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Verity Boone hasn't been back to the small mountain town of Catawissa, Pennsylvania, since she left it behind as a toddler.  Raised by an aunt in Boston after her mother's death, Verity barely remembers "home."  Still, the 17-year-old is excited to return.  In Catawissa, she'll finally be able to meet her fiancee who, judging by his romantic letters, is absolutely perfect.  

Verity is confused by the cool reception she receives in Catawissa—not just from the father she barely knows, but also from his housekeeper, Verity's intended, and pretty much everyone else in town—until she discovers the source of their apprehension.  Outside the village's cemetery gates are two graves, one belonging to Verity's mother, the other to her mother's sister.  Unlike those inside the cemetery, these are caged.  The sight sends shivers down Verity's spine.  No one in town will explain the cages except to say that, sometimes, Catawissa's dead refuse to stay put.  Verity can't believe the town gossip—that her mother and aunt were dangerous witches who needed to be imprisoned even in death—but she's still unnerved by the idea.  What is the real reason for the caged graves?  Who was Verity's mother, really?  And is it true, what the townsfolk say about restless spirits?  In between trying to understand her confounding fiancee, ignoring her growing feelings for another man, and getting to know her distant father, Verity intends to find out the answers to the town's deepest, darkest mysteries.

The Caged Graves, a haunting historical mystery by Dianne K. Salerni, was inspired by the intriguing existence of two caged graves in present-day Catawissa.  No one knows the reason for the cages, but the possibilities are spooky indeed.  Salerni's imagined story definitely provides a few chills, although it's more of a mystery than a horror show.  While the tale is predictable in some ways, it's surprising in others, making it on-the-whole, a very compelling novel.  The ending did disappoint a bit—still, I enjoyed this one.

(Readalikes:  Reminded me a little of The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare)

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To the FTC, with love:  Another library fine find

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With their daddy recently deceased, it's Tess and Birdie against the world.  Or, at least against their mother.  Beautiful, bitter Louise has never quite understood her daughters, whom the neighbors have labeled the "Finley ghouls."  If she gets wind of Birdie's newest quirk—believing her father is not dead at all, just living it up in Boca Raton—Louise is sure to lock her younger, slower daughter up in the insane asylum for good.  Which is why Tess has to convince Birdie of the truth.  Their lighthearted, jokester of a dad is dead.  No one knows that better than Tess; after all, she's the one who killed him.  

Filled with grief and fear, young Tess must use all her (considerable) pluck and grit to save her aggravating, but beloved little sister.  She believes she's on her own until help comes along in the most unlikely of forms ...

With her warm prose and spunky characters, Lesley Kagen has quickly written her way into my heart.  I've loved all of the books I've read by her.  So, really, it's no surprise that I adored The Undertaking of Tess as well.  Although it's just a novella, the story overflows with bright, vivid life.  Tess is my favorite kind of child narrator—not only is she funny, brave, and loyal (at least to her sister), but she is authentically so.  Seen through her innocent eyes, her story rings ever more true, ever more heart-wrenching, ever more hopeful.

I missed the Finley sisters the minute I finished this novella.  Thankfully, Kagen continues their story in her new novel, The Resurrection of Tess Blessing.  I seriously can't wait to see what happens to Tess next!

(Readalikes:  The Resurrection of Tess Blessing as well as Whistling in the Dark and Good Graces, all by Lesley Kagen)

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Living and working in a mining town comes with a certain amount of risk.  Everyone knows what could happen, but no one ever expects it to really happen.  Until it does.  In Swandyke, Colorado, a small town near Tenmile Ridge, the inevitable occurs on an otherwise ordinary Spring day in 1920.  Just as the schoolchildren are heading home for the day, a split of snow cracks off the mountain, creating an avalanche with the deadly, unstoppable force of a speeding train.  Hurtling toward the children at the base of the mountain, the heavy snow threatens to bury them all.   

As the tragedy unfolds, residents of Swandyke look on in horror.  Those with children—including two sisters who haven't spoken to each other in decades; a murderer hiding from the law; a prostitute with a hidden identity; a Civil War veteran; and the superintendent's wife, who guards her own secrets—gather to worry, hope and pray.  While each waits to learn the fate of their little ones, their fears, prejudices, and secret longings swim to the surface.  With so many lives hanging in the balance, can the people of Swandyke put aside their many differences and come together as a community?  Or will the avalanche be their ultimate undoing?

Whiter Than Snow by Sandra Dallas is a sad, but hopeful tale about an ordinary town on an average day and how one cruel twist of fate affects everyone who lives there.  It's a vivid, moving story about redemption, forgiveness, and the quiet strength we often never know we possess.  While it's a bit depressing, I also found this novel to be both compelling and touching.  A very satisfying read altogether.  

(Readalikes:  Um, I can't think of anything.  Can you?)

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You've heard the old adage:  A good man is hard to find.  That may be true, but as David S. Baxter—a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints' First Quorum of the Seventy—argues, they are absolutely essential for the future of families, governments, and societies.  As a man who grew up without the loving guidance of a father, Baxter knows firsthand why such influences are so important.

Few would disagree that the world needs more good men.  The real question is, how does one become such?  In What Good Men Do, Baxter examines the lives of several everyday men, unsung heroes who showed courage, compassion, and determination even in the most trying of circumstances.  By looking at the traits which defined their characters, Baxter creates a list of values all men (and women) can aspire to acquire.  These include: taking risks, helping the needy, leading one's family with patience and love, standing up for what is right, etc.  This leads Baxter to the most renowned example of a good man—the Savior, Jesus Christ.  Insists Baxter, studying His life, His teachings and His atonement shows us how to live as did the greatest man who ever walked this Earth. 

Although Baxter aims his remarks specifically at men of the LDS faith, his message really is for everyone.  It's nothing you haven't heard before, but it still provides some great food for thought.  If every man (and woman) strove to live up to the ideals Baxter discusses in his book, the world would be a much brighter place indeed.

(Readalikes:  Hm, I can't think of anything.  Can you?)

Grade:

If this were a movie, it would be rated:

for one brief, vague reference to rape

To the FTC, with love:  I received a finished copy of What Good Men Do from the generous folks at Cedar Fort.  Thank you!