Sarah, Plain and Tall by Patricia MacLachlan HarperCollins, 1985 58 pages For most of my childhood, my family attended a church that had a lending library. Among the books were novels about pioneer-era mail-order marriages, which I completely devoured. They were trite and fluffy reads, but through them I caught a glimpse of something serious: … Continue reading Sarah, Plain and Tall
Grandma’s Purple Flowers
Grandma's Purple Flowers by Adjoa J. Burrowes Lee & Low Books, 2000 32 pages I've written before about the special relationship I had with my maternal grandmother, and about how devastated I was when she died, just a few months before I graduated from college. I know I was blessed to have her as long … Continue reading Grandma’s Purple Flowers
Super Secondaries: The Ladies of Norvelt
Dead End in Norvelt by Jack Gantos Farrar Straus Giroux, 2011 341 pages I have a thing for dark humor. I'm also a fan of period fiction (sometimes truly historical, sometimes not) and stories with a strong regional flavor. Give me a book, TV show, or movie that combines the two, and I'm in heaven. … Continue reading Super Secondaries: The Ladies of Norvelt