The Last Time I Was Me by Cathy Lamb

My most recent read is by an author I've read two times before.  In this one, our main character is Jeanne Stewart - a woman in the throes of a nervous breakdown.  Her life has been in a downward spiral since she lost her unborn baby and fiance in an auto accident several years prior.  The straw, however, that breaks the camels back is when she finds out her "boyfriend" has been sleeping with dozens of other women and then steals her mountain bike.  She's ends up leaving her Chicago apartment in hopes making it to the Pacific Ocean where she will wade out into the sunset and drown herself.  Instead, however, she stops in Oregon and gets wrapped up in a small town while quietly losing her mind...or maybe restoring her sanity...it's a crap shoot that varies for her day to day. 

The premise of this book sounds horrible but in reality - like all of Cathy Lamb's books - it's mostly comedy.  I think I gave the previous novels of Lamb's higher ratings...this one only gets 3 stars because it just tried too hard to be oh so witty.  An author shouldn't try so hard with her characters because it makes them seem contrived and in the end mundane.  I did like this book, however.  It was entertaining and I did laugh out loud several times.  Cathy Lamb, however, seems to write without giving much thought to a timeline and there are times when reading that I'm not sure she's making sense. In reality, though, her novels aren't meant to be philosophical mind benders.  They aren't meant, I believe to make you think, but rather to escape from such hassles...This one did manage to do that so...read it...or don't...I think you'll like it but a year from now, you, like I probably won't remember much about the book.  Thus the three stars.

Henry's Sisters by Cathy Lamb

My latest read is read. This is my second novel by this author and she's a solid, feel-good author with "sweet" stories meant to tug at the heartstrings and make you laugh out loud. This one is about the Bommarito siblings: Twin sisters Isabelle and Cecilia, their younger sister Janie and finally, their "special" brother Henry. The girls are suddenly called home when their mother must have open heart surgery to help care for Henry, their dementia-struck grandmother (she believes herself to be Amelia Earhart) and the bakery their mother has managed to run into the ground. Unfortunately the girls each suffer from the trauma of their childhood and the scars that their mother's depression left on their souls so the task is not an easy one. They've each avoided their mother and to be forced into dealing with her moods all of a sudden, after years of running away, well it leaves them all running now for their psychiatrists. Through all of this, however, is Henry who makes their lives better somehow, simply with his sweetness and unconditional love. In the end, the novel is about forgiveness, awareness and acceptance - something the the ladies in the book never had and something they didn't realize they desperately needed.

I know this all sounds deep and heavy but truly, Lamb's books are filled with quick-witted puns and feel good events. Her books (or at least the two I've now read) are easy, quick, (I hate to say mindless) novels that usually choke me up throughout and certainly make me laugh out loud countless times. If you're looking for a simple summer read or just need something "not so serious" read Cathy Lamb, I don't think you'll be disappointed.

Julia's Chocolates by Cathy Lamb

Finished my latest read. This one is about Julia, a girl recovering from a childhood of abuse, neglect and loneliness. At the age of 20 or 30-something, Julia runs away from her abusive, prominent, wealthy, asshole fiance and heads to Oregon where her beloved Aunt Lydia lives. While she attempts to regain a normal life, Julia is forced to face her past and the chance to start her future. She sees the possibilities to fill her life with love, friends and confidence but she's overcome and overwhelmed by the secrets and horrors of her past. In Oregon, Lydia begins to stand up for herself and others but eventually the things she's running from catch up to her, including her maniacal and psychopathic ex-fiance.

The description of this book sounds scary and serious but this was a hilarious book that had me laughing and crying at times. I loved it. It was such a feel good book and such an easy read. Her characters had such color and pizazz! I can't wait to get Cathy Lamb's second novel. And third. And if those are as good as this one, she better be a fast writer.