I gave up on this read. I thought since I enjoy military movies that I might enjoy reading a military book. It may well be the style in which it was written that did not capture my attention, but it will have to wait until I read all the other books I know I will enjoy. I am open to hearing from others who have read this book, though. It bounced between narration and first person too much for me.

Crossing Oceans by Gina Holmes

Love finds a way to heal scarred hearts, deal with tragedy, and provide second chances in unexpected ways. Jenny Lucas returns to her small town in North Carolina, a place she left for a reason, when a fatal diagnosis forces her hand. She and her young daughter Isabella move back in with her father and ailing grandmother to spend the remainder of her time at home and make things right. While there, she is forced to confront strained relationships with her emotionally-detached father, as well as her ex-boyfriend, David, who doesn’t know he fathered Isabella and has since married. Along the way, she also finds feelings for her old friend, Craig—feelings that, though mutual, can never be fulfilled. All the while, Isabella must be prepared for Jenny’s coming death. Jenny fights an emotional battle and struggles to find healing, forgiveness, and love.

Catching Moondrops by Jennifer Erin Valent

Jessilyn Lassiter no longer has to convince people she’s not a child. Having just turned 19 in the summer of 1936, her love for Luke Talley has never been more real. And Luke is finally beginning to care for her in the way she's always dreamed of.

But their budding romance is interrupted when Tal Pritchett—a young, black doctor—comes to Calloway, stealing the heart of Jessilyn’s best friend, Gemma, and stirring up the racial prejudice that has been simmering just beneath the town's surface.

The tension starts to bubble over when Jessie's elderly neighbor Miss Cleta becomes the first white townsperson to accept Tal’s treatment. And when a young black man is lynched, Calloway is brought to its knees once again as Jessilyn realizes that her anger can make her heart as full of hate as the Ku Klux Klan members who have terrorized her town and her family.

1. In Catching Moondrops, racial prejudice again rears its ugly head in Calloway, and some members of the black community are increasingly unwilling to accept it. While Malachi Jarvis becomes defiant, Tal Pritchett favors a more peaceful resistance. Discuss the different approaches these men take to express their independence.

2. The Ku Klux Klan reappears six years after they terrorized the Lassiter family. How does Jessilyn’s reaction differ from Gemma’s? Jessilyn and Gemma are polar opposites. Jessilyn isn’t a believer in Gemma’s God. Gemma can share her burden with her Creator. Jessilyn takes on a battle by sharing her inner thoughts while Gemma prays to her God for relief.

3. When Gemma’s church is burned, she and Jessilyn have opposite reactions yet again. While Gemma’s main concern is the well-being of Tal and the others at the church, Jessilyn is consumed by a desire for revenge. What does this tell us about Gemma’s heart? About Jessilyn’s? The book is written by a Christian and on that token is showing the difference of a heart of a believer and of a non-believer. Of course, Jessilyn is the non-believer and takes on battles on her own, Gemma being the heart filled with the Grace of the Son of God is forgiving, less burdened, more at peace with allowing God to carry the burden.

4. Jessilyn isn’t the only one discovering love this time around. Tal Pritchett quickly turns Gemma’s heart inside out, and though Jessilyn initially encourages her best friend to pursue him, she suddenly becomes burdened by their relationship. What brings about the change of heart, and how does she move past it? Have you ever been in her shoes? The sudden burden that comes about is when Jessilyn realizes that Gemma and Tal are going to be married and Gemma will not be there for her as she has in the past. She realizes their relationship will change and is uncomfortable with the uncertainty of the future.

5. For the first time in Jessilyn’s life, she’s turning to someone besides her father with her fears and worries: Luke. How has time and age begun to make Jessilyn turn to someone other than her father for security? Time allows trust to build and as a girl grows older the time clock begins to begin ticking toward the urge to nest and build a home and family.

6. Miss Cleta again defies tradition by receiving medical care from Tal Pritchett. Why is Gemma so concerned about her doing this, and what are the eventual repercussions of Miss Cleta’s decision? Gemma is concerned because she knows the Klan still lurk. She is fearful that Miss Cleta and Tal will suffer at their hands in repercussion to their decision to break tradition. Maybe she’s been programmed to think that blacks and whites shouldn’t cross the invisible line.

7. Like Miss Cleta’s choice to be treated by Tal, how does the trouble between Delmar and Malachi at the meeting place stir the pot of racial prejudice in Calloway?

8. A horrifying experience haunts Jessilyn’s dreams and saps her strength. But only one perpetrator behind the despicable act demonstrates true shame. What do you think is the cause of such depravity? How are we all susceptible to evil infiltrating our hearts, and what can we do to keep that from happening?

9. Jessilyn’s own heart is at risk when she allows bitterness and hate to fill it. What happens to make her see how lost she truly is? How does that moment change her life?

10. When Jessilyn discovers the darkness of her soul, she reaches out to the God she’s heard about all her life but never truly felt the need for. What’s the difference between believing in God and inviting him to be Lord of your life? Inviting God into your life means you are prepared to surrender your life to His will.

11. Mrs. Jarvis’s appearance at Cole Mundy’s funeral is a stunning portrayal of forgiveness and grace. How does that moment affect those present and how do you think it turned the tide for race relations in Calloway?

12. Jessilyn’s new life began the day she humbled herself before God. What changes do we see in her as Catching Moondrops comes to a close? She becomes more light hearted and develops a more trusting nature and she appears joyous. Have you experienced a similar moment in your life? And if so, how did that moment affect your future? I was seventeen years old when I turned my life over to God. I remember the feeling of freedom and near weightlessness came over me as well as the unending joy that seem to flow through my veins.

Once A Cowboy by Linda Warren

Believe it or not this is the first Harlequin I have read. I actually didn't know it was a Harlequin when I read it because it was a free eBook and it didn't say, or I didn't notice. It was a good read, I must admit, and was not as cheesy as I first imagined Harlequin would be.

Private investigator, of course a cute petite blonde with a Texas drawl, is hired to determine the paternity of a local retired cowboy rodeo star for a couple who have recently lost their last son. Investigation proves the cowboy is the childless couple's child that was swiped at birth. Very interesting story unfolds and kept my attention until at the very end of the story the investigator discerns that she too was a victim of being switched at birth. Still the story was readable.

Last Dance by Linda Joy Singleton

Last Dance is the second book in the tween Seer Series by Singleton. The first, Don't Die Dragonfly was listed in the free eBook series so I decided to give it a read. They are quick reads. Sabine is a seer and was sent from home to live with her grandmother because her ability to see flashes of the future caused turmoil in their home town. Sabine gets her extraordinary abilities from her grandmother so it is a kinder more understanding place to dwell.

In this book Sabine has been tasked by her grandmother to find a missing book that contains a secret recipe for the cure that ails her - Alzheimers. Sabine and her friends journey to a small town that is hopefully where the long lost family book is located. During their journey they meet a ghost of a murdered woman who wants Sabine to help her solve the mystery of her death.

These are nice stories to read in between heavy reads. I am not driven to read the series one book after another, though.

I Still Dream About You by Fannie Flagg

I did not know that Fannie Flagg wrote one of my favorite stories, "Fried Green Tomatoes." I will have to read the book someday as I only watched the movie. I Still Dream About You was a fun read. I chose the book because Fannie was the author and I needed something light hearted and funny to distract me from my every day nerve-wracking saga. A few pages into the story; however, and I began having serious doubts that this was the best choice for me at this time. The lead character was writing her suicide note and was meticulously planning her exit of this realm. "Great!" I thought, just what I need... ideas on how to end it all!

Maggie is depressed because she is 60 years old and her life seems to have been a waste of dreams never realized. As the former Ms Alabama that represented the state at the Miss America pageant (didn't win) she has been held to different standards by her townfolk, or so she felt. Her best friend and boss, the incomparable Hazel, has just passed and she feels even more alone. Maggie's devotion to her friends and community give the story a nice twist.

I enjoyed this read because it flowed well, made me laugh and easily lead me 'into' the story and kept me turning pages. I enjoy the genuiness of the characters of this story and will likely read more written by Fannie.

Book Club Discussion Questions
1. Maggie’s life hasn’t turned out the way she’d hoped, and at the beginning of the book she makes her big decision to fix it once and for all. Why do you think she feels this way, and what makes her decide that the time has come to put her plan into action? Have you ever felt the way Maggie does, and if so, what did you do to solve it?

2. Maggie’s decision comes at the end of a perfectly ordinary day, with no bells and whistles or dramatic events. In your opinion, is this typical of the way big changes happen in real life? Can you think of examples in your own life where a major event happened on an otherwise ordinary-feeling day?

3. What are Maggie’s “16 perfectly good reasons to jump in the river”? If you were making the list, what would you put in your “pros” and “cons” columns?

4. When Charles proposed to Maggie years before, she turned him down. Why did she do this? Do you think she made the right decision, given the circumstances at the time? In hindsight, should she have made a different decision? What would you have done?

5. Both Brenda and Maggie each think that the other’s life is easier and happier. Brenda is envious of Maggie’s good looks and constant cheerfulness and charm, while Maggie wishes she had Brenda’s practicality and the comfort of her big family. Why do you think they believe this—is the grass simply always greener on the other side of the fence? If you had to choose between Brenda’s and Maggie’s, which kind of life would you prefer?

6. Edwina Crocker-Sperry spent her life protecting a huge secret, one that both gave her tremendous freedom and tightly curtailed her world. What do you think that life was like for her? Would you like to have been Edwina, or to have lived a life like hers? What do you think would have happened if her secret had been discovered?

7. Everyone who meets Hazel Whisenknott falls in love with her, with her energy and enthusiasm and optimism. Even five years after she is gone, she still brightens the lives of all her friends and employees. Do you know anyone like Hazel?

8. Hazel refused to let anything get in the way of her dreams. What lessons could we all learn from Hazel’s story? What about Maggie’s?

9. At one point, Maggie meets a schoolmate who is surprised to hear that Maggie never became Miss America—the friend has been bragging about knowing Miss America for years. When Maggie tells her she was just the second runner-up, she laughs, “Honey, it’s like the Oscars; after so many years, nobody ever remembers who won, just who was nominated.” How does this change Maggie’s perspective? Do you think the observation is true, or not? Can you think of examples?

10. One effect of Maggie’s decision, she realizes, is that she no longer has to worry about the consequences of her actions. She stops going to the gym and watching the news, and starts having a lot more fun. She even speaks her mind to Babs Bingington! If you didn’t have to worry about the long-term consequences of your actions, what would you do differently? Is there anything on your list you might want to do anyway? Is there anything you might want to give up, despite the consequences?
(Questions issued by publisher.)

Reading, Reading, Reading . . .

My daughter and my dad gave me a Kindle eReader for my birthday 2010 and since then I haven't been able to stop reading. I have always loved a good book, but have suffered, miserably, all my life with something that surely seems like a reading disorder. I am not dyslexic, but have always had a problem with comprehension and recall, which I think go hand in hand. I think I realize, now, why it is so much easier to read on an eReader. I tried to read from a traditional soft bound book last week, and realized an old familiar feeling. My eyes jumped all over the two pages; it was so hard to focus on one specific line or two. Some say I suffer from ADD. For whatever reason I read so much more on my eReader than I ever did with traditional books. I do miss the feel of a good book in my hands, but with the eReader I don't have to struggle with positioning with a floppy, heavy, book.

Anywho, I have read so many books that I'm about to post, but didn't take the time to post them as I read them, so they will be posted out of sequence. I will do better about that in the future.

In other book news, I think some of my coworkers and I are going to create our own book club. I'm so excited, because I've always wanted to join one.

Happy reading!

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

What a fabulous book. I checked this book out of the library a year ago, but never got around to reading it. C and I want to see the movie, but we make a habit of reading the book before we see a movie because it usually adds so much more to the film. This was such a good book. Beautifully written story that relives the life of a vet who lost his parents tragically then joined a circus instead of taking his final exam. It is a colorful story that drew me into the time period and enveloped my senses. I swear I could smell popcorn and elephant poo! I know I'll read this story again someday.

1.Water for Elephants moves between a story about a circus and a story about an old man in a nursing home. How do the chapters about the older Jacob enrich the story about Jacob’s adventure with the circus? How would the novel be different if Gruen had only written about the younger Jacob, keeping the story linear and never describing Jacob’s life as an old man?


2.Did the chapters about the nursing home change how you think about older people? In what ways are the doctors and nurses condescending? How is Rosemary different? How do you treat older people?


3.In chapter two, the twenty-three year old Jacob starts his story by telling us he is a virgin. From the cooch tent to the erections the older Jacob gets when being bathed, sexuality is woven into the whole story. Why do you think Gruen added these details? What role does sexuality play in Water for Elephants?


4.When you first read the Prologue, who did you think murdered the man? Were you surprised by who the actual murderer was?


5.The book begins with a quote from Horton Hatches the Egg by Dr. Seuss: “I meant what I said, and I said what I meant…An elephant’s faithful—one hundred percent!” What is the role of faithfulness and loyalty in Water for Elephants? How do different characters define loyalty? (Jacob, Walter, Uncle Al).


6.Why does Jacob get so mad about Mr. McGuinity lying about carrying water for elephants? Do you see and similarities of temperament between the young Jacob and the old Jacob?


7.In what ways is Water for Elephants a survival story? A love story? An adventure?


8.Water for Elephants has a happy ending for Jacob, but not for many other characters. Discuss Walter and Camel’s fates. How does tragedy fit into the story?


9.There is an “us and them” mentality in the circus between performers and workers. How does Jacob bridge these two classes of people? Why does each group hate another group? Does the circus merely mirror society in an exaggerated way?


10.Are you satisfied with the end?


11.In the Author’s Note, Gruen writes that many of the details in the story are factual or come from circus workers’ anecdotes. These true stories include the hippo pickled in formaldehyde, the deceased fat lady being paraded through town and an elephant who repeatedly pulled out her stake and stole lemonade. Gruen did extensive research before writing Water for Elephants. Was her story believable?