Hippie Boy: A Girl's Story

by: Ingrid Ricks

Available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble

Synopsis:
What would you do if your Mormon stepfather pinned you down and tried to cast Satan out of you? For thirteen-year-old Ingrid, the answer is simple: RUN.

For years Ingrid has begged her free-wheeling dad to let her join him on the road as a tool-selling vagabond to escape the suffocating poverty and religion at home. When her devout Mormon mother married Earl―a homeless Vietnam vet who exploits the religion’s male-dominated culture to oppress and abuse her family―she finally gets her wish. Ingrid spends the next few summers living on the margins while hustling tools with her dad and his slimy, revolving sales crew. He becomes her lifeline and escape from Earl. But when her dad is arrested, she learns the lesson that will change her life: she can’t look to others to save her; she has to save herself.

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Catchy cover - when I saw it on my Kindle...I had forgotten downloading it. But the cover grabbed me one afternoon when I was bored to tears waiting for my son's bus. And then I couldn't put it down. I wasn't expecting such a great story...and so mild.

For some reason I was expecting a really twisted, out there tale. But it was fairly vanilla. Which is good, I think teens on up can enjoy this book. Even with nothing really terrible happening, it holds your interest. Ingrid is a great story teller. I think that this being a memoir helps. To be fair I thought this was fiction when I read it. I didn't realize it was true until I read the Author Notes at the end.

It's a story about a girl and her Mormon family. Her mom is just about insane about church, while her father (who was raised Mormon) is excommunicated. When her mom remarries, the man is about as appealing as anthrax. He eats nothing but meat, which along with his lack of bathing (I'm assuming) leads to a very, very bad smell. Plus he's a leach, a jerk and just generally creepy.

My heart breaks for her because, really, neither parent treats her like she is worth much. Her dad is her hero, and she loves spending her summers traveling around with him. During the school year she lives with her mom and her stinky step-dad, plus 2 sisters (1 older and 1 younger) and 2 younger brothers. The timeline goes from when she is 9 yrs old until 17, and it really is a coming of age tale.

It's not free anymore, but it's only $1.99 for the Kindle - not bad, right? Ingrid Ricks does a great job weaving this tale of her childhood/teenage years.

We Interrupt This Date (re-post)

by: L.C. Evans (*originally posted 10-05-2011*)

Available at Amazon, Barnes & Nobles and Smashwords.

Synopsis:
Since her divorce a year ago, Susan Caraway has gone through the motions of life. Now she is finally coming out of her shell. Just when she decides on a makeover and a new career, her family members decide she's crisis central. First there’s her sister DeLorean who has come back from California with a baby, a designer dog, and no prospects for child support or a job. As soon as DeLorean settles in at Susan’s home, Susan’s son Christian returns from college trailing what Susan’s mama refers to as “an androgynous little tart.” Then there’s Mama herself, a southern lady who wrote the book on bossy. A secret from Mama’s past threatens to unravel her own peace. But not before Mama hurts her ankle and has to move into Susan’s home with her babies—two Chihuahuas with attitude. Susan would like to start her new job as a ghost tour operator. She would like to renew her relationship with Jack Maxwell, a man from her past. But Jack isn’t going to stand in line behind her needy family.

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Goodreads had a different cover, actually pretty bland, a large white house. I like this cover, with the 2 chihuahuas. The dogs are actually very annoying, and are her Mama's babies. Her sister shows up with a Golden-Doodle, completely untrained and full of fleas and matted fur. Poor guy, the sister doesn't take care of him and Susan or "Nic" is not attached to any of the dogs moving through her house.

The story starts off with Susan, living alone after her divorce now a year gone by. She hates her job, but after being a stay at home mom for the last 20 years, doesn't have a great skill set to offer in this competitive market. That's one thing I like in this story, maybe it will date it but L.C. Evans didn't sugar coat what our economy is like. In fact, the character realizes that considering her options, the miserable job at the pawn shop is better than some alternatives.

Then her friend Victoria shows up and offers her a job running her new Ghost Tours operation. And sweetened the deal saying Susan could live in her Bed & Breakfast and either sell or rent the house that is just too big and expensive for 1 person. Susan wasn't about to gamble and lose the only steady paycheck she has. But her boss finds out and uses it as the excuse he's been looking for to fire her and hire his niece. This part bothered me because she really should have stopped taking his abuse right then. After all, he'd already fired her.

Then her sister shows up with a baby, a huge dog and no money. Moves in with Susan. Then Mama falls and sprains her ankle...and moves in with Susan. Then her son comes home for the weekend with a girl-who-is-a-friend from school. The girl is all piercings, purple hair, grunge but proves to Susan that there's a responsible person underneath it all. So when Jack shows up, he is frustrated to discover the same old "drop anything for her family" Nic he used to know. Susan is in tears because she can't figure out what is wrong with Jack until FINALLY she blows.

So, will the Ghost Hunting job be a success? Who knows, but you'll see what offers Victoria gives her to keep her interested. Will she smooth things over with Jack? Maybe...you'll have to read and see.

You'll laugh, you'll cry, you'll want to shake sense into Susan. lol

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