My One and Only. Finished 4-25-20, 4/5 stars, romance, 379 pages, pub. 2011

Divorce attorney Harper James can’t catch a break. Bad enough that she runs into her ex-hubby, Nick, at her sister’s destination wedding, but now, by a cruel twist of fate, she’s being forced to make a cross-country road trip with him. And her almost-fiancé back at home is not likely to be sympathetic.

Harper can’t help that Nick has come blazing back into her life in all of his frustratingly appealing, gorgeous architect glory. But in Nick’s eyes, Harper’s always been the one. If they can only get it right this time, forever might be waiting—just around the bend.     from Goodreads

Harper has a hunky boyfriend, a coveted house overlooking the beach, and a successful career as a divorce attorney.  Just as she’s trying to propose to hunky boyfriend her step sister calls with the news that she’s marrying Harper’s ex-husband’s brother.  Hunky boyfriend comes in handy in these situations as they head to Montana for the wedding that Harper hopes doesn’t take place.

This is not your normal romance.  Yes, there’s first love never forgotten,  regret and steamy scenes, but there is also heartbreak, divorce, strange family ties and a hero and heroine not quite like the others.  I didn’t care for Harper for awhile and my issues with ex-hubby Nick remained, BUT the book had its charm and the last few chapters were top-notch.  I like the way that Higgins dealt with the parents and their issues in this book.  For me, that where the heart was.

Higgins, as always, entertains while touching your heart.

The Art of the Handwritten Note. Finished 4-17-20, 3/5 stars, reference, 153 pages, pub. 2002

For those who enjoy writing notes, or those who value doing so but find themselves intimidated by the task, acclaimed calligrapher Margaret Shepherd has created both an epistolary tribute and rescue manual. Just as you cherish receiving personal mail, you can take pleasure in crafting correspondence. Love, gratitude, condolences, congratulations–for every emotion and occasion, a snippet of heartfelt prose is included, sure to loosen the most stymied letter writer.  from Goodreads

Civilized, stolen right from the title, is the perfect work for this letter writing reference.  Shepherd starts with the why of a personal, handwritten note and during these crazy times of social distancing I think we all can agree that a heartfelt note in the mailbox can really brighten your day.  Gage and I made crafty heart cards for all of our neighbors on the street and spread some love closer to home.  It’s a great time to pick up a pen and paper and practice your cursive skills.

There’s quite a bit of time spent on the paper to choose, the different kinds of pens, and how to improve your handwriting before she gets into the nitty-gritty of what to say.  I liked reading about what to say and what not to say, but the whole thing felt a little bit tone deaf in 2020.  I picked this up at the library book sale a few months ago and it was a good time to read it.

American Dirt. Finished 4-11-20, 4/5 stars, fiction, pub 2019

Lydia Quixano Pérez lives in the Mexican city of Acapulco. She runs a bookstore. She has a son, Luca, the love of her life, and a wonderful husband who is a journalist. And while there are cracks beginning to show in Acapulco because of the drug cartels, her life is, by and large, fairly comfortable.

Even though she knows they’ll never sell, Lydia stocks some of her all-time favorite books in her store. And then one day a man enters the shop to browse and comes up to the register with a few books he would like to buy—two of them her favorites. Javier is erudite. He is charming. And, unbeknownst to Lydia, he is the jefe of the newest drug cartel that has gruesomely taken over the city. When Lydia’s husband’s tell-all profile of Javier is published, none of their lives will ever be the same.

Forced to flee, Lydia and eight-year-old Luca soon find themselves miles and worlds away from their comfortable middle-class existence. Instantly transformed into migrants, Lydia and Luca ride la bestia—trains that make their way north toward the United States, which is the only place Javier’s reach doesn’t extend. As they join the countless people trying to reach el norte, Lydia soon sees that everyone is running from something. But what exactly are they running to?    from Goodreads

So, I read about the controversy before my book group picked it for this month.  I understood that it was coming from a sincere place.  I won’t go into it much here, but you can always do a search if you’re interested, there are lots of articles.  I read the first shocking and heartbreaking chapter and understood the hook.  I was drawn in right from the get go.

The story begins with the violent murders of Lydia’s family, fourteen in total, by the cartel in Acapulco.  Forced to flee with her son, this middle class bookstore owner has more means and motive than the average migrant heading north.  The two are literally running for their lives.  Luca is only a year younger than Gage and I would love to own a bookstore so I was perhaps extra invested in their plight.  The complexity of escaping the cartel and the stories of the people they met along the was eye opening.

I liked the way that the story was told with live action interspersed with significant flashbacks to give the story heft.  There was a humanizing of all of the characters that you don’t often find.  It’s a timely and important story with a perspective not many of us understand and for that reason alone it should be read.

My book group of ten all liked the book to varying degrees, except for the one who only made it to the 82% mark.  I found it hard to read about such a heartbreaking topic when I was so stressed and I do think that tempered my enjoyment of it.  I’m still glad that I read it.