Wednesday, December 4, 2013

The Book Review Club (December 2013)



December??!!! Seriously?! Still, nothing beats celebrating the end of the year with a list of books to read in 2014. And, of course, there are always holiday gifts...Thank you from the bottom of my heart to all the reviewers! What an amazing year of reviews we've had! 


TERRY HOGAN BOUGHT ME AN ICE CREAM FLOAT BEFORE HE STOLE MY MA by Kerry Hudson (adult)

I love breaking out of the old comfort zone and reading an author from another country. I'm not sure what lead me to Tony Hogan Bought Me an Ice Cream Float Before He Stole My Ma (that is a mouthful of a title!), but I'm glad I wound up there. The author, Kerry Hudson, is from Aberdeen, Scotland and, from the little poking around I've done, had a tough life similar to our diamond-in-the-rough heroine. This is Ms. Hudson's first novel, and it won the Scottish First Book Award. It was also short-listed for a bunch of other awards.

Janie Ryan is born into a world of poverty, domestic violence, alcohol, sex, drugs, despair. Her family's very dysfunctional with a single, hard-living mother, a grandmother who loves "the bingo" over all, an uncle who's a dealer and an addict. Janie's not expected to amount to much. Her guidance counselor (careers adviser) tells her to be realistic when Janie says she wants to go to university.

What this book is chock full of: voice! "We'd been having a nice night, sleepy from a big dinner, cosied up with cups of tea and old magazines with Catchphrase humming away in the background...Now we were face to face and I could tell that there was no edging back from a full-on slanging match." (pg. 240)

I loved the characters, their poor choices and bumpy lives. I loved the language, especially the dialogue that felt so real. I loved all the setting details.


Here's the cover of the American version that pubs next month.

Ms. Hudson's second novel, THIRST, will be out next year.








And, now, onto to everyone’s marvelous reviews!



MIDDLE GRADE/YOUNG ADULT BOOK REVIEWS

Ellen Booraem of Freelance Ne'er-do-well: ONE FOR THE MURPHYS by Lynda Mullaly Hunt (MG)

Sarah Laurence: ROOMIES by Sarah Zarr and Tara Altebrando (YA, contemporary)


ADULT BOOK REVIEWS

Lucy Sartain of Ranting and Raving: THE PARTNER TRACK by Helen Wan (legal)
                                                            THE OPPORTUNIST by Tarryn Fisher (romance)
                                                             TAKEDOWN TWENTY by Janet Evanovich (mystery)

Stacy of The Cat's Meow: HYPERBOLE AND A HALF by Allie Brosh (humor)

Linda McLaughlin: MY MAI TAI ONE ON by Jill Marie Landis (cozy mystery)
                                THE CHRISTMAS CUCKOO by Mary Jo Putney (regency romance)
                                 SILENT NIGHT: A LADY JULIA CHRISTMAS NOVELLA
                                    by Deanna Raybourn (historical mystery)

Prairie Rose of Prairie Rose's Garden: AND THE MOUNTAINS ECHOES by Khaled Hosseini
                                                              FLIGHT BEHAVIOR by Barbara Kingsolver 


Patti Abbott: LET HIM GO by Larry Watson

Stacy Nyikos: THE DOG STARS by Peter Heller (guy book!)

NONFICTION REVIEWS

Jenn Jilks of Cottage Country: COACHING FOR CAREGIVERS: HOW TO REACH OUT BEFORE YOU BURNT OUT by Yosaif August (self help)

 Alyssa Goodnight of the Writers' Road Less Traveled: BOMB by Steve Sheinkin (middle grade)



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!





Wednesday, November 6, 2013

The Book Review Club (November 2013)




I can’t tell you how happy I am that it’s finally the first Wednesday of November and our book review club. October was tough for me. Reading-wise, that is. I had the hardest time finding a book I wanted to finish reading. I’m ready to dive into everyone’s reviews (the links are below my review) and get hooked up with some good titles!

RESCUE by Anita Shreve (adult)

The story opens on paramedic and single dad Pete Webster’s fortieth birthday. His seventeen-year-old daughter, Rowan, has fixed him breakfast. Right away, you can see the dad’s walking on eggshells, weighing every word that he says to his daughter. “Webster can feel his daughter’s impatience. Eager to be away.” As a mother of teens, it certainly rings true to me. The second chapter takes us back 18 years, to the night Webster met Rowan’s mother. Back then, Webster was a rookie paramedic, responding to a 1:10am call: “Unresponsive female half-ejected one-car ten-fifty.” Pete, our small town hero, falls hard for the female, Sheila Arsenault. Sheila is our sexy, alcoholic, street-wise, very-rough-around-the-edges heroine. Pete wants to save her. Very quickly, the two fall in love, get pregnant, get married. Sheila continues drinking. Pete keeps trying to save her. The marriage lasts two years. Sheila disappears from Pete and Rowan’s life. Now, with the daughter making some pretty poor choices, Pete reaches out to his ex-wife.

What I liked: The characters. They totally sucked me in. I felt that I knew them, that I might bump into them at the grocery store. I wanted to slap Sheila for the risks she was taking. Rowan, too. Also, there’s the language. Shreve has an incredible way with words. “Even when was an infant, she had that extra, what, quarter inch above the eyebrows. As though someone took a pair of pliers, stretched her head a little. It makes her blue eyes open up. It makes her look a bit startled by life.”

What was a little meh: Pete Webster was a good paramedic, a good husband, a good dad, a good son, a good neighbor, a good…you get the idea. He could’ve handled a flaw or two. Also, the ending felt a bit off. But that could just be me. If anyone else reads/has read this book, please let me know your thoughts.

That said, RESCUE is a good, solid book. It’ll tug at your heart. It'll make you wonder where you'd draw the line with those you love.

And, now, let’s get to everyone else’s reviews!



MIDDLE GRADE/YOUNG ADULT BOOK REVIEWS

Stacy Nyikos: MAGIC MARKS THE SPOT by Carolyn Carlson (middle grade)

Ellen Booraem of Freelance Ne'er-do-well: THE BRIXEN WITCH by Stacy DeKeyser (MG fantasy)

Lucy Sartain of Ranting and Raving: THE ONE AND ONLY IVAN by Katherine Applegate (MG)

Jody Feldman: HECK: WHERE THE BAD KIDS GO by Dale E. Basye (middle grade)
                         THE HATE LIST by Jennifer Brown (young adult)
                          KEEP HOLDING ON by Susane Colasanti (young adult)
                          ENCHANTED by Alethea Kontis (young adult)


ADULT BOOK REVIEWS

Sarah Laurence: THE PARTNER TRACK by Helen Wan (legal)

Stacy of The Cat's Meow: MONSTERS OF TEMPLETON (literary)

Alyssa Goodnight of the Writers' Road Less Traveled: THE HAUNTING OF MADDY CLARE by     Simone St. James (part historical, part romance, part mystery, seriously creepy!)

Beth Yarnall: The Opportunist by Tarryn Fisher (romance)

Prairie Rose of Prairie Rose's Garden: A FINER END by Deborah Crombie (mystery) 
 

NONFICTION REVIEWS

Patti Abbott: LOTS OF CANDLES, PLENTY OF CAKE by Anna Quindlen

Jenn Jilks of Cottage Country: BREAKING DOWN THE WALLS by Norma Yaeger (autobiography)



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!

Wednesday, October 2, 2013

The Book Review Club (October 2013)


Welcome to our October Book Review Club! October--the eighth month in the Roman calendar and the tenth month in the Julian Gregorian calendars. Apparently, October is the national month for chili, cookies, dessert, pizza and seafood. I list these in alpha order so as not to show preference. October is also a month where we're bringing you some wonderful, thoughtful, insightful, let-me-rush-out-and-get-this-book reviews. Enjoy!







You remember KELLY HAYES, one of my Denny's Chicks critique partners? Because she's so very good and kind, Kelly offered to review a book for us this month. She could see I was in over my head with kids' activities along with starting a new book. And you're in luck; Kelly writes a mean review.


CINNAMON AND GUNPOWDER BY Eli Brown (adult)

CINNAMON AND GUNPOWDER is a novel for anyone who likes a good high seas adventure as well as those who enjoy reading about food and cooking. It’s also for people who want a fun and entertaining read. And I’m willing to bet there are a lot of us out there.

The year is 1819 and Mad Hannah Mabbot, a notorious female pirate, on a mission of bloody vengeance, comes across her target’s personal chef and takes him captive. On board Captain Mabbot’s ship, the Flying Rose, Chef Owen Wedgwood is told that he will cook for his captor every Sunday and in return he will be allowed to live. Needless to say, he accepts the job.

Wedgwood, or “Wedge” as he is soon dubbed, is pious and prudish and horrified by the wild, red-haired captain and her barbaric, oddball crew. He gets to work performing magic with the ship’s limited rations supplemented with any exotic foodstuff he can get his hands on. After all, his life depends on impressing Captain Mabbot’s palate and satisfying her prodigious appetite. She orders him to eat these meals with her and a hesitant friendship blooms.

But that doesn’t stop Wedgewood from planning several escape attempts, all foiled of course. This is where the wry humor comes in, an element which I thoroughly enjoyed. Wedge’s voice is an amusing blend of sheltered ignorance and artistic sensibility, full of florid English pretension that gets knocked down a peg or two by the deaf cabin boy he takes under his wing. Wedge’s stuffiness makes a great contrast to Mabbot’s forthright humor and swagger. You could say their roles are reversed, and to brilliant comic effect.

There’s a fair bit of history regarding the tea and opium trades of the time and a lot of nautical as well as culinary terminology. Being a foodie myself, I took great pleasure in the latter, while merely tolerating the former. But all the rich detail creates a vivid background while it tempers the swashbuckling action.

Being written by a man, you might think the romance element would be cursory at best. And you’d be right. But that doesn’t detract from the poignancy and depth of the relationship between the two main characters. And it definitely increases the accessibility of the tale. CINNAMON AND GUNPOWDER is a well-written, exuberant novel that readers of both sexes and many different ages will enjoy.  
 
Below are links to the rest of our reviews. Please click through. You'll be glad you did! And, thank you, Kelly.


 MIDDLE GRADE/YOUNG ADULT BOOK REVIEWS

Sarah Laurence: FANGIRL by Rainbow Rowell (YA)
                           ELEANOR & PARK by Rainbow Rowell (YA)

Stacy Nyikos: ENDER'S GAME by Orson Scott Card (YA, science fiction)


NEW ADULT REVIEWS

Beth Yarnall: THE OPPORTUNIST by Tarryn Fisher (new adult romance)


ADULT BOOK REVIEWS

Patti Abbott: BREWSTER by Mark Slouka

Jenn Jilks of Cottage Country: THE TWELVE by William Gladstone (suspense thriller)

Stacy of The Cat's Meow: THE CUCKOO'S CALLING by Robert Galbraith AKA JK Rowling
                                          (mystery)

Linda McLaughlin: THE HOUSE OF VELVET AND GLASS by Katherine Howe (historical)



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!




Wednesday, September 4, 2013

The Book Review Club (September 2013)


Welcome to our September Book Review Club! For a little fun, here's some  trivia about the month of September: The planet Neptune was discovered on September 23, 1846.  My mother and Prince Harry were both born on September 15. Johannes Gutenberg printed the first book, the Bible, using moveable type on Sept. 30, 1452. Still on the topic of books (sorry, that was not pretty or subtle, but it's late, and I have to get this post done), we've reviewed quite the variety of books this month. There's a little something for everyone. Enjoy!


 THE SECRET LIVES OF THE FOUR WIVES by Lola Shoneyin  (adult)

This is the debut novel of Nigerian poet, Lola Shoneyin. Ms. Shoneyin was born and currently lives in Nigeria where she teaches English and drama. She was educated in Great Britain. The novel was written in English and long-listed for the Orange Prize in 2011.

The Secret Lives of the Four Wives takes place in modern Nigeria and is a story of polygamy. Following a traumatic incident, our protagonist, Bolanle, a young, university-educated woman, opts to become Baba Segi's 4th wife. Bolanle's looking for a safe haven. Instead, she winds up in a house where the first three wives resent her and are cruel to her. In fact, the wives aren't all that nice to each other either. There's lots of rivalry and jealousy over each others' children, etc. After two years (and her fair share of nights with Baba Segi--it's all very organized), Bolanle still isn't pregnant. She goes to a modern hospital for tests, and things in the household unravel from there.

This story is told from five perspectives: Bolanle, Iya Segi (wife #1), Iya Tope (#2), Iya Femi (#3), Baba Segi. Lola Shoneyin has an absolute gift when it comes to characterizaton. As a reader, you get inside all these characters, which makes for a rich, absorbing story. There is tragedy. There is humor. There are lots of secrets.  There's a brilliant resolution.

Heartily recommended! Click here for a BBC interview with Author Lola Shoneyin. She explains why she loved writing wife Iya Femi, the most evil of the lot. Also, the author reads from the book. 

Please click through the links below for WONDERFUL, INSIGHTFUL REVIEWS

MIDDLE GRADE/YOUNG ADULT BOOK REVIEWS

Stacy Nyikos: PARCHED by Melanie Crowder (Middle Grade)

Stacy of The Cat's Meow: CITY OF BONES by Cassandra Clare (Young Adult)

Sarah Laurence: ROSE UNDER FIRE by Elizabeth Wein (historical YA fiction) *author interview

Alyssa Goodnight of the Writers' Road Less Traveled: THE THEORY OF EVERYTHING by Kari Luna (YA)



ADULT BOOK REVIEWS

Linda McLaughlin: AFTER THE FOG by Kathleen Shoop (historcal fiction)

Prairie Rose of Prairie Rose's Garden: THE SECRET KEEPER by Kate Morton (historical fiction)

Ellen Booraem of Freelance Ne'er-do-well: THE OCEAN AT THE END OF THE LANE by Neil Gaiman

Beth Yarnall: ARSEN by Mia Asher (contemporary romance)



NONFICTION REVIEWS

 Jenn Jilks of Cottage Country: OUR MAN IN TEHRAN by Robert A. Wright

Patti Abbott: THE SEARCHERS: THE MAKING OF AN AMERICAN LEGEND by Glenn Frank



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!




Wednesday, June 5, 2013

The Book Review Club (June 2013)



Welcome to the June meeting of our Book Review Club! And look to the left to left to see who is here to review for us.  It's KELLY HAYES, one of my Denny's Chicks critique partners. Kelly writes a well-honed, insightful review.  We're lucky to get her. (I was expecially lucky, given my upcoming deadline!) Take it away, Kelly!



Sister, by debut author Rosamund Lupton, is a unique book. I’ve never read anything quite like it. It’s a psychological mystery with a big twist at the end. Don’t worry, there will be no spoilers in this review. I wouldn’t want to detract from the pleasure of such a good read.
 Sometimes, at the library where I work, when I use the word ‘literary’ to describe a book, I’ll see the patron’s eyes glaze over. I can tell they’re thinking, I don’t want literature, I just want a good read.  Well, this book happens to be both.
            Sister opens with Beatrice, an expat Brit living in New York City, who is informed that her younger sister, Tess, is missing. Beatrice catches the next plane to London to find out what’s going on. Even though an ocean separates them, they’ve always been close, emailing and talking on the phone regularly.   Beatrice has been living a successful, regimented life with her boring, but dependable husband. While beautiful Tess, a poor art student in London, leads a Bohemian lifestyle, tending bar at night to pay the rent.
            Upon arriving in London, Beatrice reveals to the police what she’s known for months: her sister was pregnant with her married art professor’s baby. Then Tess’s body turns up in a derelict public restroom with slashed wrists, but Beatrice refuses to accept the investigator’s pronouncement of suicide.  She knows her sister, the eternal optimist, would never take her own life.
            Beatrice’s quest to find the truth about her sister’s death becomes a journey of self-discovery, as she stays in her sister’s flat and takes up her job at the bar. She gets more and more enmeshed in Tess’s life even as she draws closer to the secrets surrounding her death.       
            What makes this book so unique in its first-person perspective delivered as if Beatrice is talking to her absent sister, while at the same time relating the case, point by point to a lawyer. I know, it sounds strange, not to mention confusing, but it is neither. What you get is an intimate knowledge of Beatrice’s thoughts and feelings and her deep bond with her sister. All I can say is that it works on a deeply visceral level.
            I chose this book for our library book club because I’ve read it before and I knew it would provoke a good discussion. Being a writer myself, I also wanted a chance to dissect it to a certain degree, to discover the point at which the author deftly weaves the twists and turns into the plot. And I have to tell you, I cannot spot a seam or a loose thread anywhere. All I see is a moody, compelling thriller, with a haunting emotional intensity at its core.

Thank you, Kelly, for an insightful and masterful review. Of course, we expect no less!

And, now, it's onto this month's AMAZING AND THOUGHTFUL reviews! With summer reading just around the corner, you won't want to miss a single one.

MIDDLE GRADE/YOUNG ADULT BOOK REVIEWS

 Ellen Booraem of Freelance Ne'er-do-well: HUCKLEBERRY FINN by Mark Twain
                                                                     (middle grade/young adult)

Sarah Laurence: A CORNER OF WHITE  by Jaclyn Moriarty (young adult fantasy) 


ADULT BOOK REVIEWS

                                                                                        by Mignon Ballard (mystery)

Linda McLaughlin: SEDUCTION: A NOVEL OF SUSPENSE (The Reincarnationist #5)
                                 by MJ Rose (paranormal)

Patti Abbott: PINES by Blake Crouch (crime fiction)

Prairie Rose of Prairie Rose's Garden: THE SUPREMES AT EARL'S ALL-YOU-CAN-EAT
                                                              by Edward Moore


MEMOIR REVIEWS

 Jenn Jilks of Cottage Country: UNBRIDLED: A MEMOIR by Barbara McNally

NONFICTION REVIEWS

Lucy Sartain of Ranting and Raving: EASY SEXY RAW  by Carol Alt (cookbook)

Scott Parker: THE HIGH-FLYING HISTORY OF AMERICA'S MOST ENDURING HERO
                      by Larry Tye


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!


Tuesday, May 28, 2013

Her cancer is back

You may remember a few years ago, I did a post asking for help for my friend Christina Small who needed a bone marrow transplant to battle Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia, a rare blood cancer.


Well, she had the transplant in April 2010. She was given a 30% chance of surviving the transplant. She pulled this off, made it through all the chemo, the side effects of the chemo, the long hospital stay, etc., etc.

And Christina's had two amazing, great, glorious years with her husband and two kids (daughter is now 13 years old, son is 11). 

Sadly, depressingly, frustratingly, (I can't think of a strong enough "ly" word, well, at least not a word that I'm comfortable using on this blog), the damn leukemia is back. For the third time.

Christina has two-three months left to live.

I can't believe I just typed that.

Two-three months.

What do you do with news like that? 

Well, Christina wants to spend more fun, happy times with her husband and kids. In keeping with that spirit, we're raising money to send the Small family to Disneyland for a few days and nights (any extra money will be used for spending money, a hot-air balloon ride and something to do with horses or whatever grabs Christina's fancy). If you'd like to help, click here to donate.

If you live in the San Diego area and would like to help with dinners, click here. Sign up, then type in The Small Family. (They live in the RB area.)

If you want to keep up with Christina's story, she posts here.

And if you could possibly do whatever it is you do--pray, meditate, send positive thoughts, all that will be greatly appreciated too.

The Small Family


Wednesday, May 1, 2013

The Book Review Club (May 2013)

May?! Are you serious?! Where did April take off to?

Welcome to the May meeting of our little online book review club. We've put together reviews of books we've read and enjoyed. So, please click through the links under my review. Settling in with a good book is a surefire way to slow life down. A way to stop and smell the roses. Uh, er, ink.  ;)

I CAN'T COMPLAIN
(ALL TOO) PERSONAL ESSAYS by Elinor Lipman

Do not fall off your chair, but I am actually reviewing a book for adults this month! Even more shocking, it's non-fiction!

As  you may or may not know, I finish a book by Elinor Lipman and then begin the wait for the next book. So, you can imagine how beyond thrilled I was to discover this spring would bring not one, but two books by one of my favorite authors.

I CAN'T COMPLAIN is a collection of short essays that were written for a variety of venues (magazines, newspapers, websites). The essays are about Ms. Lipman's mother, son, husband, friends, herself, her thoughts on writing. Reading these essays was like having Ms. Lipman in my living room. Minus having to clean my living room! I loved being a part of her inner circle and listening to stories about how she and her husband originally planned not to have children. How her mother couldn't stand condiments. How son learned the facts of life. How she's dealing with life after her husband's death. I could've used her questions for a potential marriage partner a couple of decades ago!

With a book by Elinor Lipman, I know I can get comfy in my favorite chair, crack open the pages and kickback. Because I trust this author to come through for me. She doesn't settle.  She's going to come up with that perfect word, that perfect turn of phrase. She's going to toss in her signature humor at just the right moment because her timing is always oh-so perfect. ( For example, pointing out how her husband put the "mensch" in "dementia" in the chapter about his disease. )  I always walk away from a Lipman book satisfied and feeling good.

What up next for me book-wise? THE VIEW FROM PENTHOUSE B by Elinor Lipman. Of course.

Without further ado, here are the links to this month's AMAZING AND THOUGHTFUL reviews! You don't want to miss them.

MIDDLE GRADE/YOUNG ADULT BOOK REVIEWS

 Ellen Booraem of Freelance Ne'er-do-well: GHOULISH SONG by William Alexander (middle grade fantasy)

Stacy Nyikos: THE ONE AND ONLY IVAN by Katherine Applegate (middle grade)

Lucy Sartain of Ranting and Raving: UNREMEMBERED by Jessica Brody (young adult)


ADULT BOOK REVIEWS

Alyssa Goodnight of the Writers' Road Less Traveled: TEMPEST RISING by Nicole Peeler (urban fantasy)

Patti Abbott: BURIAL RITES by Hannah Kent (historical)

Sarah Laurence: TALE FOR THE TIME BEING by Ruth Ozeki (literary) 

Scott Parker: CALIBAN'S WAR by James S.A. Corey (science fiction)


MEMOIR REVIEWS

 Jenn Jilks of Cottage Country:THE WORLD IS MOVING AROUND ME: A MEMOIR OF THE HAITI EARTHQUAKE by Danyy Laferriere


                                             
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!




Wednesday, April 3, 2013

The Book Review Club (April 2013)

Happy April 3rd. I hope you're all fine and well and have recovered nicely from April Fools' Day. Wondering where April Fools' Day originated?  In the 1500s, we started using the Gregorian calendar, which meant the New Year moved from April 1 to Jan. 1. People who didn't make the transition were called . . . April Fools! For more April Fools' Day trivia, you can visit here.

And now onto more fun and important things. Our book reviews! Be sure to click through the links under my review. They'll take you to everyone else's reviews. Happy reading!

WONDER by R. J. Palacio  (middle grade)

Two weeks ago, my 12 y.o. daughter, my RELUCTANT READER, sighed, closed this book and set it on our coffee table. "This is the best book I've read in my whole life," she said.

When I asked her what it was about WONDER that she loved, she answered, "It's just like my day, just like middle school. It's all so true. These characters are real people to me."

Whew. You can probably figure out what happened next. I put her to bed, picked up WONDER and began reading. And kept on reading. Because this is one gem of a book. 

In a nutshell: Ten-year-old Auggie (August) Pullman attends school for the first time. Up until now he's been homeschooled because of his facial deformity. "I won't describe what I look like. Whatever you're thinking, it's probably worse." Auggie just wants to be seen as an ordinary kid. This, of course, is impossible because he's extarordinary.  Going to school changes Auggie's world and changes the world of many around him. The book is told from several perspectives: Auggie, a couple of his classmates, his high-school sister, his sister's boyfriend, an estranged friend of his sister's.

Particular to this book: The writing is beautiful. Beautiful. I actually cried a couple of times. Because, just as my daughter said, these characters were real people to me. I  think a lot of this is due to the multiple perspectives. All of which were in first person, present tense, which brings the characters even closer to the reader. According to my daughter's' book report, WONDER is about "courage, friendship and being yourself."

We wholeheartedly recommend this book. Apparently, a lot of people feel the same way as WONDER was a #1 New York Times bestseller.

Here's the link to the author's website. Look under FAQs for what inspired the author to write this story.

Oh, and, R.J. Palacio? Thank you for writing WONDER, a book that my reluctant reader fell in love with.

Without further ado, here are the links to AMAZING AND THOUGHTFUL reviews! You don't want to miss them.

MIDDLE GRADE/YOUNG ADULT BOOK REVIEWS

Stacy Nyikos: ALIENS ON VACATION by Clete Barrett Smith (middle grade)

Sarah Laurence: JUST ONE DAY by Gail Forman (young adult, contemporary)

Linda McLaughlin: LADY OF DEVICES: A STEAMPUNK ADVENTURE NOVEL by Shelly Adina
                                       (young adult, steampunk) 
  
Lucy Sartain of Ranting and Raving: THE SECRET YEAR by Jennifer R. Hubbard (young adult)


ADULT BOOK REVIEWS
 
Patti Abbott: BEAUTIFUL RUINS by Jess Walter

Stacy of The Cat's Meow: LIFE AFTER LIFE by Kate Atkinson (literary)

Staci of Life in the Thumb: WHILE WE WERE WATCHING DOWNTON ABBEY by Wendy Wax   (women's lit)

 Scott Parker: LEVIATHAN WAKES by James S. A. Corey (science fiction)

Linda McLaughlin: SOULLESS by Gail Carriger (steampunk)
                              

NON-FICTION BOOK REVIEWS 

Beth Yarnall:  HOW TO DISAPPEAR by Frank M. Ahearn
   
Jenn Jilks of Cottage Country: CLIMATE MYTHS by Dr. John J. Berger
                                                  NUMBER CROSS PUZZLES by Rich Rollo (for adults + kids)

 Jody Feldman: BOMB: THE RACE TO BUILD - AND STEAL - THE WORLD'S MOST DANGEROUS WEAPON    
                           by Steve Sheinkin (young adult)                   



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!




Wednesday, March 6, 2013

The Book Review Club (March 2013)

Happy First Wednesday of March! Which means it's time for the monthly meeting of The Book Review Club. We've put together reviews of books we've read and enjoyed. So, please click through the links under my review. Because...we do it all for you. Enjoy!

CRUSHER by Niall Leonard (young adult, thriller/mystery)

In a nutshell: High-school dropout Finn Maguire arrives home from his crappy fast-food job to find his stepdad bludgeoned to death in their London flat. Of course, our Finn is the main suspect, and he takes on the mystery in order to clear his name. And to find out what really happened to his stepdad.

The stepdad (an out-of-work actor and, then, a wannabe writer) was working on a screenplay about one of London's mobsters. Finn thinks. He really didn't pay that much attention when his stepdad was talking about his writing. Same thing happens in my house! Anyway, the stepdad's computer and the writing and research he's done is missing.

What I Loved: In a word--Finn. I loved this character. He's basically a loser, but you just know he won't stay that way forever. He has knack for sizing up sitautions and people. He's persistent. He has a good heart. I loved every word that came out of his mouth. Niall Leonard has a great ear for dialogue, which isn't surprising since he is a screenwriter as well. I'm interested in checking out a British crime drama TV show he writes for: Wire in the Blood. Also, CRUSHER is an edge-of-your-seat read, full of unexpected twists.

What I Loved a Little Less: the plotting. Weird as it sounds, there were just one or two too many twists.  And, while I'm all for adventure and chase scenes, the end of the book felt like Bruce Willis in one of those Die Hard movies. Too many fight scenes. I kept thinking poor Finn needed to be home and in bed with a steak over one eye, an ice pack over a fist and 800 mg of ibuprofen. Also, there wasn't one nice female in the entire book. We all know how unrealistic that is!

STILL...I loved Finn. Enough that I could overlook the plot stuff. Which is saying a lot for me. I'll read the sequel.

Particular to this Book: CRUSHED was written for Nanowrimo 2011. AND...Mr. Leonard is married to E.L. James of FIFTY SHADES OF GREY fame. Here he is talking about being Mr. Fifty Shades of Grey.

Without further ado, here are the links to this month's AMAZING AND THOUGHTFUL reviews! You don't want to miss them.

MIDDLE GRADE/YOUNG ADULT BOOK REVIEWS

 Ellen Booraem of Freelance Ne'er-do-well: REVEL by Maurissa Guibord (YA fantasy)


ADULT BOOK REVIEWS

 Scott Parker: BLOODHYPE by Alan Dean Foster (science fiction)

Sarah Laurence: THE BURGESS BOYS by Elizabeth Strout (literary, pub date 3/26/13)

Alyssa Goodnight of the Writers' Road Less Traveled: ATTACHMENTS by Rainbow Rowell (women's fiction)

Linda McLaughlin: THE SHADOWY HORSES by Susanna Kearsley (romance)
                                THE WINTER SEA by Susanna Kearsley (romance)


NONFICTION REVIEWS

Jenn Jilks of Cottage Country: THROUGH THE GLASS by Shannon Moroney (adult autobiography)


                                             
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!




Monday, March 4, 2013

My Town Monday: My San Diego Living Room

Ever wonder what Mr. Summy does in his spare time?


Recently he invented... a treadmill shelf for his lovely wife. 




Mr. Summy came up with this brilliant design. He attached (with the help of his handy assistant, Child #4) a drawer glider on the outside of the treadmill handles. This is so I can glide the desk up and out of the way when folding the treadmill for storage. 





Child #4 is drilling holes into the side wood pieces. Mr. Summy is supervising.  I am napping. (kidding!)
Voila! A beautiful treadmill shelf is born. There are plans to paint it black, but it is completely functional. Cost $27.   As compared to, say, the Trek Desk which is about $500.
Just a gratuitous crazy pic of child #4

How many miles will I walk while writing the next book? I might actually keep track.

 
p.s. Watch this Wednesday for The Book Review Club!

Wednesday, February 6, 2013

The Book Review Club (February 2013)

HAPPY FOUR YEAR ANNIVERSARY TO US! Yup. We're your basic group of book junkies. We've been meeting online and reviewing books for FOUR, yes that's QUATRE, yes that's CUATRO, years! Talk about a lot of reading and reviewing. Whew. Kind of blows the mind.

Moving right along...What holiday is almost upon us? Valentine's Day. And what goes great with chocolates and flowers? A good book, of course. Be sure to click through the links under my review. They'll take you to everyone else's reviews. Happy reading!

OUT by Laura Preble (young adult)

In a nutshell: OUT takes place in a world where parallels (same-sex couples) are the norm. Where perpendiculars (opposite-sex couples) are sent to rehab/torture camps.Where the gov't and the church are all powerful. Enter Chris Bryant, son of a well-known preacher. You guessed it. Chris falls in love with a girl. The girl falls in love with him. And now we've got a couple of criminals on the run.

Particular to this book: The author has received love mail and hate mail. It was tough getting OUT published traditionally, and she ended up self-publishing with her agent. Here's the amazon link to OUT. While I'm at it, here's the link to the author's website. Here's the link to the book trailer.

My thoughts: At the end of the day, this is a young-adult novel with a good strong voice. It's the story of a couple of teens who don't fit in, fall in love with each other, and take on the government and the church. Lots of conflict. Lots of twists. Good ending. And more than enough meat to make you think about how you treat others and how much you blindly follow the rules.

**check the comments section. The author just stopped by.**

Without further ado, here are the links to AMAZING AND THOUGHTFUL reviews! You don't want to miss them.

MIDDLE GRADE/YOUNG ADULT BOOK REVIEWS
 Stacy Nyikos: GOBLIN SECRETS by William Alexander (middle grade)

 Alyssa Goodnight of the Writers' Road Less Traveled: THE SINISTER SWEETNESS OF SPLENDID ACADEMY by Nikki Loftin (middle grade)

Sarah Laurence: OUT OF NOWHERE by Maria Padian (young adult, contemporary)

 Staci of Life in the Thumb: THE FAULT IN OUR STARS by John Green (young adult)

ADULT BOOK REVIEWS
 Patti Abbott: THE BLACKHOUSE by Peter May

Ellen Booraem of Freelance Ne'er-do-well: THE CASUAL VACANCY by J.K. Rowling

Stacy of The Cat's Meow: THE SNOW CHILD by Eowyn Ivey

Beth Yarnall: The Madness of Lord Ian Mackenzie by Jennifer Ashley (historical romance)

Linda McLaughlin: MAJOR PETTIGREW'S LAST STAND by Helen Simonson
                                INDIAN MAIDENS BUST LOOSE by Vidya Samsonn (Indian Chick Lit)

Linda McLaughlin AKA Lyndi Lamont: THE SCARLETTI CURSE by Christine Feehan (romance)        

Jenn Jilks of Cottage Country: FACELESS KILLERS by Henning Mankell (mystery)
                                                 IF LOOKS COULD KILL by Kate White (mystery)
                                                 THE DOULA by Bridget Boland



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!




Wednesday, January 2, 2013

The Book Review Club (January 2013)

Happy New Year! Welcome to our virtual book club. We meet the first Wednesday of the month. Have been since Feb. 2009, which means we're almost to our FOUR-YEAR ANNIVERSARY! Now, that's some dedicated reading and critiquing! Be sure to click through the links under my review. They'll take you to everyone else's reviews. Happy reading. Here's to a great year in books!

FAITHFUL PLACE by Tana French

I feel a bit odd reviewing this book because Kelly Hayes reviewed Broken Harbor by Tana French last September, and Ellen Booraem reviewed The Likeness in November. I generally try to choose a book/author that one of our gang hasn't reviewed with an aim to cover a wider territory. But...it was precisely because of the above two reviews that I picked up Into the Woods, Ms. French's first mystery. That is, picked it up and never put it down. Then, went directly to The Likeness without passing go and onto Faithful Place. That's how much I enjoyed these mysteries. Faithful Place is my fave, thus far.

In a nutshell: Undercover Detective Frank (Francis) Mackey is drawn back into his inner-city Dublin neighborhood when his childhood girlfriend's suitcase and then murdered body shows up twenty-two years after she disappeared. He's gone out of his way for years to avoid this neighborhood along with his dysfunctional family (complete with sibling rivalries, an abusive and alcoholic father, a critical and guilt-tripping mother). Frank was a supporting character in The Likeness. He's smart, acerbic, hard-drinking, witty, and more than willing to bend the rules. Here's an interview where the author explains why she changes protagonists for each book. It certainly keeps the series fresh.

What I loved: I felt like I was IN the story, especially in Faithful Place, Frank's working-class neighborhood. The details, the descriptions, the sights, the sounds, the smells from the dingy neighborhood bars to the rundown apartments to the food to the arguments. All of it was perfect. The characters were so incredibly real. I almost expected Frank to order me a Guinness and plunk it down on my table, warm foam dripping down the side of the mug. Also, I'm a sucker for good dialogue, and it's phenomenal in this book. Perhaps because Ms. French trained as an actress? Look at this: I said, "Kennedy's no mate of mine. He's just a little poxbottle I have to work with every now and then."

What I didn't like: It's small, but Frank's nine-year-old daughter didn't ring true for me. And in a book where the characters jump off the page (to be cliche), well, you can't help but notice a weak one. Still, it's definitely no deal breaker in a book I had trouble putting down.

I'm really looking forward to reading Broken Harbor.

The links below will lead you to wonderful reviews. Please click through. It's a great way to start the new year!

MIDDLE GRADE/YOUNG ADULT BOOK REVIEWS

 Ellen Booraem of Freelance Ne'er-do-well: THE STAR OF KAZAN by Eva Ibbotson (fantasy, middle grade)

Stacy Nyikos: THE MIGHTY MISS MALONE by Christopher Paul Curtis (middle grade)

Sarah Laurence: THE TRAGEDY PAPER by Elizabeth LaBan (young adult)

ADULT BOOK REVIEWS

Patti Abbott: TRUST YOUR EYES by Linwood Barclay (thriller)

Beth Yarnall: PLAY NICE by Gemma Halliday (thriller)

Alyssa Goodnight of the Writers' Road Less Traveled: THE RUNAWAY PRINCESS by Hester Browne (women's)

NONFICTION REVIEWS

Linda McLaughlin: AMERICAN NATIONS: A HISTORY OF THE ELEVEN RIVAL REGIONAL CULTURES OF NORTH AMERICA by Colin Woodard


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!