Author:  Adena Helpern                        
Publisher:  Touchstone
Pages:  265
Genre:  Chick Lit
Source: Kritters Ramblings

This is my first
Off the Shelf read
this year!

Goodreads:  LILY MARRIED THE MAN OF HER DREAMS. THEN SHE WOKE UP.

“Never marry a man unless he’s short, bald, fat, stupid, and treats you badly.” That is the advice that twenty-nine-year-old Lily Burns has heard her entire life from her grandmother Dolly and her mother, Selma. Despite this, when she meets Gogo, the handsome, successful pediatrician who treats her like a queen, she has no choice but to let her heart take over. When she agrees to marry him, Dolly and Selma are inconsolable. They decide it’s time to tell her the truth: their family is cursed. If she marries for love, there will be unimaginable consequences.

Nevertheless, Lily and Gogo elope. Unable to believe her good fortune, Lily asks Gogo to pinch her—to make sure all this isn’t just a dream. The moment he does, Lily finds herself transported back to the house she lived in when she was single. Gogo is gone. When Lily tracks him down, she finds that he’s married to someone else and has no memory of her. In this modern fairy tale, Lily must find a way to break the curse and turn her nightmare back into a dream come true.

Author:  Richard Paul Evans                                
Publisher:  Simon & Schuster
Pages:  334
Genre:  Holiday Fiction
Source:  A Friend

Goodreads:   “As you read my story, there is something I want you to understand. That in spite of all the pain—past, present and that still to come—I wouldn’t have done anything differently. Nor would I trade the time I had with him for anything—except for what, in the end, I traded it for.” Beth Cardall has a secret. For eighteen years, she has had no choice but to keep it to herself, but on Christmas Eve 2008, all that is about to change. For Beth, 1989 was a year marked by tragedy. Her life was falling apart: her six-year-old daughter, Charlotte, was suffering from an unidentifiable illness; her marriage transformed from a seemingly happy and loving relationship to one full of betrayal and pain; her job at the dry cleaners was increasingly at risk; and she had lost any ability to trust, to hope, or to believe in herself. Then, on Christmas Day, as she rushed through a blizzard to the nearest 7-Eleven, Beth encountered Matthew, a strikingly handsome, mysterious stranger, who would single-handedly change the course of her life. Who is this man, and how does he seem to know so much about her? He pursues her relentlessly, and only after she’s fallen deeply in love with him does she learn his incredible secret, changing the world as she knows it, as well as her own destiny.

Author:  Morgan Matson                                                              
Publisher:  Simon & Schuster
Pages:  468
Genre:  YA Contemporary
Source:  Purchased

Goodreads:    From the Flying Start author of Amy & Roger’s Epic Detour, a powerful novel about hope in the face of heartbreak. 

Taylor Edwards’ family might not be the closest-knit—everyone is a little too busy and overscheduled—but for the most part, they get along just fine. Then Taylor’s dad gets devastating news, and her parents decide that the family will spend one last summer all together at their old lake house in the Pocono Mountains.

Crammed into a place much smaller and more rustic than they are used to, they begin to get to know each other again. And Taylor discovers that the people she thought she had left behind haven’t actually gone anywhere. Her former best friend is still around, as is her first boyfriend…and he’s much cuter at seventeen than he was at twelve.

As the summer progresses and the Edwards become more of a family, they’re more aware than ever that they’re battling a ticking clock. Sometimes, though, there is just enough time to get a second chance—with family, with friends, and with love.

Ope’s Opinion:    This story is incredibly well written.  I thoroughly enjoyed reading it and would have given it five stars, but I thought the pace of the book was a little slow.  Morgan Matson did an awesome job of developing the characters.  I think even though Taylor’s voice was the one you heard throughout the book, you could see how everyone was reacting to the father.   I was so drawn to the characters that I felt their pain at the end, but also saw the possibility for them to move on to heal.
                           
                            Even though this book is about the father’s death, most of the book is not sad.  It shows a normal family going through the normal emotions when you know a death is coming.  First they are all in denial.  When a loved one doesn’t look sick, it is easy to go on with life and think it isn’t real.  As the summer went on, you saw them depend on each other to get to the point of acceptance.

                             I am an older reader, so the length of the book was not a deterrent for me.  It was worth flipping each page.

                            I did not read Amy & Rogers Epic Detour, but Morgan made we want to go do that now.


Rating:  Four Chairs – I like this book so much I know several friends to share it with.

Author:  Nate Berkus                                                
Publisher: Spiegel & Grau
Pages:  336
Genre:  Non Fiction / Art
Source:  Gift from my daughter Kristin

Goodreads:   Does your home tell the story of who you are? 

In The Things That Matter, Nate Berkus shares intimate stories from his life, introduces us to people who influenced him and helped him forge his sense of style, and opens up about the remarkable experiences that have left him forever changed, all of which find expression in how he lives today. From his most cherished flea market finds, to his beloved books and photos, to the many extraordinary mementos he’s collected in his travels, every piece defines who he’s become and what endures in his world.

Berkus invites readers into his own home as well as into twelve others, including a sleek steel-and-glass high-rise that soars above Chicago, a rustic cottage in the Hudson Valley, an ultra-chic atelier that maximizes every inch of space, a Greenwich Village townhouse that holds multiple art collections, and a study in meaningful minimalism in Marfa, Texas. The distinctive interiors beautifully displayed in this book offer revealing portraits of their owners’ lives and the inspiring choices that have made them who they are today.

The Things That Matter convincingly lays out Nate Berkus’s philosophy that things do matter. Our homes tell our stories, they reflect the places we’ve been and the people we’ve loved along the way—and there can be no more beautiful design for living than that.

This picture was taken at Random House breakfast at BEA this past June.  It was a true dream for me to meet Nate Berkus and hear about his book coming out.  My daughter Kristin of Kritters Ramblings made it all possible.  Then she bought the book signed by Nate for me!  It made the book even more meaningful for me.

Rating:  Four Chairs – I like this  book so much I know several friends to share it with. 

Author: Priscille Sibley                                                             
Publisher:  William Morrow Paperbacks
Pages: 416
Genre:  Adult Fiction
Source: HarperCollins

Release Date:  February 5, 2013

Goodreads:   Filled with grace, sensitivity and compassion, The Promise of Stardust is an emotionally resonant and thought-provoking tale that raises profound questions about life and death, faith and medicine, and illuminates the power of love to divide and heal a family in the wake of unexpected tragedy

“In this brave novel, a family making choices about death with dignity finds themselves in uncomfortable opposition…explores with compassion and insight, how political and personal needs align and shift.”
-Randy Susan Meyers, author of The Murderer’s Daughters

Matt Beaulieu was two years old the first time he held Elle McClure in his arms, seventeen when he first kissed her under a sky filled with shooting stars, and thirty-three when he convinced her to marry him. Now in their late 30s, the deeply devoted couple has everything-except the baby they’ve always wanted.

When an accident leaves Elle brain dead, Matt is devastated. Though he cannot bear the thought of life without her, he knows Elle was afraid of only one thing-a slow death. And so, Matt resolves to take her off life support.

But Matt changes his mind when they discover Elle’s pregnant. While there are no certainties, the baby might survive if Elle remains on life support. Matt’s mother, Linney, disagrees with his decision. She loves Elle, too, and insists that Elle would never want to be kept alive on machines. Linney is prepared to fight her son in court-armed with Elle’s living will.

Divided by the love they share, Matt and Linney will be pitted against each other, fighting for what they believe is right, and what they think Elle would have wanted resulting in a controversial legal battle that will ultimately go beyond one family . . . and one single life.

Author:  Ellen McClarety                                  
Publisher:  Simon & Schuster
Pages:  256
Genre:  Women’s Fiction
Source: Edelweiss    

Goodreads:  ELLEN M c CLARETY, a recent divorcée, has opened a new bake shop in her small Midwestern town, hoping to turn her life around by dedicating herself to the traditional Danish pastry called kringle. She is no longer saddled by her ne’er-do-well husband, but the past still haunts her—sometimes by showing up on her doorstep. Her younger sister, Lanie, is a successful divorce attorney with a baby at home. But Lanie is beginning to feel that her perfect life is not as perfect as it seems. Both women long for the guidance of their mother, who died years ago but left them with lasting memories of her love and a wonderful piece of advice: “At the end of every day, you can always think of three good things that happened.” Ellen and Lanie are as close as two sisters can be, until one begins keeping a secret that could forever change both their lives. Wearing her big Midwestern heart proudly on her sleeve, Wendy Francis skillfully illuminates the emotional lives of two women with humor and compassion, weaving a story destined to be shared with a friend, a mother, or a sister.

Ope’s Opinion:  I really enjoy stories about sisters and this one is a good one.  The story read fast.  It was not a deep story, but an enjoyable one.  Occasionally, the story did jump a little, but that kept it moving and kept my interest into what would happen next.
                                       
                                      I liked all the characters, except for Henry.  He was not very interesting.  I understand the strong, quiet type, but he did not have enough personality for me.  Ellen deserved someone steady and reliable, which Henry was, but she deserved someone willing to be a bit more demonstrative with his feelings.

                                   Overall, this was an easy, enjoyable read.  I would read another book by Ellen McClarety. Some books are just a good get away and this was one of them.



Rating:  Three Chairs – I like the book enough to suggest it to a friend or two.

Author:  Sarah Pekkanen                                                          
Publisher: Washington Square Press
Pages: 352
Genre:  Fiction
Source: Edelweiss

Goodreads:  Paradise isn’t quite what it seems as four college friends meet for an island vacation in this captivating new novel from the acclaimed author of These Girls.Following a once-in-a-lifetime invitation, a group of old college friends leap at the chance to bring their husbands for a week’s vacation at a private villa in Jamaica to celebrate a former classmates’ thirty-fifth birthday.

All four women are desperate for a break and this seems like a perfect opportunity. Tina is drowning under the demands of mothering four young children. Allie needs to escape from the shattering news about an illness that runs in her family. Savannah is carrying the secret of her husband’s infidelity. And, finally, there’s Pauline, who spares no expense to throw her husband an unforgettable birthday celebration, hoping it will gloss over the cracks that have already formed in their new marriage.

The week begins idyllically, filled with languorous days and late nights of drinking and laughter. But as a hurricane approaches the island, turmoil builds, forcing each woman to re-evaluate everything she’s known about the others—and herself.

Ope’s Opinion:  Watching four college friends come together years later made me want to contact my old college friends.  The relationships remind me of when I go home – all my siblings and I retreat back into our roles when we had as children.  These college friends each have their roles in the group.
 
                            The story kept on the move.  It had a great pace throughout the whole book.  I enjoyed it.  It kept me turning the pages.

                            It was great to read a story about marriages that were real.  Every marriage has it’s ups and downs. Each one of these characters had struggles and came through it in their own way.

                           



Rating:  Four Chairs – I like this book so much I know several friends to share it with.