false 34 73 61 true 5680640 read 1 true 3511588 currently-reading 11 true 3511587 to-read http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/78399864 Joni's review of A Sudden Country: A Novel
by Karen Fisher

I loved it too but was furious when the guy died!!! Still mad about Cold Mountain for the same reason. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/77088910 Shannon's review of Hattie Big Sky
by Kirby Larson

Well, this definitely makes my month!

Keep reading, Shannon -- there are lots of great books out there worthy of finishing! ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/76923705 to: The Magical Ms. Plum (Hardcover) by Bonny Becker
Disclaimer: I read this book in manuscript form and fell in love with it immediately, sensing I was reading a contemporary Mrs. Piggle Wiggle. What kid isn't going to love a book about a magical closet that you enter looking for markers or art supplies and come out with a miniature animal. There's a catch, however: that mini animal ends up causing each kid to change in some way. Perfect for confident readers who are ready for a more sophisticated text but not the often age-inappropriate content that sometimes goes along with that sophistication. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/76923203 to: Also Known As Harper (Hardcover) by Ann Haywood Leal
This first novel introduces us to Harper, who wants to be a writer but whose life has been driven off on a bumpy road. She's such a good sport about taking care of her little brother, Hemingway, even when it means missing school and the chance to enter a poetry contest -- for the second time. Maybe she was too much of a good sport. I wanted her to get good and angry about that disappointment. The book is peopled with unique characters and it has a good heart. Maybe there were too many unique, quirky characters or too many coincidences. Something didn't click for me though that doesn't keep me from eagerly looking forward to Leal's next novel. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/76242549 Kirby's review of The Glass Castle: A Memoir
by Jeannette Walls

Pam, what a compliment to the author! I'm just amazed those kids survived.

Good to hear from you. All still well at Disney?

]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/76242549 to: The Glass Castle: A Memoir (Paperback) by Jeannette Walls
Good lord -- what a rough childhood! Thank goodness Jeannette Walls and her sibs were there for each other. Fascinating story that will make you appreciate your own growing up years -- unless they were as unstable and chaotic as Walls'. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/76225908 to: Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet: A Novel (Hardcover) by Jamie Ford
I'd been meaning to read this for some time as the topic is one that tugs at my heart. Ford gives a new slant on the internment story, told from the POV of a young Chinese boy. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, in spite of wishing some of the dialogue was smoother. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/76225600 to: Olive Kitteridge: A Novel in Stories (Paperback) by Elizabeth Strout
Olive is so abrasive she is a bit hard to take and yet she ends up being a extremely endearing character. I particularly loved the story where she inadvertently interrupts a former student's suicide attempt and the story where, as a widow, she finds a new love. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/69594839 to: The Small Adventure of Popeye and Elvis (Hardcover) by Barbara O'Connor
I don't know anyone who does a better job of leaving white space in a story than Barbara O'Connor. I study her books over and over to help me learn how to weave in backstory and to learn what to leave out. She says so much with spare, perfectly chosen words.

I loved this story of Popeye's "small" adventure and being immersed in his life. I admire the way we are set inside of homes that might be a little non-traditional but where you feel right to home. And I finished the book with a contented little sigh. . and the strong urge to go make a Yoo-Hoo boat. ]]> http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/68785085 to: Down Sand Mountain (Hardcover) by Steve Watkins
My darling friend Karen Cushman recommended this, my darling friend Kaylan Adair edited it. And it won a Golden Kite!!

I love the way Steve Watkins stayed fully in Dewey's point of view. When big changes came for the family -- the lost election, the move away from Sand Mountain -- it was all perfectly within the m.c.'s POV.

This book did not knock my socks off however. Why did Darla have to ride off into the sunset, permanently? The bully getting poisoned and Dewey taking the fall didn't work for me either.

Disclaimer: I am in such a snit this summer that if someone sent me the manuscript of Hattie Big Sky, I'd give it two stars. ]]>