Stray Affections by Charlene Ann Baumbich

“Stray Affections” by Charlene Ann Baumbich, author of the Dearest Dorothy Series, published by Waterbrook Press, is a delightful book that holds important lessons. One lesson that struck me was about the perspective of an adult verses that of a child. What seemed to young Cassandra Higgins to be acts of cruelty were actually steps for survival of her newly widowed mother, “Bad Betty” Kamrowski.
As an adult Cassandra steps out and attends a Collectors’ Convention alone without her best friend. She usually tended to hide in her friend’s shadow and be a follower. For the first time in years she is doing something on her own without her support system helping her decide what to do and think. Because of strange events that take place at the convention Cassandra blurts out a harsh retort to her mother’s scolding.
Cassandra’s uncharacteristic behavior starts the wheels in motion that bring about changes in the lives of many of her friends and family’s lives. She realizes that “Bad Betty” may actually have some good qualities and the things that happened in her childhood hurt her mother also. Cassandra and Betty had become stuck in the mind-set that they created about themselves. In a refreshing way both redefine themselves as the individuals they were meant to be. http://randomhouse.com

Elaine Littau, author of “Nan’s Journey” & “Elk’s Resolve”