The Middle Place By: Kelly Corrigan

"The Middle Place is about calling home. Instinctively. Even when all the paperwork -- a marriage license, a notarized deed, two birth certificates, and seven years of tax returns -- clearly indicates you're an adult, but all the same, there you are, clutching the phone and thanking God that you're still somebody's daughter." For Kelly Corrigan, family is everything. At thirty-six, she had a marriage that worked, a couple of funny, active kids, and a weekly newspaper column. But even as a thriving adult, Kelly still saw herself as George Corrigan's daughter. A garrulous Irish-American charmer from Baltimore, George was the center of the ebullient, raucous Corrigan clan. He greeted every day by opening his bedroom window and shouting, "Hello, World!" Suffice it to say, Kelly's was a colorful childhood, just the sort a girl could get attached to. Kelly lives deep within what she calls the Middle Place -- "that sliver of time when parenthood and childhood overlap" -- comfortably wedged between her adult duties and her parents' care. But she's abruptly shoved into a coming-of-age when she finds a lump in her breast -- and gets the diagnosis no one wants to hear. And so Kelly's journey to full-blown adulthood begins. When George, too, learns he has late-stage cancer, it is Kelly's turn to take care of the man who had always taken care of her -- and show us a woman as she finally takes the leap and grows up. Kelly Corrigan is a natural-born storyteller, a gift you quickly recognize as her father's legacy, and her stories are rich with everyday details. She captures the beat of an ordinary life and the tender, sometimes fractious moments that bind families together.Rueful and honest, Kelly is the prized friend who will tell you her darkest, lowest, screwiest thoughts, and then later, dance on the coffee table at your party. Funny, yet heart-wrenching, The Middle Place is about being a parent and a child at the same time. It is about the special double-vision you get when you are standing with one foot in each place. It is about the family you make and the family you came from -- and locating, navigating, and finally celebrating the place where they meet. It is about reaching for life with both hands -- and finding it.

~~ 4 STARS ~~

Firefly Lane By: Kristin Hannah

I read this book a while back, and absolutely loved it, mainly because it's one of those few books in which you actually feel what the characters are feeling. I laughed, and I cried. In fact, sometimes I cried so much that I had to put the book down for I could not see past the tears. I've passed this book along to a close friend, who also loved it, and is now passing it on to others. Truly an amazing story of friendship....

"From the New York Times bestselling author of On Mystic Lake comes a powerful novel of love, loss, and the magic of friendship...

In the turbulent summer of 1974, Kate Mularkey has accepted her place at the bottom of the eighth-grade social food chain. Then, to her amazement, the "coolest girl in the world" moves in across the street and wants to be her friend. Tully Hart seems to have it all---beauty, brains, ambition. On the surface they are as opposite as two people can be: Kate, doomed to be forever uncool, with a loving family who mortifies her at every turn. Tully, steeped in glamour and mystery, but with a secret that is destroying her. They make a pact to be best friends forever; by summer's end they've become TullyandKate. Inseparable.

So begins Kristin Hannah's magnificent new novel. Spanning more than three decades and playing out across the ever-changing face of the Pacific Northwest, Firefly Lane is the poignant, powerful story of two women and the friendship that becomes the bulkhead of their lives.

From the beginning, Tully is desperate to prove her worth to the world. Abandoned by her mother at an early age, she longs to be loved unconditionally. In the glittering, big-hair era of the eighties, she looks to men to fill the void in her soul. But in the buttoned-down nineties, it is television news that captivates her. She will follow her own blind ambition to New York and around the globe, finding fame and success...and loneliness.

Kate knows early on that her life will be nothing special. Throughout college, she pretends to be driven by a need for success, but all she really wants is to fall in love and have children and live an ordinary life. In her own quiet way, Kate is as driven as Tully. What she doesn't know is how being a wife and mother will change her...how she'll lose sight of who she once was, and what she once wanted. And how much she'll envy her famous best friend...

For thirty years, Tully and Kate buoy each other through life, weathering the storms of friendship---jealousy, anger, hurt, resentment. They think they've survived it all until a single act of betrayal tears them apart...and puts their courage and friendship to the ultimate test.

Firefly Lane is for anyone who ever drank Boone's Farm apple wine while listening to Abba or Fleetwood Mac. More than a coming-of-age novel, it's the story of a generation of women who were both blessed and cursed by choices. It's about promises and secrets and betrayals. And ultimately, about the one person who really, truly knows you---and knows what has the power to hurt you...and heal you. Firefly Lane is a story you'll never forget...one you'll want to pass on to your best friend. "

** 5 STARS **

The Hunger Games by: Suzanne Collins

This is undoubtedly one of the best books I've read lately. Completely different from anything else I've read, yet so simple and easy to read. The story of survival, love, and life that is both touching and intense.
Very much looking forward to the next book in the series, to see if Katniss finally realizes her true feelings for Peeta, and how Gale reacts to all that occurred during the Hunger Games.


"Katniss is a 16-year-old girl living with her mother and younger sister in the poorest district of Panem, the remains of what used be the United States. Long ago the districts waged war on the Capitol and were defeated. As part of the surrender terms, each district agreed to send one boy and one girl to appear in an annual televised event called, "The Hunger Games." The terrain, rules, and level of audience participation may change but one thing is constant: kill or be killed. When Kat's sister is chosen by lottery, Kat steps up to go in her place."

5 stars...

My Passion

Hello, My name is Shawna, and I am a Bookaholic.
That's right, anyone that truly knows me knows that I LOVE books. Not just reading them, but the feel of them in my hands as I flip thru the pages....
It all started when I was a kid. We'd visit my Grandma Pauly in Renton once or twice a year. She was a librarian there, and would always have a big stack of books waiting at her house when we arrived. Over the years, there were always books all around her favorite chair. I remember watching her read with her little glasses on, chuckling to herself on occasion.
I must have picked up on this somewhere along the line - I'm not sure I know the exact moment. Thinking back, I've always loved to read. I could sit in my room for hours with a good book and a bag of sunflower seeds. It must be breed into me.
Don't get me wrong - I'm not a complete hermit. I do love to get outside and play with my kids, and do fun activities with friends. When most people are asked how they relax, many respond with "a day at the spa", "a glass of wine", "a bubble bath", "watch tv"..... Just give me a book. It's the greatest escape!
So to keep you all updated on what I am reading, I'm thinking of starting a seperate blog. We'll see how it goes. I might just be too busy reading....... =)