The Postmistress by Sarah Blake

I finally finished the book! It took so much longer than I expected and wanted. The story wasn't strong enough to hold my attention, unfortunately. It was promising. And there were some really good parts. As I was reading, I was sufficiently entertained. But once I took a break, the story didn't compel me to immediately get back into it.

The story revolves around three ladies. There's the postmistress, Iris. Then, there's the reporter trying to get the world to notice the German invasion of Europe, Frances. And finally, there's the young bride, Emma. Their individual stories are good. And their specific characters are strong. But much of the story talks about the war and a reporters flailing efforts to get America to take notice of it, only to end up being about how the lives of these three women connect around a bunch of letters. I found it a little lame. The entire plot didn't tie anything together. And the ending was disappointing.

This book is good for a light read. If you're waiting for your plane, train or bus, this is a okay novel to have. But if you're looking for something earth-shatteringly good, try something else. 

Marley and Me

Lambchop's Favorites was born because I had the most handsome black labrador retriever in the world. And his name was Laszlo Lambchop. I lost my dear boy last December. And to ease the pain, he became my avatar.

After Lambie's passing, there seems to be so much more black labs in our subdivision. It feels like a conspiracy of sorts! Since I miss him so much, I've befriended all these dogs. And now, I know all of them by name. Julie, Kirby, Scooby and the one dog that's stuck behind the gate in the upper street. Julie looks like Lambie the most. But Kirby acts like him the most. She's crazy loony. Just like my big boy.

Anyway Julie hates me! Every time her walker brings her near our gate she gets such a look of terror on her face. She looks sideways and pulls on her leash. She wants to leave ASAP! Then when she hears my voice, she growls. Labs hardly ever growl -- unless they're abused -- so she's definitely acting very weird towards me. I wonder why. And according to her walker, she loves everyone else in the village. It's just me she can't stand. Wah!!!

What hurts the most is I can't help wanting to pet her since she looks so much like Lambie. Same big brown eyes and floppy ears. Sigh.

So today I decided to revisit my Marley and Me book since my substitute Lambie rejected me -- for the nth time! Marley is so much like Lambchop. He's borderline the world's worst dog. And he's hands down the world's greatest dog too. He's just as lovable. Maybe even more.

If you've ever loved a dog, you're going to love this book. You can relate to the frustrations of trying to "tame" Marley. And you can relate to how much a dog can change your life. They bring so much love and laughter to your days. It's corny but true. No other animal can find so much joy from a piece of stick or a rock. And no other animal can forgive and look at you with googly eyes either.

Lambchop looked so like Marley in the DVD cover when he was a pup. He even had the same red collar. I miss you, B! I hope there's a lot of bread and bones and heaven!