Mennonite in a Little Black Dress (A Memoir of Going Home) by Rhoda Janzen

Rhoda Janzen's memoir of the breakdown of her marriage is insightful and humorous. She proves that you can go home again when you have a supportive and loving family. Although they may not always understand the choices she's made in her life, they're there for her when she needs them.

I grew up in a community that was predominantly Mennonite and Catholic and I was neither. What I know (and think I have always known) about Mennonites is their goodness as well as their willingness to help others in need -- family or not. Rhoda's memoir just reinforced that belief for me.

This was one of my favorite reads this year and Rhoda's interactions with her mother had me laughing so hard at times that I couldn't talk!

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"One Good Turn" by Kate Atkinson

Once again Kate Atkinson has created a novel with well developed characters (personal lives, too) and lots of twists and turns. This murder mystery is the second in the Jackson Brodie series after "Case Histories." It is in this story that Jackson Brodie meets Det. Sgt. Louise Monroe for the first time and they're reunited in the third book, "When Will There Be Good News?" This seems to be a theme with Atkinson because some of the key players in "Case Histories" show up in this second book, too.

Jackson Brodie has a great line in this book, "...And I don't believe in coincidence,.....A Coincidence is just an explanation waiting to happen."

As in her other two books, Atkinson takes a cast of characters seemingly unrelated and unfolds a tale that has them all connected in some way by the end of the book -- a fascinating read.

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"Death of a Gossip"

This "whodunit" by M. C. Beaton is set in the wilds of Scotland where a diverse group have gathered to attend a fishing school. When one of the guests is murdered, the local village constable, Hamish MacBeth, is deemed not experienced enough to investigate the case so Detective Chief Inspector Blair along with two assistants arrive to solve the murder. In the meantime, despite being told by Blair to stay out of the case, MacBeth quietly does his own investigation to successfully find the murderer. He has a little help from Priscilla Halburton-Smythe, the daughter of a local landowner who is not at all pleased at the interest the local constable is showing in his daughter.

This is the first in a series of Hamish MacBeth mysteries (Copyright 1985) written by Marion Chesney (an author of historical romances) writing under the pseudonym M. C. Beaton. There appear to be 27 Hamish MacBeth books. I found a paperback copy of this book at my local library and it has a label on the outside which states, "The condition of this book may not be typical of ....Libraries quality. New copies of this out of print title are not available."

Initially, I had difficulty following all the characters and had to paper clip the Cast of Characters list at the start of the book so I could refer back to it often. Otherwise, it was a quick and fun read and I'm looking for the next book in the series.

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"The Geography of Bliss"

Author, Eric Weiner, is searching for happiness so he decides to visit the World Database of Happiness in the Netherlands to find out which countries are the happiest and which are the unhappiest. After some in depth time in the Netherlands he sets off to visit some of the happiest and unhappiest countries in the world. He shares in the book his observations after visiting The Netherlands, Switzerland, Bhutan, Qatar, Iceland, Moldova, Thailand, Great Britain, India, and returning home to America. I probably wouldn't have picked this book up except our couple's book club chose it for their May read. I enjoyed learning about the different countries -- some I'd not heard of before -- and I enjoyed Weiner's style of writing and his humor. I won't spoil it for you and tell you which countries are the happiest or unhappiest -- You'll have to read it for yourself!

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"Harte's Desire"

This novel by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles is a departure from her Detective Bill Slider series which I fell in love with last year. This story centers on two neighbors, Polly and Ginnie, and their ever so different lifestyles. When American media mogul, Simon Harte, moves into their neighborhood, their lives are turned upside-down! It's about deception in marriage and other relationships and how adding an outsider to the equation has the potential to change everything! Although it was an enjoyable read, I have to admit I still prefer the Bill Slider series.

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"On A Clear Day" DVD

This has been on my list of movies to see since I saw previews for it at the movie theater. Although I didn't make it back to the theater to see it, it was a recent date night movie and I enjoyed the way it wove a serious theme with some light moments. When Frank Redmond (played by Peter Mullan) loses his job, he decides to swim the English Channel as a personal challenge. In the meantime his wife is trying to pass the test to become a bus driver. As they each strive to reach their goals and keep what they're doing secret from one another, challenges arise in their relationship and with their son and his family. Frank has the support of his friends and eventually his decision to swim the English Channel brings the family together in a way that brings unexpected healing to old wounds.

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"The Spellman Files"

Think Janet Evanovich and, if you love her novels, I believe you'll also like Isabel "Izzy" Spellman and her wacky family created by author, Lisa Lutz. In this debut novel about the Spellman family and their private investigation firm, the family is introduced: Izzy's Mom (Olivia) and Dad (Albert), her older brother (David) and her younger sister (Rae), Uncle Ray (her dad's older brother who Rae is named after), and last but not least, Petra (Izzy's friend since childhood when they were mischievous partners in crime). We also meet Inspector Henry Stone of the San Francisco Police Department and get a detailed list of Izzy's former boyfriends, how long they dated, and why they broke up.

I'm off to pick up the second book in the series, "Curse of the Spellmans!"

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"No Reservations" DVD

After seeing part of this movie on television one night, I wanted to watch it from beginning to end so picked it up at our local library for a recent date night. Catherine Zeta-Jones (Kate) stars as a workaholic master chef who is suddenly responsible for her orphaned niece (Abigail Breslin)and is clueless as to how to relate to a grade schooler. Actually, she's clueless about relationships in general!

Kate's employer makes seeing a therapist a condition of her continuing employment but Kate seems to enjoy cooking for her therapist more than talking about her issues. When a new chef is added to the kitchen and Kate thinks he may be threatening her job, tensions and romantic sparks fly! However, the path is not smooth and Kate has some learning to do along the way to true love and new parenthood. It's a charming movie with some great acting.

Be sure to check out the special features after the film. I found it fascinating to learn how much time the cast had to spend in kitchens with chefs to appear realistic in playing their roles (and they do!). When host Marc Summers visits the set for an episode of his food network series, Catherine Zeta-Jones admits she doesn't cook in her private life.

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"Belshazzar's Daughter" by Barbara Nadel

This mystery set in Istanbul's poor Jewish quarter is full of intrigue and unsolved mysteries beyond the initial murder that sets off an investigation by Inspector Cetin Ikmen. While investigating the murder, Inspector Ikmen is also dealing with a strict Muslim wife (who disapproves of his drinking), his retired professor father who lives with them, and his eight children -- with another due very soon!

Inspector Ikmen's investigation leads him and his staff to an English-language teacher with some secrets of his own, a half-German businessman known to be a Nazi sympathizer, and a ninety-year-old Russian emigre and her rather unconventional family who also have secrets to hide. As Ikmen methodically pursues a killer, the investigation also divulges secrets as well as connections among these diverse and colorful characters and involves more murder and danger along the way.

Although Barbara Nadel was born in England, she has been a regular vistor to Turkey for more than twenty years. This is her first novel and the fact that it was published by Thomas Dunne books impressed me. (Thomas Dunne is the only publisher who was willing to publish Joe Haldeman's science fiction book, "The Forever War," so soon after the Vietnam War.)

The characters in Nadel's book are well developed and interesting and the plot kept me guessing throughout. I will read more of her books in the future.

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"It Happened One Night" DVD

On a recent date night my spouse and I decided to watch Frank Capra's classic movie, "It Happened One Night" with Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert. They play an heiress and a reporter who happen to meet while she's running away to elope with a man her father doesn't approve of. Of course, en route everything changes as she attempts to hide her identity and he discovers who she is and decides to help her out. There's comedy and misadventure but the real complication arises when they fall in love.

This was set in a time before I was born but life was not too different from what it was like for me -- well except for the fact that I wasn't a wealthy heiress! (See my blog "Wedding Gowns.") Even so I was still appalled that a woman of legal age could be "kidnapped" by her father in an attempt to keep her from marrying the man she loved (even though her father might have had better insight into the character of that man than she did because he'd sheltered her from the real world).

If you want a look at what life was like in the 30's, watch this DVD and you'll also get a glimpse into why Clark Gable and Claudette Colbert were so popular in their day. This film was the 1934 winner of 5 Academy Awards for Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Director, and Best Screenplay.

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Wedding Gowns

I sometimes wish I'd been born a decade or two after I actually was. I grew up in an age of conformity when women were expected to be wives, mothers, secretaries, nurses, or teachers. The men called the shots and women were expected to do as they were told by their fathers, brothers, male bosses, and husbands. I was a young adult at the time of the Vietnam War and the sexual revolution -- too busy attending college, getting married, and having children to pay attention to much of that. I deferred to my mother in most matters pertaining to my wedding except for a few critical details -- like the groom who I refused to give up for someone with more perceived status or money!

Although I haven't always been a "good littl girl" and I haven't always conformed to society's expectations, my rebellions (for the most part) have been of a more subtle nature. So.....when I read today on the internet about the trend to wear something other than the traditional white wedding dress these days, I wished I'd had that option when I married. (If I'd chosen anything other than white in that era, I'm sure it would have been assumed I wasn't a virgin -- laughable today that anyone would care about that, isn't it?!)

One bride (who looks terrible in white) had always wanted to be married in red and she made it happen on her wedding day. Her husband-to-be knew her so well that he even proposed with a ruby ring. Oh...red! One of my favorite colors...so, in my next lifetime...I'm choosing red for my wedding dress no matter what anyone says.....unless, of course, I have a different favorite color by then!

pazt

Kate Atkinson