Mrs. Lieutenant

This is the story of 4 women from the four corners of a square. The square is their husband’s military service and while they are all going through the same thing, they are each coming at it from their own completely different background and beliefs. It is 1970 and the one thing they all have in common is the worry that their husband will go to Vietnam.

Sharon is Jewish, Kim is a Southern Baptist, Donna is a Puerto Rican Army brat and Wendy is Black.

The story is told in 3rd person but flows as if each woman is telling her own. You cringe when prejudices are shown and you cry when bonds are formed.

The book can look deceiving as being long and daunting because the type is large, which I enjoy as being easy to read at night in bed, but it makes it almost 500 pages.

Souvenir

Cross Posted at Good Reads and Paperback Swap

When you can figure out the end from the prologue you assume the book is not going to be good. But you (read I) stick with it because you hate giving up on a book. It’s the journey right? You know how it’s going to end but it the how you get from A to B that’s important.

I am so very happy that I stuck with this book. It starts out very cheesy, boy meets girl, boy wants to propose to girl, girl breaks up and marries someone completely wrong. Being an avid reader of “romance” novels you know boy and girl are going to get back together before the end of the book. The journey that Theresa Fowler takes you on in her first novel is one of Robert Frost proportion, the road less taken.

This is a fairly new book and as I mentioned it is her first novel. I will definitely put her in my authors to watch for category.

Side note to my sisters, this book hits a little close to home be prepared with a box of Kleenex. G-don’t read the end first, let her take you on the journey.

Two Books

Somehow it always works out that I finish both my hard copy and my electronic books at the same time. I finished The Girl Who Stopped Swimming just a few days ago and it was very good. I have been reading Joshilyn Jackson's blog for a while now and I have always enjoyed her writing. And while I have been disappointed by books from some of my favorite bloggers (I was only willing to try this one because I could get it from the library) I really liked this one. I can't wait to read her other books.

This morning I finish How Evan Broke His Head and Other Secrets and it was fantastic. I highly recommend it.

I am on my way to the library at lunch today to pick up my two new books.

Light of the Moon

Cross Posted at Paperback Swap

I have always enjoyed Luanne Rice novels. She usually does such good “beach reads”. This one while very good I would not classify as a beach read. Although it is a bit intriguing it misses the mark of mysterious.

A young woman loses her mother but makes good on her promise to “find Sarah and thank her”. Sarah is a Romany saint in France said to have travelled there with the 3 Marias. Of course while there she falls in love, but it can’t be that cut and dried, there has to be a problem of course. His ex-wife, his troubled daughter, her ex-boyfriend/partner. There is some French in the book that is not translated and leaves the reader to figure it out. Some I could some I didn’t care/need to.

I am not big on description. Honestly I don’t care what color her dress is or how it plays nicely off the colors of the flowers in the garden. I skipped over a lot of this in this book. And I don’t believe I missed a thing.

This was a good quick read (3 nights). With of course a happy ending.

Cheese Monkeys

No that’s not my summation, that’s the title.

It is the story of a young man in the late 50’s going to Art school. It involves his interaction with a Southern Bell “Maybelle Lee” and Himillsy (emphsis on the ills) his best friend/crush/oddest person on the planet. The entire story takes place in two semesters but mainly focuses on the Commercial Arts class in the second semester. The first half of the book (first semester) is really just a background story to get you vested into the characters.

Professor Winston is obviously an unhappy soul and has lost his grounding with reality. How this plays into the Art world is an interesting foray.

This book reminded me of the odd novels that my son enjoys (a la Fahrenheit 451, et. Al.) And immediately upon finishing it, I took it to him and recommended it. Not because he is an Art School student but because I believe it falls into his genre of reading. All in all this is a good albeit odd little book and a very easy read.

The Secret Between Us

Anything for your children.

That is pretty much the premise of this book. A single mom who would do anything for her kids. Physical shielding for one and maybe something a tad bit illegal for the other. It is a great story of a mother’s love and relationship changes. Her relationship with her kids, her family, her ex-husband and other community members.

Barbara Delinsky has the ability to make you a part of the story in ways that make you feel what each character is feeling. This is not her first time around the rodeo.

I’m not doing this book justice, just know that it is good and you should read it. And by you, well you know who you are.