Books-of-the-week:

I found Blessings by Anna Quindlen on the library's 'used book sale' shelf sometime last Spring. It was tucked into my pile of things to read, so I grabbed it as I headed to Utah, in the event that I might have time to finish the following book:

which I did. This one came from my mother, who, bless her, had blacked out every swear word between the two covers. I laugh as I debate the effectiveness of this method; is it easier to glance over the blacked-out word, wondering what it might have been? Or to glance over the word in print, deciding not to dwell on the profanity used in context with the story? If you'd like to read this book and want to use the edited version, I have the book still in my possession.

NOW. For the review(s). Between Sisters was a sort of redemptive story of relationships; several relationships in the book intertwine and there's a nice come-around about how things work out in the end. It's set in Washington State, which is a big part of why I liked the book; Seattle and that coastal area in general has always intrigued me, although I have never been there. So I enjoyed the setting maybe even more than the plot and story line. It was general fluffy reading entertainment. The book moved right along without too much drag, but I don't know that I'll be putting this one at the top of my favorites for the year. For all of you out there with "To Read" lists longer than your forearm, you might want to pass over this one. Some of the torridly steamy love scenes were a little over the top for my taste, but maybe a good-and-descriptive make-out session is what you look for in a novel. If that's the case, pick this one.

Blessings was a surprise for me. I didn't have much in the way of expectation when I threw this in my bag, and it ended up holding my interest from Salt Lake to Minneapolis to Detroit and on to Manchester, NH. Needless to say, I spent hours and hours absorbed in the story, and it was enjoyably satisfying. I won't say too much about the characters in the story except that I became endeared to the character who was, by design, the antagonist, and the one I think I was supposed to feel bitter towards. Also, how could I not love the fact that the story begins with a newborn in a box being placed on someone's door step? Interesting development of the concept of family. I want to paste a copy of The Family: A Proclamation to the World into the front cover.