Just finished reading Quaker Summer by Lisa Samson. Last month she offered free copies of the book to anyone who agreed to read it and post a review on his/her website. I'm not great with reviews, but here goes....

The story is about a woman named Heather who is a compulsive shopper and who lives in a house with her husband and son that is too big and has too much stuff. This all starts to bother her, especially after she makes a wrong turn one night and winds up at a homeless shelter in a dicey part of town. Soon after that, she lands with her car in a ditch and finds her way to the home of two sisters in their 90's who are still going strong. She ends up staying with them for awhile and giving a lot of thought to her life.

I could very much relate to the anxiety of having too much stuff. While I'm not a total shopaholic, I own too many clothes and too many CDs. (I'm not into iPODS.) Sometimes I wish I didn't have to have the latest style or an artist's latest CD.

I also wish I were more of a giving person. I'm pretty stingy about volunteering my time sometimes.

There are also themes of forgiveness in the novel and I could relate to those as well because I do not forgive easily.

All in all, I'd say Quaker Summer is an easily read novel with much food for thought. The dialog tries to be very hip which sometimes rings true and sometimes seems affected, but I'll admit to enjoying the references to many modern stores and conveniences. I also noticed how much the novel reflected much of what is going on in Lisa Samson's own life which I've been reading about in her blog www.lisasaomson.typepad.com.

This is only the third Lisa Samson novel I've read, but I still have to say my favorite is The Church Ladies.