Summer calls for page-turning reads to get lost in. Whether you are adventuring or enjoying a nice staycation, consider adding these wonderful books to your reading list. Continue reading “Five Books to Read This Summer”
Tag: the summer that melted everything
A Year in Review: Favourite Books of 2016
“Because every day with a book is slightly better than one without, and I wish you nothing but the happiest of days.”
It is that time of the year already. Choosing favourite books of the year is not always an easy task, especially when there are so many great ones to choose from. For me, the favourites are the books that really made an impression on me and ones I would love to revisit and reread at some point. These are ten standout books I read in 2016:
Select a book for the full review!
I thoroughly enjoyed these books and if any of them look like something you might enjoy as well, I absolutely recommend giving them a try.
Happy reading!
Author Interview: Tiffany McDaniel
This week I was lucky to have the opportunity to read and review the soon to be released The Summer That Melted Everything, which I absolutely adored. The author, Tiffany McDaniel was kind enough to answer some questions regarding her first published release and her work. Enjoy the Q & A!
The Summer That Melted Everything will be available July 26, 2016.
1. Congratulations on your debut novel, The Summer That Melted Everything. Can you give a quick summary of the story for those who are not yet familiar with it?
First off, thank you for the congratulations. I appreciate that. The story is about eighty-four year old Fielding Bliss looking back on the summer of 1984 when he was thirteen-years-old. It was the summer his father had invited the devil to their town. The one come to answer the invitation is a thirteen-year- old boy dressed in overalls and asking for ice cream. The boy arrives with the start of a hell-hot heat wave. This is the story of what melted that summer in that heat. It’s the story of how everything can change during the course of one moment too long in the sun.
2. What inspired you to write this story?
I always say I’m inspired by the characters themselves. To me, my characters feel like real people. That in their ghost-like presence they hover around me as I type. Telling me their story. I’m inspired by them to write the best beginning, middle, and end of a story I can. I owe that to the characters. I owe that to the readers.
3. There are some unique names in the book, with the town of Breathed and Autopsy Bliss being the standouts for me. What influenced the names you chose?
I was told my maternal grandfather was born in Breathitt County in Kentucky. The first novel I ever wrote was inspired by my mother’s life growing up in southern Ohio, so to honor my grandfather I had used Breathitt in that first novel, changing the spelling to Breathed so as not to be confused with the Kentucky region. Breathed ended up being a character itself, and as of date the town has made an appearance in all of my novels. As far as the other names like Autopsy—because my characters feel so real to me, I feel like these are their names long before I type them on the page. One day I had seen the word Autopsy and it stuck in my head. I think this was in essence a hint from Autopsy himself about his true name. At first, I didn’t yet know how important a meaning the name would come to represent throughout the course of the novel. But once I looked up the definition of what the word means and its origins, it became clear that Autopsy’s name would become a major theme. Continue reading “Author Interview: Tiffany McDaniel”
The Summer That Melted Everything by Tiffany McDaniel
“The heat came with the devil. It was the summer of 1984, and while the devil had been invited, the heat was not. It should’ve been expected, though. Heat is, after all, the devil’s name, and when’s the last time you left home without yours?”
Fielding Bliss recounts the summer of 1984, the summer of a scorching heatwave and the year the devil came to the town of Breathed, Ohio. It is Fielding’s father, Autopsy Bliss who puts forth the invitation in a newspaper for the devil to visit.
“If the devil was going to come, I expected to see the myth of him. A demon with an asphalt shine. He’d be fury. A chill. A bad cough. Cujo at the car window, a ticket at the Creepshow booth, a leap into the depth of night.”
The response is unexpected and comes in the form of a 13-year-old boy who appears out of nowhere, calling himself Sal (“from the beginning of Satan and the first step into Lucifer. Sa-L.”) and claiming to be the devil. The boy is taken in by Fielding’s family, however as people discover just who Sal claims to be and disastrous occurrences start to take place, the tensions among the townspeople rise along with the heat. The events of the summer of 1984 are ones that will have a longstanding impact on the town of Breathed and young Fielding Bliss.
“A foolish mistake, it is, to expect the beast, because sometimes, sometimes, it is the flower’s turn to own the name.”
The Summer That Melted Everything is a captivating novel with a brilliantly carried out premise and concept. Through writing that is beautiful, poetic, and haunting, the author presents a story full of depth, nuance and unforgettable characters. It is moving, heartbreaking, and incredibly compelling while tackling many important issues, such as racism, homophobia, and abuse. Throughout, I found myself marking and re-reading numerous passages and sentences as each emotion and state of being is portrayed in a truly awe-inspiring way. It is a novel that makes you feel and makes you pause, and one that will stick with me for some time to come.
*ARC provided by author through NetGalley for an unbiased review. Publication date: July 26, 2016.
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