Skipping Christmas by John Grisham

Publisher: DoubleDay
Publish Date: November 6, 2001
Format: download library
Pages: - 
ISBN: - 

Imagine a year without Christmas.  No crowded malls, no corny office parties, no fruitcakes, no unwanted presents.  That’s just was Luther and Nora Krank have in mind when they decide that, just this once, they’ll skip the holiday all together.  Theirs will be the only house on Hemlock Street without a rooftop Frosty; they won’t be hosting their annual Christmas Eve bash; they aren't even going to have a tree.  They won’t need one, because come December 25 they’re setting sail on a Caribbean cruise.  But, as this weary couple is about to discover, skipping Christmas brings enormous consequences – and isn't half as easy as they’d imagined.

My Thoughts

I thought that was hilarious.  I did see the movie a few years ago when it first came out and the movie stayed true to the novel - very similar and just as funny.  A nice short  predictable read, finished it in only a few hours.  

Got me in the Christmas mood.

My Rating:««««

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The Dinner by Herman Koch

Publisher: Hogarth
Publish Date: February 12, 2013
Format: download library
Pages: - 
ISBN: - 

A summer's evening in Amsterdam and two couples meet at a fashionable restaurant. Between mouthfuls of food and over the polite scrapings of cutlery, the conversation remains a gentle hum of polite discourse - the banality of work, the triviality of holidays. But behind the empty words, terrible things need to be said, and with every forced smile and every new course, the knives are being sharpened. Each couple has a fifteen year old son. The two boys are united by their accountability for a single horrific act; an act that has triggered a police investigation and shattered the comfortable insulated worlds of their families. As the dinner reaches its culinary climax, the conversation finally touches on their children, and as civility and friendship disintegrates, each couple show just how far they are prepared to go to protect those they love.

My Thoughts

Dubbed "European Gone Girl" - huh!?! Have the critics read Gone Girl? They are nothing alike, not even close and as far as I'm concerned this is such a pointless story.  I finished thinking, that's it?  What was the point?

A positive aspect I will give the writer is that the first bit really held my attention.  The way he would reveal just a hint of what you wanted to know but never gave you the whole story.  The mystery was really there for me as to what the "Situation" was, and then just as quickly as it captured me, my interest was lost and the story became pointless. 

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The reviews made here are my personal opinion. I’m not being paid to review any of these books. I am by no means a professional book reviewer or editor.  I do this for the love of books.

The Longest Ride by Nicholas Sparks

Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Publish Date: September 17, 2013
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 398
ISBN: 978-1455520657

Ira Levinson is in trouble.  At ninety-one years old, in poor health and alone in the world, he finds himself stranded on an isolated embankment after a car crash.  Suffering multiple injuries, he struggles to retain consciousness until a blurry image materializes and comes into focus beside him: his beloved wife Ruth, who passed away nine years ago.  Urging him to hang on, she forces him to remain alert by recounting the stories of their lifetime together – how they met, the precious paintings they collected together, the dark days of WWII and its effect on them and their families.  Ira knows that Ruth can’t possibly be in the car with him, but he clings to her words and his memories, reliving the sorrows and everyday joys that defined their marriage.

A few miles away, at a local rodeo, a Wake Forest College senior’s life is about to change.  Recovering from a recent break-up, Sophia Danko meets a young cowboy named Luke, who bears little resemblance to the privileged frat boys she has encountered at school.  Through Luke, Sophia is introduced to a world in which the stakes of survival and success, ruin and reward – even life and death – loom large in everyday life.  As she and Luke fall in love, Sophia finds herself imagining a future far removed from her plans – a future that Luke has the power to rewrite…if the secret he’s keeping doesn’t destroy it first.

Ira and Ruth.  Sophia and Luke.  Two couples who have little in common, and who are separated by years and experience.  Yet their lives will converge with unexpected poignancy, reminding us all that even the most difficult decisions can yield extraordinary journeys: beyond despair, beyond death, to the farthest reaches of the human heart. 

My Thoughts

Well Mr. Sparks, you've done it again.  His novels will always be beloved by me, and there is nothing he can do wrong.  Except casting Miley Cyrus in a movie.  Yet again, this is such a beautiful love story - but in a way that is new.  This (I believe) is the first time he has told two stories within a story that were completely unrelated - but they worked. 

I found myself more drawn to the story of Luke and Sophia, mainly because I'm a softy for new love.  Ira's story was told more in flashbacks about his life with his now deceased wife.  Both were beautiful and heartfelt, and of course I shed a few tears.  It just wouldn't be a Nicholas Sparks novel without them.  The only negative aspect of the book would be the ending.  I felt that it seemed a bit rushed and was just kind of wham bam the end.  I would have liked to see what happened next, maybe could have used another 100 pages.  But maybe I just smell a sequel? 

My Rating: «««««

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The reviews made here are my personal opinion. I’m not being paid to review any of these books. I am by no means a professional book reviewer or editor.  I do this for the love of books.

Unbelievable (Pretty Little Liars #4) by Sara Shepard

Publisher: HarperCollins 

Publish Date: June 1, 2008

Pages:-

Format: download library

ISBN: -

Behind Rosewood’s grand facades, where the air smells like apples and Chanel No. 5 and infinity pool sparkle in landscaped backyards, nothing is as it seems.  It was here, back in seventh grade, that five best friends shared everything – Seven jeans, MAC make-up and their deepest, darkest secrets.  For Aria, Spencer, Hanna, and Emily, it was a dream come true…until Alison, the most beautiful of them all, suddenly vanished.

Now someone named A has turned their charmed lives into a living nightmare.  Emily has been shipped off to her hyper-conservative cousins in Iowa.  Aria is stuck living with her dad and his home wrecker girlfriend.  And Spencer fears she had something to do with Alison’s murder.  But Hanna’s fate is far worse than all of them – she’s clinging to life in the hospital, because “she knows too much.”

With A’s threats turning dangerous and Ali’s killer still on the loose, the girls must uncover the truth about A, about Ali, and about what happened to Hanna – before they become A’s next victims.  But as they unravel Rosewood’s mysteries and secrets, will it bring an end to the horror…or is this just the beginning?

My Thoughts

This series is starting to become more intriguing than I ever thought possible.  I find myself being drawn in and can't stop!  More...I need more!

I love it..love, love, love.  I really like the edginess of the writing (remember, this is considered young adult) and I sometimes forget that these girls are in high school, that this is a high school setting.  Although some of the scenarios are a little out there...this is bullying at it foremost.  I just have to say one thing - what kind of parents are these?! I could never imagine having a parent (or in this series case - lack there of) like they do.

This is the first series of books that has kept my interest long enough to read 4 books.  Even Twilight, Hunger Games, 50 Shades of Grey and so on couldn't hold my attention long enough.  Keep 'em coming!

My Rating: ««««

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The reviews made here are my personal opinion. I’m not being paid to review any of these books. I am by no means a professional book reviewer or editor.  I do this for the love of books.

Juliet by Anne Fortier

Publisher: Random House Audio

Publish Date: August 24, 2010

Pages: 16 Discs

Format: Audio

ISBN: 978-0739384954

Twenty-five0year-old Julie Jacobs is heartbroken over the death of her beloved Aunt Rose.  But the shock goes even deeper when she learns that the woman who has been like a mother to her has left her entire estate to Julie’s twin sister.  The only thing Julie receives is a key – one carried by her mother on the day she herself died – to a safety deposit box in Siena, Italy.

This key sends Julie on a journey that will change her life forever – a journey into the troubled past of her ancestor Giulietta Tolomei.  In 1340, still reeling from the slaughter of her parents, Giulietta was smuggled into Siena, where she met a young man named Romeo.  Their ill-fated love turned medieval Siena upside-down and went on to inspire generations of poets and artists, the story reaching its pinnacle in Shakespeare’s famous tragedy.

But six centuries have a way of catching up to the present, and Julie gradually begins to discover that here, in this ancient city, the past and present are hard to tell apart.  The deeper she delves into the history of Romeo and Giulietta, and the closer she gets to the treasure they allegedly left behind, the greater the danger surrounding her – superstitions, ancient hostilities, and personal vendettas.  As Julie crosses paths with the descendants of the families involved in the unforgettable blood feud, she begins to fear that the notorious curse – “A plague on both your houses!” –is still at work, and that she is destined to be its next target.  Only someone like Romeo, it seems, could save her from this dreaded fate, but his story ended long ago.  Or did it?

My Thoughts

This is a book that I noticed ages ago and has been on my TBR list for years and happened to be at the library one day and saw it on audio book and decided to give it a go.  Let me tell you, I'm somewhat glad that I listened to this book as opposed to reading it because it is very looooong.  It took me well over a month to listen to this.

It's told in 2 time periods - present day by Julie Jacobs and 1340 by Guilietta Tolomay.  Personally I find the story line of Julie in the present day far more intriguing that the the Guiletta in 1340, although the events that are happening in 1340 is what is setting up the current day plot.  Sometimes I found myself getting lost in the story line, only because I found it extremely descriptive and is very detailed and has so much back story to go along with the current story.  

The entire plot is full of twists and turns, in and outs, up and downs.  Just when you think you have the plot figured out and know the characters, something happens then makes you have to rediscover the character all over again.  This is defiantly not a predicable novel and is a very well thought out story, I found it very interesting and for the most part it kept my interest.  

My Rating: «««

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The reviews made here are my personal opinion. I’m not being paid to review any of these books. I am by no means a professional book reviewer or editor.  I do this for the love of books.

The Baker's Daughter by Sarah McCoy

Publisher: Broadway Books

Publish Date: January 24, 2012

Format: download library

Pages: - 

ISBN: -

In 1045, Elsie Schmidt was a naïve teenager, as eager for her first sip of champagne as she was for her first kiss.  But in the waning days of the Nazi empire, with food scarce and fears of sedition mounting, even the private yearnings of teenage girls were subject to suspicion and suppression.  Elsie’s courtship by Josef Hub, a rising star in the Army of the Third Reich, has insulted her family from the terror and desperation overtaking her country.  So when an escaped Jewish boy arrives on Elsie’s doorstep in the dead of night Christmas Eve, Elsie understands that opening the door puts all she loves in danger.

Sixty years later, in El Paso, Texas, Reba Adams is trying to file a feel-good Christmas piece for the local magazine.  Reba is rolling stone, perpetually on the run from memories of a turbulent childhood, but she’s been in El Paso long enough to get a full-time job and a full-time fiancé, Riki Chavez.  Riki, an agent with the U.S. Boarder Patrol, finds comfort in strict rules and regulations, whereas Reba knows that in every good story, lines will be blurred.

Reba’s latest assignment has brought her to the shop of an elderly baker across town.  The interview should take a few hours at most, but the owner of Elsie’s German Bakery is no easy subject.  Elsie keeps turning the tables on Reba, and Reba finds herself returning to the bakery again and again, anxious to find the heart of the story.  For Elsie, Reba’s questions have been a stinging reminder of darker times: her like in Germany during that last bleak year of WWII.  And as Elsie, Reba and Riki’s lives become more intertwined, all are forced to confront the uncomfortable truths of the past and seek out the courage to forgive.

My Thoughts

What can I say besides wow, wow, WOW!  I absolutely fell in love with the mesmerizing story.  It was haunting and heartfelt and even humorous at times.  I thought it was just so beautifully written and kept me so intrigued I lost quite a bit of sleep over this one.  This is my first novel by Sarah McCoy I've read and she did not disappoint me.  This novel came with zero recommendations and I'd never heard of it or the author, I just happened to see the cover of this book and instantly knew I would love it.

I love how the story is don't in different decades by a number of different characters.  You start out in a very difficult time, Germany during WWII, and present in El Paso, Texas  and the reader is taken on an amazing journey of life lessons and self discovery of both main characters Elsie and Reba.  I really liked that even the sub characters had their self discovery stories woven in as well.  The author tells this amazing story in both first person and a series of letters.  The very last letter is sure to tug at your heart strings.

Beautiful novel.

My Rating: ««««

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The reviews made here are my personal opinion. I’m not being paid to review any of these books. I am by no means a professional book reviewer or editor.  I do this for the love of books.

Flawless (Pretty Little Liars #2) by Sara Shepard

Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Publish Date: February 18, 2008

Format: Paperback

Pages:330

ISBN: 978 0062059871

In the exclusive town of Rosewood, Pennsylvania, where the sweetest smiles hide the darkest secrets, four pretty little liars – Spencer, Aria, Emily and Hanna – have been very bad girls…

Spencer stole her sister’s boyfriend.  Aria is brokenhearted over her English teacher.  Emily likes her new friend Maya…as much more than a friend.  And Hanna’s obsession with looking flawless is literally making her sick.  But the most horrible secret of all is something so scandalous it could destroy their perfect little lives. 

And someone named “A” is threatening to do just that.

At first they thought A was Alison, their friend who vanished three years ago…but then Alison turned up dead.  So could A be Melissa, Spencer’s ultra competitive sister?  Or Maya, who wants Emily all to herself?  What about Toby, the mysterious guy who left town right after Alison went missing?

One thing’s for certain: A’s got the dirt to bury them all alive, and with every crumpled note, wicked IM and vindictive text message A sends, the girls get a little closer to losing it all.

My Thoughts

Again, another solid read that did not disappoint in the second book of the series.  I enjoyed this one just as much as the first and just find myself getting so wrapped up in their lives (lame I know.)  Character development was well under way for each of Emily, Spencer, Aria and Hannah.  A number of issues that were left open for interpretation in the first novel were answered in this one, but with that brought new mysteries. 

This book I found was quite a bit different than the direction the tv series took (and I want to try and keep my reviews based on the book not the show.)  I have to keep reminding myself that the book came before the show,  although I like the direction the character Toby took better in the tv show as opposed to the book.  

Can't wait to see what type of mischief these 4 get into in Perfect - the 3rd installment.  Such a great series! 

My Rating: ««««

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The reviews made here are my personal opinion. I’m not being paid to review any of these books. I am by no means a professional book reviewer or editor.  I do this for the love of books.

On Mystic Lake by Kristin Hannah

Publisher: Ballantine Books

Publish Date: January 1, 1999

Pages: 404

Format: Paperback

ISBN: 978 0345471178

Annie Colwater’s husband has just confessed that he’s in love with a younger woman.  Devastated, Annie retreats to the small town where she grew up.  There, she is reunited with her first love, Nick Delacroix, a recent widower who is unable to cope with his silent, emotionally scarred young daughter.  Together, the three of them begin to heal.  But just when Annie believes she’s been given a second chance at happiness, her world is turned upside down again, and she is forced to make a choice that no woman in love should ever have to make. 

My Thoughts

This was the first novel I have read by Kristin Hannah and I really enjoyed it.  The story line kept me reading and intrigued as to what was going to happen next.  I enjoyed the writing style and the flow, and the fact the story was told from multiple view points - Annie, Blake, Nick and Izzy (Nick's daughter.)  There is nothing I hate more than reading a story about a controversial issue (cheating in this case) and only hearing one side of the story, I really liked seeing all sides of every issue that is incorporated during the novel.

At times I did find the plot dragging a bit and somewhat repetitive (we heard that Annie was just a wife for 20 years so many time) but then a nice twist would be thrown in to continue the story in a new direction.  It's very easy to feel the heartache and relate to the main character Annie, who has completely lost who she was by giving herself to everyone but herself.  I read this novel while on vacation and it was hard not to start crying while reading in public.  It's a very touching story of self discovery and making the right decisions for yourself, not just what is expected of you.

Overall I really thought it was a great first read from this author and I'm really looking forward to readying more from Ms. Hannah.

My Rating: ««««

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The reviews made here are my personal opinion. I’m not being paid to review any of these books. I am by no means a professional book reviewer or editor.  I do this for the love of books.

The Ghost Bride by Yangsze Choo

Publisher: William Morrow
Publish Date: August 6, 2013
Pages: 354
Format: Hardcover
ISBN: 978-0062227324

Though ruled by British overlords, the Chinese of colonial Malaya still cling to ancient customs.  And in the sleepy port town of Malacca, ghosts and superstitions abound.

Li Lan, the daughter of a genteel but bankrupt family, has few prospects.  But fate intervenes when she receives an unusual proposal from the wealthy and powerful Lim family.  They want her to become a ghost bride for the family’s only son, who recently died under mysterious circumstances.  Rarely practiced, a traditional ghost marriage is used to placate a restless spirit.  Such a union would guarantee Li Lan a home for the rest of her days, but at a terrible price.

After an ominous visit to the opulent mansion, Li Lan finds herself haunted not only by her ghostly would-be suitor, but also by her desire for the Lim’s handsome her heir, Tian Bai.  Night after night, she is drawn into the shadowy parallel would of the Chinese afterlife, with its ghost cities, paper funeral offerings, vengeful spirits and monstrous bureaucracy – including the mysterious Er Lang, a charming but unpredictable guardian spirit.  Li Lan must uncover the Lim family’s darkest secrets – and the truth about her own family – before she is trapped in this ghostly would forever.

My Thoughts

So I haven't finished this one yet, I got it from the library and didn't have a chance to finish it before I had to take it back and renewal was unavailable due to (lots) of holds placed on it.  I got back on the list because I DO want to finish reading it, but I wanted to give you my thoughts on it so far while they are fresh on my mine.

Although I don't know much about Chinese culture/rituals/beliefs I have been thoroughly enjoying this read.  I'm half way through (Chapter 20) and so far I find it very haunting.  The novel is broken into 4 Parts and follows Li Lan on her spiritual journey.  I really enjoyed the first 3 parts of the story and currently am on part 3.  I'm finding myself getting a little bit lost with the story and I think it's mainly due to the references that are made to the Chinese culture and their beliefs in the afterlife.  I never like giving away the plot to a story line in my reviews, so I don't want to say too much about what is currently happening and why I am finding myself confused with the plot.

Stay tuned for a future update of the remainder of the book.  

My Rating: yet to finish

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The reviews made here are my personal opinion. I’m not being paid to review any of these books. I am by no means a professional book reviewer or editor.  I do this for the love of books.