A Quilter's Holiday -Jennifer Chiaverini

An Elm Creek Quilts novel is always a delight. Sylvia is looking for long lost family. Diane is dealing with a family who is growing up and Sarah and Anna are just getting started. A well timed release for the Thanksgiving holiday.

The Middle Place -Kelly Corrigan

The topic seems melancholy: a father and daughter fighting different cancers. The book is not depressing at all it; was very uplifting. I couldn't put it down. Everyone needs a George in their lives somewhere his optimisim is contagious.

The Unfinished Angel -Sharon Creech

I think I'll have to preface this review by stating that I think I've enjoyed every Sharon Creech book I've ever read. This one is no exception. The book takes place in a village of the Swiss Alps. Zola arrives with her father to start a children's school and finds an angel in the stone tower. Together they find orphaned children and bring them to the school. The language takes some getting used to, but is endearing as the angel has the voice of a young child and often the grammar reflects that. "Now the peoples will do something, because peoples take care of other peoples, especially childrens, right."

The Chapters all have facscinating names. My favorite is Mr. Pomodoro, Zola's father, Creech introduces the concept of why and what people save for emotional support. Zola saves feathers and the angel wonders about that. Mr. Pomodoro saves chocolate and one of the villagers has a seceret stash of blue socks. The book is full of interesting characters and relationships.

Catching Up..Four Reads

These are the books I've read lately and neglected blogging about. I picked up the Meg Wolitzer book at the library as an express seven day checkout and ended up pushing myself to finish it. I really did not care for it. The idea of the book appealed to me as many women take career breaks to raise children, myself included. The book profiles about four different women and the choices they've made which all seem to be heavily influenced by money. They all send their kids to a private NY school and complain all of the time about how money is tight. I found the book to be whinny and annoying and too much of keeping up appearances and not much humanity.

I enjoyed the Peter Mayle book A Good Year it takes place between London and the south of France vineyards. Lots of talk about wine and the French countryside with some romance thrown in. A very light enjoyable read!

Seeking Peace by Mary Pipher was also a great read. Mary talks about how hectic her life became with the success of Revivng Ophelia. I enjoyed reading about her life reprioritizing process.

The Awakening by Kate Chopin is a true classic with great writing. I read it because my daughter's English class is reading it and I wanted to refresh my memory of the story. Really, really classic writing: "The voice of the sea is seductive; never ceasing, whispering, clamoring, murmuring, inviting the soul to wander for a spell in abysses of solitude; to lose itself in mazes of inward contemplation." Refreshing to read a classic again!

Girl in a Blue Dress -Gaynor Arnold

Because I thrived on reading Charles Dickens in my younger days, this book was wonderful! It is a perspective of the marriage of Charles Dickens and his first wife Catherine of whom he spent the last ten years of his life estranged from. I couldn't put this book down all weekend and will hate having to return it to the library.

Through Thick and Thin- Alison Pace and Knit Two -Kate Jacobs

Two fun reads for back-to-school week. I think I've now read all of Alison Pace's books. I had read the pre-quel to "Knit Two", but had put off reading this as I didn't really like the way the first one ended. The were both fun reads. From Alison, I learned the concept of doggie-yoga. I don't think I will try it, but it was fun to read about. Kate Jacobs picks up five years after the first book left off. I enjoyed it alot more than I thought I would.

The Fortune Quilt -Lani Diane Rich & If Andy Warhol Had a Girlfriend -Alison Pace

These two books were my airplane reads for a recent trip. They were both wonderful. I had never read anything by Lani Diane Rich so it was a lucky library pick. I loved the title and the story holds up to it. Brandy builds quilts from inspirations and Carly's quilt was made 12 years before Brandy and Carly meet. Carly is a bit freaked out by the weird way of fortune telling, but comes to live more by intuition than thought.

www.lanidianerich.com

I had read other books by Alison Pace so this one I searched for at the library. Again I loved it! Each chapter starts with a Warhol quote and it's a love story built around the art world.

www.alisonpace.com