The Book Review Club (October 2012)

It's the first Wednesday in October, and you know what that means...The Book Review Club is meeting. We've got some really interesting reviews going this month, more in the adult category than in any other category. Weird how that happens sometimes. We hope you enjoy!

Please give a warm welcome to my critique partner, the wonderful and talented Kathy Krevat. Out of the goodness of her heart, Kathy provided the review for my blog this month because she knows I'm scrambling to get out of a deep pit called Book Deadline. Thank you, Kathy.

And before I hand the blog over to her, let me tell you Kathy's BIG, HUGE, PUBLISHING news. Kathy just signed a deal for three cozy mysteries with Berkley Books, an imprint of Penguin! Congratulations! You can only imagine how excited our little critique group is about this!

THE LANGUAGE OF FLOWERS by Vanessa Diffenbaugh (adult fiction)

THE LANGUAGE OF FLOWERS opens on the eighteenth birthday of Victoria, the day she becomes emancipated from a group home after a lifetime of foster care. Immediately we care and root for this complicated, prickly and totally authentic heroine as she makes her way in the world, and we want to know her secrets. How did she learn the meanings of flowers? What happened to make her so antisocial? Why is she so alone? What is she hiding, even from herself?

The author, Vanessa Diffenbaugh, takes us between Victoria’s past as a nine-year-old with vineyard owner Elizabeth and her present day life as she tries to escape homelessness in San Francisco. With arranging flowers her only skill, and an inability to get close to anyone, can she make it?

My favorite part of this book was the almost antiquated meaning of flowers that sprinkles Victoria’s narrative and her absolute belief in them. In a voice both sympathetic and brutally honest, Ms. Diffenbaugh skillfully weaves a spell-binding exploration of survival and second chances.

 I love, love, love this book and highly recommend it.

Thank you, Kathy! And, now, drum roll, onto the rest of our reviews. Please, please click through. You're bound to find something to add to your to-be-read pile.

 MIDDLE GRADE/YOUNG ADULT BOOK REVIEWS

Alyssa Goodnight of the Writers' Road Less Traveled: THE RAVEN BOYS by Maggie Stiefvater (young adult)

ADULT BOOK REVIEWS

Sarah Laurence: GONE GIRL by Gillian Flynn (suspense/mystery)

Scott Parker: THE WRECKER by Clive Cussler (adventure/mystery)

Ellen Booraem of Freelance Ne'er-do-well: THE POACHER'S SON by Paul Doiron (mystery)

Patti Abbott: STATE OF WONDER by Ann Patchett

Jenn Jilks of Cottage Country: HOUSE RULES by Jodi Picoult

Stacy Nyikos: THE BUDDHA IN THE ATTIC by Julie Otsuka

Beth Yarnall: PATHS OF DESIRE by Shannon Donnelly (historical romance)

NONFICTION REVIEWS

Kaye of the Road Goes Ever Ever On: REFUGE: AN UNNATURAL HISTORY OF FAMILY AND PLACE by Terry Tempest Williams

Linda McLaughlin: TWILIGHT OF THE ELITES by Christopher Hayes


Note to Reviewers: Any errors (broken link, missed review, etc), just shoot me an email or leave a comment. Thank you so much for your reviews!