Happiness: The Crooked Little Road to Semi-Ever After
by Heather Harpham
Happiness by Heather Harpham (7/17/2017)
Memoirs are not usually my favorite genre and I didn't understand that this book was just that...until I began to read. However, having been through a similar experience of having a child born with a congenital heart disease while my husband was deployed, I could relate somewhat, which kept me reading. I do not think this is a book that a majority of readers would rate as " Very Good", overall because of the subject but it was written well, and was interesting to note the changes that came about as Brian fell in love with his daughter and yet I was impressed with Heather's patience and understanding while those changes came about, and continued through another pregnancy, before wanting to marry her.
It was not a book I would read again.
The Book That Matters Most: A Novel
by Ann Hood
The Book That Matters Most by Ann Hood (7/28/2016)
Thank you for allowing me to review this book. In 2002 I began to emerge from the rock I'd been hiding under, as Ava had done when Jim had left. Though my depressed state was similar to Ava's, the reasons were entirely different and in retrospect, our lives have been different as well. But the feelings were the same, and I had the desire to get back into reading, so I invited a few "safe" friends to join me and we began our book club.
As I read the author's story, I compared both book club groups and found there were many similarities. I felt right at home with this book.
Having the chapters written around each month and each book that had been selected was unique and I looked forward to reading the quotes from each book.
There were many characters, but I was able to keep them all separated in my mind because each had been fairly well developed, regardless of the amount of the story line they represented. My favorite character was Penny; she brought much to the group in a classy way but was not pompous or arrogant.
Maggie's story of addition and erratic behavior was uncomfortable for me to read, yet I wanted to understand her, and found myself being very concerned about her. I really felt she would overdose, so I kept reading about her. It does seem a bit unrealistic that she was able to get clean and stay that way after just one attempt.
While I wouldn't say this was a "page turner", I did find it to be very well written and was totally surprised by the ending, and impressed with the finesse and mastery shown by the author in bringing the story together at the end.
As for "From Clare to Here", I had to look it up to see if it was real...very believable!
It was definitely not one of those books that seems to end suddenly, as if the author only had a certain amount of time to write the book, and finding herself out of time, crammed everything together and abruptly ended the story. I liked it!
Ashes of Fiery Weather
by Kathleen Donohoe
Ashes of Fiery Weather by Kathleen Donohoe (4/2/2016)
Thank you for the opportunity to review this book. My grandfather and father were proud volunteer firemen and my son has followed in their footsteps so the subject matter was appealing. I enjoy novels of historical fiction, and anticipated that I would enjoy this one as well. So with excitement and great enthusiasm, I began to read this book as soon as it arrived in the mail. Sad to say, I soon lost interest.
The characters seemed shallow and undeveloped but I kept reading, hoping that I would understand the author's purpose in the multiple details of each one. It seemed the characters were all very self-centered and dysfunctional for the most part. The history I sought was not there. Those sections that took me back to the past were short in comparison with those of later years, and it felt like the dates were just sprinkled throughout the book, so the reader might know what the time frame was, beause the characters could have been living in any year in time.
Overall, the book was depressing and disappointing for me. The best part of the book was when Katie eventually appeared on the scene, although many readers might not have kept reading the book and missed her.
Our book club was established in 2002 and throughout the years we have read hundreds of books from various genres, mysteries, romances, classics, historical, biographical, Newberry Award winners etc., but this is not one I would recommend to the group.
Little Black Dress: A Novel
by Susan McBride
Little Black Dress (8/21/2011)
Loved this book..it was difficult for me to get into, having not read anything by Susan McBride, but as soon as I understood her writing pattern of going back and forth between Evie and Toni, I thoroughly enjoyed it. The author was able to weave the life stories of two very different sisters in such a way that I was able to relate to both; then, when I was feeling comfortable about who Evie and Anna were, there was a twist, an unexpected turn, and a surprise to keep me wanting to just finish "this page" and then "this chapter" until I finished the book. Susan's use of descriptive words made it impossible to miss seeing such details as the dimly lit shop of the Parisian gypsy, the spiders actually spinning the golden silk of the little black (once golden) dress, the clarity of the frosty, starlit night in the vineyard, or Evie, sinking deeper while treading harder in the abyss of the Mississippi river. The one person I had trouble envisioning was Toni. I had a difficult time seeing her as a forty-six year old business woman. In my mind's eye, she was always about thirty. I will be anxious to read something else written by Susan.
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