Superchicks do the Hula!

I had so much fun reading this book!
Robin Jones Gunn tells the story of two lifelong friends who decide to spend their 40th birthdays, which are only a few days apart, together in Hawaii. It’s a trip they had talked about for 20 years and they figured it was about time they did it!
They leave their families at home and take off for the islands to enjoy two weeks of bliss.
It’s a wonderful story of friendship, love and learning. The two women are given the opportunity to renew their faith in God and the beautiful tropical setting helps remind them of His wonderful work with nature.
They also are able to come to terms with the fact they are now middle age. Turning 40 wasn’t something they thought would affect their outlook on life until it actually happened. However, each was glad to spend that particular birthday with a best friend who could understand the mixed feelings she was experiencing.
To top it off, they got to try some exciting new things … such as surfboarding, scuba diving and, of course, doing the hula!
This is truly a great book and I’d highly recommend it to my reading friends.

Between the Lines

I've added a new link to "check out these blogs." It's for the new blog Lynda Coker set up to promote the reviews done by members of Writers and Readers of Distinctive Fiction.
I just love the design of the new blog. Very stylish!

"Goldeneyes" excerpt

Here's a little teaser from the book "Goldeneyes" by Delia Latham. For more information, check out my book reviews and her blog (the link is on the right-hand side of this page!).

"Meet Hank O'Hare, Juliana. He's the owner and resident rapscallion here at Hole-in-the-Wall. Hard to look at and not the most mannerly sort, but the man can cook like nobody's business."

Hank's steel gray eyes softened as he rounded the counter, offering his hand to Juliana. "Pleased to meet'cha, miss."

Indiana Jones

I’ve always been a fan of the Indiana Jones movies. When I found out a new one was filmed, I waited impatiently for it to premiere.
I counted down the weeks. I kept my eye on the advertisements for the area theaters.
Lo and behold, there it was! Listed to be shown at the local showhouse.
My husband and I went on the second night it was being shown. The seats were crowded, but we still got a good spot in the center near the front. We bought our popcorn and sodas and I sat through the previews of coming attractions in anticipation.
I wasn’t disappointed.
No matter what anyone says, Harrison Ford can still do Indiana Jones!
I’m not really sure why I enjoy the Indiana Jones films so much. After all, they are kind of unbelievable. Yet, the producers manage to pull it off so well that it becomes such fun.
I seriously doubt if there will be another one of these films. The Kingdom of the Crystal Skull pretty much ended the adventures, as far as I can tell. Anything else would probably be too much of a stretch.
But they did an excellent job at making this movie. If you get the chance to see it, don’t pass up the opportunity. You’ll be glad you went.

My Sister’s Keeper

Jodi Picoult is one of my preferred authors. I first read one of her books only within the last year and I finished it with the thought, “Why haven’t I read her before?” She truly is a wonderful writer.
“My Sister’s Keeper” is no exception. In fact, it’s probably one of the best books I’ve read and enough for me to rate it at five books.
It’s the story of a young girl who realizes the only reason she exists is to save her older sister’s life.
Kate was diagnosed with a rare form of childhood leukemia as a toddler. Anna was conceived in order to provide transplants – blood transfusions, bone marrow, organs – for Kate. By age 13, Anna had undergone countless surgeries to keep her sister alive.
When it becomes necessary for Kate to have a kidney transplant, Anna rebels. She researches the dangers that could result and hires an attorney to sue her parents for medical independence. It’s not that she doesn’t want to help her sister. After all, she does love her dearly. She just wants some say-so about her own life.
This touching and eye-opening story truly causes one to think about the consequences a family of a mortally ill child must face. It is so well written that the reader will feel they know the people involved intimately.
At times, the book will make you angry. It will also make you cry and laugh. It gives an entirely new perspective to the issue of stem cell research, in vitro fertilization and medicine itself.
“My Sister’s Keeper” was a Mother’s Day present from my own daughter. She spent hours digging through stacks at the bookstore to come up with this gift and I can’t thank her enough for it.
I’ve read thousands of books and this moves to the top of my list of favorites.

Bleachers

I admit I’ve never been a big fan of John Grisham’s books about lawyers and trials, but I do enjoy his novels that feature other plots. “Bleachers” is one of them.
It’s the story about a small town where everyone supports the high school football team after it becomes one of the best in the state. It’s where you’ll find nearly every person on Friday nights – sitting in the bleachers rooting for the boys.
Yet, behind the scenes is the story of a coach who borders on abusive toward the kids. He expects the best from his team and will do anything to get that. Granted, it meant they were champions because (or in spite) of his attitude, but it also meant events transpired that were often kept secret from parents and friends.
“Bleachers” truly is one of Grisham’s best books. There are several reasons why I liked it.
One, I love football. In fact, the doctor who delivered me and my younger sister was Vince Lombardi’s brother, so we kind of have a stake in the sport.
Secondly, I currently live in a small town that supports all the school sports teams, although not at such a grand scale. The book gave me a new perspective on that.
Third, in a small town, people do tend to overlook the transgressions of those they admire. Whether that person is a government official, a police officer or a coach/teacher, they simply do not want to hear that person isn’t what they believe.I’m not sure if someone who doesn’t enjoy or understand football would enjoy “Bleachers,” but I hope they give it a try nonetheless. It is a good book.

Escaping Salem: The Other Witch Hunt of 1692

Although many of the early settlers to the New World were attempting to escape religious persecution in Europe, they still brought some of the same thoughts with them. Among those beliefs were the ideas of witchcraft and using its powers to “get even” with those who crossed them. Those ideas culminated in the witch hunts and trials in Salem, Massachusetts.
Yet, that wasn’t the only place they occurred. Other towns held similar trials, albeit not on the scale of those in Salem.
One such place was Stamford, Connecticut, as related in this book by Richard Godbeer.
Godbeer studied actual documents and trial transcripts to learn the dynamics behind the witch hunts and relates those findings to the reader.
“Escaping Salem” is a fascinating book. In it, the reader learns that much of what was previously believed about the witch hunts is highly exaggerated. It wasn’t a mass execution as the judges were very careful not to take the accusations lightly. In fact, they did everything they could to sway the jury to find the plaintiffs innocent of the charges.
This author combines narrative and historical writing to relate the events to the reader. It’s very well written and the reader will come away with a clear sense of what actually transpired.
The book “Escaping Salem” is one of a series published by Oxford University Press titled “New Narratives in American History.” The series looks at certain events in the history of our country and presents them to the reader in a way that makes them easy to read and understandable.As a social scientist, history plays a big part in my interests and so I found this book quite informative. It was the first book I’ve read in the series and I plan to see what other topics are available.