At Every Turn

At Every Turn by Anne Mateer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Alyce Benson loves to race her little sports car, especially out in the countryside, but it's only 1916 and women drivers are frowned upon - especially those who don't drive a sedate speed! Alyce is also a bit impulsive - her heart is in the right place but when missionaries come from the Gold Coast of Africa and share the need for funding, a pledge of $3,000 pops out of Alyce's mouth. When her well-to-do father angrily opposes donating the money in her name, Alyce does the only thing that she does well - she enlists the help of her father's mechanic, Wallace, and disguising herself as a man, enters the competition at the Chicago Speedway!

Even though this work of historical fiction is light on the facts, it's still enjoyable. Stepping back into the early 1900s, as in Alyce's case, young women from wealthy homes were expected to be wards of their father's until they married well. Alyce was very fortunate to be able to drive and have her own car - so for women to race was actually unthinkable. A woman was even forbidden to be in the pits - Danica Patrick and NASCAR were way off in the future!

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You are the Love of my Life

You Are the Love of My Life by Susan Richards Shreve
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Lucy Painter has always kept secrets - it had been well taught to her by her mother after Lucy's beloved and famous father committed suicide in the Summer of '51. Now in the Winter of 1973 Lucy, single mom of teen Maggie and cuddly, sweet Felix, is moving back to her hometown of DC and the same house her father hanged himself. With her, Maggie will still carry all the shameful secrets, hauled back and forth across country, secrets that have become larger, secrets that even her children do not know. While hanging ever tighter to her encumbered baggage, Lucy continues to push people away, even her own daughter until it's almost too late....

A very interesting novel - I liked reading about DC in the early 70s. 12 going on 13 in 1973 and just getting ready to enter our 9-12th school here in Western Maryland, I remember hearing about the Watergate scandal and President Nixon and watching coverage on our B&W TV. (I won't mention how my father became agitated watching the only three channels we could get!) Another turbulent time in our lives...

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The Chance

The Chance: A Novel by Karen Kingsbury
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Teenagers Ellie and Nolan are best friends and have been since second grade and it was at their favorite spot - where they had played hide and seek, did homework, and cracked their hearts open - at the biggest Oak tree in Gordonston Park, that Ellie had to tell Nolan that she was leaving Georgia and moving to California. It's the same spot they decide to bury Nolan's old, rusty tackle box with enclosed letters written to each other and then meet again in eleven years to unearth and read the precious words. Will their lives be changed by then or will their dreams be still on hold?

Bestselling Karen Kingsbury writes a sweet, sad novel of choices and how our lives sometimes don't follow the paths we originally choose for ourselves....

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The Secret Keeper

The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Sixteen year old Laurel Nicolson, hiding in her favorite spot - the family treehouse - witnessed something that she will never forget - her sweet, happy young mother plunging a cake knife into an unknown man's chest. Everything changes after that, everything....now 50 years later, Laurel - an accomplished actress - is still looking for answers to how her mother, now 90 and nearing death, could have committed such a horrible crime and then covered it up with a lie.

Oh my, such a great book - of mysteries and coverups, love and great loss, set in again one of my favorite time periods, pre-WWII to the Blitz and back to current times in England. Sometimes circumstances can change your entire life...this book should be your definite next read!

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Tiny Whittling

Tiny Whittling: More Than 20 Projects to Make by Steve Tomashek
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I must fess up and admit that I've always wanted to be able to whittle - yes, whip out some amazing little carving with my own two hands and a knife. Impress your friends and family. This little book fed my appetite and even though I haven't started whittling yet, as God be my witness - I will one day. (Besides that I'm in the middle of learning how to knit scarves.) Anyway, you'll learn why the artist committed himself to carving as a hobby (after a great loss), what types of wood works better than other kinds, learn safety tips and knives to use and useful painting techniques. The first project actually uses soap as the medium, the second uses a turnip! Progress from vegetables to wood and learn a new hobby!

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Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey

Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey: The Lost Legacy of Highclere Castle by The Countess of Carnarvon
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

A very interesting read indeed, especially if you're fascinated with history like me. This story follows the charmed life of Lady Almina and her family, including her husband, the 5th Earl of Carnarvon - he of famed notoriety and co-discoverer of King Tut's tomb in the Valley of the Kings. Highclere Castle, the main home of the Carnavon's, sets on a 1,000 acre country estate in Berkshire and is used in the filming of the well-loved PBS series, Downton Abbey. Almina, illegitimate daughter of Sir Alfred de Rothschild, uses her immense dowry to update Highclere and during World War 1 - outfit it as a top notch hospital for the huge number of returning injured men. In the years following the war, Highclere returns to being a country home, but has suffered the loss of so many men who had found employment and shelter there. Almina raises a son and daughter, but loses her beloved husband at a young age. If you watch the Downton Abbey series, you'll find even enjoyment in this read.

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