Playing Dead by Julia Heaberlin

Playing Dead: A Novel, Julia Heaberlin. New York: Random House Publishing Group, 2012. ebook, 293 pps.


     Playing Dead is for those travel buffs who enjoy a good fiction read with some mystery and intrigue thrown in. The setting for this one travels from Ponder Texas to ChiTown flawlessly. There is a mafia dude in it, a crazy dead mother, some other dead relatives, a stud, and some horses to boot. I was hooked from the first page.

     The narrator Tommie McCloud like me "learned early that nothing is what it seems." (page 9). The voice is both folksy and serious at the same time. I related to Tommie and her sister Sadie. I couldn't help but like them.

     The description of Ponder, Texas reminded me of several little sleepy Texan towns I spent some time in years ago [but I won't tell you what I was doing in them] complete with horses, a downtown, and pick-up trucks. And Chicago was very much the Chicago that I visited several years ago. 

     I've only seen wind farms in Maine but it was quite easy for me to transpose them into a Texan landscape. Bits of Texan history fleshed out Ponder for me, a place I could live in if I ever want to.

     Tommie's mother is certifiably crazy. Her dad and granddad are both dead. A brother was killed years ago. Some of her dad's friends are still in the background [and sometimes the foreground] watching over Tommie and defending her welfare. Being Texas, there were guns. I like guns.

sapphoq reviews says: Julia Heaberlin has written an intriguing book in Playing Dead. This is chick lit at its finest. Highly recommended.

Finding Casey by Jo-Ann Mapson

Finding Casey, Jo-Ann Mapson. New York: Bloomsbury USA, 2012. e-book, 256 pps.

     I really enjoyed Solomon's Oak and I was excited to discover the next book which continues the story of the family. In the beginning of Finding Casey Glory, Joseph, and Juniper are living in Santa Fe, New Mexico. The family continues to thrive happily-- with occasional glitches-- in everyday living. Juniper has matured into a college student. Glory and Joseph have married. 

sapphoq reviews says: The presence of "The Farm," a dysfunctional sort of commune run by a violent man felt especially real to me as did the description of the Santa Fe market and the woman in crisis. Finding Casey is a heart-warming story written with Jo-Ann Mapson's fine lyrical style. I absolutely loved this book. Highly recommended.

The Blue-Ribbon Jalapeno Society Jubilee by Carolyn Brown

The Blue-Ribbon Jalapeno Society Jubilee, Carolyn Brown. Naperville ILL.: Sourcebooks Inc., 2013. e-book, 274 pps.


     Marty and Cathy Andrews are adult twin sisters who run Miss Clawdy's Cafe. Their best friend is a woman named Trixie Matthews whose mother Janie is in the local nursing home with Alzheimer's. Jack Landry is a next door neighbor. He is on the local police force and has known the trio their whole lives. Agnes is a feisty older woman who lives nearby. She is full of piss and vinegar. Darla Jean-- Jean is her last name, really-- is an ex-hooker turned preacher. She runs the Christian Nondenominational Church downstreet from the Baptist Church where Agnes is a member.

     Then there are the women of the Blue-Ribbon Jalapeno Society. Cathy's peppers have won numerous prizes throughout the years. By decree, the Society membership is limited to twenty-one women. Violet is the chief officer. [She has a son who is an aspiring politician]. Agnes is not in the Society. She and Violet have some difficulties with the idea of being civil to each other.

     Men in Cadillac, Texas are [mostly] hot cowboy types. [There are no descriptions of sexual rendezvous but the reader is aware of who is paired off with who]. Not everyone is worth having a relationship with, in spite of individual financial circumstances or degree of steaminess in the bedroom.

     The women in the novel go through changes. Friendship prevails.

sapphoq reviews says: This review is fairly boring but the book isn't. Extramarital sex renders this tale unsuitable for most teens. The Blue-Ribbon Jalapeno Society was a light read and had me laughing out loud. Those who cannot endure any mention of Christianity should steer clear. Those who object to mild cursing also should stay away. For the rest of us, the tale is delightful. Recommended.

Looking for Me by Beth Hoffman

Looking for Me, Beth Hoffman.  New York:  Penguin Books, 2013.  e-book, 322 pps.

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Looking for Me is Beth Hoffman's second novel.  Teddi is from the farmlands of Kentucky where she lived with her mother, father, grandmother, and younger brother.  Josh, the younger brother that Teddi sort of named, is very much into the woods and nature.  He knows all about birds and their feathers.  He collects arrowheads, bones, and fossils.  Teddi taught herself to refinish furniture at a young age.  A chance meeting with an antique furniture dealer from Charleston encourages her toward her dream of owning her own antique furniture shop.

Something happens and Josh disappears into the wilderness.  Teddi survives the death of her dad, her mother, her gram, and the break-up of the family property.  She has her own life, a dog, her shop, and some painful questions that receive partial answers.


sapphoq reviews says:  Beth Hoffman has written an outstanding novel again.  Looking for Me is rich in imagery and emotional tone.  Fans of decent chick lit will love Looking for Me as I did even though Teddi hadn't yet adopted a cat or two by the end of the book.  Highly recommended.

Saving CeeCee Honeycutt by Beth Hoffman

Saving CeeCee Honeycutt: A Novel, Beth Hoffman.  New York: Penguin Group, 2010.  e-book, 256 pps.


CeeCee Honeycutt is a tween with a problem.  Her mother is psychotic and her father has run off to immerse himself in his job and sharing sheets with another woman.  CeeCee is left to take care of her mother the best that she can.  One day, something happens to her mother.  CeeCee is sent off to live with an elderly relation in Georgia.

CeeCee is surrounded by many strong women in her new home.  The women are older and wiser.  CeeCee is suddenly freed from the responsibility of looking after her parent.  She finds joy and a certain amount of wisdom in her new life.

sapphoq reviews says:  Saving CeeCee Honeycutt is an excellent novel.  I especially enjoyed the descriptions of Georgia-- very much like the Georgia that I have known-- and the subplots.  There is racial tension in the air.  The women themselves know better.  But a few men do not.  The main character is infinitely likeable.  The dialogue and situations are realistic.  The fights between two neighbors left me screaming with laughter.  Absolutely recommended to everyone who loves a good chick fic.