6 for 7....Not Bad

This is the post you have been waiting for.....my vacation book picks. Well, maybe you haven't really known you were waiting for this much anticipated post.

Now that you are aware....I am sure you were waiting for it.

Probably not. Just let me have my moment, already would ya?

My goal was 7 books in 7 days. I almost made it. I got 6. In my defense....well, I have no defense.


So this Made Bitchy book....Mr. Wonderful cracked himself up over that comment numerous times while I was reading this book....is pretty good. I do enjoy reading her--her stories are what I call "family sagas" and are always set in Ireland. This one was somewhat predictable but still enjoyable. Sometimes I find that when I have read every book an author has written I can kind tell where the story is going. Definitely worth your time to read.

This is the first Judith Miller book I've read and it is the first in a series. I own this book but I think I will check at the public library for the remaining books in the series. I read them too fast to warrant using Mr. Wonderful's hard earned money to purchase them. Of course, he thinks that about everything I purchase. Anyway, this is good christian fiction set in Pullman, Illinois around the early 1900's. I do love historical fiction. I found the characters believable and the story line to be engaging. Whew...that seems kind of deep for me....let me rephrase....good book.


So this is my friend, Becky Home Ecky's, book. She loaned it to me earlier in the summer. College Girl got her hands on it, so it was bumped to the bottom of my book stack. Now let me preface this with....BeckyHomeEcky warned me that she really like the first 3/4 of the book but the last 1/4 seemed , well different. College Girl reports same feeling. I have to say I loved this book....I was sad when it ended....3/4 of the way in....just like BH and CG said. It's almost like a different person wrote the last 1/4 of the book. A different style of writing....characters missing from the first 3/4 of the book. Still worth your time to read.


This is my grown up book club selection for July. We meet to discuss this book tomorrow. This book is really why I didn't get 7 books in....it had the least amount of pages of any of the books BUT it took the longest for me to finish.

Part of the reason is because, well, um, I am not completely sure I liked this book. Off the cuff, I am going with I didn't....but after discussing it with 'grown ups', I might change my mind. Sometimes that happens--different perspectives.

The other part is that I read differently when I know I have to discuss the book. I take notes and read more slowly really focusing. Man, I have used a lot of words that don't really describe me...grown up....slowly....focusing. Just sayin'.

Anyway, this book is set in England post WWII. And it is written in letter form....all communication takes place by letter. Dear Juliet. Dear Sydney. Dear Isola. Very interesting style of writing. It is somewhat humorous, British style. I guess.

I own this book....will let you borrow it anytime.


I do love Barbara Delinsky. Fast read. Extremely engaging. She writes family sagas. This story takes place in 1 week. A marathon runner has a heart attack which leaves her brain dead and it just goes from there. Secrets revealed, relationships healed. Worth your time to read.


OK. Please don't be offended by this review if you are a die hard Jodi Picoult fan. Already you know what I am going to say, right? I am not a huge JP fan. I have read many, not all, of her books. Sometimes I have gotten so pissed off at her main character that I have slapped the book shut, driven to the library and checked the book in. After further investigation (thinking through her themes), I have come to believe that JP has mother issues. I feel like the mother is always the bad guy in her novels. In Plain Truth, mother is the bad guy. In My Sisters' Keeper, mother is the bad guy. The Pact...not a good book to read when you have high school/college age children. Nineteen Minutes...whole novel pissedfreaked me out.

In Handle With Care...yep, you guessed it....the mother is the bad guy. I wanted to stop reading this book but couldn't make myself stop reading. Surely I was not reading what I thought I was reading....suing your best friend who happens to be your ob/gyn....and royally screwing up your family as well as hers. To My Very Pregnant Friend wholookeddashinginblackandpink--do not read this book.

I think I am recommending that you read this book. But maybe not. I find it hard to believe that a person would actually do what this mother did....but I found that same feeling in Plain Truth, My Sisters' Keeper and The Pact. I just cannot imagine that I would find myself in a place where money becomes more important than friendship.

So I guess you are on your own with this one...read it or not.

2,424 total pages. 7 days. Just sayin'.