The Book Review Club (September 2014)

Summer is over. And September is here. Trivia you may not have known about September: Neptune was discovered on Sept. 23, 1846. The first comic strip was published in a US paper on Sept. 11, 1875. The First Continental Congress began Sept. 5, 1874.*  AND our first-Wednesday-of-the-month online book review club has returned from its summer hiatus.  Welcome! Weirdly, this month is heavy on reviews of adult fiction. Who knew?
(*creators.com/health/answer-man-andy-seamans/september-trivia.html)

DEATH IS LIKE A BOX OF CHOCOLATES (adult, mystery)
 by Kathy Aarons

Kathy Aarons is the pen name for my very talented critique partner, Kathy Krevat. Our critique group, Denny's Chicks, has been together several years (8??), during which time we've managed to remain youthful and beautiful. (cough, cough). Here's a link to Kathy's first post on this blog. 

Something incredibly special happens when a critique partner publishes, especially when she publishes her very entertaining debut cozy mystery. The critique group puffs up with pride. We remember when this book was just a teeny, tiny germ of an idea. We reminisce over all the changes in the various revisions. We laugh about who disagreed with whom over what. We even tear up.

DEATH IS LIKE A BOX OF CHOCOLATES in a nutshell: Two best friends, Michelle and Erica, own a chocolate shop + bookstore (Chocolates and Chapters) in fictional West Riverdale, Maryland. The town photographer is murdered in their store, poisoned by one of Michelle's truffles. The women must work together to clear Michelle's name.  

What I loved: 1. the humor: In real life, Kathy is laugh-your-head-off funny. It totally translates to the page. 2. the twists and turns: I can't tell you what they are; that would ruin it! Let's just say, Kathy thinks outside the box. Waaay outside. Sometimes it's scary. 3. the details: Kathy did a bunch of research to make sure she got the facts straight. For example, she actually went to Maryland. She interviewed the police there. And she spent an inordinate amount of time at Dallmann Fine Chocolates. 4. It's the first book in a series: And I already know EVERYTHING about book #2. Ha!

I'm not the only one who recommends this book. Mysterious Galaxy, a wonderful local indie bookstore, chose DEATH IS LIKE A BOX OF CHOCOLATES for their Fabulous Firsts book club, saying, "This fast-paced, entertaining read demonstrates all sides of small town life, and introduces a cast of characters with complicated, messy, interwoven lives. I found every page compulsively readable and couldn't put it down until the final stunning conclusion."

You want to meet Kathy in real life? You're in luck if you live anywhere near San Diego! She's got a signing at Mysterious Galaxy at 4pm on Saturday, September 6. Yes, there will be chocolates.

 And now....onto the rest of our reviews. Please click through. You won't want to miss a single one!

MIDDLE GRADE/YOUNG ADULT FICTION BOOK REVIEWS

Stacy Nyikos: ANNA WAS HERE by Jane Kurtz (middle grade)

Linda McLaughlin: LAUNCH WINDOWS by Debra Caldwyl (YA, romance)



ADULT FICTION BOOK REVIEWS

Alyssa Goodnight: THE OUTSMARTING OF CRIMINALS by Steven Rigolosi (cozy mystery)

Ellen Booraem: EUPHORIA by Lily King

Jenn Jilks of Cottage Country: THE SENSE OF DARKNESS by Cinzia De Santis

Patti Abbott:  BIG LITTLE LIES by Liane Moriarty (women's fiction)

Stacy of the Cat's Meow: FROG MUSIC by Emma Donoghue (historical)



NONFICTION REVIEW

Sarah Laurence: HOW TO SPEAK BRIT by Christopher J. Moore


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!

My New Best Friend

Me and my new best friend (photo credit: Child #3)

When my writing critique group, Denny's Chicks, spent a weekend in Dana Point, uh, writing and gabbing, Stacey Goldblatt brought her milk frother. Actually, Stacey also brought homemade vegan goodies, a mean salad and squares of chocolate.

But it was her milk frother that I coveted.

And coveted and coveted and coveted.

Finally, I just broke down and bought myself one. So, now I'm the proud and happy owner of my very own milk frother.

With his love for hot chocolate, Child #2 is also thrilled with the milk frother.

And on the topic of Child #2, can I just brag for a quick sec? We're all very excited as more and more colleges send him acceptance letters! At some point, a decision will have to be made. But, for this week, it's all fun and games and ego boosting.

Have a great Wednesday! And if you haven't bought yourself something recently, go for it!

My Town Monday: Dana Point, CA

Welcome to this week's My Town Monday post!

Dana Point has a population of about 37,000 and is located on the coast in the OC, roughly halfway between San Diego and Los Angeles. It was named after Richard Henry Dana (1815-1882), a lawyer, a seaman and an author. Mr. Dana wrote the first book about California in English. The book was published in 1840 and was titled TWO YEARS BEFORE THE MAST. Mr. Dana described Dana Point (then called Capistrano Bay) as "the most romantic spot on the California coast."

Here are a few more interesting tidbits about Dana Point:
-It's a great whale-watching place. Depending on the time of year, you can see gray whales or blue whales.
-It's a great spot for surfing.
-The historic area, called Lantern Village, has many streets named after different colored lanterns (Blue Lantern, Amber Lantern, you get the idea). A couple of hundred years ago, ships used colored lanterns to guide traders safely into Dana Point's harbor.

You might be wondering what I was doing in Dana Point. It was my writing critique group's (Denny's Chicks--so named because we often meet at Denny's) getaway weekend!!


Here we are hard at work!

Stacey Goldblatt! Not only is Stacey an amazing writer, but she's also a very talented baker...of desserts. We encourage her in both pursuits. P.S. Stacey is the author if two Young Adult novels: STRAY and GIRL TO THE CORE (both published by Delacorte Press/Random House).

Kathy Krevat! Kathy wins for Most Words Produced This Weekend! Congrats to Kathy and her twinkle fingers.


Kelly Hayes! Kelly brought very delicious homemade soup. Very delicious. She also prepares mouth-watering appetizers. And she has a good sense of direction.


Me in my pink, fuzzy writing socks. (Kathy also has a cute pair.)

Here's what awaited me when I arrived home. That Child #4...so thoughtful!

Here we (me, Kelly, Stacey, Kathy) are in our natural habitat (at Denny's)! Just for fun, can you name the ONLY Denny's Chick who eats red meat?


Oh, oh, oh! If you haven't had a chance to check out the book trailer for I SO DON'T DO FAMOUS, here's a link. I'm really proud of it.

Please click here for links to more My Town Monday posts. Have a great day!



sources:
http://www.ocexecutives.com/Cities/danapointrealestate.html
http://www.danapointtimes.com/view/full_story/7059770/article-Once-Upon-This-Coast
http://www.danapointharbor.com/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dana_Point,_California

Denny's Chicks or My Writing Critique Group

This past weekend was the Denny's Chicks' Annual Potluck Holiday Party. What? you say. Isn't it January? Yes, yes, but we were all so busy during December that we put off our get-together until the new year.

The Denny's Chicks' Annual Potlock Holiday Party is the one time of year when we force our husbands to hang out with all of us at the same time. We drag them out for an evening of good food, good drink, good conversation (of course!) with four talented and cute authors (that's us!).

Interestingly enough, over the years, the husbands have gotten chattier and chattier. For the first time ever, the party went past midnight!

By the end of the evening, the Denny's Chicks chose the saying on Mr. Summy's t-shirt as our theme!


Here's a very blurry photo of the Denny's Chicks. Left to right, it's me, Kathy Krevat, Stacey Goldblatt, Kelly Hayes. Stacey, author of the YA novels STRAY and GIRL TO THE CORE (published by Delacorte Press/Random House), joined us in September. We love her to death! (Despite her scary, feral eyes! Kidding.)

If you've been following this blog, you may have a question about Denny's Chick Sandy Levin. Sandy is setting fiction writing aside to pursue other creative outlets, such as gorgeous work with glass. She was busy on the weekend, but was, of course, invited to the party. Because once a Denny's Chick, always a Dennys Chick! (Photo credit: Mr. Summy took this with my blackberry, following two cans of orange crush.)

Here's a photo of Stacey with normal eyes. This is the first time we met--at the San Diego Book Awards where her book, GIRL TO THE CORE, won an award!!!

Disclaimer: Our critique group actually meets at Panera's now, not Denny's.

Kathy, thank you for hosting the holiday party!

I'm wondering if we should start having a mid-year party...

My Town Monday: Writers' Retreat, Oceanside, CA

Sorry to have been so MIA. i so don't do famous is taking up A LOT of my time. Just ask my family!

And then there are the usual suspects like water polo practice, swim team practice, piano lessons, SAT classes. Child #4 is giving a speech on Harriet Tubman. Child #2 is in finals week. Child #1 is over mono (yay!) and starting a new job.

So....last weekend I went on a writers' retreat with the San Diego SCBWI (Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators). My critique partners also came along. The retreat was at the San Luis Rey Mission in Oceanside, CA. The mission was built circa 1798.

This is a typical room. Fairly sparse. Which was fine because I was there to write. Poor internet connection. Which was better than fine because I wasn't tempted to skip around in cyberspace, thus wasting precious writing time.

Denny's Chick Critique Partner Kathy Krevat hard at work in the room.

Denny's Chick Critique Partner Kelly Hayes hanging out in the hall.

A view of the grounds. The setting was beautiful and peaceful. I loved the sound of the clock bells.

I will tell you something I learned about monks. They are not good cooks. No doubt they excel at praying. And this group seems pretty talented at gardening as well. But they definitely do not take cooking seriously. Kelly, Kathy and I snuck out for a delicious Thai dinner on Saturday evening. I know our secret is safe with you.

All in all, I had a very productive weekend.

And I came home to a google alert about Green Girl in Wisconsin's contest for a signed copy of i so don't do spooky. Thank you, Green Girl! You are very generous. And your blog is uberentertaining!

If you haven't checked out this week's My Town Monday blog, you can do so late. With me. :)