Author:  Karin Tanabe

Publisher:  Washington Square Press                                    
Pages:  384
Genre:  Drama / Politics
Source:  Edelweiss

Goodreads:   Meet Adrienne Brown, a twenty-eight-year-old Wellesley College grad who recently left her glamorous job at Town & Country for a spot at theCapitolist. Known simply as the List to Beltway insiders, it’s the only media outlet in D.C. that’s actually on the rise. Taking the job means accepting a painful pay cut, giving up perks like free Louboutins, and moving back in with her parents, but Adrienne is certain that her new position will be the making of her career. And it is—but not at all in the way that she expects. The Capitolist runs at an insane pace: Adrienne’s up before five in the morning, writing ten stories a day (sometimes on her BlackBerry, often during her commute), and answering every email within three minutes. Just when it seems like the frenetic workload is going to break her, she stumbles upon a juicy political affair, involving a very public senator—and her most competitive colleague. Discovering that there’s much more to the relationship than meets the eye, Adrienne realizes she’s got the scoop of a lifetime. But should she go public with the story?

Inspired by Washington insider Karin Tanabe’s experiences at Politico, The List is a riveting debut novel bursting with behind-the-scenes details about what happens when media and politics collide.

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

                 FTC – Disclosure of Material Connection: 

      I received one copy of this book free of charge from Edelweiss. 

            I was not required to write a positive review

                 in exchange for receipt of the book;

         rather the opinions expressed in this review are my own.

                                                       

                                                          Author: Huntley Fitzpatrick

 Publisher: Dial Books for Young Readers                                          
 Pages:  394
 Genre:  Young Adult
 Source: I purchased

Goodreads:   A gorgeous debut about family, friendship, first romance, and how to be true to one person you love without betraying another

�One thing my mother never knew, and would disapprove of most of all, was that I watched the Garretts. All the time.”

The Garretts are everything the Reeds are not. Loud, numerous, messy, affectionate. And every day from her balcony perch, seventeen-year-old Samantha Reed wishes she was one of them . . . until one summer evening, Jase Garrett climbs her terrace and changes everything. As the two fall fiercely in love, Jase’s family makes Samantha one of their own. Then in an instant, the bottom drops out of her world and she is suddenly faced with an impossible decision. Which perfect family will save her? Or is it time she saved herself?

A dreamy summer read, full of characters who stay with you long after the story is over.

Author:  Anna Quindlen                                              
Publisher:  Random House
Pages: 320
Genre:  Contemporary Fiction
Source:  Purchased

Synopsis:  Ellen Gulden is enjoying her career as a successful magazine writer in New York City when she learns that her mother, Kate, is dying of cancer.  Ellen’s father insists that she quit her job and return home to become a caregiver.  A high – power career woman, Ellen has never felt she had much in common with her mother, a homemaker and the heart of their family.  Yet as Ellen begins to spend time with Kate, she discovers many surprising truths, not only about herself, but also about the woman she thought she knew so well.
                                                                           Later, when Ellen is accused of the mercy killing of her mother, she must not only defend her own life but make a difficult choice – either accept responsibility for an act she did not commit or divulge the name of the person she believes committed a painful act of love.

Ope’s Opinion:  This book brings out a lot of emotions for me.  I lost my mother a year and a half ago to Parkinson’s.  It was a slow disease.  We lost her a little at a time.  I,  like Ellen, wish I had given  her the opportunity to talk more, complain more, to weep and to feel free to say what she wanted.  I am not sure I sat still long enough for my mother to feel she could say what she wanted.  I was too busy “taking care” of her.
                     
                         I can’t imagine after dealing with the death, being accused of killing her.  It would be difficult to defend yourself and grieve at the same time.

                         Occasionally, the description in the story was too detailed for me.  I lost track of the story and what she was describing at the end of the paragraph.  I could picture what she was writing about, but I would get so lost in the wordiness of it.

                          I have her non-fiction book Lots of Candles, Plenty of Cake.  I hope I like that one more then I did this one.


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

Author: Randy Susan Meyers                                              
Publisher:  Atria
Pages:  336
Genre:  Contemporary Fiction
Source: Simon & Schuster

Pub date:   Today!   February 12, 2013
     Go buy it now!

Goodreads:  “Happiness at someone else’s expense came at a price. Tia had imagined judgment from the first kiss that she and Nathan shared. All year, she’d waited to be punished for being in love, and in truth, she believed that whatever consequences came her way would be deserved.” Five years ago, Tia fell into obsessive love with a man she could never have. Married, and the father of two boys, Nathan was unavailable in every way. When she became pregnant, he disappeared, and she gave up her baby for adoption.

Five years ago, Caroline, a dedicated pathologist, reluctantly adopted a baby to please her husband. She prayed her misgivings would disappear; instead, she’s questioning whether she’s cut out for the role of wife and mother.

Five years ago, Juliette considered her life ideal: she had a solid marriage, two beautiful young sons, and a thriving business. Then she discovered Nathan’s affair. He promised he’d never stray again, and she trusted him.

But when Juliette intercepts a letter to her husband from Tia that contains pictures of a child with a deep resemblance to her husband, her world crumbles once more. How could Nathan deny his daughter? And if he’s kept this a secret from her, what else is he hiding? Desperate for the truth, Juliette goes in search of the little girl. And before long, the three women and Nathan are on a collision course with consequences that none of them could have predicted.

Riveting and arresting, The Comfort of Lies explores the collateral damage of infidelity and the dark, private struggles many of us experience but rarely reveal.

Author:  Harry Kraus                                                                  
Publisher:  David C. Cook
Pages:  384
Genre:  Christian / Suspense
Source:  Publisher

Goodreads:   When a brilliant surgeon undergoes a heart transplant, her life transforms as she begins experiencing memories of a murder she never witnessed. The residents worship her. Nurses step out of her way. Her colleagues respect and sometimes even fear her. But surgeon Tori Taylor never expected to end up on this side of the operating table. Now she has a new heart. This life that was formerly controlled and predictable is now chaotic. Dr. Taylor had famously protected herself from love or commitment, but her walls are beginning to crumble. And strangest of all, memories surface that will take her on a journey out of the operating room and into a murder investigation. Where there once was a heart of stone, there is a heart of flesh. And there is no going back.


Ope’s Opinion:  This story moved at a consistently slow pace. I wanted to see how it ended, so I didn’t give up on it. Two stories come together.   At first I was a little confused when the second story line just started at the beginning of a chapter with no idea who these other people were.  There was constant suspense in the story, but you sort of felt like you knew where it was going to go.  At the end of the story there were a couple of twists.  One of the twists came out of nowhere – felt like he was just trying to explain things and finish the book. 

                                      The main character ( Tori ) went through some major changes in her life.  It happened at such a slow pace that it was believable.   Some of the people around her accepted her changes right away, others were skeptical at first.

                                     I have read most of what Kraus has written.  This was not his best, but it wasn’t bad either.  His best in my opinion was The Chairman. That book made me want to read more of his writings.

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

Author:  Dana Bate                                                                      
Publisher:  Hyperion
Pages:  320
Genre:  Women’s Fiction
Source:  Hyperion

Goodreads:    Hannah Sugarman seems to have it all. She works for an influential think tank in Washington, D.C., lives in a swanky apartment with her high-achieving boyfriend, and is poised for an academic career just like her parents. The only problem is that Hannah doesn’t want any of it. What she wants is much simpler: to cook.

When her relationship collapses, Hannah seizes the chance to do what she’s always loved and launches an underground supper club out of her new landlord’s town house. Though her delicious dishes become the talk of the town, her secret venture is highly problematic, given that it is not, technically speaking, legal. She also conveniently forgets to tell her landlord she has been using his place while he is out of town.

On top of that, Hannah faces various romantic prospects that leave her guessing and confused, parents who don’t support cooking as a career, and her own fears of taking a risk and charting her own path. A charming romantic comedy, The Girls’ Guide to Love and Supper Clubs is a story about finding yourself, fulfilling your dreams, and falling in love along the way.

Author:  Jane Porter

 Publisher:  Berkley Trade                              
Pages:  384
Genre:  Chick lit
Source:  BookSparks

Release date:  February 5, 2013

Goodreads:      Love was given to all, except herself . . . Kit Brennan has always been the most grounded of her sisters. A Catholic school English teacher for seventeen years and a constant giver, her decisions have been sound—just not very satisfying. Her fortieth birthday is right around the corner, causing Kit to consider some wilder notions, like skipping right past the love and marriage to raising a child all by herself . . . A girls’ weekend away is just the reprieve Kit needs from school, Mr. Wrongs, and life-changing decisions. It’s there that she meets a man who’s dangerous; a man who challenges who she thought she was, or rather should be. Kit wants to indulge herself this once, but with one of her students in crisis and the weight of her family’s burdens weighing heavy on her heart, Kit isn’t sure if now is the time to let her own desires take flight . . 


Ope’s Opinion:  The Good Daughter is the second book in the Brennan sisters series.  You don’t have to read the first one to understand the second, but there is background information in the first that makes the second easier to read.  This book centers around Kit, but you still see the rest of the family.

                                      The story keeps moving throughout the whole book.  It kept my attention right up until the last page and left me wanting more pages to read.  There were some other story lines going on in this book.  It was interesting to see how Kit reacted to these other characters and their situation ( don’t want to give anything away ).

                                     It was so great to see this family again.  I loved to see the development of these characters.  It was great to hear Kit’s story and still see the rest of the family.

                                      It was such a quick read because I already knew the family.  It was very interesting and quiet a few surprises.  Great read!  I am looking forward to the next one in this series!!
                                       



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