The Infamous Ratsos by Kara Lareau Illustrated by Matt Meyers

The Infamous Ratsos is Penelope’s April book club pick for the Bookworms Book Club at the Kewaunee Public Library for children from 1^st grade through 3^rd grade.  Penelope loves going to book club and also loves selecting new books to read afterwards.  My mother-in-law Gert takes Penelope to book club at 3:30 PM after school since I’m still working.  Penelope loves to come home with a pile of books afterwards.  We read her official book right away this time as last month we waited until the last minute!

The Infamous Ratsos is about two brothers, Ralphie and Louie Ratso, who want to be tough just like their Dad.  They go through a series of escapades where they try to do naughty things that they think will make them look tough, to only end up accidentally doing good deeds instead.   The book was pretty funny and had great pictures.

The part Penelope and I liked the best was at the end of the book when their father, Big Lou, learns about all of their good deeds and they talk about how they want to be “tough” like their Dad.  He talks about how they should not be like him, but that he should be trying to be more like them, able to take care of themselves and find the time for good deeds.  He says it’s been tough trying to make it after their Mom has been gone.  “Being tough all of the time is so. . . so. . . tough, “says their father.  

 

This book made me laugh and I’ll admit slightly emotional at the end.  It was a fun read for Penelope, but I loved that it had a message.

Overall, The Infamous Ratsos is a fun book with a big heart.

Book Source:  The Kewaunee Public Library

Hurricane Season by Lauren K. Denton (TLC Book Tours)

Two sisters who couldn’t be more different are bound together through one hurricane summer by the two young daughters of one sister.  

Betsy lives on a farm with her husband Ty in Alabama.  They are updating the farm to provide educational opportunities to children and are trying to make it in a world where dairy farms need to grow and change to keep up with the times.  What both Betsy and Ty really want is a child, but after five years, they have faced disappoint through the years as hope turned to sadness as they are unable to conceive.

Betsy’s younger sister Jenna has always been the wild impetuous sister to Betsy’s responsible one.  Jenna is trying to turn her life around with being a single mother to her two daughters Addie and Walsh.  She’s the manager of a coffee house, but dreams of going back to her true passion, photography. When she gets the chance to go to the Halcyon Artist Retreat in Florida with all-expense paid, she is overjoyed. Will this be her chance for a better future?  What will she do with her girls?

Jenna decides to drop her daughters off with Betsy and Ty for what is supposed to be two weeks but turns into a longer visit.  Will Jenna be back for her beloved girls?  How do Betsy and Ty feel having the girls when they so desperately want children of their own?  Has Jenna thought about their feelings?  How do the girls feel?

The story is told through the viewpoints of Betsy, Jenna and Ty.  I liked the revolving narrative and thought it did a great job of telling the complete story.  I like how from Jenna’s perspective, she’s trying to work on a better life for her and her daughters, but from Betsy and Ty’s perspective she is being insensitive to them and not a stable parent to her daughters.  Isn’t that how it is in life?  Every situation looks so different depending on who is looking at it.

I also love how the hurricane is wrapped into the narrative, especially the climax to the story.  I enjoyed Denton’s previous novel, The Hideaway as well.  She does a wonderful job of writing characters and their challenges in a wonderful Southern setting.  I need to read more of her books in the future!

Favorite Quotes:

“I see children.  I hear laughter.  I see a childhood spent outside in the heat and air and light.  I see our future.”

“Part of her wanted to blame it all on her parents, but she was old enough to know that was a weak excuse.  She’d made her own choices.”

“Yet it also left behind unexpected beauty and bursts of new life.  A tiny green shoot pushing through the garden soil.  Hope shining like a beacon in the dark places.”

Overall, Hurricane Season is a riveting southern family drama.

Book Source:  Review Copy for being a part of the TLC Book Tours.  Thank-you!  For more stops on this tour, check out the tour schedule at this link.

The Heart Between Us: Two sisters, One Heart Transplant, and a Bucket List by Lindsay Harrel (TLC Book Tour)

Megan Jacobs has spent most of her life in hospitals waiting for a heart transplant.  She finally received one in her twenties, but is still afraid to venture out beyond her hometown in Minnesota.  She lives with her parents and works at the local library as a library aide.  She dreams of adventure and traveling the world, dreams she used to share with fellow heart patient Caleb.  Caleb received his heart transplant first and now travels the world for his work.  Megan longs to reconnect and to travel as well.

Meeting the parents of the girl whose heart she received jump starts her.  They give her their daughter’s diary and she finds a bucket list inside.  Inspired, Megan decides to complete the bucket list with her savings, a GoFundMe account, and to blog about it on the way.

Megan’s twin sister Crystal is an architect in New York City.  Crystal never had the health problems that Megan experienced and she’s working toward her dream of becoming a senior architect in her firm.  She works long hours and doesn’t get much time with her husband, firefighter Brian.  She also seems to have lost her inspiration and is having health problems.  When Megan’s trip pops up, Brian suggests that Crystal join her to reconnect with her twin and to find her way back to their marriage and to what she wants from life.

The two sisters travel the world fulfilling the bucket list.  Will the two be able to repair their neglected relationship?  Will Megan be able to make the next step forward and live without the fear of illness?  Will Crystal be able to figure out how to balance work and her relationship with her husband?

I loved this novel.  It really connected with me.  Personally, I’ve been in Crystal’s shoes the past few years where work was becoming all-consuming and affecting my health and relationships with my husband and children.  I just switched jobs at the end of 2017 and it’s made a big difference.  Sometimes you get wrapped up in trying to do a good job and work takes advantage of you.  

I enjoyed how the story was a travel story to fantastic locations around the world and I also liked how it was a personal growth story for both sisters in their own lives and loves, and with each other.  I like how they were able to get to know each other better on the trip and I liked that the story was equal between the sisters and didn’t just end with the trip.  The story continued and wrapped up their storylines to see where they are going next after the trip.  I wish I could keep reading about Megan and Crystal.

Favorite Quotes:

“Just because something is in “ruins” doesn’t mean it’s ruined.  It’s just . . . different than before.  It’s weather storms, but it’s still standing.”

“I know it’s not the destination we had in mind, but it’s where we’ve landed.”

“Wouldn’t it be a better use of your time to leave the big stuff like control and worry to God and instead spend it reveling in all the opportunities for great joy he’s given you.?”

“Then Nana turned, ‘Not everything is as easy to fix as that, I’ll admit.  Life isn’t perfect.  It’s messy.  It doesn’t follow a pattern or a plan.  Thankfully, we know the Big Guy is in charge.’ She reached down and squeezed Crystal’s hand. ‘And he is the super-gluer of souls.”

Overall, The Heart Between Us is a great travel and character story.  I really identified with the main characters and their struggles and I greatly enjoyed the book.

Book Source:  Review Copy as part of the TLC Book Tour.  Thank-you!  For more stops on this tour, check out the tour schedule.