One Plus One by Jojo Moyes

Publisher: Penguin Audio
Publish Date: July 1, 2014
Format: Audio
Discs: 10
ISBN: 9781611762730

Suppose your life sucks. A lot. Your husband has done a vanishing act, your teenage stepson is being bullied and your math whiz daughter has a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that you can’t afford to pay for. That’s Jess’s life in a nutshell—until an unexpected knight-in-shining-armor offers to rescue them. Only Jess’s knight turns out to be Geeky Ed, the obnoxious tech millionaire whose vacation home she happens to clean. But Ed has big problems of his own, and driving the dysfunctional family to the Math Olympiad feels like his first unselfish act in ages . . . maybe ever

My Thoughts

Jojo Moyes is an author that I either really love her work or it is just so-so.  I really wanted to love this book but it was just so-so.  I listened to this on audio and found it enjoyable to listen to and thoroughly enjoyed all 4 narrators, even if they were British, but the story itself I just didn't love.  I am really struggling with why I didn't love it and have yet to come to a conclusion and for that reason this review will be short and sweet.  I did enjoy that last quarter though and even found myself getting a bit choked up over Norman - how can you not love a huge lug of a dog?

I would still recommend this novel - 3 star books are still worth reading.


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.

Blackberry Winter by Sarah Jio

Publisher: Plume
Publish Date: September 25, 2015
Format: Download library
Pages: - 
ISBN - 

Seattle, 1933. Single mother Vera Ray kisses her three-year-old son, Daniel, goodnight and departs to work the night-shift at a local hotel. She emerges to discover that a May-Day snow has blanketed the city, and that her son has vanished. Outside, she finds his beloved teddy bear lying face-down on an icy street, the snow covering up any trace of his tracks, or the perpetrator's.

Seattle, 2010. Seattle Herald reporter Claire Aldridge, assigned to cover the May 1 "blackberry winter" storm and its twin, learns of the unsolved abduction and vows to unearth the truth. In the process, she finds that she and Vera may be linked in unexpected ways...

My Thoughts

Cover love! I really really enjoyed this read, even better than Morning Glory which I listened to earlier this year.  Having read 2 of her novels and the synopsis for The Bungalow (which is up next) I have quickly noticed a pattern to her writing style, but I'm ok with a reoccurring theme in her novels as long as the story intrigues me.  I was so engaged with both story lines and Vera and Claire that it was hard to put this one down.  I love how the stories were woven together and although each story line was a little bit too neat and predictable I still really enjoyed this read.

Sarah Jio has very quickly become a must read author for me and can't wait to dive into the rest of her novels. 

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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.

Morning Glory by Sarah Jio

Publisher: Brilliance Audio

Publish Date: November 26, 2014

Format: Audio

Discs: 8

ISBN: 978 1480542006

Fleeing an East Coast life marred by tragedy, Ada Santorini takes up residence on houseboat number seven on Boat Street.  She discovers a trunk left behind by Penny Wentworth, a young newlywed who lived on the boat half a century earlier.  Ada longs to know her predecessor’s fate, but little suspects that Penny’s mysterious past and her own clouded future are destined to converge.

My Thoughts

This was my first novel by Sarah Jio and I quickly fell in love with the characters and her flare for storytelling.   I was instantly pulled in and didn't want to let either Penny or Ada go.  My heart just broke for both of them and their stories were so beautifully woven together I never wanted an ending.  Part love story, part mystery and I really felt like I became part of the houseboat community.  I listened to this on audio and loved the narration - when listening to audio the narrator either makes or breaks a story.  And this narrator was defiantly a winner.  I can't wait to dive further into the tales of Sarah Jio and see where she takes me next.

and P.S. Why haven't her novels been adapted into movies yet?  

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.

Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty

Publisher: Putnam Adult
Publish Date: July 29, 2014
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 460
ISBN: 978 0399167065

A murder…a tragic accident…or just parents behaving badly?

What’s indisputable is that someone is dead.  But who did what?

Big Little Lies follows three women, each at a crossroads: Madeline is a force to be reckoned with.  She’s funny and biting, passionate, she remembers everything and forgives no one.  Her ex-husband and his yogi new wife have moved into her beloved beachside community, and their daughter is in the same kindergarten class as Madeline’s youngest (how is this possible?).  And to top it all off, Madeline’s teenage daughter seems to be choosing Madeline’s ex-husband over her. (How. Is.  This.  Possible?).

Celeste is the kind beautiful woman who makes the world stop and stare.  While she may seem a bit flustered at times, who wouldn't be, with those rambunctious twin boys?  Now the boys are starting school, Celeste and her husband look set to become the king and queen of the school parent body.  But royalty often comes at a price, and Celeste is grapping with how much more she is willing to pay.  New to town, single mom Jane is so young that another mother mistakes her for the nanny.  Jane is sad beyond her years and harbours secret doubts about her son.  But why?  While Madeline and Celeste soon take Jane under their wing, none of them realize how the arrival of Jane and her inscrutable little boy will affect them all.

Big Little Lies is a brilliant take on ex-husbands and second wives, mothers and daughters, schoolyard scandal, and the dangerous lies we tell ourselves just to survive.

My Thoughts

This was such a well crafted story of parents behaving badly on the school yard.  It was witty and humourous and the "who done it" kept me guessing up until the end.  I do have to say the the adult playground gossip was a bit juvenile and sometimes it irritated me and then sometimes I would laugh out loud.  I loved the suspense build up and the police questioning snippets at at the end of each chapter - added some nice humour.

The only reason I held back and couldn't give it 5 stars is because the "murder" wasn't as grand as I would have hoped.  The author did such a great job building and building up the ending and then it just fell a bit flat to me.  I was hoping for a juicier murder - If that makes sense.  Other than that I loved it and was very entertained.

This was my first novel by Moriarty, and can't wait to read more!

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.

A Place of Secrets by Rachel Hore

Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Publish Date: February 1, 2012
Format: Audio
Discs: 12
ISBN: 978 

Can dreams be passed down through families?  As a child Jude suffered a recurrent nightmare: running through a dark forest, crying for her mother.  Now six years later her six-year0old niece, Summer, is having the same dream, and Jude is frightened for her.

A successful auctioneer, Jude is struggling to come to terms with the death of her husband.  When she’s asked to value a collection of scientific instruments and manuscripts belonging to Anthony Wickham, a lonely 18^th century astronomer, she leaps at the chance to escape London for the untamed beauty of Norfolk, where she grew up.

As Jude untangles Wickham’s tragic story, she discovers threatening links to the present.  What have Summer’s nightmares to do with Starbrough folly, the eerie crumbling tower in the woods from which Wickham and is adopted daughter Esther once viewed the night sky?  With help of Euan, a local naturalist, Jude searches for answers in the wild, haunting splendor of the Norfolk forests.  Dare she leave behind sadness in her own life and learn to love again?

My Thoughts

Was this a story about trying to understand the reason for Summer's bad dreams or Jude finding love again or solving the mystery of the Wickham family and what happened to Esther or tracking down her grandmother's long lost childhood friend?  I'm not really sure because there were so many sub-plots going on that each got lost.  It was very slow paced and I just found the overall plot to be boring and uninteresting.  The novel had so much potential - why couldn't it just be about Jude unraveling the mystery of Esther and be done with it.  The dream aspect was just plain unrealistic and held no value to the story.  I also found the love story to be unnecessary and boring.  I felt zero engagement with the characters and couldn't wait for the story to end.

I listened to this on audio and I have come to the conclusion that I strongly dislike British narrators!  I have listened to a number of them and the attempt at doing different voices for each character (especially a man or child) makes my skin crawl.  

It had been a few weeks since I listened to this book and I can't real how it even ended.  Hate when that happens.

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Ellis Island (Ellis Island #1) by Kate Kerrigan

Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks
Publish Date: June 28, 2011
Format: Paperback
Pages: 356
ISBN: 978 0062071538

Sweethearts since childhood, Ellie Hogan and her husband, John, are content on their farm in Ireland – until John, a soldier for the Irish Republican Army, receives an injury that leaves him unable to work.  Forced to take drastic measures in order to survive, Ellie does what so many Irish women in the 1920’s have done and sails across a vast ocean to New York Coty to work as a maid for a wealthy socialite.

Once there, Ellie is introduced to a world of opulence and sophistication, tempted by the allure of grand parties and fine clothes, money and mansions…and by the attentions of a charming suitor who can give her everything.  Yet her heart remains with her husband back home.  And now she faces the most difficult choice she will ever have to make; a new life in a new country full of hope and promise, or return to a life of cruel poverty…and love.

My Thoughts

This novel started out good and pulled me right in.  I loved the concept and if I were Ellie I probably would have been mesmerized by all the glitz and glamour of a big city in America if I had come from poverty ridden Ireland.  But once Ellie got there and settled in she transformed into a completely different character I could hardly stand to read about.  Her and her husband John decided she would travel to American and for one year then she was to return home.  When you begin to part one and it's titled 1920-1024 you know it just isn't going to be a year.

What transpires over the last half of the novel is a whiny, selfish, uninspired Ellie returning to Ireland kicking and screaming.  And then continues to do so for the rest of the novel.  All I wanted was the be swept away in Ellie and John's love story and instead got an ungrateful Ellie.

This is the first in a trilogy and although I was not a fan of Ellie's character at the end of the first novel I am still interested in the story line and where the author intends to take her.  I just feel like this novel had so much potential - I hope the next 2 redeem themselves.

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.

Love Anthony by Lisa Genova

Publisher: Gallery Books
Publish Date: September 25, 2012
Format: Audio
Discs: 8
ISBN: 978 1442354128

Two women, each cast adrift by unforeseen events in their lives, meet by accident on a Nantucket beach and are drawn into a friendship.

Olivia is a young mother whose eight-year-old severely autistic son has recently died.  Her marriage badly frayed by years of stress, she comes to the island in a trail separation to try and make sense of the tragedy of her Anthony’s short life.

Beth, a stay-a-home mother of three, is also recently separated after discovering her husband’s long-term infidelity.  In an attempt to recapture a sense of her pre-married life, she rekindles her passion for writing, determined to find her own voice again.  But surprisingly, as she does so, Beth also finds herself channeling the voice of an unknown boy, exuberant in his perceptions of the world around him if autistic is his expression – a voice she can share with Olivia – (is it Anthony?) – that brings comfort and meaning to them both.

My Thoughts

I've had a hard time writing this review as the book and author came highly recommended by a number of people and it just fell flat to me and was rather disappointing  I'm not a fan of a story told from multiple POV and 2 separate story lines when they have no connection to each other until later on in the book.  This is a huge pet peeve of mine.  While I loved the audio narration,  done by Debra Messing, I found the story to be pretty boring and uninteresting.  Olivia's life is boring.  Beth's is equally as boring.  There was no character development  Then Beth starts writing a very unrealistic novel about a boy with autism, who happens to be exactly like Anthony, Olivia's son.  Her novel is told from his perspective which I found to be a bit far fetched. Beth's novel ultimately ties her and Olivia together (shocker) which I felt was an awkward friendship.  Overall I just wasn't a fan of this novel, my first of Lisa Genova's.  I fell like 3 stars was being generous with his one, it just wasn't for me.

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.

Sweet Water by Christina Baker Kline

Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
Publish Date: May 1, 1993
Format: Hardcover
Pages:285
ISBN: 978 0060190330

When a grandfather she never knew bequeaths her a house and 60 acres of land in Sweetwater, Tenn., a restless young artist leaves New York to recover her past and rethink her future.  Cassie Simon’s mother Ellen died when Cassie was only three; raised in Boston by her grieving father, she never knew her maternal relatives.  Unprepared for the thick veil of mystery that surrounds them, Cassie is especially bewildered by her brusque grandmother, whom rumor credits with hiding a terrible secret about Ellen’s death.  In alternating sections told from their respective points of view, Cassie and her grandmother fight their separate battles to cope with the truth about the tragedy.  The result is a powerful, immensely readable tale of loyalty and betrayal, family and memory, made fresh by Kline’s often beautiful and always lucid prose.

My Thoughts

I had recently purchased Orphan Train and then this book came up in a book club and realized it was by the same author.  Sweet Water is Kline's first novel and the first I have read of hers.  Yet again it is one of those tricky 3 star books.  There were a number of good aspects to this novel and then there were some that were not so good.  I liked the concept, of a young girl needing to find herself, and part of the search is to know who her family is and where she came from.  Returning to her birth town after the death of her grandfather, whom she had never met, she starts to develop relationships with her grandmother, aunts, uncles and cousins.  While the description states that the book is shroud is mystery...the mystery was a real let down.  Instead of having the mystery aspect woven it I would have rather preferred for the whole novel to focus on relationship building, self discovery and letting go and moving on.

I liked hearing Clyde's point of view and why she was so stand offish - which in my opinion was unnecessary.  I would have preferred Clyde and Cassie to have a typical grandmother granddaughter relationship.  Yes I understand her heartache, but it was not Cassie's fault for everything that happened in her grandmother's life. The ending was terrible - in that it didn't really end.  It almost seemed like the author just got tired of the story and just said the end.  I was also not a fan of the character Troy.  I found him as a love interest was just wrong.  While I liked that the author gave her a love interest I just did not like that it was him. 

You could defiantly tell that it was a first novel by an author - and I'm sure that writing her following novels she developed more depth.  Well I'm hoping so anyways, as I plan to read more of her. 

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.

Confessions of a Wild Child by Jackie Collins

Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Publish Date: February 4, 2014
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 304
ISBN: 978 1250050939

Confessions of a Wild Child takes you on trip and navigates the teenage years of a wild child who will eventually rule an empire. Lucky Santangelo is a powerful and charismatic woman. But how did she become the woman she is today? Many people have asked, and in Confessions of a Wild Child we discover the teenage Lucky, and follow her on her trip to discover boys, love and how she fought her father, the infamous Gino Santangelo, to forge her own individual and strong road to success.

My Thoughts 

I have long since been a huge fan of Jackie Collins - she is to me the original smut writer.  Her Lucky Santangelo novels are what she is known for.  While this is her 9th installment of the series it is probably the weakest.  You don't need to read the first 8 novels (I haven't) to understand this one.  This takes you back and reiterates everything about Lucky's teenage years that you have already found out if you have read any other books in the series.  This one just seemed like a time filler while Collins contemplated her next move with Lucky. 

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The Shoemaker's Wife by Adriana Trigiani

Publisher: Harper
Publish Date: April 3, 2012
Format: Kobo ereader
Pages: - 
ISBN: 9780062098061

The Fateful first meeting of Enza and Ciro takes place amid the haunting majesty of the Italian Alps at the turn of the last century.  Still teenages, they are separated when Ciro is banished from his village and sent to hide in New York’s Little Italy, apprenticed to a shoemaker, leaving a bereft Enza behind.  But when her own family faces disaster, she too, is forced to emigrate to America.  Though destiny will reunite the star0crossed lovers, it will, just as abruptly , separate them once again-sending Ciro off to serve in World War I, while Enza is drawn into the glamorous world of the opera…and into the life of the international singing sensation Enrico Caruso.  Still Enza and Ciro have been touched by fate-and, ultimately, the power of their love will change their lives forever.

My Thoughts

I've said it before and I'll say it again (and probably again) I am a total sucker for a tragic love story.  When it comes to any story, fictional or not, some stories are just meant to be.    Although slow, and extremely over descriptive, I was captivated and drawn into the lives of Ciro and Enza.  I found the first three quarters of the novel the best part and would just get lost in their love story, but then the last quarter that span several decades and managed to be rushed but at the same time dragged out when it could have ended much sooner, although it would have been on a sad note, it would have made this tragic love story more compelling.

As I mentioned, this was a highly descriptive novel, and was clearly well researched, but it all didn't seem necessary to make the story flow, the characters were developed enough that the rest was just mumbo jumbo.  The positive aspect of this is as I was reading, I could easily see this as a movie.  The description used to illustrate each character and plot line consistently had a movie like aspect that I just couldn't get out of my head.  I loved every minute of it.

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.

Wicked (Pretty Little Liars #5) by Sara Shepard

Publisher: Harper Teen
Publish Date: November 25th, 2008
Format: download library
Pages: - 
ISBN: -

In idyllic Rosewood, Pennsylvania, four very pretty girls just can’t help but be bad…

Hanna will do anything to be Rosewood’s queen bee.  Spencer’s digging up her family’s secrets.  Emily can’t stop thinking about ner new boyfriend.  And Aria approves a little too strongly of her mom’s taste in men.

Now that Ali’s killer is finally behind bars, the girls think they’re safe.  But those who forget the past and condemned to repeat it.  And they should know by now that I’m always watching…

My Thoughts

Well, this is now the 6th PLL book that I've read (there is a 4.5 book) and they just keep getting more and more entertaining.  It started out how all of them do, reiterating everything that has happened in all the previous books - which gets pretty tiring.  But once all that was out of the way (almost half the novel) it got to the nitty gritty.  I love me a good cliff hanger and the 5th installment did not disappoint.  Can't wait to see what these train wrecks have in for store for them next!

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.

Firefly Lane (Firefly Lane #1) by Kristin Hannah

Publisher:

Publish Date: February 5, 2008

Format: Audio

Discs: 15

ISBN:

In the turbulent summer of 1974, Kate Mularkey has accepted her place at the bottom of the eight-grade social food chain.  Then, to her amazement, the “coolest girl in the world” moves in across the street and wants to be her friend.  Tully Hart seems to have it all – beauty, brains, ambition.  On the surface they are as opposite as two people can be: Kate, doomed to be forever uncool, with a loving family who mortifies her at every turn.  Tully, steeped in glamour and mystery, but with a secret that is destroying her.  They make a pact to be best friends forever, by summer’s end they’ve become TullyandKate.  Inseparable.

For thirty years, Tully and Kate buoy each other through life, weathering the storms of friendship – jealousy, anger, hurt, and resentment.  They think they’ve survived it all until a single act of betrayal tears them apart…and puts their courage and friendship to the ultimate test.

My Thoughts

This novel can truly be described as a trip down memory lane.  Starting in the 70's, it takes you all the way to present day and all the heartbreak, jealousy, loyalty, friendship that life throws at you.  While I really enjoyed the premises for this story I found parts to drag on a bit and become a bit boring.  Then there were some really great parts that held the story together for me.  I found this a very long book to get through - however I listened to this on audio are thoroughly enjoyed the narration, which in my opinion can make or break an audio book.

I was not a fan of Tully.  I found her character to be obnoxious and over bearing.  Kate was obsessive and was driving me crazy how she was so insecure about Tully and Johnny.  She was staring to sound like a broken record and just down right annoying.  Even to the very end she still couldn't get past it.

The end of the novel was very heartbreaking - probably the saddest that I have read in a very long time and it was very well written and constructed.  The ending is the reason for the 4 star rating, or else it would have just been a 3 star for me due to the dragginess of the novel.  And my constant want to slap Tully.

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 Last Letter from Your Lover by Jojo Moyes

Publisher: Pamela Dorman Books

Publish Date: July 7, 2011

Format: Hardcover

Pages:390

ISBN: 978 0670220809

It is 1960.  When Jennifer Stirling wakes up in the hospital, she can remember nothing – not the tragic car accident that put her there, not her husband, not even who she is.  She feels like a stranger in her own life until she stumbles upon in impassioned letter, signed simply “B”, asking her to leave her husband.

Years later, in 2003, a journalist named Ellie discovers the same enigmatic letter in a forgotten file in her newspaper’s archives.  She becomes obsessed by the story and hopeful that it can resurrect her faltering career.  Perhaps if these lovers had a happy ending she will find one to her own complicated love life, too.  Ellie’s search will rewrite history and help her see the truth about her own modern romance.

My Thoughts

I really really enjoyed this book.  I think I was in the small minority that didn't think You Before Me was a masterpiece...that it was just ok.  This one I enjoyed so much more.  I am a sucker for a tragic love story and this one had it's fare share of heartbreak and lose.  The first little bit was hard to get into and I had to give myself a pep talk to buckle down and read on but once I did I was hooked.  I would get so lost in Jennifer and Anthony's story and I have to say that the 1960's high society has to be one of my favourite time period to read about.

The writing is graceful and beautiful and each chapter ended with me wanting more.  I found myself gasping a few times then doing the dramatic page turn to find out what happened next.  I fell in love with their love story and I think Jennifer said it best that "by finding "B" she is opening Pandora's box."  But with a love like that how could you not?  

Then enters Ellie Haworth.  While she is an important character in the novel I could have done without her dramatics.  I thought some of it was drawn out and unnecessary.  I keep going back and forth with the ending...thinking if I would like it more if it had went the direction I assumed it would and the author lead you to believe.  One small thing I didn't enjoy was the switching of voice midway through a chapter.  Although I am a fan of multiple point of view, I wish each would have had their own chapter.

Overall just a great story with lots of good twists. Highly Recommended!

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.

Necessary Lies by Diane Chamberlain

Publisher: St. Martin's Press

Publish Date: September 3, 2013

Format: Hardcover

Pages: 368

ISBN: 978 1250010698

After losing her parents, fifteen-year-old Ivy Hart is left to care for her grandmother, older sister and nephew as tenants on a small tobacco farm.  As she struggles with her grandmother’s aging, her sister’s mental illness and her own epilepsy, she realizes they might need more than she can give.

When Jane Forrester takes a position as Grace County’s newest social worker, she doesn’t realize just how much her help is needed.  She quickly becomes emotionally invested in her clients’ lives, causing tension with her boss and her new husband.  But as Jane is drawn in by the Hart women, she begins to discover the secrets of the small farm – secrets much darker than she would have guessed.  Soon, she must decide whether to take drastic action to help them. Or risk losing the battle against everything she believes is wrong.

Set in rural Grace County, North Carolina in a time of state-mandated sterilizations and racial tension, Necessary Lies tells the story of these two young women, seemingly worlds apart, but both haunted by tragedy.  Jane and Ivy are thrown together and must ask themselves: how can you know what you believe is right, when everyone is telling you it’s wrong?

My Thoughts:

WOW! Where has Diane Chamberlain been all my life?!  Set in the rural deep south of the 1960's comes this compelling read that blew me away from the beginning.  I had never heard of the Eugenics Sterilization Program before reading this book and to think that something like this existed is horrifying.  Between 1929 and 1975 over 7000 North Carolina residences who were considered "feeble minded" were sterilized for the "good of the public."  The way the story was beautifully woven with fact and fiction - I found myself quickly wrapped up in the lives of these families.

I absolutely devoured this book, my first of Chamberlain's in just a few sittings.  The characters are deeply developed and believable.  I found much of the book to be very sad, both for Ivy and Mary Ella and the lives they lived but also for Jane and the tough position she was put in by "caring too deeply."  Although it was sad there was never a depressing tone to the book and I think that is something very difficult to do.  And just when I thought my emotions were in tact something would happen that would infuriate me.  I loved the alternating voice between Ivy and Jane and seeing both perspectives of these girls.  Everything about this story was powerful and I really liked the subtle twists in the story.

I've found myself telling everyone who will listen about this book and saying "Please, please read it!"  This is defiantly a book I will re-read again and again and I'm sure Ivy and Jane will stay with me for a very long time - if not forever. 

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.

Family Pictures by Jane Green

Publisher: Macmillan Audio

Publish Date: March 19, 2013

Format: Audio

Discs: 8

ISBN: 978 1427229069

The gripping story of two women who live on opposite coasts whose lives are connected in ways they never could have imagined.  Both women are wives and mothers to children who are about to leave the nest for school.  They’re both in their forties and have husbands who travel more than either of them would like.  They are both feeling an emptiness neither had expected.  But when a shocking secret is exposed, their lives are blown apart.  As dark truths from the past reveal themselves, will these women be able to learn to forgive, for the sake of their children, of not for themselves?

My Thoughts

I absolutely loved the concept of this story because although it seems it could be far fetched this is something that actually happens in real life!  And that's a scary thought.  I really loved both Sylvie and Maggie and how their completely different lives get intertwined in ways they never thought possible.  I listened to this on audio and it was on of these that I never wanted to get out of the vehicle - I sat and listened long after I had no where to go.  It's one of those stories that captivated me right from the beginning and has stayed with me of the past week after I finished.

There are so many attributes that make this such a great novel: family drama, illness, betrayal, love and most of all self discovery.  Although the story is pretty predictable right from the beginning I still found the woven story line very intriguing.  In the beginning it was Sylvie's story that  captivated me but in the end it was Maggie's path to finding herself that left me wanting more.

The only thing I wasn't a fan of was that I felt like there wasn't much closure with Mark and his "situation."  He just kind of fell out of the story and the author just washed her hands of him.  I realize he wasn't the focal point of the outcome but I would have been interested in a chapter from Mark's perspective.  Also I didn't like where the story was going with Eve and Chris...I just found it...weird.

This is my first Jane Green novel and will certainly not be my last!

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.

Prayers for Sale by Sandra Dallas

Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Publish Date: April 14, 2009
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 305
ISBN: 978 0312385187

Hennie Comfort is eighty-six and has lived in the mountains of Middle Swan, Colorado since before it was Colorado.  Nit Spindle is just seventeen and newly married.  She and her husband have just moved to the high country in search of work.  It’s 1936 and the depression has ravaged the country and Nit and her husband have suffered greatly.  Hennie notices the young woman loitering near the old sign outside her house that promises “Prayers For Sale.”  Hennie doesn't sell prayers, never has, but there’s something about the young woman that she’s drawn to.  The harsh conditions of life that each have endured create an instant bond and an unlikely friendship is formed, one in which the deepest of hardships are shared and the darkest of secrets are confessed.

My Thoughts

I unexpectedly really enjoyed this book.  It wasn't one I would normally pick for myself and am happy I ended up liking it so much.  This book is filled with many great life lessons and stories told by Hennie that she wants passed on long after she is gone.  There are many factors that made this a great story: friendship, faith and forgiveness.  

I really enjoyed the theme of the story - Hennie taking young Nit under her wing and trying to teach her the ways of mining living in the mountains of Colorado and the hardships that come along with it.  There were a few unexpected twists the made my want to keep reading...and what an amazing ending!  Although I knew what the outcome would most likely be (and was right) the secret I didn't see coming.  

Just an overall heartwarming read from an author that is new to me. Now I'll be sure to check out her other novels.

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.

Must Love Otters by Eliza Gordon

Publisher: West 26th Street Press

Publish Date: October 25, 2013

Format: Kobo ereader

Pages: -

ISBN: 978 1630640101

Hollie Porter is the chairwoman of Generation Disillusioned: at twenty-five years old, she’s saddled with a job she hates, a boyfriend who’s all wrong for her, and a vexing inability to say no.  She’s already near her breaking point, so when one caller too many kicks the bucket during Hollie’s 911 shift, she cashes in the Sweethearts’ Spa & Stay gift certificate from her dad and heads to Revelation Cove, British Columbia.  Once caveat: she’s going solo.  Any sweethearts will have to be found on site.

Hollie hopes to find her beloved otters in the wilds of the Great White North, but instead she’s providing comic relief for staff and guests alike.  Even Concierge Ryan, a former NHL star with bad knees and broken dreams, can’t stop her from stumbling from one (mis)adventure to another.  Just when Hollie starts to think that a change of venue doesn't mean a change in circumstances, the island works its charm and she starts to think she might have found the rejuvenation she so desperately desires.  But then an uninvited guest crashes the party, forcing her to step out of the discomfort zone where she dwells and saves the day… and maybe even herself in the process.

My Thoughts

I thought this book was freaking hilarious and it must be made into a movie immediately!  I absolutely loved Hollie and the misfortunes she got herself into...everything she did I felt like I was reading about myself.  I would be that girl stuck in a rowboat with no oars in a rainstorm.  I'm just unlucky, what can I say.  I bought this book solely based on the title...who doesn't love otters!?  They have to be the cutest animal there is.  Oh and Ryan, how can you not instantly fall in love and root for him?

Written by the husband and wife duo team of Eliza Gordon, I thought it was witty, sharp and very original.  I can't wait to read more from this dynamic team.  I laughed and cried then laughed some more...it was that good!

I highly recommend Must Love Otters to anyone who loves a feel-good romantic comedy that you don't want to end. 

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.

White Girl Problems by Babe Walker

Publisher: Hyperion

Publish Date: January 17, 2012

Format: Kobo ereader

Pages: - 

ISBN: 978 1401304119

Babe Walker, center of the universe, is a painstakingly manicured white girl with an expensive smoothie habit, a proclivity for Louboutins, a mysterious mother she’s never met, and approximately 50 bajillion Twitter followers.  But her “problems” have landed her in shopping rehab – that’s what happens when you spend $246,893.50 in one afternoon at Barneys.  Now she’s decided to write her memoir, revealing the gut-wrenching hurdles she’s had to overcome in order to be perfect in every way, every day.  Hurdles such as: I hate my horse.  Every job I've ever had is the worst job I've ever had.  He’s not a doctor, a lawyer, or a prince.  I’ll eat anything, as long as it’s gluten-free, dairy-free, low-carb, low-calorie, sugar-free, and organic.

My Thoughts

If you enjoy reading "memoirs" about an overly rich, spoiled, shallow, neurotic, self-absorbed, materialistic, annoying, selfish socialite with major "problems" then this is the "memoir" for you!  Yes there were parts that I found funny and gave myself a chuckle but overall I just found it unrealistic.  You just want to be embarrassed for Babe Walker, but you can't.

After attempting to Google Babe Walker and finding nothing but a blog and Twitter account I then learned that she isn't even a real person - just a made up character.

Yes I purchased the book (on sale for $2.99) and yes I will probably read the next book Psychos: A White Girl Problems Novel (when it also goes on sale for $2.99) and yes I started following @whitegrlproblems on Twitter (for entertainment purposes) but overall this was a bit of a disappointing read.  But in the end I guess it served it's purpose because I've clearly gotten caught up in the antics of "Babe Walker." xo

My Rating: ««

Buy it Now!

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.