Review-Every Boat Turns South, by J.P.White

Every Boat Turns South
By J. P. White
Permanent Press
240 pages
1-57962-188-0
September 2009


Every Boat Turns South Every Boat Turns South is the story of two brothers. Hale the shining star with all the promise a parent could hope for and Matt his younger brother who lives in his shadow. One night ignoring his intuition, Matt follows his brother on a trip even though he feels a sense of foreboding. The dye is cast and the fate of Hale is sealed when the clandestine plan suddenly backfires.

Unable to cope with the memory of his brother and the circumstances of his death Matt disappears. Three years later, Matt arrives on his parents’ doorstep looking like “something the raccoons forgot to eat.” He carries with him more baggage than the two plastic bags in tow with a readiness to unload his guilt. His father Skip is a skeleton of his former self. He is dying a result of congestive heart failure. He has tenaciously held on, unable to give up the ship.

There is little doubt that his mom loathes rather than loves him for Matt has come home to tell Skip what really happened to Hale that night. He has come home to tell Skip about his adventurous trek of escape and survival.

This may appear to some as a simple story of an adventurous drifter running from a lot of guilt and memories over his brother’s disappearance. However, it is more than simple, it is complex, an intricate composition of themes that twist around each other as you follow the undulating currents. The book is written in alternating narratives, one is Matt talking to his father, and the other is Matt’s journal or captain’s log. The characters never appear to be who they are, adding more mystery and intrigue. “ And sometimes I have seen what men have thought they saw.”

White’s compass rose takes you on a meandering voyage that will keep you guessing until the last sail south. The poetic lyrical motion of White’s writing is spiritually uplifting with a lilting cadence. Reading is an effortless indulgence as his prose embraces the reader. With the skill of an artisan in Venice his imagery is precise beauty on paper intended to captivate the audience.


Highly recommended.

Alas....My Challenges Recap Revised

Plan ahead, two words my father was often trying to instill in me. He would even have a diagram of the two words that ran close to the edge of a piece of paper so that the words had to abruptly change direction vertically in order to fit it on the page. This image comes to mind today. I had scheduled "Alas...My Challenges Recap" to publish at a specific date and time, hoping to finish the post by then. What you may not realize is that it is incomplete and I had intended on writing a bit as well. So, the post did come out on time, I just did not plan ahead...enough. Ok Dad, I messed up this time.

So, this is a REVISED edition of My Challenges Recap. Sorry for the mix-up.

Challenge according to The New Oxford American Dictionary is

1. a call to take part in a contest or competition, esp. a duel : he accepted the challenge.
• a task or situation that tests someone's abilities : the ridge is a challenge for experienced climbers.

I accepted several challenges this year with high hopes. I had every intention of picking up each gauntlet with equal enthusiasm. I began to tackle the lists of books and diligently made blog entries, captured my reading progress and moved on to the next selection.

I failed miserably with challenges this year. I only read one book for the Austin Challenge, Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy, by Abigail Reynolds. I still owe a review for this one. I never would have read that book had I not signed up for this challenge. I am intrigued by the many novels published with Pride and Prejudice alternative plot possibilities. This challenge has widened my book snob selection process outside of my so called comfort zone. So for that I am grateful to this challenge.


The second challenge I bombed was the Sookie Stackhouse Challenge. Again, I only read the first book, Dead Until Dark. However, I love this series and plan to continue it through 2010. I have to admit I signed up for the challenge after I read the first book, but I still have enthusiasm and drive to complete this one.

The third challenge that I totally ignored was my own Book Buddy Challenge. I didn't read one book. I am so sorry for that. Pitiful, pathetic and just no excuse. I completed snubbed my poor dog Wizard. I owe you a few treats big guy.

The last challenge I had trouble with was the Romance Challenge. I believe I read a few romance novels, The Wild Heart, by Rosemary Rogers comes to mind. I honestly don't read many romance novels and this would have been a great challenge for me. I just never got to it.



These are the challenges I did complete, along with my 100 Books Read Challenge.


Pub Challenge



1. Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford, Fiction (Published 2-09)
2. The Scramble for Africa Darfur-Invertention and the USA by Steven Fake and Kevin Funk Non-Fiction (Published 2-09)
3. Agincourt by Bernard Cornwell Fiction (Published 1/20/09)
4. The History of Now by Daniel Klein Fiction (Published 2/09)
5. The Miracles of Prato by Laurie Albanese and Laura Morowitz
6. Seducing the Spirit by Louise Young
7. The Indifferent Stars Above by Daniel James Brown
8. Every Boat Turns South by Jay White
9. The Secret Keeper by Paul Harris
10.Sweeping Up Glass, by Carolyn D. Wall

Southern Reading Challenge



1.Dead Until Dark, by Chalaine Harris (Sookie Stackhouse)
2.Scottsboro, by Ellen Feldmen
3.Sweeping Up Glass, by Carolyn D. Wall
4.Every Boat Turns South, by Jay White
5.All Other Nights by Dara Horn
6.Salvos on Blackwater: A Novel of the Civil War Period, by Erwin Wunderlich



War Through the Generations



1.The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
2.The German Woman, by Paul Griner
3.Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet,by Jamie Ford
4.Daddy's Little Spy by Isabella Rosa
5.The True Story of Hansel and Gretel by Louise Murphy


Lessons and notes after my first full year of challenges:
1. Challenges cause me stress and worry and can put a person over the edge with anxiety. :(
2. Challenges have encouraged me to expand my reading choices. :)
3. Challenges are a fun way to connect with other bloggers. :)
4. Challenges whether or not you are a participant, lead to reflective reviews posted by fellow bloggers. :)
5. Challenges show other readers what my interests are. :)

As a recap, I came up with 4 out of 5 reasons to continue doing challenges in 2010. The only sad face I gave out was because of the anxiety and stress I put on myself when I don't finish a challenge. I can easily solve this by limiting my challenges this year. Since I still have courses I am taking for my Masters in History, upon reflection, this makes sense. I also need to get better, plan ahead to make sure I track my reading better, so that posting challenges will be less arduous. Sorry it took so long to post this recap but planning ahead as my father would tell you was never my forte. I will be posting my challenges on Sunday. Don't hold me to that. LOL

Sunday Salon-Glad to be back!

It's great to be back on Sunday Salon. I can't wait to visit everyone's blog. It's been a rough couple of months for me, but this week I'm feeling better. Although not quite 100%, I can at least read a little and write to you. It has been unbearably difficult not being able to write on my blog and reading yours. All is good today though and that's all that matters.

Obviously, my reading has been very low for May because of my illness, but I did start a couple of books to make up for lost time.

I'm reading The Feminine Mystique by Betty Friedan-published in 1963. Wow! This is a must read about the state of women during the late 50's and early 60's. This period of time has been called the Second Wave of the feminist movement. Amazing stuff!!!

Also on the nightstand are:
Sea Changes by Gail Graham...fabulous!
Every Boat Turns South by J.P. White...riveting!
Leviathan by Eric Jay Dolin...compelling history of whaling in America.

Review: Salvos on the Backwater

Salvos on the Backwater: A Novel of the Civil War Period,Erin Wunderlich, XLibris, 2008, hc$22.99/ pb$15.99, 284pp, 1-4257-9845-4

It is 1863 on the Gulf Coast of Florida on the Apalachee Bay. Cap’n Jack Nichols and his Uncle Wiley are fishing on board the Chopee. This area of Florida is a dangerous place with constant treats of gators, panthers, snakes and other wild animals. Along with beastly harm comes the threat of Confederate pickets and Union soldiers who are crawling the countryside. It is a battleground for control. Bridges are targets. Waterways patrolled. Clear passage to ship goods is essential to both sides and at any cost. Desperate men will work for food and turn colors quicker than a the flash of a lighting hits the earth. Jack prefers fishing to any involvement in the war as he tries to remain neutral.

On this day, Jack and Wiley come upon the USS General Lyon and they frantically dodge cannonball fire. But Jack knows the labyrinth of streams, land and islands like his own name. They escape capture, possibly death and when they slip away they encounter a homestead. They meet the widow Rebecca, her father and son who have come upon tough times. Before leaving, Jack helps Rebecca get on her feet. Smitten with the widow, Wiley notices Jacks backward glancing smile as they leave. Jack continues to face peril from the Civil War and his nemesis Timber Harris. Harris, a sore looser, lost his boat to Jack in a card game and won’t rest till he gets revenge. According to Jack, “For me Harris is like a rip tide that keeps dragging my britches back toward trouble”

This historically informative action adventure provides a look at Florida in the Civil War era not often written about. Jack the manly, ingenious, Indiana Jones type main character is captivating. The plot is predictable , however that does not diminish the fine writing and imagery captured in the semantic dialect of the area.


You may want to read this one for the Southern Book Challenge 2009. This is one of my choices.

1/2

Mailbox Monday April 20 2009

First, I have to thank everyone for all the get well wishes. I went to school today, against doctor orders, but I had to. It was a tough day, but I made it. I'm still very weak and I guess the stomach just has to heal. I'm just so type "A" that I expect my body to recover overnight. So again....thank you all. It is so amazing to know I have you as my blogger friends..it feels really great.






In my mailbox this week I received:

The Song is You by Arthur Phillips...According to the press release, "The Song is You is a closely observed tale of love in the digital age that blurs the line between the longing for intimacy and the longing for oblivion." This is a love story and a comedy.

Bittersweet by Matt McAllester...Per the write up for the press...

Bittersweet follows McAllester back to the place that evoked his happiest memories of his mother: the kitchen. ...a stunning tribute to his mother and a celebration of family and food.

The Blue Notebook by James A. Levine..According to the publisher..

"Levine artfully tells the story of Batuk, a 15 year-old Indian girl whose parents have sold her into sexual slavery. Batuk uses her rich imagination and gift for storytelling to transcend the harsh realities of living as a prostitute on the streets of Mumbai.

The Angel's Game by Carlos Ruiz Zafon...I have been waiting for this book since I fell in love with Shadow of the Wind.


The next four novels are published by Permanent Press. I will review these sometime in the future. Keep an eye out.

Beat by Amy Boaz..
Looking After Pigeon by Maud Carol Markson
Internal Affairs by Connie Dial
Every Boat Turns South by J.P. White


John Milton by Neil Forsyth...a biography

It was an exciting week on my front steps and in my mailbox. I think there was a package every day. What could be better than that. Keep smiling!!!

2009 Books Read List

100 / 100 words. 100% done!

Read to Date, 100 Books...
100 Book Challenge 2009

September-December Total=23
Houri, by Mehrdad Balili
The Sacrifice of the Sage Hen, by Susie Schade-Brewer
The Saint and the Fasting Girl, by Anna Richenda
Small Kingdoms, by Anastasia Hobbet
Once a Witch, by Carolyn Maccollough
The Private Papers of Eastern Jewel, by Maureen Lindley
Half Broke Horses, by Jeannette Walls
The White Mary, by Kira Kalak
After You've Gone, by Jeffrey Lent
A Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrick
The Crimson Rooms, by Katharine McMahon
Journeying, by Barbara Fleming
The Wildest Heart, by Rosemary Rogers
The Widow's War, by Mary Mackey
Five Smooth Stones, by Ann Fairbairn
Dead Until Dark, Sookie Stackhouse, Charlene Harris
January's Sparrow, Patricia Polacco
The Devil's Cub, Georgette Heyer
No Wind of Blame, Georgette Heyer
The Wives of Henry Oads, Johanna Moran
Mr. Fitzwilliam Darcy, Abigail Reynolds
The Little Stranger, Sarah Waters
The Girl in the Lighthouse, by Roxane Tepfer Sanford


August Total= 5
8-09-The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind
by William Kamkwamba and Bryan Mealer
8-09-The Man Who Loved Books Too Much by Allison Hoover Bartlett (Non-Fiction)
8-09-South of Broad by Pat Conroy
8-09-The Private Papers of Eastern Jewel
8-09-The Half Moon, Henry Hudwon and the Voyage that Redrew the Map of the New World
by Douglas Hunter (Non-Fiction)
8-09





July Total 14 Books

7-09-Inkheart by Cornelia Funke
7-09-Beneath a Northern Sky, Steven E. Woodworth (A Short History of the Gettysburg Campaign)p.227.
7-09-When I Was a Slave, Memoirs from the Slave Narrative Collection, Edited by Norman R. Yetman
7-09-Slavery by Another Name, Winner of the Pulitzer Prize by Douglas A. Blackmon
7-09-Dead Until Dark (Sookie Stackhouse) by Charlaine Harris
7-09-Forever Free by Eric Froner
7-09-Hootcat Hill by Lucy Coats (YA)
7-09-The Last Day by James Landis
7-09-Under This Unbroken Sky by Shandi Mitchell
7-09-American Lion by Jon Meacham
7-09-The True Story of Hansel and Gretel by Louise Murphy
7-09-The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
7-09-The Disappearance of Irene Dos Santos, by Margaret Mascarenhas
7-09-Titanic, The Untold Story, by W. Mae Kent

June Totals 7 Books

6-09-Seducing the Spirit by, Louise Young
6-09-Scottsboro, by Ellen Feldman
6-09-The Indifferent Stars Above, b Daniel Brown
6-09-Battle Cry of Freedom, by James McPherson
6-09-After You've Gone, by Jeffrey Lent
6-09-The Bolter, by Frances Osborne
6-09-A Reliable Wife, by Robert Goolrick

May Totals 8 Books

5-09-Sea Changes,by Gail Graham
5-09-Every Boat Turns South, by J.P.White
5-09-Lace Makers of Glenmara, by Heather Barbieri
5-09-Leviathan, by Eric Jay Dolin
5-09-A Consumers' Republic by Lizabeth Cohen
5-09-Working Towards Whiteness, by David Roediger
5-09-The Feminine Mystique, by Betty Friedan
5-09-All Other Nights, by Dara Horn


April Totals 8 Books

4-09-Toys to Tools, by Liz Kolb
4-09-Daddy's Little Spy-Isabella, by Isabella Rose
4-09-The Tory Widow, by Christine Blevins
4-09-Salvos on the Backwater, Erwin Wunderlich
4-09-Tone Deaf in Bangkok, by Janet Brown
4-09-Mrs. Lincoln, by Catherine Clinton
4-09-The Barfighter, by Ivan G. Goldman
4-09-Sag Harbor, by Colson Whitehead

March Totals 11 Books

3-09-Eight Hours for What We Will, by Roy Rosensweig
3-09-The Recovery of Ecstasy, by Sandy Krolick, Ph.D
3-09-Outcasts Unlimitd, by Warren St. John
3-09-The German Women, by Paul Griner
3-09-Follow Me, by Joanna Scott
3-09-Uncle Tom's Cabin, Harriet Beecher Stowe
3-09-The Secret Keeper, by Paul Harris
3-09-Meteor of War, by Zoe Trodd and John Stauffer EDS.
3-09-The Sacred Well, by Antoinnette May
3-09 Big Boy Rules, by Steve Fainaru
3-09 Night Battles, by M.F. Bloxam

February Totals 10 Books

2-09 Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott
2-09-The Revolution of 1800, edited by Onuf
2-09 Ereth and Poppy, by Avi
2/09-The Unpolished Gem, by Alice Pung
2/09-I,Jacqueline, by Hilda Lewis
2/09-The Duke of Stockbridge: A Romance of Shays' Rebellion by Edward Bellamy
2/09-The Miracles of Prato by Laurie Albanese and Laura Morowitz
2/09-William Cooper's Town by Alan Taylor
2/09-The Color of Lighting by Paulette Jiles
2/09-The Disappearance by Efrem Sigel


January Totals 9 Books

1/09-Soul Enchilada by David Macinnis Gill
1/09-Canvey Island by James Runcie
1/09-Agincourt by Bernard Cornwell
1/09-The Scramble for Africa by Steven Fake and Kevin Funk
1/09-The History of Now by Daniel Klein
1/09-The Mind of a Genius by David Snowdon
1/09-Red Clay, Blood River by William J. Everett
1/09-High Spirits by, Dianne K. Salerni
1/09-Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by, Jamie Ford

2009 Challenges

Sookie Stackhouse Challenge 2009

The Rules:

1. Between July 1, 2009, and June 30, 2010, catch up on Charlaine Harris's Southern Vampire series. No matter if you're starting with book 1 or book 8, you have a year to read all about Sookie. Read Sookie in print, listen to the audio, read an eBook -- format is not an issue.

2. Sign up using Mr. Linky. Put your name in the top box. For the bottom box, please use the URL that links specifically to your blog post about this challenge, not to your blog's home page.

3. After July 4, I'll create a post with another Mr. Linky where you can link your reviews so everyone can read them track your progress.

4. If you don't have a blog and want to join in, sign up in the comments here. Later, let us know about your progress by leaving comments on the review link page.

EDIT: You can join any time during the course of the challenge.

The Books:

Dead Until Dark
Living Dead in Dallas
Club Dead
Dead to the World
Dead as a Doornail
Definitely Dead
All Together Dead
From Dead to Worse
Dead and Gone

Book Buddy Blogger Challenge 2009

Hosted by Wisteria



My List of 10
1. The Last Queen by C.W. Gortner from Lesa @ Lesa's Book Critiques
2. The Heretic Queen by Michelle Moran rom Krishna @ S. Krishna's Books
3. Half of a Yellow Sun by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie from Iliana @ bookgirl's nightstand
4. The Secret Scripture by Sebastian Barry from Michelle @1 more chapter
5. Sunflower and the Secret Fan from Naida @ The Bookworm
6. The White Mary from Marie @ Boston Bibliophile
7. Kushiels Mercy, by Jacqueline Carey from Medieval Bookworm
8. The Poisonwood Bible, by Barbara Kingsolver from Naida @ The Bookworm
9. The 19th Wife, by David Ebershoff from Medieval Bookworm
10.Persuasion, by Jane Austen from Naida@ The Bookworm

Thanks to all my book buddies for the great list I now can add to my TBR pile for 2009.

Romance Reading Challenge 2009

Hosted by Naida @ the Bookworm




This is my list:
1.Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry
2.Written on the Body by Jeanette Winterson
3.The Host, by Stephenie Meyer
4.Into the Wildernes by Rosina Lippi
5.Possession: A Romance by A.S. Byatt (1991)

Backup possibilities
+Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
+Lady Chatterley's Lover by D.H. Lawrence
+Stardust by Neil Gaiman
+Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen

War Through the Generations WWII Challenge 2009

Hosted by Anna and Serena @ War Through the Generations



My List of Books

1. Citizen Soldiers, by Stephen Ambrose
2. Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet,by Jamie Ford
3. Skeletons at the Feast, b Chris Bohjalian
4. Suite Francaise, by Irene Nemirovsky
5. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society,
by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
6. The Irregulars, by Jennet Conant
7. The Sunflower, by Simon Wiesenthal
8. The Zookeepers Wife, y Diane Ackerman
9. Truman, by David McCullough
10. The German Woman, by Paul Griner
11. Flags of Our Fathers, Brady
12. The Good War, Studs Terkel

Pup Challenge 2009

Hosted by Anna and Serena @ War Through the Generations
Hosted by Michelle @ 1morechapter



Here are the 2009 rules:

1. Read a minimum of 9 books first published in 2009. You don’t have to buy these. Library books, unabridged audios, or ARCs are all acceptable. To qualify as being first published in 2009, it must be the first time that the book is published in your own country. For example, if a book was published in Australia, England, or Canada in 2008, and then published in the USA in 2009, it counts (if you live in the USA). Newly published trade paperbacks and mass market paperbacks do not count if there has been a hardcover/trade published before 2009. Any questions on what qualifies? Just leave a comment here, and I’ll respond with the answer.
2. No children’s/YA titles allowed, since we’re at the ‘pub.’
3. At least 5 titles must be fiction.
4. Crossovers with other challenges are allowed.
5. You can add your titles as you go, and they may be changed at any time.

My List is as follows:

1. Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford, Fiction (Published 2-09)
2. The Scramble for Africa Darfur-Invertention and the USA by Steven Fake and Kevin Funk Non-Fiction (Published 2-09)
3. Agincourt by Bernard Cornwell Fiction (Published 1/20/09)
4. The History of Now by Daniel Klein Fiction (Published 2/09)
5. The Miracles of Prato by Laurie Albanese and Laura Morowitz
6. Seducing the Spirit by Louise Young
7. The Indifferent Stars Above by Daniel James Brown
8. Every Boat Turns South by Jay White
9. The Secret Keeper
10.Sweeping Up Glassd

ARC Challenge 2009

Hosted by The Literate Housewife

Here are the rules:

1. To sign up, leave a comment (here) and a direct link to your blog post about this challenge that includes your list from rule #2.

2. List all of the ARC’s that you have to read right now. Then throughout the year, you must continue updating that list as you receive more ARC’s. (This is important). You should also strike out the ones that you finish.

3 a. All of us who have or will have more than 12 ARC’s must read and review 12.
3 b. All of us who have or will have less than 12 ARC’s must read all of the ARC’s we have. Note, that if you have 11 ARC’s and then receive a 12th one you will be bumped up to category a.

4. You don’t have to make a list of which ARC’s you plan to read, but you can if you want.

5. Crossovers with other challenges are allowed and Audio-books are allowed as long as they are ARC’s.

6. Read the books and review them on your blog. If you don’t have a blog, you can post your review on sites like Powells, Amazon, Barnes and Noble, etc. Leave a comment on this post with a link to each of your reviews.

7. Please subscribe to my blog, as I will be posting updates to the challenge periodically.

My Ongoing List:

Champlain's Dream
Mozart's Wife
The Mighty Queens of Freeville
Darling Jim
The School on Heart's Content Road
High Spirits
The Hunger Games
Journey to Tracer's Point
The Book of Night Women
Blond Roots
The School of Essential Ingredients
Red Clay, Blood River
Forgotten Patriots
Giants
Mistress Shakespeare
The Rose of Sebastropol
The Scramble for Africa
American Rust
ETTA
Mrs. Lincoln
Hidden Voices
Agincourt
The History of Now
The Mind of a Genius
The Sacred Well
Cutting for Stone
Drood
Yellow Knife
Big Boy Rules
The Color of Lightening
Canvey Island
The Miracles of Prato
The Commoner
Galway Bay
The Disappearance

100+ Book Challenge

Hosted by J.Kaye

48 / 100 (54.0%)