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The Laws of Harmony by Judith Ryan Hendricks is a book about love, loss, strong women and friendship.  The story starts out with Sunny Cooper trying to force her boyfriend to level with her and tell her what has gone wrong with their relationship.  Something is wrong with them...money problems? another woman?  She's at a loss and he's not talking.

A tragic accident changes her life, and the story follows Sunny as she remakes her life, all while her childhood memories color and influence her feelings and choices.  You see, Sunny grew up on a hippie commune in New Mexico- and while she despised parts of her childhood, you can see that it also contributed to the caring and very strong woman she has become.

Her thoughts, memories and journey in this story are gripping.  I think she does what all of us sometimes long to do, step out and claim a full life in a new, beautiful place.  There is a bit of mystery in the story, a few big surprises, and a few possible love interests. I enjoyed how real the author made the people in this story, how real she made the places feel, and how authentic Sunny's experiences were.

The end was warm, full and satisfying...though I can be a bit simple and kind of like everything to be all tied up neat and happy at the end- I didn't exactly get that, but the author gave a satisfying nudge in that general direction.  I closed the book satisfied, happy and feeling warmed by this story of grace and strength. 

*like to read? You can join the challenge here

Labels: 52books/52weeks, book review

Black Heels to Tractor Wheels- A love story by Ree Drummond - this is the story of small town girl lured by the bright lights/big city ~meets rural cowboy.  Most of us know Ree as PW from her blog Confessions of a Pioneer Woman and from her cookbook (and her awesome cooking section on her blog).

Much of this book was first shared in serial form on her blog, where I gladly read along.
Because I read it first on her blog, much of the story was not new to me, but I noticed it was presented better: there were some details added, and the section on the wedding and the following year were all new. 

So, if you don't know PW, this is the story of a small town girl, who dreams of living a grown-up, sophisticated city life.   After attending college in So. Ca, she makes a stop at home to regroup and plan her graduate school dreams of studying law in a big city such as Chicago.  What she doesn't plan for, though, is to meet a handsome, rugged cowboy in a bar one night.  Once he finally calls her, she is swept away into a whirlwind romance.  Will she give up her dreams of law school and city-living to be a rancher's wife?  We know the answer, but the book is fun- following along as it happens.

PW is smart, pretty, but best of all, self-depreciating.  She has no problem pointing out the comedy in her life, usually at her own expense.  Which is why, I think we like her.  I have to say, that I really laughed out loud several times while reading this. 

A fun read, and it's rumored that the movie rights have been sold. 
So, who should play Ree and Marlborough Man??

Labels: 52books/52weeks

Katy Carter Wants a Hero by Ruth Saberton.  A very fun, British,chick-lit book.  Katy Carter is a school teacher secretly dreaming of finding true love and also secretly working on a steamy romance novel.  She thinks her life is on the fast-track finally, to happily ever after; engaged to the handsome hero of her dreams.  Problem, her fiance doesn't seem to like her much these days.  Katy is busy trying to please her fiance and squelch who she wants to be.  Her story takes a very decided turn after a very important dinner party she is supposed to host to impress her fiance's boss.  Problem: she is not a very good cook and not good at planning- enter her best guy friend to rescue her. Maybe.

This story had quite a few twists and turns, most of them very silly fun.  A few points were just out-and-out fantasy...but in a good way.  Yes, we would all love to bump into a gorgeous movie start and be asked to be his girlfriend for the tabloid's sake...not going to happen, really- but this book is so much fun that you sit back, watch it all unfold and enjoy the ride.

This book put a smile on my face, I couldn't put it down- wanting to see what crazy thing would happen next to Katy.  This one will go on my fav list.  Several adult situations, though pg I would say...and quite a bit adult language that would make it unsuitable for youngsters. 

You can join up with the 52 books in 52 weeks challenge here*

Labels: 52books/52weeks, book review

oy, I am so behind!  I've actually finished a few books, but haven't written the reviews for them yet :(

Week 7's book was a fun read:


Lost Dogs and Lonely Hearts by Lucy Dillon

This story is about Rachel, who all in a short span of time, lost her boyfriend, her job, her flat and inherited her late aunts' house.  She moves into the house, to sort out the will and see into selling it.  The house also comes with a dog rescue shelter that is not in the least profitable. 

Rachel's aunt had a way with dogs, and a special gift for matching up just the right dog with the right owner.  Rachel resents it a bit that the town assumes she will be the same.

Rachel is sorting out the house, her aunt's secrets, unraveling family miss-understandings and sorting out her messed-up love life.  We also meet some interesting people who become side-stories to Rachel's story.  In this small village, we meet the cute, single Dr.- the cute, rugged and single Vet, a struggling divorced mother dealing with a puppy her ex gives the kids, and Natalie and Johnny- young married couple longing to have a baby.  Of course, we have lovable and lonely dogs, too.

I really enjoyed this read, it was a bit deeper than a chick-lit novel and did not tie everything up into a tidy, perfect, slightly unbelievable package at the end.  Real life is not usually that tidy, and this book gives you a satisfying ending- but realistic and hopeful one, too.

A really good read, I recommend it!

Labels: 52books/52weeks, book review

I really enjoy fiction loosely patterned after a Jane Austen work. She is one of my very favorite authors, I think her stories were brilliant and timeless. I love a good story patterned after one of her books -or one that takes a book and continues the story. Mind you, I did say a "good" story. I have read some that were badly done.
Jane Austen in Scarsdale- or Love, Death, and the SATs by Paula Marantz Cohen is a Jane Austen re-telling: done well.

Anne Ehrlich is a quiet, well-liked high-school guidance counselor.  She is mild and kind, but her family life is a bit stressful.  Her father and sister are extravagant and are now deep into debt, Anne is faced with the task of persuading them to downsize.  Anne's old flame comes back into her life, now successful and with a fiancee.

This story, I'm sure you've guessed by my description- is a re-telling of Jane Austen's  "Persuasion" 

Anne has to work out selling her family home,  the old flame she once rejected come back into her life, her aging and loving grandmother,  the craziness that is college admissions time at her work...and perhaps a new love interest.  The story is very entertaining, full, and satisfyingly Jane-ish.  The story works out just as satisfying as Jane Austen would have wanted.

This was my second time reading this story, it was just as engaging as the first time.

 *you can join up with the 52 books in 52 weeks challenge here**

Labels: 52books/52weeks, book review

Balancing Acts by Zoe Fishman is about 4 old college friends who re-connect over yoga class.

Charlie has given up her high-powered Wall Street life to open a yoga studio, she is athletic, confident and pursuing a rewarding career that she loves- but she can't quite put a past hurt behind her.  Sabine and Bess are both writers, but stuck in the entry-level jobs they thought they would have long left behind for serious writing.  Naomi is a beautiful ex-model/photographer and a single mom.

These friends re-connect over yoga- a class Charlie offers hoping to boost her new studio, Bess joins up for less than admirable reasons and the others join up hoping yoga will help their stuck lives. 

Balancing Acts is a nice read about the positive power yoga can have on life.  Reading about these womens' deepening friendships and the changes in their personal and professional lives was enjoyable- the characters were all interesting enough to keep me reading and I liked the blend of friendship/empowerment/ and change.

A warm/fuzzy story that is positive and easy to relate to.  Makes you kind of want to get your yoga mat out too, a plus. :)

Labels: 52books/52weeks, book review

Ms.Taken Identity by Dan Begley is chick lit with a twist, the main character is a man and the book is written by a man.

Mitch Samuel is a young English college professor, working on his PhD and also on a deep, literary masterpiece that he cannot get published.  As the book progresses, he slowly realizes how pretentious and uppity he is, as are all the girlfriends he selects.  A sequence of hilarious man-tantrums leaves him face-to-face with a famous author of chick-lit.  While formulating the perfect uppity put-down, he somehow ends up telling her about his cousin who is trying to write a book in the chick-lit genre and the author offers to help sell it.  Mitch, thinking that trash/formula chick lit would be a slam-dunk project- tries to write one, and cannot.  His research into the female mind leads him into a different world, new friends he would have passed by before, new love- and a web of lies he must untangle.

This was a very fun read, a lighthearted look at life through a guy's eyes.  Mitch was very endearing, but also very dense at times.  It was satisfying to follow his adventures as he 'grows up' in some things. 


A fun read, I recommend it. :)


*you can join up with the 52 books in 52 weeks here

Labels: 52books/52weeks, book review

I have joined up with the 52 books in 52 weeks challenge. Here is my 3rd book...

Dune Road by Jane Green

Fiction, a fun read, but a tad deeper than chick lit.

This is the story of Kit, newly divorced mom of two- living in a town full of wall-street families.  Their coastal town of Highfield is close enough for the high-powered wall-street bankers to commute...leaving their beautiful mansions and families behind during the day, visiting/playing on weekends.  Kit was one of these banker's wives, till she decided her marriage was dead, and that she did not want the lifestyle anymore.

The beginning of the book follows Kit as she enjoys her new-found freedom, her comfortable down-scaling, and finding a dream job as an assistant to a famous writer.  We meet her friends, and get drawn into a bit of mystery...something you don't usually find in chick lit.  Kit struggles with missing her husband, realizing he is her best friend and the person she turns to for safety.  She gets thrown several family/friend complications, it keeps you guessing and hoping for a happy ending for her. 

It was a fun read, and made me thankful for my husband- my best friend and the person I turn to.

Labels: 52books/52weeks, book review

 The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo- review:

I heard an intriguing talk-up of this book on the radio one day, the story of the author-convinced by a loved one to finally submit his story and then dying before it was released, never knowing what a huge hit it became...hooked me.  Also that it has been translated many times, is a best-seller and has already been made into a movie overseas- with plans to make a movie here in America- and it has sequels....sounds like a must-read. 

It's got action/adventure/mystery/intrigue/sex...not my usual genre, but every once in a while I enjoy such a book. 

Journalist Mikael Blomkvist- headed to a short jail stay for libel, is hired to solve a 40 year missing person mystery by the head of one of Sweden's wealthiest family.  40 years ago, at a family gathering on an island, a young niece disappeared- 40 years later, no body, no answers.  Her aging uncle wants peace before he dies.

Lisbeth Salander- the girl with the dragon tatto- petite, much younger looking than she is- the perfect victim..as her concerned boss thinks of her- is hired to help Blomkvist.  Lisbeth works for a security firm, as the book unfolds, it is revealed that everyone, including her boss, severely underestimates her abilities.  Lisbeth as a character is a mystery- but she has this underdog quality and you find yourself liking her. 


This book had disturbing story lines of abuse, bondage, torture, murder.  I read around these as best I could-trying to not lose too much of the story...any lesser of a book, I would have walked away- but even though I was repelled by some of the story content, I really liked the two main characters- and the mystery was irresistible.  This book was definitely a page-turner, very hard to put down. 

As the book was ending, I struggled with myself, trying to decide if I would continue with the series.  I truly liked the heroine, Lisbeth, and wanted to see what happens to her in other books..but I was wary of more disturbing content.  I was hopeful that the content was story-driven, and that perhaps the other books would take a different turn.  However, the end of the book provided a teaser excerpt from the next book, and it was, disappointingly, more bondage/abuse.  Decision made, I will not be reading any more of the series.

This book was very well written, likable characters, despicable villains..but pretty disturbing. 

Labels: 52books/52weeks, book review

I am joining up with the 52 books in 52 weeks challenge.  If you are interested, you can go to the
52 Books in 52 Weeks blog and link up.  You can join up at anytime.  I love to read, I usually have more than one book going at a time...but, there are times I read in spurts.  The challenge for me will be to finish a book every week and to then take the time to blog about it.

Here is my first book of the year:

Beyond the Rainbow Bridge: Nurturing our children from birth to seven
by Barbara Patterson and Pamela Bradley.




This book was recommended on several Waldorf homeschool blogs, I had looked at it a year or two ago, and did not order it because my kids are on the older end of things, my baby is 9. sob, sigh.
I tend to like a lot of bang for my book buck....

I ordered it this time, and found it pretty informative.  It explains a lot about Waldorf schooling, something of which I knew a little, but this book connected some dots for me. I was interested mostly in learning how to create gentle, rhythmic order for my kids day- this book was helpful with that. 


The chapter titled "Creative Discipline" was the most informative for me, the sub-chapters included;
*Clear Messages and Limited Choices, *Rhythm, *Imitation and Self-Discipline, *guidance.  I was pleasantly surprised to agree with and have used some of the disciplining philosophy in our own parenting.  We've always been kind of old-fashioned/no-nonsense as far as parenting- I have read and explored many of the more popular child-rearing books out there...and frankly, I don't gel so well with the ideas of reasoning with your toddler, etc....I was pleasantly surprised to read this Waldorf teacher's views on limited choices, something we practiced with our very young children.

All in all, I did enjoy this book and found much to ponder on.  I think anyone desiring a more gentle/creative atmosphere in their home would benefit from this book, as also would parents wanting to know more about Waldorf education and how it all works. 

Labels: 52books/52weeks, book review