(Image from Barnes & Noble)

If you're hoping for a tell-all that will reveal the answers to your burning questions about the advice business (Seriously, are all the bizarre situations described in such columns for real?), then you're going to be disappointed. Dickinson talks a little shop, but not much. For the most part, her book focuses on how she learned to be strong enough to handle the crises life threw at her. So, what's her secret? An unfailing support system. Growing up in tiny Freeville, NY, a town full of family, Dickinson found herself constantly surrounded by a circle of aunts, cousins, sisters, nieces, etc. "Divorce," she explains, "runs through my family like an aggressive chromosome. (14)" As a result, her family is "large and loud and abnormally weighed down by women. (14)" And the men? "Well, the men are nice and fine and they love us for a time. Then at some point, it seems theat they tire of their indeterminate role in our lives, so they wage a campaign of passive resistance, and then they leave. (3)" From these broken homes rose a posse of women working, parenting and surviving on their own. When Dickinson's own marriage ended in divorce, these so-called "Mighty Queens of Freeville" embraced her and taught her how to endure.

Dickinson's stories hit on the importance of family unity; the joy of rearing a child; the strength of women; and more. The vignettes are loosely connected, mostly funny, sometimes poignant. Considering the subject matter, it should be a gloomier book, but it's not at all. It's a funny, upbeat ode to womanhood, motherhood and humanhood. I loved it.

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For some reason, I find this book hard to summarize, so I'm leaving you with a couple of passages that made me laugh:

On single parenthood ...

Doing everything yourself has a way of relaxing a person's standards. The kinds of things that drove me crazy during my marriage -- my husband's passive incompetence or indifference when it came to certain childrearing chores -- didn't seem quite so devastating when I was at fault. Undercooking macaroni, skipping a nap, not changing a diaper on time, or falling aslep during a bedtime story didn't seem like such a crime when I committed it. (40)

On taking over for Ann Landers ...

The Tribune took all of the audition columns and test-marketed them for groups of newspaper eaders. In every single test market, the result was the same: readers' first choice for an advice columnist was to bring Ann Landers back from the dead.

Once bringing Ann Landers back from the dead was ruled out as a possibility, it was decided I would do. (134)

On her cat, Pumpkin ...

Belying the stereotype of the cat as a finicky, careful eater, ours was a Hoover in a cat suit with no culinary standards. (112)

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See what I mean? The Mighty Queens of Freeville glitters like the gem it is. You won't want to miss it.

Grade: B+

I actually drew the names of the 3 winners this morning (well, random.org did), but I'm just now getting around to posting them. Sorry for the delay. Without further ado, here are the 3 winners of Chicken Soup for the Empty Nester's Soul ...

Jessica Leigh

Bookfool

& K

Congratulations, ladies! If you will email me (blogginboutbooks@gmail.com) your snail mail addresses, I will get your books in the mail ASAP. Thanks to everyone who entered and to Tolly and the Chicken Soup gang for offering books for this giveaway. As always, stay tuned for more reviews, giveaways, author interviews, and much more!

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

I know romance writer Robyn Carr issued a caution to all her delusional devoted fans, reminding us that Virgin River does not actually exist. She says the town lives "only in my mind" and that all you have to do to visit is "close your eyes and open your heart." You know what I say to that? Bah! I think she's trying to keep it for herself, attempting to preserve the small town from pushy realtors and Jack fanatics fans. Well, I don't know about you, but I've got my eye on a cozy cabin nestled right next to the gurgling Virgin. I hear ther scenery and wildlife is drool-worthy: fish, deer, bear, sexy ex-Marines ...

Whether or not there's real estate available in Virgin River, California (Just draw me a map, Robyn ... ), I'm always excited to go back and visit. For a quiet little place, there's an awful lot going on these days. Temptation Ridge, the 6th novel in the series, opens when 25-year-old Shelby McIntyre and 38-year-old Luke Riordan meet on a rain-slicked highway leading into town. Having settled the affairs of her recently-deceased mother, Shelby's ready for some R&R before plunging into the next phase of her young life. A few months on her Uncle Walt's ranch should do the trick. Then, she'll be off to get her education and see the world. Luke, a retired Black Hawk pilot for the Army, is also looking for some diversion before making decisions about his future. To that end, he's come to town to check on some investment property he and his brother bought on a whim. The two feel an instant attraction, although neither one really wants to admit it - Luke is obviously too old for Shelby, and Shelby, who has spent the last decade caring for her ailing mother, has seen too little of the world to settle for the first man she sees. But, this is Virgin River - you know, there's just something in the water that makes rangy soldiers fall head over heels. In spite of himself, Luke can't keep his mind off the beautiful Shelby. Guilt-ridden about lusting after a young 'un, fearful of her 3-star general uncle, and terrified of domestication, Luke doesn't know whether to run to or from the stubborn young woman.

There's actually a whole lotta love whirling around town - 2 babies are on the way; a romance continues to blossom among a "mature" couple; and Cameron Michaels (who's not actually a VR native, but is connected to the town) gets himself into a bit of a pickle when he romances a separated-but-not-yet-divorced flight attendant. Of course, trouble's brewing right along with the ooey-gooey stuff - Luke's got a fugitive hiding in one of his cabins; a VR favorite drops dead unexpectedly; and Luke's charming younger brother just might give his brother a run for his money.

While Temptation Ridge lacks some of the action of its predecessor (Second Chance Pass, in which Jack and his friends bravely take on a raging forest fire), it makes up for it in romance. I have to warn you that this volume seems to have more sex than the others, and it's fairly explicit. I know, I know - I always gripe about books with graphic sex scenes, but I do have to say that these are not violent or kinky, just ... detailed. Alright, alright, you caught me - I have no excuses. Robyn Carr books serve as my guilty little pleasures. Ahem. Now I'm blushing.

You may or may not know that Robyn has a legion of fans who gather at the virtual version of Jack's Bar. I always used to laugh at these ladies who talked about Jack, Preacher, Mike, Paul and Co. as if they were actually in the bar. Now, I realize I'm just as bad. Robyn excels so well at making characters come alive - good, honest, hardworking characters - that you want to believe they really exist out there somewhere. These are the type of people you'd give your eyeteeth to associate with, the kind of place you'd move to in a heartbeat. Yeah, Robyn's books tend toward the predictable, but it's the people that matter here. Who cares if they don't really exist? Once you meet them, you're gonna keep coming back for more. You're not going to care that every romance works out; or that they always end in passionate love, strong marriages and healthy babies; you're not going to rant about unrealistically happy endings; you're not going to be complaining at all, because here, in cozy little Virgin River, you're finally going to feel at home and if you're like the rest of us, you're never going to want to leave.

Grade: A

The story revolves around a newly-opened heart clinic in Dublin. Housed in an unused storage depot owned by St. Brigid's Hospital, the clinic comes under the supervision of one Frank Ennis. The cranky administrator had hoped to sell the building for a handsome profit; outvoted by the hospital board, Frank now supervises the very heart clinic he vehemently opposed. He's not impressed with the new director, either - despite her glowing resume, Dr. Clara Casey's a ball-buster who won't take no for an answer. Soon, she's brought on a team of professionals who quickly turn the clinic into an organized, efficient establishment with a growing list of satisfied patients. Still, Frank seems hell-bent on keeping the clinic unsupported and underfunded, which only makes Clara more determined to make the project a success.

Employees, patients and friends of the establishment take turns telling the story of The Little Clinic That Could, while also ruminating on their own lives. This "Everybody Has a Story" technique is vintage Binchy - it's what makes her books so enjoyable. So, we meet Ania, a Polish immigrant who works tirelessly to earn money for the mother she shamed back home; Fiona, a friendly nurse with a mysterious past; Declan, a doctor who pines for Fiona; Clara's two self-absorbed daughters; Bobby, a good-natured heart patient, who's devoted to a woman no one else can stand; and many more colorful, very relatable characters. This motley crew supply myriad subplots to sustain the reader when the main plotline drags (as it often does).

What Heart and Soul lacks in plot it makes up for in rich characterization. Binchy also brings Dublin to life, even bringing back people from previous novels to help establish authenticity. On the flip side, the story drags in some places and lacks cohesion in others. Too many characters (however loveable they are) makes for a great deal of confusion - I kept forgetting who was who. All in all, I liked the book, but didn't love it. I expect more from this venerable author, who charmed me with her magical early novels. She's delivered in the past, so I'm not giving up on Ms. Binchy, but c'mon, Maeve, a girl's gotta have some dazzle. Maybe next time, eh?

Grade: B-