Practical Magic by Alice Hoffman

This is the story of Sally and Gillian Owen, 2 sisters who come from a long line of witches. When they are young, their parents are killed and they move in with their mysterious aunts who let them stay up as late as they want, eat chocolate for breakfast and enforce no rules whatsoever on the girls.

The aunts are notorious in town for helping people solve their problems (sometimes to their detriment) using their magical gifts and concoctions. The girls are both relentlessly bullied and teased by the other children in town.

While Gillian enjoys her magical family history and is more of a free spirit, she relishes the freedom from rules and longs to escape the small town.

Sally, more traditional, and embarrassed by her family and being the talk of the town, tries to cook healthy meals, keep up appearances, and appear more "normal".

As soon as Gillian turns 18, she leaves town and becomes a bit of a wild child.

Sally marries and has 2 daughters. When Sally's beloved husband is killed, she is devastated, barely able to eat, care for her daughters or even get out of bed. 

When Sally's girls are teenagers, Gillian comes to visit. They have not been close for many years and Sally is angry when Gillian tells her that she has killed her boyfriend, Jimmy, a sadistic, controlling and abusive man, and asks Sally for help. Sally reluctantly agrees to help, but is angry that her sister has brought this mess into her life, and threatening the "normal"life he has built for her daughters. The sisters attempt magic to rid themselves of Jimmy, setting in motion bizarre and terrifying events. Out of their league, they are forced to turn to their aunts for help.

This is a magical novel about family connections, acceptance and  love.

An absolutely enchanting novel.  There are also 2 others in the series: "Magic Lessons" due out in October 2020 and "Rules of Magic", also very good.

Lost Girls of Paris by Pam Jenoff

This was a good one, full of suspense!

1946. Grace is rushing to work one morning when, running through Grand Central Station when she stumbles upon an abandoned suitcase. Curious, she opens it and finds photographs of several women. 

Intrigued, she investigates further and discovers that the suitcase belonged to Eleanor Trigg, the leader of a secret network of female agents who were deployed out of London during WW2. These women were sent to France to secretly work as radio operators and couriers.... but they never returned home. Eleanor was determined to figure out what had happened to them, and then the determination became Grace's after Eleanor was, the same day the photos were found, hit and killed by a car.

1943. This is the story of Eleanor, an absolutely professional, stern and hard working leader of this secret network of women working against the Nazi's.

1946. This is the story of Grace, recently widowed, she has moved to New York all on her own to start anew, but has become entangled in a relationship with her husbands best friend. Becoming slightly obsessed with figuring out the mystery of these photos, she begins a journey that will forever change her.

1943. This is the story of Marie, a single mother who was recruited by Eleanor because she spoke fluent French, she decides to join Eleanor in order to make a better life for her daughter. While in training in Scotland, she meets spunky 17 year old Josie, who becomes a dear colleague and friend.

Bouncing between years during WW2 and just after, the stories of these women all become entangled in the mystery of what happened to Marie, Josie, and their fellow female spies who never returned after being deployed into occupied Europe to aid the resistance, and the devastation and fury of a suspected betrayal that may have caused their demise.

The Horse Whisperer by Nicholas Evans

On a snowy morning, Grace, a teenager, rushes out of her house to her friend, Judith. Together they excitedly saddle up their horses for a beautiful snowy morning ride.

Giggling and talking, they take a short cut up a hill when the panicked horses start to slip and slide backwards down the slick hill, tumbling, girl over horse, crashing to the bottom, landing in the middle of a road. Just then a large truck appears, horn blaring and brakes screeching. Grace's horse, Pilgrim, rears up.

This is the beginning of a marvelous and touching story.

The accident kills Judith and leaves Grace lost and devastated with one leg amputated and Pilgrim terribly damaged and traumatized.

After the accident, Grace's somewhat cold and workaholic mother, Annie, refuses to have Pilgrim put down, sensing that her daughter and her daughters horse seem linked and that both need to be saved from their pain and rescued from their despair.

Annie locates a rural "horse whisperer" in Montana, a man that can "speak" to and restore wounded horses and sets out with her daughter and her horse on a long journey to his vast Montana ranch to try to bring back a spark of life in them both.

This is a lovely story of love and redemption, and I highly recommend it.

The Land Girls by Victoria Purman

Melbourne, Australia. 1942. This is the story of three women whose lives were forever changed by World War 2.

Flora is a spinster who cares for her father and brother.

Betty is 17 when her beloved enlists.

Lillian is from a wealthy and well to do overbearing family and she desires to do something completely on her own.

All three women, coming from cities, join the The Australian Women's Land Army (AWLA) training to become "Land Girls", the military's effort to put women to work on farms and in orchards to keep the food supply going for the country and the war effort. This was often back breaking work, but these women were happy to do their bit for the war, discovering confidence and freedom in their work, as well as finding love and creating long lasting friendships.

I thoroughly enjoyed the characters and was sad as they were dealt blows and rejoiced with them when things went well.

I have read many novels about women during WW2, but this was a new perspective for me, never having heard of the "Land Girls" or much about the war from the Australian perspective. It was very interesting.

"It was never just a man's war..."

The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis

One of my favorite books when I was young... I enjoyed it again with my daughters... and it is still one of my favorites!

When bombs rain down on London during WW2, Peter, Susan, Edmund, and Lucy are sent to live in the country where they will be safe.

They stay in a giant house, and one day while playing, Lucy crawls into a big old wardrobe to hide and pushing to the back, finds herself in another land where it is snowy and cold and animals, like beavers, can talk.

Along comes Mr. Tumnus, a faun man who's bottom half is that of a goat, with a tail and hooves. He is excited and pleased because he has never meet human girl before. He polity invites Lucy to his house for tea. In his cozy home, Mr. Tumnus tells Lucy all about Narnia, his world, and the White Witch who makes it winter all the time, (but never Christmas!).

When Lucy returns back through the wardrobe to her world, her siblings don't believe her when she tells them all about the Narnia and her new friend Mr. Tumnus, until one day when they were all hiding from the housekeeper, and they all end up in the wardrobe, stumbling into Narnia. 

What follows if a fantastic magical story of good vs evil. 

I highly recommend this for all young folks (and adults). I regret that I never finished the other books in the series, but I do own them and will put them on top of my to-be-read pile, if I can find my ladder.

Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen

A very good novel. However, it does contain some fairly graphic and brutal animal abuse scenes. Contrarily, it also shows the importances of relationships and bonds between humans and animals.

This is the story of Jacob. Jacob is now an old man living a nursing home reminiscing on his life.

1932.  When he was a young man, Jacob was just about to graduate from veterinary school when devastating news forces him to leave school just prior to receiving his diploma and license. 

Not knowing where to go or what to do, he hops on a train, and ends up living with a depression era traveling circus called The Benzini Brothers Most Spectacular Show on Earth. 

Starting out as manual labor, when the owner of the circus, Uncle Al, learns of his veterinary training, and hires him to care for the menagerie of circus animals on the train including Rosie the Elephant.

Jacob falls in love with the beautiful Marlena, the star of the show who rides the circus horses in glittering costumes. Her husband, August, is the equestrian director and is a brutal man who abuses his wife as well as the animals of the circus.

This novel has wonderful characters such as Camel, an old man who is a circus veteran, and a grumpy dwarf named Walter and his dog Queenie. It is full of lush descriptions that make you feel like you can smell the popcorn and hear the calliope music.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, even with the outrage of the animal abuse, the circus vibe was a fun distraction and it was well written.

Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen

This is an enchanting novel. Simply delicious!

The story of the Waverley family, a magical, whimsical family. They are the talk of their small town in North Carolina. 

Clare Waverly runs a successful catering business where she specializes in edible flowers with magic properties. 

Her aunt, an  elderly lady named Evanelle, has the gift of giving people things that they need (even though she or they often don't know why they need it). Evanelle befriends a middle aged love sick gay man named Fred who becomes her boarder and best friend..

Claire's sister,Sydney, who left town as soon as she was 18, returns to their family home where Claire lives. She a small daughter in tow named Bay. She and her daughter have run from Sydney's abusive husband and while estranged from the Waverly family for years, has nowhere else to go.

This novel has lit all: love stories, an eccentric family, humor, recipes, southern snobs, and centers of the importance of family.

This is a charming, magical novel. I didn't want it to ever end, and was so super happy to find out that there was a sequel that continued the story of these magical sisters. It was just as good... more on that one later.

This was the perfect novel to read during a pandemic. Comforting and calming, like sinking into a warm bubble bath with a cup of tea.

Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood by Rebecca Wells

A wildly entertaining novel of life long friendships, mother daughter relationships, loss, love and the south.

Siddalee ("Sidda") is directing a play and during an interview with the New York Times, accidentally lets slip some not-so-flattering stories about her mother, Viviane ("Vivi"), going so far as calling her a "tap-dancing child abuser".

Vivi lets known her displeasure by basically disowning Sidda compelling her wildly original and flamboyantly southern group of lady friends to come to the rescue to reunite mother and daughter.

These lovely ladies (known as The Ya Ya Sisterhood) are:
Aimee ("Teensy") known to the sisterhood as "Princess Naked as a Jaybird" 
Denise ("Necie") known to the sisterhood as "Countess Singing Cloud" 
Caroline ("Caro") known to the sisterhood as "Duchess Soaring Hawk"
and, of course,
Viviane "Vivi", known to the sisterhood as "Queen Dancing Creek"

Minus her mother, these other wonderful women bring Sidda to an isolated cabin on a lake and explain to her the facts of her mother's life that Sidda had never known. They share a scrap book that contains previously unknown stories and family secrets long buried that help Sidda to see and understand better both her mother's attributes as well the understandable reasons for her failures.

A remarkable story, this is part of the "Ya Ya Trilogy", along with "Little Altars Everywhere" and "Ya Ya's in Bloom", they are all worth reading.

I really loved this one!

The Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean M. Auel

An epic, absolutely unique novel. Part of the "Earth's Children" series.

A prehistoric, cro-magnon little girl is orphaned by a natural disaster and is lost, scared and alone when another group of people, neanderthals, looking for a new home after their cave was destroyed by the same disaster, find her and reluctantly adopt her into their clan.

The clan's medicine woman, Ize, and shaman, Creb, name her Ayla and take the responsibility for her even though she is clearly from "the others", the antagonists of the clan, and they are suspicious of her presence, fearing she might bring bad luck.

This is the story of Ayla as she grows into a strong, self-sufficient woman and life during prehistoric times, her spirited desire to be more than her clan allows her to be, her difficulties, triumphs. It is full of fascinating tidbits about what life would have been like in those times, from animals of that era, plant life and medicinal uses of them, to hunting techniques to simple human communication.

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel (a few times) and liked the whole series, although this one was my favorite.

While this was published in 1980, it remains one of the most unique and well researched book that I have read, and I highly recommend it.

Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe by Fannie Flagg

"I'm too old to be young and too young to be old". One the eve of my 50th, I can totally relate!

Yet another favorite book. This one feels like home. Lovable characters, hilarious situations, the importance of family, the ignorance of racism, deep oss and sadness, the joy of lifelong friendships with an intriguing murder mystery all set in a small southern town! This one has it all. (Even a movie based on it with a fantastic cast that really followed the story of the book very well).

This is the story of Ruth and Idgie in 1930's Whistle Stop, Alabama and Evelyn and Mrs. Threadgoode in 1980's Birmingham, Alabama.

Ruth is the genteel, highly respected daughter of the local minister sent to help reign in the scandalous behavior of Idgie who is a smoking, cursing, poker playing tom boy.

Evelyn is a plump, sweet but lost housewife suffering from empty nest syndrome, who befriends Mrs. Threadgoode who is a lovable spunky old lady with purple hair that lives in a nursing home.

Together the lives of these 4 women become entwined through the stories of Ruth and Idgie told by Mrs. Threadgoode to Evelyn, which helps Evelyn find a new passion for and purpose and joy in life.

I can't recommend this one enough. Solid 5 stars.

The Witching Hour by Anne Rice

I have read this book several times and never tire of it! My copy is probably 25 years old, has yellowing pages and scotch tape holding the cover one and is still cherished. I bought it again and now read it on my kindle to avoid further deterioration of my original fragil paperback copy.

An epic, delicious southern gothic novel with scenes so creepy you cringe, descriptions so lush you can almost see and smell them, and characters you'll never forget.

This is the story of a family of witches, generations of women, who all have the same ghost/spirit/creature (Lasher) that accompanies them throughout their lifetime until the next witch is born.

Michael wakes up after almost drowning with special psychic abilities. The doctor that saved him, Rowan, is one of these witches, although she doesn't know it. Together, and with the help of a mysterious group of scholars called the Talamasca, they research her family history and discover this spirit has attached itself to the first female child born to the previous witch (in one case the first son).

The first of a trilogy (followed by "Lasher" and "Taltos")  they are all great, but this is my favorite. So much so that I cross stitched a piece called The Mayfair Witches (pictured below).

Spanning centuries and visiting many locations across the globe, this novel is extraordinary.

My cross stitch of the Mayfair witches.

The Color Purple by Alice Walker

While this book was banned from schools all over the county in 1984 due to it's graphic content, it is one of my favorite novels.

Written almost entirely as letters, mostly to God, this is the story of Celie, a 14 year old African American girl in early 1900's Georgia. Celie is a poor and uneducated and lives with her family. She is very close with her younger sister Nettie. 

After her mother dies, and after being raped by her stepfather and giving birth (for a second time), Celie is married off to a older man named Albert, who is widowed with several children. On his farm, Celie must work like a slave for Albert (who is physically abusive) and his children (who have no respect or love for Celie).

Nettie visits Celie once and teaches her to read and write, but is forced to leave after Albert repeatedly tries to advance on her. Celie is crushed and lonely.

Celie befriends her husband's lover, Shug Avery, a glittering Jazz singer who drinks and curses and is the daughter of the local preacher. Celie also becomes tentative friends with Albert's oldest son's wife who is an outspoken, bossy lady that lands in deep trouble after her temper gets the best of her.

Afters many, Celie discovers letters from Nettie that Albert has hidden all along. Nettie is a missionary in Africa and knows of the existence of her two lost children that Celie thought dead since birth.

While this novel DOES contain graphic violence and sexual content, it has a happy ending and is a lovely story of sisters, friendship, love and strength.

There was a movie based on this book (starring Whoopi Goldberg, Danny Glover, and Oprah Winfrey, directed by Steven Spielberg) that is also wonderful. 

I highly recommend them both, although the book always better!