Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants (Sisterhood of Traveling Pants, Book 1) by Ann Brashares

Read, reviewed, and released in May, 2013

A teen coming-of-age novel involving the friendship of four girls united by the accident of birth (their mothers were in the same prenatal aerobics class) and a seemingly magical pair of old blue jeans found at a thrift store. Funny, I found this book at a thrift store!

Each of the girls has a very different life-changing summer experience their 15th year, but their bond to each other remains close.

The Right Attitude to Rain: An Isabel Dalhousie Novel, by Alexander McCall Smith

Book image courtesy of Google Books

Read, reviewed, and released in April-May, 2013

A quiet, enjoyable book. Ms. Dalhousie is a philosopher and editor of a journal on applied ethics, and she spends much time musing and conversing about morality, ethics, and relationships.
On first glance, she seems to have little in common with Mr. Smith's other heroine, Precious Ramotswe, but in fact they are very similar after all. Both are strong, independent women who are deeply concerned with issues of what's right and wrong, and with people and relationships.

The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency (Book 1), by Alexander McCall Smith

Read, reviewed, and released in March, 2013

Mma Ramotswe is a very remarkable woman! After the death of her beloved father, she sells the cattle he left her and opens a business - a private detective agency! Mma Romotswe thus becomes the number one, or first lady detective in Botswana, and is very good at her job. Using curiosity, observation, conmmon sense, courtesy, and wit she diligently solves every mystery that is brought before her, and soon becomes famous throughout the region. I am looking forward to finding the other books in the series.

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A Bond Never Broken (Daughters of Amana, Book 3), by Judith Miller

Read, reviewed, and released February-March, 2013

This was a very enjoyable quick read with mystery, intrigue, danger, and a hint of romance. Set in an Amana community of Iowa in the early days of U.S. involvement in WW I (aka The Great War), the German-Americans suffer mistrust during the patriotic fervor of the times. Reminded me of post-9/11 anti-Muslim feelings in current times. The more things change, the more they stay the same.

Although is is #3 of a series, I detected no disadvantage in not having read the previous books.

The Maid of Fairbourne Hall, by Julie Klassen

Read, reviewed, and released in February-March, 2013

An enjoyable, quick read, full of danger, excitement, and romance. A spoiled, wealthy young lady of fashionable Regency England finds herself pursued by an unwelcome suiter, the nephew of her greedy stepfather. Not knowing where to turn, she runs away from home and disguises herself as a housemaid. This experience changes her, making her a more mature, compassionate and respectful woman.

Hill Towns, by Anne Rivers Siddons

Read and reviewed in November, 2012, released later

This novel is a complicated story about a group of people traveling in Italy with a newly-wed couple, combining travelogue with romantic tension.

Now & Then, by Jacqueline Sheehan

Read, reviewed, and released in February-March, 2012

It seems to be sort of fantasy genre, which isn't usually my choice, but I tried it.
I'm glad I did, it was an interesting and enjoyable book with a mixed-up plot. In the midst of a family crisis (the near-fatal accident of the protagonist's brother), a busy young professional woman and her teenage nephew are suddenly whisked through the ocean and back in time to 19th century Ireland, just before the great potato famine. The woman finds herself in the household of a poor servant class family, while the young boy becomes the pampered foster child of an English aristocrat.

I'll Mature When I'm Dead: Dave Barry's Amazing Tales of Adulthood, by Dave Barry

Read, reviewed, and released in October, 2012

Dave Barry is a former weekly humor columnist and now is an author.
This book is full of "advice" about being a father and a husband and how to be a middle aged man without actually having grown up! Parts of it were very funny, and parts were just silly. The one serious chapter, on getting a coloscopy, was worthwhile reading (but not entirely funny).

Getting the Pretty Back: Friendship, Family, and Finding the Perfect Lipstick, by Molly Ringwald

Read, reviewed, and released in October, 2012

An advice book on how to retain a youthful spirit as one approaches middle age.
Written in a lighthearted and humorous style with plenty of appealing illustrations by Ruben Toledo.

Dewey the Library Cat: A True Story, by Vicki Myron and Bret Witter

Read and reviewed in October, 2012, released later

A charming story of a beloved library cat who became famous throughout town and world wide! Dewey is a remarkable cat indeed!
My husband, MrHorse, enjoyed it immensely, as I did. This is a book suitable for children or adults.

Two Days After the Wedding (Ladies of Covington), by Joan Medlicott

Read and reviewed in September, 2012, released later.

A calm, relaxing "gentle novel" about love in one's later years. I think it is one of a series, but stands alone very well. Three "mature" ladies are featured. One is a gardener/activist who is planning a wedding; one is an excellent cook who has a serious gentleman friend; and the other is a semi-professional photographer.

Frederic: The Transforming Power of A Storm, by Eric D. Grizzle

Read and reviewed in September, 2012. Part of my permanent collection.

I walked in the Lifeway Christian Bookstore looking for a movie (October Baby), and spotted a sign on the door advertising a new book, a fictional account based on Hurricane Frederic, which devastated Mobile, Alabama in 1979. It was one of the major life events that impacted my mother for the rest of her life (along with the Great Depression, World War II, marriage, and me) . Husband and I and two young sons were living in Birmingham at the time. Husband and his brother came down here to help their mother and my parents. In B'ham - 250 miles north - we were without power two or three days. My parents were w/o power three weeks.

I walked out with a copy, signed by the author who was at the store that day!

6/27/2015 This isn't actually a review of the book, is it. I'm sorry. I'll read it again eventually, probably, but I have many books I've not read yet.

Bayou Farewell: The Rich Life and Tragic Death of Louisiana's Cajun Coast, by Mike Tidwell

Read and reviewed in September, 2012. Given to my son.

Fascinating book! I couldn't put it down! Rich in experiences and conversations with people who live and work in Louisiana bayou country: Cajuns, Houma Indians (Native Americans), and Vietnamese. He gave a lot of technical and scientific information, but presented so well that this non-techie, non-scientific person could easily understand, and even find interesting.

Very troubling situation regarding south Louisiana - the land is disappearing, and rapidly! This is mainly due to the excellent levee system that keeps the Mississippi River from flooding, but it is the flooding that builds delta land. Because it's not being re-built, the Gulf of Mexico is eroding it, helped by the pipelines and canals of the oil and gas industry. Very sad. The book was published in 2003, before Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, and others. The Third Delta Conveyance has not been built, or even started. It looks dire for Louisiana, and for the rest of the U. S.

Secret Dream, by Muriel Fontenot Blackwell

Book image courtesy of journalpics

Read, reviewed, and released in September-October, 2012 (I don't know why I didn't keep this for my grandchildren. I wish now that I had.)

A children's book.
This was very quick to read and with a happy ending (I needed that!). A book about an Acadian family (Cajun) in Louisiana and the dreams of a young girl to further her education. Set in the early days of World War II when drastic changes were coming to everyone.

Ms. Blackwell is of Acadian heritage herself. She wrote in the Preface, "This book is not autobiographical. However, the characters have been drawn from many persons I knew and loved in my childhood. It is an attempt to present a true picture of the Acadian people and the struggles they went through as World War II brought abrupt changes to their way of life." The book was dedicated to her son and daughter "that they might better understand their maternal heritage, a simple but noble one."

Still Alice, by Lisa Genova

Read and reviewed in September, 2012, released later

I read this very quickly; I couldn't put it down!
A very moving and disturbing fictional account of a brilliant woman, a Harvard professor in psychology, who suddenly begins having serious memory lapses. She is diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer's Disease, and her rapid decline in spite of medication is frightening to herself and to her family, but sadly, later only her husband is distressed.

High On Arrival, by Mackenzie Phillips

Read and reviewed in July, 2012, released later

Mackenzie Phillips, daughter of John Phillips of The Mamas and the Papas and star of TV show One Day at a Time, led a horrifying private life. Victim of on-again off-again abandonment and neglect, and taught to do drugs by the father she loved so much, her troubled life was inevitable. Even more disturbing was the incestuous relationship between Mackenzie and her father. In spite of all the bleakness and darkness of her early years, she was able to forgive her father on his deathbed, and to finally overcome (after three trials) her drug addiction.

Flabbergasted: A Novel, by Ray Blackston

Read and reviewed for a Christian book club meeting in May, 2012. Given to a friend.

A young man moves to a new town clear across the country, and wants to meet girls. He is advised to go to church to find girls. On a very remarkable and adventurous singles' beach trip, he encounters Jesus Christ and becomes a believer.

This is written in a very humorous and light-hearted style, not at all heavy or "preachy."

Under the Tuscan Sun: At Home in Italy, by Frances Mayes

Read, reviewed, and released in May-June, 2012

It is mostly memoir of a California couple's experiences buying and restoring an ancient home in the Tuscany region of Italy. A very relaxing and peaceful book to read in quiet moments, very enjoyable but not a page-turning thriller.

Cold Mountain, by Charles Frazier

Read and reviewed in October, 2012, released later

This is a compelling novel about a wounded Civil War deserter and his heroic, almost superhuman efforts to return home and to the girl he thinks he loves. Meanwhile, the girl, an ex-Southern Belle, is struggling to survive after the death of her father, without ever having learned how to garden or cook or keep house. As this book deals with the harsh realities of war and life and death in 19th century America, it is very graphic and gory in parts.

Field of Thirteen, by Dick Francis

This is a book of thirteen short stories by Dick Francis. I have read a couple of his books and enjoyed them very much. It speaks to his brilliant gift for writing that I enjoy reading his works so much, although I have never had an interest in horse racing. In this selection of mystery stories, each one has a surprise twist at the end. His memorable characters run the gamut in the horse-racing world: jockeys, trainers, owners, betters, bookies, mothers, and wealthy widows.

The Good Earth, by Pearl S. Buck

Read, reviewed, and released in June, 2012

I am glad I bought it, and glad I read it! I thought it was something I "should" read, as it is a well-known classic, but I didn't know I would enjoy it so much. I couldn't put it down, took it everywhere, read it at the table and in bed.

It is a story of a man, a Chinese farmer sometime before the Revolution, and his everyday life, his family, his ambitions, hopes and dreams, losses and disappointments all told in a somewhat formal, almost stilted style. The man and his wife are named (Wang Lung and O-lan), but his children are only eldest son, younger son, third son, younger daughter, and "poor fool", his "imbecile" daughter who could only smile and play with a piece of cloth.

A Thousand Days in Venice, by Marlena de Blasi

Read and reviewed in May, 2012, given to another Bookcrosser

This caught my eye, perhaps because I am currently reading Under the Tuscan Sun by Frances Mayes and I have Italy on my mind. I hope it will be better than the usual "romance."

******************
It was better, much better and a book that I thoroughly enjoyed! The true story of a whirlwind romance, marriage and happy-ever-after between an American woman and an Italian man.

Cold Sassy Tree, by Olive Ann Burns

Read, reviewed, and released in June, 2012

I'm glad I did get it at the thrift shop! I enjoyed it very much. It's a sort of coming-of-age narrative about a teenage boy coming to terms with himself and his unusual family and straight-laced community. Interesting tale of acceptance, forgiveness, grief, and the meaning of life and love told in a Southern country dialect. (Easy for me, I live in Alabama!)

Manor House, by Johannes Meintjes

Read and reviewed in May, 2012, released later.

Just finished this book, a wonderful book that will stay with me. I'm very glad I happened to see it at the thriftshop. It was written by a South African writer unknown to me.

It is a former library book from East Baton Rouge Parish Library of Baton Rouge, Louisiana USA, and in fair condition. Only a couple of marks (one is "I loved this book - very unusual!" written on the frontispiece. I agree with the sentiment) and one torn page that has been taped over and is completely in the margin. The bonus was that I could use the check-out card as a bookmark! I always used to do this before libraries went digital.

The book is about two Cape Dutch Afrikaner (white) families and how their lives are intertwined and affected by a series of tragedies. Featured are the narrator and his friend, a very talented, popular and gregarious artist who returns to the homeplace to restore it, and becomes an impoverished recluse in the process. It was really hard to put this book down; I was fascinated in finding how their lives would unfold and how various issues would be resolved.

The Count of Monte Cristo, by Alexandre Dumas

Read and reviewed in August, 2012, released later.

An interesting and exciting classic. The story of an innocent man, wronged and sent to prison for the rest of his life. He makes a seemingly miraculous escape, and sets about to reward those who remained his faithful friends and to punish those who harmed him.

A Love Divine, by Alexandra Ripley

Read and reviewed in April, 2013. Released later

A historical fiction based on Joseph of Arimethea, the one in whose tomb Jesus was buried. He was described in the Bible as a "secret follower" of Christ. This novel describes what the author imagines could have been his life before and after his encounter with the crucified Christ.

I should refrain from reading novels based on events in the Bible. I get so annoyed when they get details wrong.
Although Scripture clearly states that Joseph was a secret follower of Jesus at the time of the crucifixion, the book puts his conversion some time after.
There is no mention of Nicodemas, who accompanied Joseph carrying the 75 pounds of myrrh and other spices.
A major theme carrying the plot was the supposed requirement in Jewish law that a man and wife must divorce if they have no children in ten years of marriage. What nonsense! What about Zechariah and Elizabeth, parents of John the Baptist? Not to mention Abraham and Sarah. Not relying on my own knowledge, I searched Judaism 101 and Jewish Marriage and Family in the Ancient World at My Jewish Learning and there was nothing to indicate that this was true.

Other than these major errors (in my opinion), I thoroughly enjoyed the book, and was very interested in Joseph's travels and adventures. It is an epic, carrying us from Joseph's youth in a farming village to his becoming a seaman, then a captain, then an important trader with a fleet of ships. His rich life included friends, relatives, and lovers, Jews, Romans, Greeks, Egyptians, Gauls, Germans, Celts, and Druids, from the Emporer to the lowliest slave.

Legend has it that he traveled as far as Cornwall, then known as Albion. He stuck his staff into the ground when he arrived in the dead of winter, and it miraculously grew and blossomed! Today it is known as the Thorn of Glastonbury.

Sundays at Tiffany's, by James Patterson and Gabrielle Charbonnet

Read and reviewed in January, 2013

It's an interesting tale, about a little girl's imaginary childhood friend who has become a real life love interest now that she has grown up. Strange -- I'm not sure if she's still imagining him, or if he is truly real life now (in a fictional way, of course!).

All Quiet on the Western Front, by Erich Maria Remarque

Read and reviewed in August, 2013. It is no longer in my possession.

I'd been putting off reading this because I didn't think I'd like a book about war. I was wrong; so far I am liking it, getting to know the men in Bäumer's platoon, on the German side of World War I. Quite a different perspective for me!

Even though the Germans were my country's enemy, these were just an ordinary group of young men in their late teens, forced to go to war against other young men for whom they had no animosity. War is a terrible thing.

"... a generation of men who, even though they may have escaped shells, were destroyed by the war." (from the author's introductory note)

First copyrighted in Germany in 1928; this is a paperbook published by Fawcett Crest in 1987.

Water for Elephants: A Novel, by Sara Gruen

Read and reviewed in January, 2012. Released later

Wow! What a powerful book! One that will stay with me for a long time, especially Rosie the elephant. Her personality shone through.

This is a novel based on 1930s American circus life - the big top, the train, the animals, the performers, the bosses, the cruelty, the inhumanity, the love and loyalty. So many layers, so many things going on.
I couldn't help comparing the dehumanizing way old Jacob was treated in the nursing home to the dehumanizing way young Jacob was treated in the stock car of the circus train.

Out Of The Dust, by Karen Hesse

Read and reviewed in December, 2011. It is no longer in my possession.

I finished it a week or so ago. It is a young adult novel, a winner of the Newbery Medal. It deals with a young girl living through the Depression of the 1930s and the Oklahoma Dust Bowl years, written in first person in a sort of free form poetic style. Very well done!

The cover photo is by Walker Evans, of a young girl in 1930s Alabama, the daughter of a sharecropper. Her story is told here:
Wall Street Journal article

Bright Flows The River, by Taylor Caldwell

Reviewed in February, 2013, released later

I tried reading this book earlier this month, but finally gave up. Too depressing, all in a mental hospital with a patient who tried unsuccessfully to commit suicide. Frequent flashbacks to his dysfunctional childhood and unhappy marriage. I couldn't get involved enough in the characters to continue reading. This book is now available, and will be released soon.

My Sister's Keeper: A Novel, by Jodi Picoult

Read, reviewed, and released in August, 2012

Written in the first person, it is a story of a young girl who was conceived to be a bone marrow transplant source for her leukemia=stricken older sister.

A fascinating book. At times difficult to read because of the heart-rending subject, but all in all, I'm glad I read it.