Book Nook Club: June 2011

June 30, 2011

Sisterhood Everlasting by Ann Brashares

Sisterhood Everlasting is the fifth book in the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series, which is a series that I love. Ann Brashares continues the story of the fabulous sisterhood: Lena, Bee, Tibby, and Carmen 10 years after the 4th book had left them. The sisterhood has distanced over time and they have each moved forward with their lives, but they still think of each other often.

Lena is teaching art in Rhode Island and still wondering what could have been with Kostos. Bee is living with her longtime boyfriend, Eric, but is restless and unsure of her future. Tibby is living in Australia with her longtime boyfriend, Brian. And Carmen is living her dream of being an actress in NYC and is engaged to be married, but she misses the closeness of her three best friends.

In an attempt to bring the sisterhood back together, Tibby surprises the other three with tickets to reunite in Greece, where the traveling pants were lost years before. Tragedy strikes and shocks the sisterhood. They are each faced with dealing with a tragic loss and each of their lives are changed forever as they are forced to take a harsh look at their lives.

The book is a fabulous summer read and I highly recommend it. I have two recommendations for everyone...first, DO NOT read anything about this book on Barnes and Noble or Amazon, there are some stupid people who spoiled the book. Second, keep some kleenex close while reading the book. If you are anything like me, you will need them. I loved the book, pick it up!!

Widget by Css Reflex | TutZone

The Hypnotist by M.J. Rose

The Hypnotist by M.J. Rose is the third book in a series that begins with The Reincarnationist and is followed by The Memorist, but it stands perfectly well on it's own. (I haven't read the other two and I did not feel left out at all).

The Hypnotist is a thrilling and quick moving, smart novel that will keep you thinking once you've closed it. The book follows Lucian Glass, a member of the FBI Art Crime Team (ACT), as he tries to uncover crimes and mysteries spanning the course of a time between 24 hours and 4 thousand years ago.

The main object Glass comes to protect is an ancient statue, Hypnos. It was believed that Hypnos was created during the time of philosopher, Pythagorus, and used to help the sick find peace in sleep temples. As Glass begins to uncover truths about this statue, he also begins to realize how many people are in search of it themselves. Several countries take claim to it's ownership and hire terrorists to help retrieve it at any cost. Another takes claim to it's ownership through rightful inheritance. While still another seeks it for it's hidden mystical powers, in hopes of unlocking the secrets of reincarnation.

Glass is able to learn more about each persons' quest to it's ownership by diving into his own past lives through hypnotism. He discovers that he has had a hand in Hypnos' history all along and is still being used to protect it in his current life.

It's difficult to write a review for this book because it was written like a puzzle. There are many characters, and you don't quite understand how they fit into the storyline until the end. Little by little, the picture starts coming together and you are able to realize the intricacies of the plot. His is how you know it's truly great writing! Rose had everything well researched and in order prior to piecing this all together... she really knew what she was doing. The chapters are very short and each moves to a different character or time, always making you want to read more... just one more chapter and then I'll go to bed... ok, ONE more!

Overall, I found the story to be smart, interesting, thrilling and mysterious. I really enjoyed it!

4.5 stars!

I received this book free of charge for the purpose of this review. This is my honest opinion.

Widget by Css Reflex | TutZone

June 29, 2011

The Year We Left Home by Jean Thompson

If you look back at your life, can you think of moments that changed your life and made you who you are now?

The title The Year We Left Home is a little misleading because this book isn't about a year; it's about a series of moments, moments in a family's life that tie the family together. But from the very beginning I knew I was going to like it. The book is about a family from Iowa that goes through everything we all go through - rebellion, death, life, divorce, war - and somehow manages to come out on the other side even when you don't think it's possible.

The book is broken into chapters that are really short stories about these different moments in time. Each story is told from the point of view of one of the family members spanning three generations. The stories begin back when the kids are young and follow them throughout their lifetime. Each story builds upon the last in a very subtle way with either just a simple mention of a past event or a tie in to another character until the end, which I won't give away. There really isn't a storyline or what we see as plot to speak of, but the way that Thompson writes this journalistic view into the moments that changed this family's life is wonderful to read.

In short, I loved the concept behind this book and enjoyed the actual almost as much as the idea behind it. Definitely worth picking up.

I was given a free copy of this book to review.

Widget by Css Reflex | TutZone

June 28, 2011

Title Intentionally Withheld

I am withholding the title of this book for the moment because I believe it is a confusing one. I will reveal the title shortly, I promise.

This book is a chronologically arranged collection of short biographies of Historical figures, 365 of them to be exact. Each biography is one page long, with footnotes of interest and occasional illustrations. From Khufu to Bhutto, they're categorized as Leaders, Philosophers, Innovators, Villains, and more. Many are familiar, some not so much, but all are fascinating. The writers were fairly objective with controversial and religious figures.

I keep this book on my nightstand. I don't read it daily, but I do pick it up frequently and often use it as a reference tool. It came in especially handy when I was watching the series Rome. I've found it to be fascinating, helpful, and enlightening.

So what is this book called? The Intellectual Devotional: Biographies, by David S. Kidder and Noah D. Oppenheim. I withheld the title because while it is technically a correct title, I'm afraid it gives the wrong impression. People are accustomed with seeing the word "devotional" attached to books offering religious meditations, and there is nothing religious about this book. I didn't want this aspect of the title to cause anyone not religiously inclined to skip this post.

I received a copy of this book for the purpose of review.

Widget by Css Reflex | TutZone

The Library@Facebook App

This is a guest post from the creators of The Library@Facebook App.

The Library@Facebook is a free app that allows people to share books they are happy to give away and get new books in return.

Our goal is simple but big: Before buying a book see if you can get it for free. List the books you are done with, send them to people that request them and earn credit for new books. Involve your friends, exchange books, share experiences and get ideas on what’s good to read

When we looked online we found that online book-sharing sites were popular in America and some European countries however they were standalone communities that only a really committed book reader was likely to join. Facebook of course was the ideal avenue but we didn’t find anything on there that really matched our needs so we figured: let’s build it.

We wanted to expand our Facebook skill-set so we figured, at worst, The Library @ Facebook would make a good training project. We mapped out the idea and we began to research and spec how it might work. The beta version has just been completed and over the coming weeks we are looking for feedback (good and bad!) as we look to fine-tune the launch version.

We now have over 5,000 members in 30+ countries after our first few weeks, and are growing at a rate of about 150+ per day.

We are now adding an author’s section where you can promote your book to the community and their friends on Facebook. The process is really simple:

We are now adding an author’s section where you can promote your book to the community and their friends on Facebook. The process is really simple:

1. Donate 5-10 books to the membership

We will advertise your donation to the members and we can select who will get your donated books based on your criteria e.g. You may only want US residents to get the books, women aged 25-44, etc.
The Library updates the newsfeed of the person that gets your book so all of their friends will see that they are reading your book. On average our members have 187 friends on Facebook. They will also see any review that the person posts of your book. You can use these reviews to publicise your book.

2. Discuss

You can set up an Author’s Bookclub and invite people to join your club in the library.
Alternatively you may want this discussion to take place on your Facebook page or your own website. We will be guided by your requirements.
We will list your book launch in our weekly membership email, The Library Card.
We will announce your book launch on twitter, LinkedIn, and all relevant social media. You just tell us where you would like us to send the users.

Cost

The listing cost will rise as our membership increases but we are offering an initial offer of $69 for authors that sign up now.

If you’ve got any questions or comments, or need to get in touch for any reason, don’t hesitate to email me: aidan.skehan@luceytechnology.com

Alternatively, find us on

Facebook: http://on.fb.me/k9tOYx

Twitter: http://twitter.com/facebooklibrary

Widget by Css Reflex | TutZone

June 27, 2011

Forever After, by Deborah Raney

Forever After is the second book in Deborah Raney's Hanover Falls series. It's newly released, out this month!

Plot: The novel gives us a glimpse into the lives of Jenna Morgan and Lucas Vermontez, two people connected by a tragic fire that killed Jenna's husband, who was also Luc's best friend. The fire also took Luc's father. It opens with the fire scene, but picks up a year after as both characters come to grips with the future before them. Jenna is struggling to make ends meet and break away from her in-laws, whille Luc is struggling to overcome his injuries from the fire as well as growing feelings for Jenna. The real sparks fly as these characters grow closer and learn more about themselves and each other.

Characters: Both Luc and Jenna are incredibly likable. Lucas sounds like the man next door; every woman's dream of a tough manly man who's a big softie on the inside. Jenna has a lot of mystery surrounding her, but it's revealed in a way that makes you sympathize with her and hope that everything turns out in her favor.

The supporting cast is equally likable, including Luc's mom and Jenna's mother-in-law. In fact, Jenna's mother-in-law was one character I wished I would've learned more about. There was a complexity there that I wanted to delve into and it made me wish the author had incorporated first-person narration so I could see inside her head.

Structure: The book is broken into several parts, with small chapters within. Very easy to read with plenty of natural breaking points. The plot follows a logical track that makes for an enjoyable read that doesn't require a lot of effort.

On the back of the book, it's classified as Fiction/Christian/Suspense. Even with the Christian undertones (and sometimes, OVERtones), I'd also put this in the Romance category. While it definitely follows a formula typical of this genre, it was still a great summer read.

While I received a free copy of the book for review purposes, my thoughts are my own!

Widget by Css Reflex | TutZone

June 24, 2011

This Paper World by Jeff Lane

This Paper World by Jeff Lane tells the story of a typical college guy finding out he's not so typical after all. Jim Hunt is experiencing life away from home in South Florida, when he begins to have nightmares that will lead him to his true destiny. While on winter break back home, he meets with his old neighbor who tells him he was made for something more, something greater than this earth has to offer... he's a Champion. He realizes that what he thought was just fun games of shooting and endurance with his neighbor, Park, was really training for who he would one day become. Problem is, Jim isn't sure he wants to be a Champion.

The life of a Champion is one of extreme danger and risk. Jim realizes that there is evil at every turn and must protect the world from the Spoilers' evil doings. A Champion always fights for what is right and is willing to risk everything to protect it... even his life.

For me, this story was a big miss. I think there is a pretty decent plot here, but there is a lack of depth which is disappointing. Champions are good, Spoilers are bad... the end. But why? Just because. There are no twists, turns or surprises... everything pans out the way you expect it to. There are also many scenes that are inconsequential to the plot... it just seems like filler. And there are also some loose ends that never get tied back up.

But, that would all be endurable, if not for the horrendous lack of editing... I mean HORRENDOUS! There were typos and grammatical errors on every.single.page. About halfway through I wondered if Lane had even re-read his own work?! How could he possibly miss sooooo many mistakes? And believe me, I am NO editor... so I'm sure there's even more than what I found.

My recommendation to the author would be to pull this book from Amazon. It is not fair for your readers to spend any money on this unfinished work... even if it is only $2.99. You need to hire a GOOD editor and fix a whole lot of mistakes and also beef up the story a bit. There definitely is something there, but it is FAR from complete.

2 Stars

*This book is currently available only in e-book format*

I received this book free of charge for review purposes and this is my honest opinion.

Widget by Css Reflex | TutZone

Recommend a Book, Win a Book

What is your favorite book you've read in the past year?

I have this card that I created a couple of years ago when I did a giveaway on my main blog asking readers for book recommendations. It's a card with books/authors that people have recommended to me so I don't have to rely on just back covers when I'm picking out a book. The problem is, the number of books on the list that are not crossed out is dwindling. I want to fill that card back up with recommendations from you.

Help me fill that card back up with your recommendations. The book doesn't have to be released in the past year, just your favorite book that you've read.

Anyone who gives me a recommendation will get a copy of my recommendations card (if you want it) and be entered to win any book of their choice from the five million books posted on Paperbackswap.com. Not a terrible price to pay for something simple like telling me about your favorite book. Giveaway ends at midnight EST on June 30th but feel free to continue giving me book recommendations.

Widget by Css Reflex | TutZone

June 21, 2011

The Canary List by Sigmund Brouwer

All Crockett Grey wants is to mark the anniversary of his daughter's death alone. That's it. But after one of his students, Jaimie Piper, knocks on his window that night scared to death, his life will never be the same. Jaimie isn't your typical 12-year old girl. She's not afraid of the dark, the Boogeyman, or even an abusive family member. She's afraid of evil.

I can't tell you a whole lot of the story without giving it away, but the basic idea is that Crockett is a teacher who because of being in the wrong place at the wrong time, is now in the middle of a mess including super-hackers, demon chasers, and the Vatican mafia. And all he really wants to do is clear his name so he can be a good father to his little boy Mickey.

This book was interesting and kept me guessing until the very last page, which is hard to do. It was a little hard to follow at times with all of the Vatican history and talk about demons and witches, but I understood the general idea behind the plot and like one of the reviews on the back of the book said, "What's darkly horrifying...is the plausibility of the story." And once you read the book you'll understand that comment. Overall a decent book but not my favorite. 3 stars.

I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review.

Widget by Css Reflex | TutZone

June 18, 2011

Shattered by Melody Carlson

I feel like every time I read a book or see a review by Melody Carlson I have to double-check to make sure it's the same Melody Carlson. All of her books are so different from each other that I would never know it's the same author. She's written a ton of books including ones for teens, tweens, women, and children. All of those books are listed on her website. Two years ago Jacki enthusiastically reviewed three of her adult novels that she loved. I've only ever read one of her book's previously - Let Them Eat Fruitcake, which was just okay. For me her newest young-adult novel Shattered fell into the latter category of being just okay.

Cleo's mom is overprotective. And since Cleo is almost eighteen, she of course knows better than her mom and sneaks out of the house to go to a concert with her best friend Lola. That night something happens that will change Cleo's life forever. What happened is not at all what I was expecting so I don't want to ruin it for you, but it was definitely a game changer for a teenage girl. After the incident Cleo turns to drugs to try and forget that night and would succeed in forgetting and probably becoming addicted for good if not for some caring people in her life.

This book dealt with a number of issues like drug use and depression, but I felt like the book stuck to the surface of these issues rather than really getting into them. Written for teens, the book was short and just didn't suck me in enough to really care about the characters. It is a good length for teens though and touches on those issues enough as it needs to for the audience. I think based on Jacki's reviews that I'm going to have to check out one of Carlson's adult novels.

Widget by Css Reflex | TutZone

June 16, 2011

Bunch of Books

The past two weeks I've been traveling through Europe with my family, which has given me some, albeit not as much as I was expecting, time to read. During this time I read three different books that have all been previously reviewed here so I'm just doing a quick summary of my take on the books all together. I've linked the book names to the previous reviews.

The Glass Castle by Jeanette Wells
Okay so you all told me that I would love this book, but I was really nervous to read it because I thought it was going to be dark and heavy. As soon as I started the book I realized that wasn't the case. Thinking back on it now, I thought this book was something more along the lines of The Lovely Bones. And that misplaced thought kept me from reading one of my favorite books I've read in the past year. You were right, I loved it and had to remind myself often that it was a memoir and not a piece of fiction.

One Day by David Nichols
I picked this one up based on A Super Girl's review because I thought the idea was intriguing - visiting the same characters over the years on the same exact day. And like A Super Girl I enjoyed the book but found the main male character infuriating, but it's another one of those books that I couldn't put down because I just had to know what would happen in the years to come. I'm very intrigued to see what they do with the movie that comes out in August.

The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein
This book surprised me. It's the story of a race car driver's family from the perspective of the family dog. It's funny but at the same time profound and heavy with meaning. Like Marley and Me, it's centered around an animal but uses that animal as a way to teach life principles.

Widget by Css Reflex | TutZone

June 15, 2011

The Lens and the Looker

Book 1 in the History Camp Series By Lory S. Kaufman

Set in the year 2347, the book follows the adventures of three trouble-making teens; Hansum, Shamira, and Lincoln. We quickly learn that History Camps have been created to simulate life in the past, and these camps are used as disciplinary tools for unruly youth. Our three protagonists are sent to a camp simulating Verona, Italy in 1347. Through a series of missteps the teens wind up travelling through time to Verona in the actual year 1347. We get to follow their personal ups and downs while watching how their knowledge and technology may wind up changing everything.

L&L is divided into three sections referred to as books, however this is a trilogy and I don’t want to get myself or any readers muddled up by confusing the sections of this particular book with other actual books in the trilogy. (Seriously, even that description was a little convoluted! Thanks for bearing with me.) For my purposes I will refer to these divisions as “sections” to avoid confusion.

Section 1: For me this was the least enjoyable segment of the book. The protagonists are essentially bratty teenagers, so they are a little hard to relate to. Keep in mind however, that this is YA lit. Teens today can probably relate to these characters a lot better than I can since I am a foremer teacher and as a youth was the consummate teacher’s pet. Section 1 made quick work of laying a solid foundation by familiarizing the reader with an unfamiliar world which includes new concepts, terminology, and technology.

Section 2: This is where I got hooked. By this section the trio is actually in 1347. They end up with a struggling family headed by a lens maker. He is a recovering alcoholic and is struggling to provide for his family. In their interactions with him the teens begin to see the importance of hard work, self-sufficiency, and responsibility. The lens maker’s wife suffers with some sort of mental illness (depression?) that includes hallucinations. Through this experience the trio begins to feel gratitude for the advances in medicine that they have always taken for granted. These brief examples highlight how their immaturity begins to fall away and the kids quickly grow into lovable characters.

Section 3: In a new twist they end up trapped in 1347. At this point I felt a sense of suspense that I didn’t know I was missing. Half way through section 3 I was scrambling for the next book.

I love the idea of creating History Camps. I think we could all benefit from experiencing what the past was really like. As a high school teacher I often wished I could make today’s youth understand life without cell phones, Facebook, and “reality” TV. This book was a fun read. If you enjoy YA Lit and/or historical fiction I would highly recommend it.

Widget by Css Reflex | TutZone

After the Party by Lisa Jewell

The first four years of their marriage they were the perfect couple. And then the children came and something changed. The romantic date nights out on the town turned into nights passing out from exhaustion as soon as the children were in bed. Jem (I love that name by the way) and Ralph both realized that something was missing but rather than trying to find it together, they went looking for it in different places. Ralph took a spiritually changing trip to California and found a higher power, and Jem looked in her past and tried to solve her problems with alcohol, drugs, and other men.

While many books are an escape to a different world for me, After the Party was a journey in reality. A relationship that changed after children but rather than accepting and growing with that change, both partners tried to somehow turn their relationship back in time, something which just isn't possible. Sure it works once in a while, but you can't just go out every night and expect that the 18 month old baby will take care of himself in the morning while you sleep off a terrible hangover. Because it was so real, it was both easy and difficult to read. Difficult because you could feel the heartbreak and frustration as these two characters just wanted to find love again but easy because Jewell's writing is like watching a movie where each scene continues to add on to the one before.

I really enjoyed this book. I read almost the entire thing on a plane ride from DC to Switzerland. Once I started, I had to know what would happen. I also loved how the book ended and the overall idea that life changes, we change, and that change is a good thing. 4 stars.

I received a copy of this book for free to review.

Widget by Css Reflex | TutZone

June 14, 2011

Revelations by Laurel Dewey

Sergeant Detective Jane Perry is cynical and angry. She feels like her life is shifting out of control and it only gets worse when her doctor gives her frightening news. Jane decides to take time off work and goes to the police station to leave notice of her absence, but she runs into her colleague and former boss, who has already committed the two of them to a case in the small, upscale town of Midas, Colorado. A fifteen year old boy, Jake, has gone missing and all signs are indicating that Jordan Copeland, a man just out of prison after serving time for a heinous crime, is involved in the disappearance. No ransom has been demanded but packages are being delivered to Jake's parents and to the town police chief. The packages are full of riddles and make no sense to anyone. It is up to Jane to determine the meaning of the packages.

The clues in the packages hint that Jake is still alive but that time is getting short. As Jane begins to investigate Jake's disappearance, she begins to uncover secrets around the town of Midas, some of which are deadly secrets. In the midst of the case, the owner of the town bar, Hank, manages to inch his way into Jane's life and under the wall she has built to protect herself from being hurt. The case, Jane's personal demons, Hank, and odd encounters with Jordan Copeland force Jane to deal with her past, and future.

In my opinion, the story is captivating and the suspense kept me reading very late into the night, several nights in a row. The characters were very interesting and I enjoyed the fact that the surprises kept rolling in. However, I felt that the story was overpowered by an overabundance of profanity and graphic descriptions. I realize that in a crime scene type novel that descriptions are important but, in my opinion, it went overboard at times. I was especially bothered by the complete overuse of profanity. I can look past a few words in the book but not when it is all over the place, especially when it is unnecessary. The profanity and graphic descriptions ruined the book for me. If they had been toned down, I would have probably really enjoyed the book. Overall, I can only give the book 3 stars.

I received a review copy of this book for free.

Widget by Css Reflex | TutZone

June 6, 2011

The Constantine Codex by Paul L. Maier

In this sequel to A Skeleton in God's Closet and More Than a Skeleton, Harvard professor Jonathan Weber and his archaeologist wife Shannon discover an incredible missing manuscript that could have a profound effect on Christianity.

If it sounds familiar, you've probably read something by Dan Brown or Steve Berry at some point. The major difference here is that while Dan Brown and pretty much everyone who has ever written in this genre has done so to discredit Christianity, Paul L. Maier does it to reaffirm Christianity. Another major difference is that Dan Brown and Steve Berry are hobbysists when it comes to History, and don't much care if their sources have any basis in fact. Nor do they care that their readers in ignorance do take it for fact, leading to generations of cocksure ignoramuses who think Christians are a bunch of cocksure ignoramuses. Paul L. Maier on the other hand is a professor of ancient History at Western Michigan University and not only presumably knows his stuff, but is conscientious about the effect his work will have on the intellectual well-being of the public at large.

The first couple of chapters got me excited about this Christian Dan Brown. There were ancient manuscripts, archeological digs, danger, and real monuments and real history behind it all. And best of all, none of it would lead to Paul being gay or or the resurrection being staged or Jesus really being an alien from another realm. But there Maier seemed to hit the apex of his excitement. It didn't quite go downhill from there, but the energy certainly disappeared.

So Jon and Shannon find an ancient manuscript, and an entire chapter is devoted to detailed descriptions of them photographing it for posterity. I kept waiting for them to be interrupted by a masked gunman or the ancient vellum to disintegrate or something, but it was all just anticipation on my part and scholarship on the part of the characters.

Then there's an exciting debate between Weber and a famous moderate Muslim in the Haga Sofia. But Weber And his debate partner are so diplomatic about the whole thing and so afraid to step on one another's toes that there was simply no excitement. It was an interesting discussion, and I did learn some things about Islam and even some things I didn't know about Christianity, but I had a hard time keeping my eyes open.

Then they must get the manuscript to the U.S. for testing, and finally something happens. The manuscript is stolen! A desperate search is unleashed spanning continents! Then the manuscript simply arrives in the mail. To make up for it, Jon gets poisoned and a traitor unveiled, but it's all more Ben Matlock than Robert Langdon.

The manuscript is eventually translated and released and everyone loves it. The end.

Maybe it was my fault for making comparisons, but this book was a real disappointment to me. Christian publishing desperately needs a Christian Dan Brown. There is a real void there, and I was so hoping Maier would fill it. A reader without my preconceptions may find this book more enjoyable than I did.

Widget by Css Reflex | TutZone

June 3, 2011

Lone Survivor by Marcus Luttrell

A few months ago, my boss gave me Lone Survivor by Marcus Luttrell to read and insisted that I would love it. He was absolutely right. With last weekend being Memorial Day weekend, I decided it was the perfect time to pick up the book as we remembered all of the people that serve our country.

Marcus Luttrell, a decorated Navy SEAL, writes his story in two parts. The first part of the story gives a detailed explanation of the training of a Navy SEAL, which was fascinating and very eye opening. The second part of the story is about Operation Redwing, a desperate battle in the mountains of Afghanistan. Luttrell speaks of the valiant and heroic efforts of his teammates as they fought against the Taliban.

The book opens with "..my name is Marcus. And I'm writing this book because of my three buddies Mikey, Danny and Axe. If I don't write it, no one will ever understand the indomitable courage under fire of those three Americans. And that would be the biggest tragedy of all."

This book is amazing and powerful. I have always had high respect and reverence for the United States military and for all that they have sacrificed. Lone Survivor gave me a better understanding and a deeper appreciation for the men who fight so valiantly and then face consistent criticism from some of those back home that they are sacrificing their lives for.

I will give the caveat that there is strong language throughout the book. If you are not comfortable reading the book, I suggest that you at least read about Marcus Luttrell's story somewhere, it is amazing.

Widget by Css Reflex | TutZone

Girl in the Gatehouse by Julie Klassen

Banished from the only home she's even known, Mariah Aubrey hides herself away in an abandoned gatehouse on a distant relative's estate. When Captain Matthew Bryan leases the estate to impress a girl, he has no idea what's in store for and neither did I.

Girl in the Gatehouse is a series of fun twists and turns as Mariah gets settled into her surroundings and tries to make the best of life in the gatehouse. She takes the time to work on her writing, plan theatrical performances for the orphanage next door, and rescue crazy ship captains from bondage. While the novel dwells on her past to give the reader a background of what happened to send her to the gatehouse, it really focuses on her life now and moving forward from her mishap.

The author, Julie Klassen, was inspired by Jane Austen, and it shows in her writing. Unlikely romance, dashing adventure, big parties, and mysterious and comedic side characters that each have their own stories to tell all wrapped up into a story that really boils down to the relationship between a boy and a girl. I loved all of her characters and how she gave the reader a glimpse into each of their lives without taking away from the main plot too much. And I also loved how even though seemingly unrelated, she tied all of their stories together in a way that actually worked. One of the best parts about the book was going on the same journey as the characters as they step by step learned how they were all intertwined somehow. I've never read anything else by Julie Klassen but if given the opportunity would love to pick up another one of her novels.

**I received a free copy of this book for review purposes from Bethany House Publishers.

Widget by Css Reflex | TutZone

June 2, 2011

Broken Wings by Carla Stewart Giveaway

Sometimes unlikely pairings are the best. Peanut Butter and BBQ chip sandwiches, Romeo and Juliet, Milo and Otis. Broken Wings is made up another one of those strange pairings that that just works.

Mitzi, an eighty-one year old woman who is caring for her husband with Alzheimer's, and Brooke, a young engaged legal assistant trying who is still trying to figure out who she is and what she wants to do with her life. They meet when Brooke comes into the hospital where Mitzi is volunteering and begin a friendship on what appears to be Mitzi's concern for others' well-being, but it soon turns into more than that as the two of them realize that without knowing it, they need each other.

I absolutely loved Mitzi's character. She's a famous singer, now retired, who spends her days in the same spit-fire way I'm sure she spent the rest of her life. She lives for every moment of every day and slowly teaches Brooke to do the same. I probably liked her so much because I want to be like her character, not afraid of chasing after my dreams and wearing that red sparkly dress. And then there's Brooke, who because of circumstances comes off as the weaker character of the two, but hey, Mitzi had another sixty years to live.

This book was a pretty quick and easy read. It touches lightly on a number of issues but sticks mainly to dealing with Alzheimer's and abuse and portrays them in a fairly realistic but not difficult to read way. The one main complaint I had was how the book ended. Throughout the book Mitzi tells her life story to Brooke and at one point it just stops. I actually found her history to be a better story than the present day one between Mitzi and Brooke and was intrigued to hear it how it played out. There was a little bit of closure at the very end, but I wanted to know more. Other than that, a good read.

I've also got a copy to giveaway for anyone that is interested in getting to read about this unlikely pairing. All you have to do is leave a comment on this post to be entered (US only).

I received a review copy of this book for free. This review is my honest opinion.

Widget by Css Reflex | TutZone

June 1, 2011

The Fine Art of Insincerity, by Angela Hunt

I'm excited to participate in today's blog tour for The Fine Art of Insincerity. Even though I'm posting a tad late in the day!

The book released on May 3 and I received a copy late last week.

Plot: We meet Ginger, Rose, and Penny as they are preparing to converge on their grandmother's house to sort items and prepare it for sale. Each woman is bringing some baggage to the girls' weekend. As the weekend unfolds, the reader sees both the internal thoughts and struggles of the sisters, as well as their external personas -- and the vast differences between the two.

Characters: The three sisters are central to the story, and while there are husbands and ex-husbands and future husbands peppered throughout the book, it's the sisters that carry it. Though related, it's clear there are tensions among them that go back decades. At times I wanted to shake one or more of them for how they treated one another. Each character has a depth that, I think, would make excellent fodder for a book club.

Structure: There are chapters, but within each there are sections told from the perspective of one sister. I've enjoyed this style when employed in other books and this one is no different. So often a single narrator can limit the perspective of the reader. Having multiple narrators allowed me to understand the thoughts and feelings of all of the characters and allowed me to see how they portray themselves in front of one another versus how they truly feel inside.

This was a light, quick read that offered several deep messages and themes, including religion, divorce (and the interplay of the two!), sisterhood, and family. A great book to load in your beach bag or offer up as a book club pick this summer. 4 stars.

**While I received a complimentary copy of this book for review purposes, my thoughts are all my own.**

Widget by Css Reflex | TutZone

Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)