The Bronte Plot by Katherine Reay

The Bronte Plot by Katherine Reay

I'm really not much of a fan of the writings of the Bronte sisters or Jane Austen.  That era just doesn't appeal to me.  I'm more of an early 20th century girl loving John Steinbeck and Thomas Wolfe.  But I like to keep an open mind and thought a modern day Bronte twist might open a door for me.

Lucy sells rare books in the corner of a high end interior design shop in Chicago.  She's smart and talented but as we find out in this story, has a greedy side.  She takes liberties with her books that are deceitful.  When her tricks are discovered, her world begins to fall apart.  That is until Helen steps in.  Helen is the wealthy grandmother of Lucy's now ex-boyfriend, and she needs an escort to make a trip to England to right a wrong that has troubled her most of her life.

Lucy was not a very likeable character. I wanted to believe she was smart and kind but at the oddest times, she'd lie through her teeth to get something she wanted.  She was too contradictory for me to warm up to her.  And Helen's reason for dragging herself to England was thinly veiled.  It never seemed important enough for me to be engaged with her.

The most fascinating part of this story however, is the towns and sights across England that showcase the lives of the Bronte sisters.  Literary tours through homes, churches and villages associated with writers are very popular with traveling and well read tourists.  I loved the descriptions of the charming spots where they had tea or the English gardens that called for a peaceful stroll through them.

I love to travel and see historical sights, and I'd love to visit these places but after reading The Bronte Plot, I'm still not convinced that I would fall in love with reading Jane Eyre. 

Wishin' and Hopin' by Wally Lamb

Wishin' and Hopin' by Wally Lamb

The holidays are upon us which makes it the perfect time of year to read a delightful Christmas story. Felix Funicello, is a young cousin to the beautiful and famous Annette. Felix attends a Catholic school where the nuns rap the pupils knuckles without hesitation and his parents run the diner at the local bus station where posters of Annette adorn the walls.

It's the 1960's, a time I remember with fond memories.  if you were a child in the sixties, you will chuckle with delight at Felix's embarrassments.  He's dealing with parochial school, girls, an awakening sexuality, friends, bullies, and of course a family who top the list when it comes to humiliating Felix on a daily basis.  His story begins to seem all too familiar.

Throw in an anything but run of the mill Christmas pageant and Wishin' and Hopin' will take you on a comical trip down memory lane.  This story is delightful, charming, and full of laughter.  But don't blink.  You might miss an appearance by the charming Annette.  Fun from start to finish!

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll

Alice's Adventure in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll

Every so often I feel the need to read an old classic.  Alice has been sitting on my kindle for quite some time, so I dusted her off.

 I don't believe I had ever read this book as a child.  I remember my mother reading to me The Wind in The Willows but not Alice.  Maybe she did and maybe she didn't.  Because what I found was that my clearest memory of the characters and settings come from the movie.  The book is slightly different.  It's really a shame that the images of Disney have taken over what the written word has the ability to create in one's mind.

But that being said, Alice is charming and polite and curious.  She meets an unusual cast of characters when she plummets down the rabbit hole.  And she always manages to keep her cool regardless of her size at the moment.

Alice's Adventure in Wonderland and Through the Looking Glass is an imaginative tale that is sure to delight no matter what your age.  Alice is a smart, modern girl who can be a great role model.  And she brings to reading a book, a one of a kind, kind of magic and imagination.  A classic!

The Seat of the Soul by Gary Zukav

The Seat of the Soul by Gary Zukav

The Seat of the Soul shows the reader a powerful way to view his or her place within the universe. This is not a book about religion but a guide to understand our spiritual being.  It took me awhile to wrap my head around all the information in here.  I've read many self help books in my time, all of which have added to some aspect of my spiritual growth.  The Seat of the Soul however, seemed to tie everything I knew together while adding some totally new dimensions that I'd never been exposed to before.

The chapter on addiction struck me.  Having struggled with an alcohol addiction in my life, the points made really hit home.  The final chapter on truth left me feeling all warm and fuzzy and glad I had taken the time to read this book.  Now I have to read it again to learn all that I might have missed.  There is so much in here to learn, I'm sure there are things I need that I missed the first time through.

With all that is going on in the world right now, we can all benefit from a little self reflection.  The Seat of the Soul is just the tool to guide us toward a more loving and peaceful existence.

The Financial Lives of the Poets by Jess Walter

The Financial Lives of the Poets by Jess Walter

This book came highly recommended, lots of 5 star reviews on Amazon.  One even says this book "perfectly captures the plight and desperation of today's displaced executive".  Really??

Matt is a reporter who quits his job to realize his dream of starting a financial website for poets.  Until he finds out that his credit cards are maxed out, his house is going into foreclosure and his wife has stocked the garage with soon to be valuable stuff she bought on eBay.  He's hardly a person anyone should take financial advice from.

One night he goes out to pick up something at the 7 Eleven and ends up befriending some characters who turn out to be drug dealers.  As they drag him deeper into their web, he thinks that selling pot is the answer to his financial nightmare.  I don't need to tell you the rest of the story only to say Matt's life goes even further south from there.

If this book is the story of the future of America then I am going back to the store to buy that bumper sticker I saw the other day.  It said, "Where am I going?  And why am I in a hand basket?"

The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls

The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls

I read The Glass Castle years ago and enjoyed the story.  The Walls family is led by an alcoholic father, Rex and a mentally ill and eccentric mother, Rose Mary.  They lead a nomadic life for many years through small towns in California and Arizona.  When the bill collectors or the police got too close, they did a middle of the night skedaddle, as Rex Walls called it.  Eventually the family came back to Welch, West Virginia where Rex had been raised and couldn't wait to escape.  But with all his options depleted, it seemed like the only place left for the family to go.

This time I listened to the book as read by the author.  At first I didn't like the sound of her voice, the pace of the reading.  It felt like I was listening to a child.  As the story went on, I finally got it.  As she grew up, the words grew with her and the storytelling also matured.  Brilliant.

The Glass Castle is amazing because it's so hard to imagine the lives of these children as controlled by their self absorbed parents.  The children suffered without food to eat, clothes to wear, or a roof over their heads most of the time.  Neither parent could hold a job and what little money they did scrape up went toward alcohol or paint supplies.  I found myself screaming at these parents.  And at other times I laughed out loud at them.

What I found most interesting is the fortitude of Jeannette and her siblings.  They worked and worked hard to save enough money to get out of Welch.  They knew the value of a good job and a steady income, both things that their parents couldn't teach them.  And yet they figured it out all on their own.  Children are a product of their environment, but it takes a village to raise and educate them.

If you are feeling sorry for yourself, think you aren't getting enough out of life, read The Glass Castle.   It will raise you out of the doldrums and show you what is possible in your life.

Razor Girl by Carl Hiaasen

Razor Girl by Carl Hiaasen

I thought it was only fitting as Hurricane Matthew bears down on the State of Florida, that I review a book set in Florida, written by a Florida author.  And Carl Hiaasen, a Florida native, has the ability to make all the quirky things we love about the state and weave them into a fantastically, funny novel.

When Lane Coolman's rental is rear ended by a sexy, long legged, redhead en route to the Florida Keys, let the party begin.  Add an expensive diamond ring, the mob and a gambian pouch rat and the pages will seem to turn all by themselves.  Detective, demoted to health inspector, Andrew Yancy tries to make sense of it all.

I had the privilege of meeting Carl Hiaasen at the Vero Beach Book Center.  He was hysterically funny as he described a gambian pouch rat to us.  He's also extremely gracious as he signed our books and posed for pictures.  A wonderful time was had by all.  Carl's a charming kind of guy, who writes a delightful novel.

I've lived in Florida for 36 years, so I get all the inside jokes in Razor Girl.  Someone not familiar with Florida might read those things as they are and not get the extra chuckle that I did.  But that won't make this wild romp in paradise any less enjoyable.  It will keep you laughing from start to finish.  And you'll be itching to come back to Florida hurricanes and all.