Spotlight on Romance

    Nan has just taken a new job at AAC, a prestigious publicity firm in Hollywood. Her first day on the job she is warned by Rhoda, her co-worker, to watch out for their boss, Helene. According to Rhoda, Helene is an extremely jealous person who will stop at nothing to destroy the career of any woman she feels intimidated by. This worries Nan until she meets Helene and finds her to be very kind and charming. Nan assumes Rhoda must be paranoid or have a persecution complex.

    Nan is told she will start her new job by observing her coworkers and then slowly become more hands on. However when she finds herself in an elevator with Olin Gray, a prestigious British actor, she is able to talk him into making an appearance on a talk show. This is considered a huge get and Nan is praised by Arthur, the head of the company. 

    While in Helene's office Nan is introduced to Judd Carter, a popular novelist that Helene appears to have a crush on. Although Nan dislikes the man after their first meeting she warms to him and he begins taking her out on dates.

    Nans first few assignments end up being disasters; a Broadway actor storms out of a talk show appearance when he learns the other guest is an animal tamer, and a teetotaler politician storms out of a restaurant when a cocktail is brought to his table. Nan knows she cant mess up another assignment so when she is told to handle publicity for an upcoming book signing she thinks up an idea to have a photographer present and offer free fan photos with the author. This is a huge success but when she begins to receive praise for her idea from Arthur, Helene intervenes claiming it was her idea and acts shocked by Nans so-called deceit. 

    Nan assumes it was simply a misunderstanding and continues to try and make good at the company. However she once again ends up with a disastrous assignment when an egotistical young actor tries to force himself on her because, he says, Helene told him Nan was "crazy about him".

    Despite becoming suspicious of Helene, Nan still wants to believe in her innocence. When Helene calls Nan into her office and tells Nan about her top-secret new assignment, Olin Gray appearing at the opening of a department store, Nan is concerned but goes ahead with it.

    When Olin Gray happens to stop by her office and Nan shows him the advertisements he is angry, thinking Nan is taking advantage of his previous generosity. Arthur is called into Nan's office who yells at her for "her stupidity" and when Nan insists it was assigned to her by Helene, Helene is also called in. Helene feigns innocents and Nan is fired in a verbal onslaught. At first Nan is willing to give up her job without a fight but, realizing it will leave a mark on her career that she might not be able to overcome, she fiercely defends herself, telling Arthur to look up the turn over rate under Helene. Back in his office he does this and comes to the realization that Nan is telling the truth. Arthur, Judd, and Nan confront Helene who more or less admits to it when it comes out that she got her job position by blackmailing the former head of the company whom she was having an affair with. 

    She quits before she can be fired and her position is given to the much deserving Rhoda while Nan and Judd acknowledge their love for one another.

Bright Tomorrow

    Sisters Cass and Lisa are orphaned at a young age when their parents pass from a car wreck. Cass, who was in the car with her parents, miraculously survives the accident but it leaves her with a disfiguring scar across her cheek. When taken in by their Aunt Edith the beautiful Lisa is spoiled while traumatized and disfigured Cass is left to emotionally and socially fend for herself resulting in a lonely and isolated life. 

    Fortunately for Cass her parents old friend Monica is visiting from England and stops by to see the girls. She is upset to see that eighteen year old Cass still has the scar and that Edith has not allowed for the simple plastic surgery to remove it. After seeing how horrifically shy and withdrawn Cass is and the significant difference in the treatment the sisters receive, Monica asks Cass to return to London with her where she will get Cass the surgery she needs as well as the parental kindness and love. 

    The surgery is a success and for the next two years Cass engages in a happy and fulfilling life under the guidance of Monica. She makes friendships, dates, and when the extra time stacks up she begins a career in copywriting despite inheriting enough money from her parents to live comfortably.

    When she learns a new department store, Gratons, is opening in her former hometown San Francisco she secures a job there as a copy writer and heads back to the states, with Monica's warning not to let her reunion with Lisa and Edith destroy her new found self confidence. 

    Once back home she visits with Lisa and Edith, with neither of them in a rush to see her, and finds their demeanors strange. Cass's confidence in her self, both inside and out, have turned her into a gorgeous woman and her aunt and sister now seem to see her as competition to Lisa socially, and romantically.

    Lisa and Edith inform Cass that Lisa is in a serious relationship with Brad Kincad, the owners son of Gratons but make excuses to keep Cass from meeting him. She does end up meeting him and he invites her out to dinner where he insists Lisa and him are just casual acquaintances. 

    Edith sees them out together and storms over to Cass' apartment the next day where she tells her to stay away from Brad. However Lisa calls up that evening saying that Brad was telling the truth, they're just friends and any romantic feelings between them was simply wishful thinking on her part. She encourages Cass to date Brad if it makes her happy. Cass is touched by this and happy to think her and Lisa are becoming close for the first time in their lives.

    Brad continues to take Cass on dates and is clearly smitten with her. One day his mother makes an appearance in her office and says she wanted to meet Cass after hearing Brad speak so much of her. However there seems to be underlying tones of worry in her demeanor. 

    Later that day Brad calls her office and claims to be "returning her call" but Cass insists she never called him. It's chalked up to a simple mistake on his secretary's end. 

    Days later while out to dinner with Brad the couple runs into Lisa and her date and Lisa asks Cass "did you ask Brad?" to which Cass is confused. Lisa claims she asked Cass to attend a party she is throwing and invite Brad to come with her but Cass has no memory of Lisa asking this.

    The two attend Lisa's party and Lisa greets them by apologizing for missing Cass' call earlier that day, a call that Cass insists she didn't make. 

    The next day Cass and Brad go to the beach where Cass tells him about her scar and the effect it had on her life and Brad tells her she's amazing with or without a scar. They go back to her apartment so she can change before dinner. When she comes out of her room Brad is on the phone with his mother and relays a message to "thank Cass for the flowers". A bouquet of flowers had been delivered to her with a card baring Cass's name yet she didn't send them. 

    She tells Brad about all the strange incidents and how they are beginning to frighten her. Irritatingly Brad brushes it off as practical jokes but begins doing some sleuthing. He learns that Edith had visited his mother, falsely telling her that Cass had been in England for psychiatric care and that Lisa had been making fake calls and placing orders under Cass's name to convince Brad that she was seriously mentally ill. 

    Together the two tell off Lisa and Aunt Edith, with Cass walking out of their lives to start her new life with Brad.

Symphony in the Sky

    Cheryl Stevens, Cher as her friends call her, is a nurse. She's known she's wanted to be a nurse ever since she was a child due to her mother having been a nurse and her father being a surgeon. However she's simultaneously had another career goal since she was a child, that of flight stewardess. Having achieved one she now wants to achieve the other. She's been accepted to stewardess school and now has to tell her loved ones. 

    Her parents are upset by her career change, feeling as tho she is degrading herself. Her boyfriend Tom, who is a surgeon at the same hospital as her, is furious at first because he worries it will waylay their plans to marry after his residency, but once he's digested the news he accepts Cher's decision and suggests they place their relationship on pause so she can be free to date other men while she's away.

Cher worries that this will open Tom up to dating Lee, his ex girlfriend that Cher is sure still carries a torch for him, and has recently been placed as nurse in Tom's surgery ward. 

    Away at stewardess school Cher becomes close to her roommate, Vicki, who has a handsome, young, sky-writer brother named Biff. After meeting at their graduation ceremony Cher and Biff hit it off right away and begin going on dates regularly whenever Cher's work schedule takes her to San Francisco, where Biff lives. 

    

    When Cher is with Biff she feels as tho there is no other man she could love, however when she's back home with Tom she feels the same way about him. She's been open and honest with both men about the other and is struggling to figure out what her heart wants. 

    When she goes home for thanksgiving she's asked to work a nursing shift at the hospital as they are short staffed due to the Hong Kong Flu. There she's told Tom and Lee have been inseparable, working closely side by side.

    Biff is flying to a sky writing job that day and will be flying over the hospital at 3 o'clock, he's arranged for Cheryl to look in the sky for him at that time so he can "dip his wings" at her but when she goes outside at the arranged time, instead of the friendly gesture, he writes "CHERYL I LOVE YOU" in the sky in full view of Tom and Lee.

    Back at work after the holiday Cher torments herself with thoughts of Tom and Lee together. Her airline has a new flight to Mazatlan, Mexico which she is assigned to. On her first trip there Biff meets her and they spend two romantic days at a beach hotel during which he subtly suggests they get engaged.

    Cher leaves Mexico more confused than ever but when a fiery explosion erupts on her flight home her first thoughts are of Tom and the fear she'll never get to tell him she loves him again. She realizes then what her heart wants.

    Cher extinguishes the fire and is hailed for her quick and calm action in the face of danger. Once safely landed she arranges to visit home and calls Tom telling him she has big new. Tom says he has big news as well and Cher convinces herself it's an engagement to Lee.

    Back home she tells him he is the only man she loves and he tells her he's been offered a job in Washington D.C. and he wants them to marry and move there together.

- This is the second book I've read by Laura C. Raef. Her writing style is somewhat different then I've encountered before, I'm not quite sure how to describe it. It feels quite boring but also paced well enough to keep me reading and wanting to know what happens next. Quite an interesting combination.

- I'm no medical student but the ways the medical parts were written, such as the baby being born during a flight, felt like they were written from an educated point of view. I couldn't find any information on Laura Raef so I don't know if she had experience as a nurse but I certainly wouldn't be surprised. 

- The pregnant lady on the plane was dumb. She's a Canadian who was visiting her husband who is working in Chicago and when she goes into labor, instead of going to the hospital and having her husband nearby she sneaks on a plane so her baby can be born in Canada. This almost cost the baby it's life. Very stupid lady.

- The explosion in the plane bathroom was never explained. I was curious what caused it. Was it a malfunction or had a passenger done something?

- I actually really liked Cheryl, I thought she's really cool. Her double career ambition is admirable and I like how she was honest with Tom and Biff about the other, not wanting to play games or be deceitful at all.

    Overall it was a pretty nice read. I thought at this point I'd be sick of flight stewardess stories but this showed me otherwise.

Barbie's Hawaiian Holiday

    Barbie's family heads to Hawaii for the Christmas break. Her father had been stationed there during the war and became friends with a British solider who moved there permanently after his service. He has invited the Roberts to stay with his family which consist of Clara, his uptight British wife and Gerald, his teenage son. Barbie is excited to spend the vacation with the boy until she meets him and sees he is only 13. 

 

    While Barbie and Gerald are at the beach Barbie meets Apaki, a handsome Hawaiian college student and avid surfer. Taken with Barbie he offers to teach her how to surf which Barbie is ecstatic over.

However when she reveals this plan to her hostess, Clara is appalled. She finds surfing improper and disapproves of Barbie partaking in the sport. 

    After the first day of her lessons Barbie sees Gerald out on the waves and is very upset. She disapproves of him surfing behind his mothers back and insists he tell her about it which he refuses to do. 

    Apaki will be partaking in an upcoming surfing competition and after Barbie introduces him to both families, and they like him, they all decide to go to the competition. When Clara enjoys watching the surfers Barbie pulls Gerald aside and insists he tell his mother he surfs but he again refuses. Instead he takes off into the waves with a surf board, getting in Apaki's way, and unintentionally making him lose the competition. Apaki is not mad but he informs Gerald's parent of his secret hobby and they approve.

- This book would have been really nice except for Barbie being a busy body. I really couldn't stand that. It pushed the narrative that you should always tell your parents everything because they will always understand. Was the writer unaware that not all parents are saints? If I was Gerald I would have gotten my ass beat. 

- I love that Barbie's romance is with a Hawaiian boy. I think it makes her experience is Hawaii more authentic and romantic than if she met another tourist. 

- I found it a little amusing how Ken was worried Barbie was going to meet a "beach boy" and then she does just that. Poor Ken.

    Overall this was a pretty good book, you've just got to overlook Barbie acting like the arbiter of morality. Also worth noting how lovely the cover art is. Its simple but really gives the Barbie aesthetic. 

Magic is Fragile

     After the birth of their son Jeremy, Eleanor and Sam Ireland are told they wont be able to have anymore children. Not willing to give up their dreams of a big family, they consider adoption. When Eleanor sees the picture of a newly orphaned little girl in the newspaper she is struck by her beauty and they bring her home with the intention of adopting her.

    But Eve, as she's named, has behavioral issues which include compulsive lying, stealing toys from other children, and abusing the dog. When she's found to have stolen an expensive ring from a jewelry store Eve jumps into the river in an attempt to make Eleanor worry about her as punishment for uncovering her theft.

    Trying desperately to help Eve with her issues, Eleanor has been driven to the brink of a nervous breakdown in just a month and Sam insists the child must go back to the orphanage as they are not equipped to handle her. Eve is not happy by this decision and swears revenge on the family.

    Not long after the couple goes to another orphanage and adopts ten year old Nance. Nance is an awkward looking child which causes her to be continuously overlooked by prospective parents. But Eleanor falls in love with her at first sight and she soon becomes Nance Ireland, the beloved daughter of Sam and Eleanor Ireland. 

    Nance and the fourteen year old Jeremy quickly fall into the rolls of brother and sister but as they become adults and after spending time apart at college they find themselves in love and engaged, to everyone's delight.

    One night, a few weeks away from the wedding, the young doctor Jeremy receives a call from a young woman at a hotel complaining of a sore throat. Once there the beautiful Eve greets him and admits there is no sore throat. She is simply new in town, lonely, and wants him to introduce her around.

    Annoyed at first Jeremy quickly becomes amused by Eve's trick, partly because he is awestruck by her beauty. He invites her to join outings with him and Nance, including double dates, but each time him and Eve end up in their own little world, alienating Nance.

    Nance is becoming worried about Jeremy's straying heart so close to their wedding day and so is Eleanor who, upon hearing the name Eve, knows in her heart it is the same Eve from her past. Eleanor did not give up Eve easily, she has spent all the years since then blaming her self for not being able to help Eve, thinking it was her inadequacy as a mother that was the problem. Often she has thought of Eve and wondering what has become of her.

    When Jeremy brings Eve over to meet his parents Eleanor's intuition is proven correct and, when the two women are left alone, Eve makes no secret of her bitter hate for Eleanor. Eleanor tells Jeremy who Eve is and that she has clearly come back to get her promised revenge but Jeremy, in his male ignorance, refuses to believe someone as beautiful as Eve could ever do anything wrong.

    Nance decides to go to New York for a week and stay with her Aunt Kit. Despite her colorblindness Nance has become a successful artist and creates children's book illustrations for a company in New York. Her boss, Rolph, has been pushing her to meet deadlines for a big contract and working in New York would make this easier as well and give her and Jeremy some time apart.

    Once there she finds the company has taken on more contracts and Rolph tells her she will either need to work on her honeymoon or postpone the wedding. Nance sees this as a way to test Jeremy's feelings; see how he responds to the idea of postponing the wedding. To Nance's disappointment Jeremy instantly accepts the postponement and Nance remains in New York another week.

    As Jeremy begins to miss his nightly calls Kit encourages Nance to accept some dates from Rolph and not wait by the telephone. She does this and at a party she finds out Rolph's friend, Steven Raymond, is Eve's ex-husband. In the past year she married and divorced Steve solely to get a hundred thousand dollar settlement from him.

    Feeling the need to go back home and fight for her man Nance plans to take the train home the next morning. As she's about to head out the door her father calls asking her to come home immediately. Jeremy and Eve have eloped and the news has caused Eleanor to have a breakdown.

    Taking care of her mother occupies Nance's thoughts and helps her get passed the initial shock of being jilted. When Eleanor has recovered enough Nance goes back to New York where she has decided to live.

    Nance pines away for Jeremy hoping that his marriage to Eve wont last but Aunt Kit gently reminds her that even if Jeremy was to become single, it doesn't mean he would come back to her. Aunt Kit has previously been married but after her husband was killed in world war one she shut out the idea of any other relationship and has lived alone for decades, something which she regrets. She tells Nance she's happy with her life but wouldn't wish it for her.

    Nance decides to start accepting dates with Rolph who has been a patient and understanding friend to Nance despite being in love with her himself. When Nance decides to visit her parents he comes along. On her first night there Eve calls inviting her over to bridge. Knowing Eve is looking to hear Nance painfully decline, she joyfully accepts. 

    Eve is stunned upon seeing Rolph but doesn't mention to Jeremy about having known him in the past. During the bridge game Eve cheats making everyone uncomfortable. When an emergency call comes in summoning Jeremy to the hospital Eve tries to claim Jeremy isn't home which causes a fight between the newlyweds.

    Jeremy soon learns Eve often claims he's not home to keep him from his professional duties. This has caused him to lose the respect and friendship of many of his peers as well as a chance at being made chief of staff.

    When Jeremy goes to New York for work he stops by Kit's and ends up going out to dinner with Nance. His unhappiness is visible and he's beginning to look worn down.

    Despite promising not to withhold his calls anymore, Eve does and it results in the death of a child patient. Having had enough, Jeremy tells Eve he wants a divorce but she denies him one, threatening to have Nance sued for alienation of affection if he tries to proceed with it.

    Jeremy becomes visibly depressed and isolated from his family which wears on his parents. His father, worried and depressed over his son, loses the mayoral election.

    After visiting for Christmas and seeing the state her parents are in Nance decides to move back home. Once back in her social circles she learns just how much the town has come to despise Eve and Jeremy.

    Come February Eve becomes ill with pneumonia. It's not serious but she does remain in the hospital receiving penicillin injections, and after going in and out of delirious sleep she awakes finding herself in love with Jeremy. She decides to confess her love and explain her past.

    After returning to the orphanage from the Ireland home she continued with her problematic behavior which got her sent off to reform school. This she also blamed on the Irelands. Once out of school she began working as a maid but quickly grew unhappy with work she stole two diamond clips from her employer and ran away. The law caught her quickly and she was sent to prison for a year. Once out she went to secretarial school to acquire a position where she would meet successful men. This being how she met Steve Raymond. She married him to get enough money to head back towards the Irelands and set her plans for revenge in motion.

    She confesses that her obsession with the family centered on Nance and how she deeply hated the girl and wanted to hurt her. But after getting Jeremy and causing the family so much unhappiness her obsession with Nance was not assuaged and she tried her best to ruin Jeremy's life, her goal being to have his medical license revoked. Eve says she'll do anything to prove her love for Jeremy including giving him a divorce.

    After moving back home, Rolph comes to visit Nance several times with him suggesting they get married on his last visit. Nance takes some time to think it over but declines, accepting that she is still in love with Jeremy and would rather be alone if she can't be with him.

    When a rainstorm comes on Nance decides to go for a walk in it, playfully jumping in puddles along the way. As she nears the bridge over a river, the same river Eve had jumped in as a child, she finds Eve, dressed in a thin coat and slippers, contemplating jumping into it once again.

    Worried about her health as she had recently been released from the hospital, Nance rushes her home and into a warm bed. However Eve's health does not recover and she succumbs to a relapse of pneumonia. After her funeral Jeremy closes house and takes off for several months, ending up in Canada. Immediately upon his return he takes Nance for a drive where he apologizes and suggest they move to Canada to have a fresh start. But she insist they stay in town and, together, they will work to rebuild Jeremy's reputation.

- Okay, let's address the elephant in the room. The brother/sister thing is weird even if they're adoptive siblings. I don't understand why that was the setup, couldn't they have been neighbors that grew up together and fell in love as adults, or even a blended family wouldn't be so bad. It was a very strange choice.

- My notes simply say "Jeremy bad". He is simply a bad person whose self-centeredness caused harm to all of his family and eventually himself which is totally his karma. He didn't have to marry Nance if he had fallen for Eve but dear god, at least tell her it's over instead of eloping behind her back. It annoyed me that Nance took him back in the end.

- The outdated view of a man cheating was irritating. Jeremy's cheating is blamed on Eve for seducing him and Nance for not holding her man.

- Talking would have prevented most of the problems. Eleanor talking to the kids about Eve, Eve talking to Eleanor about her pain of being sent back to the orphanage, Jeremy talking to Nance about his attraction to Eve, Nance talking to Jeremy about her worry for their relationship. 

    Despite the strangeness of it this book was actually very good. It's very dramatic which at times felt exhausting but it was an attention grabber.

This book is available to read online for free but I bet you'll never guess where . . . the Google newspaper archives. This book was printed, a chapter a day, in the Beaver Valley Times newspaper starting on October 6, 1952. Here's a link.

Island Nurse

    Carol is a new nurse whos first job is taking care of elderly Elizabeth Stafford who is recovering from a broken hip. As Mrs. Stafford is recovering quickly she encourages Carol to spend some time out with her 17 year old grandson, Herb, and his girlfriend Flo.

    Flo's older cousin Ronnie has just purchased a fancy new yacht to enter in the yearly race so the group goes to check it out. There Carol meets the handsome and flirty Ronnie and quickly is asked to attend a dance with him which she accepts.

    Back at the Stafford house Carol is visited by Flo's mother Lisa who wants to hire Carol to take care of her grandfather, William Elliot, who is suffering from diabetes and a weak heart. Carol asks to think over this offer but after Ronnie declares his love for Carol at the dance she decides to accept the job to remain close to him.

    The Elliot family reside in a grand old house on Myrtle Island, across the bay from the Stafford's. The inhabitants are Mr. Elliot, the patriarch. His grandson David, his Granddaughter Lisa, Lisa's husband John, and their three children Flo, Julie, and Billie. Ronnie is also his grandson but lives on a separate island that was gifted to his now deceased parents by Mr. Elliot.

    Mr. Elliot, despite his red hot temper, is kind and approves of Carol instantly. While Carol is meeting the family for the first time Billie runs up saying a man has just gone overboard out in the water. He, David, and Carol rush to rescue the man with Carol having to revive him. He remains at the house for the night then quickly leaves the next day. Julie believes she had seen the same man wandering around the swamp on the families property the day before. And when Lisa reports there's been several cases of poisoning from illegal moonshine on the nearby marine base she works at, they start thinking the mysterious man was a revenue agent looking for a hidden still. 

    Carol is invited out for a boat ride with Herb, Flo, Julie, and Billie but once on their way they inform her they're going to the swamp to look for the still. They worry that if it's found by the law the public might believe it's Mr. Elliot's and they want to protect him from any possible scrutiny that could affect his weak heart. However they don't find it. 

    Lisa and John are holding a party to celebrate their 20th anniversary. Ronnie attends making it the first time Carol has heard from him since the dance despite several weeks passing. Although she wants to be angry about his absence she quickly falls for his charm, much to the displeasure of David who has developed feelings for her. Broken hearted he heads out of town the next morning.

    Carol attends another dance with Ronnie where she notices he's sweating a lot and out of breathe as well as has a nasty cut on his hand. Despite her advice to see a doctor immediately he brushes it off and again declares his love for her and insists they get married. Carol thinks he's being ridiculous and when he kisses her she wishes it was David. 

    The next day a hurricane is approaching. The large oak trees surrounding Myrtle Island make it a safe haven during a storm but when Mark, Ronnie's hired man, shows up saying Ronnie is delirious with a fever and needs immediate medical attention Carol must leave the safety to help him. She hates to leave Mr. Elliot but knows the worry over his grandson could cause a life threatening episode. 

    After traveling through stormy waters to get to Ronnie's house, Hilda, the housekeeper, brings Carol dry clothes to change into: bedroom slippers, lingerie, and a dress, all of which she says have been left there after "weekend parties". 

    Carol cleans and disinfects Ronnie's wound and monitors him until his fever reduces. Then, due to the storm, she must spend the night there.

    The next morning there is a lull in the storm when Carol awakes and finds Ronnie on the mend. She demands to be taken back to the Elliot house as she is terribly worried about Mr. Elliot. Mark informs her they are in the eye of the hurricane and he can try to find a boat to get her back but they will have to be quick. Ronnie however tells her to stay and doesn't seem to care his grandfather could die without her aid. 

    David then bursts in looking disheveled. He arrived back in town shortly after Carol had left the previous day and quickly went after her, not trusting Ronnie. However his boat's motor died and he was washed up to the swamp. There he sought shelter in the old cotton gin where he discovered a still placed there by Ronnie and Mark. 

    Disgusted by Ronnie's illegal actions as well as his "weekend parties" Carol quickly leaves with David and they make it back to Myrtle Island to find Mr. Elliot in a horrible state. He desperately needs oxygen but with the roads flooded and the storm still raging there's no way to get him to a hospital. David suggests getting an oxygen tank from the marine base hospital and him and John set out against the storm in an effort to save their beloved grandfather's life. 

    A nervous two hours ensues before they return victorious and the elderly man's heart quickly stabilizes bringing him back from the brink of death. Carol and David confess their love and get engaged with Mr. Elliot gifting them nearby land to build a home. 

- I really liked Mrs. Stafford. Despite her age she loves to keep up with the goings on of the young people and she's never judgmental about what they're doing or how they're acting. She's not a "back in my day" kind of person at all. She's also an ideal patient as she follows Carol's instructions perfectly so she will be up on her feet as soon as possible as she refuses to become wheelchair bound in her old age.

- Carol is very level headed when it comes to Ronnie's love bombing which is a nice change of pace for a romance book. When he declares his love for her on the first date, and when he proposes marriage on the second, Carol thinks he's being ridiculous and dramatic. 

- The book was written by Marcia Ford which was a pen name for Ruby Lorraine Radford. I have reviewed several of her juvenile mystery book on this blog already. One thing that's clear from her writing is that she's a proud southerner. It's quite nice reading something that takes place somewhere that the author is not only very knowledgeable about but also passionate about. 

- One thing that did make me quite sad was dialogue between David and Carol where they talk about how awful it is that the rest of the country stereotypes southerners as ignorant, backwoods morons. The way it was written seemed very personal and it made me sad to think Radford was probably talking about her own experience with being discriminated against. I really don't think its okay to be cruel to people based on where they come from. After all no one chooses where they are born.

- Radford was around 67 years of age when this book was written. I was shocked! It reads very youthful. I've read books before that were clearly written by someone older but that's not the case here. Radford was certainly able to change her writing with the times and, as someone who can't write at all, I admire that.

    Overall I really enjoyed this book. Like most Avalon books it was paced fairly quick, making me want to keep reading to see what would happen next. It also wasn't very suspenseful with it's mystery which I appreciated. I need a break from suspense after reading My High Love Calling.

Here's Barbie

    This was the first Barbie book and what helped shape Barbie. It gave her a full name which has stuck to this day and gave lore to her relationships with Ken and Midge. It consists of seven short stories.

Barbie be my Valentine

    Barbie is new in town and excited for the valentines dance. It's a costume dance and Barbie goes as Cinderella, hoping to meet her prince charming. Once their Barbie dances with a boy who trips and they both fall down in front of everyone. Barbie feels embarrassed and it puts her in a sour mood. Her heel has also broken making her unable to dance for the rest of the night. Despite her bad attitude ken, dressed as prince charming, is determined to become friendly with her. After warming to him he asks her to dance and after she tells him about her heel situation he suggests she get her gym shoes from her locker. 

Barbie's Big Prom

    Barbie's cousin comes to visit and attend Barbie's prom. However when she arrives Barbie is surprised to see she's become very beautiful and glamorous. Ken seems to notice too and the two of them are always sneaking off. Barbie is upset until at the prom she finds out they had been sneaking off to plan a surprise for her. 

The Easter Hat

    In this play Barbie is working at a rest home. While discussing the upcoming Easter celebration with an elderly woman she kindly gives Barbie her old Easter hat to wear in the parade. The hat is outdated and Barbie already has a new hat she wants to wear. Unsure what to do, and not wanting to hurt the woman's feelings, Ken suggests they gather their friends and put on a private parade for the woman while dressed in old timey clothing. It's a big success and frees Barbie to wear her new hat in the real parade. 

The Size 10 Dress

    When Barbie's unfashionable schoolmate Bertha decides to have a glow up she models herself after Barbie; dressing like her, doing her hair like her, joining Barbie's after school activities, and even trying to steal Ken's affections. Barbie uncomfortably stays quiet until Bertha copies Barbie's sewing project: a yellow, size 10 dress that Barbie had custom designed. 

The Michael Tree

    When ornaments go missing from the school's Christmas tree Barbie and Ken investigate and find that a little boy named Michael has been stealing them. His mother is off having a baby and the boy wants to decorate a Christmas tree to welcome his new sibling home. Barbie and Ken work to help decorate the family's house and make Michael's wish come true 

Mirror Mirror Crystal Ball

    After Barbie's friend Jody has her fortune told at a fair she makes astrology her entire personality, forcing it onto her friends, refusing to interact with people that don't have a compatible zodiac with hers, and reducing her friends personalities to their zodiac descriptions. Barbie and Jody's friendship is almost destroyed by this hyper fixation until a new boy arrives at school and Jody almost misses his romantic interest due to misdetermining his zodiac sign 

Captain Hooten's Return

    Barbie accepts an invite from her aunt to spend a month on the Maine seaside. Unfortunately the resort they stay at turns out to be a gloomy old isolated house. It is owned by Ms. Hooten who inherited it when her brother, Captain Hooten, was lost at sea along with his crewmate John Metcalf. Two children staying there tell Barbie they've seen Captain Hooten's ghost at night. Barbie brushes off the whole idea of ghosts but when she sees a mysterious figure in black out on the dunes at night she becomes curious. Barbie goes searching for traces of the mysterious figure the next day and is surprised when they pop up in the distance. But they quickly run away when Barbie calls to them. That night she stays up to spot the figure again and sees it heading for the house. She catches it trying to sneak into the kitchen and finds it's actually a girl, the orphaned daughter of John Metcalf who ran away from an orphanage. Ms. Hooten takes the girl in and Barbie solves the mystery. 

    It's hard to judge this book appropriately as it is for children. Oh course a lot of the books I read were written for children, such as Nancy Drew, but this one is for a younger audience. So it was hard to keep my interest and for me to finish some of these stories. I am also not a fan of short stories in general so I didn't look forward to reading these if I'm being honest.

    The one I liked the most was Captain Hooten's Return which is the longest out of the seven and does the best at setting up a story. If that one had been a full book I think I would have enjoyed it quite a bit.