Book Blurb:
Sonny Dunes, a SoCal meteorologist who knows only sunshine and seventy-two-degree days, is being replaced by an AI meteorologist, which the youthful station manager reasons “will never age, gain weight or renegotiate its contract.” The only station willing to give the fifty-year-old another shot is one in a famously nontropical place—her northern Michigan hometown. Unearthing her carefully laid California roots, Sonny returns home and reacclimates to the painfully long, dark winters dominated by a Michigan phenomenon known as lake-effect snow. But beyond the complete physical shock to her system, she’s also forced to confront her past: her new boss, a former journalism classmate and mortal frenemy; more keenly, the death of a younger sister who loved the snow; and the mother who caused Sonny to leave.
To distract herself from the unwelcome memories, Sonny decides to throw herself headfirst into all things winter to woo viewers and reclaim her success. From sledding and ice fishing to skiing and winter festivals, the merrymaking culminates with the town’s famed Winter Ice Sculpture Contest. Running the events is a widowed father and chamber of commerce director, whose genuine love of Michigan, winter and Sonny just might thaw her heart and restart her life in a way she never could have predicted.
My Review: 4 stars
The Secret of Snow by Viola Shipman is making it to the top of my winter reads list due to its charm, storyline, and relatable characters. This is one of those books that I both listened to and read simultaneously. It was incredible as the cadence and voices came alive as I switched from reading and listening. Viola Shipman writes with tenderness and heart, and if you weren’t aware, Viola is a penname for the author’s grandmother; these books are written by a man.
Although many will call this a holiday book, I think it’s more of an anytime book, in which much of it takes place in snowy Michigan. There is no pointed focus on a holiday, but its release in winter and winter driven title have led many to believe it’s a holiday story.
The plot offers positive themes of hope, mother/daughter relationships, romance and new opportunities. Those are balanced with some heavy topics that were written with sensitivity, such as survivors guilt, mental illness and suicide. I would consider this a feel-good book. Easy to get into, enjoyable to read and full and important messages about the fragility of life. Well done!
Quotes I liked:
I watch the coffee drip, thinking of not just how fleeting time is but how the truly magical moments in our lives are the simplest, and how we let them pass without a thought. We foolishly believe that somehow they will all last forever, that destiny will not show up at our door unannounced and knock when we least expect it.”
“I had forgotten the way that the earth takes on another form in the winter. It pulls out a coat of white from its seasonal closet to beautify its wardrobe. But winter is smart. It is actually distracting us, glossing over the truth: It is simply protecting itself from the bitter cold of the world.”
“…live as though we’re dying. We’re trapped in fear. We let that define us. But our lives should be defined by our joy, passion and happiness.”
“The beauty, of course — be it a stone or a person — lies in the imperfections. The magic is found in our foibles and fragility. The fractured are the most interesting because our lines, wrinkles, breaks, fault lines and holes — be they on our souls, hearts or bodies – tell a story.”
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