30 Authors in 30 Days is a first of its kind event aimed at connecting readers, bloggers, and authors. Hosted by The Book Wheel, this month-long event takes place during September and features 30 authors discussing their favorite recent reads on 30 different blogs. For the full schedule of participating authors and bloggers, visit The Book Wheel.

Author Adria J. Cimino on The Art of Falling by Kathryn Craft

Photo Credit: Author website

Expressing one art form through another always intrigues me. In this case, Kathryn Craft choreographs with words to create dance, to bring graceful movement to each page of this well-written novel. Movement controls Penny’s heart and soul, even when she struggles to execute the smallest steps after her fall or faces the tough realities of the world of dance. As the reader, I was quickly following her footsteps, dancing with her through her moments of despair and hope.

Penny herself is an admirable character. She is strong, disciplined and has a soft side that allows itself to slip forth at the most important times. Her main weakness is the view that she has of herself as she looks at the “perfect” bodies of the slimmer dancers. This novel deals brilliantly with the issues of body image and eating disorders, which although are particularly prominent in dance, also are relevant well beyond. Penny realizes she must conquer this lack of self-assurance and must believe in her talent if she hopes to truly rebuild her life.

I am a dance lover, but you don’t have to be to enjoy The Art of Falling. This novel reaches farther as it explores relationships that are a part of all of our lives: Mother-daughter, friendship, love, mentor-student. How lives touch is an integral part of the book. And each character feels very real. Penny’s relationship with her mother as well as the friendship she builds with a young women suffering from cystic fibrosis are particularly poignant.

Failure, regret, discovery, joy and forgiveness weave through the lives of the characters, separating them at certain points and bringing them back together. If I close my eyes, I can see this as a work of modern dance set to the music of words.

Author Bio

Photo Credit: Goodreads

Adria J. Cimino is the author of Paris, Rue des Martyrs, the story of four troubled strangers whose lives entwine in a Parisian neighborhood. Adria lives in Paris and enjoys sharing her adventures in the city and thoughts about the writing life in her blog Adria in Paris.

Previously, she worked as a journalist for more than a decade at news organizations including the Associated Press and Bloomberg News. Adria, who grew up in the sunshine, holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of South Florida.

You can also learn more about Adria Cimino by liking her on Facebook, following her on Twitter, or purchasing her book here.

Interested in The Art of Falling? You can learn about Kathryn Craft by liking her on Facebook or following her on Twitter. Or, you can purchase the book here.

And check out the giveaway!

I received this book from St. Martin’s Press in exchange for a fair and honest review.  

Island of a Thousand Mirrors by Nayomi Munaweera is a story told about two opposing sides over the course of decades that surrounded the Sri Lankan civil war.

A quick summary explains this complex-in-a-fabulous-way storyline:

Yasodhara tells the tale of her own Sinhala clan first. As a child in idyllic Colombo, her life is shaped by social hierarchy, her parents’ ambitions, teenage love and most importantly, the differences between the Tamil and Sinhala people who share the island. When peace is shattered, Yasodhara’s family flees to Los Angeles.

Saraswathi is living in the active war zone of Sri Lanka, with hopes to become a teacher. But her dreams are abruptly stamped out when she is arrested by a group of Sinhala soldiers and pulled into the heart of the conflict. A conflict that will eventually connect her to Yasodhara in in unexpected ways.

Island of a Thousand Mirrors was complicated and intense, but also really moving.  I was captivated by the storylines of each woman, of Sri Lanka’s civil war, and of the daily life.  I was devastated and shocked by the ending (as only a good author can make you feel) and can’t stop thinking of this book.

Munaweera does not tell a happy tale.  She tells a REAL tale, reminiscent of NoViolet Bulawayo’s We Need New Names and Uwem Akpan’s Say You’re One of Them.  None of these books are “happy” but they are gritty, real, moving, and what reading is about.

Not a fan of real and gritty?  Well, try it out and follow it up with a happy story after.

You don’t be disappointed.

What about you?  Gritty reads lover?  Or more of a happy ending fan?

I received this book in exchange for a fair and honest review. 

Photo Credit: Goodreads

Losing St. Christopher is the second book in the Cherokee Trilogy, but can also be read independently.  If you didn’t read the first book, Cherokee Talisman, yeah, you’ll miss stuff, but you will also be able to enjoy a fully formed novel.

Here’s a brief synopsis from Goodreads:

In Losing St. Christopher, Totsuhwa, the revered shaman of the Cherokee Nation, struggles against the assimilation of his people into the white world of men he sees as invaders. The colonists, along with Cherokee who are trying to bridge both worlds, see him as a barbarous threat. When Totsuhwa’s visions show him the outcome, it is as black as his deep set haunting eyes. Chancellor, his son, takes a white wife following study at a missionary school and the shaman’s fears seem realized. Conflicts between cultures and within the family erupt when Totsuhwa’s only grandchild is forced onto the Trail of Tears. In the chase that follows, an estranged love fights to stem the ugly flow of racism that is moving in two directions.

Losing St. Christopher was a high-interest book.  There are elements of both positive and negative attitudes toward the Native Americans, and I enjoyed how Harding exhibited mixed marriages as well as white people who were willing to do anything to help their neighbors in need.

Basically, I was hooked.  Chancellor is a very powerful character, educated in both the white and Cherokee ways, which can cause conflict when he chooses certain ways to deal with issues.  But at the same time, he’s a caring, loyal son and friend, and eventually father.

I recommend Losing St. Christopher!  But here’s a warning: Grab a tissue for the last 3 pages because there is such a heartfelt ending that you can’t help but leak out some tears!

And don’t forget, I also read and loooooved How Angels Die by David-Michael Harding, which is a historical fiction novel about two French sisters who resist the Nazis in valuable, but very different, ways.

Check out the author’s website and Facebook page for more info!