Friday Finds -- Feb 19, 2010

This meme is hosted by MizB at Should be reading. What great books did you hear about/discover this past week?

I didn't come across too many new finds this week, but there were a few that are worth mentioning.

My finds

Eternal on the water by Joseph Monninger

So many bloggers reviewed this book over the last week. After hearing all that good opinion, I'm pretty eager to try it out too!

From the day Cobb and Mary meet kayaking on Maine's Allagash River and fall deeply in love, the two approach life with the same sense of adventure they use to conquer the river's treacherous rapids. But rivers do not let go so easily...and neither does their love. So when Mary's life takes the cruelest turn, she vows to face those rough waters on her own terms and asks Cobb to promise, when the time comes, to help her return to their beloved river for one final journey.

Set against the rugged wilderness of Maine, the exotic islands of Indonesia, the sweeping panoramas of Yellowstone National Park, and the tranquil villages of rural New England, Eternal on the Water is at once heartbreaking and uplifting --- a timeless, beautifully rendered story of true love's power.

---

 

Love in the Present Tense by Catherine Ryan Hyde

I came across this one on Aarti's blog, Booklust, as part of her innovative With Reverent Hands series.

For five years Pearl has managed to keep the past from catching up to her and her bright, frail five-year-old son. Life has given her every reason to mistrust people, but circumstances force her to trust her neighbor Mitch with watching Leonard while she goes off to work. Then one day Pearl drops her son off…and never returns.

They are an unlikely pair: Mitch is a young, unattached business owner, and Leonard is a precocious, five-year-old boy. But together they must find a way to move forward in the wake of Pearl’s unexplained disappearance. Their bond as parent and child shifts and endures, even as Mitch must eventually surrender Leonard to a two-parent home.

Is it possible to love the people who can’t always be there for us? The answers will surprise and move you. As their lives unfold, profound questions emerge about the nature of love and family. Ultimately, this novel’s richest reward is watching Mitch and Leonard grow up together, through the power and the magic of the human heart.

---

The Lumby Lines by Gail Fraser

I don't remember exactly where I spotted this one, but it was during one of my meanderings through the web during the weekend.

Arousing the suspicions of the townsfolk of Lumby, Pam and Mark Walker, a couple of "East Coasters" purchase the community's fire-ravaged and neglected monastery, intent on converting it into a historic inn and regaining it's Historical Register status.  With the aid of the sometimes helpful, often humorously hapless local tradespeople, the Walkers begin their renovation project, while trying to unravel the town that is Lumby.  Facing the open hostility from the cranky old newspaper publisher, the newcomers attempt to 'fit in' and piece together the mysteries of the benefactor who leaves unsolicited checks in old journals and the flamingo in their front yard with a flare for fashion.

It doesn't take them long to realize that the local paper, The Lumby Lines, provides many of the answers.  The daily "Sheriff's Complaints" column reveals many of the town's foibles and benign mayhem, and introduce Pam and Mark to some of the more colorful locals, while the young reporter of the weekly, "What's New Around Town" feature longs to land the big "expose", but somehow never gets it right.  Despite the setbacks that occur, Pam and Mark's commitment to the inn and the town never sways.

As the previous tenants of the monastery assist the Walkers in learning its history, the intrigue builds and romance blossoms, and they unknowingly discover long-hidden relationships which lead to unexpected reconciliations.  

Joining in the annual Lumby Raft Race ensues, Pam and Mark find themselves in the middle of a near disastrous scenario, and the people of Lumby learn the true nature of their newest residents. 

Check out what others discovered here!