The Texan's Reward

Having grown up watching western movies on TV, sometimes I get a taste for a little western romance. Some authors dabble in it, but Jodi Thomas is a master. But you do have to like Texas, since Thomas sets almost all of her books there. But you know Texas is a very big state full of stories so that should not be too hard.

The Texan's Reward is the final book in a series, but like most books from Thomas, if you pick it up without knowing that, it's okay - it will just make you go back and read more. The story starts out with Texas ranger Jacob Dalton coming back to the ranch of his "friend". His friend happens to be an orphan girl, he befriended long ago, who has grown up to be quite a lady (she wasn't when she started). Nell needs a husband - she is bound to a wheelchair and while she can get along in the house she needs a partner for the ranch work. Dalton is mad she's advertising for a husband, and thinks since he has had to bail her out of trouble so many times in the past, he's up for the current job. However ranger duties, other suitors and other trouble soon intervene.

Thomas has a great way with characters - even the secondary ones, and makes the reader feel like they are old friends. So go a "little Western" why don't ya? A fun read.

Eat, Pray, Love - a traveling memoir of learning

Elizabeth Gilbert's Eat, Pray, Love: One Woman's Search for Everything Across Italy, India and Indonesia is a book about self discovery. After a divorce and a bitter follow-up relationship, Gilbert decides that she needs to travel and get away from her current life and decides to spend several months in Italy, India and Bali. The "Eat" chapter focuses on Italy and her learning to open herself to new friends. "Pray" takes place in India where she travels to an quiet Ashram where she studies with a local guru. (And to my surprise, my favorite section.) And "Love" takes place in Bali where she starts a relationship with someone new.

When I started this book - I did not necessarily like Gilbert. And you need to like her or empathize with her, to care about her journey. I read the first section and then stopped. I picked the book up again several months later and gave it another try. This time, I was much more receptive to her and her tale of self discovery. So give the book a chance if you have a hard time getting into it. It really is true that there is "the right book at the right time" for you to read. So if you are in an introspective mood, or coming out of a bad relationship - this may be the right book for you.

Here's something from my favorite section - which was "Pray". There is a lot of food for thought in these chapters...

When talking to a fellow yogi about the man she thought was her soul mate - he replies -

"He probably was. Your problem is you don't understand what that word means. People think a soul mate is your perfect fit, and that's what everyone wants. But a true soul mate is a mirror, the person who shows you everything that's holding you back, the person who brings you to your own attention so you can change your life. A true soul mate is probably the most important person you'll ever meet, because they tear down your walls and smack you awake. But to live with a soul mate forever? Too painful. Soul mates come into your life just to reveal another layer of yourself to you, and then they leave. In this case, you can't let go. His purpose was to shake you up, drive you out of that marriage that you needed to leave, tear apart your ego, show you your obstacles and addictions, break your heart open so new light could get in, make you so that you had to transform your life....That was his job."

So, something to think about and ponder. Try the book - maybe you will like it too. At the very least, the "Eat" section will make you crave good Italian food!

All Jacked Up

All Jacked Up by Penny McCall is a little like a thrill ride. The book hooks you in and takes you up and down places. Our story starts in the Library of Congress map room. Aubrey, a librarian who works there - faces a patron who appears to have a gun and wants her to go off with him. Jack doesn't mention he's a Fed, but there really is not time - considering people are starting to shoot at her.

Jack and Aubrey manage to escape - with her asking questions all they way, and thus begins the series of their adventures. Aubrey is not your usual librarian, she has a photographic memory, which allows her to recall all sorts of useful stuff in a hurry - like how to shoot painkillers into a guy whose seems to be kidnapping you. Jack learns she isn't what she seems, and needs to convince her that someone has a contract out on her. She's not so sure he is what he says he is - but then again, he's not shooting at her and seems to want to help. Now if she can only remember what she knows about that has people wanting her dead.

McCall takes you through the chaos to a satisfactory conclusion. They are fun characters, so have a good time on the roller coaster ride. A good read.

Austenland

Austenland: a Novel by Shannon Hale is a great book for anyone who has daydreamed for their own Mr. Darcy. In fact that seems to be the problem for the lead character Jane. Colin Firth's BBC version of Jane Austen's Mr. Darcy has ruined her relationships. Every guy she meets just doesn't measure up. When she admits this to her elderly aunt, she receives a strange bequest. Her aunt leaves her an all expenses paid holiday to Pembrook Park in England for an exclusive three week regency vacation. Jane feels like an addict who just got a hit. Should she go? Will this cure her fascination with a literary character?

Guest at Pembrook Park have to dress, dance, walk and talk in the regency style. Jane receives a briefing before she actually makes it to the grand estate that will be her home for the next three weeks. And the others who are there? Is this their vacation too? Is this real? Perhaps it is a bad TV reality show and no one told Jane? And what about these men who are here? After swearing off of guys, the ones here look pretty yummy... But the restrictions of the time period are still restrictions here - will Jane ever find some one real or it will it be just pretty conversation and polite enquiries about the weather? Will she leave the Mr. Darcy dream behind?

Hale has a great character in Jane - the reader wants to cheer her successes and moans at her past romantic failures. The author draws us in to this surreal world and we understand Jane's confusion over what is real and what - and who, is pretend. This is the ultimate fun and frothy novel and it is a great read. Enjoy!

Tim Gunn and Style

Are you a fan of Project Runway? Is Tim Gunn your guru of fashion sensibility? If so, take a look at the book Tim Gunn: A Guide to Quality, Taste & Style by Tim Gunn and with Kate Moloney.

Is this the book that will change you into a fashion diva? And help you rid your closet of the things you never wear? Maybe, Maybe not. But it is an amusing extension of Gunn's personality and personal thoughts on fashion. He is a verbose guy and his pithy commentary makes this witty book fun. And you if absorb just a little bit (Isn't that the way self-help books are? You get a little something out of all of them?) you can be a better dressed person! Fans of Gunn may enjoy this more, but a fun read.

The Searching Hearts

Dorothy Garlock is one of those rare romance writers who tells it like it is. Her female characters swear, sweat, and go to the bathroom. Yeah, in romances that is the exeception. In her book, The Searching Hearts, her gals do all three.

Garlock is known for her western romances and in this one she combines the desire to find a place to belong, with the struggle of a wagon train. This wagon train is special - it is made up mostly of women. Future brides to be precise. (Just before you pooh- pooh the idea that this never could have happened - there is a historical basis for this. Except the gals left in a boat to go around South America to get to California!)

And this is their story of the struggle to get to the "promised land" and a better future for themselves. Strong women characters, and excellent secondary characters. A great read.

Word Freak - Obsession or Passion?

Word Freak: Heartbreak, Triumph, Genius and Obsession in the World of Competitive Scrabble Players by Stefan Fatsis.

Stefan Fatsis is a Scrabble player. He also happens to be a reporter for the Wall Street Journal. In this book, he is studying and participating in the world of competitive Scrabble. The reader follows his journey from being a good living room player competing in a New York park, to his rise into intermediate status for the 2000 National Championship.

Fatsis take the time to explain the origins of Scrabble and the rise in competitions. The differences between how the Americans play it, vs. the rest of the world. And he lets us get to know the characters and eccentrics who play the game. Are these people obsessed? Or have they truly found their passion in a whole that may not appreciate their unique skills?

He gets involved in the minutiae of the game. Is it better to play for points or word knowledge? How much does strategy play a part? Can the tiles just be against you that day? How many wins will raise his point rating for the next competition?

If you are a Scrabble player you will love this glimpse into this world. I am not a scrabble player, but besides getting a little bored with some of Fatsis' fine details on the game, I still enjoyed this look into a subculture of America. A good read.

Secret Life of Bees

The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd, takes a 14 year old girl, Lily, who has grown up without a mother and any parental affection, and sets her loose during the days of the 1964 Civil Rights Act in South Carolina. She gets into trouble when she tries to help her black caretaker who is beat up when she tries to register to vote. They escape her father's farm with what little possesions Lily has left from her mother and head toward the one town she thinks her mother may have been to.

In this town, they are taken in by three black sisters who are beekeepers, producing a line of honey with a Black Madonna on the label. Lily soon finds out that everyone has secrets, including her mother, and while racial tensions stir around them she finds a place of refuge.

There are great characters in this book. August is the older woman mentor that every woman needs in her life. Monk writes of friendship, motherhood, and a community of women with reverance and respect. She makes this a wonderfully written book, something worth reading - not just as the latest hot read for book discussion groups. And you also learn a bit about bees!
A great read.

One of my favorite passage between August and Lily:

"But lifting a person's heart - now that matters. The whole problem with people is ---"
"They don't know what matters and what doesn't," I said filling in her sentence and feeling proud of myself for doing so.
"I was gonna say, The problem is they know what matters, but they don't choose it. You know how hard that is Lily? .... The hardest thing on earth is choosing what matters."

United States of Arugula: How We Became A Gourmet Nation

The United States of Arugula: How We Became a Gourmet Nation by David Kamp is the entertaining study of how the American palate has grown since the start of the last century. He uses James Beard, Julia Child, and Craig Claiborne as his starting points. The book revolves around what happened before they were on the scene and then what happened during their "foodie" reign and then aftermath of their influence on how America eats.

It is fascinating to see how much Kamp manages to fit in his book. Everything from the East Coast restaurant scene, to the latest cookbook craze to the trickle down effect of gourmet food for the masses. He touches on the rise of French restaurant cooking in the U.S., to the Alice Waters/California effect, then to other international cuisines, and then the "Chef as a rock star" - thanks to the rise in food media coverage including the Food Network.

Even if you are not a true "foodie" (- would love it but can afford it!) this will take you on a study of the rise of your favorite cuisines and the wackiness of food trends. Kamp writes very well and this history of what and why we eat, is a whirlwind read from start to finish. Excellent!

I'm Just Wild About Harry

I've been a bit obsessed with Harry Potter recently and have been having marathon reading sessions! What can one say about Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows? J.K. Rowling has definitely put her final (?) stamp on the Harry Potter saga.

First - you must have read the other six books to appreciate the winding up of sub plots and themes that are in this one. There are so many things that run through these books. Much more than just a "simple" children's story. I will not provide spoilers (I think), but sweeping generalizations of the story.

The concept of explaining death and loss - how people cope with it, face it, fear it and rebound from it. Growing up and "coming of age" is deliberate through the books. Learning that your heroes and parents aren't perfect and may have made mistakes in the past. How your choices do effect your future. The concept of family - whether the one that you are born into, or the one that you have created for yourself. The books touch on how one can change, for good or bad. How one can escape from the patterns of life that you have created for yourself. How first impressions are not always correct, and people have multiple reasons for not telling the truth. Learning that the world is not just in black or white - there are many shades of gray. Oh and yes, there is the wonderful magical world that Rowling has created.

So read away and get caught up in her characters, their troubles and triumphs and the wizard war that will decide their futures. Does she answer all our questions? Most stuff. Will she write more, who knows? But let us be damn grateful that she wrote these. Excellent read.

Good Little Wives

In the book, Good Little Wives by Abby Drake - it started with a facelift...

Want to know how the other half lives? Do you love the trials and tribulations of desperate housewives? Or want to know all about the ladies who lunch?

Welcome to the world of New Falls where a husband's murder shakes up the whole town. Was it his ex - whose calls are not returned by her former "friends"? Was it something or someone else? As the trophy wives begin to investigate, they learn that everyone has been keeping secrets in this NYC bedroom community. Are they really friends to each other at all?

Witty dialogue and a fast pace keep the mysteries moving along. It takes a while to warm up to the characters, some have more appalling secrets than others, but overall a fun quick read. Something fun to look at the next time you're at the spa or on vacation. A fine debut.

I read an advanced copy- it comes out in Sept.

The Virgin River Series

Robyn Carr has written three great books in her Virgin River series. They are Virgin River, Shelter Mountain, and Whispering Rock. Can you read one with out the other? Yes, however they are very interconnected, and I think you will grow to like these characters and town so much that you will want to read them all.

Carr sets her story in a small town in Northern California's mountain regions. It is a place of refuge for her characters but this town is not perfectville. She starts in the first book Virgin River with the story of Melinda and Jack. Melinda is a midwife-nurse practitioner who is looking to start over. She is drawn there by an ad placed by one of the town supporters. She finds that the ad is a bit deceiving. The current doctor is unaware that she is coming, and the rent-free cabin that was promised is a mess. But she finds she is drawn to the patients that need her expertise. And she is drawn to Jack, an ex Marine who runs the local watering hole and food establishment. Jack falls hard but soon realizes that Mel has secrets of her own.

(I should interject that these books go into great detail about "birthing babies" both good stories and unfortunately bad. If this is something that you can not handle - you might want to pass on this series. Having had an obstetrics nurse for a mother - I did not have a problem with it. All these scenes are handled with with great care, but may not be for you.)

Shelter Mountain is the story of Preacher and Paige. He is the somewhat scary looking, but shy, ex Marine who is Jack's business partner and chef. She arrives in Virgin River with her son in tow, trying to escape her abusive husband. Their story of learning to trust each other is great.

Whispering Rock features the story of Mike and Brie who is Jack's little sister. Mike is Jack's Marine buddy who was shot up in his job as a LA cop. He's been recovering from his injuries in Virgin River while Brie has a traumatic life event to recover from as well.

These stories have wonderful characters who are trying to get over some of the lumps in life that have been delt to them. But Carr makes these characters very real. They are not perfect, they make mistakes, have setbacks and continue on and their stories continue throughout the series. She puts some of them in very trying positions. Sometimes the reader is a bit taken aback - maybe you don't want to go down that road - but go. She writes so well that you feel she will take care of you and the characters on the journey. And she writes with humor and grace.

I have not felt this gushy over a contemporary romance series in a while. I was bit surprised myself that I like these as well as I did. They aren't what I would usually pick for myself. So try 'em - maybe you will love them too. A great read.

Revisiting Little Women

Have you ever read a book and wanted to know about a character that the author did not give a great detail about? Geraldine Brooks' Pulitzer prize winning book March takes the story of the father from Louisa May Alcott's Little Women and brings his background and his Civil War experiences to light.

I think it helps if you have read the earlier book, because Brooks manages to match her book with Alcott's time lines. We find out about Mr. March's battles, his placement at a plantation where there are freed slaves working for their wages, and his job of teaching them to read. We also find out in flashback how he first traveled in the south and how he made his early money before he moved to Concord and met and married Marmee. We find out the reason why the family finances have gone down hill and the girls are sent out to work.

But we also see his lack of prejudice and conviction of principles, in a time and place when that was very rare. He struggles with these demons and struggles to make a difference to his students.

The second half of the book is told from Marmee's perspective, when March is injured and in a hospital in Washington D.C. Who is this man she has been married to? Why hasn't he mentioned the real conditions in his letters? And what surprises are in his past? Will they survive this latest crisis of faith and love?

Alcott based her characters on her own family and Brooks uses Bronson Alcott as her basis for March. She manages to make her characters come alive, and her prose is sparse but engaging. I think you can enjoy this book with out having read the original, but she has done such a great job of melding the stories you might want to try reading Alcott's original.

A very good read.

Summer Reading Can Be Frothy

Taking a break from more serious minded stuff while I wait for the new Harry Potter!

Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder by Joanna Fluke
The first mystery in the Minnesota based Hannah Swensen series. Fun town folks and a lead character I can relate to. Kind of a cosy - but with so many bodies around town - maybe not!
Worth a look.

I Love You to Death by Amy Garvey
3 romance short stories that happen to have a bit of mystery thrown in. My favorite was the blind date that ended up dead. Fun appealing characters - not too developed, but a quick frothy read.