“The Secret Diary of Hendrik Groen: 83 1/4 Years Old” by Hendrik Groen

In this satirical memoir, Hendrik Groen recounts life in a Dutch elder-care facility and vividly describes the depressing realities of aging and the sometimes funny moments of living with bossy women trying to run everything, naysayers, germaphobics, dementia patients, gossips, whiners, pranksters, old codgers, questionable staff members, and a whole retinue of quirky old people, and it’s only when he and a few friends form “The Old But Not Dead Club”, that wonderful friendships form, and for a time, his world is enlarged. With the diary form, the repetitive daily events get a bit boring and if you are put off by the horrors of aging or frank references to bodily functions, this is not the book for you, but keep in mind, many hysterical scenes provide balance to the depressing aging scenarios which help make it less depressing, but for someone like me, who had been dealing with a mother with dementia living in a nursing home, it was still a difficult topic. 3 Stars

“The Tumbling Turner Sisters” by Juliette Fay

Set against the fascinating backdrop of Vaudeville in the early 1900s, this book turned out to be a pleasant, little foray rather than a compelling venture, since it touched on topics like racism, suffrage, and immigration, but always kept the emphasis on the personal lives of the Turner sisters and their varied personalities, hopes, experiences, and loves. The sisters’ lives changed dramatically when tragedies left the family destitute, and their determined mother assembled daughters Gert, Winnie, Nell, and Kit into a tumbling act, and plunged them in the unfamiliar world of Vaudeville, where they learned profound life lessons, deepened their acceptance of each other, and strengthened family bonds in unexpected ways. 3 Stars