Girls, It Is Time For Book Talk!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                                   "They all meow about the ups and downs of all their friends.                                                                             The who, the how, the why, the dish, it never ends."                                                                                         --"Girl Talk"  

                                                   And I am telling you, girls, it is time to talk books because I have read a slew of them recently, so I thought I would combine them into one post.

                                                   Take the first example, "Black Sheep."  After "Such Sharp Teeth," I was ready for anything this writer would dish out, and I was not disappointed.  I was expecting a story about an evil child, but it is about an estranged family member, of her own accord, with good reasons for such, as the book goes on to reveal.  Fun, entertaining, well written, and a solid warning to avoid joining cults!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                      "Come And Get It," by Kiley Reid--Come and get what?  After being so impressed with her debut, "Such A Fun Age," I hoped for more.  This sophomore effort falls so far short, being nothing but a tedious exploration of competition and pranking between female resident leaders and their charges at a girls' college.  Was Smith like this?  I doubt it.  Even the cover is insulting, but foreshadowing.  What a porker!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                            "Horse," by Geraldine Brooks--The most satisfying novel I have read so far this year.  Re-discover one's childhood love of animal stories with this adult tale of the famous racehorse Lexington, during the 19th century.  Tears of happiness, heartbreak and love of animals will be flowing as the reader progresses.  But it is all worth it in the end.

                                       "The Natural," by Bernard Malamud--No, dears, I have never seen the movie.  I did not know this was his first novel, but what a debut, chronicling the struggles of an overaged by fiercely talented baseball player.  Readers don't have to be sports fans to read it, and Malamud's gift for characterization is on full display.  Do not miss it.

                                       "The One And Only Ivan," by Katherine Applegate--This gem, a Newberry Award Winner, I found in one of the Little Free Libraries in our neighborhood.  I could not resist the picture on the cover, and the book lives up to it.  The relationship between Ivan, the gorilla, and Ruby, the baby Elephant, is so touching, and how each finds their path to happiness is as moving and touching a story as any adult novel.  This is a special treat I urge all to partake of.

                                         "Erasure," by Percival Everett--This novel was the basis for the motion picture "American Fiction."  Now, darlings, I have not seen the film, but I can tell you I think it works better on the printed page.  Reminding me of "The Producers," this is a Ponzi scheme, where an overtly intellectual writer creates a novel he feels is a piece of crap.  Instead, it is embraced by the critics and wins literature's highest award, at least in this book's world.  Hilarious and stimulating at the same time, this novel came out 23 years ago, and is only being discovered now.  I cannot wait to read his latest, "James," which is a retelling of "Huckleberry Finn," from the point of Jim, the slave.  Make sure you read "Erasure" first, girls!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

                                            Well, that is today's Book Talk.  On to other important things tomorrow.

                                              Enjoy a martini or gimlet, dolls!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!