What I read this first week of November #onedayindecember #thetravelingcatchronicles #nightofmiracles #thecaregiver #thenextpersonyoumeetinheaven #therainwatcher #therethere

   Now there’s some good advice! I do hope you all had am excellent week of reading. I know I did with some real winners, some real good ones, and one that was just ok, and one a did not finish. So here they are…

Well here I am a confirmed non reader of romantic books and bam here I was reading and loving One Day in December, a romantic book by Josie Silver. This gem of a book had amazing characters, a believable story line, and positively showed how a friendship is valuable. From my review, “Laurie and Sarah are besties, they have been there for one another through the years. They are sisters from another mother, pledging undying love and affection because that is what they feel. When Jack enters both of their lives, a ten year story of the girls, Jack, and others take the reader through happiness, sadness, and the idea that both friendship and love are ever so valuable and when treated and nurtured they grow into something wonderful.” You may just want to pick this one up for all the good feelings you will have when reading it.

Having been at one time in my life, mom to four cats (resulting from four daughters bringing their cats home with them from college), I was anxious to see what Mr Arikawa would do with this story, The Traveling Cat Chronicles. I was not disappointed in this loving tale of not only an owner for his pet, but for all the wonderful things that the owner was. From my review,  “The writing and story telling is easy, peaceful, a book you can read to your children, grandchildren without worrying about the message it carries, for it carries a message of attachments and bonds that hold people together. I definitely recommend this story to those who love a quiet story that tells a powerful story of devotion, faith, and the integrity of the heart.”

In Night of Miracles, Elizabeth Berg again creates the loving neighborhood where Lucille dwells. In her, Ms Berg brings out the idea of care and concern for others, of being a part of something but doing it in an understated way, and of desiring to be with the one she loves. From my review, “Told with much style and grace, this story is peaceful. It is one where friendship and love is treasured, where value is placed on people, and where a community looks out for one another. It’s a place where we all would love to dwell. It is a book which warms your heart and makes you believe in miracles.“ Pick up this one when you need a heart warming read.

The Caregiver by Samuel Park, definitely gave me much to consider as we follow the life of a young girl and her relationship with her mother in the backdrop of a tumultuous Brazilian climate. From my review, “Told with emotion, this book explores the intricate to and fro between mothers and their daughters. I do have to say that Mr Park got this relationship just right. We love our mothers, but at times that tenuous line does break and we find ourselves not understanding how this relationship hit upon rocky ground.” I could definitely relate to this one. being the mother of four daughters.

The Next Person You Meet in Heaven is a wonderful short book about hope, love and the ability to forgive oneself. From my review, “I do appreciate this most uplifting book. Sometimes a book can just be what you need and in this case with all the hatred and cruelty that seem to surround us today, this book offered me, along with a few tears, a port in a storm. There is never anything wrong with a book that gives you hope. Thank you Mr Albom for making me realize that.”

I will admit I had a bit of a tough time with The Rain Watcher by Tatiana de Rosney. I found it long and wordy, sometimes plodding as we seemed to go through overly long paragraphs that seemed to overwhelm me. Told in the backdrop of a Paris that is flooding, it is the story of a family in turmoil hiding secrets, bearing embarrassments and loss, being apart and trying to come together. From my review, “Was this a bad novel? No, not at all. It was just a novel that seemed to want to arrive at something but never really got there. Although it was not really for me, I do recommend it to those who like a character driven book, one where family interaction resemble what many families are experiencing, one where the descriptions of Paris and the flooding come through loud and clear. The city and the family share a crisis which both of them might never recover from.”

I have to add that there was one book that I did not finish. It was the book There, There. From my comment on it, “Giving up on this one at page 175. There is just too many characters, too much meandering,and absolutely no connection to the story being represented. I do know our Native Americans have been treated deplorably, but this book had absolutely nothing on the 175 pages that I read that was uplifting. Lots of use of four letter words and not one faint glimmer of hope.”

That was my week dear book friends and as always I hope your week was full of many five star reads. Happy weekend, happy Saturday!

“To read is to fly: it is to soar to a point of vantage which gives a view over wide terrains of history, human variety, ideas, shared experience and the fruits of many inquiries.” (A. C. Grayling)