Memoir of the Sunday Brunch by Julia Pandl

Memoir of the Sunday Brunch by Julia Pandl

Written from the point of view of Julie, the youngest in a family of nine children, Memoir of the Sunday Brunch is a heartwarming and funny story. The family business is a restaurant in Milwaukee, and I do mean it's a family business.  Each child has to earn their rite of passage by working the Sunday brunch.

Her father, George, has very strict rules that must be observed while working in the restaurant.  However those rules are often had to follow after skipping breakfast, or while nursing a hangover.  And Mother's Day stretches all of the employees to their limits. Knowing nothing about the restaurant business, I found their antics very amusing.  But I have to say how work in a family restaurant business spilled over into life at home became laugh out loud, hysterical.

I love books that bring out emotion, whether happy or sad, it doesn't matter to me.  I want to feel the story not just read it.  Julia Pandl is a very talented writer.  The first half of the book is written in a captivating manner while we watch a teenage girl grow into herself.  There comes a point when the family experiences a time of overpowering grief.  Ms. Pandl changed her writing style at the precise moment necessary bringing tears to my eyes. 

I never like to reveal much about the specifics in a book.  I believe a reader wants to find those things out on their own.  I love to comment on the character of the story and whether or not it's worth reading.  Memoir of the Sunday Brunch is a not only a tribute to a talented writer, it pays homage to a loving mother and father and the family they created. 



 

The Fetch by Laura Whitcomb

I have to admit I was a bit disappointed in The Fetch.  I've met Laura Whitcomb and I consider her sister, Cynthia one of my mentors.  I adored A Certain Slant of Light and thought I would do the same for The Fetch.

I love Calder's story and the path he leads newly arriving souls on toward the gates of heaven.  The setting is beautiful and charming.  Ms. Whitcomb's prose is lovely and creative painting a sparkling picture in the reader's mind.  Calder had a warm heart but made a poor choice based on the human emotion of love.

I got bogged down however, in the long and exhaustive trip the three characters took around the world. They were sleeping all the time and when they woke, they were in a completely different part of the world. I know they were sleeping but as a reader I felt like I'd missed something.  It just bogged down the middle of what was a charming tale.

I still rate The Fetch as 4 out of 5 stars.  And I will read everything Laura Whitcomb publishes since I love how she weaves and writes beautiful paranormal stories of love.