Drat

So... I had this nice long informative post all written up the other night when all of a sudden the power went out and I lost it. Don't you love it when that happens? I shall now attempt to recreate it in short form.


The Saints and Sinners of Okay County - Dayna Dunbar
This is a great retro novel (set in 1976 or so) in small town Oklahoma. Aletta Honor is pregnant with her fourth child and has no idea where her husband is at the moment. With a stack of bills to pay, she is getting desperate. She attempts to set up a kolache stand during the annual Czech Festival but she burns them all and has to settle for peddling lemonade. After she uses her long hidden psychic powers to save the life of a customer, she decides to put a sign up in the front yard and offer psychic readings from her home. Town and husbandly drama ensues, but Aletta knows she is doing what she should be doing. This was a great novel.

Nostalgia rules. I've been on a teen novel kick lately. These are all good ones.
Gingerbread - Rachel Cohn
All American Girl - Meg Cabot
The Earth, My Butt, and Other Big Round Things

Filthy Rich - Dorothy Samuels
Not a teen novel although I did find it in the Young Adult section. If 34 is now considered young adult... yay! This was a cute read.

Meely LaBauve - Ken Wells
I found this book in the Young Adult section at the library but I wouldn't really consider it that genre. The main character is a 15 year old boy but the subject matter is a little mature. Of course, it isn't anything I wasn't reading (or doing for that matter) at that age. It is touted as the Cajun Huck Finn, but I have to disagree there as well. It is much better! This is a must read or any age, male or female.

Can You Keep A Secret - Sophie Kinsella
Yet another gem. I've been anxiously awaiting her next novel, and this one was well worth the wait. Funny, charming, witty. Everything it should be. I was hooked. And I have read where the movie rights have already been scooped up. Although Kate Hudson is set to play the main character and I don't really see her as fitting the part, not that I don't like her but it just isn't her.


The Breathtaker - Alice Blanchard
This was one wild ride of a book. Set in Tornado Alley (which is where I live) this murder mystery is an experience. I love it when a book is in familiar settings, you can learn something from it, and it keeps you hooked. It took me much longer than usual to figure out whodunit in this one. I definitely recommend this one.