Each month I revisit some of my past reviews. One of the reasons I started this book blog was to remember what books I have read. My memory isn't the greatest anymore and I found that I would read a book and then not remember if I liked it or what it was even about.
Maybe one of these will prompt you to seek out an older, but amazing book. Or, if you've read one of these and your review was different, please share!
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Let Them Eat Cake by Sandra Byrd
3/5 Stars
11/2008
"Definitely chick-lit. Light and fluffy with very little depth or substance. Lexi is a college graduate going from job to job. Her degree is impractical, having something to do with French culture and literature. She moves back home, only to find that her parents are in the midst of preparing to sell their home and move to a retirement community. Predictably, Lexi's choices disappoint them. However, Lexi loves all things French and is determined to find employment that will indulge her.
When a casual conversation with the manager of a French bakery leads to a job offer, Lexi jumps in only to find that the pay is inadequate and the staff are difficult. The story is fairly predictable, but Lexi is likeable. She's real, there is nothing fairy-tale about the story. She says the wrong things at times and makes mistakes. Her family is annoying, but whose isn't at times? The story is Christian, without being preachy or religious.
Overall, a light, enjoyable read.
"
I don't remember anything about this.
Going Down South by Bonnie J. Glover
1/5 Stars
10/2008
"Most reviews I've seen call it "wonderful" and a great book for and about mothers and daughters.
It's meant to be a thought-provoking, coming of age, multi-generational book. A young girl becomes pregnant and her mother takes her down south to her grandmother's home. Mom and grandma are somewhat estranged, mom and daughter are somewhat estranged. Most of the men are losers. Secrets are shared and ideally everyone comes together at the end.
I couldn't even finish it. I didn't care about the characters. I couldn't relate to any of them and they inspired no compassion in me whatsoever. The book jumped around a lot, it wasn't a smooth read. It was too raw, with profanity and s*x scenes: and a vulgar edge that was uncomfortable. I'm sure it was "realistic" for many, but I didn't like it."
I have no memory of this one either. I didn't finish it, but I did link to several, more positive reviews for a different perspective.
One Perfect Day by Lauraine Snelling
4/5 Stars
10/2008
"Nora wants the perfect Christmas with her family. Jenna wants a miracle for her daughter. One snowy day, right before Christmas a tragic accident changes both of their lives forever. The story alternates chapters between Nora and Jenna. Nora struggles with grief and depression after the loss of her child. Jenna struggles with accepting the miracle of a new heart for her daughter, knowing that somewhere, another mother is grieving.
Beautifully written. Lauraine Snelling is a captivating storyteller. She captured the emotions of each mother so well and so believably. I haven't lost a child, but I've lost a parent and I know all too well how encompassing that grief feels. I haven't had a child who needed a heart transplant, but I have a child who was born with a heart condition that required open-heart surgery. I remember being in the NICU and seeing so many babies who wouldn't go home, and feeling guilty because mine would. I can only imagine how one would feel knowing that because one person died, your child lived. The mix of gratitude and grief could be overwhelming.
I'd never read Lauraine Snelling before, but you can bet that I will in the future. A lovely, touching story."
Apparently I enjoyed it. Quite a bit.
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What about you? What are some of the books you've read in previous years?
Ponder: to consider something deeply and thoroughly; meditate 
20 years ago. The Boy had open-heart surgery as a newborn. He was born with Transposition of the Great Arteries. The pulmonary and aorta arteries are reversed and so the oxygenated blood doesn't circulate properly. It is a heart defect that is fatal without surgical intervention.
