Samples and Quotes #1

The awesome thing about being a Kindle owner is getting to sample books before I buy them.  Every book that I see on my Google Reader that catches my fancy, and I'm off to Amazon to download the sample so that I not only try it out, but remember the name of the book.

Here's the problems: I was up to over 80 sample on my Kindle, and I hadn't touched them in months.  So now I'm in the process of going through them.  A few are from books I've already downloaded or read, so I immediately delete those, but the rest are carefully read and I either write the name down in my little book of Quotes and Thoughts,  or the delete is final. 

The other day was rainy and I had some time on my hands.  Now, I could have read one of the many books I'm currently involved with but the main reason I haven't gotten to my samples is because I feel like I'm wasting my time.  So I made a project out of it.  And I found a few good quotes to add to my book list, and several books I want to read (I put an asterisk by the ones that need to go straight to the front of the TBR line).  I've still got about 50 more to get through... *shivers*

Occasionally I'll be posting book quotes to share with you all, and so away we go:

"Occasionally I still had trouble with the idea that I was in the world but not of it, if that makes senses."
     ~Queen of the Dead by Stacey Kade (ARC so it may not be final)

"It's hard to explain but when she's angry, it feels as though someone has put me together incorrectly like a bookshelf with a row of upside-down books."
     ~Sisters Red by Jackson Pearce

"Now the trouble about trying to make yourself stupider than you really are is that you very often succeed."

'"Narnia, Narnia, Narnia, awake.  Love. Think. Speak. Be walking trees.  Be talking beasts. Be divine waters."'
     ~The Magician's Nephew by C.S. Lewis

"It's like this every time we're in the same room; nothing has changed in the year since this whole mess started- she's tracking me, I'm tracking her.  The defense department would kill to have radar this good."

"Kathryn was the kind of person who was alone a lot.  Nobody ever left me alone.
   Hanging out with her, we could be alone together."
     ~Rival by Sara Bennett Wealer

*This one's from a movie... deal with it*
"He used to be a dick.  He's not a dick anymore."
     ~The Postman Always Rings Twice (the lawyer is explaining that his employee used to be a private investigator).

"Kim's never said anything like that to me- I'd rather kill you than have you be fat.  But she never just accepted me for the way I was.  She was always, "Let's try this new diet.  We'll diet together.  I could always lose ten pounds." She was thinking, And you could lose a hundred."

"I hadn't noticed until now how fat she is.  I mean, I noticed she was fat.  Fat kids always notice other fat kids so they can compare themselves and think, I'm not that fat."

"I like her.  She seems to be at peace with herself.
   I think Emily has courage."
     ~By The Time You Read This, I'll Be Dead by Julie Anne Peters.

"She saw the face of a complete stranger and memorized every detail.  A blond man with intense blue eyes and a tilted, angular face about a foot from hers.
     "Hello.  My name is Anders Jonasson.  I'm a doctor."'
     ~The Girl Who Kicked The Hornet's Nest by Steig Larsson (this is only meaningful to me because I have a major crush on the hottie Swedish actor who plays. Dr. Jonasson in the movie.  And he does have intense blue eyes!).

"The best men are not consistent in good- why should the worst men be consistent in evil?"
     ~The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins

"Welcome to Sudden Death- or as I like to call it, Suprise Demise, room 1118."
     ~Spooky Little Girl by Laure Notaro

Okay, I've bored you enough!  Feel free to share any good quotes you've run across recently in my comments!



 

Narnia Readalong #3

So I'm a little slow on the uptake, and I missed the first two posts but I did read both The Magician's Nephew and The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe. However, now I'm caught up with the Narnia Readalong, having finished The Horse and His Boy the other day.

When I was a kid I loved The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe, but I never read any of the other series until about 6 years ago. So while I've read tLtWatW dozens of times, I've only read The Horse and His Boy once before.  Which is a shame, since it's a great story.

So here's my muddled thoughts on The Horse and His Boy:

Aslan is my favorite part of the story, and the different roles he plays to get the children and the horses to their destines.  Someday, when you read about a woman who got mauled to death after climbing into a lion's cage, please know that it was me and I just wanted a little cuddle with the Lion.  Maybe I should just settle for finding a really cute stuffed lion toy...

My other favorite character was Hwin, I loved her patience and cool head.  While Bree, Shasta/Cor, and Aravis were flawed characters, I liked that Hwin was herself.  I envy her calmness.  Since it's much safer to try to find a talking horse than climbing into cages looking for Aslan, I will continue trying to make small talk with the ponies at the fair.

The book started off a little slow for me, but by the time the horses and the kids are being chased by the lions, the pace picks up.  I liked the peek into the life that Aravis was leaving behind, it would have been a very comfortable one, but it's shallow and loveless.  The friendship that four find makes them all the better for it.


The Horse and His Boy by C.S. Lewis gets a Midnight Book Rating of 11:00 pm, as I enjoyed it on several levels.  The series can be magical and good no matter if your religious or not, but being a Christian adds to a level of emotion for me.


Briefly I'll give my thoughts on the first two books.

The Magician's Nephew: Uncle Andrew is a tool.  Digory behaves a bit badly, but comes round in the end.  Polly and the Cabby are wonderful.  I really felt like I was there while Aslan created the world Narnia inhabits.  It was truly beautiful.  It's a good introduction to the series, although I'm fine with those who choose to start with tLtWatW and finish with TMN... and that's probably the order I prefer.

But I do love that is the boy, Digory, who brought evil into the land, and not yet another Eve. :)


The Magician's Nephew by C.S. Lewis gets a Midnight Book Rating of 10:30pm. 

The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe: One of my all time favorite books, from childhood up until now.  There's something about that first trip through the wardrobe and Lucy meeting Mr. Tumnus in the snowy wood.  I have always clearly been able to see scenes from this book in my head.  Each time, despite knowing that he'll soon be bounding around like a kitten, the book breaks my heart when Aslan goes to the Stone Table.  And the book really makes me want some Turkish Delight, but I've never had it since I only think of eating it when I'm reading the book.  Seriously, I really need to try it!  I wonder if it's good enough to betray my brothers... okay, I'd probably give them up for some raw cookie dough.


The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe gets a Midnight Book Rating of Midnight, because it's a favorite of mine and that's all the reason I need.

Jane Rizzoli and Dr. Maura Isles

Kate's tess book montage

Kate's favorite books »

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Two summers I read Tess Gerritsen's The Surgeon for a book club selection.  I hadn't been familiar with her novels prior to reading The Surgeon but it kicked off a new interest of mine: mystery novels.  It's not like I haven't read some mysteries in my time, but for some reason it's become more of a passion.  I tend to do this, read particular genres with intense dedication (horror, chick lit, young adult, etc).  The Surgeon features two characters who aren't the main focus of the book, detective Jane Rizzoli and medical examiner Dr. Maura Isles.  When I discovered there was a follow up book, The Apprentice, I immediately bought it, only to find out that Jane and Maura dominate the series after Book 1.  I wasn't sure how I felt about that.  Jane Rizzoli is not an easy character to like in the first book, she's prickly, she has a chip on her shoulders and she comes across as jealous and spiteful.  And she is all these things still.  Rizzoli is no beauty queen, and she constantly feels the need to compete with the men she works with for even a small bit of recognition.  She is jealous of beautiful women, at the ease they have seem to have with life.  Jane Rizzoli might not be easy to like, but she feels real, she has real issues and not one of those issues deals with having to choose between two or more incredibly hot guys like every other popular heroine seems to be doing these days (I'm talking about YOU, Sookie Stackhouse).  Throughout the current 8 books, Jane continues to grow as a character, but in a realistic arc, at her core she remains herself- tough yet vulnerable.  I might not always like Rizzoli, but I've come to love her.  She's like family.

On the other side of the coin we have Dr. Maura Isles, a dark haired beauty who's as cool as ice.  The media and cops are all intrigued by Maura, but she keeps her distance for several novels before getting her own Thorn Birds like romance.  I'm not as much of a fan of Maura's as I am of Jane, and I prefer the stories that feature Jane more or the two of them working together.  They are both such strong characters and no one can accuse them of being Mary Sue type characters.  In Ice Cold, you really get to know more of Maura.

And then we have the murderers and crimes the duo must catch and solve.  I'm pretty good at discovering the killer early on, but I have to say, Tess Gerritsen often keeps me guessing.  And I like that.  Plus, I learn stuff from her books without feeling like I'm reading a text book.  I now know more about mummies than I learned in school (The Keepsake) and more about Boston (the entire series).  There's twists and turns throughout all the novels, and the killers and side characters are often as intriguing as the main characters.  Here's a list of the books in order:

The Surgeon
The Apprentice
The Sinner
Body Double
Vanish
The Mephisto Club
The Keepsake
Ice Cold

So if you're looking for a good mystery/thriller and like a good series (I like investing in characters), than start with The Surgeon.  Out of all the books The Sinner was probably my least favorite, but I really enjoyed all of them.  They're easy reads, which by now you can tell I like.

This series gets a combined Midnight Book Rating of 11pm, some will keep you up way past the midnight hour, while others might be stretched over several evenings.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Be sure to wear some green, and be part of the Pinch Patrol for anyone wearing orange*!

*I was taught that wearing orange on St. Paddy's day was a terrible slight to the Irish, since the orange in their flag is representative of England*

But whatever you do, be sure to pick up a Maeve Binchy book or two! 

Rival Review

From Goodreads:
  
Meet Brooke: Popular, powerful and hating every minute of it, she’s the “It” girl at Douglas High in Lake Champion, Minnesota. Her real ambition? Using her operatic mezzo as a ticket back to NYC, where her family lived before her dad ran off with an up and coming male movie star.  

Now meet Kathryn: An overachieving soprano with an underachieving savings account, she’s been a leper ever since Brooke punched her at a party junior year. For Kath, music is the key to a much-needed college scholarship.

The stage is set for a high-stakes duet between the two seniors as they prepare for the prestigious Blackmore competition. Brooke and Kathryn work toward the Blackmore with eyes not just on first prize but on one another, each still stinging from a past that started with friendship and ended in betrayal. With competition day nearing, Brooke dreams of escaping the in-crowd for life as a professional singer, but her scheming BFF Chloe has other plans. And when Kathryn gets an unlikely invitation to Homecoming, she suspects Brooke of trying to sabotage her with one last public humiliation.

As pressures mount, Brooke starts to sense that the person she hates most might just be the best friend she ever had. But Kathryn has a decision to make. Can she forgive? Or are some rivalries for life?

My Thoughts:  This is the last book I read in for my Different Area Codes book tours, and I'm sad to say goodbye to it.  But I'm glad that my last read was one of my best.  Rival was a great book, both Kathryn and Brooke were complete, fleshed out characters.  I really thought before I started the book that I'd be able to choose sides, that one girl would be "right" and the other girl would be "wrong".  But like in life, both girls contributed to the demise of their friendship, and both did things that weren't particularly nice.  The major problem in their friendship was that they both assumed too much- each thinking the other understood or knew things that had never been spoken of or made clear. 

God knows I've made that mistake plenty of times in my relationships.  We take it for granted that our friends and family know us, know what we're feeling, yet we often chafe under their definition of us.  Brooke and Kathryn crossed and then criss-crossed lines again and again.  After the event that leads to them not being friends anymore, neither really takes the time to reflect on it until suddenly they find themselves in competition.

I loved the setting of the book- music, chorus, singing competitions are not usual backgrounds in YA novels.  Brooke and Kathryn both have lovely voices, but as a alto and soprano they are never in direct competition until they both get a chance at a prestigious scholarship.  Brooke needs it to prove that music is important to her, that she can do it on her own, and Kathryn needs it to pay for college.  Suddenly the events of the past year are very much on their minds, and they finally take a good long look at what happened. 

In the end I couldn't pick sides.  Both girls have their good sides and bad sides.  It was really refreshing to read a YA book that wasn't about good vs. evil, but a look at real life drama.  Now I'm not a music girl, I can barely carry a tune despite the fact that I was in chorus and love music, I had no trouble getting absorbed into the world of musical competition.  Now if only some author would write about the drama that was my high school's Reading Team experience...

Rival by Sara Bennett Wealer gets a Midnight Book Rating of 11:30pm.   I will definitely be on the lookout for her future novels!

Short Reviews #1

I am way behind in reviews, so I thought I'd do a few quick ones on some recent reads:

By The Time You Read This, I'll Be Dead by Jule Anne Peters

Daelyn Rice is broken beyond repair, and after a string of botched suicide attempts, she’s determined to get her death right.  She starts visiting a website for “completers”— www.through-the-light .com. 

While she’s on the site, Daelyn blogs about her life, uncovering a history of bullying that goes back to kindergarten.  When she’s not on the Web, Daelyn’s at her private school, where she’s known as the freak who doesn’t talk.

Then, a boy named Santana begins to sit with her after school while she’s waiting to for her parents to pick her up.  Even though she’s made it clear that she wants to be left alone, Santana won’t give up.  And it’s too late for Daelyn to be letting people into her life…isn’t it? (from Amazon)

My Thoughts: It's an intense read, but disturbing. Daelyn can't talk due to a botched suicide attempt, and despite the short time it took to read this book, I felt mute too. I think it's a good book to read to help understand the nature of depression but it's not a book you want to read late at night! For those of you with younger teens, you might want to read this first as methods of suicide (including rating systems) are included throughout the book.  BtTYRT,IBD gets a Midnight Book Rating of 11:00 pm.  Best to read with loads of mood-elevating chocolate on hand. 



 Maybe This Time by Jennifer Crusie

Andie Miller is ready to move on in life. She wants to marry her fiancé and leave behind everything in her past, especially her ex-husband, North Archer. But when Andie tries to gain closure with him, he asks one final favor of her before they go their separate ways forever. A very distant cousin of his has died and left North as the guardian of two orphans who have driven out three nannies already, and things are getting worse. He needs a very special person to take care of the situation and he knows Andie can handle anything. When Andie meets the two children she quickly realizes things are much worse than she feared. The place is a mess, the children, Carter and Alice, aren’t your average delinquents, and the creepy old house where they live is being run by the worst housekeeper since Mrs. Danvers. What’s worse, Andie’s fiancé thinks this is all a plan by North to get Andie back, and he may be right. Andie’s dreams have been haunted by North since she arrived at the old house. And that’s not the only haunting. What follows is a hilarious adventure in exorcism, including a self-doubting parapsychologist, an annoyed medium, her Tarot-card reading mother, an avenging ex-mother-inlaw, and, of course, her jealous fiancé. And just when she thinks things couldn’t get more complicated, North shows up on the doorstep making her wonder if maybe this time things could be different between them. If Andie can just get rid of all the guests and ghosts, she’s pretty sure she can save the kids, and herself, from the past. But fate might just have another thing in mind… (from Amazon)

 My Thoughts: Why haven't I read more books by Jennifer Crusie?  I remember reading a few of her books back in my chick lit reading days, but I'd forgotten how fun and sexy her books can be!  Andie and North are perfect in their imperfections.  And there's ghosts, freaky kids and a creepy housekeeper, who can ask for anything more?  MTT gets a Midnight Book Rating of 11:30 pm.


Jennifer's Body by Audrey Nixon, Diablo Cody

Someone needed to put a stop payment on Jennifer Check.
The sign says Welcome to Devil's Kettle, Pop. 7,036. Come See What's Cookin'! No, seriously . . . that's what it says.
Some people find it hard to believe that a babe like Jennifer Check would associate with a dork like me, Needy Lesnicki. But we had history. We'd been the Wonder Twins since we were preverbal, and sandbox love never dies. Or at least that's what I thought.
But after that night in the woods, Jennifer was different. She looked different. And then the killings began. . . .
A lot of people ask me if I'm sorry I did it. I'm only sorry I didn't do it sooner.(from Amazon)

My Thoughts:  The book is based on the screenplay.  I usually really like that, because sometimes you get extras that weren't including in the movie, or more back story.  Sadly, while as snarky as the movie, there is actually less here than in the movie.  It's only told from Needy's pov, so Jennifer's boy snacking activities are sorely lacking.  It's not a bad book, but if you've seen the movie you're not missing much.  JB gets a Midnight Book Rating of 8:30 pm.  I prefer watching the movie because I secretly crush on the actor that plays the Goth kid, which is okay because he's over 18 in real life... right?

I looked it up, he's 24!   Bullet successfully dodged!

Rosebush Review

Rosebush by Michele Jaffe
From Goodreads:

Instead of celebrating Memorial Day weekend on the Jersey Shore, Jane is in the hospital surrounded by teddy bears, trying to piece together what happened last night. One minute she was at a party, wearing fairy wings and cuddling with her boyfriend. The next, she was lying near-dead in a rosebush after a hit-and-run.

Everyone believes it was an accident, despite the phone threats Jane swears were real. But the truth is a thorny thing. As Jane's boyfriend, friends, and admirers come to visit, more memories surface not just from the party, but from deeper in her past . . . including the night her best friend Bonnie died.
With nearly everyone in her life a suspect now, Jane must unravel the mystery before her killer attacks again. Along the way, she's forced to examine the consequences of her life choices in this compulsively readable thriller.

I had mixed feelings while reading this book.  On one hand, I really liked the thriller aspect to the book which reminds me of 80's and 90's teen thrillers I grew up with.  I liked that there was some diversity among the characters.  On the other hand though I really didn't like any of the characters very much.  It was hard to care which of the many characters would have tried to off Jane, because quite frankly I would have been tempted to send her sailing into a rosebush with my VW Bug if the opportunity presented itself one rainy night.

Rosebush is another novel that features rich kids behaving badly.  Maybe it's because I'm not a rich teenager, or the over-indulgent, over-schduled parent of a rich teenager.  Maybe it's because I'm tired of teens throwing wild, drunken parties without any real consequences.  In my day we had to drink in the woods, dammit!  There was nothing glamorous about it, we certainly weren't little mini-adults roaming around the great outdoors in designer shoes.  But I get that rich kids behaving badly is a popular trend these days, I'm just sick of it.  And the term "Freals" for "for reals" is used a dozen or more times than necessary.  It freals got on my nerves.  I grant Jaffe that teenagers are really that annoying though, which may be why I need to take a break from any YA books not featuring kids fighting to the death in a dystopian world. 

Rosebush wasn't all bad, it's got a beautiful cover, and there's many twists and turns along the way.  Jane has an adorable little sister and a bunch of potential love interests- most of the guys are appealing in one way or another.There are big mysteries, and little mysteries, there are lots of red herrings.  The ending resolves the major plot bunnies, but leaves one or two to possibly hop into a sequel.  The possibility that someone is trying to gaslight Jane, or that she's really going crazy was a nice touch too. It's all very dramatic, which is part of the reason I read YA.  I like drama, fiction wise at least.

Now, I don't want to spoil the ending for you, but I was a bit befuddled by it.  The hows and whys of Jane landing in the rosebush felt overly complicated and silly to me.  Do I think you might like this book, and would I recommend it?  For my younger readers, yes.  I think my 19 year old niece would like this.  For people who really like teen thrillers it's worth a read.  I don't regret reading this book although I'm unlikely to pick up any sequel.  I might even read Michele Jaffe's book Bad Kitty simply because I like the title. 

Rosebush gets a Midnight Book Rating of 9:30 pm (half an hour added on for the lovely artwork). 

I Love You Beth Cooper Review

I Love You, Beth Cooper by Larry Doyle
From Goodreads:

Denis Cooverman wanted to say something really important in his high school graduation speech. So, in front of his 512 classmates and their 3,000 relatives, he announced: "I love you, Beth Cooper."

It would have been such a sweet, romantic moment. Except that Beth, the head cheerleader, has only the vaguest idea who Denis is. And Denis, the captain of the debate team, is so far out of her league he is barely even the same species. And then there's Kevin, Beth's remarkably large boyfriend, who's in town on furlough from the United States Army. Complications ensue.

I read the book I Love You, Beth Cooper in 2009 and loved it.  My friend Courtney picked it as our book club selection, and while she picked out a lot of great books during our book club days, this was my favorite read.  It's like reading an 80's movie novelization.  For those of you who have weak bladders, you may need diapers to read this because you will laugh until you pee.

The movie version of the novel kind of sucked.  It had its moments, but the book is a million, trillion, gazillion times better.

The audio version that I listened to (that I bought for under $8 at Barnes and Noble) was narrated by Paul Rust, the actor who played Denis Cooverman in the movie.  For the most part I think he did justice to the character, although I would have preferred a narrator without ties to the movie version.  Fortunately, Rust did all the voices so I didn't have to live through Hayden Panettiere's struggle to play complicated It girl, Beth Cooper.

I Love You, Beth Cooper is full of 80's quotes and modern teen angst.  The first half is the best, and at times Denis and Rich's constant beat downs can be a bit "been there, punched that".   Doyle, who's written for Daria and Beavis and Butthead, certainly knows how to make a reader laugh.  This book may not change your life,  but it may force you to change your underwear.

I Love You, Beth Cooper gets a Midnight Book Rating of 11:30 pm.  I have no doubt that I will be re-reading this book again in a year or two. 

Stiff Review

Stiff: The Curious Life of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach

From Goodreads:

Barnes & Noble Discover Great New Writers
Okay,  you're thinking, this must be some kind of a joke.  A humorous book  about cadavers?  Yup, and it works.  Mary Roach takes the age-old  question, "What happens to us after we die?" quite literally.  And in Stiff,  she explores the "lives" of human cadavers from the time of the ancient  Egyptians all the way up to current campaigns for human composting.   Along the way, she recounts with morbidly infectious glee how dead  bodies are used for research ranging from car safety and plastic surgery  (you'll cancel your next collagen injection after reading this!), to  the authenticity of the Shroud of Turin.
Impossible (and  irreverent) as it may sound, Roach has written a book about corpses  that's both lively and fresh.  She traveled around the globe to conduct  her forensic investigations, and her findings are wryly intelligent.   While the myriad uses for cadavers recounted are often graphic, Roach  imbues her subject with a sense of dignity, choosing to emphasize the  oddly noble purposes corpses serve, from organ donation to lifesaving  medical research.  Readers will come away convinced of the enormous debt  that we, the living, owe to the study of the remains of the dead.  And  while it may not offer the answer to the ancient mystery we were hoping  for, Stiff offers a strange sort of comfort in the knowledge that, in a sense, death isn't necessarily the end.

My thoughts:
As my friends and family know, I usually avoid non-fiction books like the plague.  I'm not in school anymore and so many non-fiction books read like text books... or so I assume, but since I avoid them that's probably not a fair assumption.

I picked up this book thinking that it would be a little like a really long episode of Dr. G, Medical Examiner.  But it's a lot more than that.  It's a history of human cadavers, told with Roach's witty style.  Although I learned things (oooh, tricky, Ms. Roach, tricky!) I never felt like I was going to be quizzed the next day.  Despite the subject matter I found myself laughing out loud at times, cringing at other moments.  I don't know that I'll donate my body to science after having read this book, and in all honesty it's not like science is knocking on my door trying to get their hands on my future corpse, but I do think I'd like to be composted like they're doing in Sweden.  I wouldn't mind having my dead body nurture the sapling of a willow tree, so we'll see if that body disposal method catches on here in the US. 

Stiff: The Curious Life of Human Cadavers gets a Midnight Book Rating of 10:30 pm, it might not keep you up all night long, but it will keep you reading.

Minding Frankie is Here!

Just a quick post.  There are some authors that I am always quick to purchase, and today one of those authors has a new release:

Minding Frankie 

by Maeve Binchy

 

Minding Frankie From Goodreads:

 

Noel and Lisa are among the most supportive parents at the nursery school. Never late to pick up their little girl, always patient and delighted to see her at the end of the day. But in fact neither of them are Frankie's parents. They have no blood relationship at all to this little girl.

 

 

 

 

Hmm, I found a better summary listed on Amazon:

From Booklist

Reading a Maeve Binchy novel is like settling in for a cozy visit with an old friend. In vintage Binchy style, a cast of colorfully eccentric characters living in a snug Dublin neighborhood seamlessly weave in and out of each other’s lives, united by family, faith, friendship, and community. When a young alcoholic learns he has fathered a child with a dying woman, he must step into the role of father, protector, and provider to his infant daughter, Frankie, in a matter of weeks. Determined to succeed, though totally unprepared for his new responsibilities, Noel gets an essential assist from his visiting American cousin. Exercising her tremendous gifts of organization and insight, Emily cobbles together a neighborhood support system, featuring a few familiar faces from previous Binchy books. As everybody begins to mind Frankie, a suspicious social worker pokes her nose in where it doesn’t belong, attempting to dredge up any dirt she can on Noel and his slightly unorthodox network of babysitters. Readers will need a box of tissues handy as the good-hearted residents of St. Jarlath’s Crescent prove that it does indeed take a village to raise a child. --Margaret Flanagan

 Maeve Binchy is one of my all time favorite authors, and I have a feeling that this book is going to push it's way to the top of tbr pile.  So if you're looking for yet another awesome author to fall in love with, then make Maeve Binchy your March Irish Author!