Little Women, revisited

Since the Wednesday Readers were reading Little Women, I decided that I would read it again also. I probably hadn't shared the adventures of Jo, Meg, Beth and Amy since I was in high school. I also discovered that my cherished version of this classic only contained the first part; it ends with Meg and Mr. Brooke's engagement. I had no idea about Jo and her professor (for which I was very excited) and Amy and Laurie (which I was not.)

It's fun to rediscover old favorites and see what new things touch you at this point in your life.

Tiara Club by Beverly Brandt

The Tiara Club is about of group of Southern women who have spent their lives being pinched, taped and paraded through beauty pagents. These women have decided to form a support group to share experiences and to compete--willingly or reluctantly--each year in the Ocean Sands Shrimp Queen Festival. Two weeks before Georgia's ex-husband is going to marry her bestfriend, a cooking show descends on the town and the show's host sets about finding out the secrets so many of the people in Ocean Sands are hiding. Why won't Georgia tell anyone that she is the inventor of the fabulous Miracle Chef? And why does she want it to fail in the competition against the professional chef? How does she really feel about her bestfriend's upcoming wedding and why does she drop everything to be at her mother's side whenever she calls saying she's lonely? And why does Georgia's mother hate her sister so much?

All this and more lies hidden behind the sleepy facade of Ocean Sands.

Stephanie Plum Series

A friend got me hooked on the Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich. The series is really easy to keep track of because all the books have a number in the title. (One for the Money, Two for the Dough, etc. ) Stephanie becomes a bounty hunter after losing her job and being almost forced to move back in with her parents. Her escapades and attempts to capture FTA's are laugh out loud funny. The books are sprinkled with unique characters such as Morelli, Ranger, Lula and Vinnie. And with each book, you wonder who will break into Stephanie's apartment and how will her car blow up.

Oldest Rookie: Big League Dreams from a Small-Town Guy by Jim Morris

Did you see the Disney movie The Rookie with Dennis Quaid? Well this is the true story behind the movie. It takes a lot of guts to pursue a dream that you've given up, especially when the pieces of your life are finally starting to fit together. Jim had a family, a good job and an ideal coaching job, but he took a chance and followed his dream to play Major League Baseball and in the process became the oldest rookie ever to play in the majors. His major league career wasn't long, but he took that chance and followed his childhood dream.

Coal Tattoo by Silas House

A fantastic book by Silas House. It follows the lives of two sisters who had been orphaned at an early age and raised by their grandmothers. Their lives intertwine with each other and the Sixties and the coal-mining town that they live in. It focuses on how sisters are always sisters though the good times and the bad.

Assassin by Anna Myers

Assassin by Anna Myers (a children's chapter book)

Bella Getchel has always longed to be an actress. So when John Wilkes Booth befriends her, she does not realize until too late that Booth is using her to access the President. As an apprentice to the White House seamstress, Bella has a unique and compelling view of the times and events surrounding the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. This fictional portrayal does an excellent job of bringing to life the tensions of the time.

Reviewed by Ray Arnett, Director of the Fremont Area District Library

Future Homemakers of America by Laurie Graham

I am almost finished with The Future Homemakers of America. It is great. There are very short chapters, so you can pick it up and put down easily. The trick is keeping the women straight--in the beginning, at least. They are all wives of Air Force pilots, except Kath who is an English woman who lives close to the base. As the book progesses through the next 4 decades of their lives, they experience cross country moves, death, sickness, children, and divorce and each woman faces the challenges in her own way.

Aubrey/Maturin Series

I really enjoyed the movie "Master and Commander" so I've recently been reading Post Captain by Patrick O'Brian. It is the second in the series (after Master and Commander). Highly recommended for anyone who likes historical novels and the sea!