June Reads

[Lip Service]

Hoping that June will kind to you and bring you lots of good reading

[Mandy Muffin]

It started with an Obit from the NY Times

Helen Van Slyke, Novelist, Dead; Was an Executive Until After 50; Astonished by Own Daring Vindicated by Her Readership Headed Cosmetics House

July 05, 1979,

Helen Van Slyke, a successful advertising, cosmetics and fashion executive who became a best-selling writer of romantic novels after she was 50 years old, died Tuesday night in New York Hospital after a brief illness. She would have been 60 next Monday.

It prompted my curiosity, so I downloaded her most famous book, "The Heart Listens."  It has almost perfect reviews from Amazon after 55 years.  http://www.amazon.com/The-Heart-Listens-Helen-Slyke/dp/0446313912  The saga covers the life of a woman who lived it all, from beginning in Boston, as the daughter of a College Professor to a wealthy owner of a national interior design firm, living in California.  Themes include: alcoholism, mental illness, racial prejudice, homosexuality, infidelity, California vs. East Coast values and a host of other dysfunctional relationships. It also covers the historical period of the 1920s through the 1970s. It's a good, old fashioned read, of a classic. 

Of course, the heroine of the story dies (or doesn't die) as she nears the end of her 50s.  It worth the read to find the answer. 

[Ioruach]

On this penultimate day of June, I’ll just say that I finished the book I started a week ago, Shotgun Lovesongs by Nickolas Butler.  It didn’t get any better than I reported in a post a few days ago.

There are, for me, Relationship movies, books TV stories and so forth, which exist solely to probe the discord, conflicts and resulting angst that results from peoples’ personal lives and their “relationships” with one another. This book was one of those.  And I don’t like them.

Next on my list is Ordinary Grace by one of my very favorite writers, William Kent Krueger.

[rapa]

Loruach, I predict you're in for a treat with ORDINARY GRACE. It was one of my favorite reads. I'm still wading through Deaver's THE SKIN COLLECTOR as no longer am able to read into the wee hours. Also the story is rather predictable if one is familiar with this series.

Hear, hear all members! Tomorrow think "RABBIT RABBIT RABBIT" so that after midnight Mon. you will utter those magic words to brighten the new month. Hard to believe that July is almost upon us!

[rapa]

BTW, Loruach, thanks for providing me with a new word! It's a good one!

http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/penultimate

[Ioruach]

I guess it's easier than saying "next to the last." And it might even impress some people.

[Carci]

Wow...  I've been offline for the last few weeks and just read all you interesting posts.

Rapa, so sorry to hear your DH is having such serious health issues... I know from experience how hard it is to sit at a hospital bedside of a loved one for days and weeks on end. Will keep you both in my prayers.

I have been reading an eclectic bunch of books this month.

Gloria, I just reread The Client,one of Grisham's books, and was surprised how much of it I had forgotten.  Had to laugh at the description given of Reggie Love... I pictured her like Kathy Bates when reading the book and they put Susan Sarandan in the movie part...  lol.  The Testament was probably my favorite book by Grisham.

This month I broke down and actually paid for 2 kindle stories by 2 of my favorite authors: About a Cat by Spencer Quinn and Walk Me Home by Catherine Ryan Hyde. 

I also read a couple of touchy-feely-girly beach books by Kristin Hannan which I told DH he would definitely not like.

Another June book was a memoir by Piper Kerman titled Orange is the New Black... about her year in prison for on a drug charge. I don't ususally read non-fiction but saw a TV ad for the Netflix series and ordered it from the library so I wanted to see what it was about.

[rapa]

Hubby collapsed again this afternoon and is back in ER awaiting transfer to room. IV's and drugs started and one CT to r/o a previous problem. This will be his sixth hospitalization since May 5. Please keep us in your thoughts and prayers. Hopefully one of our members will post the discussion for JULY READS.

[Gloria Helmer / Datsunlvr]

So sorry to hear this Rapa. My prayers are still with you and the family.  {{{{HUGS}}}}

[Lip Service]

Really sorry for the setback and my heartfelt prayers to you and your husband

[Mandy Muffin]

Very sorry to hear of this setback your husband is having.  This pales in comparison to the discussion of the books we read. 

[Ioruach]

“There's a sorrow and pain in everyone's life, but every now and then there's a ray of light that melts the loneliness in your heart and brings comfort like hot soup and a soft bed.”
― Hubert Selby Jr., Requiem for a Dream

I hope that "ray of light" shows up soon, rapa.

[Mandy Muffin]

I have been waiting for two months for the library to get to my request for "Natchez Burning" by Greg Iles.  https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/greg-iles/natchez-burnin... 

Isles is only overshadowed by Grisham as Mississippi's best author on the modern best seller list.  I wouldn't miss one of his novels on a dare.  This is volume one of a planned trilogy.  With nearly 800 pages, it looks like I will have a cumbersome bedtime companion for a few nights.  But I'm too cheap to spend the $12.95 for the Kindle version.