Lately, I seem to be on a "dysfunctional families" kick. The two most recent books I finished dealt with alcoholism in the family and how it can deeply affect each member. One dealt with it humorously and the other wasn't funny at all.
Daisy Fay and the Miracle Man is a touchingly funny story written by Fannie Flagg. Daisy Fay Harper keeps a journal chronicling all of her adventures from the time she is 11 to when she wins the Miss Mississippi pageant. She's a tomboy sort of girl with a Dennis-the-Menace type penchant for getting herself into trouble. She doesn't mean to, it just seems to happen. Her father is an alcoholic ne'er-do-well with lots of grandiose ideas. The kooky locals in the story are lovable, particularly Jimmy Snow. I laughed out loud a lot when I read the book and the story has to be pretty funny for me to do that! I recommend it highly!
Songs in Ordinary Time by Mary McGarry Morris is also about a family touched by alcoholism, the Fermoyles. The father is a ne'er-do-well drunk as well and as totally unlovable as can be. He is obnoxious and sloppy and violent when he's drunk and Marie Fermoyle had to get herself out of that marriage too. The difference is that she and her children struggle on alone in the same town, suffering the indignities and embarrassment of the drunken father staggering around. There are lots of interesting characters in this book and each has a tale of their own. All of their lives are threaded together in a way that wasn't cumbersome at all. A con man arrives in town...and there's a murder ... I just loved reading this book! It's not a quick read but well worth it!
How do you let your significant other know what you want for Christmas?
If I know what I want, I just come out and tell him. This year, I showed him several things I liked so he could help the kids pick out stuff too. And...I answered a meme online yesterday