Be Home By Dinner

A local author that gives his outlook down memory lane around the neighborhood. I tried to look at some reviews and many have said that the author captured how it was to grow up in the 70s,80s, and 90s. I was pretty excited to read about my old neighborhood and new again.

He hit on a lot of the homemade memories I remember. Like WillowGrove Mall, Springfield Mall, Flourtown, Lancers Diner without saying the name, only diner I know that looks out on the AF field. And the famous Treasure Island, Boy Scout camp. (Where my son had went and also he and his sister worked).

I tried looking for a common storyline but got bored with the story. Seemed like it was a never-ending one. Garvey went through what most of us did with growing pains. Had many friends. But also grew apart from them one way or the other. Had girlfriends for awhile. Rode Huffy bikes, calling back, be back. As long as he was back by dinnertime. Of course getting into trouble. Garvey's parents purchased their home with the G.I. Bill. (Just like my parents did).

There was a thread of a mysterious yellow car that wasn't so nice. We find out that this man, Kova and a Father Pal wasn't the nicest or the up and up people they claimed to be. Sadly some who Garvey knew were hurt by them.

Besides everyone listening to KYW News Radio, using gas powered lawn mowers, coming home from a good day of doing stuff outside the house and walking into a home that had a lemon smelling and Windex clean house, everything else was a story about a kid growing up. 

With watching tv and using a "Clicker" to turn the channels, the days of pimple popping until accomplished with blood, drinking beer (as Garvey puts it a "cold urine flavor"not a fan of it either) and what a surprise,  a welcome rebirth of my identity when I went to high school. Pretty much a nice memory lane book.

I am hoping Carl Franke, the author does better with his next book. There is something there. I just don't enjoy reading never-ending books.

I give Be Home By Dinner 3 

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time

It was a pretty good book. First thing I thought about while reading is Autism and Aspergers. How Christopher  dealt with his everyday life and with his parents.

It is a wonder how the brain works. Each one of us reacts differently. I like how Christopher thought about animals, in this case dogs."You always know what a dog is thinking" He used the death of Wellington as a mystery. For him it is like a puzzle. Along the way he learns a lot about life and others learn a lot about him. He was happy being a detective and finding out things.

He did find out who killed Wellington. So his relationship changed with his father, especially finding out that his mother was alive. Sadly a lot of people don't have the patience with Autistic or Aspergers people. For that, his mother couldn't handle the pressure.

Great that Christopher felt that he was smarter than the other children. He kept up with his Level A tests so eventually he can go to university.

A journey to show how Christopher thinks and will get along in his life.

He was brave and found his mother. And he wrote a book. With all that he can do anything.

I added a few highlights from Goodreads that I thought interesting

I give The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time 4  

Because I did skip quite a few pages that started to slow the story down.
All in all good story.