Vinegar Hill

by A. Manette Ansay

James had always been interested in Ellen's sister, but since she rejected him several times, he decided to take Ellen out on a date. On the way home, they were stranded in his car by a snowstorm. When it finally ended the next morning, they knew that marriage was the only option for both of them.

But now James has, with no warning, quit his job. He's just announced that he's moving his family in with his parents. Ellen has no idea how much her life is about to change.

Helen and her two children have moved into a house filled with hate, bitterness, cruelty, greed, false piety and horrifying secrets. The only time I found myself cheering was when she finally got enough backbone to leave.

The only thing I can say about this book is it was the most depressing book I've ever read. I don't care how the characters came to their circumstances, I don't care that it has the Oprah Book Club seal on the front cover, getting through the book was like going through hell with these characters.

Halfway through the book I was tempted to trash it, then I started skimming and skipping through the pages enough to get the gist of the rest of the story. By the time I finished, I actually ended up with a headache.

All I can say is that the book is aptly named.

The Almost Sisters

by Joshilyn Jackson

Leia Birch Briggs is a comic book writer and illustrator, tasked with writing a prequel for her most loved character Violet. However Leia discovers that a one-night stand with the cute black "Batman" she met at a comic convention has resulted in pregnancy, and now it's difficult come up with Violet's beginnings. Her mind is consumed by her pregnancy.

The first person she wants to tell is her grandmother, "Birchie," who lives in Alabama. But she soons find out that Birchie has been diagnosed with Lewy Bodies, a form of dementia. Birchie mostly sees bunny rabbits everywhere - doing what they do best. Birchie and her bosom buddy Wattie have tried very hard to hide the disease, but after the recent church fish fry it can't be hidden any longer. And because of her outburst, a few members can no longer show their faces at the little Baptist church. Leia realizes that she has to help her grandmother. However, before she leaves home, she also finds herself in the middle of the marital woes of her half-sister Rachel and winds up taking along her niece, Lavender.

Conversation during the first dinner hints of the trouble that is on the horizon. Birchie flatly refuses to go into assisted living, but just in case she's forced, she orders that a trunk be moved into Leia's car and she and Wattie attempt to drive off with it. But as they're driving out of the yard, Wattie accidentally backs into the mailbox and the trunk is discovered. In front of nosy neighbors no less. Neighbors who have called the police who feel they need to open the trunk - the trunk that contains human remains!

So the book about the comic book writer who gets knocked up by a black Batman is about to become much more interesting than I originally thought.

It deals with small southern town values, prejudices, rape, bi-racial children, two churches within a church, two towns within one town, and "almost sisters" or does the word "almost" really apply?