Because of Winn-Dixie

I just finished reading this to Natalie, and we both thought it was a really lovely book.  I described the last book as lovely as well -- what does that mean?  Well its a sweet story, well written, about love and family and friends.  In this one, a young girl finds Winn-Dixie, a beat up old dog, but having the dog helps her make friends, be bold, and come to terms with the loss of her mother, who ran away from home years before.  It has a deserved Newbery Honor and makes a good book to either read alone or read aloud.  Better if you can get a little southern lilt into your reading voice, though.

Major Pettigrew's Last Stand

Of all the books that were hyped last year, that were supposed to be SO wonderful, many left me cold.  This one did not.  This is a lovely tale of a widower finding love again, boy meets girl, boy loses girl, etc.  This is a tale of a lovely man, with a very dry sense of humor (perhaps what I liked most about him - but that again it's what I like most about all writing) and the lovely, yet "inappropriate" woman he falls in love with.  It is a tale of all the people surrounding them, the judgmental, the self-centered, the sanctimonious, and what happens when you pay attention to them, vs when you ignore them.   I am glad a bought this one on paper so that I can share it at my next coffee klatch.