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.