Never Sit Down in a Hoopskirt and Other Things I Learned in Southern Belle Hell by Crickett Rumley

I picked up this book at the library from a display shelf. . . I loved the title, first of all! Secondly, I have always wondered what it would be like to wear a hoopskirt ever since I read the Little House books. Thirdly, I loved Jane's voice just from reading the blurb on the back cover.

It was a fun read, and I must admit that I was sorry when it ended. It gets emotional when recounting her mother's life and death, and as other moments from the past come to Jane's mind. Parts of this were very well done. Also, I, as the reader, appreciate the friendships that eventually form amongst the girls (the Magnolia Maids), and how they all come to help each other out, despite the rocky beginnings.

I just wonder if this is going to be part of a series, because it feels like we didn't get enough of Jane with Luke, and then there is the issue of Jane and her father (who never did make it to visit her by the end of this book.) It feels like these parts of the story are unfinished.

Dying to Tell Me by Sherryl Clark

Once I started reading this book, I had trouble putting it down. I received this book (in .pdf format) for LT's Early Reviewers. This story, which would be perfect for tweens/young teens, starts off rather cliched in a way. . . a family whose dynamics and circumstances have changed are moving to a new town to start a new life. However, there is more at play here, particularly for the main character Sasha. She has a lot more going on than is on the surface, and one of her issues is that she doesn't want to be the embodiment of one of those "weird" shows on tv where the main characters can see dead people. Oh, and she finds out she can mentally speak with her dog. (That's my favorite part.) I love the mysteries in this book, and how they are resolved.

One of Our Thursdays is Missing by Jasper Fforde

This sixth book in the series is told from the perspective of the "written" Thursday Next. Personally, I highly enjoyed this new point of view. It showed even more fully how BookWorld works, and I found the technical descriptions fascinating. Written-Thursday started to come into her own as a person, which was also fun to watch. It is one of the best books I've read so far this year.