Author: Fannie Flagg

I really liked this, but maybe I was just ready for something light and cheery.

Imagine growing up with an over-powering mother who made everything about her. And then imagine as a 59-year old finding out you were adopted. The story flips back and forth between the life of the real mother (or is she?) and  the adopted daughter. There is nothing confusing about the switches though and you always know what era you are in. Lots of laughs and a good story.

Goodreads Rating * * * *

Author: Khaled Hosseini

I really wanted to like this book! The story is great but it is told in chapters that skip years and characters who are children in one chapter and in other chapters are either grown or serve as back-up characters to someone new. I would have enjoyed a more lineal storyline and the ending, when it came, made me very sad for the brother and sister.

Goodreads Rating  * * *

Author: Brunonia Barry

When I finished my book on a Texada weekend and I didn’t have another one to pick up, we made a visit to the thrift store in Gillies Bay. I picked out a couple of books and paid a whopping twenty cents for the pair of them! This one was certainly worth the price!

As I read it I expected to give it a three or four-star rating on Goodreads, but the twist at the end boosted it up to a five-star – the highest rating. Which made me think I should add my Goodread ratings to all my books.

I don’t usually keep books after reading them but I’m going to leave this one on the shelf at the studio. It is perfect for summer reading, maybe while sitting on a sunny deck or a beach. Maybe you’ll visit and read it.

Goodreads Rating  * * * * *

Author: Russell Banks

It took me awhile to get into this story but by about half-way through I couldn’t wait to find out what happened.

The narrator of the novel is a late-middle-aged woman who is recounting her life. As a young woman she was on the FBI’s most wanted list because of her anti-government protests and actions. She flees to Africa and ends up in Liberia where she takes a position working with chimpanzees. She marries a mid-level bureaucrat and they have three sons. Life is never easy due to government corruption and various factions trying to overthrow the current leader. Life gets more and more violent until she flees the country and makes her way back to America.

Just a few days after I finished the book there was a democratic election in Liberia, the first in almost 70 years. The results have yet to be announced.

Goodreads Rating  * * *