Wish by Barbara O'Connor

 Wish by Barbara O'Connor. Farrar Straus Giroux, 2016. Children's chapter book. Fiction.


Set in rural Colby, North Carolina, this tale of Charlie Reese and her search for family, friends, and a dog to love will capture your heart. Charlie goes to live with Gus and Bertha, her uncle and aunt who have no children, when Mama can't get "her feet on the ground" and while her father is in prison. She is not a great student and has a bit of a temper. But, an unlikely friend, Howard, is steady and helps Charlie figure out ways to catch the stray dog that she names Wishbone. Charlie is big on wishes and makes the same one every day.  How her story plays out is not like she thinks, but perfect, after all.


Like in her book, The Fantastic Secret of Owen Jester, O'Connor weaves searches for a child's heart's desires with the age-old story of wanting to be loved just for yourself, or even in spite of yourself.  The dialog rings true and the story is filled with believable episodes. Charlie learns that you don't have to do everything right to have everything turn out right.

The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware

 The Woman in Cabin 10  by Ruth Ware. Scout Press, an imprint of Simon & Schuster, 2016. Adult fiction.


Lo Blacklock thinks it will be a career advantage as a travel writer to sail on the very exclusive yacht Aurora. While her own life has been careening sideways lately, she finds herself completely wrapped up in a mystery soon after the ship  sails. Lord Bullmer and his young wife, Anne, and several other guests provide much to wonder about...and who is the young woman in Cabin 10 and where has she gone? Was she there at all or is it Lo's imagination?


The atmosphere is captured well with lots of fog, splashes, and small spaces.  Ware makes each of the characters distinctive so it's easy to keep up with identities of guests and staff. The only downside to the book is a caveat to read it on dry land! You may not sleep at all if you take this tale on a cruise!

In Such Good Company: Eleven Years of Laughter, Mayhem, and Fun in the Sandbox by Carol Burnett

In Such Good Company: Eleven Years of Laughter, Mayhem, and Fun in the Sandbox by Carol Burnett. Crown Archetype, Crown Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House, 2016. Memoir.

 

If you need to put a smile on your face, this is the book for you! The eleven years that Carol Burnett performed her weekly variety show were memorable ones for many Americans. In preparing for this book, Carol watched all 276 episodes herself. The resulting nonfiction work makes a great handbook to watching them all yourself. Carol tells how she and the cast, crew, writers, and guest performers came together to make fun in “the sandbox”.

The tone is light and reads almost like if Carol were sitting across from you at your breakfast table and just telling you about the show. She focuses on select scenes and bits in some chapters, on friends and performers in others. All the shows are listed in chronological order at the end with dates, short descriptions, and names of key people. Small black-and-white photos and video stills provide visual interest and will jog the memories of readers or give background to those unfamiliar with the Carol Burnett Show.  Highly recommended for those who know and love humor…and isn’t that everyone?  I received this book from www.bloggingforbooks.com  in exchange for an honest review.

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The Hamilton Affair: A Novel by Elizabeth Cobbs.

The Hamilton Affair: A Novel by Elizabeth Cobbs. Arcade Publishing, 2016. Historical fiction.


    Many Americans are caught up in the excitement of Lin Manuel Miranda's Broadway smash hit about Alexander Hamilton. This historical fiction tells the story of Hamilton's early life and his rise to success in the American Revolution as well as about his love, Eliza. While utilizing many historical resources and truths, Cobbs chooses to create a fictional young African-American named Ajax to showcase Hamilton's true feelings about slavery and the worth of all human beings. The first half of the book moves smoothly, but the second half gets a little complicated after the war. The story moves past the Hamilton-Burr duel and tells what happens to Eliza and their family.  If you are among the Hamilton obsessed, you will definitely want to read this one.

Leaving Lucy Pear by Anna Solomon

Leaving Lucy Pear by Anna Solomon.
                                  Viking, 2016. Adult fiction.


     In 1917, Bea Haven, a Jewish young woman, has a baby daughter and gives her up by leaving the baby in the pear orchard until someone else claims her. Bea intends to pursue her brilliant piano career at Radcliffe and leave the past behind her. But, ten years later, she is unfulfilled in many ways and taking care of her uncle in the same location where she had the baby. Circumstances bring many threads of their lives together as Emma Murphy, the Catholic mother who has raised Bea's daughter for ten years, comes to help  with the uncle's care. The whole story explores what it means to be a mother, a woman, a daughter, and how each person can change another's life in small as well as large ways.

The Poet's Dog by Patricia MacLachlan.

 The Poet's Dog by Patricia MacLachlan. Katherine Tegen Books (an imprint of HarperCollins, 2016. Children's chapter book.


When dogs speak, only poets and children can hear according to MacLachlan. In this poignant tale, a dog, Teddy, rescues two children from the snow. The dog has been carefully taught by his master, Sylvan, a poet, and can communicate. In the thirteen short chapters (only 88 pages in the book), readers learn about Sylvan and Teddy's lives as well as about Flora and Nickel, the children. Love, loss, friendship and the impact of simple things are woven into the sparse, but beautifully worded, text. If you love dogs, words, children, and great writing, just read this magical story.

The Tea Planter's Wife by Dinah Jefferies.

 The Tea Planter's Wife by Dinah Jefferies. Crown (Penguin Random House), 2016. Adult fiction.


With lush descriptions of the beautiful landscapes and many details about the tea business, Jefferies has created a glimpse into a fascinating bygone culture. Gwen, a young English woman, marries Laurence Hooper, a wealthy owner of a tea plantation in Ceylon and goes home with him. Ultimately, she discovers his first wife, Caroline, has died several years before. While this could have been just another Rebecca remake, Jefferies has created fresh characters and a very different story. Gwen's sister-in-law, Verity, is a troubled and manipulative woman. Her cousin, Fran, is often far away. And, then there's an unusual pregnancy. The book reads smoothly and lovers of historical fiction won't put this one down for long.(Starred review in Booklist)


I receive this book from Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest review.

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