Book Review

Sharon Reads: Exclamation Mark by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and Tom Lichtenheld

/ Sharon Tyler / Leave a comment

Exclamation Mark is a picturebook written by Amy Krouse Rosenthal (a favorite of mine) and illustrated by Tom Lichtenheld. The exclamation mark stands out, no matter what he does or where he goes. He would really like to be more like everyone else, but he is just too different. Finally a friend shows him that being different is a good thing, and that he has endless potential. It is his differences that make him special, make him wonderful, and gives him his abilities. I know I have gone through moments (or years) where I thought I had to twist myself to fit other’s expectations to some degree, and I think that everyone regardless of age can remember going through it as well.

[Cover]

Exclamation Mark


Exclamation Mark seems like a simple enough story, but like in Little Pea, Spoon and Chopsticks, we see that it can be the simple things that can really change us. I highly recommend Exclamation Mark to everyone. That’s right, everyone. I also recommend taking a peek at Rosenthal’s other books and enjoying the combination of a simple of the story with the impact larger concepts hidden in that story. Liking yourself and being yourself is something that readers of all ages might need to learn, and be reminded of on a regular basis. This book can help with that, and make you smile about it the whole time.

Linda reads: Cowboy Take Me Away by Jane Graves

/ Linda / 1 Comment

After surviving a horrific childhood, Luke Dawson leaves Rainbow Valley, Texas determined to forget the past, including a childhood friend, Shannon North.  Luke becomes a bull rider and is destined for the world championship.  He decides to come back to town for the funeral of his father and maybe some closure on his past.

Shannon North left a high power, high paying job as a CPA to return to her roots in Rainbow Valley and take over the Rainbow Valley Animal Shelter.  She worked there during her teens and it holds a special place in her heart.  The shelter is now run down, overcrowded and dependent on donations.  Shannon is hoping her experience in the finance world will help pull her beloved shelter from ruin.  She and Luke have a past that ended badly, and she avoids his father’s funeral.

Luke’s plans are to leave town as soon as the funeral is over, but decides to take a look at the property and home his father left behind.  Maybe if he goes into the house, he can erase some of the demons plaguing him.  But as he tries to take that first step onto the worn porch, he crashes through and injures his knee.  Luckily, Shannon drives by and suddenly they are thrown together whether they like it or not.

What follows is a painful, inspiring, hopeful journey where both Luke and Shannon have to overcome obstacles from their past and try to build on the feelings they reluctantly still feel for one another.   Luke grows from an obstinate, juvenile delinquent to a charismatic, caring adult.  He’s determined to show everyone in town that he is not his father’s son.  Shannon struggles with her perception of him (helped along by an overbearing mother) and some of her own issues from her past.  You can really feel this couple’s pain and will find yourself holding your breath for a happy outcome.

This story also includes some wonderful secondary characters in the towns’ people, an interesting legend, and the animals that are housed at the animal shelter bring an added extra dimension to the story.

This book fits in perfectly with the popularity of small town romances.  It is heartwarming, inspiring and very entertaining.

Jenn Reads: Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald

/ Jenn / 2 Comments

Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald by Therese Anne Fowler was a book club pick for the girlfriends book club I run outside

Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald

of the library.

I’m probably going to get a LOT of comments on this, but am I the only one who thinks The Great Gatsby is *ok*? Perhaps my unfavorable opinion of this classic was marred by the fact that I listened to it, and it was perhaps the first classic I listened to. The only thing I got out of Gatsby – there was a cool car chase at the end.

My opinion of F. Scott Fitzgerald was never favorable either, and this book certainly did nothing to bump his position. We meet Z, Zelda Sayre, when she is 18 and ready for some excitement in her life. The year is 1918, the war is just about to end, and Zelda is graduating from high school. Zelda is unsure how her life is going to progress; she doesn’t want to follow a traditional Southern woman’s path in getting married right away, having kids, and staying home. Her life changes at her dance recital, when out in the audience she sees a striking young army soldier. After the recital he introduces himself as F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Zelda’s life is forever changed.

After some starts and stumbles, Scott and Zelda are married in NYC at St. Patrick’s Cathedral and they begin their tumultuous life together. Those early years should have been an indication to Zelda how the rest of her life would go.

The Fitzgeralds were a true celebrity couple. They were followed by journalists, photographers, their every move documented. They went to some pretty crazy parties, knew some really famous people (Pablo Picasso, Gertrude Stein, Ernest Hemingway, just to name a few), and never had any money. They moved constantly across the globe, leading a gypsy lifestyle so common for people like the Fitzgeralds.

I would gander that Zelda’s mental illness, now diagnosed as bipolar, was most definitely caused in part by her domineering, abusive, smothering, adultering and alcoholic husband. F. Scott would never win any prizes for “Husband of the Year” or “Father of the Year”. He never supported Zelda the way he should have, jealous that her success may surpass his own. Never fully given the opportunity to shine in her own right, Zelda suffered internally and was institutionalized in her 30’s.

I read most of this book while on jury duty. It was a quick read, with great descriptions, dialogue, and characters. I really hated F. Scott. And I really felt bad for Zelda. Imagine what her life would have been like without F. Scott.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars.