Any Dream Will Do by Debbie Macomber

When Shay Benson is released from prison she has no place to go.  Wandering into a church to escape the cold she sits down in a pew to figure out the next step in her life.  Pastor Drew Douglas find her there and although Shay is distrustful and critical they connect and form a friendship. Drew has lost his wife and is struggling with taking care of his children and being an effective pastor. Drew and Shay help each other through difficulties in rebuilding their lives. Shay must stay strong and not help her brother, Caden, again as his request for money and the help she gave him had put her in prison.  Secrets, danger, romance, and imposed judgment make this book more gripping and was greatly enjoyed!

So B. It (DVD starring Talitha Bateman

Twelve year old Heidi has been raised thus far by her mother, So B. It, and her caring neighbor, Bernadette, who suffers from agoraphobia. Heidi's mother has a limited vocabulary, but one day after trying to go on a bus with her mother, her mother becomes extremely upset and repeatedly says the word "soof". Heidi instinctively knows that this new word contains meaning that is important to her life. She is determined to make a long journey to find out what she can about who her mother is and who she herself is. In this, she succeeds, and we too learn the secrets that Heidi sought to reveal. This was a very interesting movie that is rated PG-13 for some thematic elements.

May B. by Caroline Starr Rose

Pa keeps saying, “it’s only till Christmas”.   May B. is a 12 year old whose parents have her go live with a couple who has recently moved and are in need of help adjusting to life on the prairie.  A few days after arriving to the “soddie,” the Missus leaves and the husband goes after her.  May B. is now alone and no one knows.  May B. quickly realizes that what her mother and father have taught her is how she will survive; proving to her parents, Teacher and herself that she matters.

I enjoyed the story in verse and how quickly the story moves along.  Fans of the Little House on the Prairie will enjoy this quick read. 

Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk by Kathleen Rooney

Savvy 85-year-old Lillian loves taking walks.  On New Year’s Eve, 1984 she decides to have a fancy dinner at New York’s Delmonico where she has an interesting encounter that prompted her to walk further in the city to her new friend’s party.  Lilian reflects on her life’s ups and downs as the highest paid advertising copywriter for R. H. Macy’s during the 1930s. On her walk, she meets a limo driver, a security guard, a bodega clerk and even thugs whom she handles with ease. 

Rooney tells the story of a remarkable and feisty woman – based on Margaret Fishback - through the War, the Depression, hip-hop music and the onset of the Aids epidemic.  It is a good read!