Gabbie recently read The Meaning of Maggie by Megan Jean Sovern and handed it to me to read when she was finished. Of the books that Gabbie has asked me to read, I didn’t consider this one to be as good as the others, though this may be that I read a book for adults with a similar plot – a girl coping with her father having multiple sclerosis.
“As befits a future President of the United States of America, Maggie Mayfield has decided to write a memoir of the past year of her life. And what a banner year it’s been! During this period, she’s Student of the Month on a regular basis, an official shareholder in Coca-Cola stock, and defending Science Fair champion. Most importantly, though, this is the year Maggie has to pull up her bootstraps (the family motto) and finally learn why her cool dude dad is in a wheelchair, no matter how scary that is. Author Megan Jean Sovern, herself the daughter of a dad with multiple sclerosis, writes with the funny grace and assured prose of a new literary star.”
Maggie as a character was fun, and the way the book was presented as if Maggie was writing her own memoir was unique. Maggie’s stories about her sisters are funny, and her relationship with her parents is admirable. They try to protect her from learning about why her father is ill and what is happening to him, but she begins to understand more as the story goes on. I would recommend this book for young teens – perhaps older than Gabbie, but definitely younger than me.
In a completely different genre is Every Beat Of My Heart by Bella Andre. This novella was a continuation of the Sullivan brothers stories that I read earlier this year. Each time I finished one of their stories, I wanted to read more, and this focused on brothers Zach and Ryan as well as their respective fiancés, Heather and Vicki. Plus, every brother as well as their cousins from Seattle and some of their cousins from New York make appearances as well.
“What do you get when two Sullivans pick the same wedding date?
Two super-sexy grooms.
Two beautiful brides.
Two very unconventional (four-legged and furry) ring bearers.
And Sullivans from around the word coming together to celebrate vows of forever with auto mogul Zach Sullivan and dog trainer Heather Linsey–and pro baseball star Ryan Sullivan and sculptor Vicki Bennett.”
My only complaint about this glimpse back into the lives of the Sullivans is that it was too short! What was nice was that there was no angst and very little drama, with things working out for both couples and the other family members as well.
What have you been reading lately?
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