Book Review Thursday - 6/20

I'm getting a little obsessed with books again. I'm not entirely sure why, but I have been reading some really good books lately! To keep up, there will be 3 reviews tonight. I hope you can handle it! :)

Farewell, Dorothy Parker by Ellen Meister is another book that I found through my library's website. Violet Epps is a successful movie critic whose personal life seems to be circling the drain - she can't get rid of her mooching boyfriend and she lost custody of her niece. When she meets her boyfriend at the Algonquin Hotel to get the strength from her hero Dorothy Parker to break up with him, she winds up stealing the guest book once sh realized that Dorothy Parker's ghost is inhabiting the guest book and she appears any time the book is opened.

I thought this was a cute book with a touch of a ghost story. Dorothy can't help but interfere with Violet's life in ways that push Violet out of her comfort zone and make for an enjoyable story. Overall, I found it to be a great book for a summer read.

Between Heaven and Texas by Marie Bostwick is the newest book in the Cobbled Court series. This book pre-dates all of the others in the series and tells the story of Mary Dell Templeton and the beginning of her adult life. The Templetons can trace their lineage directly back to the founders of their town Too Much, Texas. All of the women in the family have excellent sewing skills and are poor judges of men. Mary Dell and her sister Lydia Dale are no exceptions.

Once Mary Dell meets and marries Donny Bebee, they try in vain for years to start a family. When it finally happens, Howard is born with Down Syndrome and Mary Dell loves him with all her heart. Unfortunately, Donny can't deal with the diagnosis and leaves and Mary Dell is left to pick up the pieces.

The Cobbled Court books are a wonderful series and you don't have to be a quilter to enjoy them. The characters have a wonderful depth to them and the books are wonderfully written. This novel is no different!

The Drowning House by Elizabeth Black was another title from the library's new book list. Photographer Clare has been asked to return to her hometown of Galveston, Texas to put together an exhibition of photos of the city. She readily goes because she thinks it will help her deal with the family tragedy she has recently suffered.

Clare hasn't been back to the island since she was sent away in her teens. Being in her hometown and meeting familiar people from her past brings out new to her revelations and with her time away and fresh look on things, she is able to process everything and it might even be helping her heal.

I didn't care too much for this book. There was a bit of flashbacks, but I could never tell when they ended and the action in the 'current day' restarted. The storyline of the tragedy dragged out for a while as did several other story lines and at the end of it, it just left me thinking, "Whaaaa...???"