Book Talk Tuesday: Wings of a Dream

 

I just finished Anne Mateer’s debut novel, Wings of a Dream.

 

I loved it!

I’m not a big historical fan but I was hooked from the beginning. Anne drew me in with real characters and a compelling story.

Rebekah Hendricks yearns to live a life of adventure, far from her small Oklahoma hometown. She and a visiting young aviator plan a soaring future. Arthur returns to his air field in Texas and Rebekah’s presence is also needed in Texas: to tend to her ailing aunt. Arriving just before her aunt dies of the Spanish Influenza, Rebekah finds herself with her aunt’s four young motherless charges to care for. Their father is off fighting in World War I. Rebekah’s heart and emotions careen like a panicked horse when Arthur’s plans diverge from hers. The local sheriff comes calling. Then the children’s father returns. Should Rebekah follow her dreams or her heart?

Set in 1918 and 1919, I felt Anne Mateer really made the era come alive. Whether people are battling Spanish Influenza or Swine Flu, World War I or Desert Storm, hearts and human nature are much the same.

I’m so pleased to be able to highly recommend Wings of a Dream. Let me know what you think!

 

Disclaimer: I know Anne personally and I was furnished a copy of Wings of a Dream for review purposes, but neither factor influenced my review and recommendation. They just made my life a little easier.

Woe! It’s Wednesday

 

We’re back from our trip and it was amazing! It lived up to and exceeded all my expectations.

We did have some problems. Getting out of town and on our way turned out to be a major issue. We had a cancelled flight, a misbooked flight, and a delayed flight, which meant we missed our connection. We reached our destination about 18 hours later than we hoped.

Then, as we finally arrived and got our rental car, I was tossing a bag into the back of the car, standing on my toes to give it a good shove when I felt a POP on the back of my knee and severe pain. I could hardly walk for the rest of the day. With pain killers on board, I was able to hobble around and do most things, but I was so discouraged.

I walked miles and hours getting ready for this trip so I could keep up. I slowed everyone down immensely. They were very kind, but I know we could have done more and seen more if I was moving more quickly.

Some highlights:

In Washington, DC, we took a Segway tour and had a blast! The Segway has a small learning curve but we mastered it in under 5 minutes and were led down the streets of DC and onto the Mall and around the memorials. If you get the chance, DO IT!

Getting the instructions

Seeing the DC memorials at night. They are wonderful during the day, but, in particular, the Lincoln and the Korean War memorials are especially haunting at night.

The Martin Luther King, Jr. memorial at night

 

In New York, we saw The Lion King on Broadway. The costumes and masks and puppets are as amazing as you’ve heard.

 

The very real and lasting impact of 9/11 in New York. We weren’t able to get passes to the new memorial at the World Trade Center but we did get to see the site and witness the new construction. We visited several other 9/11 memorials in New Jersey, including the Teardrop in Bayonne, NJ which is moving. We were puzzled by how hard it was to find the Teardrop memorial and when we did arrive, we had it to ourselves. It’s Bayonne’s best kept secret.

 

 

Visiting Hamilton, NY where my father-in-law grew up. We were able to go inside his home and look around the ground floor and the yard. 

 

 

We were gone two weeks, which is a long time, but we had so much to see and do that we felt rushed and constrained by time limits. I’m thinking of this first trip as our scouting expedition. We need to go again to see the things we missed or rushed through.

If you’ve been to NY or DC, what was your highlight?

Book Talk Tuesday: There You’ll Find Me

 

I’ve enjoyed other Jenny B. Jones titles, so I picked up her newest, There You’ll Find Me.

Since it’s written for a young adult audience, I don’t quite fit its targeted demographic but I still found it an engrossing and charming book.

 

 

Finley Sinclair is traveling to Ireland as an exchange student. She’s also still grieving her brother and practicing for her audition to a prestigious music school.

She meets Beckett Rush on the plane. Beckett is an actor filming a movie in Finley’s new hometown. His reputation precedes him and Finley is not interested in becoming a broken heart left behind by one of Hollywood’s biggest partiers.

Beckett convinces Finley that he’s not quite the bad boy the tabloids portray him as and they forge a friendship, helping each other overcome the hurdles in their paths.

There You’ll Find Me is a lovely story of finding the future when you let go of the past. Not forgetting the past, but treasuring it as a part of what makes you you.

I highly recommend it. 

Woe! It’s Wednesday

 

If all went according to schedule, we’re in Hamilton, New York now, visiting the town where my father-in-law grew up. We hope to see his childhood home. My husband was there as a child but not since. We’re there with some other family, touring the town and seeing the sights. Hamilton is the home of Colgate University. There should be lots to see, people to meet, and memories to stow away.

We’ll be staying at the Colgate Inn.

Stories to come, I’m sure.

 

Book Talk Tuesday

I love these books. A cracking good mystery. A bit of romance.

They’re set in a fictional San Luis Obispo called San Celina. Benni Harper is a still-grieving widow at the beginning of the first book, Fools Puzzle. She’s the curator of folk art museum and a quilter. Each of the books is named for a quilt block. They should be read in order, for the most part.

 

The author, Earlene Fowler, does a great job weaving the mystery and creating unforgettable characters in the process. The latest is

Spider Web.

I haven’t read it yet, but I’m sure it’s just as good as the previous ones.

Earlene has also written two stand-alones.

The Saddlemaker’s Wife:

and

Love Mercy.

Enjoy!

Woe! It’s Wednesday

Well, by the time this is posted (I hope. Unless I schedule it wrong again … see last week’s post for more info on that), I’ll have toured the White House and a Smithsonian or two. The Capitol building is on the agenda for today.

 

I’ve never been to the east coast or to Washington DC and I’m looking forward to seeing the sites that have played such an important role in our country’s history.

 

I’m excited and dreading it at the same time. I’m easily moved to tears when I’m surrounded by history and pageantry and symbols of sacrifice. I once burst into tears in the Sacramento Railroad Museum when we climbed into a simulated train car on the rails. It rocked and pitched just like the real thing. I think it was either a sleeper or a mail car. I may not remember the details but I do remember being overwhelmed at the thought that a whole way of life has disappeared from our culture.

We’ll see memorials to great Americans who are lauded in the history books and memorials to other great American’s whose names weren’t recorded in any book but who gave their all for our country.

I’ll be the one with the sunglasses and the tissues.

Book Talk Tuesday

I’m packing for a cross-country flight and vacation. For the first time since I got it, my Kindle will be the only book I bring. I’m kind of looking forward to the extra room in the suitcase. I can bring more shoes! But it’s going to be strange, too.

The books I’m looking forward to reading on this trip are:

 

 Sons of Thunder by Susan May Warren

 

When Stars Collide By Janice Thompson

 

 

  Heaven is For Real by Todd Burpo and Lynn Vincent

That should get me there. I’ll be reviewing these when I get home. Stay tuned …