The Night The Lights Went Out by Karen White

The Night The Lights Went Out.  Karen White. Penguin Publishing Group. April 2017. 416 pp. ISBN #: 9780451488381.

Merilee Talbot Dunlap and her two children are moving to Sweet Apple, Georgia not far from Atlanta.  Merilee is recently divorced and not sure where she wants to settle.  So, she rents a small house behind the home of her landlady, Sugar.  It’s a time of adjustment for all.  Sugar appears to be a tough elderly lady but as the story progresses we find that she has a heart of gold, submerged beneath sarcastic retorts and much grumbling.  For one thing, she’s rough on Merilee’s lack of Southern cooking skills, including how to make real “sweet tea” and make vegetables palatable for children.  Merilee has done fine with her son and daughter and they like Sugar who makes amazing cookies and has a collection of bird books that are an instant hit. 

Now comes the interesting part as soon after Merilee and her children settle into a job and school, respectively, it seems there’s an Internet blogger who knows all about Merilee’s divorce.  That’s a very different blogger from the other blog that points out the humorous side of “Southern” living, and funny it is!

Other characters include a handyman friend of Sugar who volunteers to do all kinds of renovations and house fixing for Merilee and more if she’s willing.  Then there’s Heather, a socialite who controls the charity benefits and school events and artfully takes over every mother’s life, including Merilee.  There’s also Heather’s husband who seems like a regular guy living a very unhappy existence.

No, this isn’t just a snarky Southern satire, although it certainly seems so!  The story progresses as Sugar and Merilee get closer and share the tragedies of their lives.  Just as the bond grows into a beautiful friendship, chaos looms large!  The very end of the novel jumps into a murder, an attempted murder and a mystery revealed that one could never have imagined when first starting this story!

Karen White continues to defy attempts to stereotype her writing.  That’s the beauty of her skills.  Something to appeal to mystery, romance, comedy, and adventure fill each of her novels, something to draw old and new readers alike for a pleasurable experience.

Days Like These: A Novel by Sue Margolis

Days Like These: A Novel. Sue Margolis. Penguin Publishing Group. December 2016. 368 pp.  ISBN#: 9780451471857. 

Judy Schofield hasn’t been doing well since her husband passed away.  Now, her daughter and husband are hoping to do medical work in Nicaragua and ask Judy or Nana to babysit for the six weeks they will be away.  While her daughter has a lot of anxiety about this arrangement, Judy takes it in stride and agrees to watch her granddaughter and grandson.  Little does she know what she’s in for, despite the fact she raised two children on her own quite fine!

The children are cooperative and sweet for the first twenty-four hours. Then starts the bickering, insulting, and hiding of belongings.  Meals seem to calm things down but what to watch on TV, what toys to play with, what books Nana should read and when, extension of bedtime, and so much more finally get to Judy and she gets it that she’s going to snapping sharply very soon.  Fortunately, she keeps her cool and keeps them from killing each other. 

Meeting the other Moms at the local school is a challenge.  The social satire of this novel is depicted in a funny but real way.  One mother insists on overseeing everything, cornering other mothers into volunteering for the next community fair.

While the plot is rather novel in the first half of the book, the remainder are pretty much what the reader expects.  Yet there is enough cuteness and feistiness in these children to keep the story alive. Just how far can Nana be tortured without losing her cool completely?  And what is it about contemporary kids who are never allowed to be alone without something to do?  How about just “being?”  In one sense, Nana can help her daughter and her grandchildren to realize that life does have a significant purpose and it’s not about social meetings where everyone compares food and clothing or being busy at every waking moment. 

Days Like These: A Novel is a lovely story that warms the heart while it keeps a few darts of adrenaline floating in the reader’s heart and brain.  Judy meets people who embrace life.  There should be more to come, but who knows the long-lasting effects of this one perfect day! Nicely put together, Sue Margolis!

Semi-Scripted: A Wanderlove Novel #2 by Amanda Heger

Semi-Scripted: A Wanderlove Novel #2. Amanda Heger. Diversion Publishing. November 2016. 224 pp.  ISBN#: 9781686303030.

Marisol Gutierrez is a nurse come to Los Angeles, in her mother’s place, to win a grant for their failing medical practice.  Marisol’s nervous about the interview to come but decides she will fill the waiting time by going to her favorite game show.  When approaching the site, Marisol sees a bunch of strange characters such as a man wearing nothing but a dirty diaper, characters covered in multi-colored glitter and makeup.  No entry for this show and not surprising given the oddities trying to gain entry.

Marisol wanders away and is immediately accosted by a guy named Evan who is inviting her into what the reader learns is a failing game show.  All those strange people dressed and made up weirdly are also waiting.  Evan is an intern on the show and he knows they are a breath away from being canceled.  So his job is to recruit guests who will be invited to come onstage and become part of the show. However, the guest has no idea what will happen but has to agree anyway.  The upshot after a comic wait is that Marisol’s playing of the part in the game is a winner and boosts the ratings above the normally dismal number.  So now the game show owner says they are away from the danger zone but on a probationary status, one week at a time.

Marisol, meanwhile, has bigger things on her mind.  Her interview for the grant is horrendous and now it turns out she has to give a presentation to the Board, proving her quest for the grant is more worthy than that of the other applicants.  Marisol’s in a panic and so is Evan.  For Marisol is not ready for the presentation and Evan has been told to get Marisol back or the show’s a goner.

The remainder of the novel takes up these two quandaries, with Evan and Marisol being more and more drawn to each other with many funny moments included. Amanda Heger has written a comic, contemporary novel that leads the reader through a light, crazy and dramatic journey in Los Angeles, California where anything can happen – and does!

East of Denver by Gregory Hill

East of Denver. Gregory Hill. Dutton: Penguin Group (USA) Inc. July 2012. 212 pages hardback. ISBN #: 9780525952794.

Shakespeare Williams (SW) (real name Stacey but no one ever calls him that) is on his way home because his cat has been murdered and he must be buried on home ground next to other beloved animals who met their demise earlier. No, there are no tears; SW just puts the dead animal in the car and begins the trek to Colorado.  When he gets there, he hope to just visit but discovers, after the burial, that his father is definitely shows signs of senility, including handing over hundred dollar bills for a small grocery bill and not knowing that a missing friend is right in the house in a most uncommunicative pose.  No, it's all proceeding quite lightly!

The narrator knows he can't leave his father alone, even more so after he discovers his father is the victim of a nefarious character, with the results that farm, tools, Shakespeare's Cessna, all are gone to the hands of a banker Mike Crutchfield who is not a local.  What to do?  First while he's thinking about it, he gets back in touch with former friends like Vaughn who loads brownies with a heavier substance than pot and is severely handicapped.  

Then there's Clarissa McPhail, a starting pitcher for the local softball team who knows more than she initially admits to Shakespeare - after a lot of distracting and irritating events occur. And there's D. J. Beckman, crook extraordinaire, whose interests in life barely graze the legal side of any event or possibility. So getting even with Mr. Crutchfield - via a bank robbery? - could be the balm that heals everyone's angst against the rich man who holds power over so many - and who destroys so many honest, decent and simple farmers who trust his oily rapport until it's too late.

Read on and discover that there's no malice - not on the surface anyway - in this bunch and the reader can't help rooting as this motley group plan their revenge on Crutchfield.  Will it really happen? Then a serious event happens leading to loss, grieving and real rage at the stupidity of the one who caused this mess.  Then we begin to get that no matter how blase a person or occurrence seems, he, she, and-or it really matters!  Order must be brought back with a very specific act! Yet it's hilariously accidental and disorderly, and the reader couldn't predict what happens in a million years!

East of Denver is a light-hearted look at how one approaches multi-layered crises and simple responses.  And who says there's anything wrong with a happy ending!!!  Cleverly plotted and well-written, this is a must read!