What You Wish For by Katherine Center

Reviewed by Laura

          This book is by the author of the popular novel, Things You Save in a Fire, and is one of my new favorite books. As I’ve said before, some titles just beg to be added to my personal collection and this is definitely one of them. I was intrigued from the first moment I opened the book. I had chosen it for less than stellar reasons; it had flowers on the cover and it was blue. Weird reasons to pick up a book, but they were both spots that I could use on my Book Bingo card!

 The story centers around an elementary school librarian, which also grabbed my attention since I’m a retired elementary teacher who now works in a library. The perfect choice for me, right? And oh, it really was! This book has heart and joy in the midst of pain, overcoming obstacles, redefining yourself, miracles and wonder. My kind of book, especially in a world that isn’t very heartwarming for any of us at the moment.

          Samantha (Sam) Casey used to be a drab wallflower who never spoke up for herself or fought for anything. At her old school, she fell madly in love with another teacher, a special man always ready with a laugh or absurd suggestion. His riotous clothes were a direct contrast to her buttoned down appearance. But she never had the courage or confidence to reach out to him. When it looked like he was becoming serious about a colleague, she decided to quit her job and move away rather than having to face them every day. She landed at a wonderful, creative, independent school run by Max and Babette Kempner, a husband and wife team who took her under their wing and allowed her to move into their carriage house. Under their tutelage, she thrived and became a believer in seeking joy in each day. Max’s motto was never miss a chance to celebrate and Sam began to ascribe to that theory. She now wears bright fun colors and has even colored her bangs pink! In short, she has blossomed and loves every minute of sharing her love of books with her students in a free and welcoming atmosphere. But then the unthinkable happens. At his 60^th birthday party, Max collapses and dies. Their small closely knit community is heartbroken and floundering.

 With trepidation, the teachers await the new principal, who is none other than her unrequited love, Duncan Carpenter. Only this Duncan is not the fun-loving teacher she remembers. This Duncan wears stiff, drab suits and never smiles. This Duncan is trying to suck the color, freedom, and joy right out of the school. What happened to the man she once loved? How could he have changed so desperately?

This story will make you laugh and cry as you root for both sides in spite of yourself. If ever a book was written for the popular phrase, Choose Joy (and yes, I DO have a t-shirt with that sentiment on it), this book is it. There is heartbreak and despair, but also joy and hope. I highly recommend this book and plan to read all the rest of the books Ms. Center has written. I don’t know about you, but I need uplifting right now. If you do, too, then this is the book for you!

How to Walk Away by Katherine Center

Reviewed by Ambrea

Margaret Jacobsen is looking forward to the future.  She just landed her dream job, she’s certain her longtime boyfriend, Chip, will propose to her this weekend, and she’s on the precipice of having a picture-perfect life that’s just right for her.  Then, suddenly, everything is snatched away in one horrible plane wreck that leaves Margaret paralyzed and faced with a future that’s nothing like she anticipated—and everything she might have ever needed.

How to Walk Away by Katherine Center is an absolutely wonderful novel.  I picked it up when it came across the desk as a return and, because it was by the author of Happiness for Beginners, I quickly checked it out and took it home—and I fell in love.  How to Walk Away has everything I’m want in a romance novel:  likable characters, real conflict, family, human foibles, humor, and, of course, love.

Although I will be the first to admit How to Walk Away can be sappy, I still loved every single page.  I enjoyed watching the relationship develop between Iain and Margaret; I liked the reunion between Maggie and her sister, Cat, even if it was painful at first; and I loved seeing how Maggie manages to look her drastically changed life and decides that picture-perfect is not necessarily for her.  I found it heartwarming and heart-wrenching by turns and, overall, intensely enjoyable.

While the plot was a little predictable—as soon as Maggie steps into the plane, I know exactly how her life will exactly change and I have this gut instinct that Chip isn’t going to be around much longer—I didn’t mind.  The humorous relationship between Cat and Maggie, the budding friendship and, eventually, love between Ian and Maggie is completely worth it; moreover, I like being able to see Maggie’s growth as a character as she re-evaluates her life and realizes her own worth, recognizes her own desires as important.

Honestly, I just can’t say enough good things about this book and this author.

When I listened to Happiness for Beginners as an audiobook, I pegged it as one of my favorites from 2016.  This year, I’m happily adding How to Walk Away to my list of favorites for 2018.  (It’s right up there with Deanna Raybourn’s Veronica Speedwell series, and Jason Aaron’s run of The Mighty Thor.)

Happiness for Beginners by Katherine Center

Reviewed by Ambrea

Helen Carpenter—thirty-two and divorced—has decided it’s high time she get her life together and reinvent herself.  She wants to do something wild, something adventurous, something completely out of character for her—like enduring a three weeks’ long survival course in Wyoming.  A bit extreme, as Helen would admit, but she’s sick and tired of her well-behaved life.

As Helen’s new adventure takes off, she’s set to begin the strangest adventure of her life where she will survive various dangers—including a summer blizzard, a group of sorority girls, rutting elk, trailside injuries, and infuriating men—and learn something about herself along the way.  Helen quickly discovers, “[S]ometimes you just have to get really, really lost before you can even have a hope of being found.”

I absolutely loved listening to Happiness for Beginners.  After picking it out on a whim, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed listening to Marguerite Gavin relate Helen Carpenter's story.  Gavin was an excellent narrator, lending her voice and attitude to Helen, making the story come to life.  It was an exceptional experience:  I found myself laughing in the midst of every chapter, thoroughly enjoying the narrator’s company as I walked my dog.

Although I enjoyed the retelling of Katherine Center’s novel, I also enjoyed the story and the characters.  Helen Carpenter is a candid narrator, a vivid storyteller, and a wonderful character, developing as her story builds and transforming from tentative, broken-hearted grade school teacher to a thoughtful, more knowledgeable woman.  She grows closer to her brother; she gains friends; she learns how to survive in the wilderness.

And it’s wonderful to see how she develops, how she accomplishes her goals and, more importantly, manages to surprise herself in the end.

Her adventure is ludicrous—three weeks in the wilderness, surviving on her wits and little else—and her story is full of unintended twists, which even she acknowledges.  She goes in search of a new identity, in search of happiness and a piece of herself that she feels has been missing for years.  It’s fun to watch her reinvention, to see her “rising from the ashes like a phoenix”—one of her many goals for her survival course.

I’m glad I had the opportunity to witness Helen’s growth as a character.  Helen is a really marvelous character:  smart, a touch sarcastic, insightful, courageous and thoroughly grounded in reality.  As a recently divorced woman, she’s been through the wringer and managed to come out on the other side—and I like that she succeeds in reinventing herself and reevaluating her life, as well as her relationships.

Overall, Happiness for Beginners was the perfect combination of narrator and story.  Something about the way the author wrote and Marguerite Gavin retold the story made me enjoy every minute of it.