Congrats Viola
on the release of
The Secret of Snow!
The Secret of Snow by Viola Shipman
Christmas, Women's Fiction, 400 pages
Published October 26, 2021 by Graydon House
As comforting and familiar as a favorite sweater, Viola Shipman's first holiday novel is a promise of heartfelt family traditions, humorously real experience, and the enduring power of love and friendship.
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 thoughts about The Secret of Snow ~~
(I love to note the first lines of the books I'm reading. First lines can really grab a reader's attention and I love seeing where the author takes the reader after their first lines.)
First lines—"'And look at this! A storm system is making its way across the country, and it will bring heavy snow to the Upper Midwest and Great Lakes before wreaking havoc on the East Coast.'"
I have loved all of Viola Shipman's stories and this current one is set right smack dab in the middle of winter. Sonny Dunes is plunged directly back into the life she ran from as her career takes a dramatic turn. Leaving the sun and sand for cold and snow doesn't help her mindset either. But she might as well make the best of it, right?
Shipman's books are all so wonderfully written, with such nostalgia and heartwarming memories. I just love spending time in whatever world is created for the story. The Secret of Snow captures the essence of the beautiful season of winter with just the right amount of fun, forgiveness, drama, angst, and love.
The Secret of Snow is the perfect read as we start to transition to the winter season. I hope you pick it up and enjoy it as much as I did.
I received an ARC of The Secret of Snow via NetGalley and this is my honest opinion of the book.
About the author
Viola Shipman is the pen name for Wade Rouse, a popular, award-winning memoirist. Rouse chose his grandmother's name, Viola Shipman, to honor the woman whose heirlooms and family stories inspire his writing. Rouse is the author of The Summer Cottage, as well as The Charm Bracelet and The Hope Chest which have been translated into more than a dozen languages and become international bestsellers.
He lives in Saugatuck, Michigan and Palm Springs, California, and has written for People, Coastal Living, Good Housekeeping, and Taste of Home, along with other publications, and is a contributor to All Things Considered.
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