They May Not Mean To, But They Do by Cathleen Schine LP Sch

This was a very entertaining book!  It has a universal theme to which most people can relate - the relationship between grown children and their aging parents.  You may love each other so you know they "don't mean to", but they often drive us crazy!  Joy and Aaron Bergman have been married for a long, long time.  Joy is still working and taking care of Aaron who has dementia.  Children Molly and Daniel have lots of advice for Joy but she really isn't looking for advice on what to do.

When Aaron dies it changes the dynamics of the family.  Molly and Daniel are feeling more responsibility (which always comes with guilt!).  There are moments in the book that made me sad but sometimes I would laugh out loud. One of my favorites was when Molly has been trying to get her mother to go out and socialize.  Joy's response is that she is busy.  "Between losing things and looking for things I've lost and going to the bathroom, well, the day just isn't long enough."  I can so relate to this!!!   A great read.

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Commonwealth by Ann Patchett FIC Pat

Another great read by Patchett!  This book spans about fifty years and it all begins with two couples.  Teresa and Bert have three children and are expecting another.  Beverly and Fix have two daughters.  They are neighbors and friends.  But at one cookout an event (a kiss) leads to a situation which will have an impact on many lives throughout the decades.  Bert and Beverly end up married with six kids between them.  During the summer all of them spend time together with Bert and Beverly - and it made me tired just reading about the chaos.   One summer there is a death that changes everyone.

There were funny parts and sad parts.  I listened to the audiobook which was well-done.  I did have trouble keeping everyone straight - 50 years includes a lot of people.  This book does not start at point A and go to Z.  I often had to take a minute and figure out who belonged to whom - I think it was a good brain exercise!   In my opinion it is a book that is best read with few distractions but it was well worth it.

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Keep Me Posted by Lisa Beazley FIC Bea

This is a wonderful debut novel!  Sid and Cassie are sisters.  When the book begins it is Christmas time.  Sid has a teen-aged son, River, and a toddler named Lulu.  They have traveled from Singapore to Ohio.  Cassie is trying to get her active twin boys and her husband organized to travel there (from NYC) as well for what is referred to as "The Last Christmas" (because as usual their grandparents are insisting that this is the last year they were hosting!).  Cassie and Sid don't communicate a lot because Sid rarely uses any electronic communication if she can avoid it.  During the visit Grandpa reads aloud from letters that he and his wife had exchanged when they were first married.

Inspired by this, Sid proposes to Cassie that they start exchanging letters. Cassie agreed (maybe it was the wine!).  By the time Cassie returns to NYC there is already a letter from Sid that had been sent from Ohio.  It was quite funny how hard it was for Cassie to write her first letter - on paper - using a pen - buying stamps!

They grow closer and closer as they begin to confide in each other about their lives.  It will make you nostalgic for a lost art.

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The Girl Who Wrote in Silk by Kelli Estes FIC Est

Loved this book!  It is the story of Inara and Mei Lien whose time on earth was separated by more than a century.  Inara has finished her PHd in international business and expecting to start a job with Starbucks so that she can pay off her student loans.  Before that happens Inara goes back to the island estate in the San Juan islands where she spent so many happy summers - until the death of her mother.  The estate has been left to her by her aunt, along with the suggestion that she turn it into a B & B.  Her sister joins her for a few days to go through the estate which is in sad condition.  While searching they come across a beautifully embroidered sleeve hidden in a secret space.  She becomes obsessed with the history of the piece. Spending time in this beautiful place she begins to replace her Starbucks plans with the idea of turning the estate into an elite hotel.

As you can probably guess, that sleeve was done my Mei Lien!  Mei Lien lived in this area in the 1800's.  Her parents and her paternal grandmother had left China and arrived in Seattle, which was then in the territory of Washington, to begin a new life.  Mei Lien was born in this country but was still considered Chinese by all of the white people.  So they came up with the Chinese Exclusion Act.  Which gave them the 'right' to use force to make the Chinese leave.  (This reminded me of the interment camps to which the Japanese-Americans taken during WWII - another bit of history that never seems to be taught in classes.)

I was fascinated by Mei Lien's story as it was interspersed with Inara's story.  There were characters to hate and characters to love and admire!

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