Lots of Candles, Plenty of Cake

I loved this memoir from Anna Quindlen. I related with many of her thoughts, feelings, and experiences. She writes about her childhood memories, work experiences, marriage, children, friendships, and faith.

Quindlen states that growing older has its perks, such as wisdom and a new perspective on life that makes it more joyful. I agree.

This is a book about her life and the lives of women today.

"It's odd when I think of the arc of my life, from child to young woman to aging adult. First I was who I was. Then I didn't know who I was. Then I invented someone, and became her. Then I began to like what I'd invented. And finally I was what I was again."

From Lots of Candles, Plenty of Cake by Anna Quindlen.

Rebecca – Daphne du Maurier

I've always loved the classics, and Rebecca is now one of my favorites. I can't think of anything I didn't like about Rebecca. It's a Gothic romance with suspense and quite a bit of madness.
The narrator meets Maxim de Winter while working as a companion for a wealthy American woman vacationing in Monte Carlo. After a brief courtship, the narrator agrees to marry Mr. de Winter, and the couple travel back to his estate, Manderley. Once there, the new Mrs. de Winter learns that she is Maxim's second wife, and the housekeeper, Mrs. Danvers, who loved and adored Rebecca (the first wife) makes it very clear in sinister ways that the second Mrs. de Winter just won't do.

You can also check out Rebecca on DVD. The film is directed by Alfred Hitchcock and stars Laurence Olivier and Joan Fontaine. The film won best picture at the 1940 Academy Awards.

Book Clubs

The Adult Book Club will discuss Portrait in Sepia by Isabel Allende. The group meets on the second Wednesday of the month in the boardroom on the first floor.

The Mystery Book Club will discuss The Scent of Rain and Lightning by Nancy Pickard on August 21st. The group meets on the third Tuesday of the month in Meeting Room B.

New members are always welcome.

The Woman Who Wasn't There by Robin Gaby Fisher and Angelo J. Gugliemo, Jr.

On some level all Americans suffered on September 11, 2001.  You may have witnessed the tragic events via the internet or television.  You may have lost a loved one or knew of someone who died that day.  Someone you know may have lived in New York City at that time.  Regardless, it was a devastating event on so many levels for all of us.
Guilt.   Can you imagine carrying around so much guilt that you SURVIVED such a tragic event?  This is the story of World Trade Center Survivors.  Survivors who suffer from insomnia, depression, divorce, alcoholism, drug addictions, much more and Guilt.  Guilt because they lived through it.
Tania Head was one such survivor.  Her husband died in the north tower and minutes later another plane hit the south tower.  The south tower, where she was at work as a Vice President of Merrill Lynch Company.  Tania was terribly hurt and wakes up in a hospital five days later.  Two years later she still can't sleep at night, she can't work, she is no longer the woman who she was on September 11, 2001.
She goes to the internet and creates an online support system for the people who survived the tragic events of 9/11.  Her group slowly grows and finally connects with yet another group. Survivors come together to talk, share some or all of their stories with others who know exactly what they are going through themselves.  They fight for closure and all try to find a way to move forward. 
But, really who are the REAL survivors of this story?

                                          

Victorine: A Novel by Catherine Texier

In 1899, in a lovely little town in France, Victorine realizes she is tired of being married to a boor, but she loves her children dearly, and it's because of them she has stayed in her marriage so long. On an ordinary day while at the beach with her son, she sees Antoine, a man she loved many years ago when they were teens. He must leave for work in Asia and asks Victorine to come with him to stay.  Despite having to leave her children behind, she feels compelled to follow this passionate man. She tells no one of her decision to leave France, not even her husband and children. This is a story of rebellion, passion, pain, and guilt.

Lone Wolf by Jodi Picoult

I have enjoyed reading all of Jodi Picoult's books and this one did not disappoint me.  The story revolves around Luke Warren, a man who has studied wolves his entire life.  In fact he lived with them in the deep forests of Canada, becoming part of the wolf pack, hunting, eating, and playing with the wolves.  He learned what their gestures to each other meant and the order of the pack.  When he finally returned to his wife,  son, and daughter two years later he really was a changed man.  His family suffered during his absence.   His son Edward now eighteen suddenly left home and shortly thereafter Luke and his wife divorced.  Cara, their eleven year old daughter initially lived with her mom, but after her mother remarried and had a set of twins, she left to live with Luke.    Cara takes after her father in her love of the wolves that he raises and protects.  She understands his love of each wolf and what each member means to the pack.   Late one night, Luke and Cara become involved in a terrible automobile accident.  Cara will recover in time but Luke's fate is not certain.  What happens when the prodigal son returns and decisions need to be made regarding their father's future?   Edward and Cara will have to learn to understand how important each of them is in regards to their family and work together to come to a decision.

Remarkable Creatures by Tracy Chevalier

Tracy Chevalier's book "Remarkable Creatures" reminds me of the many times I've spent on the shores of Lake Michigan searching for crinoids and colored glass.  "Remarkable Creatures" is the story of a young girl Mary Anning who, when just a baby is struck by lightening thus giving her what many people believe to be a special gift.  Mary has a special "gift" for locating fossils buried deep in the cliffs and on the beaches near her home in Lima, England.  She helps supports her family by finding and selling these fossils.  She meets a young woman named Elizabeth Phipot who shares her desire to roam the cliffs and beaches and search for fossils as well.  What Mary discovers however, is more than just fossils and leads these two women to a lifetime of friendship, scurtiny, and discovery.