Author:  Melanie Gideon                                                  
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Pages:  400
Genre:  Chick Lit
Source:  BEA

Goodreads:   For fans of Helen Fielding’s Bridget Jones’s Diary and Allison Pearson’s I Don’t Know How She Does It comes an irresistible novel of a woman losing herself . . . and finding herself again . . . in the middle of her life.

Maybe it was those extra five pounds I’d gained. Maybe it was because I was about to turn the same age my mother was when I lost her. Maybe it was because after almost twenty years of marriage my husband and I seemed to be running out of things to say to each other.

But when the anonymous online study called “Marriage in the 21st Century” showed up in my inbox, I had no idea how profoundly it would change my life. It wasn’t long before I was assigned both a pseudonym (Wife 22) and a caseworker (Researcher 101). 

And, just like that, I found myself answering questions.

7. Sometimes I tell him he’s snoring when he’s not snoring so he’ll sleep in the guest room and I can have the bed all to myself.
61. Chet Baker on the tape player. He was cutting peppers for the salad. I looked at those hands and thought, I am going to have this man’s children.
67. To not want what you don’t have. What you can’t have. What youshouldn’t have.
32. That if we weren’t careful, it was possible to forget one another.

 Before the study, my life was an endless blur of school lunches and doctor’s appointments, family dinners, budgets, and trying to discern the fastest-moving line at the grocery store. I was Alice Buckle: spouse of William and mother to Zoe and Peter, drama teacher and Facebook chatter, downloader of memories and Googler of solutions.

But these days, I’m also Wife 22. And somehow, my anonymous correspondence with Researcher 101 has taken an unexpectedly personal turn. Soon, I’ll have to make a decision—one that will affect my family, my marriage, my whole life. But at the moment, I’m too busy answering questions. 

As it turns out, confession can be a very powerful aphrodisiac.

Ope’s Opinion:  The format of using Facebook, email and texting moved the story along.  It was a fun, easy read.  I enjoyed watching the characters develop.  They seemed like a real family.  Everyone going in different directions, having different things going on.
                             I liked that this reminded me to appreciate my husband.  It also reminded me that even when things aren’t perfect, they are still good and love is still there.
                              A nice fun read.


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 BEA. 

            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:  Rosalind Noonan                    
Publisher:  Kennsington
Pages:  352
Genre:  Fiction
Source:  Edelweiss

Goodreads:    Chelsea Maynard has spent her lifetime planning for the much awaited start of her family, the joy of caring for a new life in the world, the intimacy of bonding with a child. But after a difficult birth, her careful planning is shattered by exhaustion. Numbness replaces her connection to the people around her and the baby daughter who needs her. Her husband Leo Green, her sister Emma and friends keep telling her she’s not herself, but no one can seem to help her find her way back to the happiness that had warmed her life before little Annabelle came along.

When Leo heads off for a business trip, Chelsea is overwhelmed by the endless duties of caring for a crying baby and the dark mood that pulls her down, immobilizing her. Her sister says it’s postpartum depression, but the doctor passes it off as the baby blues and encourages her to get exercise and eat right. Easy for him to say. He doesn’t have a soft, pink baby shrieking at the top of her lungs, eliciting looks of annoyance and horror at the park and the grocery store. Chelsea’s collapse is inevitable, but what’s the harm in letting a baby cry it out? She collapses in bed. Restored by sleep, Chelsea goes to the crib in the morning but finds it empty.

Her baby is gone?

Maybe she left her in the stroller…or the swing…or the bouncy chair? But her panicked search turns up no sign of Annabelle. 

 Her baby is gone…

And Chelsea doesn’t have a clue as to who would have taken her away.

When the police respond with a thorough search and endless questions, Chelsea realizes she can’t clearly recall the details of that night. Why can’t she remember? Has she blocked it out? Could she have done something to make her own baby stop crying? Did she act on the dark visions that have paraded through her fractured mind?

The race is on to find baby Annabelle. Time is of the essence in a case like this. Her baby is out there…somewhere…and Chelsea is determined to cooperate with the police, even if the evidence points right back to her.


Ope’s Opinion:  The beginning of the book drug on a little for me.   You know from reading the synopsis that the child is missing, I kept waiting for it to happen.  Rosalind Noonan writes so well, that you root for the characters.
           
                             During the investigation, I felt like I was being lectured to about the profile of a kidnapper of infants.  It did have a small twist as to who the kidnapper was – that was really good.

                            I have read several Noonan books and loved them.  This just wasn’t my favorite and as you see I gave it four chairs.   I will read her again.  She is an awesome writer.

Rating:  Four Chairs – I like the 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 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:  Steven Manchester                                        
Publisher:  The Story Plant
Pages:  308
Genre: Fiction
Source:  author – Steven Manchester

Goodreads:  Fate was working against little Brian Mauretti. The food that was meant to nourish him was poisoning him instead, and the doctors said the damage was devastating and absolute. Fate had written off Brian. But fate didn’t count on a woman as determined as Brian’s grandmother, Angela DiMartino � who everyone knew as Mama. Loving her grandson with everything she had, Mama endeavored to battle fate. Fate had no idea what it was in for.

An emotional tale about the strength of family bonds, unconditional love, and the perseverance to do our best with the challenging gifts we receive, GOODNIGHT, BRIAN is an uplifting tribute to what happens when giving up is not an option.


Ope’s Opinion:  The grandmother in this story is very strong and loves unconditionally.  I can only aspire to be like her.  She never gave up on Brian, even when many of those around him did.  Steven wrote the grandmothers voice so authentically, I wonder if he wrote from experiencing a grandmother like her.
                            Reading a story of a child struggling to do things we do on a daily basis so easily made me grateful for my healthy children.  It also gave me insight to people who deal with children with difficulties.  Steven gave you the perspective of both the adult and the child in this situation.
                           
                            It was written so that I rooted for Brian, fell in love with Mama ( the grandmother ) and wanted everyone else to care about these character.

                             I rarely cry while reading a book, but I did with this one.  It all felt so real to me.  I could see what was being written.

                            Overall, great story!  Keep writing Steven and I’ll keep reading!





Rating:  Four Chairs ( maybe four and a half! ) – I like this book so much I know several friends to    
               share it with.  

      




            FTC – Disclosure of Material Connection: 

Firstborn

Author: Robin Lee Hatcher

Not My Daughter

Then comes word of two more pregnancies among high school juniors who happen to be Lily’s best friends-and the town turns to talk of a pact. As fingers start pointing, the most ardent criticism is directed at Susan. As principal of the high school, she has always been held up as a role model of hard work and core values. Now her detractors accuse her of being a lax mother, perhaps not worthy of the job of shepherding impressionable students. As Susan struggles with the implications of her daughter’s pregnancy, her job, financial independence, and long-fought-for dreams are all at risk. 

The emotional ties between mothers and daughters are stretched to breaking in this emotionally wrenching story of love and forgiveness. Once again, Barbara Delinsky has given us a powerful novel, one that asks a central question: What does it take to be a good mother?

The Daughter She Used To Be

Stainless Steal Hearts

Real-life surgeon Harry Kraus skillfully weaves together politics, bioethics, and hidden agendas in this compelling medical thriller. Matt Stone, a promising young surgical resident, discovers that chief surgeon Dr. Michael Simons and local abortionist Dr. Adam Richards are secretly running experiments on live aborted fetuses, “stealing” their hearts to give to infants with congenital heart problems. Both doctors’ reputations depend on the secrecy of their research, which is a serious violation of hospital policy.

Meanwhile, Layton Redman, pro-choice candidate for governor, has a secret of his own-a staff volunteer is pregnant with his child. Redman arranges an abortion for the mother, but a serious car accident brings her to the emergency room, where Stone saves the life of her unborn child. This pits him against Simons, who was counting on the aborted fetus for his repulsive research project. Now Stone must gather enough evidence of the undercover experiments and expose Simons-before the vengeful chief surgeon ends his career.

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

Author:  Dorthea Benton Frank
Publisher:  William Morrow
Pages:  336
Genre:  Women’s Fiction
Source:  BEA

Goodreads:  When Jimmy McMullen, a fireman with the NYFD, is killed in the line of duty, his wife, Jackie, and ten-year-old son, Charlie, are devastated. Charlie idolized his dad, and now the outgoing, curious boy has become quiet and reserved. Trusting in the healing power of family, Jackie decides to return to her childhood home on Sullivans Island.

Crossing the bridge from the mainland, Jackie and Charlie enter a world full of wonder and magic—lush green and chocolate grasslands and dazzling red, orange, and magenta evening skies; the heady pungency of Lowcountry Pluff mud and fresh seafood on the grill; bare toes snuggled in warm sand and palmetto fronds swaying in gentle ocean winds.

Awaiting them is Annie Britt, the family matriarch who has kept the porch lights on to welcome them home. Thrilled to have her family back again, Annie promises to make their visit perfect—even though relations between mother and daughter have never been what you’d call smooth. Over the years, Jackie and Annie, like all mothers and daughters, have been known to have frequent and notorious differences of opinion. But her estranged and wise husband, Buster, and her flamboyant and funny best friend Deb are sure to keep Annie in line. She’s also got Steven Plofker, the flirtatious and devilishly tasty widowed physician next door, to keep her distracted as well.

Maine

For the Kellehers, Maine is a place where children run in packs, showers are taken outdoors, and old Irish songs are sung around a piano. Their beachfront property, won on a barroom bet after the war, sits on three acres of sand and pine nestled between stretches of rocky coast, with one tree bearing the initials “A.H.” At the cottage, built by Kelleher hands, cocktail hour follows morning mass, nosy grandchildren snoop in drawers, and decades-old grudges simmer beneath the surface.

As three generations of Kelleher women descend on the property one summer, each brings her own hopes and fears. Maggie is thirty-two and pregnant, waiting for the perfect moment to tell her imperfect boyfriend the news; Ann Marie, a Kelleher by marriage, is channeling her domestic frustration into a dollhouse obsession and an ill-advised crush; Kathleen, the black sheep, never wanted to set foot in the cottage again; and Alice, the matriarch at the center of it all, would trade every floorboard for a chance to undo the events of one night, long ago.

By turns wickedly funny and achingly sad, Maine unveils the sibling rivalry, alcoholism, social climbing, and Catholic guilt at the center of one family, along with the abiding, often irrational love that keeps them coming back, every summer, to Maine and to each other.

Author:  Charles Duhigg                                              
Publisher:  Random House
Pages: 400
Genre:  Self Help
Source:  BEA












Goodreads:  A young woman walks into a laboratory. Over the past two years, she has transformed almost every aspect of her life. She has quit smoking, run a marathon, and been promoted at work. The patterns inside her brain, neurologists discover, have fundamentally changed.

Marketers at Procter & Gamble study videos of people making their beds. They are desperately trying to figure out how to sell a new product called Febreze, on track to be one of the biggest flops in company history. Suddenly, one of them detects a nearly imperceptible pattern—and with a slight shift in advertising, Febreze goes on to earn a billion dollars a year.

An untested CEO takes over one of the largest companies in America. His first order of business is attacking a single pattern among his employees—how they approach worker safety—and soon the firm, Alcoa, becomes the top performer in the Dow Jones.

What do all these people have in common? They achieved success by focusing on the patterns that shape every aspect of our lives. 

They succeeded by transforming habits.

In The Power of Habit, award-winning New York Times business reporter Charles Duhigg takes us to the thrilling edge of scientific discoveries that explain why habits exist and how they can be changed. With penetrating intelligence and an ability to distill vast amounts of information into engrossing narratives, Duhigg brings to life a whole new understanding of human nature and its potential for transformation. 
    

 Along the way we learn why some people and companies struggle to change, despite years of trying, while others seem to remake themselves overnight. We visit laboratories where neuroscientists explore how habits work and where, exactly, they reside in our brains. We discover how the right habits were crucial to the success of Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps, Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz, and civil-rights hero Martin Luther King, Jr. We go inside Procter & Gamble, Target superstores, Rick Warren’s Saddleback Church, NFL locker rooms, and the nation’s largest hospitals and see how implementing so-called keystone habits can earn billions and mean the difference between failure and success, life and death.

At its core, The Power of Habit contains an exhilarating argument: The key to exercising regularly, losing weight, raising exceptional children, becoming more productive, building revolutionary companies and social movements, and achieving success is understanding how habits work. 

Habits aren’t destiny. As Charles Duhigg shows, by harnessing this new science, we can transform our businesses, our communities, and our lives.

Ope’s Opinion:  This book felt more like a research paper, then a self help book.  I am not sure of the authors intentions, but the research to back up his theories sort of bogged down the enthusiasm I wanted to feel to change my habits.  It took so long to read and get through the research I lost my excitement about trying something new.

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

     FTC – Disclosure of Material Connection: 

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

            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.