All Manner of Things by Susie Finkbeiner ~ a Review

by Susan Roberts

"A bunch of girls left the fire, squealing and running to the makeshift dance floor in the sand to sing along, spelling out RESPECT at the top of their lungs. Jocelyn and I jumped up, dashing down the dock to join them. None of us could dance to save our lives. And most of us couldn't carry a tune in a bucket.  But it was summer and we were young and for just a minute or two we could forget about all the madness in the world." (p187)

The Fourteenth of September by Rita Dragonette ~ a Review

by Susan Roberts

There will be some readers who will consider this book historical fiction. Other readers, like me, who lived through this tumultuous time, will consider this book as a reminder of what life was like during the late 1960s. The country was divided like never before - there were many people who felt that the war was justified and that people who spoke against it were traitors to America. There were others who felt that the government was sending soldiers to be slaughtered in a totally useless war. In The Fourteenth of September, Rita Dragonette does a fantastic job of presenting both sides of the conflict.

Review: Night Music by Deanna Lynn Sletten

by Donna Huber

(first chapter, first paragraph)

Chapter One
September 1970
Charlotte Parsons slipped out of her 1964 Pontiac GTO and snoothed down her plaid skirt before picking up a pile of books. It was her first day of college, and she was bothe nervous and excited. It had felt like this day would never come, and now, here she was.

Last fall, I watched Ken Burns's documentary The Vietnam War. It was before my time, but 'too recent' to be covered in my history classes so I had little real knowledge of what went on during that time period. A number of novels have also been released recently which Susan has reviewed. When I saw Night Music on NetGalley I had to request it.