 What’s the deal with the black & white saddle shoes?  Click here for the story of our farm in Greene County, Iowa. Here's looking at life at Simple Serenity Farm  Carla’s sister & brother-in-law Chris and Tony Woods, of Des Moines, were at the farm on Sunday, August 22, helping Carla do the lawn mowing and other yard work that we’ve struggled to keep up with lately, with all our medical appointments. The Woodses brought along their 18-month-old granddaughter Ari, who was a delight watching all the action from the porch with Chuck, catching up on her reading and then getting a moment on the lawn tractor seat! Click here for larger format Earlier photos in this series Iowa Hall of Pride netINS, Inc. Butler House on Grand B&B Sam's Barber Shop Douglas T. Bates III, Attorney KMA Radio's ''Chuck & Don Show'' Barack Obama story & coloring book The Monks of New Melleray Abbey RELATED LINKS About Offenburger.com Biographies Want to Reprint? Want Updates? ARCHIVES Chuck Offenburger's columns Christie Vilsack's columns Carla Offenburger's columns Carla's book reviews Jared Strong's columns Guest Columns The Simple Serenity Farm columns Farm Photos, 2006 - 2008 Our Iowa News Digest Along Our Way 
|
What's Carla Reading?
“Susannah’s Garden,” by Debbie Macomber (2006) When I want to be assured of a quick, fast and friendly read, I know where to turn – Debbie Macomber. A few years back, I read and reviewed, “The Shop at Blossom Street” by Macomber, so recently when I was looking for something to fill a rare quiet weekend at home, I looked toward her again and found her novel, “Susannah’s Garden.” Debbie Macomber has made a name for herself by writing pretty decent stories about the friendships of women. She weaves a lot of what happens to all of us, and then throws in a few shocking surprises to end up with a pretty good read. “Susannah’s Garden” fits right in with the stories that Macomber has become known for. On the book’s jacket, Publisher’s Weekly, a publication for and about books, comments that “Macomber is known for her honest portrayals of ordinary women in small-town America, and this tale cements her position as an icon of the genre.” The book gives us the story of Susannah Nelson, who at 50 suffers a mid-life crisis of sorts. What I think Nelson really suffers from is being in those “sandwich” years – with an aging mother on one side and a troubled 20-year-old daughter on the other. At the same time, she is questioning her role in the lives of her husband, mother and daughter, she’s also a bit melancholy about missed opportunities of her past. And who isn’t all of those things at 50? The actual garden, which a reader might believe is Susannah’s, is actually her mother Vivian’s. It is in Vivian’s garden where Susannah is able to spend some time alone, during her summer-long stay while she is moving her mother into an assisted living community. It’s in her childhood home and her mother’s garden that Susannah often finds herself as she is packing family treasures away. It is here that she is able to confront some of her own childhood ghosts – including a boyfriend who abruptly disappears from their relationship, a brother who is killed tragically in a car accident, and a deceased father who was a controlling figure in her life and the life of their community. The rediscovery of a high school girl friendship, the successful move of her mother and the time to work through issues with her daughter – they all help Susannah work through her own troubled thoughts. They also lead to one good chapter after another. Macomber does a wonderful job with the emotions that Susannah goes through, and she is able to pack the book with surprise after surprise for her reader. I suspect Macomber rarely lets her reader down and that Publisher’s Weekly is right in assessing her work as honestly portraying “ordinary women in small-town America.” And when the winter gets long and the weekends are cold, I suspect I could find myself heading to the library shelf to find another Debbie Macomber book to read. -- Carla Offenburger Now readingI’m still working on “Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life,” by Barbara Kingsolver, Camille Kingsolver, and Steven L. Hopp (2007). Most recently reviewed “Three Cups of Tea: One Man’s Mission to Promote Peace . . . One School at a Time” by Greg Mortenson and David Oliver Relin (2007). “The Potluck Club: A Novel,” by Linda Evans Shepherd and Eva Marie Everson (2005). I thought it was just a plain good, fun and easy read – which is just what I needed. “The Horizontal World: Growing up wild in the middle of nowhere,” by Debra Marquart (2006). If you read only one book in the coming months, let it be this one. “Life All Around Me by Ellen Foster,” by Kaye Gibbons (2006). This book is so good and such a rich warm read that I actually read it twice this summer – both times savoring every word. I imagine I’ll pick it up again and again when I need my own place of refuge between the pages of a good book. “Three Junes,” by Julia Glass (2002), and “Infidel,” by Ayaan Hirsi Ali (2007), a two-book review this time. Ayaan Hirsi Ali’s new book “Infidel” is one you’re going to want to read, the true story of her own harrowing life in the Somalia countryside with brutal tribal wars unfolding all around her. And you’ll probably appreciate it all the more if you first read Julia Glass’ slow-moving novel, “Three Junes”! Comments from you readers Linda Evans Shepherd, author of “The Potluck Club,” reviewed here on October 30, 2007: “Hey Carla, just wanted to give you a hello. Glad to hear you enjoyed ‘The Potluck Club’! Eva and I appreciate your shout out. THANKS!” You can write me with comments on my reviews or your own thoughts on books at carla@Offenburger.com.
|
