Fly Away Home

Fly Away Home

Jennifer Weiner

5 out of 5

I'm not a big fan of V.E.R.B. books. Victim, Entitled, Rescue, Blame types of books, or people for that matter. So I surprised myself when I picked up Fly Away Home and read it in two days. This isn't your typical woman trying to find herself type of book, it's more of a woman trying to get back to who she was all along. I know that sounds like a slight twist of words, but all Sylvie Serfer-Woodruff wanted was to go back to the simple girl she was in college before Richard Woodruff swooped into her life and turned her into the perfect political wife.

A fulfilling life should not entail having to stay twenty pounds thinner than when you were twenty and to fix your husband's breakfast plate while he runs off to do important work and you are left to struggle into yet another pair of stocking to give yet another unimportant speech to yet another group of self involved people.

In one quick moment Sylvie's life is changed when Richard's extramarital affair makes headlines and she and her two daughters, Lizzie a recovering addict and Diana an emergency room physician - who is trapped in a loveless marriage, and beginning an affair of her own, all converge and with the strength of family these three women come through their own torment to find a strength and purpose that they didn't know had existed.

Those who say you can never go home again have never had the blessing of actually going home. Going home to a place that is both a sanctuary and a reprieve. This is the gift that Sylvie has given to both her daughters and through them, to herself.

I have never read a Jennifer Weiner book before, I didn't think that an offering like this could actually resonate with me, but I was wrong. I don' t know if all her books will hit me this way, but this was definitely the right book at the right time.

Seven Up

Seven Up

Janet Evanovich

3 out of 5


By the time this book was over, I could not tell you if the whole Stephanie Plum storyline had moved forward or not. The book started slow and never really picks up any momentum.

Stephanie embarks on what she considers an easy-peasy assignment; bring in Eddie DeChooch an octogenarian mobster. How difficult could that be, he drives around Trenton in a white Cadillac, kind of stands out, even for Trenton. Well, when it comes to Stephanie nothing is ever easy, especially when there is corpse found in Eddie's garage.

Not only does she have to find this gangster, but she also has to come up with a date for her pending nuptials to Joe, but then again, why would she do that when Ranger has offered her an evening of bliss. Decisions, Decisions.

Add in perfect sister Valerie coming back for more than a visit and the shambles of Stephanie's life is certainly on a roll, if only we knew which direction she would go.

I will continue with the series, I just hope the next one keeps my interest a little better.

Coop: A Year of Poultry, Pigs, and Parenting

Coop: A Year of Poultry, Pigs, and Parenting

Michael Perry

4 out of 5

Many memoirist have a hard time pulling off the self-depreciating humor angle, Perry is definitely a writer that stands out from the rest. He uses his humble beginnings and his misadventures in farming and family to bring the reader into his world. With just the right amount of wit, you see Michael Perry for the kind and considerate father and man that make this world a better place.

In Coop, Michael and his wife share a one-year adventure on 35plus acres of land, with the combining of family, farm and a new child on the way life just is not the simple journey that he remembers with parents that made due in rather unique ways and friends that come to the rescue with inventive solutions to the daily traumas that farm life brings.

If you are looking for a true "farming" book, this is not it, but if you are looking for laugh out loud moments on a farm with a clueless farmer and his flock of family and friends than I highly recommends this book. However, do note that there are gut wrenching moments that will bring tears to your eyes and that will take the reader on a full circle of human emotions.

So Far This Year

Total Pages Read 10250
Fiction 14
Non-Fiction 5
Mystery (All Genres) 28
New Authors 29
Audio 9
Young Adult 1

Total Books Read 48


I took a bit of a break with my reviewing in August. I have about 8 in the wings, so check back soon to see what I have been reading