If you know me, you know I love Fannie Flagg’s books. I came across her latest novel while at Target, on sale, so I bought it as a present to myself. “I Still Dream About You” tells the story of Birmingham native, realtor, and former Miss Alabama, Maggie Fortenberry, as she seeks to end her life since she can’t seem to find any meaning in it. However, so many things keep happening to stop Maggie in her suicidal quest, including finding a skeleton in the attic of the home she is selling and having her best friend taken to the hospital (from a Kate Spade super sale) with a suspected heart attack. The mysteries of the present, such as the skeleton (who is it and where did it come from?) mirror the mysteries of the past (why did Maggie leave her beloved Charles and why didn’t she win the pageant?) as Maggie learns that life is a gift and very much worth living.

I have loved all of Fannie’s previous books. I love her writing style, embedded with her signature humor. I really liked the “mysteries” in this story: who was the skeleton and what was the story of the family who first owned the house in which it was found, and exactly why did Maggie leave her boyfriend years ago and not recover from the loss, and mostly, why exactly does she feel like life isn’t worth living any more?

One thing that bothered me in this story is how Maggie’s suicide attempt was depicted in a comical fashion. It was a list of to-do items and plans, which kept going awry. I kept thinking I should find it funny, and maybe it was just me, but suicide just is never something I can find humorous.

If I had another issue with this story, it was that there were many plot lines all going at once: Birmingham’s past struggle with civil rights, Maggie’s past loves, Maggie’s pageant experience years before, her former boss- the deceased midget Hazel, Maggie’s best friend Brenda and her struggles with overeating, the skeleton in the attic and the whole story of that family from whence it came. In truth, I practically needed a flow chart to keep it all straight.

And I kept wondering: this title ties in how??

All in all, a fun Fannie read, particularly if you like her style, but not my favorite.

If you’d like to see Fannie talking about her books and their settings, here is a You Tube clip of her:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M7CF3X2_gmA

Santa brought me a Kindle this year! I have to say, I was never overly excited about Kindles or other e-readers. But then I used my friend’s this fall and was hooked! I love how it bookmarks. I love how I can adjust the print size. I love how you can read a selection or chapter from a book before buying it. I love how the books (at least the ones I’ve seen) are cheaper than their paper counterparts. I love how some books are free. I love how you can get games as well. I just love, love, love it! And mine has a nifty cover with light so I can read in the middle of the night and not bother my husband!

But — I will never stop going to my favorite haven of books: the public library. Perhaps, though, my house will now – thanks to my Kindle – not continue to be filled to overflowing with stacks of books: to be reads, to be read agains, favorite friends, etc. 🙂

Funny how we still use the verb “penning” when computers are used!

I have been working on a cozy mystery this fall (though I’m waaaay behind in my writing) and am looking for a few good readers to give me feedback on the first 30 pages. It is about a murder at a community theater. I have a list of questions I could send along (such as “can you guess who did it?” and “does this make sense if you don’t do theater?”)

If you’re willing to volunteer for this helpful-to-me project, please leave a comment! I will pick two or three to help me out.

Many Thanks and Eternal Gratitude!!

 Beth  😉

Today’s post is to ask for feedback and suggestions for next year for my blog. This year I wanted to focus on adding more “oomph!” to things – more pictures and user-friendly tools. I’ve tried, but I’m certainly not too savvy re: all this and I worry about copyright infringement to the point where I won’t post excerpts or pictures unless they are on something that says I can share (am I paranoid? perhaps).

I do hope to post more frequently next year. I also hope to comment on others’ blogs more (I follow about 30 through google reader).

Please send thoughts and suggestions!
Should I host a challenge??
Should I do a giveaway??
Should I highlight something new and different??

Let me know!

What an interesting and odd book this was! I found this gem while perusing the new releases at the library. It looked interesting and I had heard of it so I took it home.
“The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake” tells the story of Rose Edelstein, a young girl who suddenly develops the ability to tell what people are feeling based on the food they prepare. Rose becomes subjected to her mother’s unhappiness, her father’s vagueness, and her brother’s alienation. As Rose seeks to find her way in the world, and seeks to hold on to her dysfunctional family, she learns how being so in touch with others can be more than a burden; it can be a gift.
I really liked this book and loved loved loved Aimee Bender’s writing style. What a gifted way with words she has!
I recommend this book to those who want to read something interesting and different. I was intrigued!
I’d give it 4 Stars!

“Paganini’s Ghost” — okay so I started it and dnf’ed it. It was good. I just couldn’t concentrate! Going back to the library tonight.

Fannie Flagg’s “I Still Dream About You” — reading it now – love it! Bought it as a gift (for myself).

“The Dress Lodger” by Sheri Holman- a Border’s find

“A School in Trouble” by William Holland – my cousin!!! Gifted to me from my cousin Bill.

I’m deciding what to put on my Amazon wish list for Christmas — send suggestions!! So far, it’s just Mark Twain’s autobiography, volume one.

Do you know what makes me happy? When I discover a gem of a book by a new author. “Girl in Translation’ was exactly that for me.

I grabbed this book from the new release shelf at the library on an impulse. I liked the cover and I enjoy reading of Asian cultures and immigrant experiences. This novel, from new author Jean Kwok, was the compelling and wonderful story of Kimberly Chang and her mother as they immigrate to America from Hong Kong and work to assimilate into the new culture while supporting themselves through work at a sweat shop. Though they rely on the “assistance” of Kimberly’s aunt and uncle for a place to live and a job, their life is pretty miserable, as they work (illegally) doing piece work for pay (illegally) and live (illegally) in a vacant apartment with no heat or hot water through New York City’s winters. Kimberly, a brilliant student – though only in sixth grade, works to learn English and do well in school, with the goal of getting an education and getting a better life for her and her mother. Afternoons and evenings she works at her aunt’s sweat shop (as I mentioned illegally) with her mother. There she meets a young Chinese boy, Matt, who becomes her friend and first love.

Kimberly and her mother are tenacious and hard-working. Living in these deplorable conditions (supplied by the “helpful” aunt) while they strive to make a better life, I couldn’t help but be angered by what they had to endure. After Kimberly is accepted to a prestigious private school on full scholarship, things start to change for them. Eventually, she is accepted to Yale, though this causes her to have to make a heart-breaking decision.

I loved this book. It reminded me of a Lisa See novel (one of my fave authors!) in the style of Gish Jen (another awesome writer!). I love reading of Asian culture and tradition and I always appreciate the immigrant experience as I am a grand-daughter of immigrants. I couldn’t read this book without cheering for Kimberly to succeed. I’m so glad I picked it up, and I look forward to more great books from Jean Kwok!

I have attached a You Tube link (hopefully it works okay – I’m not the most technically minded) of Ms. Kwok discussing her novel:

Well, I can make this review short, even though this audiobook was not! I picked up this book on CD at the library to play in my car. It is 16 (sixteen) disks long (or perhaps I should write looooong). It tells the story of Kate, an attractive, single (recently widowed) woman who illegally adopts a baby, Jon, through her employer and moves to Oregon to raise him and have a private life. Fifteen years later, Jon’s father discovers his existence, as does his grandfather, and the race is on to find him as heir to an empire. Jon, meanwhile, is a typical teenager with a large dose of ESP, apparently inherited from his father.

That’s the gist of the story. I thought it would be entertaining, maybe thrilling, with suspense. Instead it was loooooong. It read as part thriller and large part romance. A huge amount of time was spent retracing Jon’s father’s life (Daegan O’Rourke) as he grew up and then hooked up with his cousin (yikes!) to create Jon. Way way too much time was devoted, in my opinion, to this (almost seven disks if I remember correctly). And let me be honest: I did not need to read so many descriptions of women’s breasts. TMI.

I lost interest in this story and then was not in favor of the outcome (SPOILER ALERT!) as Daegan and Kate hook up and get together (more descriptions of breasts). Jon is kidnapped and retrieved and everyone lives happily ever after.

Let me sum my opinion up in one word: awful.

And, furthermore, I couldn’t stand the narrator’s voice on the tape. It sounded like a voiceover for a commercial — a commercial where the person was pretending to make a commercial (know what I mean?).

The thing is – Lisa Jackson is actually a talented writer. And I know she is a HUGE seller, so perhaps it’s just me who had problems with this book. Or perhaps it was because it was an audiobook. Or perhaps I just wasn’t in the mood for the 3 weeks I listened to it. I will probably try her again (deja vu!) but I will read the next one.

Comments appreciated if others of you have read/listened to this or others stories by Lisa Jackson!

I picked up this little novel (149 pages) on the new release shelf at the library. It looked interesting: a true story about a wedding that was allowed to occur at Auschwitz in WWII. I was drawn into the story of Rudi and Marga, their family and friends, as various survivors narrated the story of their meeting, courtship, and actual wedding at Auschwitz where Rudi was being held as a political prisoner and agitator. My challenge in this story was that the voice of the first-person narrator kept changing without notice. At one point it was Marga’s sister, at another, Rudi’s son from his first wife, at another Rudi and Marga’s child, at still another a friend from the camp. I at times had to stop and re-read once I realized it was a new storyteller. However, that said, I loved the approach of different voices and different points of view telling this story. Of course, for some insane reason I thought this story would have a happy ending. (Spoiler Alert!!) I should have realized that if “Auschwitz” is in the title, and the story is true, the chances are slim that the end is happy. That said, I enjoyed this short novel and even though the ending was sad, the hope and love portrayed in this novel, along with the tenacity of the prisoners and their belief in love flourishing in the midst of such great evil….well, that made this story shine with a positive light for me.

I give it 4 1/2 Stars!

I had heard of Lisa Jackson, but hadn’t read her novels, so I thought I’d give her a try.

“Malice” is the story of Rick Bentz, New Orleans police officer and guy with a past, who thinks he sees his dead wife everywhere. When people from the past start winding up dead, Bentz works to get to the bottom of the twisted criminal mind behind his “haunting”.

As I mentioned, this was my first Jackson novel (which I found at the library). I like a good thriller (though I don’t like extreme violence) and I particularly like psychological thrillers. This book held my attention and kept me guessing. However, in my opinion, it was TOO LONG (over 400 pages). I don’t mind a long book (look at how I love the “Outlander” series), but I felt the ending just dragged and dragged and then suddenly we tied all the loose ends together in a few paragraphs. Another beef I have with this book (and this is a SPOILER ALERT!): I found the plot totally far-fetched. Hell may have no fury like a woman scorned, but come on — this was a bit much. I would have found a ghost more believable!! I also felt for Bentz’ current wife who (for some reason) tolerated his chasing after his dead first wife’s ghost and then almost got killed herself.

I did find it entertaining, and I am listening to one on CD in the car right now,too. I will try another of hers in the future.

I’d give it 3 Stars!

Have you read Lisa Jackson’s novels? Which ones do you recommend?