Beauvallet by Georgette Heyer

Georgette Heyer is one of the authors who will never become a forgotten author, lost in the archives of old novels. She was one of those magnificent storytellers. I didn't want to finish BEAUVALLET. This novel is full of all sorts of adventures: spying, masqeurades, ships and sea robbers. Is romance an adventure? Yes. In Beauvallet, Sir Nicholas Beauvallet, an Englishman, is in love deeply with Dona Dominica, a Spanish woman. Unfortunately, this is the time when daughters were expected to marry whomever their elders chose for them to marry. Dominica is not meant to marry an Englishman. Her aunt and uncle are determined her marriage is to be one of political maneuvering and not love and romance.

This is one reason I liked the book. I was reminded of the plight of women. Women were used as property, like owned horses. I can't imagine being commanded to marry a man I don't love. How horrible! What should I do with my feelings or should I not feel? That is the question.

I also loved the novel because it is just plain fun. I especially loved Sir Nicholas Beauvallet's masquerade as The Guise, a Frenchman. Oh boy, talk about escape attempts from enemies. Nothing can match the scenes painted by Georgette Heyer. Fabulous, just plain fabulous.  I loved being introduced to France, Spain and England, all in one book. I traveled and traveled quickly in coaches topped with plumes, on horses and by climbing over balconies. What else can I write? Well, I can write a Georgette Heyer novel is better than any adventure on tv today. Really, she was a Diva of Romance ahead of her time. BEAUVALLET proves it.

Corked by Kathryn Borel

I looked forward to reading Corked. I turn each page hoping the book will really make me to move ahead quickly. That doesn't happen. I'm sorry. However, I'm sure another person will very much enjoy it. I looked forward to visiting in France, the wine vineyards, with Kathryn and her father. She and her father seem totally miserable. I felt miserable for Kathryn. Her father is clueless, rude and selfish. Perhaps, he changes. I don't know.

I've read much further than my update shows. I'm trying to pinpoint what bothered. Kathryn's writing peaks when she writes about the horrible accident she experienced. Instead, of going deeper in to that situation she switches off the track, glosses it over. Perhaps, she is unable to face the unchangeable situation even now. I don't know.

I do know there is power in a memoir when the writer writes about her life without turning away from the most nastiest event. To write a memoir a writer has to be ready to look at the good, bad and ugly.

This is not the only situation Kathryn Borel jumps over quickly. So, the story didn't strike at my heart deeply. I did clearly understand and caught how she felt about her father. I would love to know how their relationship ends up.

Kathryn is a strong woman. I give her credit for the wine she tasted. She was a quick learner. She picked up the wine vocabulary so quickly. She acted as though she had planted many vineyards. I guess it's all in her genes.

Please read "Corked." I am sure others will love her writing style. There are so many scenes I will remember. For example,

"YOU CAN'T TELL ME I'M WRONG, THEN TELL ME WHAT TO DO.
THEN SHUT DOWN WHEN I ASK YOU FOR HELP."

I cried. So, in many ways Kathryn Borel did strike a chord in my heart.

THE COUGAR CLUB BY SUSAN MCBRIDE

Susan McBride's "The Cougar Club" is humorous and at times, so serious you want to cry for Carla, Elise and Kat. These three women grew up in Missouri. Then, each one followed their particular destiny. Now, after hitting their forties, the women come back together in St. Louis to share where they've been, what they've been doing and most importantly what has been done to them by "men" and society. Each woman's emotional pain was so deep I could not choose one as the most victimized. I did wonder about how much control we allow or must allow men to have over our lives. I do believe it is easier for a man to turn forty and older than it is for a woman.


What I liked about the book is the reality of the situations.The Cougar Club is about a woman's fear of aging, the strain to prove ourselves as still and always necessary parts of society and always making time for women who are facing the same obstacles. Becoming "catty" is not the wise way to gather strength to your heart and soul.  In "The Cougar Club" Susan Mcbride tells just what is needed to get through this narrow tunnel in our lives. These women needed one another,  friendship. Honest friendship allows for tears, anger and plain out runaway, wanna-quit fatigue. Thomas Wolfe wrote a book titled "You Can't Go Home Again." How beautiful when just the opposite is true, and you can go home again.

I like a book when all of my emotions are rubbed raw. Susan Mcbride took me out of my home and put me in the homes of other women. I felt like a woman listening to some parts of my past all over again. Boy, I asked myself hard questions. I laughed about not knowing how to dance with the boy I most wanted to impress at the party. Still, I won the masquerade party prize for the best costume. My mother made that costume. It was lovely. So, I would like to thank Susan McBride for a bit of nostalgia. "The Cougar Club" also reminded me of Erma Bombeck's famous words or a book title.  "If Life is a Bowl of Cherries-What Am I doing Down in the Pits?"

Is it possible Susan McBride can read minds or is she just so in tune with a woman's spirit? Because at the end of the book Susan writes "Susan's Five Fabulous Rules for Forty-Somethings." Since I'm well past forty, I tend to think her words of wisdom are useful to any woman at any time.

By the way, through the wonders of the virtual world, I had the chance to meet Susan. What a lady! Remember to cliche "he or she doesn't meet a stranger?" That is a good description of Susan McBride. She is not false. She is a woman made to befriend other women through her books or just sipping a glass of lemonade at a cafe and sharing a heavy conversation.

Sew Deadly by Elizabeth Lynn Casey

"Sew Deadly" by Elizabeth Lynn Casey is a page turner. It is a very entertaining cozy. It is really about life in a small southern town, Sweet Briar, South Carolina. Victoria moves to Sweet Briar after a painful romance with Jeff. Thank goodness, she has not gone mindless during the stress of an unhappy love life. She is a passionate person. She loves children. She loves being a librarian. She loves good, friendly people. She loves to sew. So, Toria quickly joins the sewing circle in Sweet Briar.

I've lived in two small towns in my life. One totally different from Sweet Briar. The other one so similar it was unbelievable. God forbid if you're new to town, have a different accent or move in while something unsavory is going on in the town. The negatives I describe are what Toria experiences in Sweet Briar.  To tell you who she can truly trust or who she can't trust would give a spoiler. So, I'm not writing the names of those good guys or bad guys.

What it adds up to is Toria becomes a murder suspect. A young girl named Tiffany Ann is murdered. Tiffany was young, energetic and loved interior decorating. She loved life. This is why the murder seems so senseless. While I tried to figure it all out,  for the sake of Toria, I decided to enjoy the costume making at the sewing circle, the favorite fictional characters drawn by the children while visiting the library. I also enjoyed Toria's sweet tooth. It led her to the bakery where she met other citizens of Sweet Briar, Emma, Milo, the school teacher.

Oh, I loved, loved the mystery of missing objects like popsicle sticks, missing light bulbs and the record book from the library. These items aren't unimportant. The popsicle sticks are meant for Toria's craft time at the library. They are great for making Egyptian pyramids.

This book made me think a lot about small towns. It is so easy to become afraid of change. Even new people coming to town can become a threat. Sometimes people, like Tiffany Ann, are mislabeled because they are so vibrant. Fear can become a factor too. Fear that whomever you love might not receive the best that they should receive. Then, a person wants to protect that person with all of their might no matter how ugly their actions.

The good side of a small town are the easily made friendships, the time to have entertainment with a small group like the sewing circle and the ability to always find someone with a kind listening ear. I suppose small towns can never become painted with just black paint or white paint. There is an X factor to every small town, the unknown.  Loved this cozy. I look forward to reading the whole series. Elizabeth Lynn Casey has written a winner. Don't miss the sewing project at the end of the book. I just might try it.

Tell me something True by Leila Cobo

First of all, Leila Cobo has written a fantastic book. TELL ME SOMETHING TRUE  is incredibly powerful, unbelievably emotional and definitely unforgettable. The story goes back and forth between the lives of two Latino women, a mother, Helena, and a daughter, Gabriella. The story happens in Cali, Columba. Just like a piano concerto of some sort or a tragic opera the story of these two women, at separate times, crescendos until the story must come to an end, or I might have stopped breathing. That's how I felt.

While reading, I questioned myself how much should we sacrifice for the special, intimate love between a man and woman. Can a woman give too much of herself? Is she cold, selfish if she pulls back to protect herself from danger? And where do our children fit when our love changes for another man? Is it ever right to just leave in order to fulfill the hole of love within ourselves? Can we go back again? Who knew until Leila Cobo came along that the love between a man is so complex and so unforgiving. Of course, I knew it, but Leila Cobo writes about it in a more unique, live or die way.

Sadly, there is always the possibility that once a choice is made the stars or gods might not give us the chance to fall back and regroup, to correct ourselves like we would a car or train. After all once we've crash landed, it's over. "It felt as if everything had been stunned to death and covered with a huge blanket of sadness."

I can't mention Gabriella without mentioning her lover, Angel. Angel's father is in prison while his son is on the outside striving to carve himself a new life apart from his dad's dastardly deeds. However, he doesn't tear himself completely away from his father's way of making a living. Angel remains true to his father's belief that drug intake is never a lifestyle.

Blood is thicker than water. It's always there, in us waiting to identify a part of ourselves we wish would die. In the end, blood, kinship wins, at least, in the world Leila Cobo creates for Angel in "TELL ME SOMETHING TRUE." 

In the end, perhaps, all we have are words. Helena's diary is what becomes a map for Gabriella. Then, Gabriella writes a letter to her mother, Helena. She leaves her letter "I'm going to seal this letter to you, and take it to the cemetery, to where you lie on top of my grandfather...."

Some of the events in "TELL ME SOMETHING TRUE" really did occur. Leila Cobo explains this at the end of the book. I am left thinking after all is said and done words are eternal.

Say Your One of Them by UWEM AKPAN AUDIO

SAY YOU'RE ONE OF THEM by UWEM AKPAN is wonderful. Luckily I won this audio from Vicki, the owner of Reading At The Beach blog. I really enjoyed the interview with UWEM AKPAN. The interview is given after the last story is told. His voice like the voices of Robin Miles and Dion Graham is mesmerizing. Robin Miles and Dion Graham are the voices telling the stories. Listening to each of the three stories took me out of my world and to another world far, far away. In the interview UWEM AKPAN says he loves each of the stories equally. I would have to say my favorite story is the first and last story.

The first story is very dramatic. There is a violent riot going on in the streets. People are forcing themselves into the homes of people who are not of their tribe. A frightened mother warns her daughter to "say you're one of them." These words she hopes will keep the older daughter and baby boy safe from killers. I won't tell the whole story. It is dramatic, realistic and haunting. Before I read the story the words SAY YOU'RE ONE OF THEM" felt so personal  and urgent. I had to read or hear the book.

In the last story two words stayed with me. A father explains to his daughter it is a matter of "faith differences." Of course, this only makes the girl feel more confused than ever about the shoulds and should nots when picking a friend.

I was surprised to learn that UWEM AKPAN did not dream about being an author his whole life. In the interview I discovered his writing happened by accident, not a planned event. He seems like a gentle and easy man. One who is willing to share his love of story telling. I hope to see his name on a novel or another anthology very, very soon. Although, he does not hesitate to tell the interviewer thinking over and planning these stories took years. I know he will appear again with magical, breathtaking words to share with readers.

I especially became interested as UKEM AKPAN talked about researching facts. I laughed a little bit when he asked the interviewer this question. How would New Yorkers and other Americans feel if I wrote that there were bungalows in Manhattan?  Silly? Exactly. Maddening? Yes. UWEM AKPAN wants to have a deep knowledge about what he writes for readers to read.

I am very glad Oprah chose this book as her Book Club choice. For me, it will remain a memorable choice.

Stray Affections by CHARLENE ANN BAUMBICH

As much as I love snow globes, I have never seen or shaken a snow globe like the one Cassandra buys from a collectibles convention. Since this is a Christian novel, there is room for miraculous and mysterious snow globes. So, I tended not to disbelieve what Cassandra was seeing or experiencing.

I immediately liked Cassandra. I did realize Cassandra needed heavenly help as soon as possible. She and her husband, Ken, had four little boys. Cassandra also owned a child care business. This meant her house was at all times full of a joyful noise or sometimes humbug noises coming from one child or another child. I remember having four little boys. People called my children "stair steps" because they were so close in age. I could have never taken care of my children and a daycare all at the same time. Impossible.

It came as no surprise to learn almost immediately that Cassandra is on the way to having a nervous breakdown. She's at the end of her rope. Not just because of all the duties with the children.  It's also because she's carrying emotional stuff around like she would carry a diaper bag. Cassandra owns baggage:  Sadness, anger and guilt plague her steps. These negative feelings are related to Cassandra's mom. For years they have not come to closure about life's past events that happened in their house. Betty is nicknamed "Bad Betty" by Margret, Cassandra's best friend. Soon the whole town knows Betty as Bad Betty because she is abrupt, seemingly selfish. She is a woman people think of as hard, tough, mean.

There are other relationships in "Stray Affections."  Margret and Leo are constantly asking themselves should we do this? should we do that? I felt so many emotions for this couple. However, I never stopped thinking about Cassandra. After all, she owned the mysterious,  flurrious snow globe.

More seriously, I thought about the mother and daughter relationship. Women in these roles can face  complicated, catastrophic and heartbreaking  moments. These nasty moments can go on for years.
When the mother and daughter relationship doesn't work for a long time or a short time, it becomes impossible for a daughter to function as a good wife and mother in her household. This is  because she's carrying a bag of should haves, why did I say it or do it and other such thoughts around her neck from morning until night. It is possible the very same bag is hanging around the mother's neck. But how in the world do you communicate with one another when so much pain is in the room?

By the time I neared the end of the book I had no idea how God would help Cassandra and her mother, Betty. I didn't know how Margret and her husband, Leo, would deal with not having what they wanted so much. Thankfully, Charlene Ann Baumbich is one of those authors who ties everything up in a neat bow before you can say Merry Christmas. After all I could not enjoy my Christmas, if they did not find happiness under their tree too.

I also liked the dogs in the story. I can't write the review without mentioning Toby. Toby plays a big part in what happened in the past between Cassandra and her mother. There are also other pet doggies too. I thought about Betty White and others who say pets are good for stress. I think Charlene Ann Baumbich would agree.

I enjoyed this novel. It's so like real life except for the flurrious snow globe. I did miss tasting one of Burt's Durves too. I am glad there is a recipe in the back of the book. By next Christmas I should know how to make a Durve. By the way, Burt is the friendly butcher man. Betty talks grumbles at Burt while buying her sausage or chops. It's all according to what Burt is calling a good buy for the week. Burt does see pass the meat he is cutting or grinding. He sees Betty along with his Durves.

rooftops of tehran by Mahbod Seraji

The novel, "rooftops of tehran" by Mahbod Seraji  is a coming of age story about Zari, Faheemah, Iraj, Ahmad, Doctor and the narrator, Pasha. The book is beyond wonderful. My main focus became the love story. The love story has a Shakespearean feeling. There is jealousy, guilt, insanity, love beyond death,  murder, etc. All emotions common to  mankind whether Iranian or not Iranian are in this novel. Not surprising,  all of cry the same tears.

In rooftops of tehran my learning moment came when I began to focus on the complexity of love. Romantic love between two people easily becomes compounded with difficulties. The difficulty of loving one person deeply while your culture or parents might say no, this is not for you. Is it possible to turn this love off like you would a faucet? No. Therefore, the inner self becomes sick with longing, yearning and desire. The author used flashbacks from the streets of Iran and to an asylum to prove loss of love can drive us over the edge.

I focused on love in a friendship. A best friend is not an easy find. When you find a friend who laughs with you, at you, cries with you, protects you life becomes as colorful as the colors of a rainbow. It's as hard to live without that friend as it is to live without your lover. Life becomes unbearable. Mahbod Seraji writes "I was in love. But then, love is an incurable disease, don't you think?" What a good description of love.

In rooftops of tehran by Mahbod Seraji uses my favorite flower, the red rose, as a symbol for an unforgettable friendship. Pasha will plant a rose in an alley below the rooftops where so many good times were shared with all of his friends especially one. Soon, that rosebush becomes a symbol for all of the neighborhood.  I loved the way Mahbod Seraji used the rose over and over throughout the pages of rooftops of tehran. I wanted to bite between my thumb and index finger many times. I can't do it. Iranians express deep feelings with this act.

Now that this book is finished I will dream of love: Love for grandparents, mothers and fathers, sisters, brothers lovers, husbands and wives. It's all in rooftops of tehran. My only regret is that I can't experience sitting on a rooftop in tehran and laughing with my friends. Those rooftop visits were so very special and memorable.

May I use one more quote Mahbod Seraji wrote? "Life is like a boat without sails: there is no telling where this boat will take us or which shore we'll end up on." I'm waiting anxiously for Mahbod Seraji's next novel.

Wishin' and Hopin' by Wally Lamb

Lamb, Wally

Even though it's after Christmas and the New Year I am enjoying this book so much. It's like a trip of nostalgia. It's a coming of age story about a Felix and his friend Lonny. Both boys go to Catholic school, St. Aloysius Gonzaga. When I went to school, I went to public schools. My best friend who lived next door went to a Catholic school. For some reason, I always thought the kids at Catholic school had more fun. After all, my friend wore this neat looking maroon uniform. Plus, her church gave a carnival every year. I also loved the names of the nuns. The nuns had names like Sister Maria Francis or Sister Rose Opus. The names of the sisters in  Wishin and Hopin are fascinating and mysterious too. There is SisterDymphna, Mother Filomina and Sister Mary Agrippina. While all my school teachers had normal names like Mrs. Moore, Mrs. Stockholm, Mr Hopper. The names just seemed too normal except for "Stockholm." I did think my principal had a certain mystique. First of all, she was a lady. Second of all, her name was Mrs. Potter. I loved that name. Maybe it made me think of the Beatrix Potter books, those tiny, tiny books.

I'm sorry to give a part of my life history. It's impossible not to think about memories while reading "Wishin' and Hopin." The big event is the school play. The play is titled "Jesus Is The Reason For The Season." I want to tell you about one of my school plays. Don't worry. I will restrain myself. "Jesus Is The Reason For The Season" is a laugh a minute. I won't tell you anything about it except two sheep are chased through the auditorium by the students and the parents, baby Jesus is almost destroyed but through creative thinking he is saved with the help of Felix. The book is wonderful. Wally Lamb must write another Christmas book. If he does decide to write one, I will send up a Catholic prayer. Because I seriously doubt he can top "Wishin and Hopin.

Last but not least, Annette Funicello is fondly remembered throughout the book. All of us who remember The Mickey Mouse Club will never forget the beautiful dark curly haired Annette. Annette now suffers with MS. Thankfully, Wally Lamb gives different ways to get in touch with the National Association of Multiple Sclerosis.

Well, I will bump, bump, along to my next book. Remember Hush, Hush Sweet Charlotte? Felix can't seem to forget that movie. Read the book. It's beyond great.

It Happened One Night by Lisa Dale

I truly could not stop reading this book. Some romances are predictable. This one is not easy to figure out. Although Lana and Karin are sisters, they are totally different. Lana wants to travel and taste adventure especially in Costa Rica. This is why she is not married. Her head is full of dreams. She is only committed to the Wildflower Barn. She makes her living by selling wildflowers, giving advice about asters, Queen Anne's Lace, etc. Karin is her partner in the Wildflower Barn.

At the beginning of each chapter there is a small paragraph about a particular wildflower. After learning a lot about Lana's personality, I thought of her as a wildflower. Lana is a free spirit. Karin does not want adventure. She is content in Vermont. However, there is one desire that obsesses Karin. Unfortunately, she and Gene, her husband, are unable to make this event happen. It seems like what Karin wants so badly and strives so hard to get comes easily to Lana.

These desires strain the relationship between the two sisters. Karin's marriage becomes strained too. There is so much to tell about what happened as I traveled with the sisters and the men in their lives, Eli,
Gene, Ron and Calvert through Vermont.

To avoid spoilers I will stop writing. I hope you will read this book. If you have already read it, I'm sure you liked it. If you haven't read it, at least, give Lisa Dale a chance to explain how, why and what happened one night.