Little Princes by Conor Grennan

A war-torn country, orphaned children, child traffickers, poverty, starvation, and wonderful volunteers to alleviate some of the pain.  LITTLE PRINCES lets us into this world of heartbreak and unbelievable circumstances that children and citizens have to endure.  Conor was a special person who fell in love with the children and had an obsession/passion to help the people of Nepal, especially those dear children, to find their families.

The story begins by telling us about the adventures of young men and women who bike ride for pleasure from country to country or come voluntarily to help at orphanages and then become completely attached and immersed in this life of innocent, exuberant children.  The book tells how you can and do become attached to the heartwarming children and their innocence and acceptance of their lives....they know nothing else and are happy.  Conor is an amazing young man who was determined to find the parents of the children who had been taken from their family by a man who said he would provide a better life for their children when in fact the children were left starving in the street. This man took every last penny and whatever these hopeful families had to give.

Giving up your time to travel to a third-world country to help children definitely takes a special person.  LITTLE PRINCES makes you appreciate what we have in terms of food, civility, and comforts.  I admire the volunteers who risk their own lives to help others in third-world countries.

The book was brilliantly written...the author is very expressive, writes with great detail, and makes you feel as though you are right there sharing all the experiences.  The description of the country, the villages, and its poverty is exceptional.  Kudos to you Conor for your work and dedication.  5/5

Georgia Bottoms by Mark Childress

A seven-drawer locked dresser....one for each day of the week.  What is in each drawer?....well, all the things Georgia needs to make her nightly lovers believe they are the only one....pictures of their mother, their favorite clothes, anything to make them feel "special."   When one of the lovers' wives finds out about the affair, nothing to do but empty that drawer....oh well......done.

Georgia had enough of this worry for now...she had her September luncheon to think of.  She couldn't disappoint the ladies...they looked forward to this luncheon each year, and she certainly couldn't let them know how poor she really was. 

She hadn't always been poor, and she hadn’t always been the pillar of society either….but then a letter arrived from someone who was keeping a secret for 20 years and who she told there was NO contact allowed whether it was in writing or through a phone call….this definitely wouldn’t work for her.  Things were not turning out the way Georgia had planned.  Everything ALWAYS went her way...she couldn't have this happen.   She will just send more money this time....yes…send  more money and it would be taken care of, but then she found another letter as she was cleaning and that changed everything even more.  What will she do now?  She knew…she always had a plan….and what a great plan.  You will love the book....it was funny and had everyday situations that at times we all have to deal with.

This book had me laughing from the first page....I knew she was another Scarlet O'Hara even before the author commented about it.  I really enjoyed the book, and will definitely be reading his other books.  5/5

My Jane Austen Summer by Cindy Jones

Three losses in her life....the loss of her mother, the loss of her job, and the loss of her boyfriend. What else could happen, hopefully something good?  And something good did happen....Lily was going to London for the summer to participate in Literature Live.  How would she afford it?  She wasn't sure, but she had to attend and would think of some creative way to make the money she needed for the plane fare.

When Lily arrived at Newton Priors, she had no place to stay since she wasn't in the elite group so she seized one of the actresses's rooms that hadn't shown up....what a mistake that was to have to share the room with Bets.   Bets turned out to be one of the stars, unreliable, and also a thief. 

Bets's unreliability helped Lily get on the stage for one brief moment, but then Lily was relegated to be the tea-theater host.  Lily also found someone to replace her old boyfriend, but there were contingencies and pain attached to him...just like all aspects of her life had always been.  

Lily was glad she had "Jane Austen" around to help her solve some of the problems.  She did wonder about Jane, though - "Jane Austen had secrets.........And she never told me.  I would have told her something that important.  I told her everything.  Perhaps we weren't as close as I thought.  Perhaps the person in my peripheral vision wasn't Jane Austen at all."  Page 289

The book was not bad….the ending was memorable, but the book didn't have much action. Lily’s flashbacks and memories of her mother were very touching, and her enthusiasm about Jane Austen was contagious, but I guess you really have to be a true Jane Austen fan to pick up on all the little nuances and the excitement.    Rating 3/5.

The Other Life by Ellen Meister

Happily married, pregnant for the second time, medical issues with the pregnancy and maybe with her husband...he was discussing the medical issues with everyone but Quinn.  Quinn was beside herself because everything seemed to be going wrong with her life, and most of all she couldn't get over the temptation to slip through to the other life.  

This other life...the life where she could talk to her deceased mother and her ex-boyfriend Eugene...not the life she was leading now where her mother and Eugene were absent.  She knew she shouldn't go there, but she couldn't help it.  When she slipped into the other world, she could forget for a little while.

Every time she saw a fissure in a wall, in a fireplace, in the basement...no matter where it was...she felt the pull and the need to go through the portal to the other life.   She always returned after "the trip," but was never satisfied that the disappearance into the other life would be her last...she just couldn't make it her last trip…the urge was too powerful.  Whenever Quinn slipped through the portal, my concern was that she wouldn't be able to get back to the present life.  :) 

The book told the tale of Quinn's life/lives that included her son, Isaac, her husband, Lewis, her brother, Hayden, and her nosy neighbor, Georgette.  They all had issues of their own and all seemed to rely on Quinn for help....little did they know that Quinn could use some help herself. 

The book will keep your interest and is what I am going to call on the other side of different along with many choices none of us wants to make in our life. :)  My rating is a 4/5.

Call Me Irresistible by Susan Elizabeth Phillips

 

A high-profile wedding, second thoughts, a friend to confirm these second thoughts....all these provided the incentive to call off the wedding. But would the bride's friend, Meg, be sorry she even mentioned to Lucy that perhaps she shouldn't marry Ted especially in a town where the groom was the mayor and could do any number of things to make things difficult for Meg?

And what a rough time Meg did have...Ted was brutally cruel to her; he never showed that side of him to the citizens of the town.  Ted was everywhere Meg was. He knew she didn't have any money to leave town, and he also made sure no one would hire her.  She was miserable...no food, no place to stay, and no one to help her.  Meg was so happy she saw what Ted was really like and that her friend didn't marry him.

Since Meg couldn't leave and remained in the small Texas town, she decided to make some mischief of her own which got all the aristocratic Texas ladies in an uproar.  But would her decisions backfire on her, make things better, or cause a never-ending pain in her heart?

You will love the book...a sensual storyline, and let's not forget wealth, jealousy, and greed.  The characters are easy to love and easy to hate.

Phillips has authored another winner!!!

Giving it a BIG TEXAS 5/5....LOVED IT.

His Other Wife by Deborah Beford

We have to talk...four words that as a rule aren't going to have an outcome of something one wants to hear.  That was the case for Hilary and Eric....he didn't love her anymore and was filing for a divorce.  What about Seth?  Our son doesn't deserve this.

But, the divorce went through, Eric married Pam, and Hilary and Seth successfully made it through the year his dad left when he was eight to his high school graduation.  Everything was working out for Seth...he was a football player, he was popular, and he had a full college scholarship.

Then on graduation night, disaster struck, and his life became shattered again just like when he was eight, but only worse.  Seth was unapproachable both physically and emotionally, and the only thing Hilary could do was to pray for Seth's handling of the current crisis.  After all, they had the best attorney in the city, and most importantly she had God on her side.

The book was a good depiction of family life after a divorce and also a reminder of how things can change in an instant and transform the entire scope of any situation.  The book had a religious theme based on the story of Hannah from the Bible, but it wasn't too evident or obvious.  The focus was on the Wynn family and how each member dealt with the tragedies their family was enduring as well as the tenderness between a mother and her child.  

I enjoyed the book.  The author did a wonderful job of depicting emotions in tense situations and allowing the reader to truly experience those emotions along with the characters.  Have some tissues ready for the ending.

I originally was going to give it a 4/5 until the last few pages and then I bumped it up to a 5/5.  The ending was very heartwarming.

Sometimes I Feel Like A Nut by Jill Kargman

Perfect title for this book....the stories were definitely nutty.   Events from childhood, college, and beyond...the stories just kept coming. 

Jill told stories about everyday happenings and her likes and dislikes....imagine having gasoline as your favorite smell.  Once it was mentioned, her observations and memories had you recalling a story about yourself and a similar situation.  The glossary at the beginning of the book was quite funny and set the tone.  My favorite section was titled Obsessed/Detest...and Yes...I did google “teratomas”....Page 85  :) 

The brief sections were funny and creative and talked about circumstances that we hate to happen, but they do.  My obsession with cohesion in a book made it slightly challenging to read, but if you enjoy little vignettes compared to a full plot you will take pleasure in each of the stories.  The little drawings added to the book's hilarity as well.  

The book will definitely make you laugh.  I really enjoyed it, but I did have one objection....the use of a certain word.  My rating is 4/5 only because of my preference to a full plot.  Happy Laughing.