The Lady Elizabeth

I have been enjoying historical fiction books on Tutor England lately and this one is perhaps my favorite. I can't say a bag things about it except it ended.

It's a fascinating perspective on queen Elizabeth I and her life since childhood; a royal coming of age novel.

I highly recommend it and will reading Weir's other books. She has done her research and is a beautiful writer.

The All-Girl Filling Station's Last Reunion

This book has mixed reviews for me. The modern day story was a little dumb and forced. The 1940s one was engaging and good. The modern day characters were annoying, archetyped, and fake. The 1940s ones were endearing, authentic, and surprising.

Sookie is an older woman who gets some unexpected news that threw her off kilter. A family secret is reveled and she begins researching to get some answers. Her response to the secret seemed unrealistic and weak. I didn't like her for it.

Fritzi was one of four sisters in the 1940s whose family ran a gas station. They are a precious family of strong women and the juxtaposition and irony between weak Sookie and strong Fritzi didn't get by me. If Flagg could have written about them and left Sookie out, the book would be great!

Usually I really like books where the narrations goes back and forth between times and people. But this book didn't have any cliff hangers to leave you interested while you read about the other time. So I ended up just not caring enough to keep reading. I had to finish the book because it's a book club book, but were it not for that, I'd have put it down.

Now. All that said, it probably wasn't as terrible a book as I've made it out to be. I  had just read a stellar book, The Book of Unknown Americans. And when you read a mediocre book right after an excellent one, the former is even worse. Had I read this one first, I probably wouldn't be so harsh.

Mad About the Boy

This book is highly inappropriate but highly funny. Rated R, but you know Bridget Jones...it's funny. There's really nothing of substance or anything else to say about the book. It's funny, but I can't recommend it.

The Book of Unknown Americans

I thought this book was refreshing and amazing and different and funny and lovely. It's about Latino Immigrants to America and how they survive and acclimate to the US. It was an extremely quick read and shocking at times.

I heard about this book on NPR and it sounded intriguing since I don't know much about the experiences of immigration and how America is defined by new immigrants.

Mayor's family is from Panama and he sees a beautiful girl, Maribel and immediately falls in a love unlike any other. Maribel's family just moved from Mexico for her education and the two families become friends and their extraordinary stories are unfolded.

Woven throughout the main story are the mini stories and voices of other Latino immigrants whom they come in contact with. Most of the stories are seamlessly told and will inspire and break your heart at the same time.

I highly recommend this book and it's on my list of favorites. Not in the top 10, but on the list.

Best quote in the book as it relates to ethnic identity:

"I wasn't allowed to claim the thing I felt and I didn't feel the thing I was supposed to claim."                                                                  Mayor, page 78

Quit It

This is a book that my 4th grader picked up and read before I could get to it. It's about a 7th grade girl, Carrie, who has Tourette Syndrome. It's a great story chocked full of good things. Because it has some great things to discuss that really should be fleshed out, it's a great read-aloud for a 4th-6th grader or parents can read it before to know what questions to ask. 

Carrie is best friends with a boy who has OCD and is obsessive about the West Nile Virus. Both kids are different that their peers and get made fun of because of their differences until they decide to join the school counselors "Lunch Bunch" where a few kids get together over lunch every day to talk about their issues and problems. This presents its own new problem for Carrie as her friendships change.

I enjoyed reading it, even though it is juvenile fiction and meant for a middle schooler. It was a nice change from my usual and was good to be able to discuss with my 4th grader. 

The Hurricane Sisters

This was one of those books that I picked up because it was audio and I needed something to listen to in the car on a road trip. It was an interesting book. The plot was good, the characters were cute. There is quite a bit of language though.

It stars three generations of women. Maisie is the spunky, fiesty, opinionated grandmother. Liz is the judgmental mom. And Ashley is the 20 something daughter who dreams of becoming an artist and marrying the South Carolina senator.

It was a fine book, but nothing to praise. There's a bit of everything in the book, which makes it a little all over the place. It has something to say on families, domestic violence, Southern charm, affairs, and more. However, it's mostly a story on a family and how they stick together and love one another through difficult things.

My Name is Mary Sutter

This historical fiction gets mixed reviews from me. It's definitely worth reading though; I loved it. The story of Mary Sutter is amazing. What a remarkable woman she was! The characters were dynamic and it was a hard book to put down.

Mary Sutter was a midwife in the late 1800s who wanted to become a surgeon. Of course, women in that time should not and thus did not have those kinds of ambitions and definitely not the opportunities to fulfill those ambitions. Mary Sutter used her vast intelligence of facts and people to attempt to get what she wanted.

My only criticism of this book is the history part. It wasn't flawlessly woven throughout. It almost seems like Oliveria stops the story of Mary Sutter to throw in some facts about the politics and the war and the people involved.

That aside, the book is great and if you enjoy stories about strong women, unrequited love, the Civil War, or medicine this is a great book for you.