THE GIRLS * THOSE WHO LEAVE AND THOSE WHO STAY * THE COLDWATER WARM HEARTS CLUB

We are home from a two week Thanksgiving vacation in Puerto Vallarta, and it was so relaxing to suspend responsibility. Even so, I was busy busy all the time. Our days were shaped by the noon "Aqua Fitness" class at the pool with Edgar and/or Clara. Around that, I was playing Pokemon Go, and Pokemon were popping up all over the place, but there was only one pokestop near us at the local Starbucks by a pirate ship that used to be part of the entrance to a miniture golf place. So I'd go into town to walk the malecon along the waterfront because there are at least 10 pokestops that can be hit in a 10 minute walk. Steve even got on the program and accompanied me for a lot of steps and miles. I'm halfway through Level 26 and filling out my Pokedex. 
And of course I read, and of course I did jigsaw puzzles. Peter joined us for a few days which was the highlight of the trip. 

The Girls by Emma Cline - Narrated by Evie, a 14 year old often left to her own devices by her divorcing parents, this story has a clear voice. Evie lives in a small town in California in the 1960s, and becomes kind of obsessed with Suzanne, a rough older girl who lives on a commune in the desert. It's all likely, but trashy in a compelling way. The innocent title somehow lets you think you might be getting a sweet story, but instead you get this hazy crazy stuff that happened to and around Evie.

Those Who Leave and Those Who Stay by Elena Ferrante - Now I'm wondering whether this is autobiographical. The author is so invested in the life of her main character, Elena, also known as Lina, who tells the story of the people she grew up with in a poor neighborhood in Naples, Italy. This is the third in a series of four novels, with the same dull conversational style including the characters' politics and discussions and writings. Lina has followed her nose, stuck to her studies and "made it". The end of this book was almost worth all the reading of the previous three, and from the beginning, there's been a mystery on top of it. I can wait to find out how it all ends. 

The Coldwater Warm Hearts Club by Lexi Eddings - Simple and sweet. Lacy is a small town girl who was swallowed up by the big city and comes home to regroup. It's all very sweet and even the sad parts don't seem too bad. (Is it the cover?) My favorite line in the book was said by an old woman who told Lacy that "...if where you are ain't the happiest place to you, then you ain't home yet."  Who knew that this was the book that would give me food for thought as I think about where the future will take us.