Trondhjem's Pie & Ice Cream Social 2019

Trondhjem’s Pie & Ice Cream Social 2019

Oh glorious day! Hip hip hooray! Jolly yippee!

It’s time for Trondhjem’s Pie & Ice Cream Social jubilee!

Our annual event kicks off in the afternoon at 5.

On September 15^th, join us where food, fun and fellowship thrive.

Let your stomach lead you to the sloppy joes downstairs.

Choose your slice of pie wisely and pull up a chair.

Will there be pumpkin, lemon meringue or chocolate this year?

Is it to Georgia peach, strawberry or cherry that you steer?

Not to be forgotten is our Silent Auction of delights.

Who knows what there’ll be? It will be a plethora of sights.

Might we see hand-sewn projects and woodwork built?

I have it on good authority that we can expect a quilt.

Adjacent to the auction is our baked goods sale

Often bursting with sweets like a confectionery cocktail.

Are you hoping for lefse, kolaches or doughnuts galore?

For homemade bread or pickles, brownies or savories and more?

Again this year is Trondhjem’s quilt raffle – times two!

Buy up many tickets so your winning chances accrue.

The tickets will cost you just one dollar each.

Thank you for your support. You are a peach!

Come September 15^th, we hope to see you here.

Join us in our family-friendly atmosphere.

Five o’clock heralds this annual celebration,

A marvel of creativity and delicious sensations!

The Positive Page-turner's Challenge: Take 7

Summer is fast winding down, and I haven’t posted a Page-turner’s Challenge since January. That one is going very well for me, by-the-way. Including the packages of bar soap I already bought for this month, I’ve boxed up 58 packages of soap that contain eight or ten bars per pack. Some of it has been sent to Haiti this year – over 80 pounds! I do not know when the next round will get sent. I send full bars only (not the hotel bars), usually something gentler like Ivory, so if anyone wants to begin their own soap project, let me know. Or, if you’d like to contribute to my soap project, please let me know that, too!

            This Page-turner’s Challenge is already complete. For every book you see in this picture (there are 16), I donated $5 per book. I wrote out a check for $80 to my home church’s Haiti Fund on Sunday, Aug. 18.

            I am swiftly on my way to readying my next photo op of books. Do you have any idea what sort of challenge I should present to myself for that round? (Otherwise, I’m sure I’ll donate a dollar amount again.)

Rutabaga's Reads 2019: Part 12

Not to be left out, middle-grade (MG) novels have been making their run on my bookshelves. Here is 2019’s third MG compilation.

Escape from the Isle of the Lost (June 4, 2019) by Melissa de la Cruz.

*This is the fourth novel in a series.*

Oh how far they’ve come! Where once Mal, Evie, Jay and Carlos looked toward nothing but living up to their wicked upbringing and villainous parents, they have made positive names for themselves and are looking toward graduation. Mal is Lady Mal, learning the customs of Auradon royalty at her boyfriend’s side, Auradon’s King Ben. Evie, ever a delight, has expanded into creating custom graduation gowns for her classmates and is working toward saving for something specific. Jay, never knowing what it meant to be a team player before Auradon, finds himself with an unbelievable option: go pro with R.O.A.R. or pursue it at university? And Carlos, well, Carlos is a year behind the other three, so he’ll remain at Auradon Prep, but he’s got a charming girlfriend in Jane, daughter of Fairy Godmother. It’s too bad that Uma hasn’t been seen recently. What evil is she plotting beneath the waves? Hint: She’s found threads of magic and convinces Hades to team up with her. Will she finally overtake Mal and exact her revenge?

            The fourth Disney Descendants novel, “Escape from the Isle of the Lost” is as delightful as a confectionery full of sweets. This middle-grade novel isn’t the type where evil curdles your insides and makes you want to keep the light on. There is maniacal laughter, threatening words and even a mind-controlling spell, but the tone continues to side with the light. Fun, adventure and friendship continue to rule the story (as does the teenage king). A must-have for current fans; potential new fans will want to start the series at the beginning.

            Book One: Isle of the Lost

            Book Two: Return to the Isle of the Lost

            Book Three: Rise of the Isle of the Lost

The Poe Estate (Sept. 15, 2015) by Polly Shulman.

*This is the third novel in an unofficial series.*

When her parents fall on hard times, Susannah “Sukie” O’Dare and her parents move in with her 91-year-old Cousin Hepzibah in the ancient, spacious Thorne Mansion. Rumor is that it’s haunted. And it is. Hepzibah understands Sukie where her parents wouldn’t. Sukie can see and communicate with her deceased sister, Kitty. As in life, Kitty aims to protect Sukie, but ghosts can’t change, so it’s upsetting as Sukie changes. Kitty often appears at will, but Sukie can summon her with a whistle she gave her before her death. It turns out that Sukie doesn’t only have a sensitivity to Kitty’s ghost. There are objects that she responds to when she touches them. She even finds out she can fly on a Hawthorne broom, which has been in the family for generations. She meets Dr. Elizabeth Rew and Andre Merritt of the New-York Circulating Material Repository at a flea market, along with their large “dog,” Griffin, and they become an invaluable help, along with classmate Cole Farley, who has seemingly matured from the boy who tormented her in the past. Sukie (“Spooky,” according to Cole) and Cole may have descended from fictional literary characters and are themselves connected by Windy (Sukie’s relation) and Phinny (Cole’s relation), whose story is tragic and also unfinished. With the help of her new friends, can Sukie find Windy’s treasure? What will Sukie discover about literary materials being “real,” including entire haunted houses, and her family’s own Thorne Mansion?

            Succeeding Shulman’s “The Grimm Legacy” and “The Wells Bequest,” this is a delightful middle-grade edition to that set. I have loved the modern fantasy of each of the stories,  the humor and the adventure, the lilt and imagination. Hints of a youthful budding romance are present but not noisome. Though I haven’t read most of the stories referenced, I enjoyed how cleverly Shulman wove in all the literary references. It’s always fun to see familiar characters from the other stories, though it can be read as a standalone. It’s its own treasure of supernatural shenanigans and fantastical exploration. I don’t expect I’d be alone in wishing that the New-York Circulating Material Repository were a real place, where I could check out the seven-league boots or a magic carpet or maybe just stay overnight in a haunted house and meet the retired repositorian neighbors living in other haunted houses in the Poe Annex. Walk quickly through the Lovecraft Corpus, though.

            Book One: The Grimm Legacy

            Book Two: The Wells Bequest

Reflection: A Twisted Tale (Mar. 27, 2018) by Elizabeth Lim.

*This is the fourth in a series and the first of them featuring a different author.*

When one male is conscripted into service from each family, Fa Mulan steals away into the night to take her injured father’s place. She goes with nothing more than her father’s armor, his sword, Mushu – the family’s guardian dragon – and Cri-Kee – her lucky cricket. They ride Khan, her trusty steed. Women do not serve in the military, so she goes as Ping, the son that her family never talked about. Mulan proves her mettle as Ping and is dedicated to her regiment, so when Captain Li Shang is grievously wounded, she travels to Diyu to bargain with its ruler, King Yama. (Diyu, in Chinese mythology, is their underworld.) She travels there with ShiShi, the guardian of the Li family, normally noted as a great stone lion. King Yama declares she can bring Shang back, but only if she makes it before sunrise, otherwise she will remain in Diyu forever and neither her family nor her friends will ever know what befell her. The obstacles in their way will try to trick her into remaining, trap her or even cause her death. Time already seems too short. Will it be just enough to save Shang and herself? Or will she soon count herself among Diyu’s residents?

            In this twisted tale from Disney and author Elizabeth Lim, the beloved “Mulan” classic is turned on its head. I wasn’t sure what to expect, so I was pleased that I enjoyed the tale. It was fast-paced and maintained Mulan’s warrior strength while still giving her something to grapple with. This tale is an adventure where the girl saves the boy; no damsels-in-distress here! As it’s Disney, the readers know that any ominous situations are going to right themselves later, so there’s no reason to worry about the fate of the characters. I enjoy a twisted fairytale done well, and I thought this one was done tastefully. Readers will recognize scenes from the 1998 film as flashbacks to Mulan’s life, thus making the character even more familiar.

"A Glitter of Gold" by Liz Johnson

A Glitter of Gold (Aug. 6, 2019) by Liz Johnson.*

Hurricane Lorenzo certainly didn’t help Anne Norris’ (Anne Bonny, professionally) Rum Runners Tours guided tour business, which has already been struggling. Finding work is not easy when you’re a convicted felon, even when the judge believes that she took the fall over something she had no knowledge of, yet she spent five years and seven months in jail. She fled California to Savannah, Georgia, and Tybee Island to be free. Anne finds a sword hilt made of gold, and she takes her find to Dr. Carter Hale at the National Maritime Museum. He’s astounded by it, thinking it proves a shipwreck described in an 18^th-century family diary passed down through the generations. To date, he’s never been able to pinpoint where the Catherine may have sunk.

            Carter is attracted to Anne the first time he sees her, when she enters the museum before hours, having gotten in when Hazel, the museum’s only other paid employee, forgets to lock the front door. Locating the shipwreck is his life’s passion thanks to that diary he first read all those years ago. Somehow, almost impossibly, he convinces Anne to work with him. Her only request (demand, really) is that he never give out her name, though she doesn’t disclose why. She knows she should tell him, even Carter’s Aunt Tessie has figured out her past. (Granted, she’s a research librarian, “It’s what I do.”) After hurricane damage, Carter doesn’t have the money for the repairs, and the museum was already hemorrhaging money prior to that, and Anne doesn’t know if she’ll have two dollars next week. Will the search to find the shipwreck be a boon to their respective lives or a titanic sinking of their budding relationship?

            While this is the second in the Georgia Coast Romance series, this read as a standalone novel, which I appreciated, having not read the first one. “A Glitter of Gold” shows two main characters working to find acceptance of themselves through God’s grace. Anne has been bogged down these years past with the weight of perceived guilt and the burden of shame, while Carter has avoided “the Hale name” when he may have to suck up his own pride and reach out to his father. My favorite part of the story was reading excerpts from the diary; I found the high-seas adventures to be captivating. Johnson’s story has a strong constitution to hold up her swiftly-moving, inspirational, contemporary romance. It is part treasure hunt and part exploration-of-self. I didn’t love it, but I did like it. It has verve.

* Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Revell Books. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions are expressly my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Rutabaga's Reads 2019: Part 11

To ramp up my young adult (YA) game, I’m posting another compilation featuring YA novels.

Legendary (May 29, 2018) by Stephanie Garber.

*This is the second book in a trilogy.*

Caraval has never happened twice in the same year, and now Legend has given his performers less than a week to recover since it was won. Another Caraval is going to begin in honor of Empress Elantine’s 75^th birthday. The other Dragna sister, Donatella (Tella), is playing this time. In the previous game, to believe it was too real was to go mad, but based on the first clue, is there truth to this Caraval? If it’s real, then the Fates are more than their pictures on a cursed Deck of Destiny, and history shows no kindness in them. There’s a “friend” who has tasked her with winning Caraval so she can discover who Master Legend truly is, and he doesn’t just want his name; he wants Legend himself. The only way Tella will meet Legend in the flesh is to win. And if she doesn’t win and therefore doesn’t deliver Legend to her “friend,” then her mother will remain lost to her, for her “friend” claims to know where she is.

            Tella gains a room at Elantine’s palace when Dante – insufferable, handsome, usually acts like a villain – claims Tella’s the heir’s fiancée. He means it as a jest, but then she receives a note and an exquisite dress from her fake fiancé. Enter golden-haired Jacks, who may be the Prince of Hearts. Known for his fatal kisses, Tella has kissed him. Whoops. All the bravery and cunning in the world will not help Tella if her life is in trouble. And if she can’t figure out Legend’s real name, then she’ll lose someone she loves besides.

            “Legendary,” the second book in the Caraval trilogy, shines with magic and enchantment. Love and betrayal twirl in a sensuous dance in this story with air that tastes like wonder and glitters with opulence. Seams of darkness run close to the surface, ready to ensnare the unwary and tempt the main character. Garber’s imagination knows no bounds, but I actually don’t care for Tella. She’s the epitome of a younger sister, the type that was pampered and constantly looked out for by an older sibling (Scarlett, from the first novel). Still, the story is dark and seductive and sweeps the reader away. Just try not to get caught in any sugared spiderwebs. I can’t imagine that would go well for anyone.

            Book One: Caraval

War Storm (May 15, 2018) by Victoria Aveyard.

*This is the final book in a tetralogy.*

War is coming. The world where Mare Barrow lives is volatile at best. She fights to secure freedom for Reds and newbloods (or Ardents) like her from the Silvers who would keep using them like they’re expendable. Other Silvers are tentative allies, and they include Cal, though Mare’s struggle is real since his betrayal. Cal is no Maven, but it’s crushing that his vision for the future does not match hers. And even as half brothers, they are still brothers. Despite the enmity, they are both “Constructions of their parents. Cal is built from his father’s dreams, and Maven from his mother’s nightmares” (--thoughts from Mare, p. 458). Their greatest allies are the residents of Montfort, especially the Ardents, some of which have abilities never before carried in a Silver’s blood. Montfort’s Premier Davidson gives them a glimpse of a piece of the world where Ardents, Reds and Silvers are encouraged to live amicably amongst one another. It’s a place where a man can marry a man or a woman a woman (Evangeline “stares at the man with such naked envy I think she might turn green.” --Mare’s thought, p.124). Will Mare return to Montfort where her family now resides? Or will the lightning girl be silenced forever? Is there a chance that the damage Elara did to Maven’s mind can be undone if an Ardent whisper powerful enough exists? Or is Maven truly gone beyond help? After all, “There’s no way to complete a puzzle with missing pieces, or put together shattered glass” (--Mare, to Maven, on his brokenness caused by his mother).

            As a concluding novel in a series, “War Storm” is epic and exciting. It crackles with glorious purpose like lightning in a storm and booms with the thunder and violence of war, revenge and mortal enemies. This dystopian fantasy has been inventive, exhilarating and dramatic all series long. It’s an intense duel of romance and revolution, power and balance, dominance and teamwork. It’s a great show without the theater screen or the stage, so strong is Aveyard’s writing in bringing all 657 pages to life for her readers!

            Book One: Red Queen

            Book Two: Glass Sword

            Book Three: King’s Crown

Winter (Nov. 10, 2015) by Marissa Meyer.

*This is the final book in a tetralogy.*

Things are not looking good. Linh Cinder and company are fugitives, both of the Earthen Union and Luna. They abducted Emperor Kaito (Kai), who has been engaged to Queen Levana, the Lunar queen. In his absence, Earth has been overrun with genetically-modified beings mind-controlled by thaumaturges. So much death. Cinder knows that Levana wants nothing more than to be made empress and control both realms once she assassinates Kai. Cinder is someone very important from the past, and she’s coming to terms with it. This means she isn’t only trying to save the Earthen realm she grew up in, but also a moon that she has no recollection of.*

            Princess Winter is like one of her pets in her menagerie, except she can wander around. Despite the scars on her face (blame Levana), Winter remains the most beautiful person anyone has ever met (no glamour necessary). Her beauty is unrivaled even by Levana’s carefully-constructed glamour of herself. Through no fault of her own, she’s gained an Earthen “pet” in Scarlet Benoit. Wolf (a.k.a. Ze’ev Kesley) is trying tirelessly to save her, though he doesn’t know if she’s still alive. Along with their allies, Crescent Moon “Cress” Darnel, Carswell Thorne, Jacin Clay and Iko, they need to get ahead of Levana once and for all.

            I admit that my interest in The Lunar Chronicles has waned, but since I’ve read the other books in the series, I wanted to finish it. I set this book aside multiple times; it took me months to get through. I don’t mind multiple perspectives, but there are too many perspectives running around this story. I suspect that’s the reason the trade paperback version is 824 pages long, which it definitely does not need to be. That said, I do feel that this series concluded in a satisfactory way. This world which Meyer created is well-developed and imaginatively immersive. I have liked that the author created a mosh pit of fairy tale and science fiction; I think it has worked well. Despite the sheer size of the final novel, this should appeal to anyone who appreciates strong heroines and the fractured fairy tale genre.

            Book One: Cinder

            Book Two: Scarlett

            Book Three: Cress

*Perhaps this is for the best. After all, how hard would it have been to live up to the name Selene Channary Jannali Blackburn?

"The Killing Tide" by Dani Pettrey

The Killing Tide (Aug. 6, 2019) by Dani Pettrey.*

There have been two attempts on her life in less than a year. When the second one occurs, Gabrielle “Gabby” Rowley’s boss gives her an ultimatum: Go with her brother and let him protect her or be fired. Reporting is Gabby’s passion, and job offers have been scant since the ordeal with Asim Noren destroyed her international reporting career. Gabby’s brother, Noah, is a lead Coast Guard Investigative Service (CGIS) agent. He doesn’t want Gabby anywhere unless at least he or Finn Walker are present, and her heart is in trouble with Finn around. She broke his heart to keep pursuing her passion for reporting, but it was hard on her, too. It doesn’t help now that she’s staying at his loft. Too close. But there are other volatile situations in play for the both of them. It’s suspected that Xavier Fuentes is still after Gabby, and foul play is obvious after a Coast Guard officer and friend of Finn’s is found dead. For better or for worse, Gabby and Finn have been thrown together again. Will they track down the killer before more are killed?

            Book One in the Coastal Guardians series, “The Killing Tide” is a romantic suspense, inspirational fiction novel. It is rife with mystery, faith, investigation and budding romance and is also anchored with those things, plus studded with a little rivalry between teams, stubbornness and time in (and on) the water. It’s another winning novel from Pettrey, but I admit that I did find Gabby to be frustrating.  I realize she’s very passionate about her job without seeming regard to her safety, but I get the impression that she’s always put herself first, put her work first. That didn’t sit well with me with Finn’s upstanding self pretty much pining for her. Fortunately, I feel she redeemed herself by the conclusion.

* Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Bethany House Publishers. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions are expressly my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

"The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein" by Kiersten White

The Dark Descent of Elizabeth Frankenstein (Sept. 25, 2018) by Kiersten White.

An orphan, unloved, malnourished and abused by her “caregiver,” Elizabeth Lavenza snags the opportunity to befriend Victor Frankenstein. An odd boy with a dangerous temper and an increasingly depraved mind, Elizabeth is determined to keep him. Because if Victor keeps her, she is saved from the caregiver. In survival mode, a calculating soul lies behind Elizabeth’s blue eyes, sweet smile and pretty face, but it grants her a warm bed, no lack of food, the finest dresses and a place to call home. But life with the Frankenstein family comes at a hefty price. She must go along with everything Victor does in the name of his experiments, no matter how destructive or disturbing. And when he leaves for school but then ceases writing to her, she must find him for fear that Judge Frankenstein will toss her out, thus subtracting her as an unnecessary expense. Locating Victor is not easy, and they’ve heard nothing from Henry Clerval, either. At least, not since he apparently abandoned Victor. Where is Henry, truly? How determined is Elizabeth to stay with the Frankenstein family, even when all of Victor’s experiments point to consuming madness, darkness and death? Does Victor’s madness know any bounds?

            Purposely timed with the 200^th anniversary of Mary Shelley’s FRANKENSTEIN, White’s YA novel is a disturbingly elegant retelling of the birth of a monster in this Gothic tale. White has stitched together a masterpiece of darkness, horror and obsession backed with immersive worldbuilding, a heavy plot and a suspenseful climax. White respects feminist sensitivity in a time when women were totally dependent on men and shows Elizabeth playing whichever role will allow her to keep Victor and a roof over head, no matter how unstable those around her are. She isn’t without her flaws, based out of desperation not to be thrown out with nothing and no one but herself, but she remains a strong female lead. With an overall dark and ominous tone in this gothic and, at times, gory horror, this clever retelling should appeal to anyone with a dark side!

            Who makes a monster? Is it something you can see, the physical aspect? Or is it within one’s soul … or lack thereof?

"The String" by Caleb Breakey

The String (July 16, 2019) by Caleb Breakey.*

The conductor runs the show. It is elaborate, and his rules are simple. Know that participation is mandatory, and know that if you don’t follow the rules, threats aren’t mere threats, but heinous actions against others, whether those close to you or your fellow participants in the string. University cop and SWAT team member Markus Haas has gotten tangled in the conductor’s twisted web. How he came to the attention of the conductor isn’t right away known, but Markus is a good guy, and in the conductor’s shattered mind, there must be something about breaking down a strong person. Someone who is strong in mind and body. Markus has no intention of playing this game by the conductor’s rules, but will he change his mind when the conductor takes those whom he cares for the most?

            This psychological thriller was unlike anything I’ve yet read in inspirational fiction. It was unexpected, though not in a negative way. The plot is certainly intricate and is weighed down by the gravity of the situation. This story is not for the faint of heart; the story can get violent. It is as twisted as the mind of its conductor. I thought the number of “strings” (unwilling participants) were too many, and it frustrated me that the protagonist seemed so far behind the antagonist when the protagonist clearly has the training, skills and smarts to investigate. And while I appreciated that this Christian fiction story wasn’t preachy, I still thought the threads of faith were too subtle. Not to say I expected vocal prayers every few chapters from the characters, but this is a story of keeping the faith in the midst of evil. Because of that, I expected faith to be a little bit more than subtle, but this first in the Deadly Games series remains a solid debut.

* Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from Revell Books. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions are expressly my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”