Child,Lee. Tripwire. Bantam Publishers.New York. 2000

Leading a  slow, measured and settled life as a swimming pool digger, but at peace with himself, Reacher is brought into a world that shakes his faith in his intuition and leaves him with a burning desire to clear the name of a Jet fighter of  the Nam war. His love for Jodie is a special part of the story. In fact, the villainous activities Hook Hobie are narrated almost parallel to Reacher's love story. Till the last fifty pages or so, it is as if the 'twain shall never meet' and yet, they do and how! The tight feeling in the gut and the restlessness in the head, caused by Reacher's almost fatal effort to bring Hobie on his knees, are the fuel for the reader. 

There are many instances when Reacher is philosophical in his musings on life. Again, the mystery for me is how  this man becomes a drifter who cares for nothing , not even the shirt on his back.

 I've still not tired of this hero. So, let me keep going. 

Bombeck, Erma. At Wit's End. Fawcett Crest. New York. 1967.

Irrepressibly funny in  every line of her pages on domesticity, motherhood, wifely responsibilities and Committee chairpersonship for County Fairs. Bombeck laughs at herself, as much as she laughs at men, women, children and the society. She sees the sunshine behind every dark cloud and the smiles behind every jibe she takes at herself. This is satire, simple, clean, vibrant and humorous. Readers can also discern the love that shines with a light of its own from a benevolent source, large hearted in its acceptance of human errors and foibles. Her repartees for all her characters, from her littlest one to her husband, double you up with laughter.

Some of her lines:

'What do you mean you're a participle in the school play and you need a costume?'

'Could you please do something diplomatic with Mrs. Reading? She's threatened the refreshment committee with her traditional whiskey balls and rum cookies. You know what a fire hazard they caused last year'.

The key word with growing children is communication. If you are a lip reader of any repute whatsoever, you have no problem. However, if you have to compete with local disc jockeys which feed hourly through their ear plugs, it could get tricky. We have solved this problem by buying time on the local station and reporting personal messages;" We moved last week'. 'Daddy's birthday is in September'. ' Do you still lisp?'

The list goes on. I hope I have the opportunity to read her other books:Family-the Ties that Bind ...and Gag, Aunt Erma's Cope Book, The Grass is always greener over the Septic Tank, If Life is a Bowl of Cherries-What am I doing in the Pits? After a long time, I just smiled and smiled and gurgled in a few places, reminding me of my Wodehouse days. 

I loved this one.