Golden Girl by Elin Hilderbrand

"You're my sunshine and my light, my treasure, my prize; you're the fire in my eyes...my golden girl, my girl so bold, your path I'll clear, your heart I'll hold."

                -lyrics to song "Golden Girl" by Brett Caspian, from the novel

A friend recommended this book and I enjoyed it. I am not sure I have read others by Hilderbrand but apparently she is known as the "queen of beach reads." This one would surely be a great beach read but with a unique twist. 

Vivian Howe, prolific author of novels set in Nantucket, is killed by a hit-and-run driver while out for a jog. She goes to heaven, the "Beyond," and meets her angel, "Person," named Martha. At first Vivi, as she is called, isn't accepting that she will not see her 3 grown children again or find out if her current novel, Golden Girl, will make it to #1 on the Bestseller list. Martha cannot, or will not, answer all her questions but she does allow her 75 VW and a 3 N provision. Say, what? That is, 75 days of a viewing window to watch what is happening below and 3 nudges, in other words, 3 chances to change what is about to happen on earth.

There is a good bit of suspense to make the novel a page-turner: Who hit Vivi? and What on earth is the mysterious photo texted to a group of folks? The reader must guess for quite a while before the truth is known. In the mean time, Vivi needs to find a way to keep a secret from her past from coming to light (having to do with a high school boyfriend and the song title mentioned with the quote.) Also, she is so tempted to use her nudges to help her kids who all have their own secrets and/or demons.

I kind of hated that one of the least likeable characters was a Southern girl and an Auburn grad. (I attended A.U. for two years when I lived in Alabama.) Also, I have been to Cape Cod but was wishing I had been to Nantucket. 

I rate Golden Girl a 4. It might have been a 5 except it didn't compare favorably to Ordinary Grace, the last novel I read which has higher literary value, in my opinion. I found it annoying that Hilderbrand uses parentheses so frequently. 

 

There's a Hole in My Bucket: A Journey of Two Brothers by Royd Tolkien

"It's in moments like this, moments of clarity, that I remember why I'm doing what I'm doing. Mike's bucket list. Because every so often it brings me back closer to him, and closer to some vague, almost attainable sense of peace."

                -Royd Tolkien, from the memoir

I selected this book from Amazon Prime First Reads and I am very glad I did. I will rate it a 4 and perhaps the reasons will be clear as I continue. 

The Welsh Tolkien brothers, Royd and Mike, great-grandsons of J.R.R. Tolkien, were about as close as any brothers can be. Both enjoy the outdoors and high adventure activities. (Some I would call high-risk!) Although he is 5 years younger than Royd, Mike competes with his older brother, even tries to best him in everything---and often succeeds. This competitive part of their relationship reminded me of what my husband has said about his 4-years-younger brother, who often excelled beyond his older brother's achievements.

In his memoir, Royd describes the bond with his brother and how it is tested by Mike's diagnosis of Motor Neurone Disease (called ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease in the U.S.) Royd takes on a large part of Mike's care as the disease progresses rapidly. When Mike passes away he has left behind a "bucket list" of 50 tasks for Royd to perform. Some are silly and embarrassing but others are downright frightening. 

Royd describes these challenges so well----at times suspenseful, nerve-wracking and quite often, humorous. Many passages are poignant as he relates what the particular bucket list item meant to his brother and to himself. 

I would recommend this book, especially to male readers and those who have a working knowledge of The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings trilogy. I was not familiar with the works of Tolkien and I believe I would have enjoyed it even more if I had been. I have never been to New Zealand either, and much of the action takes place there. I'd love to see that place but would definitely not aspire to the activities Royd undertook!

There's a Hole in My Bucket was both entertaining and touching. The love between these brother was almost palpable.

Sooley by John Grisham

 "Well, if I had not chosen the kid back in April, he would have been at home with his family when their village was raided. Knowing him the way we do, he would have tried to save everyone. He'd probably be dead now."                                                        -Coach Ecko Lam, from the novel

I have read numerous novels by John Grisham and can't remember disliking a one. Sooley is a basketball story, one of Grisham's departures from his usual legal thrillers. Of the sports stories, I've read Bleachers, featuring football and maybe Playing for Pizza, another about football, so long ago I don't remember for sure. The other is a baseball saga, Calico Joe, and not being much of a baseball fan, I never picked it up.

I enjoy football more than basketball, and to be sure, there is a lot of basketball in this novel, but I did find Sooley a pretty captivating story. Samuel Sooleymon, later nicknamed Sooley, is a South Sudanese 17-year-old chosen for an Under 18 basketball tournament in the U.S., a chance to showcase his raw talent and considerable physical attributes. Interestingly the tournament begins in Orlando where the team from Africa practices and plays in places familiar to this Central Floridian reader---CFE Arena on the campus of the University of Central Florida (my alma mater) and the Alfond Sports Center at Rollins College. They were awed by getting to play at the Amway Center, home of the Orlando Magic. They were treated to Disney World visits and pictured in the Orlando Sentinel newspaper.

Not long into the tournament, Samuel receives word that his family has been victims of a violent civil war. His father is killed, his sister missing and mother and 2 younger brothers are forced to flee. Samuel wants to return home to find them but that is not possible.

Samuel is given an athletic scholarship at North Carolina Central although his abilities have not proven exceptional. With a quickly maturing body and outstanding work ethic, that will soon change dramatically. I'll not spoil the suspense!

I am rating Sooley a 4. It was an interesting read but I will say I was ambivalent about the ending. It was especially interesting to read in the Author's Note that Grisham played multiple sports in his youth but realized his athletic abilities would not carry him to a professional level. He obviously exercised his brain power instead and earned a law degree. That background supplied all he needed to become arguably the most popular writer of legal thrillers. He says he still loves sports and satisfies his passion by writing about them from time to time.

Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Café by Fannie Flagg

 After reading The Wonder Boy of Whistle Stop by this author I was inspired to reread this, the original written 30+ years prior. I enjoyed it immensely! It still gets a 5 rating. So much funnier than the second book---made me laugh out loud several times. Now I REALLY want to see the movie of "Fried Green Tomatoes..." again!

See my original post of August, 2017.

The Wonder Boy of Whistle Stop by Fannie Flagg

 From 11/29/2020

"'That boy of yours is a real wonder boy.....Because he's always wonderin' about somethin' or another. Why do kittens purr, or why do rabbits have long ears?'"        

                         -Aunt Ninny Threadgoode to Buddy's mother, Ruth

Although I don't believe it is advertised as such, I saw this book as a sequel to Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Café, written by this author and published in 1987. I loved that book and the film version of it which made this one enjoyable in many ways. So many delightful characters were reintroduced that it almost felt like going home. I found myself visualizing scenes from the movie, especially of the wild but loveable Aunt Idgie.    

This novel centers around Bud Threadgoode, called Buddy in his youth, in the 1930's when Whistle Stop, Alabama was a bustling railroad town. By the 2000's Whistle Stop has become a ghost town and Bud is living in a senior residence facility in Atlanta, near his daughter, Ruthie. Feeling nostalgic about his hometown, he sets out on a trip to find out what has become of his beloved home town. His journey sets in motion a series of events---meeting new people, discovering surprising facts about beloved characters of Fried Green..., like Ninny Threadgoode, Evelyn Couch, and his indomitable Aunt Idgie---plus some lucky coincidences (or God winks?).

Thomas Wolfe wrote, "You Can't Go Home Again." In this novel, maybe you can!

The only downside of the novel is the changing of date settings for the very short chapters---from 1933 all the way to 2017 and Present Day. I counted 33 different dates that bounced forward and back, all over the place! It was confusing for this reader until I got used to it and the plot started to be unveiled so that the pieces fit together. The story is touching, to be sure, and entertaining, so I am rating it a 4. I hope a film will be coming soon!

Updated June 24, 2021

"During all this upheaval in the world...people are feeling a little rattled. They sort of want to go back home, you know? To a time when it was different. I just thought, I want to revisit that little town and revisit those characters that I love. And it was like a comfort type thing."           -Fannie Flagg, as to why she was inspired to write this book 33 years after the first Whistle Stop saga

Since The Wonder Boy of Whistle Stop was the Page Turners' June selection, I reread it. I gave it a 4 the first time through and would not change the rating after a second reading. Our group met today and the average rating was 3.4. Most of us enjoyed the lighter, "homier" tone of the novel after some of the heavier themes we have encountered recently. Those of us who had read Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Café (August, 2017---Page Turners rating was 4.1), agreed it was somewhat disappointing in comparison. For one thing, it was not as funny. Secondly, it was somewhat repetitious. Since Amazon shows a rating of 4.6 and Goodreads a 4.1, we agreed the book is overrated. 

If we could ask the author, we would like to know how Buddy Threadgoode got into the military with one arm and---what is the significance of the title? One of our favorite parts was when Buddy took off on the train to revisit Whistle Stop. A few of our members thought the story could make a very entertaining film. I, for one, would buy a ticket!

The Hiding Place by Corrie ten Boom with John and Elizabeth Sherrill

"Thou art my hiding place and my shield: I hope in thy word."

        -Psalm 119:114

I thought I had read this book years ago but now I think I may have only seen the movie. I found it very touching and inspiring.

The subtitle of this memoir is The Triumphant True Story of Corrie ten Boom. Corrie lived the first 50 years of her life as pretty much an ordinary Dutch citizen and after that, it got extraordinary!

Corrie's whole family were devout Christians and at the time of the Nazi occupation of Holland they became leaders of the Dutch resistance and saviors to many Jews. Father Casper was a watchmaker and much-beloved by the townspeople. Corrie and her older sister Betsie were spinsters who lived with him above the shop and helped in the business. Married sister Nollie and brother Willem, a minister, lived nearby. The Ten Boom family made their home a hiding place for Jews and used their connections and resources to help them escape to safety. Their compassionate work eventually led to the their arrest by the Nazis and time in various prisons and camps. 

After a time of being separated, Corrie and Betsie were reunited and, I believe, survived a great deal of trauma by giving strength to each other---Corrie's physical strength and Betsie's strong faith. I have always thought of Corrie as something like a saint but after reading her story, it turns out Betsie was her mentor and inspiration. (And the apples didn't fall far from the tree, as both parents passed on their deep religious faith.)

This is a story of beautiful, profound Christian faith---of walking the walk, serving God. It is a story of resilience and miracles. I was so surprised to read some reviews that dismissed the book as being "too preachy" and unbelievable. As a Christian, I know that nothing is impossible with God. As I mentioned, I was touched and inspired, leading to my rating of 5. Now I want to see the movie again!

The Women of the Bible Speak by Shannon Bream

 "But like the men of the Bible, the women of the Bible are complicated.  They are, on the whole, neither fully good nor completely bad people, but simply people, in all their messy and uncomfortable humanity. And it's when we can see them in their full humanity that God can teach us something about ourselves."

        -from the book

Subtitle: The Wisdom of 16 Women and Their Lessons for Today

I had recently taught several adult Sunday school lessons on women of the Bible so when I saw this book recommended somewhere, I ordered it. I planned to read it, loan it to family or friends and perhaps, eventually donate it to our church library. While it was not a page turner, I enjoyed it and was educated and inspired by the women's stories. I rate it a 4.

Ms. Bream chose to feature the women in pairs---some not-so-likely ones. For example, Mary and Martha of Bethany were sisters of Lazarus so could easily be compared and contrasted. Perhaps, Hannah and Miriam or Esther and Rahab would not be such obvious choices. Eight pairs of women are described and after each pair, discussion questions are offered which would make this a very nice women's Bible study format. The final section introduces women---many nameless---who encountered Jesus when they were accused or in great need.

I was struck by this statement: "The Christian life calls us to find a balance between cultivating our relationship with Jesus and also serving Him. The trouble comes when we become overly focused on all the things we can do for God, rather than on spending time and being in communion with Him." Definitely something I need to work on!