The House on Tradd Street & The Girl on Legare Street

Book Bag Rating: Read it!

I loved these two books so much that I even wrote to the author to ask her when the next book in the series was due. There will be four books in the series which will not be enough for me. If you are looking for novels with deep meaning or book club discussion these are not for you. I would categorize these as smart beach or bubble bath reads. A friend described The Time Travelers Wife as really good dark chocolate (not like Forrest Gump) she read it very slowly, only allowing herself a few pages at a time so it would last. This is how I felt about these books. I, however, can devour a box of chocolates quickly and did the same here.

The stories are set in Charleston, SC. The author paints a beautiful picture of Charleston and brings to life wonderful characters. A good book for me always makes me feel like I know the characters whether I like them or not. The heroine of these stories is Melanie Middleton, a real estate agent specializing in historic homes, yet she herself prefers the new and bland. In the first book The House on Tradd Street, Melanie is left quite surprisingly a historic home complete with dog, housekeeper and many secrets with the stipulation that she needs to live in it for one year or forfeit the property. Melanie decides to proceed with renovating the home in the hope of making a tidy profit when it's done. Along the way she meets Jack Trenholm a gorgeous, charming author. Jack is obsessed with unsolved mysteries and the two work together to unlock the secrets of The Tradd Street House. I loved all the renovation and history scattered throughout. I loved the relationship between the characters and I was drawn in from page one.

In the second installment Melanie moves back to her childhood home to help her mother, an opera singer recently retired, renovate the house after buying it back from modern art enthusiasts. Again, Melanie and Jack team up and discover some family secrets that prove dangerous to know. The ending of this book surprised and left me begging for more...Unfortunately, I'll be waiting until 2011 when the next installment is scheduled for publication.

There is a supernatural aspect of these stories but it is not so overwhelming as to make this a horror or science fiction book. Somehow the author makes it believable and readable. Her character development for me was first class and I'll be stalking her website for the release date of the third book.

The Ten Year Nap

Book Bag Rating: Skip it

I was excited to read it since my daughter is 9 years old and I haven't worked in that many years. The story is about a group of women who have put their careers on hold for ten years to raise children. Ten years later they realize the kiddos don't need full-time care any more -- so now what?

One character, a lawyer, is star struck by another who works and seems to have an exciting life. Her story line follows this woman around while she herself resents having to rejoin the work force and practice her profession. Another is married to a man who takes a job because his "career" of puppetry is not paying off...yes puppets. (Spoiler alert--he ends up making it work!) The most pathetic moves to the burbs for her learning disabled child whom she doesn't seem like. I really disliked these woman and hope to God that I am not like any of them even though I've taken a 9 year nap...one that I'm not so ready to wake up from. I like being a stay at home mom, but heck that's me.

I disliked this book. The characters are whiny and pathetic. Only one of the women seems happy with her choices. The others seem to merely exist in some kid limbo dreaming about what could have been. Sure we all sacrifice for our kids but in my experience we do it willingly and without regret.

One of my friends said "I read it quickly because I kept thinking something has to happen and nothing ever really does." The author's style is to describe things ad nauseum. Some people enjoy that kind of detail. I do not. I can picture a child waking from sleep without being described the funky smells!

I found myself sympathizing with the children in the story which I'm sure was not the author's intent.

A Reliable Wife

Book Bag Rating: Read it!

For the last month every time I walked through Borders I passed this book. I would pick it up, read the reviews, and then put it down. Last week I finally purchased it.

A Reliable Wife was not at all what I expected and for the first few chapters I wasn't sure I liked it. As the tale unfolded I found myself completely engrossed in the story which takes place in the winter of 1907 in rural Wisconsin. Ralph Truit a broken middle aged man places an ad for a reliable wife. Catherine Land answers the ad promising she is an honest and simple woman. She is neither. As the tale unfolds many secrets from the past are revealed. These secrets are largely predicable and yet the story is still fresh. Catherine is a chameleon capable of doing and being anything her new husband desires. Ralph Truit is so scarred from his past that he and Catherine are more alike than they know.

Despite the tragedy that each character endures, the book is smart and very sexy. If reading about sex on a very primitive level bothers you...don't read this book. It's not vulgar or extremely descriptive but it's a large part of the book. Sex is almost a character in the story. Each character has their own relationship with sex and it's not necessarily a good one.

Overall I really liked this book. I like Mr. Goolrick's writing style. I could envision the desolate cold of a Wisconsin winter. I found myself sympathizing with the characters and rooting for a "happy ending." The story twists and turns and provides a satisfying read.