"The Secret Life Of CeeCee Wilkes" by Diane Chamberlain

The Secret Life of CeeCee Wilkes is a very good interesting book about mother/daughter relationships and which shows how people change over the years.  A gullible, love starved 16-yr.-old girl, CeeCee, gets involved over her head assisting with a kidnapping that turns out badly.  She makes some very poor choices and gets a new identity and a baby to raise that is not hers.  So many people’s lives are affected by the decisions she makes and I found myself pulling for CeeCee to make the right decisions along the way but time and again, she doesn’t.  It is a book about living with consequences of our actions and morality.

It’s a great story and I liked how it shows the feelings of both mothers and daughters.  I also liked the idea of the mother dying of Cancer writing letters to her daughter to be opened in the future as she got older, even though the daughter opened them all at once.  

I highly recommend this and would suggest it for a book club. This is a must read!

 Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

"When Zachary Beaver Came To Town" by Kimberly Willis Holt

Kimberly Willis Holt was thirteen when she saw the “Fattest boy in the World” at the Louisiana State Fair.  This memory gave her the idea for When Zachary Beaver Came To Town.  She writes about obesity, friendship and war through Toby’s experience, a thirteen year old boy in the small town of Antler, Texas.  When Zachary Beaver came to town as a sideshow, people stood in line to pay $2 to see him.  He was somewhere around 600 pounds!  He said he didn't mind people paying to see him because people would stare at him anyhow, he might as well get paid for it.

I liked reading how Toby’s feelings about Zachary changed from viewing him as an object, to judging him and disliking him, to actually becoming his friend.  Toby's best friend's brother was serving in the war in Vietnam and Toby was counting the days until his return.  Toby's mother went to follow her dream of becoming a country music singer and left.  Reading this coming of age book was a pleasure because there was not a lot of bad language in it and the characters were good kids.

This is a children’s book that I would recommend to tweeners.  Hopefully, by reading this book kids can become more empathetic of others.

Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

Book Club: "The Secret Life Of CeeCee Wilkes" Chapters 50-71

I'm so glad Eve finally told her husband the whole truth about who she really is and what really happened.  He proved to be a good guy when he stuck with her.  Cory understandably was feeling betrayed and very hurt, but I was glad she was able to forgive Eve and not marry Ken.  He was a control freak and I didn't like that he called Jack a "Baffoon."  

The fact that Tim did not implicate CeeCee in the kidnapping showed that he too had changed over the years and in a way, was trying to make up for using her for his own gain. 

It was good to see Cory finally think for herself and venture out of her comfort zone to take charge of her life.  I liked that Irving Russell accepted Cory for who she was and went easy on Eve for her sake.  

I loved the ending when Eve only had to serve one year in prison, she got back her box of letters from her old roommate and visited Tim in Jail to confirm that he was the one who sent the money for Corey.  The reason was a surprise. 

This is a great book!

See what others think of this at Book Beginnings and Bookends.

"The Excellent Wife" by Martha Peace

"The Excellent Wife" by Martha Peace has a wealth of scriptural advice for wives concerning their call to be a wife.  I never thought of it this way before.  The most foundational tip was to respect and be submissive to your own husband, seeking to be a "helper suitable" to him and to practice "mutual sanctification."  Any woman who wants to be a better wife should read this book and start practicing the principles discussed.   It also has encouragement and advice for Christian women who are married to unbelievers.  It makes for a good women's Bible study.

(Karen's review 1/09)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it?

"Fleabag" by Helen Stephens

Based on a true story, a homeless dog befriends a little boy and a bond of love and friendship grow.  Fleabag by Helen Stephens is very good and the drawings that go with it are very well done.  The big plus is a happy ending!  I enjoyed it and so did my dog!  Woof!  Woof!
(Gerard's Review)

Fleabag by Helen Stephens is based on a true story about a dog who needed a home, but because he was dirty and had fleas, no one wanted him.  But one day, he met a boy in the part and they became friends.  I liked this childrens’ book about a dog because it has a happy ending with cute pictures.
(Karen's Review)

Have you read this one? What did you think of it?