Monthly Archives: March 2013

Starting Now: A Blossom Street Novel

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Author:  Debbie Macomber                                    
Publisher:  Ballentine Books
Pages:  352
Genre:  Chick Lit / Women’s Fiction
Source:  Edelweiss

Goodreads:   #1 New York Times bestselling author Debbie Macomber returns to Seattle’s beloved Blossom Street in this heartfelt tale of friendship, renewal, and discovering what’s truly important in life.

For years Libby Morgan dreamed only of making partner in her competitive, high-pressure law firm. She sacrificed everything for her career—her friends, her marriage, her chance at creating a family. When her boss calls Libby into his office, she assumes it will finally be good news, but nothing can prepare her for the shocking reality: She’s been let go and must rebuild her entire life . . . starting now. 

With no job prospects in sight, Libby reaches out to old friends and spends her afternoons at A Good Yarn, the local knitting store. There she forms a close bond with Lydia, the sweet-natured shop owner; Lydia’s spirited teenage daughter, Casey; and Casey’s best friend, Ava, a shy yet troubled girl who will shape Libby’s future in surprising and profound ways. 

As A Good Yarn becomes a second home—and the women a new kind of family—Libby relishes the different person she’s become. She even finds time for romance with a charming and handsome doctor who seems to be her perfect match. But just as everything is coming together, Libby must make a choice that could forever change the life she holds so dear.

Warmly told and richly textured, Starting Now is filled with the promise of new beginnings and the unending delights of companionship and love.


Ope’s Opinion:  I thought I knew where this story was going when I started it.  It did end up where I thought, but there was so much more between the beginning and the end.  The story started out very sad, but it improved.  This book kept a good pace.  

                                     I enjoyed the main characters in the story.  The secondary characters were well developed and fun to follow.  It made for a well rounded story to feel like you really got to know all the people, instead of just the main characters.

                                      Dealing with the loss of a loved one is difficult.  I thought Macomber showed how hard it can be and how each decision impacts your whole life.

                                       This was a good, easy read.  You did not need to have read her previous book to enjoy this one.

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

                 FTC – Disclosure of Material Connection: 
      I received one copy of this book free of charge from Edelwiess. 
            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.
                                                       


Coming Soon …..

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                         ….On a Bookshelf Near You!!

This is a look into what I am excited about in April.

Publication Date:  April 1st ( not a long wait!!! )
Publisher :   Simon & Schuster
Goodreads:   A stunning debut novel in which a single mother reconstructs her teenaged daughter’s life, sifting through her emails, texts, and social media to piece together the shocking truth about the last days of her life.


Litigation lawyer and harried single mother Kate Baron is stunned when her daughter’s exclusive private school in Park Slope, Brooklyn, calls with disturbing news: her intelligent, high-achieving fifteen-year-old daughter, Amelia, has been caught cheating.

Kate can’t believe that Amelia, an ambitious, levelheaded girl who’s never been in trouble would do something like that. But by the time she arrives at Grace Hall, Kate’s faced with far more devastating news. Amelia is dead. 

Seemingly unable to cope with what she’d done, a despondent Amelia has jumped from the school’s roof in an act of “spontaneous” suicide. At least that’s the story Grace Hall and the police tell Kate. And overwhelmed as she is by her own guilt and shattered by grief, it is the story that Kate believes until she gets the anonymous text: 

She didn’t jump.

Sifting through Amelia’s emails, text messages, social media postings, and cell phone logs, Kate is determined to learn the heartbreaking truth about why Amelia was on Grace Hall’s roof that day-and why she died.

Told in alternating voices, Reconstructing Amelia is a story of secrets and lies, of love and betrayal, of trusted friends and vicious bullies. It’s about how well a parent ever really knows a child and how far one mother will go to vindicate the memory of a daughter whose life she could not save.






What is coming soon … On a bookshelf near you?  Let me know – I am always looking for another good read!

Table for Five

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Author:  Susan Wiggs                                                        
Publisher:  Mira
Pages:  384
Genre:  Contemporary Romance
Source:  Purchased

Goodreads:  Sometimes it takes a leap of faith in order to soar . . . 
A gifted teacher, Lily Robinson adores her students, but fiercely guards her independent lifestyle. Deep inside, she is afraid of loving too deeply for fear of getting hurt. Only her best friend, Crystal, has ever been able to get close. Now an unthinkable tragedy has drawn Lily into the shattered lives of Crystal’s family — a family that suddenly needs her. 

Sean McGuire is a rolling stone used to living in the shadow of his famous brother, Derek. He’s made his own way in life, playing by his own rules. Then one April night everything changes when a fatal car crash orphans Derek and Crystal’s three children. In an instant, Sean finds himself in the role of guardian. 

Sean and Lily are brought together by tragedy, joined in their grief and their mutual love for these children. But raising three kids is a monumental job, and Sean realizes he’s in over his head. And though Lily has been the unofficial aunt to these children since they were born, planting emotional roots means taking risks — and Lily’s not sure she can. 

The ups and downs of love and family life can be a roller-coaster ride — thrilling, unpredictable and downright terrifying, yet filled with incredible delight. and Sean and Lily are about to discover the possibilities that make everything seem worthwhile — a future filled with hope, happiness and the certainty that trusting love is the best choice of all.



Ope’s Opinion:   This was my first Susan Wiggs book and I hope to read more by her.  I thought the story line was wonderful, believable, and kept my attention.  The story sucks you in and makes you root for the best for each person.

                                         The main characters in the this book were authentic. They each have flaws and difficult issues from their past, both of which make you like them even more.  Your heart goes out to each one of them.  You can see how they react to their loss and how they begin to heal.  It all seems to happen in a realistic way and in a realistic time frame.  It is a happy ending book, but it doesn’t just happen all at once and it isn’t a straight line.    

                                         I really like the way Wiggs handles the love and sex in this book.  You saw the attraction, they were adults, you know what is going to happen, but she left the details behind the closed doors, where they belong.  




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


First Family

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Author: David Baldacci

Publisher:  Grand Centeral Publishing                  
Pages:  449
Genre:  Mystery / Thriller
Source:  Library sale

Goodreads:  Following the instant #1 New York Times bestseller Simple Genius, Sean King and Michelle Maxwell return in David Baldacci’s most heart-pounding thriller to date . . . 
FIRST FAMILY
It began with what seemed like an ordinary children’s birthday party. Friends and family gathered to celebrate. There were balloons and cake, games and gifts. 
This party, however, was far from ordinary. It was held at Camp David, the presidential retreat. And it ended with a daring kidnapping . . . which immediately turned into a national security nightmare.
Sean King and Michelle Maxwell were not looking to become involved. As former Secret Service agents turned private investigators, they had no reason to be. The FBI doesn’t want them interfering. But years ago, Sean King saved the First Lady’s husband, then a senator, from political disaster. Now, Sean is the one person the First Lady trusts, and she presses Sean and Michelle into the desperate search to rescue the abducted child.
With Michelle still battling her own demons, and forces aligned on all sides against her and Sean, the two are pushed to the absolute limit. In the race to save an innocent victim, the line between friend and foe will become impossible to define . . . or defend.


Ope’s Opinion:  This was my first David Baldacci book.  I bought it at our annual library sale.  I was really excited about reading it.  When I first started it I wasn’t crazy about all the description of the killing and kidnapping.  I am more of a “who done it” reader.  But I kept reading.  I got the impression it would have been helpful if I had read some of Sean and Michelle’s previous adventures. I felt like I was missing some information.

                                       The story started very interesting with a good pace.  In the middle, I got a little bored  and just wanted it to move on.  At the end, I wasn’t sure all my questions were answered.  It was a bit unclear to me.  Maybe I just missed something.  I actually liked the story line of Michelle’s mother’s death better then the main story line.

                                        The characters were okay, but I wasn’t invested in them.  I wanted to know how  it ended, but I wasn’t on the edge of my seat, just sort of curious.

                                         I have another Baldacci on my shelf. I hope that one is much better.

Rating:  Two Chairs – I may have one friend who might like this book.


Heart Like Mine

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                                                       Author:  Amy Hatvany

Publisher:  Washington Square Press                                          
Pages:  384
Genre:  Women’s Fiction
Source:  Edelweiss

Goodreads:   When a young mother dies under mysterious circumstances, those she leaves behind begin looking for answers in the past—and find a long-buried secret they could have never imagined.Thirty-six-year-old Grace McAllister never longed for children. But when she meets Victor Hansen, a handsome, charismatic divorced restaurateur who is father to Max and Ava, Grace decides that, for the right man, she could learn to be an excellent part-time stepmom. After all, the kids live with their mother, Kelli. How hard could it be?

At thirteen, Ava Hansen is mature beyond her years. Since her parents’ divorce, she has been the one taking care of her emotionally unstable mother and her little brother—she pays the bills, does the laundry, and never complains because she loves her mama more than anyone. And while her father’s new girlfriend is nice enough, Ava still holds out hope that her parents will get back together and that they’ll be a family again.

But only days after Victor and Grace get engaged, Kelli dies suddenly under mysterious circumstances—and soon, Grace and Ava discover there was much more to Kelli’s life than either ever knew.

Narrated by Grace and Ava in the present with flashbacks into Kelli’s troubled past, Heart Like Mine is a poignant and hopeful portrait about womanhood, love, and the challenges of family life.



Ope’s Opinion:  This story is amazing and wonderful!  It kept me interested the whole book.  I am usually a slow reader and I read this book in two days – I probably would have read it in less, but I got interrupted!   I felt like I was a part of the peoples lives in this book.  Just read the first chapter and see if you can put it down!

                                        All of the characters were relatable.  Amy Hatvany writes each one so believable.  I liked some of the characters better then others, but they were all people I felt like I knew at some point in my life.  I think most woman could see themselves or know someone like one of the characters in this book.

                                      I want to know where these characters are now.  The book concluded with the reader knowing the answers to the death of Kelli.  Now I want to know where Ava is and if they found the other daughter.  I want to know how Grace is doing with children in the house.  I think this book needs a sequel!  Keep writing Amy!




Rating:  Five Chairs – THis book is so good it will be passed on and on and on…




                 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.
                                                       

You Take It From Here

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Author:  Pamela Ribon

Publisher:  Gallery Books                                                                
Pages:  336
Genre:  Women’s Fiction
Source: My Daughter ( Kritters Ramblings )

Goodreads:  Just because you’d give your best friend everything doesn’t mean she has to take it. On the heels of a divorce, all Danielle Meyers wants is her annual vacation with sassy, life-long best friend, Smidge—complete with umbrella cocktails by an infinity pool—but instead she’s hit with the curveball of a lifetime. Smidge takes Danielle to the middle of nowhere to reveal a diagnosis of terminal cancer, followed by an unusual request: “After I’m gone, I want you to finish the job. Marry my husband. Raise my daughter. I’m gonna teach you to how to be Smidge 2.0.” 

As Danielle wrestles with this major life decision, she finds herself torn between being true to her best friend’s wishes and being honest with herself. Parenting issues aside, Smidge’s small-town Louisiana world is exactly the one Danielle made sure to escape. Danielle isn’t one for playing the social butterfly, or being the center of attention. And when your best friend tries to set you up on a date night with her husband, it might be time to become the bossy one for a change.

In the spirit of Beaches and Steel Magnolias, You Take It from Here is an honest, hilarious, and heartbreaking novel that ultimately asks: How much should we sacrifice for the ones we love the most?



Ope’s Opinon:  The first chapter sucked me, but then I sort of got lost.  I wasn’t sure where the story was trying to go.  I felt like it bounced around and included a lot of useless information that distracted from the core of the story.  I liked the idea of asking a friend to take care of my family when I am gone, but I felt like that got lost in all the other chatter.

                                    The characters were extreme.  Smidge was overbearing , pushy and demanding.  Danielle was too passive and let Smidge run the show.  A few times I was wishing Danielle would stand up to her.  I don’t see what Danielle gets out of the friendship she has with Smidge.  Smidge is such a draining person.

                                          

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


Heart of the Matter

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Author:  Emily Giffin

Publisher:  St. Martin’s Press                                                
Pages:  352
Genre:  Women’s Fiction
Source:  Purchased







Goodreads:   “Giffin excels at creating complex characters and stories that ask us to explore what we really want from our lives.”–Atlanta Journal-Constitution


Tessa Russo is the mother of two young children and the wife of a renowned pediatric surgeon.  Despite her own mother’s warnings, Tessa has recently given up her career to focus on her family and the pursuit of domestic happiness. From the outside, she seems destined to live a charmed life.

Valerie Anderson is an attorney and single mother to six-year-old Charlie–a boy who has never known his father.  After too many disappointments, she has given up on romance–and even to some degree, friendships–believing that it is always safer not to expect too much.

Although both women live in the same Boston suburb, the two have relatively little in common aside from a fierce love for their children.  But one night, a tragic accident causes their lives to converge in ways no one could have imagined. 

In alternating, pitch-perfect points of view, Emily Giffin creates a moving, luminous story of good people caught in untenable circumstances. Each being tested in ways they never thought possible. Each questioning everything they once believed. And each ultimately discovering what truly matters most.


Ope’s Opinion:  As usual Emily Giffin has hit another one out of the park.  This was a very good story, very well written.  She is a  “go – to” author for me, when I need a read I know is going to be good.

                                       It was interesting to see both Tessa’s and Valarie’s perspectives throughout the book.  It gave me insight to the other woman.  I think Nick needed to be stronger in his moral standings.  I don’t want to give anything away, so you’ll just have to read it.

                                       If you want an engaging, easy read this is the book for you.  Emily Giffin will keep your attention all the way to the end.


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


Another Piece of My Heart

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Author:  Jane Green

Publisher:  St. Martin’s Press                                
Pages:  400
Genre:  Women’s Fiction
Source:  Purchased

Goodreads:   From the New York Times bestselling author of JEMIMA J, and THE BEACH HOUSE, comes Jane Green’s most emotional and powerful novel yet:  a story that explores the complications of a woman marrying into a ready-made family, and the true meaning of motherhood.

Andi has spent much of her adult life looking for the perfect man, and at thirty-seven, she’s finally found him.  Ethan–divorced with two daughters, Emily and Sophia–is a devoted father and even better husband.  Always hoping one day she would be a mother, Andi embraces the girls like they were her own. But in Emily’s eyes, Andi is an obstacle to her father’s love, and Emily will do whatever it takes to break her down. When the dynamics between the two escalate, they threaten everything Andi believes about love, family, and motherhood—leaving both women standing at a crossroad in their lives…and in their hearts.

ANOTHER PIECE OF MY HEART is a novel that illuminates the nuances and truths about relationships and is Jane Green at her absolute best.


Ope’s Opinion:  This story moved at a slow pace.  It didn’t drag.  It was just a slow, steady pace.  It is an interesting perspective on step children and step parenting.   It doesn’t sugar coat how hard I am sure it is.  I am not a step parent.  I know how hard parenting my own children was, I can’t imagine trying to make it work with stepchildren.

                                        The characters are very authentic.  They reacted to each other as most people would, not how they wish they would react.  The decisions Emily made were so normal for a teenager, who doesn’t have the experience to know better.

                                        I realize Emily was a teenager, but the constant use of the “f” word was not necessary.  As a matter of fact, if it had been saved for her extreme angry moments, it would have been more effective.

                                         It is worth reading, but not at all the top of your list.  

                                            

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

Jodi Picoult

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I had the privilege of going to Sidwell Friends school to see Jodi Picoult.

Jodi Picoult did a reading from her new book – The Storyteller.

It was wonderful to listen to her read from her new book.  She also answered a few questions.  After she signed her book.




The great thing about being in the DC area is that we had the privilege to meet Eli Rosenbaum.  He is the director of the US DOJ Office of Special Investigations.  It was very interesting to hear him talk about his work.  

This was an awesome event.  It was even more special because I was able to share it with my daughter Kristin of Kritters Ramblings.   

The Summer of Firsts and Lasts

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Author:  Terra Elan McVoy                  
Publisher:  Simon Pulse
Pages:  423
Genre:  Young Adult
Source:  Purchased

Goodreads:   Three sisters. One life-changing summer.

Calla loves summer because summer means Duncan. They’ve been best friends for years, but Calla has never worked up the nerve to tell him how she really feels. This summer, the summer before college, is Calla’s last chance.



Violet isn’t much of a rule breaker in real life. But this isn’t real life, this is summer, and Violet is determined to make the most of it. Besides, a little sneaking out never hurt anyone. And sneaking out with James is 100% worth the risk…even though James is completely off-limits.



Daisy has never been the sister that boys notice, but when sparks fly with Joel at the first bonfire of summer, it seems so easy and right. So why is being his girlfriend so complicated? 



Ope’s Opinion:  This is a very good book for young adults.  The language subject matter, characters, and the characters reactions to situations were all appropriate.

                                      The story took a little while to get into.  Meeting a lot of characters at the same time and trying to keep them straight took some concentration.  Each chapter was from a different sisters perspective – that part I enjoyed.  It also keep the reader informed and moved the story along at a nice pace.

                                        I am sure most anyone could relate to at least one of the sisters.  Each one had a distinct personality and voice.  Watching them relate to each other seemed very realistic.  There is nothing like a sister relationship.  I liked that McVoy showed different sides of the sisters relationships.  

                                       I think my only real complaint was that each sister had two or three nicknames.  That didn’t really add to the story and sometimes took me a minute to figure out who they were talking about.

                                      I would definitely allow my teen to read this book and I have had two teens.

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