Name that tune...

Obscure song lyric:

"See the girls with the dresses so tight.."

Name that tune...bonus points if you know the band.

True Colors

I finished True Colors by Kristin Hannah, the same author who wrote Firefly Lane. This is a story about three sisters, Winona, Aurora and Vivi Ann. Winona is the oldest and seems to be out-shined by Vivi Ann all the time. Vivi Ann, the youngest, is the prettiest and most loved by their father. Aurora is the middle child and the peace maker. This story, much like life, seems to forget about Aurora and centers mainly around Winona and Vivi Ann. Winona is always competing with her youngest sister over boys and her father's attention. Vivi Ann is clueless to the competition.

We follow along through their lives and loves. Vivi Ann is courted by the man Winona loves. Their father is looking for ways to keep his land in the family and Vivi Ann comes up with all the best ideas. But will Viv always be the apple of her father's eye? We see a lot of the father in the beginning, yet in the middle of the story he is awol. I found myself wondering if I had missed the part where he died. Nope, he showed up again at the end. It was a little awkward, like she had forgotten about him.

A lot goes on in this book, yet it didn't hold me like Firefly Lane. I think there was more care in developing the girls in Firefly Lane than there was in this book. Some of the story line seemed quite familiar to her first book too. I was a little disappointed because I was so pleasantly surprised by her first book. I would call this book a chick-lit, story of the lives of sisters.
I would not call it any where near as good as Firefly Lane.

I give this a 3 out of 5

The Lake That Stole Children

I just read The Lake That Stole Children by Douglas Glenn Clark. This is a wonderful story told along the vein of a Grimm's fairy tale. I loved that is was set here in Michigan too!.

It is set in a small fishing town and is centered around a fisherman, his wife, his son and his daughter. His boy wants to be a great fisherman and he longs to use the great lures and the pole his father uses so he can cast out far into the lake. The fisherman is a very stern father and scolds his son when he doesn't listen.

Children from this small town have gone missing. The parent don't know where to turn. One night the fisherman's boy is drawn to the lake, and he cast's out into the middle of the lake. When he gets a bite on the line, it is too strong and he is pulled into the lake and taken hostage by the big glass fish that lives in the lake.

This is a wonderful fable with colorful descriptions. It is a young adult/adult book and I checked out the reviews that it got on Amazon and was a little surprised. Some said they wouldn't read this book to children because of some of the messages. For example, the wife blamed the father for her missing son. I disagree with the reviews. I think this is a book that could bring about some wonderful teaching moments for children. Sometimes parents get upset with each other, it is normal. Relationships take work. Sometimes we think we want something without stepping back and wondering if we are ready for it. Is there something the father could have done different? Maybe the son should have sat down and explained to his father that he wanted to be great like him. The teacher in me found many great conversations that could be had when this book is shared, and I found that when I sat back and thought about the story it was much deeper than I even realized when I was reading it.

I give this book a 5 out of 5.

A little story

Once upon a time there was a mom and a wife.
She would talk and breathe and because of that...she sucked.

the end