The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd

My latest read is by the same author who wrote Secret Life of Bees and The Mermaid Chair (I've read both books but never reviewed those...huh).  I was on the fence between 4 and 4.5 stars but went with the 4.5 because of the amount of thinking this book made me do. And by the way - though the book is fiction, the characters were real people, living during this time period...famous people who fought for women's rights and abolitionists.

The synopsis: In 1803, Sarah Grimke,  turned 11 years old and the gift she receives from her mother is ownership of her own slave, Hetty "Handful".  She is disgusted by the gift because she is disgusted by slavery but due to the rigid Southern way of life, she has no ability (at 11) to change anything (in fact, South Carolina law prevented it).  The rest of the novel follows Sarah and Handful as they plod through their lives and the challenges they are forced to muddle through (slavery, being a woman in the 1800s with no rights).

This novel was so upsetting in so many ways (the torture/punishments meted out were horrible) but what really got to me were some of the things that went through my head while reading. For example, at one point Handful was doing something that went against the "rules" (taking a bath in the bathtub meant for Sarah).  I was reading and thinking, "Oh God, get out, get out...you're going to get caught! Why are you doing this!?" And then I thought, "My God! What am I thinking?! Why can't she take a bath?! Why should she fear getting whipped just because she takes a bath!?"  Sad, scary.

At times, reading this book, I got frustrated because it felt like Sarah was constantly reinventing herself (her beliefs, what was important to her, who and what she wanted to be) but after finishing the novel, it made sense.  This was a woman who was striving to find a purpose throughout her life but every time she found something that she wanted to do, a door would slam in her face. And I realized, it wasn't flightiness or indecision that kept her turning in a new direction.  It was society and the rules that were forced on women.  I can't imagine having to live during that time.  Strong women were shunned and ostracized and never given a chance to have the life they wanted.  And though there is NO comparison between what women went through at that time and the plight that the slaves were forced to endure, there is still a parallel...it's quite interesting and worth the read, for sure!

Love Anthony by Lisa Genova

I love this author.  If you've never read her, you must.  She takes subjects (autism, Alzheimer's, brain damage) and gives such a knowledgeable voice to them...it boggles the mind. 

In Love Anthony, one of our two main characters is Beth who is going through a devastating time in her life when her husband of 14 years cheats on her.  As a way of coping, she starts writing a novel about a boy with autism, told through the boys voice.  Our second main character is Olivia, a woman running from the memories of her autistic son who has recently passed after suffering a seizure.  The paths of these two women unexpectedly cross at a time when they both are at a turning point - one which will make or break them. 

I read this book in 2 days.  It was amazing.  It gives such an amazing voice to autism that you wonder if Lisa Genova has some sort of insight into the minds of these kids.  For anyone who works with kids who have autism, parents with kids who have autism or truly anyone who has ever come across someone with autism, you MUST read this.  It is amazing.  (And read the other books by this author as well...you won't be disappointed.)

We Are Water by Wally Lamb

My latest is the 4th novel I've read of Wally Lamb's.  (He's had non-fiction I've read as well). As usual - he doesn't fail to amaze in his writing.

We Are Water is a novel that centers around Annie Oh and the life-changing decisions she's made at a time when most people are settling in to middle age.  A time when most people are starting to take a breath after the hard work it sometimes takes to get to middle age.  Instead, Annie has decided, after 27 years of marriage, to leave her husband and marry Viveca, her wealthy, Manhattan art dealer.  A woman.  The lead up to their wedding follows Annie's uncertainty as her past seems to be catching up to her...as secrets start to chase her. There are many side stories in We Are Water and all of them keep you turning the pages.  It's a beautiful account of one woman's attempt to bury a painful past and the futility and harm that can result.

Once again, Wally Lamb doesn't fail to impress and his writing is beautiful.  There are a handful of writers out there (in my humble opinion) who make words sing and dance across a page and make me so enamored of their talent.  Wally Lamb is high on that list. (Pat Conroy, John Steinbeck are some others). Read this and if you 've not read him before - pick up all his books...you'll want to read them again and again.

Round Robin by Jennifer Chiaverini

Round Robin is the 2nd in the Elm Creek Quilt Series.  This one focuses a lot more equally on all the ladies from the first novel but it's just as good as the first...maybe even better.

At the end of The Quilter's Apprentice, Sarah McClure and Sylvia Compson have come together to start a quilting camp at Sylvia's estate.  They enlist the help of their friends as well to help teach classes.  In this novel, the quilters decide to surprise Sylvia with a round robin, and in passing the work-in-progress to one another, their stories unfold. Sarah is struggling with her relationship with her mother and a mid-life crisis her husband Matt seems to be going through. Gwen must accept that her daughter wants to work at the quilt store rather than attend graduate school. Diane is trying to cope with her teen-aged sons, one of whom seems to be on the road to delinquency. Bonnie finds out her husband is about to embark on an affair and she struggles on how to deal with that. Judy is confronted with a family she never knew she had.  Finally, Sylvia, whose health is deteriorating discovers hope in new love.

The Elm Creek Quilt Novels have the potential of being too sweet to stand but the writing is really very good and the characters are - as I've said in my review of the first novel - so real and so flawed that you can't help but love them and root for them despite their trips, falls and mess-ups.  I completely recommend this series but start at the beginning so you don't miss a step.

The Quilter's Apprentice by Jennifer Chiaverini

Here's another book from an author I've never read.  This author has been recommended to me by my mom forever.  This one is the first in the "Elm Creek Quilts Novels".

From Library Journal: "Sarah McClure and her husband, Matt, have just moved to Waterford, PA. While Matt finds work with a landscape company, Sarah, an accountant, wants to try something new. With no leads and no offers, she is depressed and frustrated. When elderly Sylvia Compson asks Sarah to help prepare her family estate for sale, Sarah finds new friends, and Sylvia, a master craftswoman, agrees to teach Sarah how to quilt. Sarah's new relationship inspires an exchange of confidences; she learns about Sylvia's "family skeletons" while facing her own difficult relationship with her mother. Patiently piecing scraps of material, the quilters explore both women's lives, stitching details and solutions together slowly but with courage and strength."

I really enjoyed this book.  It was a quick, easy read with characters that were well-written and real.  I hate when main characters are perfect and flawless (a flaw in itself) - people with whom you can't identify.  Chiaverini didn't do that with her characters.  They all had issues that they were all trying to deal with and the realness of them made you root for them.  I look forward to reading the rest of this series and see where their lives have taken them.  (Next in the series is Round Robin.)

Master of the Delta by Thomas H. Cook

My latest read is from an author I've never read...although from the number of best selling novels he's written, I'm surprised I've never come across him until now. 

The premise of Master of the Delta: Jack Branch grew up in the Plantation section of a small Mississippi town. In 1954, he returns to his hometown at 24, to teach high school literature at his alma mater.  While conducting a class on evil throughout history, Jack discovers that one of his students is the son of the "Coed Killer" a notorious and local killer whose crime occurred a dozen years back. Jack feels drawn to this boy and feels compelled to mentor and encourage Eddie's discovery and truth of his fathers crime.  Jacks decision to do this ends up having deadly consequences and more than one persons truth is revealed.

This was quite a page-turner.  I have to say, I didn't know what to expect while reading and was forever on the edge of my seat.  Cook has a way of writing that gives amazing detail and life to his descriptions of nature, the south and his characters.  I really, really liked this book and look forward to reading another by Thomas H. Cook.  Read it - you won't be disappointed.

The Sweet By and By by Todd Johnson

My latest (description from Amazon): Meet five North Carolina women who are about to change the way you think about friendship. For Rhonda, a gritty, fun-loving hairdresser in tight jeans, the sights and smells of Ridgecrest Nursing Center are depressing. But before she can change her mind about working there, two residents glue themselves to her: Margaret, droll and whip-smart, with a will of iron that never fails her even when her body does, and Bernice, an avid country music fan who is rarely lucid. Together with Lorraine, their church-going, God-questioning nurse, and her daughter, April, bright and ambitious, they lock arms in courage and humor for a journey that speaks to us all—of how we live and die, of how we love and forgive.

I really loved this book.  It was truly a book on how to be a better person. It showed such a unique and improbable friendship between four completely opposite people and yet their quartet made such sense.  The common denominator between them was unselfishness and a sincerity for simply being good and honest which in turn drew them together. Their different backgrounds and ages and races made no difference when real life stepped in.  All that mattered then was an arm to hold on to, a shoulder to cry on and someone to simply hold their hand when they were scared or tired. A simple feel good book.  Read it.

Some Things That Stay by Sarah Willis

So my latest (this synopsis is from Amazon): "Tamara Anderson was in third grade when she found out most people stay in the same house for more than a year. Until then she thought everyone picked up and moved on a regular basis, crossing the country, leaving behind people and bedrooms and belongings. Now she’s turning fifteen, and she wants to stay in Mayville, New York. At first glance, there isn’t much to stick around for. In the tarpaper house across the road there are the Murphys, the Baptist family who upset Tamara’s atheist parents by inviting her to church. In the pasture there’s Edith the cow. And up in the attic there’s the ghost of the boy who used to live here, or at least that’s what Tamara suspects. But this time Tamara is putting her foot down, and planting it…"

I really liked this book.  It was an easy read with likable characters. Prior to reading this, I couldn't imagine how it must feel to have to move because of your eccentric parents but after finishing, I have a better understanding of the turmoil that Tamara went through.  There's so much more to this book that a 15-year olds angst but I don't want to ruin anything.  Read - you will like.

The Orchid House by Lucinda Riley

Ah - The Orchid House.  This book was a book that I started reading and knew immediately that I would like it.  It's the kind of read that makes me want to go out and buy all the other books that the author has written. Here's a synopsis:

As a child, Julia Forrester spent wonderfully idyllic hours in the hothouse of Wharton Park where her grandfather created exotic orchids. Years later, she returns to the estate to nurse a broken heart after her husband and son are killed in a car accident.  While there, she reunites with the heir to the estate, Kit Crawford.  When Kit and Julia discover an old diary, Julia seeks out her grandmother for the answers and truth to a love affair that destroyed the estate.  The novel spans from the 30s to present day and from England to Thailand.

Truly a great book; a page turner; mostly mystery a little romance.  The reason I didn't give it a full 5 stars was because of a little hiccup in the story - pretty late in the novel...something I didn't think made sense and was WAY too contrived.  Read it, you'll see what I'm talking about.  

Living Other Lives by Caroline Leavitt

It's been too long and I apologize. I've got about 5 or 6 books under my belt that I need to "review". So here goes.

Living Other Lives: Lilly is a medium. She can speak to those who have passed and comfort those left behind. This gift has always been a point of embarrassment for Lilly but she takes it and tries to make a living with it. Unexpectedly, while working, Lilly meets Matt. The two fall in love and get engaged. Lilly's life finally seems to have purpose. Two weeks before the wedding, Matt comes to New York with his daughter Dinah to move Lilly to Ohio. During this time, an unfortunate accident occurs and Matt is killed. Lilly is then left to drive Dinah to her only living relative in Pittsburgh. Unforeseen circumstances keep drawing Lilly and Dinah together and what follows is the realization that though she lost her soul mate, her life isn't over. Through the process of grief, Lilly and Dinah, together, have found a new reality.

I really liked this book.  It certainly doesn't sound like a feel good book what with the subject matter but the characters are so well developed that the reader constantly cheers that Lilly and Dinah will find their way.  I give it 4 stars...read it...it's a page turner...truly.

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford

Here's another book that I had heard about forever and had just never read.  I'm glad I did.

The basics: The novel begins with Henry Lee, a 55ish widower living in Seattle.  Near to where he lives, the old Panama Hotel has been bought and the new owners have discovered the belongings of dozens of Japanese immigrants left behind when they were forced from their homes during the Japanese internment of WWII.  From there, the novel flashes back to the 1940's when Henry was a 12-year-old Chinese boy who fell in love with Keiko Okabe, a 12-year-old Japanese girl. Their relationship blooms when they are both "scholarship" students at a hoity-toity private school...basically the only Asian kids in an all-white school.  Henry comes from a STRICT Chinese family whose father despises the Japanese.  Keiko comes from an very Americanized Japanese family...she, in fact was born in America and doesn't speak Japanese.  Henry is forced to hide the relationship from his parents, because they would disown him if they knew he had a Japanese friend. His father insists that Henry wear an "I am Chinese" button everywhere he goes because Japanese residents of Seattle have begun to be shipped off by the thousands to relocation centers. What follows is the story of what happened to the two and where they ended up in their lives when the world forced them into directions they couldn't stop.

Of course I had heard of the Japanese internment camps during the 1940s but it was nothing that I thought of much beyond what I read in history books.  This book certainly brought it into focus.  What a horrible time for the people who suffered such loss.  The book only touches on a bit of what that experience must have been like...it focused more on the feelings that those separated had to face.  This was a very touching book and one I would certainly recommend to anyone. Great read.  

Major Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonson

I have been such a slacker lately in regard to updating this...UGH! This will thus be the first in about 7 updates.

So Major Pettigrew...I heard about this book forever and finally had a chance to read it. The synopsis: Major Ernest Pettigrew lives in a small village in England called Edgecombe St. Mary. He is retired and a widower. He has one son who is quite a disappointment - well a disappointment to the reader for sure (he's a snob when he has no business being such and very rude and pushy towards his father). Major Pettigrew is bordering on say, 70 and is opinionated, wry, has no time for buffoons and is a hilarious. He only wants to leads a quiet life, like he's done all his life which means living properly as any "upstanding" Englishman should. Events occur, as they always somehow it sparks an unusual friendship between the Major and a Pakistani shopkeeper named Jasmina Ali. Soon, the two find that their friendship has given way to something more, if only their stubbornness would allow it to blossom. What follows is a page-turning race to see what happens.

I really, really liked this book. I kept waiting for the Major to be a wimp and not stand up to the fools surrounding him. I kept waiting for proper English etiquette to get in his way. I won't ruin the end for you but lets just say I wasn't disappointed. It's nice to see a romance that doesn't focus around 20-somethings. Read it, you won't be disappointed.

Roam by Alan Lazar

I sure do loves me a book about a pup and this one is no exception.

Roam is a book about Nelson - a sweet pup of mixed descent:  part beagle, part poodle.  Nelson's existence came about by accident when a breeder of poodles and beagles accidentally breeds a mixed bag of pups.  So really, Nelson, in a pure-bred world should never have been.  Nelson, however, proves to be something special and at the ripe old puppy age of nearly 3 months, he is adopted by Katey and Don.  Katey proves to be Nelson's "Great Love" and his life and happiness revolves around her.  One day, however, Don accidentally leaves the gate open and Nelson, overwhelmed by the smells that surround him and beg to be investigated, is compelled to seek out their true existence.  What follows is Nelson's 8-year journey to return to his Great Love.  It is filled with love, discovery, fear, loss and hope.

I have to say that there were times when I didn't want to pick this book up to keep reading because I was so afraid of bad things happening.  But, I shouldn't have questioned Aunt Kathleen's recommendation and I should have known that she wouldn't steer me wrong.  Everything scary in this book only leads to something good.  And everything that Nelson is forced to endure only gets him closer to his goal and happiness.  It was such a heart-warming book with such great insight as to what dogs must think.  In fact, as I read this book I kept looking at my pups and wondered if I was each of their Great Loves.  I think for sure I'm Zeke's because I've had him since a pup and he's known no one else but I wonder about Bubba and Sami.  I don't know for sure, since they were both rescued on the streets, that there wasn't someone before me that they still long for.  I can't imagine that they aren't happy with me and would rather be with someone else especially the way they greet me when I come home (even if I've just been outside working on the lawn).  But I guess the point of Roam is that a dog may have just one Great Love but they can still love many and be happy with those other people because they have so much love to give.

Read this book and don't be afraid of a bad ending...it isn't there...BUT you will cry...for joy.

Hurry Down Sunshine by Michael Greenberg

My most recent read is a true story about a father's experience as his daughter spirals down into insanity.  As I've said before I'm a bit of a sucker for books - true stories - about mental illness.  It must have to do with the fact that I'm a special ed teacher and have students past and present (and future) who suffer from mental illnesses and the more you know...la la la.  Well, this one was a doozy!  I don't know how I'd do as a parent or loved one of someone who literally cracks in the space of a day but I don't think I'd manage well.  Michael Greenberg did, however, considering.

Anyway - Hurry Down Sunshine tells the story of Michael Greenberg's daughter, Sally, who at the age of 15 suddenly begins a journey into the mentally ill world of bipolar.  The book begins with Sally have visionary hallucinations on the streets of Greenwich Village and takes us then into a psychiatric ward in Manhattan.  Sally believes she has figured out the brilliance that is in us all but that we lose as we grow into adults.  She becomes obsessed with preaching to all, her message.  The book thus chronicles this journey and the effect it has on all of Sally's loved ones (mother - a little crazy herself, father, stepmother and brother).  Greenberg, in writing this, doesn't portray himself as the perfect father nor someone who was prepared to face such a challenge.  In fact, he makes many mistakes and isn't afraid to admit to them.  His honesty in this, though at times makes the reader HATE him, also shows that dealing with such a situation as the mental breakdown of a loved one, leaves a person reeling and confused as to what direction to take.    

I really liked this book - as much as someone can like a book that deals with such a subject and would certainly recommend.

I Thought You Were Dead by Pete Nelson

I loves me a book with a dog in it.  And this one was no exception (thank you Aunt Kathleen).

So, I Thought You Were Dead centers around Paul Gustavson.  Paul is sort of a pitiful character:  He doesn't seem to have a "real" job, although he is a writer.  His wife left him.  His father recently had a stroke.  His girlfriend is dating another man (and is rather open and honest that she can't decide who she wants to be with).  Paul can't "get it up"; he drinks too much and oh, I could go on but I'm getting depressed typing this and I think you get the gist. On the bright side of everything Paul has an awesome dog named Stella.  Interestingly, Stella and Paul can communicate with each other.  For Paul, Stella is his sounding board, his confidant and his best friend (and he is that to her as well). Stella gives Paul a compassionate ear, listening to all his complaints and gives him better advice as an unbiased pup than any human could probably manage.  She helps him stumble through the hardships of his life and in return, he gives her the greatest gift a human could give to his canine companion: love, a soft lap to lay her head, walks, all the basic needs that could be imagined and a gentle hand.

Definitely read this book...I loved it...I loved Stella and though at times I wanted to enter the book so I could punch Paul in the face, I loved Paul.  For all his faults, he's just a man going through a hard time and we've all had those moments.  And like Paul, I hope to always have a pup (or two or three) to help me get through like Stella did.  Can't wait to read the next dog book that Aunt Kathleen gave to me.

The Red Garden by Alice Hoffman

My most recent read is by Alice Hoffman, whom I've read before (The Third Angel) and really liked.  If you've ever seen or heard of the movie "Practical Magic", she wrote that too.  Usually her books have some sort of mystical feeling to it and this one is no different.

The Red Garden is different in that its main character isn't a person but rather the small Berkshire town of Blackwell, Massachusetts.  Blackwell was settled in the 1700s and the stories start there.  Every chapter takes the reader to a different time period in the town's history and gives a glimpse of a few of the townspeople.  From the Civil War to the Great Depression to Vietnam and the 60s, the reader witnesses love, death, heartbreak, loyalty, murder, mystery and so much more.  The overall theme is one of survival, not only in the characters you get a small taste of but also in the town itself.  Not every story makes you feel good; every character isn't redeeming but each story is so well-written and enchanting.

I read this book in about 2 days.  I haven't done that in a while. I highly recommend this book for a quick, easy read with lots of mmph within.  So good!

By the way - I'm on to another really, really good one (Left Neglected by Lisa Genova) and I can't wait to finish it and review...so far a must read!

The Book of Tomorrow by Cecelia Ahern

My latest finished book is another Cecelia Ahern, this time listened to on CD. Once again, I lucked out with the reader - she was really good!

The Book of Tomorrow is about Tamara Goodwin, a nearly 17-year-old Dubliner whose life has taken an unfortunate turn. Tamara was born into the lap of luxury. She lived a spoiled life until the abrupt death of her father, which leaves her and her mother with a mountain of debt and forces them to move in with Tamara's peculiar aunt and uncle in a tiny countryside village. Having lived a life thus far in the bustling city of Dublin, Tamara is suddenly lonely and bored. One day, with a traveling library as her only diversion she finds a leather-bound book with a gold clasp and padlock, but no author name or title. Intrigued, she pries open the lock, and what she finds inside takes her breath away. Tamara sees an entry, seemingly written by her but dated for the next day. She passes is off as off but when the next day unfolds exactly as recorded, Tamara's village life suddenly becomes much more exciting.

There's much more to this book than meets the eye and Tamara's aunt is an oddity all on her own.  While listening to this book there were many times I just wanted to keep driving so I could find out what happens next.  Definitely read this and if you're taking a trip, stop at the library and get it on CD - only 7 and perfect for a 4-hour (each way) drive!  I really like this author!

The Girl Who Stopped Swimming by Joshilyn Jackson

My most recent "read" was actually a latest listen.  I picked it up from the library and have been listening to if for the past couple of weeks.  The premise sounded good - eerie, and perfect for my morning rides to work.  Here it is:

Laurel, sees ghosts.  Growing up and until she moved to her gated Florida home with her video-game designing husband, she would often see her uncle Marty - shot down, unexpectedly and accidentally by her father when she was 10.  She would also see the ghost of another uncle's foot, amputated due to diabetes.  One night, in her current life, she sees the ghost of a girl from her bedroom window.  When the little girl leads Laurel into her backyard and to the swimming pool where a body is floating, the life that Laurel had built starts to fall apart.  Though the police think the drowning was an accident, Laurel believes different and sets out to prove that there is more to the story.  She enlists the help of her older sister, Thalia, whose life is altogether different from Laurel and who doens't mind mocking Laurel's happiness.  As the plot thickens and things become clearer, the unbelievable becomes reality and things in Laurel's life begin to seem less than perfect.

I REALLY liked this book.  I've found that often times when I get a book on CD, the book itself can have a great plot and story line but the reader can ruin it all with they're own interpretation of the characters.  In this case, the author herself read the book and gave a perfect voice to every character.  I was surprisingly thrilled to have liked this book as much as I did and would recommend it (in hand or by ear) to anyone.  Read it!  Great mystery, great surprises, great characters.

The Butterfly House by Marcia Preston

A good solid mystery:
As a child, Bobbie Lee found refuge from her lonely life at her best friend's house. Rockhaven was a place of magic.  A place where butterflies were born.  A place that her best friend Cincy Jaines and Cincy's mother, Lenora, lived. It was at Rockhaven that Bobbie could go to escape her mother's alcoholism; where she could be mothered and find solace with her friend.  It was her time at Rockhaven that allowed Bobbie to get through her childhood, her teenage years somewhat unharmed. Eventually, however, things become tangled, and Rockhaven becomes a place of tragedy.  Ten years later, after battling her way back from insanity, Bobbie is forced to relive a night she's tried hard to bury.  She is forced to confront the memories she has tried to avoid. For Bobbie, these confrontations may mean her complete destruction or possibly the beginning of her total healing.

I really really liked this book. It was an easy, quick read.  A little sappy but who can't use a little sap every now and then.  Read it!

The Surgeon by Tess Gerritsen

New author alert!!!  And a good one at that.

So, I was reading FB and a friend posted that she was going to start a new book by Tess Gerritsen...so I looked her up - to see what she was all about.  Lo and behold, she's a mystery writer and she writes a series using recurring characters (which I love).  AND - they just started a new series on TNT called Rizzoli and Isles based off of said characters (not that I'll watch but it's interesting, no?).  Anyway - while at 1/2 Price the other day, I picked up the first in the series and tore through it in about a day. 

Here's the synopsis:
A serial killer is on the loose in Boston. The victims are killed in a particularly nasty way: cut with a scalpel on the stomach, the intestines and uterus removed, and then the throat slashed. The killer obviously has medical knowledge and has been dubbed "the Surgeon" by the media. Detective Thomas Moore and his partner Rizzoli of the Boston Homicide Unit have discovered something that makes this case even more chilling. Years ago in Savannah a serial killer murdered in exactly the same way. He was finally stopped by his last victim, who shot him as he tried to cut her. That last victim is Dr. Catherine Cordell, who now works as a cardiac surgeon at one of Boston's prestigious hospitals. As the murders continue, it becomes obvious that the killer is drawing closer and closer to Dr. Cordell. Is she the only person who can help the police catch this copycat killer. Or is it a copycat?

Sounds intriguing, huh?  And it was!  Great book; great mystery; kept me on my toes until the very end.  I'm on to my next book by Gerritsen (though not of the series).  Pick this author up, you'll really enjoy!