Where Only Storms Grow by Alyssa Colman

“I looked in her eyes and found determination. Her speech was halting, imperfect, and exactly what I needed to hear.  We were full of dust and dreams, but something stronger too. Something that couldn’t easily be blown over.” - Howe, Where Only Storm Grow

This historical fiction novel about a pair of twins living in Oklahoma in the spring of 1935 is engaging and fast-paced. This story uses duel narrators, twins Joanna and Howe Stanton, to give a glimpse into what it was like to grow up during the Dust Bowl. Themes of family, community and survival are all present.

I especially enjoyed the relationships among the characters in this story. Regardless of how they were connected, there is kinship and a ‘we are all in this together’ aspect that lent hope regardless of the trials and tribulations each of the characters were facing.

As a former middle school ELA teacher, I think this novel is well-researched and would be a good complement to a non-fiction piece about the Dust Bowl and/or Black Sunday.

Thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan Publishers for the advanced copy to read. All opinions here are my own.

If You Love Football…

As the hours tick down to the last NFL game of the 2024 season, some of you may be feeling sad and beginning tomorrow, feeling lost. Like many of you, I wonder what I will do with my Sunday afternoons/evenings now that they won’t be spent alternating yelling and cheering at the T.V. screen.

This got me to thinking if there were any fiction books written that have something to do with football. (I say fiction because we all know there are loads of non-fiction books out there.) I did a wee bit of research and came up with six novels just in case you need a football fix between February 10 and September 4 which is when the first game of the 2025 season will be played.

Overkill by Sandra Brow (thriller) A former Super Bowl MVP quarterback finds himself in a moral dilemma when his ex-wife is violently assualted and left in a vegetative state and he holds her medical power of attorney. Years later, a state prosecutor wants him to make a life-altering decision.

The Silence by Don DeLilo (literary) Set in NYC on Super Bowl Sunday of 2022, five people (two who previously survived an accident) come together to watch the game when an unexpected tech blackout involving electronic devices and the infrastructure occurs. The lack of connectivity has implications for all.

Cover Up: Mystery at the Super Bowl by John Feinstein (mystery) Just before the Super Bowl, two young reporters uncover a scandal that involves performance-enhancing drugs which is being covered up by the team’s owners. The pair struggle with ethical issues and personal risks as the expose the story.

The Lost Super Bowls: 1961 to 1965 - A Fictional Scrapbook by Michael X. Ferraro. (history) A series of imagined articles and stories about Super Bowl games that never happened. This is a more creative way to read up on football history.

The Wall of Winnipeg and Me by Mariana Zapata (romance) A story about a personal assistant and a professional football player. The assistant resigns from her position to follow her own dreams but he counters with another offer in order to protect himself from a particular situation.

The Dating Playbook by Farrah Rochon (romance) A personal trainer works with an injured professional football player to get back into the game. Since they both agree they don’t want the media to hound them for progress, they instead pretend they are dating.

Fly Eagles Fly!🦅

Open for Book Reviews

I’m very happy to announce that I’ve been approved to review upcoming and new novels on NetGalley! I’ll be reading and writing reviews for Middle Grade, Teens & YA, Historical Fiction, Women’s Fiction and Mystery & Thrillers.

First up is a Middle Grade novel titled Where Only Storms Grow by Alyssa Colman.💨🌾

ACOTAR series Midway Musing: Feyre

Admittedly, I am late to the game in reading this series. But I am making up for it by inhaling the books now. I just finished the third, A Court of Wings and Ruins. I am thoroughly enjoying the world and characters Sarah J. Maas has created.

Well, most of them.

As I read, something started to bother me about Feyre. She changed, of course. She is one of the protagonists in the story, on her hero journey, and that is to be expected. But some shift in her character arc doesn’t sit right. I cheer that she learned how to live with her Under the Mountain experiences. I swoon when Rhysand steps in to help her along with this healing. I adore the dynamic between these two characters and I knew the dance around their feelings would eventually come to an end. BUT. I didn’t think it would take one book (out of five) and once Feyre and Rhysand came together, that’s when I began to feel disappointed. The capitulation that Feyre does once she accepts Rhysand is her mate turns me off. Now, she does have a history of falling fast - her interest in Tamlin happened quickly too. And as Under the Mountain proves, she goes all out when she’s in love. There is also a history of men letting her down - besides Tamlin, her father also falls into that category. So I would have liked to see her struggle to trust Rhysand for a longer time. This would have added depth to her character and maintained the tension I loved between them.

And to be completely honest, I would have liked Rhysand to be harder to trust. He clearly knows when to be a strategic SOB.

Basically I would have liked to see the tension between the two characters go on for another book. Extending the mistrust would enrich their dynamic and add another layer of complexity.

Anyway, on to book four!