Between, Georgia by Joshilyn Jackson

Nonny Frett is the kind of woman that only appears between the pages of a book. A woman whose deaf-blind adopted momma makes breathtaking porcelain doll heads while her OCD, anxiety-ridden aunt (her mother's twin sister) sews the body. A 30-something sign-language interpreter in the midst of divorcing a man she is still sometimes sleeping with. THere are just too many oddities for one woman, aren't there??

Yet Nonny invites the reader into her world and the chaos that she lives in, and I happily joined her in Between, Georgia. Nonny is the birth daughter of a Crabtree, the poster family for poor white trash. She was adopted by the Fretts, the cliche of pure white southern Baptists. Yet the Fretts are controlled, run and generally bullied into compliance by Bernese, Nonny's other aunt. There is more than a little trashiness in Bernese's tactics and more than a little gentility Ona Crabtree (Nonny's birth grandmother.)

There is also a dog mauling, a bit of book store passion, a fire, and a near death experience. It is a book that invites you in for a cup of sweet southern tea, and you happily accept.

I really liked this book for all it's quirky sweetness. It's quite predictible - but that doesn't take way from it's charm.
I would highly recommend this one!

A Girl Named Zippy by Haven Kimmel

This is one of those books that made me chuckle out loud - even on the plane to NYC! Zippy is one of those neverending tomboys that grew up in the 60s and 70s in small towns all over the country. A small "Mayberry" like town with odd characters, lots of dogs and cats and dirt streets to wander. Zip was the youngest of three children - way younger than her two older sibling. Her father has a never ending temper and a incredibly sweet soft side. Her mother has a permanemtly indented spot on the end of the couch from her reading habit.

And then there is Zip.


This is a funny coming of age story for those of us growing up in that era. A speedy and interesting read.

The Curious Incident of the dog in the night-time by Mark Haddon

This book grabbed me right away because it's quirky and odd and I like that! So - if you don't be warned. This is the story of Christopher an autistic 15 year old in England. The story opens as he discovers Wellington, the dog next door, dead on the lawn with a garden fork sticking out of him. I told you it was odd.

Christopher decides to solve the mystery of Wellington's death and to write a book about it. As the book continues you discover that Christopher's mom has died and he and his father are struggling to make do and they are not really succeeding.

But, things are not really the way the seem. Even as Christopher is searching for the killer like Sherlock Holmes, he shares a glimpse into the life he is living with his father. We hear about Sihohan, his teacher at school, and the ways he has learned to calm himself. We find out how mathmatical his mind is and what an amazing gift that is.

But, that is nothing compared to what he discovers in the closet in his father's room.

This is an odd one!! Just my kind of book! :)