Patty Pick for April 27 is "Flight Patterns" by Karen White

"Flight Patterns" by Karen White twists and turns from war-torn France during World War II to modern-day Apalachicola, Florida. We learn to love and root for Georgia, Maisey, Birdie, and Becky as they work their way through life and family turmoil. Georgia has left her hometown and ended up on New Orleans. She is a successful antique estimator and happy in her job, but she is cut off from her family and trying very hard to keep anything or anyone she loves at arm's length so she doesn't get hurt again.  

Then one day in walks James Graf into her office and her life, and things will never be the same. He becomes the impetus Georgia needs to return home to try to uncover the origin of the Limoges china set that his grandmother had her whole life. Recovering from the death of his wife, James is amazed by the life that Georgia lives, unconnected from the world and her family. As the search leads them back to Apalachicola to find the tea cup
covered in a delicate honeybee pattern that Georgia saw in her mother's closet many years ago, Georgia stumbles on more and more unanswered questions about her mother's past and the history of the special china set.

Georgia's grandfather is a beekeeper. He suffers a stroke when shown the teacup from James' family collection. Is this a coincidence or did the teacup pattern trigger his strong reaction? Birdie, mother to Georgia and Maisey, has not spoken in years and has spent time in and out of mental hospitals. Will she have the clues they need to figure out this mystery of the china? 

But there is still a reason that Georgia left her home and family a decade ago and has never returned. Maisey blames Georgia for the death of her first child. Neither sister has made an effort to repair their relationship. Becky, Maisey's second child, is thrilled her aunt is finally around and works hard to get her to stay, while also trying to repair the estrangement of her parents. Becky and Birdie share a special relationship of helping each other through the fear of the long night time. Becky claims that Birdie speaks to her even though no one else has heard Birdie speak in years. Birdie starts to remember the reason she put the curtain up to protect herself. Can she give them the 
clues they need to put the pieces together?  

This Southern family is too stubborn to heal itself, history will finally reveal a way to get them back to a future together if they can let themselves take the chance. A line in the book from James' sister Caroline tells us, "There are no limits to starting over. That's why the sun rises every day. Unless you're running in circles, and then the outcome never changes." So don't run in circles. Good advice for anyone. But do run to the store to get this book and enjoy it with a hot biscuit and some honey!