After Rose’s mom dies of cancer, Rose finds one of her mother’s famous Survival Kits in a closet. Her kit includes an iPod, a picture of peonies, a crystal heart, a paper star, a box of crayons, and a miniature kite. Unfortunately, some music, art supplies, and pictures aren’t going to work any magic themselves. [...]

Tags: alcoholism, death, family problems, grief, romance, sports
Filed under: Book Review

When I first heard about Stewart Lewis’ You Have Seven Messages, the first thing that came to mind was the movie One Missed Call. Now, I have not seen One Missed Call, but I think I can safely say that You Have Seven Messages is, in fact, nothing like it. For those of you whose [...]

Tags: coming of age, dating, death, family problems, grief, music, mystery, photography
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Pearl (aka Bean) and Henry are the best of friends. Having grown up as social outcasts in a small town, they have only each other to turn to when times get tough. For Bean and Henry, times are pretty much always tough. As the children of eccentric single mothers, life is often messy and complicated. [...]

Tags: coming of age, death, family problems, friendship, homosexuality, mothers and daughters, secrets, small town
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Jen Violi’s Putting Makeup on Dead People immediately comes across as both a bit morbid and witty, and it delivers on that promise all the way through. I loved this book more than I ever would have expected; it’s the kind of book I want to buy just so that I can pass it around [...]

Tags: career planning, coming of age, death, family problems, grief, identity
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Meg Rosenthal needs a fresh start after the death of her husband. She gave up her career as an artist when her daughter Sally was born, but when she is left with virtually nothing except for a barely functional car, she finds a job teaching folklore and English at a small boarding school for young [...]

Tags: boarding schools, death, fairy tales, mothers and daughters, murder investigation, secrets
Filed under: Book Review