Book Review: Mad Honey

 After the shocking twist was revealed halfway through the book, I was sure I knew who Lily's real killer was. I was wrong, but it kept me guessing -- and kept me reading -- so that's a good thing.

I loved Lily but still not sure how I feel about her boyfriend Asher. I love Lily's mom, too, and have mixed feelings about Asher's mom.

Without giving away anything, I will say that if you think being "woke" is a bad thing, you will either hate this book or you'll learn something and be enlightened.

 

  From the book cover:

A soul-stirring novel about what we choose to keep from our past, and what we choose to leave behind.

Olivia McAfee knows what it feels like to start over. Her picture-perfect life—living in Boston, married to a brilliant cardiothoracic surgeon, raising a beautiful son, Asher—was upended when her husband revealed a darker side. She never imagined she would end up back in her sleepy New Hampshire hometown, living in the house she grew up in, and taking over her father's beekeeping business.

Lily Campanello is familiar with do-overs, too. When she and her mom relocate to Adams, New Hampshire, for her final year of high school, they both hope it will be a fresh start.

And for just a short while, these new beginnings are exactly what Olivia and Lily need. Their paths cross when Asher falls for the new girl in school, and Lily can’t help but fall for him, too. With Ash, she feels happy for the first time. Yet at times, she wonders if she can she trust him completely . . .

Then one day, Olivia receives a phone call: Lily is dead, and Asher is being questioned by the police. Olivia is adamant that her son is innocent. But she would be lying if she didn’t acknowledge the flashes of his father’s temper in him, and as the case against him unfolds, she realizes he’s hidden more than he’s shared with her.

Mad Honey is a riveting novel of suspense, an unforgettable love story, and a moving and powerful exploration of the secrets we keep and the risks we take in order to become ourselves.

Let's Do It Again

 I haven't done this for two years in a row since 2002-2003. This year, I'm going to see if I can do it again.

Fingers crossed. Uh, no. It would be very hard to type that way.

To-Read Pile

 No promises, but I'm going to try to get back to this blog. Pictured is part of my to-read/in progress pile, so I'll have plenty of material, eventually.

"The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store" by James McBride isn't in the picture because I was reading it in another room. Also, I'm reading Dan Barry's "This Land, America Lost and Found." Also, in another room.

I Haven't Forgotten About This Blog

I'm working on some changes.

I'll be keeping the author interviews as well as my reviews, and local book/author news. But I'm going to throw in some news related to other forms of art, too.

Although reading is my first love and writing my second, I've come to realize that music (all genres), painting, fiber arts, acting ... Well, you get the idea ... are all important to me, too. So, I'm going to try to incorporate as much as I can into this blog.

I'd like to come up with a format before I start posting again regularly. I am getting there. Stay tuned.

Bestselling Author Coming to Pitt-Bradford

Sarah Dessen, the No. 1 New York Times bestselling author of more than a dozen novels for teens, will speak April 11 at the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford.

Dessen will share stories about writing and her books, read, and sign books at 7 p.m. in the Harriett B. Wick Chapel. The program is free and open to the public. The Pitt-Bradford hospitality management program will provide refreshments.

A community forum will be held at 5 p.m. in the chapel to discuss how young adult novels can spark conversations about adolescent development and common concerns faced by teenagers.

The interactive discussion, “Talking about the World of Teenagers Using Novels They Read,” will be led by Dr. Rebecca McHugh, assistant professor of psychology. Teens, parents, teachers and anyone else interested may attend.

McHugh will be joined by Mary Anne Polucci-Sherman, a psychologist at Bradford Regional Medical Center, and Suzy Meyer-Page, a counselor at Deerfield Behavioral Health.

Earlier this year, Dessen received the 2017 Margaret A. Edwards Award from the American Library Association for her significant and lasting contribution to writing for teens.

That writing includes “Dreamland,” “Keeping the Moon,” “Just Listen,” “The Truth About Forever,” “Along for the Ride,” “What Happened to Goodbye?” and “This Lullaby.”

Edwards Award committee chairperson, Joy Milliam, said “The teen years are often filled with anxiety, conflict and a sense of helplessness, but Sarah Dessen’s voice brings comfort, acceptance and love. Her stories lead to answers without condescension. Readers are empowered and learn that they have the ability to overcome their challenges.

In writing a review for her novel “What Happened to Goodbye” in 2011, Susan Carpenter of the Los Angeles Times wrote, “Sarah Dessen is something of a rock star in young adult fiction. Her bestselling coming-of-age novels are warmly written explorations of teens in transition that are, by turns, questioning, humorous and hopeful.”

Dessen’s newest novel, “Once and for All,” set in the world of wedding planning, will be released in June. She lives in Chapel Hill, N.C., where she grew up as the child of two professors at the University of North Carolina.

Dessen’s visit is co-sponsored by the Bradford Area Public Library, Bradford Area School District, Friends of Hanley Library, the Pitt-Bradford Division of Management and Education, Port Allegany School District, the Blaisdell Foundation, and the University of Pittsburgh’s Humanities Center.

Author to Sign Books Saturday in RC

Brian Toolan, Class of 1972, will be on campus Saturday to sign copies of his book “Snubbed,” the season-long chronicle of St. Bonaventure’s omission from the 2016 NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament.

Toolan will be signing copies of his book from 1 to 4 p.m. outside the SBU Bookstore. The Bonnies host Duquesne at 4 p.m. in the Reilly Center Arena that day.

Friday morning, Toolan will speak to the students who staff TAPinto Greater Olean as part of Anne and Richard Lee’s Journalists’ Workshop class. Friday. He also will be doing a podcast about his book with one of the Journalists’ Workshop students after the class.

Toolan had a 43-year career as a newspaper reporter and editor, including as senior vice president and editor of the Hartford Courant when it won the Pulitzer Prize in 1999.

“Snubbed: A Basketball Season of Triumph, Crisis and Despair at St. Bonaventure University,” looks back at an Atlantic 10 championship year for the third-smallest college in NCAA Division I. His reporting began months ahead of the season’s tipoff, not long after the university had reaffirmed its commitment to remain a Division I program.

Amid this tumult, Coach Mark Schmidt prepared his team for the school’s 96th season of men’s basketball. It began with injuries depleting the roster and resulted in adjustments to the style of play. The Bonnies were predicted to finish eighth in the A-10 by league coaches.

Granting Toolan generous access, Schmidt, frank and strikingly unvarnished, is the book’s key figure. The soaring performances that resulted in a share of the conference championship and the crushing process that denied the Bonnies an NCAA Tournament bid are recounted in a manner difficult to achieve in daily coverage of any season.

“Snubbed” is published by NFBPublishing in Buffalo and is available through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Powell’s Books, NFBPublishing.com, Dog Ears bookstore, Talking Leaves bookstore and other outlets.

Lots of Author Interviews ...

Christina Baker Kline, Alex George, Nick Petrie, M.A. Lawson, Reed Farrell Coleman, Robert Knott, Herb Freed, Sebastian Barry, Eric Wiberg and the awesome Brad Taylor are the authors I've interviewed so far this year.

You can hear the interviews here: WESB.com/on-demand.

Among the authors I have scheduled in the next few weeks are Steve Clark, Christine Lennon, Rachel Abbot and the awesome Steve Berry. Stay tuned.