Category Archives: Book Opinion

The Swap

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Author:  Megan Shull                              the swap
Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
Genre:  Middle Grade
Source:  BEA

 

Publication Date:  August 26th

Goodreads:  “YOU BE ME…AND I’LL BE YOU.”

ELLIE spent the summer before seventh grade getting dropped by her best friend since forever. JACK spent it training in “The Cage” with his tough-as-nails brothers and hard-to-please dad. By the time middle school starts, they’re both ready for a change. And just as Jack’s thinking girls have it so easy, Ellie’s wishing she could be anyone but herself.

Then, BAM! They swap lives—and bodies!

Now Jack’s fending off mean girls at sleepover parties while Ellie’s reigning as the Prince of Thatcher Middle School. As their crazy weekend races on—and their feelings for each other grow—Ellie and Jack begin to realize that maybe the best way to learn how to be yourself is to spend a little time being someone else.

Ope’s Opinion:  Ever heard the saying “Walk a mile in my shoes” or ” The grass is greener on the other side of the fence”? Well, this book is a great story of both of these sayings.

Let me tell you, this was about middle grade students, but it was written so well, it felt more like a YA book.  It kept my interest the whole time.  It was written very mature, but very age appropriate for a middle school student to read it.  I am sure they could relate to either the girls or guys point of view.

Jake and Ellie remind me of students  in middle school.  That is a hard age – it does look like other people have it better – until you live in their life.

I loved how positive Megan Shull wrote the story.  You could see how each of their lives were not perfect, but they each saw the best in their own lives by living in the other persons shoes.

This book surprised me in such a great way!

 

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

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Lucky Me

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Author:  Cindy Callaghan                    lucky me
Publisher: Aladdin
Genre: Middle Grade
Source: BookSparks

 

 

Goodreads:  After breaking a chain letter, can superstitious Megan find a way to turn her luck around?

Meghan McGlinchey is the most superstitious girl in her family ;and probably in the entire state of Delaware. When she receives a chain letter from a stranger in Ireland, Meghan immediately passes it on, taking only a tiny shortcut in the directions.

But after a disastrous day, made complete by losing the election for class president and embarrassing herself in front of the entire school, Meghan realizes that tiny shortcut was a big mistake. Thankfully, her family was already headed to Ireland on spring break, and Meghan makes it her mission to find the original sender and break her extremely unlucky streak.

With the help of an eccentric cast of characters ;and one very cute Irish boy ;can Meghan figure out a way to stop her bad luck? Or is she cursed forever.

Ope’s Opinion:  This was a cute, middle grade read.  The book read fast.  I read Cindy Callaghan’s Lost in London and really liked it.  So I had high expectations for Lucky Me.  This one did not keep my attention as well as Lost in London.  I found I was getting frustrated with all the “bad luck” Meghan was having.  After a while it was just too much.

I am going to keep this one for my granddaughter.  I hope she will enjoy it when she is old enough to read it.

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

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Our second granddaughter has made her arrival!!!

 

Payton Elaine OteyPayton Elaine

 arrived at 8:04 pm
on 8/04/14

 

 

 

 

payton

 

She weighed 7 pounds
1.6 ounces

She is 18.5 inches long

 

 

 

We are proud grandparents celebrating our second granddaughter.

This is Payton’s first day.

Payton at hospital

Payton's tongue

Payton sticking her tongue out reminds me of her Papa and Mom.
When they concentrate that is how they look!!

Hard to believe how fast they go home now.  This is Payton’s first ride in the car.

in car

Payton at home.  Everyone is doing well.
at home

A Little Something Different

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Author:  Sandy Hall                                          a little
Publisher:  Swoon Reads
Genre:  Contemporary Young Adult
Source:  BEA

 

 

Goodreads:  The creative writing teacher, the delivery guy, the local Starbucks baristas, his best friend, her roommate, and the squirrel in the park all have one thing in common—they believe that Gabe and Lea should get together. Lea and Gabe are in the same creative writing class. They get the same pop culture references, order the same Chinese food, and hang out in the same places. Unfortunately, Lea is reserved, Gabe has issues, and despite their initial mutual crush, it looks like they are never going to work things out.  But somehow even when nothing is going on, something is happening between them, and everyone can see it. Their creative writing teacher pushes them together. The baristas at Starbucks watch their relationship like a TV show. Their bus driver tells his wife about them. The waitress at the diner automatically seats them together. Even the squirrel who lives on the college green believes in their relationship.

Surely Gabe and Lea will figure out that they are meant to be together…

Ope’s Opinion:  This cute little book has a cute little story to tell.  It tells the story in a very unique way.  Gabe and Lea – the two main characters do not tell their own story.  It is all told from the perspective of those around them – including the bench and the squirrel.  Okay, the bench and squirrel were a little much for me.  

Although this was set on a college campus, the characters felt more like high school students.  Even the adults don’t really act their appropriate ages.

The story was moved along by all the characters points of view.  All the characters could see how Gabe and Lea were suppose to be together, but I struggled to see it through their eyes.  I do like that the author took a chance on writing the story this way.

It is a cute, quirky book.

 

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

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After I Do

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Author:  Taylor Jenkins Reid                           after i do
Publisher:  Washington Square Press
Genre:  Contemporary Romance
Source:  BookSparks

 

Goodreads:  From the author of Forever, Interrupted—hailed by Sarah Jio as “moving, gorgeous, and at times heart-wrenching”—comes a breathtaking new novel about modern marriage, the depth of family ties, and the year that one remarkable heroine spends exploring both.

When Lauren and Ryan’s marriage reaches the breaking point, they come up with an unconventional plan. They decide to take a year off in the hopes of finding a way to fall in love again. One year apart, and only one rule: they cannot contact each other. Aside from that, anything goes.

Lauren embarks on a journey of self-discovery, quickly finding that her friends and family have their own ideas about the meaning of marriage. These influences, as well as her own healing process and the challenges of living apart from Ryan, begin to change Lauren’s ideas about monogamy and marriage. She starts to question: When you can have romance without loyalty and commitment without marriage, when love and lust are no longer tied together, what do you value? What are you willing to fight for?

This is a love story about what happens when the love fades. It’s about staying in love, seizing love, forsaking love, and committing to love with everything you’ve got. And above all, After I Do is the story of a couple caught up in an old game—and searching for a new road to happily ever after.

 

Ope’s Opinion:  This book starts out with a quick look at where Lauren and Ryan’s marriage is at the moment.  Then you go back in time.  It is a very cute, traditional courtship. Then the story brings you to the present to see how Lauren and Ryan think they need the time apart from each other.

Taylor Jenkins Reid’s writing  flows and her story is very easy to follow.  Each character has different situations going on, but it does not seem overwhelming.  Since each one has flaws and difficulties, it is easy to relate to them and root for the best for each one.

There is a lot of marriage advice given in this book.  It is interesting to hear all the different characters perspective of marriage, romance and love.  It will make you reevaluate what you think is important in your relationship.

I don’t usually quote a part of a book, but this one will stick with me for a long time –   when Lauren’s grandmother says, ” Just because you can live without someone doesn’t mean you want to. ”

** Side note – I am not sure why the author felt the need to insert the “f” word into odd places in the book.  It did not add any emotion to the book.

Rating: Five Chairs – This book is so good it will be passed on and on and on….
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Your Perfect Life

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Author: Liz Fenton & Lisa Steinke             book          
Publisher:  Washington Square Press
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Source:  Simon & Schuster

 

 

Goodreads:  With “a delicious, page-turning premise, and sweet and surprising insights” (New York Times bestselling author Jen Lancaster), Your Perfect Life perfectly illustrates that old adage: Sometimes, you to have to walk a mile in someone else’s shoes to see what’s in her heart.

 

Best friends since childhood, Casey and Rachel couldn’t lead more different lives. While workaholic Casey rubs elbows with celebrities daily as the host of Gossip TV and comes home nightly to an empty apartment, stay-at-home mom Rachel juggles an “oops” baby, two fiery teenagers, and a husband who barely seems the man she fell in love with two decades before. After an argument at their twentieth high school reunion, Casey and Rachel throw back shots to get the night back on track. Instead, they get a life-changing hangover.

 

Waking up in each other’s bodies the next morning, they must figure out how to navigate their altered realities. Rachel is forced to confront the reason she gave up her broadcasting dreams when she got pregnant in college, and Casey finally steps out of the spotlight to face the truth about why she’s alone. And they soon discover that they don’t know themselves—or their best friend—nearly as well as they thought they did.

 

Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke bring humor and heart to every page of this novel that is sure to please fans of In Her Shoes and The Opposite of Me. Your Perfect Life is a story about two very different women, what they didn’t know about each other, and how, by switching lives, they each learn to appreciate their own.

Ope’s Opinion: This is a perfect vacation read!  It was an easy read – the story and writing just flowed.  I did have to look back once in a while to remember whether Casey or Rachel were talking, even with that it was a really enjoyable read.

It is one of those books that you could just read as a surface, fun read or you could take away a lot of underlying life lessons.  This would be a good book club read.  I think it would bring about a lot of discussion.  I could see this as a movie too!!

Is the grass greener on the other side?  Would it be greener for you or are you exactly where you should be?  This book will make you think about positive parts of where your life is now.

I hope Liz and Lisa write together again.  I was impressed with the fact that you could not tell that two people wrote this book.  It was seamless.

This book left me with a good feeling.

 

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

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……  On a Bookshelf near you!

In August this is what I hope to read!

positive

Publication Date:  August 26, 2014
Publisher: HarperCollins

Goodreads: An astonishing memoir for the untold number of children whose lives have been touched by bullying. Positive is a must-read for teens, their parents, educators, and administrators—a brave, visceral work that will save lives and resonate deeply.

Paige Rawl has been HIV positive since birth, but growing up, she never felt like her illness defined her. On an unremarkable day in middle school, she disclosed to a friend her HIV-positive status—and within hours the bullying began. From that moment forward, every day was like walking through a minefield. Paige was never sure when or from where the next text, taunt, or hateful message would come. Then one night, desperate for escape, fifteen-year-old Paige found herself in her bathroom staring at a bottle of sleeping pills.

That could have been the end of her story. Instead, it was only the beginning. Paige’s memoir calls for readers to choose action over complacency, compassion over cruelty—and above all, to be Positive.

Includes twenty-five photos from Paige’s personal collection throughout.

What is coming soon …. to a bookshelf near you?

Let me know – I am always looking for a good read!

 

Until I Found You

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Author:  Victoria Bylin                                          until
Publisher: Bethany House Publishes
Genre:  Contemporary Christian Fiction
Source:  Author

Thank you Victoria for sending this one to me.

 

Goodreads:  Contemporary Romance to Make You Laugh, Cry, and Fall in Love
When Kate Darby swerves off a mountain road to avoid hitting a California condor, she ends up trapped in her car, teetering on the edge of a cliff. Terrified, she breathes a prayer that changes her life: “God, if you’re real, I want to know you.”

It’s Nick Sheridan who comes to Kate’s rescue. Nick is handsome, confident, and seems to develop a habit of rescuing her, but Kate is in town only until her grandmother recuperates from a stroke. She’s not planning to fall in love with one of the locals.
Nick Sheridan is a reformed veteran of life in the fast lane, a new Christian, and a travel writer. When he sees a car dangling on the edge of a cliff, the daredevil in him jumps into action. He doesn’t expect to be swept off his feet by the car’s occupant. He’s made a vow: no dating for a year. And it’s a vow he intends to keep in spite of his attraction to Kate Darby..

Ope’s Opinion:  If you are a reader of Christian Fiction, you will absolutely love this book.  It has God all through it.  He is the center focus of the whole book.  I would have a copy in every church library.  

Victoria Bylin knows how to write real characters who are looking for God in their lives.  She let you see the flaws in each persons life, so you can relate to them.  For Kate ( the main character ) coming to believe in God was a slow, hard journey – as I think is with most of us – which made it feel all that much more realistic and relatable.

The end of the  story is very predictable, but the road there was a unique one.

If you are looking for a good Christian Fiction – pick this one up.

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

Since You’ve Been Gone

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Author:  Morgan Matson                         since
Publisher:  Simon & Schuster
Genre:  Contemporary YA
Source:  BEA

 

Goodreads:  The Pre-Sloane Emily didn’t go to parties, she barely talked to guys, she didn’t do anything crazy. Enter Sloane, social tornado and the best kind of best friend—the one who yanks you out of your shell.But right before what should have been an epic summer, Sloane just… disappears. No note. No calls. No texts. No Sloane. There’s just a random to-do list. On it, thirteen Sloane-selected-definitely-bizarre-tasks that Emily would never try… unless they could lead back to her best friend. Apple Picking at Night? Ok, easy enough.Dance until Dawn? Sure. Why not? Kiss a Stranger? Wait… what?

 

Getting through Sloane’s list would mean a lot of firsts. But Emily has this whole unexpected summer ahead of her, and the help of Frank Porter (totally unexpected) to check things off. Who knows what she’ll find?

 

Go Skinny Dipping? Um..

Ope’s Opinion:  Morgan Matson was one of the reasons I was so excited about BEA this year.  I couldn’t wait to meet her and get her next book.  She was worth the time in  line to meet and the book is worth the time to read!!

When I started reading this book I thought it was a YA Bucket list.  I was wondering what that would read like?  As I read, I enjoyed that the tasks on the list were completed in a different way then Emily ( and I ) thought would happen.  I also liked how I saw Emily learn and grow with each task.  It kept me reading.  It read really fast – the story kept moving.  The flashbacks gave you background to Emily and her relationships.  This also helped you understand the items on the list.  It was very clear when you were in the present and when you went to a flashback.

Each person brought into Emily’s life made an impact on her.  It was fun to watch Emily interact with Dawn, Gideon, Collins, even her brother and parents.  They each brought a unique perspective to Emily’s story and her finding herself.  Emily goes from seeing herself as a follower to seeing herself as a strong independent person.  Watching that happen in the book is very subtle and inspiring.

I would recommend this book. It has friendship, self-discovery, and a little romance. I am ready for Morgan Matson’s next book!!

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

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Author:  Nancy Thayer                             nantucket sisters
Publisher:  Ballantine Books
Genre: Contemporary Women’s Fiction
Source: My friend Mary Ann

 

Goodreads:  Nancy Thayer, the New York Times bestselling author of Island Girls, tells the emotionally-charged story of two childhood friends on the tumultuous path to love and wisdom in this heartfelt ode to friendship.

When Maggie and Piper meet as girls on the Nantucket beach, they are instant best friends—even though Piper’s mother would much prefer she play with the daughters of senators and statesmen than a seamstress’s kid like Maggie. But after many golden summers spent building sandcastles and sharing their dreams for the future, Piper and Maggie grow apart. In her twenties, beautiful and spirited Piper worries she’ll never amount to more than the glittering wife of a successful husband, while hardworking redheaded Maggie scrimps and saves her pennies, wondering if she’ll ever have the luxury of a passionate romance. It seems they have little in common…until Cameron Chadwick appears on the island. A wealthy Midwestern charmer, Cameron takes moonlit walks on the dunes with Maggie and whisks Piper away to New York City for lavish nights on the town. When both women discover they’re pregnant, it looks like the end of their already-distant friendship. But as Maggie and Piper struggle to decide what their lives will be, they realize more than ever before how very much they need a friend.

Ope’s Opinion:  Well, lets just start with the cover – it made me want to frame it or better yet, go there.  Next look who the author is – Nancy Thayer – an awesome writer, who always draws me in.  Then read the synopsis – made me want to start reading.

Getting to know all the characters and their relationships took a little while, but worth the reading.  When events happen you have the background to understand why each one reacted the way they did.  I liked that this book started out with childhood friends.

If you have beach or pool time this summer, this should be in your bag to take along.  It will keep your attention, entertain you and put a smile on your face at the end.  Although, it is a bit predictable, I liked the ending.

I will keep reading Nancy Thayer. I enjoy her story telling.

 

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