November 29, 2010

A Path Less Traveled by Cathy Bryant

Earlier this year, I reviewed this book and loved it. A couple of weeks ago, I was lucky enough to get the chance to review Cathy Bryant's new book in the series, A Path Less Traveled. The second book in the series is just as charming as the first.

Trish James is stubborn and doesn't want help from anyone, especially since everyone is trying to rescue her and her son after the tragic death of her husband. She is determined to make it on her own and prove to everyone that she can take care of herself. Her new business is failing and she is on the verge of bankruptcy, but she refuses to reveal the depth of her struggles to anyone. The only option she can see is to move her and her son away from Miller's Creek, the town she loves and the only support system she has ever known.

Andy Tyler is a successful attorney who knows the struggle it takes to build a successful life from nothing. His personal life is struggling after his heart was broken when his engagement came to a heartbreaking end the night before the wedding. Andy is looking to start over and take on a new business challenge as the town attorney for Miller's Creek. He is unprepared for the sudden instinct to protect Trish James and come to her rescue, even though she makes it clear she is determined to not be rescued.

The story and the characters is so charming and I loved it just like I loved the first book in the series. I really wish the third book would come out tomorrow! It is a great read and I recommend them for a sit by the fire book this winter.

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Reviewed by Kaylyn at 12:22 PM 2 comments
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November 28, 2010

Drowning Ruth by Christina Schwarz

Have you ever seen something that's either so disturbing that you can't help but stare even if you know you shouldn't? Drowning Ruth by Christina Schwarz was that way for me. So disturbing that I felt like I should stop reading, but I just couldn't without finding out what really happened.

Drowning Ruth is written in modern lit fashion; the story is told from the perspectives of various narratives and in various timeframes. You get bits and pieces of life before a young woman named Mattie drowned, and you get bits and pieces of how life goes on for her sister Amanda, husband Carl, and daughter Ruth after.

The book is what I'd called a pyschological thriller as the author takes you back and forth trying to decide what really happened on that fateful night and how the lives of the characters will play out and how they will be connected to one another. I wouldn't say the ending was altogether unpredictable, but uncovering each piece of the puzzle was just as satisfying as being taken of a journey of twists and turns. And the end for me, unlike many books, was exactly what it should have been.

I would recommend this book if you're open to a little bit of disturbia and not afraid of getting into the lives of some truly twisted characters. 4 stars.

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Reviewed by Playful Professional at 11:39 PM 0 comments
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November 22, 2010

Nanny Returns, By Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus

Nanny Returns is the sequel to The Nanny Diaries, first a wildly popular book and then a somewhat popular movie.

I was a huge fan of the original, so when I saw the sequel at Target, I leaped at the chance to pick it up.

I'm sad to say I was less than impressed.

Plot: We join Nan 12 years after her dramatic end to nannydom. She's married and moving back to NYC after a stint abroad. Her old charge, Grayer, looks her up and just like that, Nan is thrown back into the lives of the X family, who have another young son now.

It's been years since I read The Nanny Diaries, so I'd forgotten a lot of the plot points and nuances that are referenced in the sequel. For example, I completely forgot how the relationship between the X family and Nan ended. It was referenced in this book, but was often lost on me because they didn't recap it until the last pages. Other parts of the book dragged along, including Nan's new job as an HR consultant to a prestigious school. The job is just, well, odd. And she knows it. But she just kind of sits back and doesn't do anything about it. I felt like more suspense or tension could have been injected, but as it was, it didn't happen until the very end and came and went in a whirlwind of a few pages.

Characters: This time around Nan seemed to be a bit of a pushover. Again, I don't remember all the details about the first novel, but I feel like Nan was a bit more of a fighter. In this one, she just seemed to let people walk all over her. Mrs. X, her husband, her boss, her friends, the list goes on. You'd think after 12 years, she'd have grown some cajones.

Structure: The book is definitely easy to read, but because of the plot and character shortcomings, I never really got into it. Typically with a book like this, I'd devour it in a few days. It took me a few weeks with this one.

A fine read, nothing compared to the original. 2.5 stars.

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Reviewed by A Super Girl at 12:22 PM 1 comments
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November 14, 2010

Promise Me by Richard Paul Evans

Richard Paul Evans is the best-selling author of The Christmas Box and The Walk. I remember reading The Christmas Box and loving it; I'm a sucker for a good Christmas story. So when I was given the opportunity to review Promise Me, I was pretty excited. Sadly, Promise Me is not The Christmas Box, not even on the same level for me.

Promise Me is centered around a woman named Beth whose life falls apart in 1989. Her marriage breaks up, her daughter gets diagnosed with an undiagnosable disease, and she's struggling financially. Everything is in shambles until she meets a mysterious man at a 7-11 on Christmas Eve. A mysterious man who changes her life, and the life of her daughter forever. A heart-felt Christmas story with a Time Traveler's Wife type twist, the idea was an intriguing one.

But Evans took it too far, even for me. I was really enjoying the book until I found out who the mysterious man actually was and how he'd come to meet with Beth on that fateful night. And after that moment, the book became more of a disturbing one for me. The relationship between Beth and her mystery man ruined the book for me, and I ended up losing whatever the purpose of the book was in the midst of all that was going on between the two of them.

So while yes I typically like Evans' books, I really didn't care for this one at all. And I definitely wouldn't recommend it. There are so many other good Christmas stories out there that I wouldn't waste the time on this one. 2 stars.

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Reviewed by Playful Professional at 10:47 AM 0 comments
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November 10, 2010

Green Books Campaign: Taming Marital Arguments

This review is part of the Green Books campaign.Today 200 bloggers take a stand to support books printed in an eco-friendly manner by simultaneously publishing reviews of 200 books printed on recycled or FSC-certified paper. By turning a spotlight on books printed using eco- friendly paper, we hope to raise the awareness of book buyers and encourage everyone to take the environment into consideration when purchasing books.

The campaign is organized for the second time by Eco-Libris, a green company working to make reading more sustainable. We invite you to join the discussion on "green" books and support books printed in an eco-friendly manner! A full list of participating blogs and links to their reviews is available on Eco-Libris website.
I choose this book to review from a list of books because not only was it printed on environmental paper, it sounded intriguing to me. If you're married like I am, arguments are just a part of life. Finding a solution to have better and more productive arguments sounded like a good read to me. And it was.

Taming Marital Arguments: Breaking out of the T.R.A.P by Robert P. Rugel walks through a typical 3-step argument sequence that happens so often in marriage, what he refers to as a trap. First, one spouse triggers (very often accidentally) the argument, this trigger inadvertenly threatens (hurts their self-esteem, makes them feel not wanted) the other spouse, so the threatened spouse automatically goes on the defensive and reacts in a way to protect themselves by likewise threatening or blaming their spouse. And the circle continues until no one even knows why the argument started and both spouses are hurt and frustrated.

Rugel walks through numerous real-life examples in his book, and I'm sure at least one example would resonate with all of us. The nice thing about the book is that after Rugel explains how the majority of married couples go through this, he also explains how to solve the problem, or at least better it - talk through what the major argument triggers are. Are they money related? Sex? Housework? Learning to identify the major triggers helps you to avoid them in the first place, which also helps to avoid falling into the trap sequence.

Overall I thought this book was very helpful and eye-opening. Sometimes you need to have someone else tell you're missing right in front of your very face. And I know that since reading this book I have been much better about looking for the things that may trigger an argument and nipping it at the bud. I would recommend this book to anyone in any relationship but especially anyone that is married. 5 stars.


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Reviewed by Playful Professional at 1:00 PM 2 comments
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November 5, 2010

Saying Goodbye (Julie Rember and Mike O'Mary, editors)


I received a copy of this book for review purposes, but my review and opinions are entirely my own.


Think about how many times in our lives we will say goodbye to someone or something. We say goodbye to our spouses every day when they leave for work, our children when they go to school or off to practice, to our waistlines after we birth children. We say goodbye to ever being carded ever again when we buy beer, to our car when it finally sputters to a stop, to our house when we move away, to our loved ones when their time has come. Life is full of goodbyes. Some are painful, but some are downright humorous.

Saying Goodbye is an anthology of short (true) stories about people saying goodbye to a variety of people, places and things. The authors vary as much as their subjects and this collection does a nice job of showcases how different people have so many different experiences with saying farewell.

One of the most humorous stories to me was "Saying Goodbye to a Faithful Companion" where the author laments about his wife throwing out his trusty old jogging suit, despite the fact that the suit was "older than vermin." The author even considers bribing his "curbside sanitary engineer" in order to retrieve his old friend and I was left hanging, wondering if this marriage could ever be saved following such a betrayal.

In contrast, "Lotus, Falling" is a beautifully written story written by a daughter about her mother's final weeks on earth. It reveals the harsh reality that many people face when confronted with their own mortality and the frustration they encounter in the medical field more often than many of us would like to think about. At the same time, the subject of this story remains graceful and beautiful as she attempts to enjoy the things she cherished most in the world like literature, German hot dogs, and red wine. The final paragraph of this one moved me to tears.

Couches, marriages, loyal dogs, husbands, fathers, and more. Saying Goodbye is put together well, for a freshman anthology effort from Julie Rember and Mike O'Mary. Some stories are, of course, stronger than others, but they work together nicely as a collection. It's hardly a page-turner that keeps you hooked to the point you can't put it down, but it serves its purpose well as a bedside read or as a casual book to keep on the coffee table. I enjoyed it, but isn't one I would feel I need to re-read. 3 Stars.

The publisher is offering a special just for Book Nook Club readers on this and other books by Dream of Things. You can get 30% off this book at http://www.goodbyebook.com/ with coupon code DREAM ON. Use the same code at http://www.dreamofthings.com/ to get 30% off a book of your choice.



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Reviewed by Sarah K at 10:07 AM 1 comments
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November 1, 2010

The Miracle of Mercy Land


When I first got this book for review, I wasn't quite sure what to expect.  I had never heard of the author before, so I had no preconception as to what sort of books she wrote, or what sort of writer she was.  But when I received the email asking if I would like to review the book, I jumped at the chance because it sounded interesting.  I enjoy reading books with a supernatural twist now and again.

Set in the early 1930's on the Gulf shores of Alabama, The Miracle of Mercy Land tells the tale of Mercy, a young woman who moves from the backwoods of Bittersweet Creek to the nearby town of Bay City, where she soon becomes assistant to the editor of the local paper.  After a few years on the job, her editor, Doc Phillips, is given possession of a curious book.  Curious, because the book tells you what would have happened in a person's life had they chosen different paths than the one they took.

Doc shares his discovery with Mercy, and together the two keep the book a secret from others, while trying to unlock the mysteries of the book.  Doc apparently wants to right a wrong, and Mercy seeks to fulfill the book's purpose.  Soon, however, Doc brings a new young man into town under the pretenses of him taking over as editor of the newspaper since Doc wants to retire, and nothing is as it seems.

I must say that I enjoyed reading the book in the beginning.  River Jordan is a gifted writer.  However, the book fizzled out for me half way through.  I was left scratching my head over many things, most noteably what The Book was.  She never really develops the purpose of the supernatural book, and how it "worked."  We just know that it was mysterious and Doc Phillips was consumed by it.  But there was never any clues as to where it came from and why it was given to Doc and by whom and for what purpose.

Because of this huge plot hole, I was left scratching my head as to what purpose River Jordan had when writing this book.  While the plot was definitely intriguing, the ending just left me with too many unanswered questions.  But I did enjoy the characters in the book, especially Aunt Ida.  

That said, I did enjoy Ms. Jordan's writing, and I am very interested in reading her other books.

Please note that I was given this book for review by the WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group.

Visit River Jordan's website.
Visit WaterBrook Multnomah Publishings' website.


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Reviewed by Jacki at 12:10 PM 3 comments
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