Dear Readers,
Wow! I am behind. I have been reading (Hiding in books, you might say.) There have been many changes in my life recently and I have been thrown a bit off balance.
I will admit to you (not like this is out in public, like on the internet or anything) that I have re-read the most of the Sookie Stackhouse series. If you have not read these books, I do suggest them. I did not watch the series based on the books but from what I heard, it was different from the books. Yes, there are vampires. Yes, there are werewolves. But the stories move along well and are entertaining.
But let’s talk about some newer releases.
The Perfect Comeback of Caroline Jacobs by Matthew Dicks was released on September 8, 2015.
Caroline is living a quiet life. She is married to a wonderful man and has a teenage daughter. She is a fantastic photographer who won’t show her work because she is not ready to deal criticism of her work. She works at a big box phot o studio where the shots she takes are prescribed and boring.
As the book opens, she is at a parent’s meeting with her husband. The leaders of the school/meeting have just belittled one of the parents and somehow it triggered a break with Caroline. She had had enough of them. She looked the leader in the eye and said two words that were not “happy birthday.” She could not believe she did it. No one could believe she did it. Her husband was shocked.
The next day, her moody, mute-around-her daughter went to school. Caroline got a call to come to the school. It seems that her daughter had had an altercation. The daughter of the meeting leader called the daughter to task in school for what Caroline had said the night before. Caroline’s daughter was about to get suspended from school.
Caroline decides to take action. She decides that she has lived her life feeling bad about herself because of an incident in high school. She walks out of the school with her daughter (without talking to the principal) and decides to drive to her hometown to confront the bully from her past.
The trip revives her relationship with her daughter and may serve to give Caroline more of a backbone.
It is also a reminder that things are not always what they seem.
I liked this book. I felt that the emotions felt by Caroline seemed real and understandable. I did not realize at first that the book was written by a man. How awful did that sound? I was surprised because he understood the teenage and adult feelings of his main female character. Shame on me for being biased.
I had not heard of Matthew Dicks before but he has several other novels and is also a storyteller, teacher, and life coach. To find out more about him, he has an interesting web site http://www.matthewdicks.com/
Girl Meets Class by Karin Gillespie was released on September 8, 2015
Toni Lee Wells life was going well. She was on the road to become a professional tennis player. That was all she knew. She had gone through schools that were geared for kids who were going to be professional tennis players.
Suddenly she was injured and her tennis career was over. She had no idea what to do. She was wealthy thanks to her Aunt. She turned to booze and men to try and blunt the pain of being out of tennis.
As the story opens, Toni Lee is being picked up for public drunkenness by her father. Soon after that her Aunt announces that Toni Lee is cut off. Her condo and allowance are no longer hers. But if she can get a job and keep it for 1 year, then she can have a cool $5 million.
Getting a job is harder than she thought. She takes the one job that will take her – teaching with the Teacher Corps program in the toughest inner city school in her city. She is ill equipped to take on the role of teacher, especially in this school with these students.
Can she make it a year? It looks doubtful. Toni Lee also has a secret from her Aunt and Father. The secret has influenced how she feels about herself. Fortunately, she confronts the issue and it helps her move ahead with her life.
This book was fine light reading. It did have some twists and turns and the plot moved along well. Overall, a good popcorn book.
Miss Dreamsville and the Lost Heiress of Collier County by Amy Hill Hearth released September 8,2015
This is the second in the Miss Dreamsville series. I did not read the first book did not find it to be a problem with reading this book.
In case I have not said this enough before, I do love books about crazy or semi-crazy southern women. They get me every time. While this book is not exclusively about that, there is an element of it in the book. There are lots of characters and a mystery or two to solve along the way. All pretty light hearted but an enjoyable read.
So there are three books for you to think about reading. I liked all three.
Thanks for reading!
Carol Early Cooney 
Thanks for the recommendations! They all sound fun – and yes, I’ve picked up on your liking for quirky Southern gals. Nothing wrong with that!
Julia, I think you hit the nail on the head. They were fun. Not heavy reading, not GREAT but good fun reads. Thanks!