Pat Gaudette

‘Books For Women’

Endings: A Novel is a first novel by Barbara Bergin, an orthopedic surgeon living in Austin, Texas with her husband and two children. Bergin and her husband own a ranch and she competes and has ranked nationally in the reined cow horse performance sport.

Bergin writes about what she knows, orthopedic surgery, ranching, and competition horse events. While she might go into too much detail at times, particularly during surgery, it doesn’t detract from the writing or the storyline. I enjoyed reading this book… I think.

I was expecting a different ending. I read the ending the first time and went back to read it again because I wasn’t sure I’d understood what had happened to all the characters. After a second reading I decided to read the last chapter a third time just to make sure I’d interpreted the chain of events correctly. I’m not so sure that the ending was the right one for the story but it’s the ending the author chose and it’s her story to end in any manner she chooses.

 

You Can’t Have Him – He’s Mine: A Woman’s Guide to Affair-Proofing Her Relationship, written by Marie H. Browne, R.N. Ph.D., with Marlene M. Browne, Esq., is a survival guide for women dealing with cheating spouses. Whether you’re ready to kick him to the curb or fighting to keep him, take the time to read this book before making any major decisions or confronting him or his cheatmate. If you’re the betrayed wife, you actually probably have the upper hand; learn how to use it to your advantage. This isn’t a fun read but neither is adultery.

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Mademoiselle Victorine: A Novel, written by Debra Finerman, is a fictionalized accounting of historical events in 1860s Paris. Victorine, the lead character, is less than a courtesan but more than a streetwalker. She uses her physical beauty and sexual skills to work her way through the upper levels of Parisian society in her quest for rich men, married or not. I couldn’t find anything to like about such a self-absorbed and shallow character, but I thoroughly enjoyed Finerman’s depth of detail throughout the book. I felt that if I closed my eyes I would actually be in that period of time.

Daisy Dooley Does Divorce is a chick-lit novel by Anna Pasternak. Daisy Dooley is 39 and divorced after leaving a three year marriage, her first. Now, as her biological clock ticks madly away, she’s back living at home with her ditzy mother who raises dachsunds and taking another plunge into the dating pool. Daisy is British which means “shag” is not a hairstyle nor is “sod” something that covers the front lawn.

After Sunny’s middle-aged husband ends their marriage by running off with an old high school sweetheart, Sunny wonders if there’s anyone from her past who would have the same effect on her. Author Pamela Redmond Satran’s book The Man I Should Have Married begins with a divorce and ends with a marriage. The middle of the book tells how it all happened. Read more »

Douglas R. Andrew is the best selling author of books about financial planning. His newest book, The Last Chance Millionaire: It’s Not Too Late To Become Wealthy is written for anyone who wants to become financially independent at retirement. This isn’t a fiction “quick read” book; it’s full of good financial strategies explained in simple to understand terms. Read more »

Marc Freedman’s book Encore: Finding Work That Matters In The Second Half Of Life, is written for baby boomers who are in search of meaningful career choices at or after retirement age. The very thought of “retirement” can be chilling for anyone who isn’t ready to get out of the workforce. The fact is, many retirement age men and women prefer to keep on working for many different reasons. Read more »

The Men I Didn’t Marry is another uproariously funny novel by best selling authors Janice Kaplan and Lynn Schnurnberger. After reading, and thoroughly enjoying, The Botox Diaries, I had to read another book by this talented writing duo. Would I be disappointed or could they hit the mark again? I wasn’t disappointed. Read more »