cruise reading

I had a lot of wonderful time to read on our cruise. I took a stack of books and read 3 1/2 of them.

"Girls of Ames" was first on my list. It is biographical in nature and tells the story of 11 girls who grew up friends in a small college town in the heart land of the nation. It tells of their childhoods, teenage years and adult years. It's a story of friendship, and the challenges that life brings.

It was okay.

"The Glass Castle" was next. It was an autobiography about a girl who grew up for all intents and purposes homeless. Her parents moved their family around the country, running from bill collectors and imaginary enemies. They were poor, driven to drink, and mentally unstable yet she had some happy times and loved her family. I enjoyed the book and rooted for her as she tried to build a normal, secure life for herself.

two thumbs up

"First Comes Love, Then Comes Malaria" was my third book, also autobiographical in nature (funny) about a woman who wants to be a do-gooder. She signs up for the peace corp and it tells of her life there, falling in love with her recruiter, and their lives together after traveling the world doing good, living the expat life, catching rare and unusual diseases, and raising a family. It was my favorite book. Funny, relateable, interesting.

a must read

Lastly I read "The Crowning Glory of Calla Lily Ponder", written by the same author as the Ya Ya books. It was a set in the south coming of age story about a girl named Calla Lily Ponder. It's light and silly and focused on hair. I loved it. I cried for her a couple of times, cheered others and enjoyed the mint julep, Cajun music and magnolia dripping images it brought to mind.