One Mississippi

by Mark Childress

I enjoyed this book for the most part. It's a coming of age novel, set in 1973 in rural Mississippi. The schools have just been integrated by law, and the views of the general public are quite conservative. Our main character, Daniel, has an extremely dysfunctional family that provides plenty of comic to this book. Upon his arrival at Minor High School, Daniel finds a new best friend, Tim, and they journey through their Junior year of high school together. This book is full of friendship and high school events that really have you rooting for Daniel through the whole thing. Both Daniel and Tim have secrets that they hide from each other, and while the author tries hard to keep things hidden, it really didn't take me long to put together Tim's secret, which added a whole new dimension to the book.

Overall, this is fiction set in high school, and may not be the type of book a grown adult would want to curl up with. And while I did enjoy the story, it was a little advanced for a younger high-schooler. There are definitely some adult situations and the setting sometimes didn't match up with the content. Some of the issues confronted in this book include religion, drugs, homosexuality, and school violence. The content was much more suited to the time period of today, and other than a fascination with Sonny and Cher, I fail to see why the author chose to set this story in 1973, other than the issue of racial integration. I guess having said that, the book is inconsistent in that regard, but still enjoyable.

I'll be honest though, I didn't care much for the ending. There were many unresolved issues, and it felt like the ending came on much too quickly, and then tidied up too nicely. So do I recommend this book? Yes, if you're looking for an an enjoyable story that takes you back to high school. If you're looking for something with depth... this may not be the book for you.

the realm of secondhand souls

by Sandra Shea


Well, this makes two in a row. This one though, had promise. It opened with a beautiful and intense birthing scene, and immediately I wanted to know more about these characters and how they would develop. But they never really did. The book was beautifully written. Sandra Shea has a beautiful prose style and her descriptions are wonderful. There just wasn't any substance behind the descriptions, and when so much attention was given to the details, it seems that the characters were forgotten.

I also need to preface here that I enjoy reading fantasy, and this promised to be a sort of fantasy. Instead it dug into the idea of magical realism, and it just didn't make sense to me. I can suspend reality and get lost in a book about another land, another world, or an alternate history. I can even get into talking animals and trees sometimes. But I just can't get into a book where clothing has a persona, where objects represent people... I just can't seem to grasp that concept.

I think I would have enjoyed this book more if it flowed a little better. There were just some things that didn't make sense to me, and there really were many ideas that were left unfinished. I wanted more of a dynamic between the characters, and I think that's where this book failed most. The interaction was sparse, and when it did occur it felt contrived, and often times out of place. Not a recommended read by me, but if you enjoy books about magical realism, then you may enjoy this one.

In The Land of Second Chances

by George Shaffner


This book makes me regret picking up a random book and reading it. That's usually how I choose my reading material- I just grab and read the synopsis. Most often, if the synopsis catches my attention, I'll enjoy the book. This book... not so much. It was a very quick read, and for that I am grateful to the author. But his style of writing leaves a lot to be desired. He writes in this rambling prose that at times, seems to contain run-on sentences and dropped ideas, without actually HAVING run on sentences. It really read as if it was written by a junior high age kid. The characters were void of any depth, and I really had a hard time placing them in the story. The woman who is telling the story is supposed to be older, with grown adult children and grandchildren, yet her tone was that of a twenty-something. The characters were just poorly developed. The whole story was very predictable, and to be honest, I am angry with myself for trudging through and reading the whole thing. Even more shocking is the fact that this is part of a trilogy, which makes me wonder if just anyone can proclaim themselves an author these days.

In short, don't read this book. The story COULD be good if it were original, sadly, it was reminiscent of The First Wives Club with The Music Man thrown in for good measure. Just take my advice, put the book down, and back away.