Seating Arrangements by Maggie Shipstead

Well, I finished this book but was tormented all the way through it by the bad characters. They weren't written badly; they were, for the most part just bad people. Unlikeable. Shallow. Self-obsessed. Rich snobs who I wouldn't hang around with for longer than it took to drink one of their drinks then high tail it outta there.

But I guess that made the book what it was. The setting is an island over a weekend. Daphne, seven-months pregnant, and Greyson are getting married and the entire wedding party is made up of shallow people except for Dominique who seemed to me to be the only one of the lot who had any good sense and couldn't wait to get back to her life with real people in it.

Book Read: Seating Arrangements

Author:  Maggie Shipstead 

ISBN:  978-0307599469

The Painted Bridge by Wendy Wallace

I loved this book. I picked it up by chance at the library and when I started reading The Painted Bridge, I knew right away it was a winner.


Anna Palmer is sent to a private asylum outside London by her preacher husband. The reason? Because of a trip she takes to help victims of a shipwreck. This is 1859 so of course that act was considered to be wildly unladylike. Phooey. I would have been locked up for sure!

The struggle for her to convince her jailors (doctors and the owner of the large house) that she shouldn't be there is a central theme. When the owner's daughter, who is anorexic, wants to go to the fair to see the Fasting Girl, all hell breaks loose.

Book Read:The Painted Bridge

Author:  Wendy Wallace

ISBN:   978-1-4516-6082-1

Immortal Bird: A Family Memoir by Doron Weber

I finished this book a few days ago and even though it was not the best memoir I've ever read, it certainly was heartfelt and an important story.


Doron Weber is a father of three children. This book mainly deals with his oldest son Damon who was born with a heart defect. He lives to 13 with few troubles after several open heart operations, but then he develops problems that eventually require a heart transplant. This sad, sad story is told several years after Damon dies from an infection that his doctors misdiagnose as rejection of his new heart. This book should be required reading for medical doctors in training as well as seasoned ones to learn about health care from the family's perspective.

Like a too-spicy meal, this book will stay with me longer than I'd like.  Damon's short life was full but ended way too soon.

Book Read: Immortal Bird

Author:  Doron Weber

ISBN:   978-1451618068