After the Bloom

In the mid-1980's Lily goes missing, something she has done before, but never for long periods of time.  Her daughter knows her mother wanders off and suffers from dissociation and memory lapses.  The police reluctantly take the case and Rita feels they are not taking things seriously, so she takes matters into her own hands and begins her own investigation. Rita quickly discovers various family secrets including her family's  internment at a camp in the California desert during the Second World War, and the father she has never known.  Through her search Rita learns more about her family, her mother, and herself than she imagined. 




** I will start this review off by saying I received this book for net galley for an honest review. If you review books and haven't signed up for Netgalley, then you are missing out on some great opportunities.**




I have gotten more and more into books like this and I am loving the things that I am learning and they way it is changing my views as a reader and woman.  There are aspect of our history that we don't know about because we don't do much research anymore.  In this novel a woman begins a search for her  mother and gains so much more understanding of her mom, family, and begins to understand herself in the process.  I love how these books make me look at myself, even sometimes look at my mom and wonder what are some things she experienced that I don't know about, how has her life shaped her into the woman she is.


This is a book that touches your hear and makes you long for something more.  It does have suspenseful moments, but not in the edge of your seat kind of suspense, but the anticipation that builds and grows until you cannot hold it in any longer. It is very well written and easy to get lost within.  While this isn't my normal genre I go to, I did enjoy reading Leslie Shimotakahara's novel.  I will be looking for more from her and give this a 5 out of 5.

Driving Grandfather by John Redstand

Grandpa was once an airplane mechanic during World War 2.  Now he is chauffeured around doing errands with his grandson.  Through their travels, Grandpa regales his grandson with elaborate and humorous stories from his time in the Army.  The grandson is a contractor who empties out abandoned buildings, while trying to help grandpa renew his license, among other things makes for a hilarious tale.

This novel is full of humorous and all-too-real stories told by a spirited old man.  Redstand has the magic ability to weave present day with memories from long ago.  While Grandpa may be seated in the passenger seat, it felt as if I was in the backseat listening to his stories as well.  The author has the disclaimer that the stories told are historical fiction, but they feel as if they are real stories that have happened.  One thing I particularly enjoyed was that Grandpa told stories about the men he was serving with rather than the war itself.  There was a time when I had the honor of talking to men about when they served with my grandfather, reading this book brought back the memory of some of those stories.  That element in itself adds a personal and almost intimate touch to the story.

In about 133 pages, Redstand develops his characters and story so much so that readers don't want this book to end.  Almost every review I have read is agreement, no one who has read this book wanted it to end.  We all want more.  The book is fast paced, but that is only because you want to "hear" the next story to be told, you want to see the antics grandpa and grandson will get into next together.  Throughout the book we see an incredible bond between grandpa and grandson that is completely heartwarming.  The character of grandpa reminded me of my own grandfathers, and miss them terribly.

There honestly is no way to pick a favorite part of the book because it is wonderfully written.  Redstand does a phenomenal job with the book and I look forward to being able to read anything by this talented author.  The description of the book amazon mentions that John takes us on a tour of the last few months of his grandfather's life; this is a tour you don't want to miss.  This book is the perfect way to honor family and keep a loved one and their legacy alive.  I give this book a 5 out of 5, and recommend it to everyone.