Mermaid: a memoir of Resilience by Eileen Cronin 362.4 Cro

 

Cronin is a clinical psychologist.  Judging by the cover of the book she is very attractive.  I am always so in awe of people who have overcome  large obstacles in their lives.  Cronin was born in the sixties into a large Catholic family which included eleven kids, her hard-working father and a mother who loved her children but suffered through nervous breakdowns and shock treatments.  Cronin's mother was pregnant with her when she and her husband went on a business trip to Germany.  Although her mother swore she took no medications on that trip,  months later Cronin was born without complete legs and some other deformities.  As a child it took her a while to realize she was different than her siblings.  It was years later that she heard the term thalidomide baby. (Thalidomide was a German drug which was widely used as a sedative and anti-nausea in pregnant women.)  But no label could define this woman.

Cronin was not a pampered child because of her disabilities.  And what a strong personality she developed  as she struggled to prove her capabilities, fought bullies and did a lot of things that I would never have considered doing in my teens!  This book was funny, sad, inspiring and most of all very readable and enjoyable. 

Lying With Strangers by Jonnie Jacobs MYS Jac

Chloe Henderson is only 18.  She has lived in foster homes and a group home.  Now she think things will be wonderful because she is living with her boyfriend Trace - and they are going to have a baby!  Most of the time Trace is nice to her - well, sort of, as long as she doesn't say or do anything to upset him.  Then one Sunday they stop at a convenience store.  Chloe is shocked when Trace tries to rob the store and ends up killing the clerk and a customer - who happens to be an assistant D. A.  Trace is wounded but Chloe manages to get him home and takes care of him.

In another part of town Dianna Walker is confused when she receives a phone call that her husband has been shot in a robbery.  Of course there is some mistake because he went to play golf (even after she tried to guilt him into staying home).  And besides he wouldn't be in that part of town.  Arriving at the hospital she learns that it is her husband and he is in a coma.  One time he woke up for a brief moment - and whispered the word "Mia".  Hmmmmm  wonder who that is.

Dianna struggles to figure out what her husband was doing that day.  And what about that skeleton that was uncovered across the country in Georgia?  Lots of intrigue!  I enjoyed reading this book.

        
    

Under Your Skin by Sabine Durrant FIC Dur

Loved, loved, loved this book!  Nothing gory - just a great psychological novel.  Gaby Mortimer has a fairly good life.  Well, she isn't crazy about her co-host on their daytime show.  She thinks she might have a stalker.  And there is her workaholic husband who she thinks might be losing interest in her.  So it is maybe just a so-so life.  And then it gets worse.  Out for a pre-work jog she comes across the body of a young woman.  Terrified she scrambles away to call the police.  After giving a statement she goes to work and tries to get back to her normal routine.  The police, however, are not done with her.  They keep asking her questions over and over again.  To make matters worse her husband is leaving the country on a business trip and she is trying to keep her anxiety to herself.  A wild ride that I just couldn't put down until I was finished.

Lost Lake by Sarah Addison Allen (FIC All)

Newly returned from an extended honeymoon (which you can do when you marry someone with money), Eby and her husband George buy Lost Lake, a resort with cabins deep in southern Georgia.  Now, fifty years later, George is gone and Eby decides to sell the resort to a developer.

In the last summer of its existence a group of people who have gathered annually at Lost Lake come together once more to see if their long-held dreams can be fulfilled.  There's Bulahdeen, a retired professor of literature who believes that people are able to write their own endings; Selma, a woman with seven husbands on the prowl for number eight; Jack, who has long been in love with Lisette, the cook at Lost Lake; and Lisette whose life was once saved by Eby but who can't leave behind the memory of the young man she spurned fifty years ago.  

Into their company comes Kate, Eby's great-niece, and her young daughter, Devin.  They are still dealing with the loss of their husband and father and have arrived at Lost Lake to re-connect with Eby.

Sarah Addison Allen's books always carry a hint of mysticism and magic and this one is no different.  From Selma and her eight magic "charms" which give her the power to win any man she desires to the mysterious alligator who resides in Lost Lake and who communicates regularly with Devin the book is filled with situations that defy logic and force you to suspend your disbelief.  Also present is Allen's ability to see into human nature and describe people and situations believably.

I enjoy the author's books because of the way she describes people and situations.  If the outcome is fairly obvious from the beginning that doesn't really matter.  It is the way she gets to the ending that I enjoyed.  I read this book in the entirety of a snowy day - and wished it had lasted just a little bit longer.

The Sisters Weiss by Naomi Ragen FIC Rag

   
This was an interesting book - it read quickly and I learned a bit about Jewish culture in New York during the 1950's. I am sure everyone has experienced reminiscing with someone and finding that the two of you have totally different memories of what happened.  That is the way this story begins.  An incident that took place in the Weiss home when Rose was six and her sister, Pearl, was 3.  How they each remembered that night would effect the way they interacted decades later.  Pearl grew up as a very obedient daughter in her ultra-Orthodox family.  That all changed when she found a new friend.  When her parents find out about what she has been doing she is sent to her Grandmother's to separate her from the family.  Eventually she comes home and agrees to an arranged marriage.

The story switches to 2007 and a new generation joins the story.  Pearl's daughter, Rivka, uncovers some information about her Aunt Rose hidden in her mother's room.  She finds out that her black sheep aunt is actually a famous photographer and she sets off to find the missing part of her family.  Very entertaining book.

One Second After by William Forstchen FIC For

This book was published several years ago but it was recommended to me and I did enjoy reading it although it was quite depressing!  Growing up during the Cold War with the threats of nuclear weapons I would see on TV or read in books about what could happen.   On the Beach was a book that has remained vivid in my mind for decades.  That book takes place in the last place on earth that the radiation will reach.  For months the people knew what was coming and yet for the most part they continued their daily lives.  In contrast, One Second After, is about how daily life totally stopped ......one second after!  An Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) was the weapon.  I don't know what that is but it completely shut down anything with electronics - cell phones, cars, coffee makers, utilities, etc.  That seemed scary.  But the real terror came when society began to break down - and that also happened quickly.  What are people willing to do to live?   The main character is an ex-military man named John.  He is still trying to deal with the death of his wife while raising his two daughters when the disaster happened.  At the beginning of the book they were prominent but seemed to fade into the background while John tried to bring some order to their small town.  This book is located in the fiction section.......but is it?

The new senior woman by Barbara Fleisher and Thelma Reese 306.3 Fle

The sub-title of the book is "Reinventing the Years Beyond Mid-Life".  I have no plans to re-invent myself but I still found this book to be an interesting read.  The authors traveled the country to interview women 60 and older about contemporary issues.  So this book is comprised of the stories of real women!  Chapters included downsizing (and dealing with adult children who still want you to store all of their "precious" childhood momentos), the relationship with adult children (who now sometimes want to treat you as a child who can't make good decisions), living in this new world with all of the technology, and dealing with health and loss issues.  It was a quick read and filled with lots of insight.  I believe most women "of a certain age" would find some soul sisters within the covers of this book.  Also I think it would be useful for younger women with senior parents - you will get a lot of insight! 

French Women Don't Get Facelifts by Mireille Guiliano 613 Gui

     

I will confess that I didn't read every page of this book but I did enjoy the parts I read.  I checked out this book because I have enjoyed Guiliano's earlier books and because the subtitle is "The Secret of Aging with Style and Attitude".  Well, my attitude has really been bad lately and I thought this book might help - it didn't.  Take shoes for instance - Guiliano would definitely not approve of my shoe wardrobe.  And if she knew that I had not owned a real pair of heels (2" are considered high in my world!) for at least 25 years I think she would see that I am a lost cause.

Also I am a Francophile so I am fascinated by books that deal with French culture.  Throughout the book Guiliano talks about the French attitude towards all things aging and gives advice on what one can do, use or buy to help the situation.  She addresses gravity, skin and hair care, exercise, dressing and many, many other topics.  It might just inspire you a bit! 

The Other Child by Charlotte Link MYS Lin

Oh this was a really good one!  I was quickly engrossed in the story - or I should say stories.  It begins with a very short incident in 1970.  A young woman (no name) has come to a remote farm in Yorkshire.  She has found out something and knows she needs to get away immediately.  We don't know what happens to her.  Now it is 2008 in the same part of the world.  A young college student is savagely killed.  The police are not having any luck finding the responsible party.  A few months later there is a similar type murder - only this time it is an elderly woman.  Is there a connection?  The dead woman was one of the children evacuated to Yorkshire out of  London during the war - could that have something to do with her death?  Or maybe she was killed because she ruined Gwen's engagement party the night she was killed.  So many possibilities!  The story of what took place during the war  is interspersed with the mystery of her murder.  This was a great psychological mystery.  Interesting characters and I was kept guessing until the end.

       Ms. Link has been very successful - in Germany.  This is her first book translated into English - and another one is headed our way in May.  (I have already put in a request for purchase!)

Unremarried Widow by Artis Henderson 306.883 Hen

     

When I first saw this book I was stumped - what in the world is that supposed to mean?  It was Artis' new assigned status after the death of her husband in Iraq.  This was a very readable and touching story of a woman who has survived a lot of heartbreak.  When Artis was five years old she went for a ride in her dad's single-engine plane.  This was not at all an unusual event since the plane was parked by their house.  He wanted his wife to come with them but she begged off because of too many things to do.  The plane crashed and Artis' father was killed.  Her spine was broken and she was in for a very long recovery.  From the time she was young Artis dreamed of being a writer and traveling the world.  She did not dream of falling in love with a guy from Texas who was in the Army.  But that was what happened.  This book covers their meeting, their marriage and tragically his death - in a crashed helicopter.  Suddenly she was her mother.  This book gave me a glimpse into the challenging life of an Army spouse.  It certainly can be a lonely existence as they travel from place to place.  Of course nothing is as hard as the visit from the chaplain.  Everyone faces tragedies in their life but not everyone can write about the experience as well as Artis has.