FLIGHT LESSONS

FLIGHT LESSONS by Patricia Gaffney

From the back of the book:

Anna has studiously avoided her Aunt Rose - the woman she once loved more than anyone else in the world - ever since the night Rose betrayed Anna and her mother, Rose's own fatally ill sister.  In the sixteen years that have passed, Anna has built another life for herself far from her hometown on Maryland's eastern shore, but she can't forgive or forget.

Now another betrayal, by a faithless lover, has brought Anna back to her family's restaurant, where Rose needs her estranged niece's help - and trust - more than ever before.  Determined to leave as soon as the struggling business is back on its feet and her own hurt is healed, Anna joins Rose in the kitchen of the Bella Sorella, resolved to remain unaffected by Rose's longing to undo the past.  But Anna's resistance could blind her to a true and unexpected love that's reaching out to grab her by the heart.

New York Times bestselling author Patricia Gaffney's FLIGHT LESSONS is a poignant, funny, and wise story of trust, loyalty, and the bonds that shape, sustain, and ultimately uplift us.

I wasn't thrilled with this book.  Anna had held a grudge against her Aunt Rose for sixteen years.  And what had happened in the past really wasn't any of her business.  Time to grow up and leave the past behind.  The character of Anna really got on my nerves.

There was a love interest for Anna - a man named Mason who was a bird photographer.  I failed to see any reason these two would get together.  They had absolutely nothing in common except for Rose and Mason's stepfather Theo.  Mason was a boring, boring character.

In fact, I felt most of the characters were boring as was most of the story.  Being centered around an Italian restaurant, there was a lot of writing about food.  None of it sounded appetizing to me, but I'm really not a fan of Italian food.  You'd think with a last name of Pistilli, I would love Italian food, but nope - I really hate, HATE, HATE garlic and isn't that the main staple of Italian cooking?

This book was just so-so for me.  Not one that will stay with me for any length of time.  Actually, it's fading quickly from my memory as we speak.

IS CONSIDERATION FOR OTHERS LOST?

Dom and I just took our granddaughter Ashlie to the orthodontist for a routine visit.  Her appointment was 9:00 a.m.  We got there about 15-20 minutes early - the doors weren't open yet - so we waited in the car.

Finally at 8:55, the doors opened and we went in.  They called Ashlie back after about 5 minutes.  Dom and I sat in the waiting room.  Other people started to arrive and 3 more people were called into the back offices.

So we waited...and waited...and waited.  More and more people came in.  At one point, we counted 27 people in the waiting room, sitting on chairs, standing by the wall, sitting on the floor.

Finally at 10:30, I walked into the back.  A technician was working on Ashlie.  I mentioned that she had been back there for over 1 1/2 hours - the tech said she'd be finished in about 5 minutes.  The holdup, she said, was that they had to wait for the doctor to check her and issue the treatment plan for the day - and the doctor was running late.

OK, we were there on time.  We had consideration for the doctor and his staff and arrived early so that they wouldn't have to wait for us.  But what about the doctor?  Where was he at 9:00 a.m. when his first patients were scheduled?  Definitely not in his office where he should have been.  Where was his consideration for us and the other 27 people waiting for him?  Is his time more valuable than his patients' time?

It's not just this one time.  I've seen this happen at many other places.  Is consideration for others a lost trait?  Is everyone so self-centered that they think they are the only people in the world and they don't give two shits (sorry) about others?

As were were walking out (finally) and family walked in, the husband carrying a little baby about 3 months old.  I wonder if that man knew the baby would be a teenager before they got out of the office?

UPDATE:  I just heard from my daughter.  Ashlie told her that the dentist didn't get into the office this morning until 10:30 and that they couldn't do what was scheduled to be done on her because too many patients were backed up and they didn't have the time.  So now, Ashlie has to go one more month with her braces (they were supposed to come off at her next appointment) and Susan has to take another 4 hours off work to take her (I'll take her so Susan doesn't have to take more time off) - all because an inconsiderate dentist who thinks he's better than everyone else and can waltz in whenever he feels like it and doesn't care who has to wait for him didn't feel like getting to work on time this morning.  And this isn't the first time - Ashlie always has a 9:00 a.m. appointment and is hardly ever out before 10:00 a.m., even when the actual work on her mouth only takes about 5 minutes.  Susan has a call in to the office manager for tomorrow morning.  That lady is going to get an earful - my daughter pulls no punches!

MAGNOLIA WEDNESDAYS

MAGNOLIA WEDNESDAYS by Wendy Wax

From the back of the book:

At forty-one, Vivien Armstrong Gray has spent most of her life fighting to make it in investigative journalism, only to have it crumble after a bullet lodges in her backside during an exposé.  As if the humiliation of being the butt of everyone's jokes isn't enough, Vivi learns that she's pregnant, jobless, and very hormonal.  Maybe that explains why she actually says "yes" to a dreadful job covering suburban living back home in Georgia, a column she can only bear to write incognito.


Leaving her tiny apartment in New York, she reluctantly heads south to experience the suburban soccer-mom existence through her widowed sister's eyes.  Surrounded by minivans and bake sales, she has lots of material for the column.  Her sister's ballroom dance studio becomes her undercover spot where she learns about the local life while posing as an extra dance partner.  But Vivi's little stint starts throwing her for a loop as friendships develop, and a real relationship with her sister blossoms.  As she digs up her long-buried roots, and begins to secretly investigate her brother-in-law's death, she starts to wonder if life inside the picket fence is so bad after all...

I really got a kick out of this book.  The characters were great, and it was based here in Atlanta.  In fact, reading the articles that Vivi wrote about suburban living, I was wondering if she were writing about my own subdivision.  The soccer moms with their big SUV's plastered with magnets depicting every activity in which their children were involved, their vacation spots, their political leanings - I see these cars up and down my neighborhood streets.  The moms running hither and yon, taking their kids to lessons and practices and games,  they're all here in the book.

The book dealt with characters other than Vivi - her sister and two other members of the dance class were prominent in the story.  As were Vivi's teenage niece and nephew - the niece brought back vivid memories of the years that my granddaughter spent living with us as she finished high school.

I love books that get the story and the characters dead on - and this one did just that.

THE OVERTON WINDOW

THE OVERTON WINDOW by Glenn Beck

From the book jacket:

A plan to destroy America, a hundred years in the making, is about to be unleashed...Can it be stopped?


There is a powerful technique called the Overton Window that can shape our lives, our laws, and our future.  It works by manipulating public perception so that ideas previously thought of as radical begin to seem acceptable over time.  Move the Window and you change the debate.  Change the debate and you change the country.


For Noah Gardner, a twentysomething public relations executive, it's safe to say that political theory is the furthest thing from his mind.  Smart, single, handsome, and insulated from the world's problems by the wealth and power of his father, Noah is far more concerned about the future of his social life than the future of his country.


But all of that changes when Noah meets Molly Ross, a woman who is consumed by the knowledge that the America we know is about to be lost forever.  She and her group of patriots have vowed to remember the past and fight for the future - but Noah, convinced they're just misguided conspiracy-theorists, isn't interested in lending his considerable skills to their cause.


And then the world changes.


An unprecedented attack on U.S. soil shakes the country to the core and puts into motion a frightening plan, decades in the making, to transform American and demonize all those who stand in the way.  Amidst the chaos, many don't know the difference between conspiracy theory and conspiracy fact - or, more important, which side to fight for.


But for Noah, the choice is clear:  Exposing the plan, and revealing the conspirators behind it, is the only way to save both the woman he loves and the individual freedoms he once took for granted.

This is a book that makes you think.  Woven throughout the story are factual and fictional events and people, and at times it's hard to tell the difference.  The plan to transform America is fiction - or is it?  Could something like this really happen?  Is it happening already?

There is an afterword to this book in which Mr. Beck gives many reference and sites for the reader to use to learn more about what is - or could be - happening to our country.  I think I have some extra research and reading to do.

BESIDE A BURNING SEA

BESIDE A BURNING SEA by John Shors was read for the What's in a Name? 3 Challenge.

From the back of the book:

One moment, the World War II hospital ship Benevolence is patrolling the South Pacific on a mission of mercy.   The next, it's split in two by a torpedo.  A small band of survivors, including an injured Japanese soldier and a young American nurse, makes it to the deserted shore of a nearby island, never expecting the experiences awaiting them....


Akira has suffered five years of bloodshed and horror fighting for the Japanese empire.  Now, surrounded by enemies he is supposed to hate, he instead finds solace in their company - and rediscovers his love of poetry.  While sharing the mystery and beauty of this passion with Annie, the captivating but troubled woman he rescued, Akira grapples with the pain of his past while helping Annie uncover the promise of her future.  Meanwhile, the remaining castaways endure a world not of their making - a world as barbaric as it is beautiful, as hateful as it is loving, and as forbidden as it is seductive....

This book has been sitting by my reading chair for the longest time.  For some unknown reason, I kept pushing it aside in favor of another book.  I'm sorry I waited to read this as it is a beautifully written book.  Each chapter dealt with a day on the secluded island, building to a suspenseful ending.

Part love story, part mystery, with well written characters.  There were two that probably could have been developed a little more, but they were mostly in the background of the story.  The character Akira wrote haikus and each chapter began with one and there were some included throughout the different chapters.

I've read one other book by Mr. Shors (BENEATH A MARBLE SKY) and have another on the shelf to read.  This time I won't take so long to get to it.

This book was the last book for the What's in a Name? 3 Challenge (body of water) so I can call this challenge completed.  Another one that I've enjoyed, I hope to see this challenge again next year.

SAVING MAX

SAVING MAX by Antoinette van Heugten was read for the Medical Mystery Madness Challenge 2010.

From the back of the book:

Lawyer Danielle Parkman is at her wit's end.  Her son, Max, a whip-smart teen with high-functioning autism, has always been a handful.  But lately he's shutting down, using drugs and lashing out - violently.


Desperate, Danielle brings Max to a top-flight psychiatric facility.  But rather than reassurance, Danielle receives an agonizing diagnosis portraying a severely damaged, dangerous boy - one she's never met.


Then Danielle finds Max unconscious and bloodied at the feet of a patient who has been brutally stabbed to death.  Worse, Danielle is arrested as an accessory to the heinous crime.


In a baffling, netherworld of doubt and fear, barred from contacting her son, Danielle clings to the thought of Max's innocence.  But has she, too, lost touch with reality?  Is her baby boy really a killer?


Withe the justice system bearing down on them both, Danielle steels herself to discover the truth - no matter how horrifying.  But only finding the true killer will absolve her from having to choose between her son and her soul.

This was an interesting book, although it seemed a little far-fetched at times.  I felt the time span of some of the happenings was unrealistic.  Max went from being depressed and suicidal to an out-of-control psychotic in such a short period of time.  Perhaps this is possible - I'm not well versed in psychiatric medicine.

The story line kept my interest.  Again, there were instances of time that seemed unreasonable (too much done in too short a period of time), but this really didn't detract from the plot too much.  Plenty of action and lots of very strange and twisted people.

This book was sent to me by the publicist for review.  As this was an advance copy, perhaps some changes were made in the final copy that might correct some of the timing problems.

This was my final book for the Medical Mystery Madness Challenge 2010.  This has always been one of my favorite challenges, and I'm hoping it will be around again next year.

ROYAL BLOOD

ROYAL BLOOD by Rhys Bowen

From the book jacket:

Thirty-fourth inline to the throne - and England's poorest heiress - Lady Georgiana Rannoch finds herself in a truly draining state of affairs...


With my hateful brother, Binky, in town, I've been desperately seeking an escape.  To my delight, it comes in the form of an invitation from the queen to represent the royals at a wedding in Transylvania - legendary home to the vampires.  My freedom comes with some snags, though:  the eminently boring Lady "Horse-face" Middlesex will be my chaperon, I'm to take my imaginary maid - the only one I can afford - and my erstwhile beau, Darcy O'Mary, will be present, undoubtedly dashing in his groomsman's suit...


I soon realize why I was the one honored with such an invitation.  The bride, Princess Maria Theresa, happens to be my old school chum Matty.  But I find my stay in her macabre-looking castle to be unnerving.  There are spooky bumps in the night, and I even find dear Matty with blood running down her chin.  Quality time with Binky is starting to seem appealing.  Then, during the preparations, a prominent - if vulgar and womanizing - wedding guest is poisoned.  Something must be done lest the nuptial festivities go to ruin, or, worse yet, the couple's vows become:  to love and to cherish, till undeath do us part...

What a delightful and fun book to read!  This is the fourth book in the Lady Georgiana series and I've loved them all.  This one was complete with vampires, werewolves, secret passages in the castle and a couple of murders thrown in the mix.  I can't wait for the next book to see what trouble Georgie will find.

THE WILDWATER WALKING CLUB

THE WILDWATER WALKING CLUB by Claire Cook

From the book jacket:

Just put one foot in front of the other.  Sounds simple, doesn't it?  But when Noreen Kelly takes a buyout from her job and gets dumped by her boyfriend in one fell swoop, she finds it hard to know what that next step is - never mind take it.  At first Noreen thinks maybe her redundancy package could be an opportunity, a chance to figure out what to do with the rest of her life while her company foots the bill.  She may have grooved to "Sweet Baby James" back when James Taylor had hair, but she isn't ready for her AARP card.  Not yet.


For the first time in a great many years, Noreen has time to herself.  And she has no idea what to do with it.  When she realizes that she's mistaken her resume for her personality, Noreen knows that she has to get moving, so she puts on a new pair of sneakers and a seriously outdated pair of exercise pants, and walks.  She doesn't get very far at first, but she perseveres, and when she's joined by neighbors Tess and Rosie, Noreen realizes that walking is not an extreme sport.


As the Wildwater women walk and talk - and talk and walk - they tally their steps, share their secrets, and learn what women everywhere are finding out - that time flies and getting fit is actually fun when you're walking with friends.  Throw in a road trip to Seattle for a lavender festival, a career-coaching group that looks like a bad sequel to The Breakfast Club, plenty of romantic twists and turns, and a quirky multigenerational cast of supporting characters, and the result is an experience that's heartfelt, exuberant, and above all, real.

For the most part, I liked this book.  I really liked Noreen.  After leaving her job, she was looking forward to some time off and spending time with Michael, her boyfriend from work.  But when she realized that he was dumping her - she couldn't reach him on the phone or by e-mail - she went into a funk and wanted to just stay in bed.  Finally she decided to join the world and started walking.

Now here's the part I didn't like.  She met two of her neighbors and they all started walking together.  The friendships seemed a little too close too quickly.  I really would have liked to know more about these two friends.  They both had families and problems, but they were never developed.  Granted, this book was Noreen's story, but since these friends had become so important to her, it would have been nice to get inside their heads also.

Overall, it was a good book, but not in my Top 10 for this year.

THE LION IN AUTUMN

THE LION IN AUTUMN:  A Season with Joe Paterno and Penn State Football by Frank Fitzpatrick was read for the Reading Through the Seasons 2010 Challenge.

From the back of the book:

THE LION IN AUTUMN takes readers inside Penn State's storied football program as legendary coach Joe Paterno fights to turn his struggling team into a winner once again.  In more than a half-century at Penn State, Paterno had won more bowl games than any other coach and more games than all but one, en route to two national championships and five perfect seasons.  But in the new millennium hard times arrived in Happy Valley.  His Nittany Lions had losing seasons in four of five years.  There were boos at Beaver Stadium and increasing calls for the aging Paterno to step down.


Award-winning sportswriter Frank Fitzpatrick follows JoePa through a full season as the beloved coach struggles to save his program and his legacy.  Fitzpatrick trails Paterno from the fund-raisers to the spring practices to the sidelines, and details how the coach builds a team that would later contend for the national championship.  Along the way, he interweaves the story of Paterno's success at the school, describing how a Brooklyn-born Ivy Leaguer came to Pennsylvania and became a national icon.  Powerful, revelatory, and heartrending, this is a stirring portrait of a legend in the twilight of his career fighting for one final chance at greatness.

We're a Penn State family.  My daughter graduated there in 1996 and my brother played football under JoePa during the early 1970's.  We watch all Penn State football games religiously.  This was the perfect book for me to read.

That said, it was hard to read about the 2004 season detailed in this book.  It was a bad season, following 4 other bad seasons.  Mr. Fitzpatrick pulled no punches; he wrote about the good and the bad.  Doing so, he made Joe Paterno human.

There was an afterword to this book, telling about the 2005 season - a season where everything clicked.  The team that was being built in 2004 came together and finished the season 11-1 (including the Orange Bowl), having lost their only game to Michigan in the final second.

This was the final book for the Reading Through the Seasons 2010 Challenge.  I enjoyed this challenge and will look forward to it again next year.

Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to get out my Penn State shirt for tonight's game against Alabama.  It's going to be a good game.    

WE ARE ... PENN STATE!

NEVER FORGET

FIRST IT WAS FARMVILLE, NOW IT'S...

I'm hooked!

Pathetic, I know.  I need a life!

SUCH A NICE SATURDAY!

Yes, I know today is Sunday.

But yesterday was such a nice day.  It was sunny and bright and even a little cooler.  I went out to lunch then shopping at Kirkland's with my daughter Donna.

Then came home to watch the Penn State football game which I had recorded.  After a slow first quarter, PSU took over the game.  They returned the second-half kick-off for a touchdown - a 100 yard run.  Final score 44-14 over Youngstown.  Next week they play Alabama which should really be a good game.

I can't wait for the weather to turn cool and stay cool.  I love the look and feel and smell of fall.  College football games and crunchy leaves on the ground.  Soups and stews to eat and pumpkin roll for dessert.  A cup of hot tea in the evening while reading, covered up with a Snuggie.

Dom and I are planning a little trip up North next month.  If everything works out as I hope, we should be there right at the height of the Fall colors.  Can't wait!

AUGUST BOOKS

All I can say is - August was a TERRIBLE month, reading-wise.  I only managed to finish 3 books!  However, one was a chunkster, 730 pages of teeny-tiny print.

Here's the pitiful list:

31 BOND STREET by Ellen Horan (Historical Fiction Reading Challenge 2010)

CURE by Robin Cook (Medical Mystery Madness Challenge 2010)

DEVIL'S BROOD by Sharon Kay Penman (Chunkster Challenge 2010)


You MUST have done better than I!  What did you read in August?

1022 EVERGREEN PLACE

1022 EVERGREEN PLACE by Debbie Macomber

From the book jacket:

Dear Reader,


Guess what?  I'm falling in love!  With Mack McAfee.


My baby daughter, Noelle, and I have been living next door to Mack since the spring.  I'm still a little wary about our relationship, because I haven't always made good decisions when it comes to men.  My baby's father, David Rhodes, is testament to that.  I'm so worried he might sue for custody.


In the meantime, the World War II letters I found are a wonderful distraction.  Both Mack and I are trying to learn what happened to the soldier who wrote them and the woman he loved.


Come by sometime for a glass of iced tea and I'll show you the letters.  Plus I'll tell you the latest about Grace and Olivia, my brother Linc and his wife, Lori (who tied the know about five minutes after they met!), and all our other mutual friends.  Oh, and maybe Mack can join us....


Mary Jo Wyse

I so look forward to the latest Cedar Cove books by Ms. Macomber each fall.  It's like getting those Christmas newsletters from friends, filling me in on what has happened in the past year.    I love how the stories revolve around one particular family, but so many of the other neighbors in Cedar Cove are included.

This book dealt mainly with Mary Jo and Mack, but there was quite a bit about Linc and Lori and Rachel and  Bruce Peyton, among others, which will be continued in the next book, which will be set at 1105 Yakima Street, the Peyton house.

MY NAME IS MARY SUTTER

MY NAME IS MARY SUTTER by Robin Oliveira

From the book jacket:

In this stunning historical novel, which opens on the eve of the Civil War, Mary Sutter is a brilliant, headstrong midwife from Albany, New York, who dreams of becoming a surgeon.  Determined to overcome the prejudices against women in medicine - and eager to run away from recent heartbreak - Mary travels to Washington, D.C., to help tend the legions of Civil War wounded.  Under the guidance of William Stipp and James Blevens - two surgeons who unwittingly fall in love with Mary's courage, will, and stubbornness in the face of suffering - and resisting her mother's pleas to return home to help with the birth of her twin sister's baby, Mary pursues her medical career in the desperately overwhelmed hospitals of the capital.


Like Chaarles Frazier's COLD MOUNTAIN and Robert Hicks' s THE WIDOW OF THE SOUTH, MY NAME IS MARY SUTTER powerfully evokes the atmosphere of the period.  Rich with historical details (including marvelous depictions of Lincoln, Dorothea Dix, General McClellan, and John Hay, among others), MY NAME IS MARY SUTTER is an exceptional novel.  And, in Mary herself, Robin Oliveira has created a truly unforgettable heroine whose unwavering determination and vulnerability will resonate with readers everywhere.

This book didn't live up to my expectations.  The descriptions of the carnage of war, the destruction of life, and the horrible medical conditions were brilliantly written.  But I never really got a feel for Mary.  She wasn't a character I could like or dislike.  She hid her feelings well and because of that - the way the character was written - I could never connect with her.  And after about the first half of the book, I gave up trying.  I continued to read because I was interested in the medical aspects of the book, the way the war-wounded were handled.

An interesting book, but not one of my favorites.