Fiction (and 1 non-fiction)

Long Fatal Love Chase by Louisa MayAlcott
What a surprising book! It was not at all like what I remembered of Little Women and Little Men. Apparently this is a book that Louisa May Alcott was unable to publish during her lifetime. It wasn't until after her death that a publisher bought it, edited it and got it into print. This is a story about what the lead character will do as she learns that the love of her life is not who she had hoped he was. Do you stay with someone when you find out that they are not so nice? Through the story, I was wondering... will she stay? will she go?

Thousand Splendid Suns? Khaled Hosseini
A story of women in Afghanistan, this story is both depressing and compelling. How they cope, how they managed. It's been a while since I read this one, and I can't remember the two main character's names but they were both so interesting. Unfortunately it's about dreams they had and dreams they lost. Still, the relationship between the two women made the whole book worthwhile.

Little Heathens by Mildred Armstrong Kalish
Set during the 1930's, this is the true story of Mildred and her large family as a child in Iowa. Such an interesting, descriptive and complete picture of how they managed daily tasks with limited resources. It has many little gems of information everything from home remedies to beauty care tips to how to make the best biscuits. I enjoyed it, but I didn't rush to go read it every night.

The Opposite of Love by Julie Buxbaum
The joy of this book was that it was a love story with some substance. The story begins with Emily breaking up with her long-time love. She goes through a long interesting evolution throughout the book. I loved that they showed her in therapy. (an aside...As a therapist myself, I enjoyed the concept of having a client who was just going through 'normal stuff' without the realities of poverty, health problems, drug use, abuse, etc all entwined in the issues. This girl had a lot less to wade through than the average client I ever met... Oh, if only therapy were that easy!) I appreciated how Emily had to work to be better at managing her life.

And I listened to The Boleyn Inheritance by Phillipa Gregory on CD
This one was interesting. Read by three different actresses, I enjoyed hearing the story from the three different perspectives. It is the story of Ann Boleyn's sister, after Ann Boleyn was executed. The sister, Jane, is in the King's court when the next queen arrives. Full of plotting and deception and intrigue. I immediately went to find another CD by Phillipa Gregory.

And I listened to The Front by Patricia Cornwell
I was pretty underwhelmed by this one. I have read many of Patricia Cornwell's books and have enjoyed them. This one was not a Scarpetta novel, first. It was ok, it didn't hold my attention very well. Still, I wouldn't let this discourage me from reading more of her books. I might not listen to another one...

Someone asked me when I find the time to read. I read every night before bed 20-30 minutes and usually everyday while I blow-dry my hair, I prop the book open with the toothpaste tube... I hate drying my hair and it makes the time go faster! LOL.