The Forgotten Garden: A Novel is a riveting mystery by Australian writer Kate Morton.  The book tells the tale of multiple generations of a cursed family through the Victorian era until modern times.  Opening with a lost four year old girl abandoned on a dock in Australia the story quickly becomes much more complicated then a case of unknown identity.  That four year old becomes an adult who is forced to abandon her quest to figure out where she came from when she becomes her granddaughter’s guardian.  It seems none of the women in the family will ever find peace and happiness until they reckon with the shady past.

No matter how often they leave, or how far across the world they travel, the claws of a sprawling, inpenetrable Cornish Estate  with a hidden garden and a dilapidated cabin keep pulling them back.  Gothic fairy-tales, curses, games featuring Jack the Ripper and medical trauma all feature into the dark tale.

I’m sorry this review is a little vague.  I loathe to give anything away since the joy of the book for me was constructing the puzzle piece by delicious piece.  Even when I foresaw answers to certain questions, other aspects of the story resurfaced with surprising results. Most of the main characters are women and it was gratifying to see multi-dimensional female characters with believable motivations.

The book has garnered comparisons to the Secret Garden, and while I can understand why, I think it also draws heavily from other Romantic sources such as Rebecca and Jane Eyre.  I loved this book and hated leaving the world at the end.  I haven’t read Kate Morton’s first novel, The House at Riverton, but I ordered a used copy from Amazon that should be here any day now.

The Forgotten Garden is available on Amazon in hardcover for $17.16 and paperback for $10.20.

Despite the knowledge that we live in a weird and wonderfully diverse world, I’m often amazed at the books available that teach niche skill sets.  Some of these skills are downright freaky and it’s bad enough that the author is into it, but the publisher was convinced other people would be too. Other times, the skill itself is not so bad, but the presentation is cringe-inducing.  I’ve made a few little comments in italics, but you be the judge…

Ccw: Carrying Concealed Weapons : How to Carry Concealed Weapons and Know When Others Are available for $14.95: That guy looks like the weird neighbor that keeps to himself and has strange smells wafting out of his windows.

How Not to Die: Surprising Lessons from America’s Favorite Medical Examiner available for $10.20: JAN GARAVAGLIA, M.D., is the chief examiner for the District 9 Medical Examiner’s Office in Florida, presiding over 1,100 autopsies a year.  Garavaglia uses unusual case studies of autopsies she’s done to provoke people into taking better care of themselves.  The list of trivial decisions we make that might lead to our deaths is so long that it’s a miracle any of us are still alive.

How To Become a Schizophrenic: The Case Against Biological Psychiatry available for $25.95: Reviewer Cesar Tort (hijo) wrote: “John Modrow has written the best book describing how parents can drive a son mad.”  I was hoping someone would take care of that.

Is God In Your Bedroom?: (Volume 1) available for $12.95: revealing plain instruction from the Bible concerning God’s creative expression of unconditional love toward man—the gift of sexuality.  Do sexuality and the stigmata really need to mix?

Knitting With Dog Hair: Better A Sweater From A Dog You Know and Love Than From A Sheep You’ll Never Meet available from $18.85:  This book has instructions about gathering animal fur and spinning it into yarn and then using it in projects.

A Customer on Amazon wrote: “Everyone in my house thought I was crazy until I brought home Kendall Crolius’ book.”  Until?

Raymond G. Blevins wrote: “My only complaint is the cover is misleading, there is a picture of a basset hound on the cover but you can’t spin basset fur.”  I was planning on ordering this book until I found out that you can’t spin basset fur.

Natural Harvest: A Collection of Semen-Based Recipes by Fotie Photenhauer from Lulu for $24.95:

The description reads: “Semen is not only nutritious, but it also has a wonderful texture and amazing cooking properties. Like fine wine and cheeses, the taste of semen is complex and dynamic. Semen is inexpensive to produce and is commonly available in many, if not most, homes and restaurants. Despite all of these positive qualities, semen remains neglected as a food.”

Reviewer Rosie Palm wrote: “I like the section entitled, “Cheese Jiz: Adding semen to your cheese.” Our family has now been enjoying Jiz Burgers, Jiz Fries, and Salami & Jiz Sandwiches. Tonight we’re eager to try the Banana Cream Pie.”  Your family?  Please tell me you’re not sending your kids to school with Jiz Burgers in their lunch bags.

With overnight shipping there may still be time to get these as gifts for your loved ones…