The Secret of Snow

The Secret of Snow by Viola Shipman 352 pages

There’s no better way to cool down on a hot and humid St. Louis afternoon than to read a book that takes place in northern Michigan in the dead of winter!

Sonny Dunes fled northern Michigan thirty years ago for the sunshine and warm temperatures of southern California. Palm Springs to be exact. It’s not hard to be a meteorologist when the weather is the same day after day. But what is hard is not aging or gaining a few pounds. When the station decides to replace the fifty-year-old Sonny with a virtual meteorologist, she loses it. On air. Not good for one’s career.

With no job, Sonny isn’t sure what to do. She has only one place to turn; her mother, in yes that awful, awful place in northern Michigan. It’s not that Sunny hates the wintery weather, which she does with a passion. For her, her hometown is haunted. Haunted by death of her younger sister, and the survivor’s guilt she has endured.

Her agent tries to find her a new gig, but the only person willing to take a chance on her is an old college classmate whom she despises and has been trying to ignore for years. Sonny is forced to swallow her pride and move back home, taking up residence in her childhood bedroom.

The job is as bad as she had feared. The station wants her to cover all the winter activities in the region. Did I mention that Sonny hates winter?  Yeah, the job is sheer hell. She has to put on a happy face while hating every minute and aspect of winter.

As Sonny begins to confront her past and to make friends with her new colleagues, her heart and soul begin to melt, freeing her enjoy the attention of a man named Mason and actually start enjoying her life---and dare I say it, the winter weather.

One thing that annoyed me about the book was that it starts off in December 2021 and projects through April 2022. I didn’t feel the plot warranted its futuristic timeline, but maybe I didn’t understand author Shipman’s reasoning behind it.

I liked “The Secret of Snow,” and it receives 4 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world. And yes, reading it in the depths of summer did make me less hot and cranky.

 

Affinities

Affinities by Robert C. Wilson, 304 pages

Affinities was recommended to me by our librarian in the Teen room, Carrie. While she hasn’t joined us in our blogging quest to reclaim a trophy, she does recommend good books. Affinities is about a futuristic society in which people, if they choose to, can get sorted into niche groups based on their personalities. It that regard it is very Divergent like, but a lot less strict.

The story follows one Adam Fisk. A man who can no longer afford college and is adrift in life. With nothing else to lose he takes the affinity test and gets matched with one in his area. Suddenly his life has meaning again, he is meeting new friends, has a steady job and everything is coming up roses. But a dark truth is lurking just under the surface that could bring everything he has come to know and love to a bitter end.

Affinities is very good and I really enjoyed it. I would have to go back and check copy write dates but I think this book came out before Divergent and in my opinion should be read instead. It doesn’t have the explosions and teenage love, but it has some crucial life lessons and a hard hitting message. I think everyone should read this book, as it might only be a matter of time before society heads this direction.

Afterparty

Afterparty, by Daryl Gregory, 304 pages

In the not-so-distant future, there has been a "smart drug" revolution- people can create recipes for drugs and print them on chem jet printers.  When a girl is brought into the psych ward and starts going through terrible withdrawal from a drug that made her "see God," a fellow patient becomes personally involved.  Lyda Rose watches the withdrawal and knows that the drug she took is one Lyda swore would never come to light again.  She sets out on a trip that takes her across Canada, into the U.S., and crosses paths with cigarette-smuggling First Nations, dangerous drug dealing immigrants, her girlfriend from the psych ward who goes off-medication in an effort to help, and the scariest of all: her past.  This book offers a great deal to think about regarding faith, God, drugs, and the brain.  It also has a bit of a mystery to it, so there's a little bit of everything in it.