Dig

 Shirley J.                       Juvenile Fiction                          Dysfunctional people, dysfunctional families

Dig by A. S. King    400 pages    

I got a kick out of the characters in this book.   So real, so fun, so flawed.    Like "Can I Help You?" who has worked out a code system to sell drugs out of the drive-thru window where she has worked for years, or Loretta who does her best to hide from her abusive father while training her pet fleas to do circus feats.  The shoveler.   He tries to help his Mom survive by taking any job he can get, shoveling snow, painting/handyman stuff so they can keep living in their "apartment" long enough for him to graduate, get a car and get out of town.   Malcolm, who's Dad is dying of cancer and after a good run together, he now is going to have to go live with his estranged grandparents in their loveless home where the only good he sees is home cooked meals.  Malcolm and his Dad had been going to Jamaica where Malcolm now has a girlfriend he does not want to give this life up.   And the Freak who has so much going on and is more surprising as the story goes.  It will make you laugh out loud at times, others, you will feel for what the characters are going through.  Good book.   I recommend it to Highschoolers on up.   I think some of the stuff might be extremely deep for Middle schoolers.

        

The Upside Down Christmas Tree; and Other Bizarre Yuletide Tales

 Shirley J.                     Adult True Holiday Stories               All things Holiday related that make you laugh

The Upside Down Christmas Tree and Other Bizarre Yuletide Tales by Delilah Scott and Emma Troy    208 pages

Whether it is Christmas, Hanukkah, Humbug Day, you name it there are hilarious tales to tell and many are right here.   Many families have hilarious traditions they have started, some pass age old fruit cakes back and forth, gag gifts, do bizarre gift exchanges to keep it interesting.  Many people go to extreme lengths to get out of going to family get togethers signing on to work the holiday - legitimate excuse - I have to work no one questions you and most feel sorry for you.   Some folks go on vacation to some exotic locale to avoid family gatherings and bad weather.  The book talks about traditions from around the world, wacky variations on the Santa Claus theme, unusual decorations, weird holiday food, you name it - you will find it here.  Too cute.   I enjoyed it.   Seems all families have hilarious/not so hilarious happenings.  i recommend this book to all who love the holidays and get a kick out of finding out about other people's celebrations.

The Blood of Emmett Till

 Shirley J.      Adult Historical       A Historical Event Involving the lynching of a 14 year old child

 The Blood of Emmett Till by Timothy B. Tyson    493 pages

A deeply moving, painful to read, depiction of the lynching and maiming of a 14 year old black child in Mississippi in 1955.    Emmett Till lived in Chicago with his mother.  His Uncle convinced her to let Emmett come down to stay with him and his cousins for the summer.  While there Emmett was told, "Do not speak to white people unless spoken to first.  Never look a white person in the eyes and whatever you do - do not speak to a white woman.   Emmett was used to speaking to people in Chicago which was in the north and far more liberal than 1955 Mississippi.   Maybe he forgot.   Maybe his cousins dared him.   Maybe it didn't happen at all, but, witnesses and his cousins when questioned by the law said Emmett whistled at a white woman at a cash register in a little general store not far from his Uncle's house.   The white woman in the store lied and told the story as though he practically assaulted her.   The woman's husband, brother-in-law and others went to Emmett's Uncle's house and demanded Emmett come out.   The men took Emmett that night and when his body was found in the swamp by a young man going fishing, the body was mutilated nearly beyond recognition.  He was identified by the ring (his father's) he wore on his little finger.   Emmett's mother had him laid out as he was (though the funeral director sewed his face up a little without her permission).   She wanted the world to see what was done to her son.  This book draws on new evidence and the admission of his innocence from the woman who accused him.  It is historical with a lot of research into what actually happened, when and how.     It is brutal and accurate.  I recommend this one adults who feel they can handle brutal murder details.                                                         

Panama: Enchantment of the World

 Shirley J.                      Juvenile Geographical Account                      All things Panama

Panama: Enchantment of the World by Jean F. Blashfield         144 pages

Really good  book on the country's history, culture, people, the Canal and so much more.   It talks about the shrinking rain forest area, the local animals, local customs.   It tells what it is like to live there, to work there and how it was sectioned off during the time many U.S. citizens came there to work on the canal and the U.S. military presence that was strong there at one time and caused many protests and uprisings wanting Americans to get out of their country.   Today it is a vacation destination and American dollars are very welcome to their thriving economy.   

Fairy Tale

 Shirley J.                 Adult Fiction                          Another world under a neighbor's house

Fairy Tale by Stephen King    608 pages

I liked the first part of this book more than the latter part.    The story build up was excellent and very much the Stephen King of old with great quirky characters and places a presence of their own.  The fairy tale part when the 17 year old boy visits the world below his neighbor's house made me think King had watched the t.v. series, "Once Upon a Time,"  maybe "Stranger Things," possibly, "Game of Thrones," and reworked his own spin on them.   He even directly mentions Rumpelstiltskin and his pixie-ish voice further stating, "Dearie," throughout at his mention which is a direct take from Robert Carlyle's characterization of Rumpelstiltskin and his own development of how Carlyle came up the twinkie voice and how "Dearie," developed.   He sort of lost me at that point.   I finished the book and there are lots of fairyland wonder and wonders all exacted from King's imagery.   It just didn't feel genuine to me to credit King when it had been done by Carlyle earlier on with no nod to him for it.   I would say to die hard King fans, you will like the first half of the book but tell me what you think when you finish it.

Tar Baby

 Shirley J.              Adult Fiction         The definition of personalities, what is expected juxtaposed with what is real 

Tar Baby by Toni Morrison  320 pages

Valerian and Margaret are rich white privileged individuals.  Ondine and Sydney work for them.  Have worked for them all their lives.   The feeling seems to be that of the old plantation owner, though, the setting of the story seems to be modern times.   It takes place in the Caribbean.    Valerian financed Ondine's and Sydney's niece, Jadine Childs to attend the Sorbonne, she is now a fashion model and though her upbringing was not poor but not lavish, her career allows her designer clothes, an upscale lifestyle in New York and she has developed the tastes and seeming attitudes of Valerian and Margaret.   One day a black man known as Son is found in the house.  Valerian decides to mess with Margaret's head and invites Son to stay with them and gives him the guest bedroom to stay in as long as he likes and full run of the house.   Margaret is freaked out and stays in her room intending to stay there until Son leaves.   Jadin finds the rough mannered Son intriguing and falls hard for him.   The story goes on, the relationship grows stronger, Jadin wants to bring Son into her world in New York.  Son isn't for it and wants her to marry him and come with him back to the little town he is from, Eloe Florida.   Jadin wants to keep her career and travel the world.   Son thinks she is too caught up in trying to be white.   She wants him to get educated and seek success.   Will this standoff sort itself out?   WWTMD?  (What would Toni Morrison do?)   I recommend this book to adults.   It is a deep book like Toni Morrison's are, I think some of the symbolism and nuances might be lost on younger readers,  but, will speak to men and women who have been there, see the signs and instead of wondering what Toni Morrison would do think what they would do in that situation.

        

The Art of Happy Moving: How to Declutter, Pack and Start Over While Maintaining Your Sanity and Finding Happiness

 Shirley J.       Adult Non-Fiction             Decluttering, tips to survive multiple moves regardless where

The Art of Happy Moving: How to Declutter, Pack and Start Over While Maintaining Your Sanity and Finding Happiness by Ali Wenzke    288 pages    

Excellent book with tips out the wazoo on moving and a thousand or more ways to make life easier on yourself from a woman who knows of which she speaks,  author Ali Wenzke moved eleven times in ten years!  She has decluttering, packing, how to sell your house, how to look for new digs in your new neighborhood, city, state, country.    Most excellent strategies for all things related to leaving your current place for a new place.   She has kulled genius maneuvers for getting the humongous job accomplished while still being able to smile and show love to your family members, even sympathy, understanding and more strategies for getting over those parting with friends tears/tantrums, parting with toys, etc.   I loved this book, and while I am not moving, her decluttering techniques are the best!  Woop, woop!  Ali Wenze is the go to gal - she has lived it, done it and is here to tell what she has learned along the way.  This information is priceless, seriously!   I recommend this book to all who plan to move to save you from pulling your hair out and stressing.   Read this and feel the calm that will ensue.   Breathe, ahhhhh!  I also recommend it to lovers of Marie Kondo - Ali Wenzke's decluttering tips are awesome.

Cemetery Road

 Shirley J.        Adult Fiction                                      Small town politics in Bienville, Mississippi    

Cemetery Road: A Novel by Greg Iles    656 pages

When Washington, D.C. journalist, Marshall McEwen gets word his Dad is in the last months of life wih Stage 4 Cancer, he struggles with the idea of returning home to Bienville, Mississippi.  When he left he swore he would never return and his relationship with his Dad hasn't been what anyone would call close in any definition.   He doesn't want to go back but guilt prompts him to bite the bullet and do so.  Turns out not much has changed, same players, just older and now the sons are in control instead of their Dads.  His Dad runs the local paper which has been in their family for 150 years and with the economy and the internet it is failing.  With his Dad's illness Marshall thinks maybe it is time to let it die its final death but the history and his own inclination to keep journalism alive it was what inspired him to move to D.C. and become so successful after all.   Then there is the exotic Jet.  The love of his life, who he has never gotten over but who happens to have married the Coach and resident richest guy in towns' son.   Once they see each other, married or not old habits come easy.   The Poker Club, the "club" of all the movers and shakers in the local area are working deals with a benefactor in China who is filtering lucre into the local rich guys pockets but which will destroy what jobs there will be available to the local blue collar workers.   In comes Marshall to this hornets nest and a journalist just can't leave a potential story alone, it is in their blood.  Good story to all lovers of mystery, suspense and plain good story telling.  Not to mention the hot rekindle of forbidden romance.   I recommend this story to adults.  It has lots going for it, but, I feel it speaks more to adults than even mature teenagers.

The Voice of Freedom: Fannie Lou Hamer: The Spirit of the Civil Rights Movement

Shirley J.       Juvenile Biography          Biography of Civil Rights Champion, Fannie Lou Hamer

The Voice of Freedom: Fannie Lou Hamer: The Spirit of the Civil Rights Movement by Carole Boston Weatherford     56 pages

With hope, determination and strength, Fannie Lou Hamer championed Civil Rights from the 1950s up to her death in 1977.   She endured a beating so severe she came within an inch of dying for the Civil Rights movement she fought so valiantly to bring to be.   The book goes into the many times she stood up to all who would come against her.   She was a force during the Freedom Summer of 1964 and she gave a speech at the Democratic National Convention that aired on national tv news spurring the nation to support the Freedom Democrats.  So full of detail on her many accomplishments for the cause of equality.  An excellent book that should be part of every school curriculum in the U. S.  

Bon Appetite! The Delicious Life of Julia Child

 Shirley J.                   Juvenile Biography             A picture book biography of Julia Child

Bon Appetit!  The Delicious Life of Julia Child by Jessie Hartland   48 pages

A delightful biography of Julia Child from her childhood growing up in Pasadena, California, her work as a spy during WWII, her cooking classes as Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, authoring Mastering the Art of French Cooking to her t.v. show in which she cooked French dishes showing how easy they are to prepare.   A fun and funny look at the brilliant, delightful woman, Julia Child.  I recommend this book to listeners on up to seniors who will love it just as much as youngsters, I promise!

Julia Child

 Shirley J.      Juvenile Fictional                   Julia Child and Simca Beck as children (fictionalized)

Julia, Child by Kyo Maclear    32 pages    

Children, Julia and Simca are friends who believe you can never use too much butter and that it is best to be children forever.   In the Peter Panesques sense the two friends stay little girls who love to cook and spread their philosophy of play more, cook more, enjoy life and eat and share all the delicious dishes you create.  A fun story with a French feel, perhaps it is that jaunty kerchief Julia wears in all the illustrations.  Sweet book about making people happy through introducing them to wonderful meals and the joy of preparing crowd pleasing recipes.   I recommend this tour de force to all fans of Julia Child and Simca Beck at all ages from listeners to senior citizens.

This Book Is Not A Present

 Shirley J.             Juvenile Literature      A book for kids who do not like books especially as presents!

This Book Is Not A Present by Max Greenfield     

Author Max Greenfield is also known for his role as Schmidt in the "New Girl," t.v. series.   He was excellent in that role and now in his role as real life Dad and author he is just as fun and entertaining.   A fun premise that while some kids love books and want stories read to them, this book is geared to those kids who don't want clothes or BOOKS as presents and resent the fact that any one would consider the thought!  So cute!   Parents, teachers, babysitters, Aunts, Uncles, Grandparents will love this book especially reading it out loud.   This is a great book for listeners, for toddlers, for younger kids and even older kids on up to seniors will get a kick out of the tongue in cheek humor found here.

Born Hungry: Julia Child becomes "the French Chef"

 Shirley J.                 Juvenile Non-Fiction                               Julia Child's life

Born Hungry: Julia Child Becomes "the French Chef" by Alex Prud'homme   40 pages

The nephew of famous cook, author and t.v. star, Julia Child writes a picture book in the My First Complete Learning Library series (20 books) about his delightful aunt who had quite an amazing life first as the daughter of well-to-do parents in California, then during WWII, she worked in the foreign service on assignments in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka), India and China where she met her husband, after which they enjoyed living in the Netherlands, and most particularly in France where Julia found she had a passion for cooking and learned to master the art of French cooking and brought her skills to the United States and to the world teaching everyone how easy it is to prepare French food with a flare every day.  Such a good book and presented in such a way youngsters on up to adult seniors will love the story.  Just delightful.

The System Has Failed

 Shirley J.              Adult Urban Fiction        Children of Pimps, Prostitutes, Drug Addicts and how their upbringing affects their lives as teenagers and young adults

The System Has Failed (Book 2 in The Out For Self Series) by Ms. Michel Moore   304 pages

Really good book with deep characters throughout.  Characters who have hard lives then bring up children within that same hard life.  Action packed with murder, abuse, drug activity, trying to make material things equal love and attention with a few good souls who honestly try to help and improve the lives of some of the hardcore players.   Really good story.   It will grab your attention from the first page to the end.  Not for the squeamish, but, written brilliantly by Ms. Michel Moore who introduces the reader to what street life means.   I recommend this to teens on up to all who enjoy excellent urban fiction.

Big Cherry Holler

Shirley J.          Adult Fiction      Life in Appalachia, Living in a Small Town,  Trials & Marital Bonds

Big Cherry Holler (Book 2 in the Big Stone Gap series) by Adriana Trigiani    272 pages                    

I loved this book!  The characters are so down to earth and folksy.   Set in Appalachia, a city gal in her 40s marries a man from Appalachia and moves back to his home town, Big Cherry Holler, with him and begins life as a wife and learns the less hectic though just as intense life in rural America.   Another woman makes significant moves on Avi Maria's husband Mac.   Ave Maria sees her marriage going up in flames, especially when the family vacation they had planned to go to Italy to meet up with Ave Maria's Italian father and his kids while touring Italy suddenly becomes a solo trip for Ave Maria and her daughter.  Hubby stays home to "play."   Girlfriends from Big Cherry Holler contact Ave Maria to tell her to come home this woman stealing her husband plans on keeping him and marrying him herself.  A great story not to be missed.   Didn't know it was a series though it stands alone beautifully, now I can't wait to read the rest of the series.  You will love these characters, most especially Ave Maria.  I recommend this one to mature teens on up to senior citizens.

Trains Can Float: and Other Fun Facts

Shirley J.              Juvenile Non-Fiction                     Fun Facts about trains, tunnels and more

Trains Can Float: and Other Fun Facts (the Did You Know? Series) by Laura Lyn DiSiena and        Hannah Elliot     32 pages

Not to be confused, the book isn't talking about in water but actually seeming to "float" or hover above the train tracks due to magnets.   So many fun things to learn here.   In the Netherlands they build tunnels for animals to cross over/above areas with lots of traffic so the animals have access without endangering themselves trying to cross heavily trafficked roads, etc.   It tells about the longest suspension bridge which is a mile and a quarter long.   That would be scary!  So many more fun things packed in this book, it is great.  I always love to learn new things.   I recommend this one for kindergarteners on up.  Adults will enjoy learning new things, too!  

Spirit of the Cheetah: A Somali Tale

 Shirley J.                Juvenile Literature                      Cheetahs, running a race, coming of age  

The Spirit of the Cheetah by Karen Lynn Williams & Khadra Mohammed   40 pages

A young boy named Roblay is practicing for the big race in his Somali village in which the fastest young runners are declared men.    Roblay runs everywhere practicing for the big day.   He seeks advice from his grandfather who tells him he must gain the spirit of the cheetah if he wants to win.   Roblay studies the habits of the cheetah and his grandfather likens the strength and endurance of the Shabelle River to this cheetah spirit.   Roblay studies hard, runs even harder focuses on how the cheetah sees the world and runs the race like the wind!  Just like a cheetah!  Good story.  Lovely illustrations.  I think listeners on up to the elderly will enjoy this coming of age tale.

Climaturity: A Journey Into the Muddy Climate Middle

Climaturity: A Journey into the Muddy Climate Middle by Marc Cortez  126 pages

I feel terrible that I agreed to review this book. I admit that I was excited to learn more about climate change from a unique perspective than I see on cable, the news or from Al Gore. I was especially excited when a Glossary was at the very beginning. I knew then that this author knew this was virgin territory for most readers.

I wasn’t too alarmed when reading though the Glossary gave me a headache; I figured that I could understand the terms once I saw them in context. Man, was I wrong! I read the whole book, but the only thing I understood was the author’s poem, “What’s the Fuss on Planet Gus?” But that was even too long in my opinion.

 “Climaturity: A Journey into the Muddy Climate Middle” receives 1 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world. But don’t take my word for it; I suggest everyone give this a read. If someone out there can make sense of this, maybe the Earth will get lucky.

 

Twenty Years Later

Twenty Years Later by Charlie Donlea 368 pages 

Welcome to another novel that was nothing like I expected…sort of. It was the cryptic postcard that serves as the book’s synopsis that made me want to read this one. Only one aspect, 9/11, was what I expected but not in the way I expected it.

A little over twenty years ago, 9/11 happened. Victoria Ford was visiting her lawyer, prepping for her murder trial when the Towers fell. Victoria, like so many others, was gone without a trace. But a trace did remain.

Fast forward to 2021. The New York Medical Examiner’s Office* has made a discovery. For the first time in many years, the OFFICE has made a successful identification. Using advanced DNA technology, a tooth recovered from the wreckage has led to the identity of one of the victims: Victoria Ford.

Avery Mason is a national television celebrity who hosts “American Events.” She flies to New York to learn more. With the 20^th anniversary looming, Avery knows looking into how Victoria was identified will be ratings gold.

But then Avery learns that Victoria was the primary suspect in a grisly, yet abandoned, murder investigation and heck, what kind of reporter would she be if ignored that? Victoria did leave one piece of information behind: In a last phone call to her sister, Emily Kind, she begs her to prove Victoria’s innocence. Emily has tried, but no one will take the case. It seems pretty cut and dry, but there wouldn’t be a thrilling novel if that was the case.

As Avery discovers, “Victoria had been having an affair with a successful novelist, found hanging from the balcony of his Catskills mansion. The rope, the bedroom, and the entire crime scene was covered in Victoria’s DNA.”  But as she pushes deeper into the past, Avery’s own past begins to surface; a past that the network and her fans would find very troubling.

This was quite the thriller until the climax. Events and people appear without any foreshadowing that makes the final fourth of the book implausible.

 Still, up to that point it was a great read, but “Twenty Years Later” receives 4 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

 

 

*To date, The New York Medical Examiner’s Office has successfully identified 1,646 9/11 victims. There are still 1,106 remains that have not yet been identified.

 

Black Candle Women

Black Candle Women by Diane Marie Brown 368 pages

This novel was nothing like I expected. I expected a dual narrative, lots of voodoo/hoodoo/black magic and more New Orleans. Of course those expectations were based on one sentence at the end of the back over synopsis.

Thankfully, I wasn’t totally disappointed with the linear narrative, Black family life, generational trauma and a decades-old curse novel that I ended up reading.

Augusta Montrose fled New Orleans with her granddaughters after her spiritual mentor put a curse on the women in her family in the 1950s. Now it is current time. The curse has come true for Augusta and her oldest granddaughter, Victoria. The younger granddaughter, Willow, has managed to avoid it, but her life is spiraling towards it. Even Victoria’s great-granddaughter, seventeen-year-old Nickie is even barreling toward heartbreak and tears.

Although Victoria is not a licensed therapist, she runs a successful business out of their basement, using her special gift: being able to read people and talk with them through their troubles. She is highly respected in her African-American community. Her sister, Willow, has a side hustle going on that is steeped in the potions and powders she can make for the book of spells that Augusta brought from New Orleans.

Nickie is aware of the curse but does not feel that will be affect her. It is only after she is abandoned in a nearby hotel that Nickie comes to understand the consequences.

This story moved slowly. It just did not engage me as much as I thought it would based on the cover and synopsis. “Black Candle Women” receives 3 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

Inner Guru: The Guide to Mastering Your Health, Wealth & Relationships From the Inside Out

 

Shirley J.                     Adult Non-Fiction                Fitness tips for your body, mind, and finances

Inner Guru: The Guide to Mastering Your Health, Wealth and Relationships from the Inside Out by Charles D'Angelo   304 pages

Fitness and Motivational Coach, St. Louis' own, Charles D'Angelo goes further than improving the fitness of your body, he teaches the reader how to relax mentally for improved focus and gives a crash course on how to get out of debt and get on to achieving all your goals financially as well as feeling and looking good.   Really in-depth stuff here at times reminding you of Anthony Robbins.   Charles D'Angelo teaches from the heart and his own experiences.   Lots of good information to be found here.  I highly recommend this book to anyone seeking a better understanding of themselves, their financial growth and how to be their very best and live their best life.  never to young to start learning these tools that will get you on the fast track to success.

Beautiful Little Fools

 

Shirley J.            Adult Fiction                 A retelling of the Great Gatsby from the female point of view

Beautiful Little Fools by Jillian Cantor      368 pages  

When the copyright for the Great Gatsby ran out, author, Jillian Cantor decided to write a retelling of Gatsby's story but this time from the perspective of the female characters in F. Scott Fitzgerald's original novel.   This book is so good you won't want to put it down.    Granted, largely the appeal is gleaned from the original story but Jillian Cantor develops the personalities of all the women in the story letting the reader get to know them and why they did what happens in the book.  Amazingly done.  Fitzgerald might be miffed because she uses his story but she makes her own and if he were being totally honest she did an admirable job.   It was a real treat to get to see the story from the females' take on things and a fascinating addition to the original it makes.  It rounds out the telling like the difference between listening to a band and a symphony.   It is fuller and will give the reader a new understanding of the story.  Well worth the read.  I recommend this to middle schoolers on up.

A Nearly Normal Family

 Shirley J.          Adult Fiction/Murder Mystery                          Abused young girls seeking justice

A Nearly Normal Family: A Novel by Rachel Wilson-Broyles    400 pages

What do you do when you are a pastor, your wife is a defense attorney and your 18 year old daughter is accused of murder?  This story is told from 3 vantage points, the father's, the mother's and the daughters' and each is so unique and you will both understand and find yourself physically recoiling from some of he things each of them do.  A very good story showing the lengths parents will go for their child, the bonds lifelong friends break and hold dear and the foul depths a despicable cad (read between the lines, I want to say a lot worse) will go to achieve their own goals and sometimes even within a family each has their own agenda, the good news is while their agendas differ (one goes beyond what the police do, one destroys evidence, lies, deception while protecting the innocent) they each have the same goal.  Good book.   While the story is really good especially for mystery and suspense lovers, I think it might drag the details out a little too long to suit younger readers wanting to hurry and get to the meat of the story so I recommend this one to adults of all ages.   

Dinner for a Dollar

 

Shirley J.                           Adult Non-Fiction                         Making your food budget stretch    

Good Housekeeping Dinner for a Dollar: 50 Family-Friendly Recipes Under $1     112 pages    

Good Housekeeping puts out some of my very favorite cookbooks.   This one is also good but the title is just a little deceptive.   In fact the recipes ingredients break down to a $1.00 per person not $1.00 per meal, or so they say they did in 2006 when the copy I read was printed.  Still, the recipes use ingredients that can be bought in bulk and used for several meals so, even this many years later, it will be on the lower end in price and even if per meal it is now $5.00 or even a little more, it still gives the reader guidance on what to look for and several ways to prepare the ingredients to remain frugal in the post pandemic times when supplies are still a little iffy ie. I perused the shelves last night and was surprised by the sparse and sometimes empty shelves.  Are they still playing the shortage of supplies card when so many retailers are begging people to come in and buy up their bag log of supplies so they can purchase new ones?   But I digress.   The recipes are sometimes not things I personally would eat, sorry lentils, but, there is a wide variety here and many, many helpful tips included throughout.   I love Good Housekeeping so I would recommend this book to mature teens who may be out on their own, to college students who might like to supplement their Ramen Noodle diet, to newly out on their own and newly married folk trying to budget their own household spending and to all who wish to come up with creative ways to stretch their grocery budgets while keeping mealtime interesting.

The Hiding Place

 

Shirley J.                      Adult Fiction                              Revisiting past tragedies, righting wrongs

The Hiding Place by C. J.. Tudor         304 pages        

Joe goes back to Arnhill the place he grew up.   He left to get away from all the ghosts and terror he encountered there as a teenager, when he and some friends went exploring a cave and his 8 year old little sister followed them.  He never expected to return but then he received a weird email, "I know what happened to your sister.  It is happening again."   Padding his resume, he goes back to the hometown he swore he would never see again and he becomes involved in a bigger situation than he would have ever imagined in his worst nightmares.   A good story with lots of good twists, hints of supernatural, and characters that aren't always what they seem.   I would recommend this one to mature high schoolers on up. 

The Supremes at Earl's All-You-Can-Eat

 

Shirley J.                     Adult Fiction                         Lifelong Friends, Family, Church Members, Diners,                                                                                       Food, Tears of Sadness and Joy, Love

I love this book.  It has everything.  Humor, Betrayal, Heroes, Villains, Love, Hate, Ghosts, Preachers,  Revivals, Strippers, Fortune Tellers, Family and Friends.   The telling is so lovely it is like enjoying your favorite thing all the way through.  It is beautiful and beautifully told.  It is like relating the happenings of all your best friends with a few frenemies thrown in just to keep things interesting.   There is injustice but there is also justice sometimes time and space helps it all come together.   The ghosts are witty and lively, well dressed and sometimes drunk or high but always delightful.  It is a coming of age story for 3 best friends (dubbed the Supremes), a circle of life and love that will make the reader feel a part of the community.   It is a wonderful, excellent story and it continues in "The Supremes Sing the Happy Heartache Blues."  Trust me, you will want to read it, too.  : )   I recommend this one especially to lovers of soul, souls (ghosts), soul food (Earl's diner, home goings, weddings, holidays), and blessed soul music, to baby boomers and to all who remember their youth, their friends, who struggled and overcame adversity in its many guises.  I think adults will appreciate this story in so many ways and teens and young adults will glean a deeper understanding of their parents, grandparents and great-grandparents.  We were all young once.  ; )

How To Haunt a House

 

Shirley J.                       Juvenile Fiction                   How to Steps to Successfully Haunt a House

How to Haunt a House by Carolyn Crimi      32 pages

Three little ghosts, Moana, Groana and Shrieky,  are in class to learn how to successfully haunt houses/the inhabitants of the houses.  The first house the teacher takes them to is small but man do they scare that family and run them out of the house in fright!   Then they go to a second house.   The house is bigger, the family is a lot braver but with a little work, they terrorize them, too.   The real test comes when their teacher takes them to the third house - a house full of monsters!   Though Moana, Groana and Shrieky do their best to scare the wits out of them, it has no effect.   The monsters continue on as if nothing has occurred.   They ask their teacher what they can do to really scare these folks?    She suggests trying bats, rats and black wild cats.  They do but the mother monster loves the bats and starts feeding them and letting them hang on her arms.   The little girl is so over joyed with the rats she walks around like a mother possum with rats holding on to her arms, shoulder and she even puts one on her head! The little boy monster starts playing with the wild scary looking black cats as the Dad monster looks on and smiles.  What must they do?  Nothing is scaring this monster family!   The teacher tells them they must think outside the box.   They think and think then finally groana comes up with the perfect idea.  Since the monsters aren't afraid of scary things, maybe they are afraid of non-scary things like puppies, kittens, bunnies and butterflies!  They fill the monsters' house with all cuteness!  The throw glitter around and paint butterflies and all things adorable on the walls.   The monsters freak out and dash out of the house without looking back.   Now that is how you haunt a house - every kind of house!    Such a cute book.  For all who love Halloween, scary things and good stories that teach kids to be creative.  ; )   I recommend this one for kids up to 10 years old and all their loving family, babysitters, teachers, who love to share stories with them and everyone who loves juvenile literature.    

The Quiet Place

 Shirley J.                 Juvenile Fiction               Creating your own space out of cardboard boxes

The Quiet Place by Sarah Stewart    44 pages

Isabel and her family move from Mexico to Michigan in the United States.   She misses her Aunt Lupita and all the fun they had.  She misses hearing Spanish being spoken, too.  She does learn to find things that make her happy in her new home, like snow and making snow angels and she loves helping her mother prepare cakes and desserts for birthday parties.  She also likes her new teacher, who doesn't speak Spanish but she has a big beautiful smile.   When her family gets a new refrigerator, she keeps the box to play with and makes a wonderful, special place all her own that is quiet and comforting.  It is big enough she brings her books inside it to sit and read.  She decorates it with her toys and she writes letters from inside it to her beloved Aunt Lupita.  Her Dad and her older brother, Chavo help her to decorate it.   It is her special silent place.   One day it rains really hard and her box gets wet and her lovely quiet place has to be thrown away (she forgot and left it outside), but it wasn't long after she was able to rebuild her beautiful quiet place.  She continued to help her mother with the cakes and sweet confections they made for birthday parties and Isabel would ask the people who's homes they went to if she could have one of the empty boxes a present had been in and was now being discarded.   She is delighted when she gets new boxes and soon her Dad and brother helped her join the new boxes together to make a huge villa.  They decorated it with Isabel and when it comes time for Isabel's birthday, she invites the children from the parties and invites them into her quiet place to show them how much fun it is to be inside and look out the windows her brother cut out of the boxes, to sing in the windows and play with toys and do puppet shows.   Her quiet place was not so quiet anymore,  but,  Isabel was happy.  Sweet book.  I recommend this to teachers, parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and babysitters for kids up to 10 years old and anyone who enjoys children's literature.

Flatshare

 

Shirley J.           Adult Fiction            Two Roommates Working Different Shifts Share One Bed

Flatshare by Beth O'Leary    352 pages

Tiffy is madly in love with her boyfriend so she is blindsided when he tells her he wants to break up because he is in love with someone else he has been seeing.    Looking for another place to live Tiffy cannot believe some of the places, real grotty and some of the people, waaaaaay out there.   Perusing the ads for anything in her price range sans serial killers/insects/mold in that order, she comes across an ad from a bloke named Leon who is a night shift worker and would like to rent his apartment out during the hours he is at work and on weekends.  This is a true blessing for Tiffy price-wise and as she works in an office during the day while Leon would be sleeping, when she gets off work Leon is on his way out the door to go to his job.  Sounds peculiar but it actually works out perfectly for them.   They don't see each other and become penpals writing each other notes regarding such things as whether to leave the toilet seat up or not?  When is trash day?  If there are leftovers in the fridge are they up for grabs?  Etc.   It is a great system.    Then, Tiffy wants to meet Leon.   Hilarity ensues although it has been pretty funny all along, then, a wrench is thrown in, Tiffy's ex's new girlfriend dumps him so he figures he will pick back up with Tiffy, so, he starts stalking her.  Imagine his surprise when he knocks on the door and Leon answers.  So funny.  Really good read.   I recommend this one to middle schoolers on up, it is cute and funny, I think most anyone would like it.  

The Bat: Wings in the Night Sky

 Shirley J.                        Juvenile Non-Fiction                         Bats, Various Species, Habitats, Facts, etc.

The Bat: Wings in the Night by M. Brock Fenton   144 pages

One of the sweetest little creatures alive is the bat.   Some look like cuddly little mammals with big round soft eyes and some are tiny with fangs that bring to mind Dram Stoker and Bela Lugosi.  This book tells you many facts about the various varieties, not all use echolocation to "see" many species of bat have excellent vision.  Some have both senses in which case color/heat signatures come into play to interpret their surroundings.  The habitats of many different species is shown and their diets are discussed, yes, there really are such things as vampire bats.   The photography is phenomenal and shows many species up close.   Some have the signature top hornlike/chevron shape/cone, etc. on the heads.  Some have teeth or fangs some don't.  Some eat fruit, others, frogs or insects and some live on the blood of other mammals.   The anatomy of many species is shown and explained why and how it helps them in their specific environments.   A very good book on the topic of a misunderstood creature.  I recommend this to grade schoolers on up.

Product of the System

 

Shirley J.                        Adult Urban Fiction                           Playing Baby Daddies for Money

A Product of the System (Out for Self Series) by Ms. Michel Moore    384 pages

The best laid plans.   When Simone gets pregnant she sees a money making opportunity, she can easily manipulate two of the men she has been messing with.   One of the gangbangers is a good man at heart who wants to take care of her and "his" son.   He provides for her by buying groceries, paying her rent/bills, buying her clothes, furniture, jewelry, whatever she wants.   The other gangbanger she is playing is dangerous.  His temper is easily set off.   She gentles him with pampering and sensual pleasures which keeps him coming around and buying her clothes, jewelry, drinks, but if something sets him off he will beat her down and the baby, too, without a second thought nor any remorse.   Add to all that the two baby daddies are in rival gangs.  How Simeone managed to keep the two men from running into each other in her apartment ... oh wait, she didn't!   It is all about to explode and she and the baby are right in the center of it all!  Good story!  Readers won't be able to put this one down.    I recommend this one to mature teens (for content, language and violence) on up to seniors.   If you like an edge to your stories you will like this one.

The Mistletoe Promise

Shirley J.                Adult Fiction Holiday Romance            Christmas Season, Fake Relationships

The Mistletoe Promise (Part of the Mistletoe Series) by Richard Paul Evans    272 pages    

Excellent holiday story about Elise Dutton, who's husband had an affair with her best friend 3 years prior that left her crushed, alone and distrusting men to the point of not wanting another relationship.  It is November and she is eating her lunch alone (as usual) in the mall food court below her office.  She notices a man from her office building also eats there around the same time she does.  She doesn't know him but has seen him around.  One day he approaches her with a unique proposition.   He is a lawyer on one of the upper floors and he, too, is alone for the holidays.    He discusses how social engagements come up and family gatherings and he would like to have someone to attend all the holiday events with to keep people from trying to fix him up with someone and to stop them from all the questions that come up when you aren't part of a couple but without any strings attached and no actual coupling going on.   Elise is intrigued.  She has the same issues and hears him out.  He proposes for the next eight weeks - ending on December 24, that they pretend to be a couple.   He says there will be four rules: 

1.)  No personal questions.

2.)  No drama.

3.)  No telling anyone the truth about their NON-relationship.

4.)  The contract is void on Christmas Day.

At first Elise is floored by his offer, but, still intrigued.   She thinks, why not?   And she goes for it.  To all outside eyes they become an item.   They go to holiday dinners with family, they go to work sponsored holiday events, they attend fund raisers and every day he sends her an expensive present to her office.   Her co-workers are in awe, especially the office floozie who tends to give her a hard time.  At the holiday office party this floozie comes on like gangbusters to the fake boyfriend, who turns out to be a very successful partner in the law firm and the town's most eligible bachelor.  The story is so fun and so real, the reader gets the feeling you are right there with them.  I highly recommend this fun romp through the realities of navigating the holidays with a no-strings companion to keep the nosies off your back.  Such a great story! ; )     I recommend this one to middle schoolers on up to senior citizens.   If you love Christmas stories and Christmas love stories this one is right up your Hallmark alley!  

 

Miracle Creek

 

Shirley J.        Adult Fiction Suspense/Murder Mystery          Autism,  Experimental Treatment, Tragedy    

Miracle Creek: A Novel by Angie Kim      368 pages    

The parent of an autistic child finds an experimental treatment that is said to be a miracle cure for multiple conditions and one of those is autism.    A single mother beside herself dealing with the outbursts of her autistic son (her husband left them because he couldn't deal with it) is introduced to an experimental treatment done in a hyperbaric chamber that claims to be a godsend in calming down the erratic melt downs autistic patients (and by proxy their caretakers) endure.    It is a murder mystery that will have your blood pumping from the suspense.   It is a white knuckle ride with the Mother going through resentment, hating her life and her son for the loss of her marriage.     Omgosh!  And the treatment is actually real and happening in Virginia.  Good story and first novel by Angie Kim.   It is really intense so I recommend this one for mature teens but more likely adults on up.

Pie

Shirley J.                    Adult Fiction                                    Pie baking, a secret recipe,  a rescued cat

Pie by Sarah Weeks     192 pages

A sweet story about Alice, who's Aunt Polly has the most amazing pie crust recipe that everybody in their town of Ipswitch, and world-wide, would do just about anything to get ahold of.   Aunt Polly has been offered loads of money for her recipe but always just laughs it off and continues to keep it a secret because folks coming from all over the world to visit her bakery and purchase her sensational pies.   Aunt Polly lives a simple life making the best pies in town and taking care of the huge (plump), white, cantankerous stray cat she took in and named Lardo, and doting on her niece, Alice.   Aunt Polly goes to bed not feeling well one night and passes away in her sleep.   Come to find out she has a will and has left her world famous secret recipe to Lardo and Lardo to Alice.   Her bakery, she leaves to the town in care of the Mayor for tourist revenue.   The family is fit to be tied!  Whaaaaaatttttttt?    A good story of achieving the greater good even when not everyone agrees.   I recommend this one to middle schoolers on up to senior citizens.   Well worth the smiles.

Happily Ever After

Shirley J.                    Adult Fiction                     BFFs in Business Together, Wedding Planners

Happily Ever After by Nora Roberts  (Book 4 in the Bride Quartet series)  368 pages

Vows, a wedding planning company owned by best friends, is the ultimate all things wedding business to go to.   They have a fabulous venue to offer brides and grooms as it is a huge mansion with adjoining property including a lagoon, lush gardens, fabulous architecture, gorgeous chandeliers with fantastic window views of the landscape and property that can be transformed into any bride's wish and just so happens to be owned by one of the ladies who is the "face/spokesperson" for the company and the concierge person helping with all details, frantic calls from brides, unruly guests, last minute emergencies (she keeps a sewing kit, tape, etc. on her at all times during the ceremonies).   Another of the friends/partners is a magnificent baker who can make brides' wedding cake dreams a reality, another does the floral arrangements with a skilled eye to match the perfect bouquet, table arrangements and venue decorations for that perfect match of color and design.  Together they offer the ultimate package and are everything any bride could want.  The ladies also have their own romances going on along with engagements and weddings of their own to be planned.   I recommend this book to all who love romance, to all who are thrilled at the thought of weddings and all the various aspects - you will pick up so many ideas here and definitely all fans of Nora Roberts.   I think this would make an excellent film as well.  The imagery here is almost like savoring a piece of the best wedding cake you have ever tasted.  : )   I recommend this one to middle schoolers on up to seniors.    

"The London Seance Society" by Sarah Penner

 

The London Seance Society by Sarah Penner  352 pp

The London Seance Society is the story of two sisters.  Once is alive and one is dead.  Lenna has apprenticed herself to medium Vaudeline D'Allaire in hopes of finding out what happened to her sister who she believes was murdered.  Her sister, Evie, believed in ghosts and psychics and had been Vaudeline's apprentice before she died.  Vaudeline is well known among people looking for resolutions to murders that the police cannot solve.  Vaudeline has been sent to Paris for her protection because she believes the group is defrauding people that hire them. Mr. Morley, the vice president of the Department of Spiritualism at the London Seance Society (an all male group) calls her back to try to solve the murder of Mr. Wolckman who died the same night as Lenna's sister Evie.  Lenna comes along in case Vaudeline needs help and finds out that her sister was more embroiled in the mystery than she originally thought.

I enjoyed the story, but it did have a slow start.  I really liked Sarah Penner's previous story The Lost Apothecary.  It may have been easier for me to empathize with a modern person since that story went back and forth between the past and the present.  Both stories involve some nod to modern day feminism by noting the problems women had with being respected in the past.  I want to give this 3.5 stars, but since I cannot.  I will have to err on the side of three.

The Girl Least Likely

 Shirley J.                   Adult Fiction Romance                      Stand-up Comics,  Double-life   

The Girl Least Likely by Katy Loutzenhiser    352 pages     

Highschool student, Gretchen, can't seem to get it right.   She and her best friend and secret crush, Samuel, have been friends for years, so why has Sam never made a pass at her?  Is it the way she dresses?   Should she apply make-up?   Do something with her straw-like hair?   What gives?  Yeah, they are friends but Sam wouldn't mind becoming friends with benefits.  Then, Sam starts hanging out with another girl he meets through his jock teammates.  Devastated, Gretchen confides in her sister and cousin who are her go tos any time it isn't Sam she is going to.   They console her and talk her into going out with them to a comedy club/bar.  Gretchen is a junior in high, her sister is in college and her cousin is her older sister's age.  When Gretchen brings this fact up that she is not 21 and can't get in to the Comedy Club, the two older girls come up with a fake i.d. and away they all go.   Turns out to be amateur night and someone put her name on the roster for new comics to go up and do 5 minutes.   At least it is the name on her fake i.d.  after the terror goes away as the audience cheers "her name" her sister and cousin assure her she has always been funny and is always making the family and her friends laugh.   The adrinaline starts pumping and barring flight she opts for fight and desperately tries to give the audience what they are screaming for.  Turns out she gets a few laughs just by talking about her life and her mad unrequited love for her bestie Samuel.   Gretchen gains confidence.   All of a sudden the girl least likely to do anything cool or go anywhere beyond her own neighborhood is wearing leather pants, makeup with glasses to look more like the fake id.  and is getting such a rush from performing live.   The beast unleashed is not going back into the cage.   She continues coming back on amateur nights to get back on stage.   She meets other comics who think she is Sabrina and 23 like the fake i.d. says.   Her parents don't worry about her because she is a good quiet girl who gets all As in school and has never caused any problems.   Suddenly she is lying to her parents, coming in all hours after the clubs close (her parents go to bed not even thinking she isn't in her room or at whichever school friend's house she told them she was going to.  Such a good girl.  The girl least likely to be a problem.   Good story.  Lots of tips on doing stand-up, too.   I recommend this one to middle schoolers on up.   

The Operator

 Shirley J.         Adult Fiction         1950s Wooster, Ohio,  telephone operators listening in, small towns

Snoopy telephone operator, Vivian, listens in to the calls she places.   She prides herself on saying to anyone who will listen, "I know people."   ie. She is intuitive or so she says.   The word busybody comes to mind.   She finds out information on the people in town then spreads "truths" people might prefer to keep to themselves.   Of course Bell doesn't allow the operators to listen in to calls.   They actually forbid it, but, when no one is paying attention and the work day has grown long and boring, why not?    And all the operators do it.  Maybe not as frequently as Vivian, but, Vivian sees herself as watching out for her community by keeping an ear on what is going on.   It helps her to "know" people.   Until the one time she hears something shocking.  It had to happen but oh what comes of it makes for juicy reading!   I recommend this one to mature teens on up.    A lovely trip back in time and a vindicating you'll get yours tale.    

V Wars: A Chronicle of the Vampire Wars

 Shirley J.                    Adult Fiction Paranormal                 Millenia old virus, vampires, werewolves

V Wars: A Chronicle of the Vampire Wars by Jonathan Mayberry     462 pages

Interesting concept.   The story is told by many writers whose stories all come together and overlap one another to make a cohesive total story as told through the chronicles of the times.   The essential story is that a scientific expedition exploring the ice in Antarctica frees a millenia old virus that overtakes its human host modifying the hosts "junk" DNA turning people into creatures everyone assumed were merely myths but suddenly terrifyingly are real and walking among society.   The different writers bring their own takes on what is happening just as different perspectives of witnesses can tell very different details but come back to the main event at hand.   Really well done with a delicious Orson Welles meets "Trueblood" feel.   I recommend this one to all lovers of paranormal storylines, scifiers who like a little monster in the mix now and then, all fans of Charlaine Harris's characters -you will sense a kinship here.  Middle schoolers on up.   This seems like a big thick book, but, the story(ies) will grip you so you won't notice how fast the pages are turning.

One Last Stop

 Shirley J.             Adult Fiction Romance                    Subways, Time warps, punk rock 

One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston    432 Pages

Whoa!  Interesting story.   A cynical girl moves to New York City sort of looking for all the great things New York City promises but actually not believing a word of it and putting b.s. on her label for New York until...she meets the woman of her dreams she didn't even realize she had on the subway.   The gal is on the same car, same seat every day, funny same time that August rides, even sometimes late at night or early in the morning, even different trains she is always there.   Finally after ogling her for what seemed eons, August starts broaching conversation.  It blossoms into a love story between August and punk-rocker subway rider, Jane.  Funny, her outfit looks so authentic not like wanna be punkers.   So authentic in fact, Jane still listens to cassettes!  Whaaaat???   Must be a vintage things or is it?   The two gals start doing experiments and it turns out no matter where Jane gets off the subway, the next thing you know she is right back on.   What is up with the universe?   A good story with magical twists and turns.  I would recommend this one to middle schoolers on up.

What She Knew

 

Shirley J.                   Adult Fiction                                          Child Abduction        

What She Knew: A Novel by Gilly MacMillan    596 pages

How many times have we walked with a child only for the little one to want to run ahead of us whether we are willing or not?   That happens to the mother in this story.  Out for a day of fun with her 8 year old son.  He, Ben, asks if he can run ahead?   Its a normal Sunday, so, sure.  She lets him, but, when she catches up and is looking for him, she believes him to be hiding from her ready to jump out and scare her when he can.  But, Ben disappears and his Mom, Rachel goes out of her mind when she realizes he really is gone.  The terror too terrible to even think about happens.   Police and search parties look for him.   Days pass, Rachel's newly remarried ex-husband and her "perfect" sister seem to blame her for not watching him better.   When she flubs a media event where she is supposed to read aloud a written script the police have given her to try to appeal to the abductor, Rachel ad libs her own remarks threatening the killer then smiling on camera as she thinks she came off as a strong person but instead looks guilty herself and according to the police may have jeopardized her son's safety.  Things get worse, the public turns against her seeing her as a suspect - she was the last person to see Ben.   Social media starts attacking her as a liar and a murderer though the police and her sister beg her not to go on social media.  Rachel can't help but think some unknown monster has stolen her son from her, but, the longer he is gone, she begins to wonder about everyone she knows.   This is a real nail biter from start to finish and you will see that everyone in the book has the potential to have done the deed.   The plot twist is really well done.   It will make you say, "Wow!"   Again, the sheer emotion involved here I would recommend this one for adults, though, it is a cautionary tale.  Discretion should be used if younger readers want to attempt this one.

The Secrets She Keeps

 

Shirley J.             Adult Fiction  Murder, Mystery, Suspense             Missing Babies, Abduction, Lies and Mental Illness    

The Secrets She Keeps by Michael Robotham    496 pages

Oh my gosh! Yikes!   This story will tear at your heart!  I can't stop saying OMgosh!  Because this story will haunt you, but the writing is such perfection that you will be pulled along without wanting to let it go until the end.   There is mystery, there is suspense, and there is awful murder happening that will literally bring tears to your eyes for the wrongness of it.   So despicable and yet, the murderer bears no guilt, no remorse really other than through the murders the killer simply lost what it wanted to possess.  Michael Robotham is an amazing writer who not only puts words on a page but instills them with the deepest innermost torment and emotion for all involved.   It is the most tragic book I have read in I don't know when but it is also one of the best books I have read in this genre.  Kudos to Michael Robotham for an astoundingly good heart ripping tale.    One character will do anything to have the life she wants even if she has to steal the life of someone else to do it.    You won't want to put this one down it is that good if grim at times.    Due to the nature of what transpires, I recommend this one to adults.  The images it paints in one's mind are startling and unforgettable.   It is a lot to take in.   Let's let the younger set keep gentler thoughts as long as they can.

Brief Answers to the Big Questions

Shirley J.      Adult Non-Fiction Science      Hawking's take on God, Black Holes, Survival Odds

Stephen Hawking explores big topics with explanations that are easy to understand while based on his understanding of them from a scientist's point of view.   I always enjoy Stephen Hawking's books.  A brilliant man who opened Science and Quantum Physics to the layman.  He explains String Theory, everything you want to know about Black Holes, his search to prove the existence of God, his summation of the likelihood of whether or not a meteor will hit the earth and whether or not humans will continue to survive on earth and/or  should humankind should seek to colonize other planets and if so which ones?   Such a vast accumulation of mighty knowledge to be found here and lofty stuff made totally understandable.   What's not to love?   I recommend this to everyone who seeks answers to what the heck is going on in the universe?   Definitely middle schoolers on up to senior citizens and certainly for science lovers even younger.  

October 2022 Team Totals

 

In October two people read 23 books with a total of 6304 pages.  Shirley read most of them with 17 books and 4846 pages.  Great job reading!

September 2022 Team Totals

 

In September, three people read 27 books with a total of 7835 pages.  Shirley read the most with 21 books and 5691 pages.  Keep on reading!

In a Holidaze

 Shirley J.     Adult Fiction Romance            Old Friends & Family gathering together each Christmas

In a Holidaze by Christina Lauren    336 pages

This was such an enjoyable read it really catches you up in the spirit of the holidays, young love and how friends can be family as much as your biological kin.     Friends and lovers from college continue spending every Christmas together even after partners switch up, marry, divorce but remain friends still, have children who grow up, everyone feeling it is the best possible answer to the holidays.  No matter what happens in their lives throughout the years, the camaraderie  never fails.  The adults assume the two youngest kids will grow up and marry, but as Blaise Pascal said, "The heart has reasons that reason doesn't understand."    While one of the two sort of sees that happening, the other doesn't and has eyes only for the "other" "older" sibling.   Quirky, fun story with a few tears along the way.  Christina Lauren knows her stuff and tells an excellent Christmas story with lots of references baby boomers will get and enjoy.  I recommend this one to Middle Schoolers on up.  It is an enjoyable read.

The French Chef in America: Julia Child's Second Act

 Shirley J.         Adult Non-Fiction Biography        Julia Child, French Cooking, her life here and abroad   The French Chef in America: Julia Child's Second Act by Alex Prud'Homme   336 pages

Wonderful sharing of the life of Julia Child and her life's adventures by her grand-nephew, Alex Prud'homme.   Many stories not heard before about Alex's beloved aunt and also insight into the life of Julia's husband, Paul Child and their friends, families and life in America and abroad.   A rich telling of many details behind the scene on "The French Chef," her "French Sister" and co-author of "Mastering French Cooking," Simone "Simca" Beck who despite a tumultuous friendship remained friends to the end of their lives.   So much information not discussed previously, I thoroughly enjoyed this book.  I recommend this one to all fans of the woman who had the cojones to be the first woman to attend Le Cordon Bleu in France and who also showed the public it is o.k. to make mistakes when cooking then also taught the public how to fix any mistakes made.   A true warrior and hero in our time.  I recommend this book to all who love the woman behind the legend and all lovers of "cookery" as she termed her skill as well as French culture and cooking.    Excellent book.