Monday, June 29, 2015

Magnolia Wednesdays

Magnolia Wednesdays
by Wendy Wax

Genre: Women's Fiction

Synopsis:  At forty-one, Vivien Armstrong Gray has spent most of her life fighting to make it in investigative journalism, only to have it crumble after a bullet lodges in her backside during an expose.  As if the humiliation of being the butt of everyone's jokes isn't enough, Vivi learns that she's pregnant, jobless, and very hormonal.  Maybe that explains why she actually says "yes" to a dreadful job covering suburban living back home in Georgia, a column she can only bear to write incognito.

Leaving her tiny apartment in New York, she reluctantly heads south to experience the suburban soccer mom existence through her widowed sister's eyes.  Surrounded by minivans and bake sales, she has lots of material for the column.  Her sister's ballroom dance studio becomes her undercover spot where she learns about the local life while posting as an extra dance partner.  But Vivi's little stunt starts throwing her for a loop as friendships develop, and a real relationship with her sister blossoms.  As she digs up her long-buried roots, and begins to secretly investigate her brother-in-law's death, she starts to wonder if life inside the picket fence is so bad after all...
from the back of the book

Review:  The book started off slowly for me but definitely picked up momentum once you figure out how all the characters are connected and what their individual stories are.  I was really drawn into Vivien's sister's, Melanie's, life with her two teenage children and how Vivien fit into their lives.  I wasn't as interested in the side character's stories, Ruth and Angie.  I got tired of reading about Angie's insecurities about her former life as a fat girl and I just wanted her to come clean with her fiance.  I understood Ruth's issues with her husband but I thought the husband was awfully obtuse and I got tired of reading about him.  I thought Vivien was an immature, selfish forty-one year old but luckily she changed throughout the book due to her interactions with all the characters in the book and really did help out her sister.  Her propensity for investigating did cause problems and I didn't feel that the investigation of her brother-in-law needed to be as dramatic as it was because it made me think that something really awful had happened.  That part of the plot made the story seem more like a mystery and less like a women's fiction book.  I feel like the author ran out of pages and had to throw the ending together in a hurry so everything needed to be tied up nicely.  The secret of Vivien's brother-in-law came out in such an odd way that didn't seem realistic.  Overall, I did like reading the book and thought it was a decent story.

Rating: 3 stars

Thursday, June 25, 2015

The Lives Between Us

The Lives Between Us
by Theresa Rizzo


Genre: Women's fiction

Synopsis:  How far would you go to save the one you love?

Reporter Skylar Kendall has run from commitment all her life, pushing people away before they leave her, until her niece worms her way into Skye’s heart and settles in tight. Skye relaxes into a career she enjoys and relishes being a doting aunt.

Then her niece becomes gravely ill. Unable to bear yet another loss, Skye is determined to find a cure, but the girl’s only hope lies in the embryonic stem cell therapy Michigan Senator Edward Hastings repeatedly opposes. When Skye fails to find alternative treatment in time, she vows to end the senator’s political career.

Curious about the woman behind the scathing articles on his best friend, Mark Dutton pursues Skye. Dating Mark gives her access to Hastings’s life and secrets that would launch Skye's career and satisfy her need for retribution… Only she hadn’t counted on falling in love.

Can she avenge the lives lost to politics at the expense of her new love and friends?
from Goodreads

Review:  Ah!  I just finished this book and I NEED to talk to someone about the ending!  You all better read this book soon so I can ask you what you think happened at the end.  Go on, get reading!

After reading the beginning chapters I thought this book was going to be a romance which is not what I normally read but I am happy to report that the novel gets much deeper.  There is still a romance storyline but the book delves into the ethical dilemma for stem cell research.  Skylar (Skye) is a young reporter who is out to get Senator Edward Hastings because of his views on using embryonic stem cells.  Skye was a bit immature at times and I found it hard to read about some of her misadventures because she did some stupid things.  Luckily she seems to grow up a little through the novel.  Once I got into the book it was so hard to stop reading.

The stem cell debate, cord blood vs. embryonic, was quite an interesting topic for the book and one I didn't know too much about.  I felt that I learned something from this book in regards to this topic.  I am still a little hazy on some details and I felt that some things could have been explained better.  There are still some details that I'm not sure about-I feel like I was left hanging on some of the side plot lines.  The author does include some ambiguity at the end but I'm sure that was purposeful.

This book was thought provoking and intriguing but still easy to read.  I very much enjoyed reading it.

**I was contacted by Theresa Rizzo, the author, to read the book and give an honest review of the story.  Thank you for sending me the book.

Rating: 4 stars

Tuesday, June 23, 2015

Magical Animal Adoption Agency: Clover's Luck

Clover's Luck
author: Kallie George
illustrator: Alexandra Bolger

The Magical Animal Adoption Agency, Book 1: Clover's Luck

Genre: Chapter Book

Summary (from Goodreads): The first in a chapter book series starring an unlucky girl named Clover who accepts a volunteer position at a magical animal adoption agency.
 
Review:  (Review by Amelia)  This book is about a girl named Clover who is really unlucky until she finds a magical animal adoption agency and she starts helping there.  She meets fairy sized horses, unicorns, a firefly under a curse as a toad, a fire salamader, and even a dragon.  She helps the toad find her home because she was put under a curse, and Clover found the toad's owner.  Twice there was a mean witch who steals stuff from the animal agency; she cut off some of the unicorn's tale and she cut off one of the dragon's claws.  The witch thinks Clover is unlucky, so she puts some of her blood into a potion that she thinks will make people unlucky.  But then Clover figures out that she is lucky because when the witch squirts some of the magic potion at a cat, the cat turns green, which is the color of a lucky clover.  Then Clover throws the pot of potion at the witch, and when the witch is saying bad spells (like telling bees to strike) they turn into nice spells (like the bees turn into rainbows and butterflies).  When the owner of the AAA came back, he had an egg that would hatch into another animal.

This book was really good because Clover got to find lots of magical animals like unicorns.  I liked Clover because she was a nice person who helped animals find their homes.  She is also helpful and brave and never gives up.  This book had funny parts, like when the witch was pretending to be a princess.  My favorite part was when Clover found out that she was lucky after all.  I read this book twice in a row because it was super duper good.  I would recommend this book to kids who like magical animals.

Rating: 100 thousand million stars

Friday, June 19, 2015

How I Came to Sparkle Again

How I Came to Sparkle Again
by Kaya McLaren


Genre: Chick-lit-Christian-women's-fiction (yes, I know that isn't a "real" genre)

Synopsis:  Jill Anthony spent her young in the ski town of Sparkle, Colorado, but more than a decade has passed since she left.  Then a devastating tragedy, coupled with the worst kind of betrayal, makes her want to run away, but the only place she knows to go is home: Sparkle.

Lisa Carlucci looks in the mirror once morning and realizes that she no longer wants to treat her body like a Holiday Inn.  She's going to hold out for love.  The only problem is, love might come in the form of her ski-bum best friend, who lives next door with his ski-bum friends in a trailer known as "The Kennel."

Cassie Jones, at age ten, has lost her mother and no longer believes in anything.  Her only solace comes from the messages she believes her deceased mother is spending her through the heart-shaped rocks they once collected in the streams and hills of Sparkle.

Three people at the crossroads of heartbreak and healing.  Three lives that will be changed one winter in Sparkle, Colorado.  One tender, funny, tear-jerking novel that you won't soon forget.
from the book jacket

Review:  To be honest, I almost abandoned this book after 20 pages because I thought it was a Christian fiction book.  There was so much talk about God and people losing faith.  It was so heavy on faith and it turned me off.  I checked online to see if it is a Christian fiction book and it is not, it's actually a chick lit book.  That surprised so I kept on reading.  Then we are introduced to Lisa and her crew of male friends and the book just gets crude and immature.  But I stuck with it because the story of Cassie who has lost her mother and is going through a really tough time intrigued me.  But don't get me started on Uncle Howard, the philosophical zen skiing dude who just seems way too over the top and a caricature of a real person.  I did, however, keep going and found myself tearing up at the raw emotions that Cassie and her father, Mike, portrayed.

This book seems to have an identity problem.  Is it a Christian fiction book masquerading as a chick lit book?  Is it supposed to be a light, chick lit book intended for a younger than myself audience?  Is it an emotional story of the struggles of a young girl?  I have no idea how to classify this book but the author really should have picked just one genre of book.  It's far too heavy on religion for the everyday reader but it's far too vulgar for the Christian fiction reader.  If the author had left out all the sex talk by Lisa and the sex-crazed male neighbors next door this book would be more appealing as these sections of the book are highly crude and immature.  If the author had toned down the come-to-Jesus moments that Lisa had and the struggles with faith that Mike had, the book would also be more appealing.

But yet, I had a hard time putting this book down.  Cassie's story really tugged at my heart strings as did Jill's story.  (I do wish that the author had picked different names for Jill and Lisa, I had a hard time remember who was who).  The faith part of the story really dropped off after a while and it makes me question why the author even included some of it in the first place.  The author did tie everything together at the end and the reader is left with a warm feeling.  It makes it very difficult to rate this book!

Rating:  2 1/2 stars

Thursday, June 18, 2015

Meet Samantha

Meet Samantha
Susan Adler

Meet Samantha: An American Girl

Genre: Chapter Book

Summary (from Goodreads): Samantha Parkington is a bright Victorian beauty being raised by her wealthy grandmother in 1904. Samantha's stories describe her life during this important period of change. Her own world is filled with frills and finery, parties and play. But Samantha sees that times are not good for everybody. That's why she tries to make a difference in the life of her friend Nellie, a servant girl whose world is nothing like Samantha's Samantha befriends a servant girl named Nellie who moves in next door. The girls become fast friends, though their lives are different.
 
Review:  (Review by Amelia, but I have corrected spelling errors.)  Samantha is a nine year old girl who lives with her grandmother, Grandmary.  Her clothes are different than ours because she is always supposed to wear a dress and this kind of itchy underwear. I did like the book because it was fun and it teaches me about the past.  I would not want to live in Samantha's time because I would have to wear itchy underwear from September to June.  My favorite part of the book was when she gave her doll to a servant girl named Nellie.  I liked it because she was being kind.  I would like to recommend this book to a kid who likes American Girl dolls or a kid who likes to learn about the past.

Rating: 4 stars

Monday, June 15, 2015

An Invisible Thread

An Invisible Thread
Laura Schroff and Alex Tresniowski

An Invisible Thread: The True Story of an 11-Year-Old Panhandler, a Busy Sales Executive, and an Unlikely Meeting with Destiny

Genre: Memoir

Summary (from Goodreads): In the tradition of the New York Times bestseller The Blind Side, The Invisible Thread tells of the unlikely friendship between a busy executive and a disadvantaged young boy, and how both of their lives changed forever.
 
Review: Becky has influenced me to read memoirs, but I tend to prefer ones about normal people who do interesting things.  There is nothing particularly special about Laura Schroff; she's a woman from a working class family, who didn't go to college but managed to rise in the magazine advertising world until she became a hot-shot.  But what is special about her is that she befriended a young African American panhandler, brought him into her house, and became his family.  I love reading about ordinary people who do amazingly kind things that change someone's life, and this book delivered. 

Rating: 4 stars

All You Can Dream Buffet

The All You Can Dream Buffet
Barbara O'Neal

The All You Can Dream Buffet

Genre: Fiction

Summary (from Goodreads): Perfect for fans of Kristin Hannah and Susan Wiggs—Barbara O’Neal’s new novel of food, friendship, and the freedom to grow your dreams brings together four very different women longing to savor the true taste of happiness.
 
Popular blogger and foodie queen Lavender Wills reigns over Lavender Honey Farms, a serene slice of organic heaven nestled in Oregon wine country. Lavender is determined to keep her legacy from falling into the profit-driven hands of uncaring relatives, and she wants an heir to sustain her life’s work after she’s gone. So she invites her three closest online friends—fellow food bloggers, women of varied ages and backgrounds—out to her farm. She hopes to choose one of them to inherit it—but who?

There’s Ginny, the freckle-faced Kansas cake baker whose online writing is about to lead her out of a broken marriage and into a world of sensual delights. And Ruby, young, pregnant, devoted to the organic movement, who’s looking for roots—and the perfect recipe to heal a shattered heart. Finally, Val, smart and sophisticated, a wine enthusiast who needs a fresh start for her teenage daughter after tragedy has rocked their lives. Coming together will change the Foodie Four in ways they could never have imagined, uniting them in love and a common purpose. As they realize that life doesn’t always offer a perfect recipe for happiness, they also discover that the moments worth savoring are flavored with some tears, a few surprises, and generous helping of joy.

 
Review: I have thoroughly enjoyed O'Neal's other books, but this one wasn't quite as delightful as the others.  Perhaps it was because the narrative was split between four different women, meaning that none of them were quite as fleshed out as I would have liked.  Or perhaps it was because each chapter contained a blog post, and I found the blogs a little annoying.  Or perhaps I just didn't buy into how such four completely different women could have formed a strong friendship without ever meeting.  This was still a nice book, just not as enjoyable as her others.

Rating: 3 stars

The Avalon Ladies Scrapbooking Society

The Avalon Ladies Scrapbooking Society
Darien Gee

The Avalon Ladies Scrapbooking Society

Genre: Fiction

Summary (from Goodreads): Perfect for fans of Debbie Macomber, Kristin Hannah, Beth Hoffman, and Kate Jacobs, this luminous novel from the author of Friendship Bread follows a group of fascinating women who form deep friendships through their love of scrapbooking—as memories are preserved, dreams are shared, and surprising truths are revealed.

Welcome to Avalon, Illinois, Pop. 4,243


At Madeline’s Tea Salon, the cozy hub of the Avalon community, local residents scrapbook their memories and make new ones. But across town, other Avalonians are struggling to free themselves of the past: Isabel Kidd is fixing up her ramshackle house while sorting through the complications of her late husband’s affair. Ava Catalina is mourning the love of her life and helping her young son grow up without his father. Local plumber Yvonne Tate is smart, beautiful, and new to Avalon, but finds that despite a decade of living life on her own terms, the past has a way of catching up—no matter where she goes. And Frances Latham, mother to a boisterous brood of boys, eagerly anticipates the arrival of a little girl from China—unprepared for the emotional roller coaster of foreign adoption.

Enter Bettie Shelton, the irascible founder of the Avalon Ladies Scrapbooking Society. Under Bettie’s guidance, even the most reluctant of Avalon’s residents come to terms with their past and make bold decisions about their future. But when the group receives unexpected news about their steadfast leader, they must pull together to create something truly memorable.

By turns humorous, wise, and deeply moving, The Avalon Ladies Scrapbooking Society is a luminous reminder that the things we hold most dear will last a lifetime.

 
Review: This is the sequel to Friendship Bread; I happened to spot it on the Buzz books shelf of the library right after I finished reading the first book, so I picked it up.  Once again, this was a sweet book about women finding their strengths, developing new friendships, finding romance, and realizing the importance of family.  I was less interested in the scrapbooking theme, since I find scrapbooking frustrating, hence my slightly lower rating.

Rating: 3 stars

Friendship Bread

Friendship Bread
Darien Gee

Friendship Bread

Genre: Fiction

Summary (from Goodreads): An anonymous gift sends a woman on a journey she never could have anticipated.

One afternoon, Julia Evarts and her five-year-old daughter, Gracie, arrive home to find an unexpected gift on the front porch: a homemade loaf of Amish Friendship Bread and a simple note: I hope you enjoy it. Also included are a bag of starter, instructions on how to make the bread herself, and a request to share it with others.

Still reeling from a personal tragedy that left her estranged from the sister who was once her best friend, Julia remains at a loss as to how to move on with her life. She’d just as soon toss the anonymous gift, but to make Gracie happy, she agrees to bake the bread.

When Julia meets two newcomers to the small town of Avalon, Illinois, she sparks a connection by offering them her extra bread starter. Widow Madeline Davis is laboring to keep her tea salon afloat while Hannah Wang de Brisay, a famed concert cellist, is at a crossroads, her career and marriage having come to an abrupt end. In the warm kitchen of Madeline’s tea salon, the three women forge a friendship that will change their lives forever.

In no time, everyone in Avalon is baking Amish Friendship Bread. But even as the town unites for a benevolent cause and Julia becomes ever closer to her new friends, she realizes the profound necessity of confronting the painful past she shares with her sister.

About life and loss, friendship and community, food and family, Friendship Bread tells the uplifting story of what endures when even the unthinkable happens.

 
Review: If you are looking for another Debbie Macomber type story about women developing new friendships around a homey type craft in a small and friendly town, this is the perfect book for you.  There are times when I'm looking for that type of story, and this one fit the bill perfectly.  It was sweet, had delicious homey recipes, and celebrated friendship and kindness.  Having said that, it was perhaps a little too sweet...

Rating: 3.5 stars

Personal

Personal
Lee Child

Personal (Jack Reacher, #19)

Genre: Thriller

Summary (from Goodreads): Jack Reacher walks alone. Once a go-to hard man in the US military police, now he's a drifter of no fixed abode. But the army tracks him down. Because someone has taken a long-range shot at the French president.. Only one man could have done it. And Reacher is the one man who can find him. This new heartstopping, nailbiting book in Lee Child's number-one bestselling series takes Reacher across the Atlantic to Paris - and then to London. The stakes have never been higher - because this time, it's personal.
 
Review: The 19th book in Lee Child's Jack Reacher series, Personal returns to a familiar theme: a sniper that Reacher arrested during his Army MP days has tried to assassinate someone -- this was also the theme in Child's book One Shot.  The last few Reacher books have felt slow and dry to me, but this one was reminiscent of his earlier books.  Thankfully.  There were still too many slow descriptions of traveling; the characters spent an awful lot of time flying, driving, riding the tube and taking taxis, none of which were particularly interesting to me.  Also there seemed to be some history between Reacher and the shadowy Army general who was in charge of this operation, and it made me wonder if Child is setting him up for another prequel.  I was just about ready to give up on the series, but this novel convinced me that I should keep reading.

Rating: 3.5 stars

In A Perfect World

In A Perfect World
Laura Kasischke

In a Perfect World

Genre: Fiction

Summary (from Goodreads): This is the way the world ends...

It was a fairy tale come true when Mark Dorn—handsome pilot, widower, tragic father of three—chose Jiselle to be his wife. The other flight attendants were jealous: She could quit now, leaving behind the million daily irritations of the job. (Since the outbreak of the Phoenix flu, passengers had become even more difficult and nervous, and a life of constant travel had grown harder.) She could move into Mark Dorn's precious log cabin and help him raise his three beautiful children.

But fairy tales aren't like marriage. Or motherhood. With Mark almost always gone, Jiselle finds herself alone, and lonely. She suspects that Mark's daughters hate her. And the Phoenix flu, which Jiselle had thought of as a passing hysteria (when she had thought of it at all), well . . . it turns out that the Phoenix flu will change everything for Jiselle, for her new family, and for the life she thought she had chosen.

From critically acclaimed author Laura Kasischke comes a novel of married life, motherhood, and the choices we must make when we have no choices left.

 
Review: This was an unusual apocalyptic novel because the pandemic part is mostly in the background.  Instead, the novel focused primarily on an ordinary woman, her relationship with her new stepchildren, and her ability to make do during a mysterious flu.  Pandemic novels terrify me, because I can so easily imagine a global pandemic spreading across the the real world, but I am strangely drawn to them to learn how people cope in tragic and terrifying circumstances.  Usually, the main characters turn into heroes, but I loved that Jiselle seemed to just float along and do the best she could - exactly how I think most people would react.  The romance between Jiselle and her handsome pilot husband Mark wasn't nearly as interesting as the struggle she went through with her stepdaughters.  And I thought the lack of explanation around the Phoenix flu was a little unrealistic; surely someone would have been able to figure out and publicize how it spread, at least. 

Rating: 4 stars

Sunday, June 7, 2015

I, Freddy

I, Freddy
by Dietlof Reiche


Genre: Juvenile Fiction

Synopsis: Freddy is no ordinary hamster.  He's a Mesocricetus auratus, a golden hamster of the highest order.  As part of such a superior breed, he'd sooner go into Eternal Hibernation than mindlessly waste his life in a pet shop.  And so, with the passion of youth and the conviction of the brilliant, he sets out on a daring quest for freedom, literacy, and a more dignified existence.

But enemies both human and animal, his diminutive size, and a few technological challenges threaten to thwart his dream at every turn.  Lo and behold, in the spirit of the most gifted writers, Freddy turns these obstacles into fodder for his witty and heartwarming autobiography.
from the book jacket

Natalie's and Noah's Review:  (Natalie) I like the book because it is about animals.  Freddy is a hamster that can talk and read and write.  He wasn't a regular hamster.  He was smart.  Freddy was my favorite character.  I liked that there were some pictures in the book.  (Noah) I like the book because Freddy is silly.  Freddy could read and write and talk.  Freddy was smart.  I think Amelia would like reading the book because there is a cat in the book.

Becky's Review: I picked this book because I thought Natalie would enjoy the book because this book is told from the perspective of a hamster and I figured that was close enough to a rat.  Noah was very engaged in the story where as Natalie would play a little while the book was being read aloud.  I liked how clever and cunning Freddy was.  The other characters in the book (a cat and guinea pigs) were fun and quirky as well.  The guinea pigs, Enrico and Caruso, were theatrical and sang quite a bit which was a fun addition to the book.  This book was originally written in German and there were a few vocabulary terms that seemed a little advanced for the level of book.  The book also progressed relatively slowly which is why Natalie may have lost interest.  There are other books in the series and I can imagine that my kids will read these as they get older because the first book was fun.

Natalie's Rating: 10 stars

Noah's Rating: 5 stars

Monday, June 1, 2015

The Air We Breathe

The Air We Breathe
by Christa Parrish

Genre: Christian Fiction

Synopsis:  Molly Fisk needs the courage to face her fears  What she finds instead is a most unexpected friendship.

Seventeen-year-old Molly Fisk does not go outside.  For so long she has run away from a moment long in the past, but she's not running anymore.  She's hiding.  Ruled by anxiety, she can only stare out the window of the tiny tourist-town museum she and her mother call home, longing to go outside-to maybe take a walk with the cute boy who works in the pizza place across the street.

Then the chance arrival of a woman Molly knew years ago changes everything.  Back then, Claire Rodriguez was an empty shell.  Only in the unique friendship she struck up with a little girl-a silent girl who would only talk to Claire-did she see the possibility of healing.  But one day the girl and her mother vanished, their house left abandoned.

What happened that drove them away?  And how can Claire now offer Molly the same chance at finding life anew?
from the back of the book

Review:  From the description on the back of the book, I did not know this would be a Christian fiction book.  The story line was quite compelling and intriguing so I had to read the whole thing to find out what happened to Molly and if/how she healed.  At first I thought the Christian overtones weren't too heavy and you could overlook them but then it got much more preachy.  It's hard to tell you about the book based on what the synopsis has left out without giving too much away.  There were some flaws though.  The Molly's mom didn't seem understanding of Molly's situation nor did she seem to help Molly after the trauma that occurred and I don't think that is how a mother would have reacted.  There also seemed to be superfluous parts of the story that didn't seem to fit and were far fetched and made me roll my eyes.  There were times that I just needed to skim and skip over parts so I could get on with Molly's story.

Rating: 3 stars