Turn the page ... Tuesday

Aye. Tis a good one. Set in Ireland during the beginnings of the IRA's formation and WWI, you can't help but keep reading way past when you should be sleeping. You can't help but wonder how far you would go to realize a dream. When does your dream become a fantasy and then an obsession that is destroying your life and of those around you. Eileen leads you on such a tale; you can't help but root for her, grit your teeth, hold your breath, and curse her at any given time. The story begins with Eileen as a little girl on her daddy's lap. Her life is charmed, or so her 8 year old self thinks. Slowly but surely her world comes crashing down around her. As time goes on and troubles are greater, her dreams of reuniting her family are what keep her going; at all cost. The Yellow House will have you thinking 'one more chapter and then I'll make dinner, fold the laundry, pick up the toys ....'. They even curse in an Irish dialect ... that enough should keep you on the edge of your chair ;-)

I almost didn't read Say When. I was looking to pull something fast and easy off my bookshelf and Elizabeth Berg's books are usually just that. I read the back cover and was discouraged - the wife tells her husband of 10 years she wants a divorce, she has a lover, and she wants him to move out - their 8 year old daughter will stay with her. Ouch. I didn't know if I wanted to delve into such emotional angst. Hubbie didn't want a divorce and decided to help his wounded spirit (she breaks the news to him before Christmas) to work as Santa at the mall. Surprisingly, I actually enjoyed this book. It did turn out to be an easy read and not as heart wrenching as I expected. I did tear up a time are two when Frank (the hubbie) had to answer some hard questions as Santa. I don't think I'll ever look at another Santa the same. If you've enjoyed Berg books before, I think this will be no different.

I stumbled upon this book at the library the other day when I decided to quickly peek at the 'new' adult section (ya'll know I spent all my time on the floor doing puzzles or picking out beginner readers ...). It was a super fast read - like, I didn't even read most of the pages but just gleaned them. I knew a lot of the information already but there were a few things that were new to me; like you can turn off boiling water and still cook you pasta with out wasting energy (they give details / suggestions for cooking). They review cookware, ways of cooking, and appliances. There are no Consumer Reports type analysis but more suggestions on energy efficient / do's and dont's. In the back there are quite a few recipes (one of which I made the night I read the book). This was interesting. Some common sense and some new ideas that I certainly implement. I wouldn't buy Cooking Green but I would certainly suggest seeking it out at your library if you are interested in reducing your "cookprint".

It's time for a challenge! For July's TTPT read some American Literature. Read a great American classic. I'm sure that your local library is loaded and I would take a gander that you might have a couple (dusty) books on the shelf. Let's celebrate our nations independence by spending time with some characters who helped shape our country.

Now on to other TTPT reviews: