#8

Mostly True: A Memoir of Family, Food, and Baseball by Molly O'Neill

1960's Ohio
One girl in the midst of five boys
overwhelmed mom
dad wanted to spawn enough sons for a full baseball team
Each boy was bred to play baseball
Shockingly resilient
Determined each in their own way
Each one fighting for their own space
hysterical antics
New York
Feminism
the world of a professional chef
pride in the family name
a family history that is rearranged every time it is told to fit the success or defeat of the moment
I loved this book and would enjoy reading it again

Borrowed from Library
286 Pages

#7

The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark

Every woman has her Prime, but not every woman recognizes it
Teacher
Private School
bucking the system in a quiet, unfire-able way
a small group of girls she considered the 'creme de la creme'
a priviledge to be chosen for the group
strong ideas about what constituted an education
a woman before her time, which may make her seem a little insane, and perhaps she was
she had very strong opinions about what each of her girls was good for and at
it seemed as if she considered herself complete and the girls she "mentored" lacking
A very strange little book, not unenjoyable, but you get the sense that all is not right in Miss Jean Brodies mind, and that affected the lives of the girls adversely.

Borrowed from Library
150 pages

#6

How Elizabeth Barrett Browning Saved My Life by Mameve Medwed

Quite funny
Chamber pot belongning to Elizabeth Barrett Browning
"Custody" Battle
Set in Boston, feels like England
old cambridge blood
antiques
long lost (and found) love
overbearing bestfriend/step-sister
jerk of a reporter
a "coming into one's own" tale
Enjoyed it very much, would definitely read more of her stuff

Borrowed from library
272 pages

#5

What We Keep by Elizabeth Berg

Story told on a plane
Summer 1958
Two little girls, but older than their age
A beautiful neighbor moves in next door and you can't help but feel she's the catalyst
mom is unhappy and moves out
the girls world falls apart
the tangled web of love and a bitter-sweet reunion
the past shapes the person we become
it's not as sad as it seems though...can't explain it.
An all-together enjoyable book
I love the way the story bounces between 1958 and the present
I also very much enjoyed how you really got into the narrators mind as a child.
I would read again.

Borrowed from Library
272 pages

#4

The Memory Keepers Daughter by Kim Edwards

1964
Twins born
A little boy and a little girl
one healthy, one with down syndrom
the father (a doctor) makes a spilt-second decision and hands the child to the nurse to be take to a facility
the mother is told the baby died
here the book splits and we follow the seperate stories of both children
you begin to understand that the father's childhood plays a major part in his decision but you can't forgive him for it.
the mother deals with grief and unrest all through the book
the son grows up with his mom and dad
the daughter is raised by the nurse
you can't help but see that the little girl had a better life, and you wonder if, had she not been sent away, would she have been the saving grace of her family.
Not a bad read, but sad

Borrowed From Nikol Noe
Read for Book Club
432 Pages

#3

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

Pakistan
Afghanistan
A father dissapointed in his son
A son always seeking his fathers approval
Unlikely friendship between the son of a wealthy business man and the son of a servant
A terrifying glimpse into the mid-eastern culture
A heartbreaking story
A country that is even unjust and cruel to it's own
The friendship between the two boys is so one-sided yet it's the sweetest thing throughout the book.
Kite Flying - Glass string
Violation and cruelty
Sacrifice and redemption at the last possible second
No greater love hath anyone than this...

Borrowed from Library
400 pages

#2

The Year of Pleasures by Elizabeth Berg

Death of a husband by cancer
Learning how to live with his memories, but without his physical presence
moving on without giving anything up
many opposing feelings: sorrow/joy, fear/peace; restlessness/contentment
the words and phrases in a cigar box
the gifts they hid for each other in the chinese chest
she just started driving across the country and ended up buying a house on a whim, in a little town where she stopped for gas
she and her husband were an island unto themselves, she left everyone else behind
decided to track down her college room-mates
toys with and finally pursues her dream of opening a shop called "what a woman wants"
The beautiful ways her husband reminds her of himself made me cry
The book felt a little random, but I guess that's how you'd feel if your husband just died and you were trying to readjust.
Good read

Borrowed from Library
240 pages

#1

Plainsong by Kent Haruf

Holt, Colorado
Tom - highschool teacher
Ike and Bobby - two little boys with a depressed mother
Victoria - pregnant teenager
The McPherson brothers - two much older brothers living alone on a farm
Maggie - teacher who gently forces each of the lives to intersect to everyones betterment
awkward interaction between Victoria and the McPherson brothers brings a smile
small town life
lives crossing each other
intensely rich visuals
a satisfying read

Borrowed from Library
320 pages