Book Review: The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender by Leslye Walton

......I stayed up until 2 am to finish this book.

The Strange and Beautiful Sorrows of Ava Lavender is like a beautiful, melancholy piece of music, a cello concerto showing off the most emotional and human of the string instuments.

This is my second delve into magical realism (I think, I don't really know the definition). My first was One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel Garcia Marquez,
 and so the strangness of Ava's story didn't throw me as much as it would have if I had not been inroduced to magical realism in an even stranger book. Both are also multigenerational so there is that similarity.

I reallyed loved this book. The writing is just fantastic. Walton never faltered in her exposition of this wild, crazy tale. I connected with all the characters especially the three main women of the novel. For me, the three women are the best thing about this book. They are all so strong and fascinating. Sometimes incredibly stupid, but always pushing through the hard times usually made by their own mistakes. It is very inspiring to see each of them living through all the storms that come their way.

The supporting cast is also diverse and engaging. Gabe...ack my baby! Henry, Cardigan, everyone just so wonderful. There is not a single stereotype in this cast of characters. Everyone surprised me in their development. And this all goes to show that this stroy is extremely well crafted.

The skill that this story shows of a first time author is extraordinary. Walton's storytelling is tight. Everything plays out well paced, and the fact that she keeps this story in line is just impressive. 300 pages is quite short for a four generational story, but I felt I saw everything I needed to see. I did not need more or less. I also aprreciated how she handled the darkness of the story. Many horrible, sad, violent things happen in this story, but they are handled with the right amount of brutal reality without losing the tone of the rest of the book.

Yes. I loved this book. I can't wait to read more by Leslye Walton, and I highly recommend you read this book if you have not picked it up already.

Comfort reads

In the evening of an all round horrible day, I have a couple of books I always pick up that put me in a better mood. These are all children's/middle grade reads because they are books I have had for a very long time and have read multiple times. I recommend all these books to people who are having a bad day. So without futher ado, these are my comfort reads:

1. The Legend of Holly Claus by Brittney Ryan

As you can see from the cover and the title this is a Christmas book. It is one of my favourites of all time! I have probably read it cover to cover at least 7 times and numerous other times to read my favourite passages. The story is about Holly Claus, the daughter of Santa Claus, and her quest to break the curse put on her and her land by an evil sorceror at the time of her birth. Holly's journey leads her to our world where she brings her own special ability of allowing people to believe in their dreams.

2. The Little White Horse by Elizabeth Goudge

I read this after the movie came out because the library got a movie cover version of the book and before that it was rather scarce. I loved it. It tells the story of Maria Merryweather who after being orphaned comes to live with her cousin at Moonacre. Moonacre would be heaven on earth but for the Men of the Dark Woods. Maria teams up with a childhood playmate as well as a group of animal companions to save the day. This book is the 1946 Carnegie Medal winner and is best known for inspiring J. K. Rowling to write the detailed food scenes in Harry Potter. Now if that doesn't make you want to pick it up what will?

3. Dealing with Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede

I have read this at least three times. It is about princess is very bored, so she runs away to work for a dragon. How cool is that?! Cimorene is a great character. She is strong and very smart. Her friendship with Kabul (the dragon) are one of my favourites in literature.

4. Ballet Shoes by Noel Stratfield

As a kid, my family would go and see The Nutcracker every year at Christmas. Ever since I have loved ballet and the theatre. This story is about three orphans who are adopted by a fossil collector. They grow up in a big house in London and when money gets tight they enroll in Madame Fidolia's Children's Academy for Dancing and Stage Training. Each finds their own talents and grow up on the stage. My favourite sister has always been Posy.

5. The Story Girl by Lucy Maud Montgomery

Anne is LMM's most famous heroine, but Sara Stanley is the girl that captured my PEI heart. This book is about two boys who are sent to live with their cousins in Prince Edward Island. One of their cousins is the Story Girl whose captivating voice gives a gift for storytelling. This is reportedly LMM's favourite of her books, and I can see why. It is has a wonderful chrarcters and full of beautiful  descriptions of PEI that LMM is famous for.

6. Fergus Crane by Chris Riddell and Paul Stewart

The only book with a male main character to have made this list is Fergus Crane. It is a wonderful middle grade collaboration between the two men who wrote The Edge Chronicles. The story is of a boy named Fergus who has to save his classmates.  The illustrations are just fantastic.

7. The Ordinary Princess by M. M. Kaye

This is probably the shortest book of this list.  It is just charming. Very simple and sweet, it tells the story of Princess Amy who is blessed/cursed at her christening to be ordinary. Being ordinary allows her to go on her own adventure and on it she makes her life anything but ordinary.

If you have any more recommendations, please put them in the comments below!

Why I love to read

 I love to leave the noisy world behind and dive into the sea of story. Life moves slower here, quieter. This does not mean it is boring. Quite the contrary. There are wars and revolutions, conspiracy, feats of great courage in the face of evil. However, here one can always slowly make there way through the action. Repeat it if necessary. Upon careful examination in this slow introspective world things in my own life I can see more clearly or in a new light.

In the sea of story time moves differently. It is slower in times of happiness and faster in times of sad. I love to read because I can forget and leave my life of hectic hurry. An evening with a cup of hot chocolate and a good book is quiet and an evening I can take time to enjoy. Everything is so fast paced nowadays that it is a relief when I can take a break from the stream of time and read a book.

I also read to travel. The sea of story connects me to other worlds that are easy to reach. There are other worlds out there in the pages of books. Ones full of magic and adventure. Even if you could never climb mountains in real life you can always do so in book. You will always make it back in one peace.

The sea of story allows me to be in a place in between dreams and everyday life. I place that is somewhere else, but that I can also share with friends and family. Some of the happiest moments of my childhood were when my mother read aloud to me and my sister. We could share the discovery of new worlds.

This is why I love to read. I read to access the sea of stories.