The Mighty Queens of Freeville by Amy Dickinson

Amy Dickinson, best known as an advice columnist and contributor to NPR, has written a lovely little book detailing her life as a member of a female-dominated extended family - the "queens" of her hometown, tiny Freeville, New York.

A unique feature of her family is that the few men in it tend to pack up and leave town, which was the case with both Amy's father and her husband (although her husband did maintain a relationship with their daughter, Emily.) For the most part, women in her family have had to fend for themselves. The bits and pieces that Dickinson shares regarding her female relatives are few and far between, I would have loved to hear more about them.

The book is basically snippets of a life - from her childhood to marriage to motherhood, to welcoming love into her life after a long dry spell. Dickinson does not delve too deeply, yet manages to share some deeply personal moments. I really enjoyed this book - Dickinson's voice is funny and familiar, as well as warm and inviting. Again, I would have really enjoyed hearing more about her amazing mother and other female relatives, perhaps there will be another book in Ms. Dickinson's future! For further information on "Mighty Queens," go to: http://www.themightyqueensoffreeville.com/

True Colors by Kristin Hannah

The Grey family has always been an important fixture in the town of Oyster Shores, Washington, since their great-grandfather helped found the town in the 1800's. The three sisters, Winona, Aurora and Vivi Ann, are following in the footsteps of generations past, tied to the town by the family ranch and each other. They have learned to stick together through thick and thin.

Since the death of their mother when the girls were teens, their father has been distant and unflinching with high expectations of his daughters. Winona, who never took to life at the ranch, went on to become a lawyer, Aurora married and had twins, but the beautiful Vivi Ann loved the ranch and was a natural horse woman, earning the approval of her father, much to Winona's consternation. Adding to Win's jealousy is the fact that her childhood crush, Luke, comes back to town and is immediately smitten with Vivi Ann. When Vivi Ann's actions betray her lack of feelings for Luke, Winona takes the opportunity to betray her sister in the hopes of winning Luke's favor.

As the women grow older, rifts continue between Vivi Ann and Winona, while Aurora tries to keep everyone together. Eventually, Win has the opportunity to help her sister in a legal matter in which she had previously refused involvement. Will this bring the family back together? Will Win's father ever accept her for who she is? Will Win ever get over herself?

Hannah's talent is writing about women for women. This book immediately sucked me in, but then sort of dried up in the middle before picking up speed again. The ending was fairy tale quality, but it will leave readers happy. Kristin Hannah is a great choice for summer reading - if you like True Colors, try one of her many older titles, such as Firefly Lane, Distant Shores, or On Mystic Lake.

One You May Have Missed...

Patty Jane's House of Curl by Lorna Landvik, first published in 1995, is a story of friendship, family and endurance. It is at times funny, heartbreaking, joyous and inspiring. The story details how an unlikely family of women stick together through thick or thin, triumphing over the obstacles that life throws at them with humor and perseverance.

Patty Jane Rolvaag, proprietor of Patty Jane's House of Curl, has made it through some tough times in her life. Growing up in an alcoholic household, being apparently abandoned by her husband shortly before the birth of their daughter, and watching her sister struggle with alcoholism herself all contribute to Patty Jane's determination to build a better life for her and her daughter.

Thor Rolvaag was considered by many to be the most handsome man in Minneapolis when he and Patty Jane were married in the summer of 1953. He laughed off Patty Jane's assertions that she had conceived on their wedding night, until it became obvious that she indeed was pregnant. Thor's fear of loving someone that much led him astray, seemingly never to return. Two days after his disappearance, Patty Jane delivered a healthy baby girl, Nora. Thor's mother, Ione, and Patty Jane's sister, Harriet, took over caring for things while Patty Jane recovered from the loss of her husband, forming a tight-knit family. Over the years, Harriet endures her own tragic loss, Patty Jane attends beauty school and opens up her own place - the House of Curl. The shop becomes a neighborhood gathering spot, and Patty Jane branches out to offer edifying and empowering programs to the local women.

In an incredible plot twist, after several years of being absent, Thor is located and returned home, having suffered irreversible brain damage which kept him from returning home on his own. Although everyone's circumstances have changed, Thor is welcomed back into the family - he is still legally married to Patty Jane, after all. In the end, the family endures yet another loss, yet Patty Jane and the others once again come together and celebrate all the life and love in their world. This one is a tearjerker!

Lisey's Story by Stephen King

I must admit that I haven't read much of Stephen King since I was in high school - which has been longer than I care to remember. I've read a few of his books here and there since then - I remember crying my eyes out while reading The Green Mile - but I just wasn't feeling that old King magic. Then I picked up Lisey's Story.

One thing I've always admired about Stephen King is his ability to craft a story, to suck the reader into his world. Often it was a place I didn't necessarily want to be, but I was hooked anyway. Lisey's Story took me a little while to get into, but once I did, I was in for the long haul.

At its heart, this book is a touching love story about a famous novelist, Scott Landon, and his wife, Lisey, who were married 25 years before the novelist's untimely death. Lisey, trying to deal with her loss 2 years later, has finally started going through Scott's papers and effects to see if there is anything of literary worth. Beginning this process unleashes a torrent of memories, most of which have been purposefully buried for most of her marriage.

Of course, being Stephen King, we soon learn that all had not been milk and honey for Scott and Lisey - Scott 's youth was a nightmare of violence and mental illness, something that ran in his family. As a youngster, Scott learned to escape to another world just beyond our own, a place that could be both beautiful and deadly. As Lisey seemingly follows clues left by her husband, she learns the true depths of despair of his childhood and revisits places she has long since buried. All the while this is going on, she is also dealing with her mentally ill sister and an even more mental psychopath who has targeted her.

This book is rich with layers of intertwining stories, all of which come together in a satisfying conclusion. Lisey Landon is a character readers will not soon forget - her strength, her humor, and most of her love - shine through in Lisey's Story.