About the Author:
Charlene Ann Baumbich is a popular author and speaker and an award-winning journalist. In addition to her Dearest Dorothy series of novels, she has written seven nonfiction books of humor and inspiration. A bungee-jumping, once motorcycle-owning grandma and unabashed dog lover, Charlene lives with her husband and rescued dog Kornflake in Glen Ellyn , Illinois . She loves telling stories, laughing whenever possible, and considers herself a Wild Child of God .
My Thoughts:
It’s truly hard to decide what I like most about Stray Affections by Charlene Ann Baumbich. Her writing style is so easy and well paced that it requires no effort to get caught up into her wonderful story.
Stray Affections is the first story in the new Snowglobe Connections series by Charlene Ann Baumbich.
The story centers on Cassandra Higgins who is doing life, but not really living it. She sacrificed her dreams a long time ago. She felt that she didn’t deserve them anymore.
She’s given up on her plan and has resigned herself to a life of pleasing others- or trying to. Some people are impossible to please, like her mother.
Cassandra’s life begins to take a wild and crazy turn when she purchases a snow globe at a collector’s convention. The figures inside the snow globe remind her of herself and the dogs she loved as a child. With a rotten childhood marked by her father’s alcoholism and eventual suicide and her mother’s unapproachable hardness, these animals had been her saving grace. Them and Grandpa Wonky. Somehow holding that snow globe felt magical and made her remember feelings and dreams that had been buried for years.
When the figures disappear from the snow globe Cassandra is mesmerized by the mystery of it.
Her questions and obsessions about the snow globe, combined with her erratic behavior, begin to stir the people around her to change.
Stray Affections is a beautiful story of new beginnings and second chances.
I also love the aspect of this story that reflects the different perspectives of the characters and how they perceive each other. I loved reading about Cassandra’s mom “Bad Betty” who didn’t mean to be bad, but simply loved in a fearful way that her daughter read as judgement.
I think it’s always good to be reminded about assumptions. I really struggle with them in my own life. Stray Affections is careful to show all the angles of a character making them full and solid enough to be believable . . .even familiar.
This is a wonderful book. I loved the story and (I hope I’m not too honest here) I loved the length of the chapters. She packs a ton of plot into each little chapter. If you have four little ones running around like I do then I’m sure you’ll appreciate the ease of her story too.
At the back of the book you’ll find recipes and a readers guide that just enhance this book with a bit more fun.
Check out this excellent video promo for Stray Affections with Charlene Ann Baumbich introducing her book: http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/video/video.php?v=101927788491
You can also have some fun by visiting www.charleneannbaumbich.com
In honor of this story and the author’s love of dogs I simply had to post a picture of my own mutt treassure along with this review. Izzy was 4 when I got her 7 years ago.
She’s getting gray and she can hardly hear. She’s gotten lazy in her old age, but there is still one thing she does wonderfully . . .she loves me. If you don’t have a dog, now is an excellent time to visit the pound. These dogs are the most in need of love and the best at giving it.
Happy Reading!
, September 2009
