I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith

 I don't recall how I heard about this older story, but I read some reviews on Amazon after I believe I heard about it on Instagram. I decided it was worth finding at the library, and I took it along to Sacramento on my most recent trip. It's delightful! It's clean! It's relatable! And there's so much wisdom in the conversations... This family in England that lives in a castle is off-beat, unique, and very, very destitute. Yet their spirits are high and their conversations engaging.

I liked this so much, I could hardly wait to get to bed to read another chapter. And that is saying something since I was staying with Ann and we often play games or just talk into the night. But I wanted to re-enter this beautiful world of rural England where Cassandra appreciates nature, is growing up, and puzzles things out in her mind. As soon as I finished it, I was ready to read it again. And I liked the rather open-ended ending that left me wondering about her more distant future. 

I am going to order my own copy and also send one to Leslie for her birthday...it's the kind of book I believe she will enjoy just as much as I did...

The Rom-Commers by Katherine Center (audio book from Libby)

 One of the Instagrammers I follow, can't remember which one, highly recommended this book. Since I could listen to it free, on Libby, I decided to give it a try. It's a light-weight romance with cute characters, not much reality, but a lot of wisdom and some clever dialogue. 

We are in the midst of settling in to our Monterey home, and it was fun to have something light and juicy to listen to while I mopped floors, unpacked boxes, and moved into our new kitchen. A lot of this moving work required my full attention, so I couldn't always listen, but I also took some walks in our new neighborhood so I could listen longer. It was fun and engaging. 

I liked the values that were encouraged in this story, as the young woman from Texas was her father's caregiver for 10 years, and modeled unselfishness quite well. The Hollywood screenwriter she falls in love with has to learn how to love, and there were some good ideas along the way. Selfishness, seeking happiness, sacrifice, were all good themes. It was surprisingly wise and deep at times. I have a definite prejudice against romance novels, even though I like a good rom com movie. The author, though, at the end of the story, made a good case for good love stories. That we as humans do better with good models and these stories are all prosocial. Food for thought, that's for sure. I do like more substance and color, though...

The Day I Ate Whatever I Wanted by Elizabeth Berg

 This was a fun collection of short stories that were perfect for night time reading. Berg's humor is soft and engaging, and her characters are charming, vulnerable, and a little off-beat. I was hoping it might be appropriate to share with Leslie, but sometimes the humor is dark, and so much of her stories revolve around romantic relationships and/or death, that I decided no, not this one...

Earth's the Right Place for Love by Elizabeth Berg

 This was the third book I checked out from St. George Library downtown when I was on a little Berg binge. I liked this one a lot! It's a prequel to the Arthur Trulove character in another book of her's I read awhile ago. This describes Arthur's growing up years, his great love for Nola, and his rich relationship with his brother, Frank.

I love the simpler time this story is set in. People walk the neighborhoods, they know each other, and families sit down together for meals. It's very sweetly described. I loved the character of Frank, and his kindness and protection of his younger brother Arthur. And Arthur is a classic NERD, not one of the cool kids, and his goodness comes through constantly without embarrassment or apology. What sweet brothers!

This was a nice story to escape to during our great transition from one home in St. George to another. From Red Canyon to the golf course! And there is a lot to think about, a lot to do, and a lot to manage in this transition, which we are right now in the middle of. But we have made it fun (mostly) and this book was a nice reward when night time came. Now I need another one! I've taken a little break so I can also get our taxes done...and I did, so, YAY ME!

The Confession Club by Elizabeth Berg

 The second of my three library Berg books was a fun one. This cute little town of Mason, Missouri has some familiar characters from other books, and some new ones. This Confession Club allows Berg to let the women share a lot of their personal neuroses, fears, and intimate secrets. They are poignant and often funny. It's a clever way to reassure women that we all suffer from common insecurities. What's unique about this club, though, is that these women support each other and are kind. 

I fully expected them to be afraid for their friend who befriends and ultimately falls in love with a homeless transient person. He is a Viet Nam vet who suffers from PTSD... But everyone is supportive of Iris's choice and her actions. I enjoyed the parts where they both (Iris and John) was poetic about the joys of being outside and free. I could really relate to those feelings.

This was a quick, enjoyable, and cozy read. A perfect balm to take me away from the stress of our upcoming house sale and house purchase!

Once Upon a Time, There Was You by Elizabeth Berg

 We have been buying a new home and attempting to sell our current one, here in St. George. It is a stressful business, and I needed to stay focused! So, I went without a book for awhile, because I needed to keep my nose to the grindstone. When there was a little breath of a break, I went to the library. I knew I wanted something lighter and relaxing. I had just finished A Gentleman in Moscow for the third or fourth time, and I loved it so so so much, but it also required my focus to remember all the characters and all the little tempting bread crumbs along the way. Elizabeth Berg seemed the right one to take a break with. I'm so happy I did. I checked out three at once. So luxurious! This is the first of the three.

The story is set in both Minnesota and San Francisco, which are both places I love. So that was fun. Berg has a way of writing that is lighter and delightful; great analogies and great insights into relationships and the way people think and feel. Conversations feel authentic. Nothing is too dangerous or gruesome, despite an abduction in this book. I enjoyed the relationship between the divorced parents and their daughter, and the way they all learned and grew and became more self-aware. I thought it interesting that the mother was the one character who refused to grow...but maybe that is reality. At any rate, it was a great little enjoyable respite from the stress of our house selling and buying!

These Three Remain by Pamela Aidan (Book 3 in the Fitzwilliam Darcy, Gentleman trilogy)

 I'm so glad I found this one at the library so I could complete the series. I found it along with book 2, not long before Len and I went to Hawaii. I was half-way done with this one, and was so intrigued that I hauled it along on the trip. It made delightful reading on the planes and for the first couple of days in Kona! It had a very satisfying way of bringing Elizabeth and Darcy together, happily. 

What Aidan did very well, I thought, was show how Darcy's character developed over time. How he understood better his own shortcomings, and how Elizabeth helped him see them. She also had some development and both of them were written about really well, I thought. This was definitely the best of the three novels, and was so good, I wondered if people familiar with the story could just read book 3 and skip the other two? Perhaps...I was thinking this because I wondered if it would be a good one for our Ridegeview Ward book club...But then I had a different idea. The Small and the Mighty became available as an audio book on Libby, and I was so taken with it, that I decided to suggest it to read instead...

Duty and Desire by Pamela Aidan (Book 2 in the Fitzwilliam Darcy, Gentleman series of 3)

 Because this was available at the St. George library and I had nothing else pressing, I took on book 2, having somewhat enjoyed the first book. This book covers the the time (months?) when Darcy was trying to overcome his obsession with Elizabeth. It takes a very interesting turn into a kind of retreat with his old university friends, and they have an interesting time with a wide variety of characters. It colors in some of the interesting mores of the time; some superstitions and some manners and pastimes that make me very glad I didn't live in this time. One character I really came to appreciate is Darcy's valet, who shows a lot of detective skills! It's kind of a fun romp, but wasn't as enjoyable as the first book because Elizabeth scarcely makes an appearance. Still, it was fun to learn about what went on in those times, complete with a mystery and peasant uprising...

The Small and the Mighty by Sharon McMahon (audio book, borrowed through Libby)

 While we were in Hawaii, I listened to this wonderful, somewhat sardonic book, read by the author. She is very entertaining, and very informal. She frequently takes asides and speaks directly to the listener and I enjoyed her humor and insights all along the way.

Maybe it was because there was so much to see while I walked or sat poolside in Maui, that it was sometimes hard to focus my attention. But even when I finished listening to this when we were home, and I was walking around the neighborhood, I found it hard to follow some the historical characters that were brought back up in later vignettes. It was kine of disjointed that way...

The stories of both women and men who made a difference in their time were inspiring to me. There are stories of courage, of great personal sacrifice, and so much more. These are not historical figures that I ever heard of before, so it was refreshing to learn about these people and ponder how I could emulate some of them...especially the woman who started a school for the children of slaves...and the school burned down, and she rebuilt it. Many of these stories related to education, and I felt like a spoiled brat being paid so generously and having such cushy teaching conditions in MY career. Honestly, these people are stellar! Very worth listening to....

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson

 I had heard of this book, so when I saw it at Deseret Industries, I picked it up for a dollar. A good mystery, it seemed. And it was, but I had no idea it was going to be so violent and so full of sadism. Yuck. Which is too bad, because the whole first third of the book gave no indication it was going to go that direction.

I wouldn't recommend this to anyone, and I'm sorry I'll never be rid of the violent images. On the other hand, it was an exciting mystery to uncover and follow; very cerebral, with very interesting and likable characters.

One of the main characters, Lisbeth Salander, has Asberger's Syndrome, and reading and understanding her traits were enlightening. A brilliant mind with few social skills...

It's set in Sweden, and a lot of the Swedish culture comes through, most particularly their casual attitude about casual sex. Marriage didn't mean fidelity and it wasn't expected in the main characters. That was interesting...Okay, that's about all I can say about this one. Not going down this road again. 

An Assembly Such as This by Pamela Aidan

 This little paperback had beautiful art on the cover which made it stand out from others on the shelf at Deserest Industries. I was looking for something lightweight to take on the flight to Rapid City for our Christmas/50th Wedding anniversary celebration, and this one fit the bill. Plus, it was only $1.00!

When I bought it. I thought it was the Pride and Prejudice story, told from Darcy's point of view, which it is, but what I didn't realize is that this is the first in a trilogy of novels and only begins the story. Still, it is VERY well-writtten and very witty and amazingly reminiscent of Jane Austen, which is very unlike most of the P & P fanfiction.

It was the perfect story to rest back into at night in Rapid City, after a full day, to cozy into Melissa's huge bed, and lose myself. It wasn't exciting enough to lure me away from Leonard or Ann or Melissa, but welcoming enough to be a good and enjoyable sedative to lay me down to sleep.

My only beef is that it feels like the author draws out the story almost unendingly with many detours and new characters which are interesting, but the story progresses at a snail's pace! Really, let's get on with the connection between Darcy and Elizabeth! I haven't decided whether orr not to seek out the remaining two novels in this triology because I 'm not sure I have the patience! Still, it's fun to see someone do something so clever wtih dialogue and imagination to fill out the Darcy character. It also adds context to some of Austen's world with color and social amenities. So maybe I will... Amazon makes it so easy!

What the Wind Knows by Amy Harmon

 This author's reviews were good, and she has lots of historical fiction, so I decided to see if she were in the library. She was, so I went with her Irish history story. It was an enjoyable read, but not a compelling read. I learned a sketchy amount of Irish rebellion history, and enjoyed some interesting characters, but will probably not seek this author out again. There is also an interesting time travel twist, where the heroine goes back in time and eventually gets to stay there with her own true love.

It was a bit confusing because Anne is the heroine, the granddaughter, and goes back in time (via boat accident) to become her grandfather's mother and help raise him. I finally got the characters all straight, but had to keep reminding myself who was who! It was well done, the writing and characters interesting, but bascially pretty one-diminsional. A fascinating idea and the quoting of lots of Yeats' poetry was a nice addition. 

I think I need character development to find a story compelling. And I need a love story, if a part of the story, to be real and not sweet and devoted in every detail and instance. Love is complicated and sometimes troubling; here it was seamless and endless. A nice idea but not as interesting to me.

Bottom line? I need more substance!