Welcome to Six Sentence Saturday
Where I try to express my thoughts on recent reads using only 6 sentences!!!!.
At the end of each review I will post a
rating scale of 1-5 using the cute and original (lol) Playing Cards.
Rating scale will be as follows:
At the end of each review I will post a
rating scale of 1-5 using the cute and original (lol) Playing Cards.
Rating scale will be as follows:
5 of Hearts- You must read this book NOW!!
4 of Hearts- A great read, put it on your TBR list.
3 of Hearts- Glad I read but no big deal
2 of Hearts- Why did I finish this?
Joker Card - Don't bother (why did I?)
I want to thank JoAnn for her review of this one. I'm not going to do 6 sentences, but instead post my favorite story from his book.
SHIPWRECK
After the shipwreck I was devastated and
cried for weeks. When I emerged from my
grief, I realized that my girlfriend's death
shouldn't be the end of me. I found someone
as pretty and nice as her and eventually I
invited her on a beach holiday. My old girlfriend
was washed up on the shore. She'd been clinging
to a plank for fourteen months, living on raw fish,
rainwater and her love for me. I was
faced with a choice. My new girl won because
the old one was skinny and bedraggled, and
besides, the water had made her all crinkly.
After the shipwreck I was devastated and
cried for weeks. When I emerged from my
grief, I realized that my girlfriend's death
shouldn't be the end of me. I found someone
as pretty and nice as her and eventually I
invited her on a beach holiday. My old girlfriend
was washed up on the shore. She'd been clinging
to a plank for fourteen months, living on raw fish,
rainwater and her love for me. I was
faced with a choice. My new girl won because
the old one was skinny and bedraggled, and
besides, the water had made her all crinkly.
My Rating:
I love Berg's writing and this one was no exception. She always seems to bring to light the true soul of a woman...at least to me she does. There wasn't a slow part to this book and I enjoyed every single page. Though I'm not the age of Nan, I have experienced those pangs of wondering who I am and what will I do when my youngest son leaves my home? In my journey of being a wife and mother I feel that I've lost touch with what makes me, me...and what makes me happy. This book expressed all of those thoughts I've had and so much more...highly recommended!
My Rating:
This was a truly enjoyable way to spend a few hours. I really liked the back story of Suzan's grandmother Matilda and to me that was the glue that held this book together. The recipes were really interesting to read and there were some ingredients that I've never heard of!!! I also liked that she included copies of the originals, many written in her grandmother's hand. I don't think that I will be making any of the dishes from this book, because honestly they're too complicated for this simpleton cook!!! I'm so glad that Suzan uncovered this folder of recipes in the basement and that it led to her sharing a bit of her grandmother's wisdom with the rest of us.
My Rating:
Arranged a little different, "Shipwreck" could read like a poem from a free verse novel. At least, that's the feel I get for it.
ReplyDeleteI still need to read Berg! I have one in waiting that I picked up at a library sale. Don't you find you can pick out her books just by looking at the cover? Glad to hear how much you liked this one!
I have a couple old recipe books that belonged to my grandmother--old, yellowed and batter splatered, they help keep her close when I'm missing her most. What's your favourite summer fruit or berry to enjoy in winter? Nothing brings back summer during those cold winter months like blueberries for me ...
That is a neat meme and I liked how you summed up each book! I am going to add Cherries in Winter to my Fall Reading list!
ReplyDeleteAll of these sound very good. I love the story! But it's kind of sad too - reminds me of the movie Cast Away!
ReplyDeleteI've yet to read Elizabeth Berg but a friend of mine always recommends her. Not sure why I haven't gotten around to her books yet but this one sounds really good. Thanks for the great review. Have a wonderful weekend.
ReplyDeleteGlad you liked Anthropology - I've never read anything like it! Cherries in Winter sounds great... will check the library for that one. Haven't read Berg in several years, but remember loving this one, too.
ReplyDeleteAnother great week in books! The cover of The Pull of the Moon is fabulous - after your review, I want that book!
ReplyDeleteOk...that fave paragraph of your on that first book...that has got to be the funniest thing I have ever read!! I LOVE IT!! LOL!!! And loving these reviews as always Staci! :):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):):)
ReplyDeleteStaci, I love these posts. I look forward to them. PULL OF THE MOON is probably my favorite Berg book. She is a little hit and miss with me, but this one just spoke to me when I read it several years ago. Glad you enjoyed it too.
ReplyDelete"Pull of the Moon" is one of my favorite books of all time. In one of her later books, "Ordinary Life", Berg wrote the story "Martin's Letter to Nan" which she wrote in response to readers who had read "The Pull of the Moon", and wondered how Martin felt when Nan suddenly took off.
ReplyDeleteI am a Berg fan and have read most of her books but not this one. I need to catch up, this one sounds wonderful. I agree, her writing highlights the true soul of a woman! I enjoyed Cherries in Winter as well, an enjoyable book.
ReplyDeleteI have put all three books on my wish list. I'll blame you later. I'm listening to an audio book of Elizabeth Berg - The Day I Ate Everything I Wanted. It's a laugh-out-loud-book recommended by the librarian. I have to read more of her books.
ReplyDeleteI loved the 101 word story. Thanks for sharing.
Thanks for reminding me I need to read POTM. I think I have it on the shelf. I enjoy Berg's books.
ReplyDeleteI'm going to have to add Berg's new book to my wish list. I haven't read everything she's written yet -but I probably own a copy :) She can be hit or miss like Kay said but your 5 hearts gives me hope for The Pull of the Moon.
ReplyDeleteThank goodness I wasn't drinking anything when I read Shipwrecked. That is so funny. Good choice!
ReplyDeleteBerg is an author who has eluded me! I've wanted to read her for so long. Anthropology sounds really interesting. Thanks for sharing that story.
ReplyDeleteI really like Elizabeth Berg. I need to read The Pull of the Moon.
ReplyDeleteI've never read any Berg. Obviously I need to remedy that.
ReplyDeleteOoh, I see you are reading The Missing Ink for the Cozy Challenge. I had my eye on that series!
ReplyDeleteI'm so glad that you loved Pull of the Moon. That is my favorite Berg book so far. Isn't it amazing how it made you feel that she was writing that book just for you?
ReplyDeleteThe Pull of the Moon sounds like one I'd love, I've only read Home Safe but I've got The Art of Mending on audio, have you read it?
ReplyDeleteI'm a big fan of Berg's earlier works, but those of late have been quite disappointing (with the exception of Home Safe). I was going to tell you about Ordinary Life (with "Martin's Letter to Nan"), but it looks like someone already beat me to that tidbit of info. I thought that collection of short stories was wonderful, and I usually don't care for them.
ReplyDeleteI love Elizabeth Berg. My library called, and I have The Pull of the Moon waiting there for me. Thanks for this recommendation--I think! I do think it sounds like a great book. I know I have lost who I am. I am a reader and music lover who got married and had kids and put everything on hold for a while, but I am trying to find myself again. It's hard to balance spending time with kids and doing things alone and then with the husband. Can't wait to read the book!
ReplyDeleteHi Staci,
ReplyDeleteThanks so much for giving my book a 4 of Hearts! I think that's my favorite rating (right next to People Magazine's 3 1/2 out of 4 stars).
It's so kind of you not only to read my book, but to include it in your Six Sentence Saturday review. Awesome idea, by the way...
Don't worry, the recipes are much easier than they look. If I could make them, anyone could!
Many thanks,
Suzan Colón
Author of "Cherries in Winter"