Melissa Shultz and I seem to have a lot
in common. Namely that two sons have recently headed off to college and the
helicopter propellers have come to a grinding halt. There is literally no place
to park this monstrous aircraft. (I took an online quiz once and it told me I
was a Black Hawk) I generally do not read or review what I coin self-help books
but a few of you out there may be after the same support and advice I currently
seek. From Mom to Me Again kept me entranced about half way through, where I
breezily thought – yeah, me too! – she seemed to be taking the words right out
of my mouth during the first months of my abandonment. But alas, as only my own
mother could tell me, it is time and processing. There is no magic secret. No
golden advice that I haven’t already thought of on my own – as it is quite
obvious a black hawk status helicopter mom has thought through every painful
detail in advance. The second half I had to push through. The book revealed
nothing other than plain old common sense. If it makes you feel better to know
you are not in this alone, please go ahead and read this easy to digest book of
one woman’s journey but don’t expect any miracles, apparently they only come
from understanding your very own heart.
Sunday, January 29, 2017
The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane
From a small mountain village in China,
where the minorities live, Li-yan and her family collect tea leaves. The
members of their little enclave live and love by the old and often strict traditions
of the Akha people as they have for many generations. The Akha follow their
spiritual leaders and manage to scrape by with little money and barely enough food.
Li-yan’s mother is the medicine woman
and mid-wife of their village and most often backbone of their community. When
they are not collecting tea leaves Li-yan is one of the lucky few children to
attend a small school hut where Teacher Zhang instills a love of learning and
ultimately changes her future. One day a jeep mysteriously arrives and Mr.
Huang – a successful businessman in search of the highest quality tea - can
only be assisted by Li-yan as she now is the sole villager to speak Mandarin.
And so begins her journey into adulthood, the difficult choices that are made
and sometimes opportunities also missed. The intense mother love travels
between mountain top villages and stretches across vast oceans all the way to
California. Once again, magnificent author Lisa See takes us on a journey to
another world where the reader can see the leaves being plucked one by one and
practically smell the blossoms on the trees. Her steadfast attention to detail
brings the characters alive and you will be thinking of Li-yan and her family
long after the story ends. I am in awe of the way Ms. See manages to bring full
circle the outcome and life lessons so smoothly that I find myself slowing my
reading to digest every beautiful sentence. I highly recommend this
breathtaking novel which will surely capture your imagination and your heart.
And quite possibly have you booking a trip to China (as I hope to) in the near
future.
Monday, January 23, 2017
The Widow of Wall Street
Phoebe started dating Jake when she was barely 15 years old. Pretty
and popular her entire life, she couldn’t wait to be a grown up. But after a secret
college affair that turned sour Phoebe was drawn immediately back to Jake’s
strong arms. Jake adored her and promised the moon and the stars. His dreams
shaped a future she could have never even imagined. Phoebe did not realize that
ambition is not a switch you can adjust or turn off. Married young with two
small children Phoebe became nothing more than arm candy for Jake’s skyrocketing
success. Mansion on the beach in Greenwich, boats, cars and jewels – everyone wanted
to invest with Jake Pierce because they wanted what he had. So in addition to
the highrollers not afraid of a gamble, all of their friends and family sunk
their life savings into his investment firm, he called the Club. As the economy
fluctuated, as there is no question it will, Jake’s anxiety begins to build.
Phoebe’s trust and naivete leave her caring for her home and children while
avoiding arguments anytime she questions Jake’s values or motives. This fast
paced, in-depth look at a Madoff like Ponzi scheme had me on the edge of my
seat with sweaty palms. I could not get off this suspenseful, emotional
rollercoaster by incredible author Randy Susan Meyers (Accidents of Marriage).
She creates a world of likable characters (except for Jake, of course!) and
even when the crisis looming is obvious you are still rooting for some way that
Phoebe can fix this mess. She is faced not just with financial ruin, but the loss
of her children, her sister and her faith. Highly recommend this unputdownable read
that will be available in April! Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to let
my friends and fellow booklovers know that this is one they CANNOT miss!!
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