Lucci's List: January 2020

I have compiled homey, cozy books to bring you some warmth this winter season. Enjoy!

Memoir/Biography

"Blossom-Wild Ambassador of Tewksbury" by Anna Carner is a memoir that animal lovers of all ages will appreciate.

This memoir narrated in first person recounts how a farmer's life changed upon encountering a dying fawn. The fawn survives and reshapes a community's views on animal rights.

We see parallels between Anna's childhood and Blossom's fawn-hood. Anna survived a lengthy stay in the hospital after a serious, life-threatening injury that she never fully healed from. She befriended and mentored many other ill and injured children who came and went home while she lingered in the hospital. Her chosen career as an EMT felt natural after that.

When she became a farmer, she used her EMT skills for routine animal care that she could handle without a veterinarian, such as birthing alpacas.

When Anna first encountered the fawn, Anna carefully and logically depended on facts first. When she concluded that the fawn was dying and would have no chance at life without intervention, Anna allowed her empathy to lead the way. Her great respect for wildlife mixed with her love of animals, and desire to heal, led Blossom to become one of the family.

As Blossom grew from a scrawny dotted fawn to a sleek young doe, she interspersed her time with her human family inside and around the house with time among her wild friends she made. Anna placed a bright rainbow collar comfortably around Blossom's neck, so people, particularly hunters, could be aware that she was not a game animal.

Anna made posters and invited people to visit for tea and cookies to meet Blossom. She didn't want Blossom to become target for hunters, and figured if more people knew about her unique tameness, then word would spread and she would be spared. Unfortunately, machismo and pride among some die-hard hunters caused Anna to feel on edge whenever Blossom was with her deer flock.

Hunting for sport and for harvest are explored within the dialogues between the farmer and her neighbours. The sacredness of nature and the interference of humans, even those with good intentions, provide honest and though-provoking scenes.

At times poetic, but always clear and to the point, this is an alternate Bambi true story that will entrance readers of all ages.

Novels
"The Dutch House" by Ann Patchett

"The Dutch House" by Ann Patchett is a novel that follows two siblings from childhood to adulthood. Their love for each other endures throughout illness, parental abandonment, familial displacement, and an evil stepmother. Throughout, the legacy of their childhood home, "The Dutch House," hovers over their daily lives to the point of obsession.

The first part of this book was intriguing. The characters and relationships were exceptionally aligned. The almost gaudy, almost austere mansion, "The Dutch House," was elaborately described with sensory perceptions that made it seem like a living entity. Which, to the two main characters, it was.

As the story continued, the plotlessness ruined what would otherwise have been an interesting tale. The admirable protectiveness and love shared by the siblings became overshadowed by their redundancy. Their obsession with their childhood home became boring. The characters grew up but did not grow. At least until the very end, which I can tell you without a spoiler alert, because it was obvious from chapter one how the book would eventually pan out.

The writing and language was enjoyable. It was just too much. If the book had been cut down, a few chapters dismissed, and some more action or emotion inserted, it would have been much more enjoyable.

If I stopped reading after part one, my curiosity would not have been quenched. By the end of the second part, no curiosity remained.

I wavered between a two and three star rating. The writing style was enjoyable and clear, so that won over the blandness.

Sci-Fi/Fantasy

"The Maw and Other Time-Traveling Lizard Tales" by Gevera Bert Piedmont

What if the Native Americans had an alliance with alien species of dragon-like lizards? European colonizers would have experienced a history-altering timeline. This short story collection details how reptiles could have changed the world.

Care of mythical lizards, moral questions regarding genetically modified creatures as defensive weapons, steampunked lifestyles, adventures through deserts, childhood yearnings; this collection contains stories for every reader’s palate.

The glossary of words and phrases from the languages used in this book was fascinating and helpful.

Fans of “How to Train Your Dragon,” “Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them,” A Journey through Care of Magical Creatures,” and “Keys to the Demon Prison” will be drawn into the strange creatures in this book.

Some chapters dark, some utterly hilarious, all blended with mystical realism. It could happen, right? It’s fun to imagine it could. And this masterpiece of intra-cultural scientific fantasy will have you believing.

Novellas

"Mother of Gods: A Winter Princess Prequel" by Skye Mackinon is a novella based on traditional mythological gods and their relationships to each other. Particularly, the god Beira, who is lonely for companionship.

Beira wants not just a companion, but also a soulmate, and perfect lover. She is brazen in her sexual exploits and takes pleasure in the act of sex, as well as watching it. Now, however, she longs for someone who can satiate her as no exploit has managed to. So she creates one.

There is more to this tale of gods, humans, and demigods, but it is the sexual themes that really stand out to me. It is descriptive without being overly raunchy or erotic.

The ending is bittersweet, as perhaps the end of Beira's final sexual encounter is.