First, an adult book: A Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrick. When we first meet Truitt, all we know is he's the richest man in town who envies other people's families. When we first meet Catherine, all we know is she's got a big fat secret. Catherine is travelling to Wisconsin to enter an arranged marriage with Truitt and neither one is as advertised. This is a story about forgiveness, redemption, love, regret, re-creating yourself, growing up and growing old. Good story.
Next up, A Season of Gifts by Richard Peck. Grandma Dowdel is at it again. This time, she’s helping her new neighbors the Barnharts. When12-year-old Bob gets a nasty “introduction” to the boys in town, it’s Grandma that helps him out. Grandma helps (without being asked!) Bob’s two sisters and even Minister Barnhart and his wife. In typical Grandma Dowdel fashion, there’s never a dull moment. The characters Richard Peck has created are memorable and loveable – even (or maybe especially) Grandma Dowdel.
I also read another Graphic Novel - Avalon High Coronation Volume 2 - Homecoming by Meg Cabot, illustrated by Jinky Coronado. In this volume, Ellie tries to get her boyfriend Will (possibly King Arthur?) to reunite with his parents and have dinner. But when his half-brother Marco (Mordred?) crashes the dinner, things are clearly not going as Ellie planned. Meanwhile, Marco's girlfriend Morgan (leFay?) is plotting against Ellie's bid as Homecoming Queen. With nightmares still keeping Ellie from sleep and Will's family troubles, could this really be the end of the world as she knows it?
Blindsided by Priscilla Cummings was fantastic. This book was so moving and I learned so much, I don't think I'll ever think about blindness or people who are blind the in same way again. Natalie's sporadic aniridia (she was born without an iris) has slowly been stealing her sight for years, but she's been able to get by. Now her doctor says there is nothing more he can do and maybe it is time for Natalie to go to a school for the blind to prepare for a day when she has no sight at all. Angry at this diagnosis, Natalie resists the lessons and life change, but slowly begins to open up to her new classmates and recognizes that she does need help. Heartbreaking at times, Natalie's story and her courage make for a wonderful book that will stay with me for a very long time.
The Grimm Legacy by Polly Shulman was a fantasy book that took me by surprise. When Elizabeth gets an after-school job at the New York Circulating Material Repository (a lending library for "stuff") she's excited to see the collections. When she discovers one of the collections is all the magic items the Grimm Brothers collected along with their famous fairy tales, she's REALLY excited. Magic talking mirrors, invisibility cloaks and magic boots are just some of the fabulous items in the collection. But when items in the collection start to lose their magic, it is up to Elizabeth and her new friends to figure out who's stealing it and how to stop them. A fun story that made me want to go back and re-read some of these great fairy tales!
I've got my work cut out for me for vacation reading. There's a BIG bag of books that is heading out east with me! These Young Adult books and adult books should keep me very busy for the next few weeks. I wish you all a peaceful holiday season and a very happy new year.
