you might want to take a peek at.

If you make any of the recipes in the book let me know how they turn out!!

It seems like I’ve got a new obsession every month, and lately, I’ve been all about the mermaids. It makes sense, I suppose. The summer heat and humidity combined with the delights of vacations and the cooling, beckoning water is a perfect setting for a mermaid’s enchantment to take hold. From the incredible fluke and tail to the magic of underwater kingdoms to the ferociousness and predatory nature of the mythical sirens, mermaids captivate the imagination and thrill us with danger and intrigue. Besides swimming every chance I get and looking into the market for real mermaiding gear, I’ve been diving into some mermaid books, movies, and TV shows that I’d recommend to any mermaid lover.

Books:

The Mermaid by Christina Henry (Adult Fiction)

Once there was a mermaid who longed to know of more than her ocean home and her people. One day a fisherman trapped her in his net but couldn’t bear to keep her. But his eyes were lonely and caught her more surely than the net, and so she evoked a magic that allowed her to walk upon the shore. The mermaid, Amelia, became his wife, and they lived on a cliff above the ocean for ever so many years, until one day the fisherman rowed out to sea and did not return.

T. Barnum was looking for marvelous attractions for his American Museum, and he’d heard a rumor of a mermaid who lived on a cliff by the sea. He wanted to make his fortune, and an attraction like Amelia was just the ticket.

The Mermaid Collector by Erika Marks (Adult Fiction)

More than a century ago, lighthouse keeper Linus Harris left his beloved wife and waded into the ocean with three other men to reunite with their mermaid lovers. The mysterious Mermaid Mutiny of 1888 has become legend for the residents of Cradle Harbor, Maine, honored by the town’s Mermaid Festival every August, when wind chimes are hung from seaside porches to drown out the alluring sound of mermaid song. For thirty-five-year-old Tess Patterson, the legend is more than folklore; it’s proof of life’s magic.

Lost Voices by Sarah Porter (Young Adult)

Fourteen-year-old Luce is one of those lost girls. After her father vanishes in a storm at sea, she is stuck in a grim, gray Alaskan fishing village with her alcoholic uncle. When her uncle crosses an unspeakable line, Luce reaches the depths of despair. Abandoned on the cliffs near her home, she expects to die when she tumbles to the icy, churning waves below. Instead, she undergoes an astonishing transformation and becomes a mermaid.

A tribe of mermaids finds Luce and welcomes her in—all of them, like her, lost girls who surrendered their humanity in the darkest moments of their lives. The mermaids are beautiful, free, and ageless, and Luce is thrilled with her new life until she discovers the catch: they feel an uncontrollable desire to drown seafarers, using their enchanted voices to lure ships into the rocks.

Hannah: Daughters of the Sea by Kathryn Lasky (Young Adult)

Daughters of the Sea tells the story of 3 mermaid sisters who are separated at birth by a storm and go on to lead three very different lives. Book 1 is about Hannah, who spent her early days in an orphanage and is now a scullery maid in the house of rich, powerful family. She is irresistibly drawn to the sea and through a series of accidents and encounters discovers her true identity. Hannah realizes that she must keep the truth a secret but she also knows that soon she will have to make the choice – to be a creature of the land or the sea.

Wake by Amanda Hocking (Young Adult)

Gemma seems to have it all—she’s carefree, pretty, and falling in love with Alex, the boy next door. He’s always been just a friend, but this summer they’ve taken their relationship to the next level, and now there’s no going back. Then one night, Gemma’s ordinary life changes forever. She’s taking a late night swim under the stars when she finds Penn, Lexi and Thea partying on the cove. They invite her to join them, and the next morning she wakes up on the beach feeling groggy and sick, knowing something is different.

Suddenly Gemma is stronger, faster, and more beautiful than ever. But her new powers come with a terrifying price. And as she uncovers the truth, she’s is forced to choose between staying with those she loves—or entering a new world brimming with dark hungers and unimaginable secrets.

The Tail of Emily Windsnap by Liz Kessler (Middle Grade)

For as long as she can remember, twelve-year-old Emily Windsnap has lived on a boat. And, oddly enough, for just as long, her mother has seemed anxious to keep her away from the water. But when Mom finally agrees to let her take swimming lessons, Emily makes a startling discovery – about her own identity, the mysterious father she’s never met, and the thrilling possibilities and perils shimmering deep below the water’s surface.

Trouble at Trident Academy: Mermaid Tales Series by Debbie Dadey (Middle Grade)

Mermaids Shelly and Echo are excited to begin third grade at the prestigious Trident Academy, but snooty Pearl, jokester Rocky, brilliant Kiki, grumpy Mr. Fangtooth, and an argument over their first project challenge the best friends. Includes facts about marine plants and animals and words to the Mermaid Tales Song.

Mermaid Dreams by Mark Sperring (Picture Book)

At bedtime, Meriam tells her mother what it was like to spend a day as a mermaid at the beach.

Sofia the First: The Floating Palace by Cathy Hapka (Picture Book)

During her family vacation on a floating palace, Sofia befriends a mermaid, and through their friendship helps save the mermaid’s kingdom.

Recommended Movies and TV Shows

Aquamarine (2006)

This movie is perfect for summer! Following the story of two girls who befriend a mermaid, it’s charming, lighthearted, and perfect at capturing the whimsy of the mermaid myth.

Siren (2018, Freeform/Hulu)

This is my current TV favorite, and it takes the mermaid and siren stories to a whole new level. Claiming that the mermaid is a predatory, carnivorous creature that can take down sharks and humans alike, Siren is a dramatic telling of the creature Ryn as she emerges on land in search of her sister who has been taken by government researchers.

H20: Just Add Water (2006, Netflix)

This Australian TV show is perfect for K-4^th graders who love adventure, a little friendly drama, and mermaid transformations. The show is a little cliché and cheesy at times, but strangely addictive for audiences seeking something lighthearted.

 

 

Whether you’re a mermaid fanatic like myself, have a young one who is into all things mermaid, or just want to dive into something summery and sensational, I recommend giving any of these books or films/TV shows a try.  Let me know what you think if you do or if you have any other mermaid recommendations of your own. Don’t forget to sign up for the summer reading program no matter what age you are and keep track of your mermaid reading so you can win some awesome prizes!

Hope you have a “splash” this summer!

This post won’t have anything to do with it, but Happy Mother’s Day!

Evil is invisible, and it is everywhere.

That is the only way to explain the series of misfortunes that have plagued the wagon train known as the Donner Party. Depleted rations, bitter quarrels, and the mysterious death of a little boy have driven the isolated travelers to the brink of madness. Though they dream of what awaits them in the West, long-buried secrets begin to emerge, and dissent among them escalates to the point of murder and chaos. They cannot seem to escape tragedy…or the feelings that someone–or something–is stalking them. Whether it’s a curse from the beautiful Tamsen Donner (who some think might be a witch), their ill-advised choice of route through uncharted terrain, or just plain bad luck, the ninety men, women, and children of the Donner Party are heading into one of one of the deadliest and most disastrous Western adventures in American history.

As members of the group begin to disappear, the survivors start to wonder if there really is something disturbing, and hungry, waiting for them in the mountains…and whether the evil that has unfolded around them may have in fact been growing within them all along.

I think a lot of people continue to be interested in the Donner Party. It’s just one of those terrible train wreaks in history you can’t look away from. Katsu puts a completely believable (at least to me) paranormal spin on it that makes you really wonder what happened to those poor people???

Right about now you may be thinking “Where in the world is she going to take us with the food portion of this post”? Well I bet if you think about it for a second you can guess…… RIBS! Yup, I think we need to go there!

I don’t have an Instant Pot, but someone told me they made them and they’re wonderdful, so if you do have an Instant Pot you should definitely make these Instant Pot Country Style Ribs.  What sides you do like with ribs? I polled my co-workers and they all said coleslaw so I would try this fun Dill Pickle Slaw.  Then finish it off with a nice cornbread and you’ve got some good eats!

Now run right to your kitchen and make all of these recipes and let me know what you think!