Evvie Drake Starts Over. Finished 7-14-20, 4.25/5 stars, fiction, pub. 2019

In a small town in Maine, recently widowed Eveleth “Evvie” Drake rarely leaves her house. Everyone in town, including her best friend, Andy, thinks grief keeps her locked inside, and she doesn’t correct them. In New York, Dean Tenney, former major-league pitcher and Andy’s childhood friend, is struggling with a case of the “yips”: he can’t throw straight anymore, and he can’t figure out why. An invitation from Andy to stay in Maine for a few months seems like the perfect chance to hit the reset button.

When Dean moves into an apartment at the back of Evvie’s house, the two make a deal: Dean won’t ask about Evvie’s late husband, and Evvie won’t ask about Dean’s baseball career. Rules, though, have a funny way of being broken–and what starts as an unexpected friendship soon turns into something more. But before they can find out what might lie ahead, they’ll have to wrestle a few demons: the bonds they’ve broken, the plans they’ve changed, and the secrets they’ve kept. They’ll need a lot of help, but in life, as in baseball, there’s always a chance–right up until the last out.     from Goodreads

What a great summer read (or listen, in my case)!  What at first seemed like a fairly standard rom-com turned into something so much more authentic.  Evvie was leaving her husband, her bags were in the car, when she got a phone call from the hospital telling her to come right away.  As she played the part of the dutiful widower she felt like a fraud.  Enter Dean.  Once a star pitcher his career had stalled and he was not sure what to do about it.  I really liked that the friendship came first and that they didn’t hold back truth to be polite.  And the ending?  Not what I was expecting and I loved it.

This is a good one!

A Desperate Fortune. Finished 7-6-20, 3.75/5 stars, romance, 528 pages, pub. 2015

For nearly 300 years, the mysterious journal of Jacobite exile Mary Dundas has lain unread-its secrets safe from prying eyes. Now, amateur codebreaker Sara Thomas has been hired by a once-famous historian to crack the journal’s cipher.

But when she arrives in Paris, Sara finds herself besieged by complications from all sides: the journal’s reclusive owner, her charming Parisian neighbor, and Mary, whose journal doesn’t hold the secrets Sara expects. As Mary’s tale grows more and more dire, Sara, too, must carefully choose which turning to take… to find the road that will lead her safely home.      from Goodreads

Sara, as explained early on, has Asperger syndrome.  Her best friend is her cousin, who is offering her a chance at a code breaking job in Paris.  A famous writer wants her to decipher an almost 300 year old diary and she accepts since she is between jobs.  She gets put up at a nice home with a cook and with a good looking man who catches her eye as a neighbor.  She begins to uncover Mary’s story, one that could easily be called a thriller, and it’s there that this book finds its heart.

I liked Sara and enjoyed the honest portrayal of a character on the autism spectrum, but it was Mary that had me turning the pages, hoping that she would get her happily ever after.  For a girl abandoned by her family and then used to curry favor, she was easy to love.  In the 1700s a trek from Paris to Italy was fraught with danger, especially when you were caught with a man who recognized the bounty on the head of her travel companions.  I won’t spoil Mary’s end, but I will say that it was fitting.

Kearsley is a master at the dual storylines set in different time periods.  Usually the storylines match up a bit better than they do in this one and there is most often more of a mystical aspect, but I was still happy to be reading.  Her books are most definitely comfort read for me…and very much needed at this time.

Megabat and Fancy Cat.  Finished 7-25-20, children’s fiction, 171 pages, pub. 2019

Illustrated by Kass Reich

Megabat series #2 (1-Megabat)

Megabat was looking forward to Christmas morning: presents, playing toys, smooshfruit and watching Star Wars. But then Daniel opened his last, most special present.

Daniel thinks this might be the best Christmas present yet: a beautiful cat named Priscilla! He’s always wanted a pet.

Megabat is not sure he likes this cat. She tastes most hairy.

Daniel loves his new cat! She’s fun to play with, and she’s so soft and fluffy.

Megabat is not soft OR fluffy. He’s not purebred and he doesn’t have a big, beautiful swishy tail. What if Daniel loves Priscilla more than Megabat? This is truly a disturbance in the Force. Megabat and Birdgirl must find a way to get rid of this trubble cat once and for all!    from Penguin Random House

Answers by Gage

Why didn’t Megabat and Fancy Cat get along?

Fancy Cat (Priscilla) got all the attention and Megabat didn’t like it.

Your favorite thing about Megabat was…

all of  the the crazy ideas he came up with to get rid of Fancy Cat.

Which one was your favorite idea?

When he painted himself to look fancy like Priscilla.

What’s the lesson in the story?

Don’t be jealous or mean, be welcoming and nice.

Did you like this book?

Thumbs up!

The Brave Learner. Finished 7-22-20, 4/5 stars, education, 294 pages, pub. 2019

Parents who are deeply invested in their children’s education can be hard on themselves and their kids. When exhausted parents are living the day-to-day grind, it can seem impossible to muster enough energy to make learning fun or interesting. How do parents nurture a love of learning amid childhood chaos, parental self-doubt, the flu, and state academic standards?

In this book, Julie Bogart distills decades of experience–homeschooling her five now grown children, developing curricula, and training homeschooling families around the world–to show parents how to make education an exciting, even enchanting, experience for their kids, whether they’re in elementary or high school.      from Goodreads

“When parents collaborate, kids learn”  page 65

I checked out a lot of homeschooling books when I made the decision to jump in an do it this year.  This was the first one I read and it was inspirational, to a point.  This mother chose to do a more child-centered homeschool than I would be comfortable with attempting.  The book is full of creative and positive ways that you might approach your day, your kids, and learning, but if you are looking for a nuts and bolts instructional book, this is probably not the one to use.

I loved the positive energy and the stories, but wondered about some of the things she recommends, like not having nice things, even going as far as denting your table early on so you don’t have to worry about it staying nice.  Her approach to cleaning the house is another somewhat controversial area (at least given the amount of flak she’s taken about it on GR reviews).  Kids will learn to clean toilets, dishes and floors as they need to as an adult so don’t feel bad about hiring help.  In general, I’m not against help.  When Gage was an infant we hired someone to come every other week for 2 1/2 hours to clean bathrooms and floors.  But, somehow, now that Gage is home I feel like this needs to be part of what he learns to do.  I say that now, I guess, in three months you might hear me admitting to having Henri come help out again 🙂

This is a very kid-centered way of learning and something that every parent could get inspiration from, not just ones choosing to teach at home.  She is a facilitator and mentor, not necessary mom, when school is taking place.  I enjoyed the perspective, creative energy, and vibe of the book.  I would have loved attending her homeschool!