Reading and #Reviews (Binchy)

I'm a writer, but I'm also a reader. Each month, I'll share with you reviews of present and past reads. My available time to read is limited because I write, but I love to curl up with a paperback or an eBook at night for the last hour of my day.

I tend to read what I write, but not exclusively. Besides Romantic Suspense, I read crime and law novels, once in a while a true story, WWII historicals, mysteries, and main stream character driven books.

I have only one complete review to share this month. I previewed two non-fiction books, and I do intend to read them in the next couple of weeks. I started a book by Brenda Novak entitled Blind Spot but was so underwhelmed, I set it aside. I then opened The Vanishing by Jayne Ann Krentz, but I couldn't get past the second chapter. I found her story-telling just that---telling now showing. I couldn't get into it. When this happens, I set the book aside and try again in a few weeks. Maybe it was my mood that night. Maybe next time, I'll enjoy it. So, last night I opened Blind Spot again. I'm not rabid over it, but I will finish. I'll post the review next time.

Minding Frankie by Maeve Binchy

This is the story of a motherless baby girl raised by a close-knit Dublin community. But it's also the story of the adults who share in the love of the child. Maeve Binchy is a master of characterization which is why I love her books. There are stories within stories because of how she is able to weave fascinating, everyday people and their lives together. This was a great read.

Blurb:

When Noel learns that his terminally ill former flame is pregnant with his child, he agrees to take guardianship of the baby girl once she’s born. But as a single father battling demons of his own, Noel can’t do it alone. 

Fortunately, he has a competent, caring network of friends, family and neighbors: Lisa, his unlucky-in-love classmate, who moves in with him to help him care for little Frankie around the clock; his American cousin, Emily, always there with a pep talk; the newly retired Dr. Hat, with more time on his hands than he knows what to do with; Dr. Declan and Fiona and their baby son, Frankie’s first friend; and many eager babysitters, including old friends Signora and Aidan and Frankie’s doting grandparents, Josie and Charles. 

But not everyone is pleased with the unconventional arrangement, especially a nosy social worker, Moira, who is convinced that Frankie would be better off in a foster home. Now it’s up to Noel to persuade her that everyone in town has something special to offer when it comes to minding Frankie.

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