Burning Embers and Other Stories of Marriage, Work, and Family by, Charlie Close

If you need to laugh then curl up in a warm fuzzy blanket, add this book, and enjoy. Now you have all the ingredients to have a conversation with a funny friend (minus the friend in person- of course). Burning Embers and Other Stories of Marriage, Work and Family delivered as promised. Charlie Close relates tales of life in a voice that reminded me of stories often told at dinner parties full of friends who love to make people laugh. Close's stories were easy to relate to and will appeal to most adults with similar life experiences: moving cross-country, integrating with in-laws, job oddities, and so much more. As a fellow procrastinator and reformed slob I laughed along with Close's words as his wife patiently trained him to her liking much as my own husband has been doing with me in our first years of marriage. Close uses humor with a soft handed touch that made me smile, laugh, and feel good just like the conclusion of an evening among friends. I recommend you read this book in bits as the stories are too precious to be rushed through. The chapters are various lengths lending themselves to a quick read before ending a day. Now enjoy reading and make sure to share with friends who will appreciate the book as well- there is something about the book that screams 'share me!'

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The Army of the Republic by, Stuart Archer Cohen

The first sentence was delicious and the first page intriguing- then the book starts to fall flat on its face. The momentum picks up again later, however, the book clearly needs another draft or two. Dialogue drives the story in a book that spends more time devoted to moving through events rather than making the tale become real. The story had great potential but Cohen just doesn't pull it off. Instead we are left with a book full of conspiracy but fails to make the conspiracy tangible. It reads like a maniac who keeps repeating the same mantra. I wanted to like the book but Cohen fails in a genre where other writers have succeeded.

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The Mother Tongue: English and How it got That Way by, Bill Bryson

Believe it or not, this book was fun to read. Bryson is a very good writer and he presents factual information in a light hearted way. I read this while taking a course on the history of the English language and found this book to be a highlight. Bryson helps put our wacky language into perspective- be prepared to laugh. I can't wait to read another book by him; he is a fantastic writer.

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My Antonia by, Willa Cather

This book brought me back to my love of the frontier that I enjoyed so as a girl. I recall reading every Laura Ingalls Wilder book in adoration of the characters and the quiet determination one must have to live a life on the land. I still look up to people who work all day and find joy in the small moments of life. I'd forgotten what a life of ease I truly enjoy. This book doesn't radiate hardship but it shares hardship with a dignified narration that opens your eyes to a life few of us will ever know. I can see parallels between the immigrants working the land at the turn of the 20th century and the migrant immigrants today that enter the USA. I recommend this book highly and suggest you read in bite size pieces to digest slowly the rich characters and story Willa Cather has woven together.

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We Pointed Them North Recollections of a Cowpuncher by, E.C. "Teddy Blue" Abbott

A fun collection of memories of growing up on the range back when cowpunchers roamed. This book reads just like 'Teddy Blue' speaks- imagine what 'ole' grandpa's stories told on a front porch or around a campfire sound like and you have this book. Watch out though- do not take the book as fact. Having read this book and then conducting further research I discovered inaccuracies and holes in the story. One of my favorite stories includes 'Calamity Jane' while the the story may be true the date is not unless 'Calamity Jane' was a walking zombie as she'd been dead for over a year or two at the time 'Teddy Blue' claims to have conversed with her.

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