Natural Born Charmer by Susan Elizabeth Phillips

A light and frothy romance set in East Tennessee, Susan Elizabeth Phillips once more draws on football for her leading character.   Dean is a star quarterback known almost as much for his underwear ads as he is for his prowess on the football field and Blue Bailey, a portrait artist with a inclination to wander.  They meet in Colorado as Dean is driving to his vacation home in Tennessee.  At loose ends, Blue decides to go with him and stays because she feels Dean needs her.  Dean and Blue were raised by very different women, one a groupie that was addicted to drugs and alcohol and the other a political activist who spent her time fighting the government both in this country and others, but the result was the same for both.  Raised by a series of strangers they both have “relationship issues” to deal with before they can live happily ever after.   Books by this author are often funny and this one is no exception, both the situations and the characters in the book are fun and funny with a bit of serious thrown in.   If you like romances, you should definitely try this book.

 

Karen – Fort Mill                                                                  ISBN 0060734574

Stop Dressing Your Six-Year Old Like a Skank by Celia Rivenbark

The full title of this book is Stop Dressing Your Six-Year Old Like a Skank: and Other Words of Delicate Southern Wisdom and Celia Rivenbark is just the person to dispense them.   A resident of North Carolina and a columnist for the Myrtle Beach Sun Times, Celia gives her opinion on such important subjects as reality tv (she loves it), lizards (she hates them) and many other important topics.  This is the third book by this author and each has been funnier than the last.  Even if you regularly read her column online like I do or if you live near enough to get her weekly column in the paper you will enjoy the expanded tirades or new words of wisdom.

Karen – Fort Mill                                             ISBN 0312339933 

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

Jacob Jankowski’s parents died when he was 10 days shy of taking his final exams.  With all the dreams of joining his father in Jankowski and Son’s veterinary practice gone, Jacob leaves school and jumps a train for “anywhere”.  The train belongs to the Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth and instead of throwing him off the train, he becomes a circus vet, meets many memorable people and one extrodinary elephant.  Now 93 years old, Jacob is living in a nursing home and his past is clearer to him than his present, but he knows he hates being treated as if he’s lost his mind when he hasn’t and while his children and grandchildren and their children take turns coming to visit on Sundays, he’s still lonely.   One day the circus comes to town and sets up within walking distance of the nursing home.  Jacob waits with anticipation for Sunday,  when someone from his family will come and take him to the circus, but no one comes and Jacob decides to go on his own.  The book alternates between the 1930’s and the present and goes back so skillfully that it’s almost a surprise when the book returns to the present.

Karen – Fort Mill                                            ISBN  1565124995