The Rebellion of Miss Lucy Ann Lobdell is a well told piece of historical fiction that takes place in the 1800s. In many ways she reminds me of Lentl. They are strong women, ahead of their time, wanting to be free of the shackles that define a female, and to be able to follow their dreams. So, they set out, dressed as men. Lucy, or Joseph as she becomes, runs away from her family in Pennsylvania, leaving behind a young daughter and an abusive husband. Her violin and dance education serve her well. Her travels and hardships, her relationships with men and with other women, create a fascinating story. Her romantic attraction to women may have been caused by her harsh treatment from men in her life, or not! Indian raids, cold and hard winters and ignorant feelings toward the insane all contribute to this novel. Lucy was ahead of her time.

Vanessa and her Sister is a work of historical fiction which mostly takes place in London and the surrounding countryside in the early 1900's.
The older sister, Vanessa, is the narrator and the rest of the book is a series of letters written by Vanessa, her sister Virginia, and other characters.
Vanessa is the artist, Virginia is the writer, and the others are mostly related to the world of art and literature.
Virginia is terribly jealous of anything and anyone that Vanessa has including her husband and goes after them all to secure them for herself.
The book is full of infidelity and homosexuality among "to the manor born".
I found the story extremely slow in the beginning and it did not get a lot better or much more interesting.

"Freud took aim, and the pair was irretrievably broken in half." (The quote in the book refers to 2 special glasses in this novel as well as the couple themselves.)

Accidents of Marriage by Randy Susan Meyers is about a family in crisis. It is the story of a married couple, Maddy and Ben and their three children, Emma, Gracie and Caleb. The author uses Maddy, Ben and Emma to head the chapters which allows the reader to understand the different point of views.
Maddy, a social worker, is constantly using her training to apply techniques to try and control her husband's outbursts of anger. Ben is an attorney in the public defender's office and often comes home late and with a few drinks under his belt.
Ben is responsible for an accident that changes all their lives.
Ms Meyer's characters are well defined. The children add a lot to this story with their confusion about their mixed religious background and just looking at what is happening from their perspective.
In the end, it is Maddy who decides what is best for their future.
The story is interesting but I think it could be condensed a bit.

What an ending!
Now, back to the beginning. "Her" is written in alternating chapters between Nina and Emma. Nina is an artist and appears to have a good and comfortable life with her husband, who is quite a bit older, and her teenage daughter, Sophie, from a previous marriage. We find out that Emma had some connection to Nina in the past. Emma is a housewife with a loving husband and two great children, Christopher and Cicely. Though not wealthy, their lives are good.
The author has an unusual way of telling their story. She repeats several chapters, first from one of the women and then the other. And of course, the stories change.
At first, this is a very ordinary story of two families interacting, especially the women but then, slowly, Nina manages to cause problems for Emma and then help solve them and thereby ingratiating herself with the family. We don't know what is driving Nina but we want to find out. There is an old cheap bracelet that comes into play. What is the meaning of it? Where did it come from? Does it's appearance cause any consequences? Will someone remember something? Who is "Her"?
I'm not going to give anything away. But it really is cleverly written. I especially like the way she fleshes out her characters. A good read for everyone. And, as I said in the beginning, what an ending!!!!!!

It is amazing that many birds and animals mate for life. This is demonstrated at the beginning of the chapters. Humans, however, have choices. Helen raised three daughters who had different fathers, none of whom were part of their lives. She never married any of them. The book is mostly about these girls and their lives and their families. Being married, a legal contract, does not guarantee happiness. And not being married can work too. Nice story of the girls, their mother and how their lives separated and came together again.

There are so many books written about royalty. If you are a lover of books by Philippa Gregory, you are sure to like this one as well. This one is about Frances Stuart and her life at court. They lie, they cheat, they go from one bed to another, they have illegitimate children etc. I will admit to learning about history, even if it is doctored a bit and thus becomes historical fiction. Be sure to read the Author's Note at the end. It gives you a reality check and a look into the future of the Stuart family which involves Prince William and Prince Harry.

This story is about a dog named Pax (I'd like to change the title to Pax, a very special dog). It is also about Rick ( a baseball pitcher), the man who finds a starving, frightened puppy, Francesca who he falls in love with and Keller who also bonds with Pax. I can clearly picture each and every one of them and the author gives each of them chapters to speak to us (of course including Pax). Part of the story is a warm, fuzzy read when it begins in 1938 and then a few years later, war comes along and changes everything. The reader develops strong, emotional and often upsetting feelings. Pax, of course, is very special as is this book. It will appeal to all ages including teens, young adults, and most certainly, dog lovers. It shows how a young boy, growing up in adversity, can not only survive but become an upstanding citizen who can learn to love. And how another copes with PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder) after the war. Would be a good read for parents and older children to read and discuss together.

Jessica Fox, then age 26, has written a memoir called, Three Things You Need to Know About Rockets. Other than the fact that she was employed for a period of time at NASA, the title seems to be a misnomer. She is a film director doing free lance work, even while at NASA. Needing a vacation, she searches the internet and finds a book store she is intrigued by in a small town, Wigtown, Scotland. Her time spent there is the center of the story. As a Jewish American, she is carefully observed by the locals, especially the owner of The Bookstore, Euan. Jessica takes us through her ups and downs, her romances past and current, her insecurities, and even her chats with "Herman Melville". She likes to use the Yiddish word "shpilkus" quite often which I interpret to mean restless or edgy.

She begins each chapter with a quote from an author and the exact physical location of the book, (ex-second shelf on the left in the gallery). They were fun to read.
I was interested enough to finish the book.

This novel, by the author of Schindler's List, Thomas Keneally, has something for everyone. It is World War l from a different perspective, that of two Australian nurses, sisters (Sally and Naomi), who are haunted by memories of a past deed. They travel to Egypt, France etc. aboard a hospital ship and later to other hospitals and the front lines. Throughout this story, with war always as a background, there is love and romance, bravery and death and we live it along with the heroes and heroines. I found one reference to Mars, the Roman God of war, in a letter written to one of the sisters, "And if not immediately required to spread myself ON THE ALTAR OF MARS------". Thought the book began a little slowly, but it came to a point where I couldn't put it down! Felt the few references to "Jewishness" were unnecessary. Maybe the author wanted to remind us of his other book? The story of the young man who was a Friend (Quaker) and his religious beliefs about bearing arms was very interesting. Quotation marks were not used in the book. Not sure why. And then there was the ending! I reread it several times to understand what actually happened. Will be thinking about it for some time to come!

Laws of Gravity is spellbinding. We meet two families in New York, the Greene's and the Wiesenthals, who are related, and who have formed bonds of love and friendship for two generations. A medical-legal problem threatens those bonds. A soon to be retired judge, Solomon Richter and his family form a sub-story with his family, an adoption and a rabbi. (Naming the judge Solomon has it's own meaning).
All the characters are very strongly developed and we laugh and cry with them. We "pray" for a "They lived happily ever after". This is a really good read and I couldn't put it down.

How different these lives might have been had they never met! Take a middle class Jew and introduce him to a wealthy WASP and you have " A Dual Inheritance". The book takes these two young men and follows them into their later years. How they separate and come together again. What they do with their ambition and dreams. And of course there is "the woman". You root for one and then the other to succeed.
I enjoyed reading the book and following their very different lives. Thought it was a bit long.

First of all, I think Golden Boy, which is the title, will confuse people. I thought it was about Sammy Davis Jr and his show on Broadway years ago. Would like to call it MAX which says it all. (Neither male or female).
Always difficult to raise a "special" child. Even more so, when a parent runs for public office and is subject to close scrutiny. You are drawn to Max (a child in his mid teens, with both XX and XY chromosomes, now referred to as "intersex"), who is popular, good looking and bright. But he carries his medical history pretty much in secret. This book would be a good read for older teens and young adults to show tolerance. Also for psychiatrists, sociologists and teachers. You see how wrong doctors are when they discuss a child's problem with the parents and ignore the child who is in the same room. Readers, who previously read State of Wonder, or The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, will like this book a lot. Genetics and medical intervention play a very important part here.
The author divides her chapters by the characters and is well written.
There is a quote from Max that I think is so important. "It takes strength to be proud of yourself and to accept yourself when you know that you have something out of the ordinary about you. I had that strength."

In Shalerville, Kentucky in the 1920's, slaves were free but segregation remained. The sign at the beginning of town said, "Nigger, Don't Let the Sun Set on you here in Shalerville".

Isabelle began a friendship with the black son of the family housekeeper as a young girl and it grew. Decades later Isabelle, now 90 years old, asks her young black friend and beautician Dorrie to drive her to a funeral in Cincinnatti. On this drive, through chapters by Isabelle and Dorrie, past and present, we learn of the history of the women and how their friendship affects them. Along the way, Isabelle, with some help by Dorrie do crossword puzzles with answers such as pensive and exquisite that become part of the story.

Their conversations and the people they encounter along the way are brilliantly written and brought me to tears before the end. Racism is a terrible thing and the author brings it to our attention so well.

A Thousand Pardons is a book that begins with what you at first think is a typical happy family. It soon turns out that they merely live in the same house. And it probably would have continued except for a young woman who enters the story and the house of cards come tumbling down. The author gives you real insight into the unhappy husband and father, a wife who becomes a mother and a housewife too quickly, and an little asian girl who is trying to make sense of her life and why her natural parents gave her away! And then, just as things unfold as you would imagine, an old school acquaintance enters the picture and it is like a new story and a mystery. The development of the leading characters and how they change as the story progresses is so well done! It all could have gone so differently. The book should certainly appeal to book clubs and to people of all ages.

Liked reading about a woman (Claire) who, in the course of her life went through love and family, to disease and loss of family and then toward survival. The woman, brought in to help,( Minna) ,interesting at first, became bizarre. Once the author did a flashback with Minna, the continuity of the book stopped! I wanted Claire back! Just too weird. Was glad to finally get back to the main character to see how her life would continue.
A lot of what I liked in the beginning, re: the lemon tree, faded away.

The Woman at the Light, by Joanna Brady, is the warm, compelling story of Emily Lowry. It mainly takes you to (ficticious) Wreckers Cay in South FLorida in the 1800's. From class and money in New Orleans, she becomes a wife and mother, a lighthouse keeper, a boardinghouse cook etc. and survives. A relationship with a slave causes great difficulties. There is a lot of history here in the Keys, including the dangers of boats transporting goods, and slaves through the shallow channels and also dealing with the Seminole Indians.

The cover of the book seems to convey peace and beauty with the famous sunset. The story is anything but.

It's a women's book for all ages. Emily is someone we can all admire. She is intelligent and resourceful and you have to admire her.

It reminds me of another new book, Beneath the Shadows by Sara Foster where the heroine controls her own fate.

Our book club really liked this book. Couldn't believe that it is a true story! But I guess no one could make this up. This is one of the craziest disfunctional families ever. The father had dreams that would never happen, hence, The Glass Castle. When money became available, they found ways to waste it! All through the book, I kept thinking that this was fiction! The author is the daughter! She survived!

The New York Times review was excellent. My husband and I couldn't wait to get our hands on this book. I read about 50 pages and have no idea why anyone would want to read this. Picked it up a couple of times and finally decided it was a waste of time. And I really didn't care what happened! My husband gave up much sooner. Guess it's not just our kind of book!

Beneath the Shadows got my attention before I even opened the book. All I had to do was look at the cover picture and try to imagine why a baby carriage is alone in the woods in winter! I was not disappointed. Just trying to comprehend a young mother's (Grace) fears when she finds her baby alone in front of her cottage and her husband (Adam) missing is terrible enough.
Transporting a city couple and a very young child from London to an isolated cottage on the Yorkshire Moors (formerly owned by Adam's deceased grandparents) is just the beginning. With her husband missing, Grace needs to find answers. At every turn, strange things happen. A grandfathers clock stops and begins again, an old book appears on her bed etc. The architect, Ben, who comes to help her update the cottage so that eventually she can rent or sell it, discovers a locked basement that Grace didn't know about. Why hadn't Adam told her? There is a strange older man, who rarely leaves his home. Grace sees him outside feeding mice to his owls. Then there is Meredith and her daughters. Grace likes Meredith at first but she seems to be holding back information and later upsets Grace when she offers to buy the cottage so Grace can leave. She also tells her about the spirit, Timmy who appears at odd times. The more we learn, the more frightening things become.

The authors characters are very distinctive and create a distinctive atmosphere in this small town. You have to like Grace's sister Anabel. For the most part, she adds some fun to the story, as does Millie, the daughter.

How these people connect IS the story.

This is a journey Grace must take even though she is terrified and doesn't know who she can trust. It really is a "cliff hanger" or should we say a "leap hanger". You are on edge from start to finish.

Sara Foster has well-written a mystery mixed with so many questions and surprised that it is hard to put it down. You don't need to like mysteries to read this book. Will appeal to everyone!

About escaping the Germans from Warsaw. I thought it was a well-written book and it held my interest. Read it over a year ago.