A tribute to my sister

As I am dealing with some big life changes, my emotions are also closer to the surface as they have been every October since 2009. That was the year I lost my sister. I'm thinking of her a lot lately. I know she would be here for me right now, to support me and lend a helping hand when my life becomes overwhelming. I wrote this poem for my Mum in the winter of 2010. I hope she doesn't mind me posting it here.

I love you Cynthia

The Key

I stand before a garden gate

Set in a wall of gold and pearl.

Priceless treasures within await-

Their fragrance fills the air.

I bask in the glow of golden blooms,

The sunshine streaming down.

I breathe in the flowers’ sweet perfume,

Drink in an eternal dawn.

Yet this beauty pales beside the lure

Of my loved ones living inside-

Their spirits golden, light and pure,

Their faces joyous and bright.

I’ve longed for them since they left

To dwell in this glorious garden.

Yet I know these walls are a refuge, a cleft,

Untouched by pain and death.

With a heavy heart, a tear on my face,

I turn away from those gilded walls.

Yet I know I’ll return to this place

One day when I hear His call.

And in my hand I’ll hold the key

That will open up the door.

They will be there to welcome me

To this ever-blooming garden.

And in His gentle face I’ll see

Love and an end to strife

For He is the giver of the key

That opens the garden of life.

Sisters and friends

Sisterhood. It's really a strange relationship, filled with tears, laughter and the odd screaming match. If you're like me, your sister fills some of your most intense memories, good, bad and silly. When I lost my sister to a sudden illness two years ago, I realized that she was my best friend. It's sad that I didn't know it until she was gone. We were very different and we drove each other crazy, but she was my sister, my buddy, my co-conspirator, my scapegoat, my confider and my friend. I miss her every day.

Recently I read Love, Aubrey by Suzanne LaFleur. It is a powerful juvenile novel about a young girl who is transformed by loss. Her younger sister dies in the story, and I found myself sobbing as I identified with her anger, grief and confusion. The novel was cathartic for me, for it seems that the loss of a sibling is seldom discussed. It is such an unusual relationship; our siblings are our past, present and future. Losing one is truly like losing a part of yourself. Aubrey's story resonated with me as she coped with her loss, grieved and ultimately moved forward. The most moving parts of the story reduced me to a little girl, missing her big sister.

Another winner by Katherine Morton

Don't you love those books that you just can't put down? The ones that you devour in a single sitting? The ones that you anticipate getting back to when you have to put them down?

Katherine Morton is that kind of author for me. I have read her books eagerly and they provide a welcome escape from daily life. Her books combine mystery, tragedy, suspense and romance in just the right combination that keeps you fully immersed in the story. My favourite Morton novel is The Forgotten Garden, a novel that I have recommended to other readers. I love the way she tells the story across several generations, through the voices of various strong female protagonists. I especially love the way she incorporates fairy tales into the novel, using them to help the reader piece the story together. And though I figured out the biggest mystery before it was revealed in the final pages, it did not fail to capture me.

Morton's newest novel, The Distant Hours, delivers another great story of passion and tragedy and family relationships. Elements of the gothic seep into the story, setting an intense pace at times. Again, the story takes place across several generations; a young woman tries to learn more about her mother by visiting the castle where her mother was billeted as a child during World War II. By interviewing the elderly sisters who inhabit the castle, Edie learns about her mother, while also solving an old unsolved mystery. Again, Morton uses stories to set the tone; a haunting children's book is the basis for the mystery of the novel. While she uses the same formulas in each of her novels, the stories are fresh and it feels like you can connect to the many protagonists who each help to unravel the mystery.

I look forward to continued work by Katherine Morton; I only hope that she can continue to incorporate new story lines so that her work does not become simply a tried and true formula.

Lit for Chicks

I love my local library. It has saved me many times from both boredom and financial problems- it would be easy for me to max out my credit card at the local bookstore! And while I love almost everything about the library, one thing drives me crazy. Chick Lit is not recognized as its own genre- it is lumped together with romance. I take great issue with this, because I think they are very distinct genres. For starters, chick lit is not about the romantic relationship-though that may play a large role- it is about the personal journey of the female protagonist. She faces struggles and difficulties with which the reader can sympathize, and though many chick lit novels are hysterically funny,  they tend to pull at the heartstrings too. There seems to be more layers to (most) chick-lit novels than to the typical romance novel. The plot involves more than the classic boy meets girl, girl changes boy, boy marries girl scenario. They are usually more realistic and more real-life. And most importantly, I love a good chick lit novel, but I can barely tolerate romance novels!

My favourite chick lit authors are definitely Sophie Kinsella and Helen Fielding, but recently I've discovered another fabulous author- Jennifer Weiner. I first discovered Weiner when I read In her Shoes after seeing the movie. Having experienced my own up and down (but always there for each other) relationship with my own sister, I related to the story of the tumultuous relationship between two completely opposite sisters. Recently, I read Little Earthquakes at the recommendation of a co-worker who, as it turns out, has fabulous taste. This novel tells the story of four very different women and the way their funny, heartwarming and even tragic experiences with their pregnancies and children bring them together. This novel made me laugh and cry- I thought it was great. In Goodnight Nobody, a woman with three kids and an absentee husband moves to a Stepford-like community where she just doesn't fit in. When a seemingly perfect mommy is murdered, she is determined to find out what happened. This is more of a suspenseful read, although thoroughly enjoyable.

I hope to continue to add to my repertoire of fabulous chick lit authors. Happy reading!