Starting Now by Debbie Macomber

Starting Now is number nine in Debbie Macomber's A Blossom Street Novel series.  I have read several books in this series, not all, but you do not necessarily have to read them in order to enjoy them. It would probably be best to read number one first to learn the main characters.  The series is about two sisters, Lydia, (the owner), and Margaret, who run A Good Yarn, knitting and yarn store.  The books in the series are about the camaraderie between the women who meet for classes in the shop.  These books always make me want to take up knitting.

The protagonist in Starting Now is a young lawyer, Libby Morgan, whose job is eliminated due to budget cuts, even though she has allowed her job to monopolize her life for years.  Her marriage ended in divorce because she refused to have a baby, while she was trying to make partner.  She begins interviewing for new jobs, but finds that she has a tremendous amount of time on her hands.  One day Libby walked into A Good Yarn, and remembers knitting with her mom before she died.  Libby is asked if she would like to knit a preemie hat, to donate to the local hospital, and soon is knitting one after another.  One day she helps drop the hats off at the baby nursery, and while there Libby is asked if she would like to volunteer rocking babies in the nursery, which to her surprise she does.  Libby realizes that the more she opens up to new opportunities in her life the more wonderful things keep happening to her. 

If you enjoy a light entertaining read about women's friendships, you will enjoy Starting Now.  

Reviewed by Becky

Macomber, D. (2013). Starting now. New York, NY: Random House. 

http://www.debbiemacomber.com/

Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins

 My family all listened to The Hunger Games Trilogy when we were traveling in the car on vacations.  That in itself is a testimony to what a great series it is.  We all have very different tastes in what we like to read, but we almost did not want to get out of the car at rest stops, because we were so involved in the stories.  I decided to review Catching Fire now because the movie version will be coming out on November 22, 2013, and I cannot wait to see it!  When a movie about a book is coming out soon it always revives interest by readers to either read the book for the first time, or re-read it before the movie.  I was worried that the first movie would not be able to do The Hunger Games justice, but I was not disappointed. 

In Catching Fire Katniss and Peeta have survived the Hunger Games, against all odds, and returned home.  Katniss is surprised to find that both Peeta and Gale, her childhood friend, are being stand-offish since her return.  She is also surprised when president Snow shows up at her house to tell her that he is furious at her for the trick she pulled in The Games and that she has spawned a rebellion with her mockingjay pin.  Snow tells Katniss that she and Peeta must make all of the districts in their upcoming Victory Tour believe that her and Peeta are deeply in love, if they want their families to live.  This is just the first of many tests awaiting Katniss and Peeta in Catching Fire.

 Reviewed by Becky.
 

Collins, S. (2009). Catching fire. New York, NY: Scholastic Press. 

http://www.suzannecollinsbooks.com/

Catching Fire Trailer

Moon Over Manifest by Clare Vanderpool

Moon Over Manifest was required reading for my Masters in Library Science, (MLIS), class in Literature for Children, otherwise I probably never would have picked it up which would have been a shame.  Moon Over Manifest is the story of a young girl, Abilene Tucker, who is on the brink of becoming a young woman.  Her father Gideon, who is a drifter, sends her to live with an old friend of his in the small town of Manifest Kansas, while he works on a job for the railroad.  Abilene was lonely but determined to learn more about her father from the quirky townsfolk.  She made two new girl friends at school and they spent the summer looking for a spy, named Rattler.  Abilene became indebted to the town medium, Miss Sadie, and while she worked off her debt Miss Sadie told her the story of the history of Manifest, which Abilene learned is also the story of why her father became a drifter.  

Clare Vanderpool set Moon Over Manifest in Manifest Kansas, because it was based on the town Frontenac Kansas, which is where her maternal grandparents were from.  Vanderpool grew up in Wichita Kansas and still lives there with her husband and four children, therefore she is intimately familiar with the area.  Vanderpool won the 2011 Newbery Award for Moon Over Manifest.

I loved Moon Over Manifest, it was a coming-of- age story with quirky characters, intrigue, and a well-written plot.  This book was recommended for children ages 8-12, but older teens, and even many adults would enjoy this book, (especially those who grew up in the thirties, or have lived or visited Kansas).  I am very happy that I read this book for my class and I will be recommending it to pre-teen and teen girls, and even some adult women who like to read young adult materials.  

Reviewed by Becky 

 Vanderpool, C. (2010). Moon Over Manifest. New York, New York, USA: Delacorte Press.

Clare Vanderpool Home Page

The Burgess Boys by Elizabeth Strout

I finished reading The Burgess Boys at the end of October and I am still not quite sure what I think of it.  This book was recommended to me by a patron, and she loved it. I usually agree with her on most of her recommendations, but I had a really hard time getting through this book.

The Burgess Boys is the story of three siblings, Jim and Bob Burgess and their sister Susan who grew up in Maine. The story reveals how a horrible accident which killed their father when they were young, and which they witnessed, effected their relationships with each other, their mother, and others both during their childhood and as adults.  Jim and Bob both moved away from home to live in New York as soon as they could.  Susan's son got into terrible trouble and she begged her brothers, which are both lawyers, to come back to Maine to help him.  The strained relationships between the siblings begin to unravel when they are forced to spend time together to work on a common problem. 
 Author, Elizabeth Strout, attempts to answer the question can sibling relationships formed in childhood be changed in adulthood? 

I would not recommend this book for a relaxing, easy read.  The Burgess Boys forces the reader to reassess their own family dynamics and the part they play in them.

Reviewed by Becky 

Strout, E. (2013). The burgess boys. New York, NY: Random House. 

Elizabeth Strout homepage

My First Review - The Round House by Louise Erdrich

 I finished Reading The Roundhouse by Louise Erdrich in early October of this year.  The Round House  is narrated by Joe Coutts, a Chippewa, (Ojibwe) lawyer who is recounting his thirteenth year when his mother was brutally raped by a white man at a sacred ceremonial meeting place on the reservation, called "the round house."  The round house is situated on an area under tribal legal jurisdiction, but they are not allowed to prosecute whites who live near the reservation.  The Round House was based on real-life facts about racial attacks on residents of reservations in America.  Joe turned to his friends to help him deal with his mother's withdrawal from the world and also to help him find her rapist.  The ending is stunning. 

I loved the descriptions of Chippewa life in this story, especially their ceremonies.  Erdrich also does a wonderful job of fleshing out the characters and making them seem real.  This is the first novel I have read by Erdrich, but after reading The Roundhouse, I plan to go back and read some of her former books which include Love Medicine, Miracles at Little No Horse, and The Plague of Doves.  The Round House won the National Book Award for Fiction in 2012, and The Minnesota Book Awards for Novel and Short Story.  I would definitely recommend this book, especially if you like historical fiction.

Reviewed by Becky

The Round House. Fiction. By Louise Erdrich. New York: Harper, 2012. Pp. 336. Hardcover.

Louise Erdrich's Blog

 

Chippewa Men's Fancy Dancing at Pow Wow 2011

Introductions

 

 

 We are the four staff members at the downtown branch of the Ohio Township Public Library System and we plan on posting our reviews of books and other items in our collection.  Since our library is located on the banks of the beautiful Ohio River we agreed to call ourselves The River Front Reviewers.  The views in this blog are our opinions only.  

Below is a sample of some of the genres we like to read.

Becky:  For my personal reading I like to read popular fiction, and non-fiction books about crafts, gardening, and recipes.  I also read most new children's picture books acquired for our collection,  since I do story-times at our branch. 

Caryl:  Caryl likes to read fiction and humorous non-fiction books.

Bobbi: Bobbi likes to read Christian Fiction and Mysteries.

Jo Ann: Jo Ann is our branch movie critic and she likes to read Horror, Mystery, Science Fiction, and  Non Fiction, and books on Dogs.   

As you can see the four of us have a wide variety of reading tastes, so hopefully we will review books of interest to everyone.  

 Newburgh Library Home Page

http://www.ohio.lib.in.us/central/?feed=rss2

Writing a Book Review