The Book Bit: February 2017 Ed.

  What a month this has been, let me tell you!  We are officially moved and am happily reporting to you from our new kitchen table.  There are still quite a few boxes and some love to put into this place, but home is home and I'm glad the move is over.  I did manage to put away three books this month amongst all the packing and hubbub, so without further ado, let me introduce to you our selections for this month.

"Blackbird: A Childhood Lost and Found"- Jennifer Lauck

  I read this book many, many years ago at a suggestion by my mother and decided to reread it as an adult.  It was even more heartbreaking the second time around now that I'm further into my life and a little more well rounded.  This book is a memoir that reads like fiction, you almost wish it wasn't a true story.  We meet Jenny when she is maybe five years old, serving as a live in nurse for her mother.  Times were different then and rough.  Jenny didn't know her mother any other way than the way she was; always sick.  As the story continues and Jenny's life takes on drastic changes we truly see her strong will to survive and the pain of growing up feeling unwanted.  This is a remarkable journey through a young child's eye about growing up alone, afraid and having nothing more than pure self respect getting her through the day.  This story is heartbreaking, yes, but beautiful all the same.  A real eye opener and a pleasure, you will not regret picking this one up.



"Just What Kind of Mother Are You?"- Paula Daly

  This book was fantastic; sucked me right in and I couldn't put it down until the final page.  Imagine your daughter's best friend has been abducted; boom, missing.  Tragic and unbelievable, I mean it could've easily been your own daughter snatched up.  Now, imagine it's your fault that she got taken.  You're overworked, have your own mess of kids to deal with and you forgot to make a simple phone call.  It's happened to the best of us, life just gets away sometimes, but you never think it's going to greatly hurt anyone.  This is what happened to Lisa, mother of three, who was supposed to pick up another child from school for a sleepover at her house.  But she never did.  On top of this, there has been two other abductions in the surrounding areas within the past few months.  The young girls would turn up within a day or two, naked and afraid, wanting nothing more than to go home.  Lisa sets out to redeem herself, wanting the child to be returned and for her guilt to be relieved, but as she digs into the disappearance of this young girl, things get more twisted the further she goes.  It proves that just because you live in tight knit communities, things are not always fine and dandy; and maybe you shouldn't trust just anybody and everybody.  Daly takes you on a fantastic thrill ride you won't want to end.  "Gone Girl" fans will love this twisty story.


"How to be Single"- Liz Tuccillo

  Meet Julie, a book publicist in her late thirties who spends the majority of her time doing book signings with women who write "How To" and "Self Help" books.  She is single.
  Meet Serena, she meditates regularly, never eats meat or drinks alcohol and is too busy becoming a mindful being to date.  Also single.
  Meet Alice, a terrific attorney who has decided to quit her day job after a failed long-term relationship and date full time.  Also in her late thirties, also very unhappily single.
  Meet Ruby, a very compassionate woman who has been mourning every boyfriend she's ever had and her dead cat for months.  Single.
  Meet Georgia, a mother of two who has recently separated from her husband and is on the path to divorce.  Newly single and way out of touch with dating.
  And now it's Julie's turn to show a hysterical Georgia that it's not so bad being single, that it can even be slightly enjoyable.  So, she gathers up her gal pals and puts on a terrific girls night out; though it's not as exceptional as she had hoped.  Instead of going out and having the time of their single lives, they end up in the emergency room, miserable and shaken by the fact that they may each end up alone forever.  The next days are filled with each of them coming to different conclusions to change their lives.  We follow Julie as she decides to take a trip around the world interviewing the single women across the nation for a book as her friends struggle to keep their lives afloat in the states.  This book sort of reminds me of "Eat, Pray, Love" in that she takes control of her life and decides to travel around the globe, seeking experiences from different cultures.  This book was turned into a film (haven't seen it, yet) but it doesn't look like it follows the path of the book too closely.  Be prepared to laugh, cry and swoon over this book as these women learn how to be single.


  That's all I have for you this month!  Full disclosure, I have no idea how many (if any) books will get read this next month.  Baby girl is coming any day now, so things will be a bit different for a little while.  I'll do my best, I promise!  Always looking for recommendations, so if you have any, pass them on!  Happy reading.