Friday, August 30, 2013

Five Days at Memorial

With school starting and there being a huge decrease in the time I can devote to leisure reading, it has taken me a few days to get through Five Days at Memorial by Sheri Fink.  Her recounting of the events that occurred at Memorial Hospital during Hurricane Katrina was well researched and presented, and also extremely sad.

Hurricane Katrina is a disaster that I can recall with more details than many others.  The devastation that New Orleans suffered was brought to us via television, the internet and newspapers, and these many media outlets provided a wealth of coverage. However, Fink presents a story I knew nothing about. One of the hospitals in New Orleans, Memorial, tried to care for the patients that they were in charge of. They tried to evacuate patients.  When they realized they were deserted and no one was coming for them, some patients were euthanized.  The vulnerability the people at Memorial felt, along with deteriorating conditions and fear for the future all play a part in the decisions that were made by the medical professionals. 

Fink presents this story in a matter of fact manner. She doesn't take the side of the families who are grieving their loved ones and who want answers about what happened in the five days that medical personnel and patients were stranded during Katrina.  She doesn't take the side of the doctors and nurses charged with administering doses of Versed and morphine that were large enough that those patients receiving them died.
She shares the information she has found through her research and interviews, allowing me to form my own opinion.

And mostly what I have decided is that this is just a really sad story.  Hurricane Katrina was devastating, so devastating that no one was prepared to deal with it.  Even a well laid out disaster plan would not have been able to handle this storm.  And, the doctors and nurses, humans capable of making mistakes, used their best judgement to get through a storm they weren't sure they would survive.  In reading Five Days at Memorial, I appreciated Fink's ability to present the many facets of the people she write about.  Anna Pou, the doctor accused of administering lethal doses of medication to patients, isn't portrayed as a cold blooded killer.  Fink shares details of Pou's personal life, her commitment to her patients, even writing of certain patients that Pou has cared for for a long time.  People are complex, not all good or all bad, and Fink is able to convey this in her writing.

I have told many friends about Five Days at Memorial, giving just a few details to entice them to pick it up. Everyone I have talked to had no idea that patients were perhaps euthanized, making this little known story something that more people should be aware of.  Fink's book is an excellent work of non-fiction, well written and a worthwhile read.


Thursday, August 29, 2013

Little Sister's Birthday

Little Sister is 7 today! We all got up early this morning to watch her open her presents- her favorite being a 3 DS.  I have to go in to school late today for parent led conferences, but also have to work late.  I'm not thrilled with working late, but at least this way I can take her to school and drop off the popsicles she is bringing for her class as a treat.

At age seven Little Sister is waiting for a loose tooth, becoming a great reader, and still has a Tinkerbell personality.  Her voice is the loudest of all the kids in our house - and her cousins.  She loves anything furry and cuddly, but will also catch a toad or two.  Her favorite foods are canteloupe, corn and steak.  

Happy Birthday, Little Sister!

Wednesday, August 28, 2013

Waiting on Wednesday


Waiting on Wednesday is a meme hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

This week's pick:  Under the Wide and Starry Sky by Nancy Horan
Due out: Janjuary 21, 2014

Synopsis take from GoodReads:
The much-anticipated second novel by the author of Loving Frank, the beloved New York Times bestseller, this new work tells the incredible story of the passionate, turbulent relationship between Scottish author Robert Louis Stevenson and his wild-tempered American wife, Fanny.

In her masterful new novel, Nancy Horan has recreated a love story that is as unique, passionate, and overwhelmingly powerful as the one between Frank Lloyd Wright and Mamah Cheney depicted so memorably in Loving Frank. Under the Wide and Starry Sky chronicles the unconventional love affair of Scottish literary giant Robert Louis Stevenson, author of classics including Treasure Island and The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, and American divorcee Fanny Van de Grift Osbourne. They meet in rural France in 1875, when Fanny, having run away from her philandering husband back in California, takes refuge there with her children. Stevenson too is escaping from his life, running from family pressure to become a lawyer. And so begins a turbulent love affair that will last two decades and span the world.

Tuesday, August 27, 2013

Back to School

These three girls started back to school yesterday.  Big Sister is in 6th grade, Middle Sister is in 4th, and Little Sister is in 1st. They all had a great first day back, and ended up being dismissed two hours early since it is beastly hot here and their classrooms aren't air conditioned.  I hope the next 179 days are as happy!

Monday, August 26, 2013

I'll Be Seeing You

I've always loved novels written in letter format.  I'll Be Seeing You is just set in one of my favorite time periods (World War II). 

Rita lives in Iowa City where she and her husband, a professor, relocated when their son, Toby, was young.  With the war on and both her son and husband overseas fighting, Rita has plenty of time to write long letters to her new pen-pal, Glory.

Glory, an East Coast mom whose maiden name happens to be Astor, is also in need of some friendship. Her husband, Robert, is off fighting as well.  

The two women correspond for a few years during the war, revealing their true feelings to each other - feelings they can reveal in letters but wouldn't be able to tell anyone in person.

They are there for each other anxiously awaiting the return of their spouses and Rita's son. They rejoice and mourn together even though miles separate them.  

In a time before email and phone calls, these women devote themselves to their friendship, keeping in touch the only way they can.  

I loved both Glory and Rita and the perspective each of them brought to this story.  Rita's Iowa City home allowed me to smile in recognition as she mentions The Old Capitol and other familiar places.  

Interestingly enough, I'll Be Seeing You is written by two women, Suzanne Hayes and Loretta Nyhan, who have never met.  

I'm definitely recommending this one to friends and book clubs.  




Sunday, August 25, 2013

Sunday Salon



It is hotter than blue blazes here today.  I have made it through nine days of school with students already, and my girls go back tomorrow.  This week will seem like a blur since in addition to our school schedule, we are also starting up soccer practices.  

I worked for a bit at school today, watched Middle Sister play in a 3 on 3 soccer tournament this afternoon, shopped for groceries and managed to get in a short run. I have a lot of things I still need to do tonight - like getting school lunches ready and making sure everything is laid out for tomorrow morning when the rat race begins.

Five Days at Memorial: Life and Death in a Storm Ravaged Hospital by Sheri Fink is calling my name.  A non-fiction account of what happened at this hospital during Hurricane Katrina I am amazed at what transpired there without anyone's knowledge until it was all over.  I would love to sit down and read until I was finished, but with other things on the agenda, I am going to have to work my way slowly through this book - and the many others- I have waiting for me.


It's supper time already and I have no idea what to make - with this heat outside eating doesn't even sound appealing.  I am wishing my family would fend for themselves, but I am doubting that will happen.


How about you? What are you planning for supper? 

Friday, August 23, 2013

The Hand Me Down Doll

Steven Kroll's The Hand Me Down Doll was originally published in 1983, and although the story wasn't one I instantly recalled, the cover brought back memories of my childhood.

My six year old and I happily read this book last night before bed and both of us were entertained by it.  The beautiful doll is passed from owner to owner, always hoping to have a name and be loved.  The ending is a happy one, with Kaylee, the newly named doll, being loved by her girl, Hayley, despite having to go through several different homes in order to find a place she belonged.

The illustrations in The Hand Me Down Doll help bring this story to life, and I loved the nostalgia I felt while reading it.  This will surely be a often requested night-time story at our house, and with this republication I hope another generation of young readers will fall in love with this story.

Thursday, August 22, 2013

Leo and the Lesser Lion

Every year I take home a crate of books from my school library that I plan on reading during the summer. And each summer as I head back to school I have barely read a single one.  My intentions are good, but with so many beach reads coming out for the summer months, it is hard to work everything in.  

I finally looked at my shelf full of school library books that is sitting at home and have decided that I am going to read one of these each week.  There are lots of great books there that I am missing out on - and so are my students.

I started Week #1 of school by reading Leo and the Lesser Lion by Sandra Forrester.  What a great selection to kick off my school year with!

Leo is Bayliss's older brother, much adored by everyone in their family.  When Leo dies in a tragic drowning accident that Bayliss miraculously survives, she decides there must be a reason she is being given a second chance.  At first, Bayliss throws herself into learning about saints and working with the nuns, thinking that this will be her calling.  But, when her parents take in two young girls orphaned during the Depression, she is forced to stay home and help out there.  

Bayliss is still grieving the loss of her brother and isn't any too happy about the new additions to her family.  Yet, when the girls are going to be sent away to homes her father has found, Bayliss must admit her true feelings.

Forrester's novel made me wanted to cry a few times as Bayliss and her family tried to deal with Leo's death.  And it also made me want to laugh a few times.  This is a tween novel that I absolutely loved and want to pass on to many of my readers.

Wednesday, August 21, 2013

Waiting on Wednesday

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

This week's pick: The Rosie Project by Graeme Simsion
Due out: October 5, 2013

Product Description taken from Edelweiss:
Don Tillman, professor of genetics, has never been on a second date. He is a man who can count all his friends on the fingers of one hand, whose lifelong difficulty with social rituals has convinced him that he is simply not wired for romance. So when an acquaintance informs him that he would make a “wonderful” husband, his first reaction is shock. Yet he must concede to the statistical probability that there is someone for everyone, and he embarks upon The Wife Project. In the orderly, evidence-based manner with which he approaches all things, Don sets out to find the perfect partner. She will be punctual and logical—most definitely not a barmaid, a smoker, a drinker, or a late-arriver.

Yet Rosie Jarman is all these things. She is also beguiling, fiery, intelligent—and on a quest of her own. She is looking for her biological father, a search that a certain DNA expert might be able to help her with. Don's Wife Project takes a back burner to the Father Project and an unlikely relationship blooms, forcing the scientifically minded geneticist to confront the spontaneous whirlwind that is Rosie—and the realization that love is not always what looks good on paper.

The Rosie Project is a moving and hilarious novel for anyone who has ever tenaciously gone after life or love in the face of overwhelming challenges.

Tuesday, August 20, 2013

The Silent Wife

The Silent Wife by A.S.A. Harrison has been compared to Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn, one of my favorite books of 2012.  With such big shoes to fill I was skeptical at first about this book. Yet, the more I read, the more I was sucked in to the story.

Jodi and Todd, husband and wife, take turns narrating this story.  They have been together twenty years, and from the outside their life together looks perfect.  But that's because Jodi is a master of creating what looks good to others, glossing over, or refusing to even acknowledge anything that might show any cracks in the picture of perfection she has created.

Jodi knows that Todd is a cheater, that he has had numerous affairs, but despite this knowledge she continues to cook, clean, and be the perfect wife. Todd, however, has gone too far this time.  His affair isn't a meaningless diversion. Instead, Todd has fallen in love.  Jodi continues to live as a married woman, while Todd tries to pursue a new life.  

Gone Girl was a book that I felt a bit creeped out by.  The Silent Wife isn't creepy, but it is certainly full of psychological issues and mind games.  I couldn't decide which spouse I disliked more since both seemed to have their share of issues.  I was fascinated by this story and had read enough reviews to know that Todd would end up dead, yet I didn't see the twists in this story coming before I read them.

Although I haven't heard as much about this one as I did about Gone Girl, it is a great read and would make for an interesting book club discussion.

Monday, August 19, 2013

The Lowland

Subhash and Udayan Mitra are brothers, born just fifteen months apart. Life in Calcutta is good and the brothers are close. Yet, Subhash chooses to move to the United States for college, while Udayan stays, becoming a revolutionary as he opposes the politics in 1960s India.

Subhash and Udayan's divergent paths place them far apart from each other physically, but also emotionally.  When Subhash is summoned home after his brother's untimely death, he meets Gauri, his brother's widow.  Gauri is unwelcome in her in-laws home, and Subhash offers to take her to the United States where they can start a life together.  

Although the brothers relationship is the central focus of the novel's beginning, it is a spring board for a story that spans generations, as Subhash and Gauri's lives unfold along with their daughter, Bela's.  

Gauri comes to the United States still grieving the loss of her husband and dealing with her own feelings of guilt for her role in Udayan's death.  She is also pregnant with his child, a baby that Subhash agrees to raise as his own.  It is Subhash who is the doting father, and Gauri who finds her joy in academia, pursuing a doctorate while ignoring her own child.  

Bela grows up, loved by her father, unaware that he is her uncle and that her own father is dead.  The secret that Gauri and Subhash have kept cannot remain a secret forever, nor can Gauri's own exile from her child.

Lahiri explores love, heartbreak and family ties in The Lowland, creating real, flawed characters who we are able to watch experience life with all its ups and downs. Although set in Calcutta, a place I am unfamiliar with, the story within is universal and one that everyone can relate to.

The Lowland is highly recommended, as are any other books by Lahiri, an author whose work I always admire.

Sunday, August 18, 2013

Sunday Salon

We have been blessed with beautiful weather this weekend, and it looks to be heating up a bit for the next week.  I have made it through an entire week of school with students, which has been interesting.  I still have to do a bit of lesson planning today and may even go to school to work.

Middle Sister was at camp this past week, arriving home yesterday afternoon.  It is great to have her back, although she does seem a bit crabby.  I think she had a fun week without us and enjoyed some horse back riding and swimming.

We went out for supper last night to Old Chicago for Big Sister's birthday since we were finally all home.  I've only been there once, but would happily have their pizza again.

My reading is slowly coming along. I finished a few books this weekend, but have so many on my TBR stack that will have to go back to the library before they get read.

The most exciting news this past week was our meeting with a kitchen designer and our contractor.  Our house will be a huge mess at some point this fall, but we are finally re-doing our kitchen.  I cannot wait.  As it is now, it is extremely tiny with only one outlet and an apartment sized refrigerator.  As things start moving, I'll have to post some before and after pictures.

Right now I'm off to do a bit of reading before I hit the treadmill.

Saturday, August 17, 2013

Back To School

I have already made it through my first week of school with students - amazing! My daughters still have an entire week of vacation to enjoy. However, back to school books are high on the list of books we are enjoying.

I love Charlie the Ranch Dog, Ree Drummond's creation, and my students at school enjoyed  Charlie the Ranch Dog and Charlie and the Christmas Kitty. Now Charlie is back in Charlie Goes to School.  

Charlie notices how busy life at the ranch is. When he wanders inside he sees the children at school. Not being one to be left out, Charlie decides to start a school of his own.  Walter, Kitty, and the ranch horses will be his students, yet things don't go according to planInstead of reading books, the animals eat books. And by the time "school" is done, there is more of a mess than anything else.

Drummond, who home schools her own children, has created a picture book recognizing this group of learners - something I haven't seen in a picture book before.  De Groat's illustrations include a small ground squirrel on each page, giving readers a fun furry creature to look for in each picture.  Charlie Goes To School is another fun picture book about this loveable basset hound.

* A copy of this book was provided by Harper Collins Publishers; the opinions are my own.

Thursday, August 15, 2013

Birthday For Big Sister



Twelve years ago Big Sister was born!  Hard to believe it's been 12 years already, and amazing to see how grown up she is getting.  She was a bit disappointed in the weeks leading up to her birthday as she realized that Middle Sister would be at camp today, my in-laws would be in Montana visiting my husband's brother and her dad would be at a conference and not come home until the weekend.

But, today turned out to be a great day!  My mom took Big Sister to get her first cell phone.  That was a great way to start her birthday which was followed up with a round of golf and some swimming. 

Big Sister has realized that birthdays are getting a bit less exciting since she had helped pick out her presents and didn't really have anything to open today.  If only she knew how un-exciting most birthdays are!

School is really getting in the way of my reading, but I did manage to get two books read that I need to review.  Hopefully there will be time for that this weekend.

Wednesday, August 14, 2013

Waiting on Wednesday

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

This week's pick: Louise's Dilemma by Sarah Shaber
Due out: November 19, 2013

Product Description taken from Amazon:

Young widow Louise Pearlie seizes a chance to escape the typewriters and files of the Office of Strategic Services, the US’s World War II spy agency, when she’s asked to investigate a puzzling postcard referred to OSS by the US Censor. She and a colleague, Collins, head off to St. Leonard, Maryland, to talk to the postcard’s recipient, one Leroy Martin. But what seemed like a straightforward mission to Louise soon becomes complicated.
Leroy and his wife, Anne, refuse to talk, but as Louise and Gray investigate, it soon becomes clear that Leroy is mixed up in something illegal. But what? Louise is determined to find out the truth, whatever the cost . . .

Tuesday, August 13, 2013

Rules of Summer

It's still summer here, although I am back at work. However, I still have a big stack of summer books to read before the season is officially over.  Rules of Summer is a young adult novel by Joanna Philbin (yes, she is Regis Philbin's daughter).  I loved Philbin's The Daughters series. They were clean, fun and entertaining and I could hand them to fourth or fifth grade students and not worry about the content. 

Rules of Summer is the first in a new series (at least that is what I think after having finished it) aimed at an older audience.  


Rory is from New Jersey, excited to spend the summer with the Rules, the family her aunt Fee works for.  The Rules are beyond wealthy and at first Rory is amazed by their kindness.  All the Rules welcome her happily, except Isabel, the Rules youngest daughter.  Isabel is a bit of a rebel, unlike her siblings in many ways.  She is openly rude to Rory viewing her as someone beneath her.

Both girls are seventeen and are forced to spend time with each other.  When Isabel falls for Mike, a guy from a working class family, it is Rory she talks to and who helps her in the relationship.  Rory falls in love, too.  With Conner Rule, Isabel's brother.  Despite the Rules outward show of kindness, reality is very different, and Rory decides to keep their relationship a secret.

Parts of this were a little predictable - the whole boy/girl from the wrong side of the tracks dating someone wealthy, for example.  And parts of it were a little unbelievable. But, if I were a teenage girl I would love this book; as an adult I am slightly more critical.

Philbin doesn't go into explicit details, but Isabel does sleep with Mike, which is where I determined this is truly a YA novel.  Isabel tells Mike she loves him, but he doesn't reply, giving Philbin the perfect opportunity to impart a little wisdom about relationships to teen readers.  
I will be recommending this to teen-age girls who enjoy a little romance and can't wait myself for the next installment about the Rules and Rory.

Monday, August 12, 2013

Little Free Library

It's taken me a while - over a year, I think- but finally, finally, my own Little Free Library is up and in operation.


I have a range of fiction, non-fiction, picture books and a few middle grade novels for people to choose from. We don't get a lot of traffic on my road, but I am hoping that a few of the walkers we have will take a look.  My husband is quite excited that some books will be leaving our house (probably not enough that he will notice, but at least it won't be getting any worse).  

If you are interested in learning more about Little Free Libraries, check out their website.

Sunday, August 11, 2013

Sunday Salon

Tomorrow is the big day - the first day of school for my students!  I have survived the first three days of teacher meetings and took my oldest  daughter with me today to help get a few things ready so I can feel on top of things for Day #1.

My husband dropped Middle Sister off at camp for the week while I was at school, and Little Sister is still at my mom's, playing there with her cousins.

Sadly, I have already seen a decline in my reading. Being back at work seriously cuts into my leisure time.  Although I do like the structure and routine being back in school brings, and I like my job, the lack of free time is one negative aspect to going back to work.

This Thursday Big Sister turns 12.  Amazing to me that she is starting middle school. Today she picked out new shoes and a really nice pair of jeans which have ended up being her birthday present since they are more expensive than jeans I buy for myself.  She seems OK with that, but she already has her other present, so hopefully she won't be too disappointed on her birthday when there is nothing to open.  

I'm not a big television watcher, but Middle Sister has developed a little bit of royalty madness (coincidence that she is exactly the same age as I was when a royal baby was born and I began my collection?!), and last night we watched Born to Royalty, a documentary about royal children.  Of course, it was right up my alley.

I hope I manage to survive this coming week.  The adjustment to our school year routine takes a while getting used to. Maybe I'll find a few minutes to read.

Friday, August 9, 2013

Counting By 7s

Holly Goldberg Sloan's new novel Counting By 7's is amazing. I began reading and could barely stop to get some work done when I read this last week.



Willow is a girl I instantly fell in love with.  Although she is a genius, there is a lot she doesn't understand about having relationships with people. Her parents are kind and understanding people, who love this girl they adopted.  Tragedy strikes, though, and in one moment Willow's life is turned upside down. Her beloved parents have died in a car accident, and now Willow is all alone in the world.  

Enter a unique group of characters to help Willow cope with the death of her parents.  Suddenly Willow, despite her grieving, is part of a group.  She begins to form relationships and attachments to these people who welcome her into their home.  They are misfits themselves, but in a different way.  Immigrants, they stand out from the crowd, too. 

I have pondered what to write about this book for nearly a week now, and have come to realize that whatever I write just won't describe how good I think this book is.  Although I am not a re-reader, I think my oldest daughter will love Counting By 7s, and may just have to read this aloud to my girls so I can hear this story one more time.

Thursday, August 8, 2013

Girl Scout Book Club: Island of the Blue Dolphins



Recently I have begun helping out a bit with Big Sister's Girl Scout troop. As they enter middle school, there are only four girls that are still in the troop, and the meetings are a little less consistent. But, with just four girls it is possible to have some different troop outings and fun activities that a larger troop might not be able to take advantage of.

For a while I have been after my oldest daughter to start a mother/daughter book club. Despite the fact that she enjoys reading, this idea just appalls her.  However, when we saw a Book Club Girl Scout patch at the Girl Scout store, some of the other troop members thought that would be a cool idea.  And thus, our book club has begun.

Our first book was Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O'Dell. This is an older book- I read it in eighth grade. But, the girls all read an excerpt at school in their reading book, so they had a bit of background information.  On our way back from the Mall of America trip in June, we began reading it aloud.  Every girl has a copy of the book (we are just borrowing them from my school's ELP teacher) and could follow along while we were reading. Then we turned them loose to read on their own. 

Last night we met to talk about the book and watch the movie version.  I think this is a winning idea for the girls.  One mother liked that it had her daughter reading at home in her free time.  I'm not sure how long we will keep it up or how regularly we will meet to talk about books, but last night was a fun way to celebrate reading and books.

Wednesday, August 7, 2013

Waiting on Wednesday

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

This week's pick:  The All Girl Filling Station's Last Reunion by Fannie Flagg
Due out: November 5, 2013

Product Description taken from Amazon:

The one and only Fannie Flagg, beloved author of Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe, Can’t Wait to Get to Heaven, and I Still Dream About You, is at her hilarious and superb best in this new comic mystery novel about two women who are forced to reimagine who they are and what they are capable of.
 
Mrs. Sookie Poole of Point Clear, Alabama, has just married off the last of her three daughters and is looking forward to relaxing and perhaps traveling with her husband, Earle. The only thing left to contend with now is her mother, the formidable and imposing Lenore Simmons Krackenberry—never an easy task. Lenore may be a lot of fun for other people, but is, for the most part, an overbearing presence for her daughter. Then one day, quite by accident, Sookie discovers a shocking secret about her mother’s past that knocks her for a loop and suddenly calls into question everything she ever thought she knew about herself, her family, and her future.
 
Feeling like a stranger in her own life, and fearful of confronting her mother with questions, Sookie begins a search for answers that takes her to California, the Midwest, and back in time, to the 1940s, when an irrepressible woman named Fritzi takes on the job of running her family’s filling station. With so many men off to war, it’s up to Fritzi and her enterprising younger sisters to keep it going. Soon truck drivers are changing their routes to fill up at the All-Girl Filling Station. But before long, Fritzi sees an opportunity for an even more groundbreaking adventure when she receives a life-changing invitation from the U.S. military to assist in the war effort. As Sookie learns more and more about Fritzi’s story, she finds herself with new answers to the questions she’s been asking her whole life.
 
The All-Girl Filling Station’s Last Reunion is a perfect combination of comedy, mystery, wisdom, and charm. Fabulous, fun-loving, spanning decades, generations, and centered on a little-known aspect of America’s twentieth-century story, The All-Girl Filling Station’s Last Reunion is Fannie Flagg, the bestselling “born storyteller” (The New York Times Book Review), at her irresistible best.

Tuesday, August 6, 2013

So Long, Summer

We are home from a very quick trip to Elberta,  Michigan.  Home feels great!  Sadly, I go back to work tomorrow.  
 Cousins on the ferry



 A little face painting on the ferry ride. Two puppies.



 Our vehicle is off the ferry and we are ready to hit the road.



 The Spartan


 Walking back from the lighthouse



 The cousins and my mom at Lake Michigan



 Me with my siblings and mom



My cousin Nicholas, my uncle Stan and my mom

Monday, August 5, 2013

The Good Luck Girls of Shipwreck Lane

I think living in Iowa has made me very sensitive and excited to see books that are set in my home state.  While I can't speak for others, it seems that so many books are set in New York or other big cities that I'm not sure residents who call those places home get a thrill each time they see their home state as a setting in a book they are reading.  


It seems like a rare occurrence that I see Iowa as a book's setting.  The Good Luck Girls of Shipwreck Lane by Kelly Harms is set in Iowa - and more specifically Cedar Falls, Iowa - a town just 20 minutes from where I reside.  That alone had me adding this title to my TBR list.  

Janine Brown "Janey" and Janine Brown "Nean" both hail from Cedar Falls, Iowa.  When Janine Brown is announced as the winner of a dream home in Maine both believe they are the winner.  Neither knows of the other, and Nean quickly makes her way to her new house, anxious to be rid of her scumbag boyfriend.  

Janey has been dealing with social anxiety issues since the death of her fiance.  She lives iwth her great aunt Midge, finding solace in the cooking and baking she enjoys.  Although Janey at first resists, she is no match for Midge who insists they move to Maine.

Of course once Janey and Nean are in Maine they both take up residence in the dream home they each believe they own. While this would seem a simple thing to unravel, it is not, and Midge invites Nean to stay at the house. Their lives in Maine begin to take shape and soon the two women who share a name begin to share much more.

I started reading not quite knowing what to expect. At first I was not overly impressed. It felt like Harms was making light of Nean's boyfriend abusing her, treating things a bit too cavalierly.  However, I also can see that Harms' book is entertaining, not a book that tackles a big issue like spousal abuse.  And slowly The Girls of Shipwreck Lane grew on me. I will admit that I liked seeing a familiar town in print, but honestly, this book could have taken place in Anytown, USA.





Friday, August 2, 2013

Road Trip



For the next three days I'll be shut off from technology. There is a small chance I might be able to check my email, but I'm not counting on it.  Earlier this month I had posts already planned while I was on vacation in South Dakota and Montana. But no such luck this time.  I've spent more time in the car than at home this past week (at least it sure feels that way!) That has seriously cut into reading and blogging time.  I have also had to work on a class I am taking and have been back at school a few times since next Wednesday is the first day back.  

So you can tell I'm feeling a little busy.  What to do when you already feel stressed? Road trip!
(That is not at all what I would do if I feel stressed, but this trip was planned by my mother and uncle and my brother, sister, and I can't back out now).


We'll be leaving at 5 AM tomorrow morning on a 6 hour car ride.  We'll then take a ferry from Wisconsin to Michigan, across Lake Michigan for four hours.  And then, we will drive another hour to my uncle's home in Elberta.  It should be beautiful. 

The bad news is we are only staying for a day.  We will turn around on Monday and drive home.

My sister and I will be with her son and my girls in a vehicle, while my brother, mother and my brother's four kids will be in another vehicle.  We've never all traveled together before, so hopefully it is enjoyable.  I am also hoping to read for a while in the car. Notice that none of our spouses are coming along.  Hmmmm...... we certainly invited them.  While my husband did say that Elberta should be awesome, he could not take more time off from work since we have already vacationed and he was gone then.  Same story for my brother-in-law.  My sister-in-law is pregnant and can't imagine spending that much time in a car and being uncomfortable. 

Ah, well.  They just don't know what they are missing out on.  

I'll be back on Tuesday to review some books and let everyone know about my trip.

Thursday, August 1, 2013

Blast From the Past

Can an entire decade really have passed since I read these titles?  This was my first experience with Deb Caletti's work, and I think I've read everything she's published since.  The Da Vinci Code received so much press when it was released, and I loved it....reading it I could just see it being made into a movie.  
As I see that I read the ninth Janet Evanovich I'm reminding myself that I need to catch up on that series this summer.  I love her books, but for a while was "saving" them since it was always an entire year before the next was published.  Avi and the Dear America series are also winners.  Truly, there is never a month where there is nothing good to read.