One Day by David Nicholls

One Day

Author:  David Nicholls

Genre:  Fiction

Publisher:  Hodder and Stoughton

Date Published:  June 11th 2009

From Goodreads: 

Emma and Dexter meet for the first time on the night of their graduation. Tomorrow they must go their separate ways. So where will they be on this one day next year? And the year after that? And every year that follows? Twenty years, two people, ONE DAY.

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“Twenty years, two people, ONE DAY”

I feel in love with this book.

So much goes on between Dexter and Emma. The sexual tension was there, friendship, unrequited love, and so much more. I loved every minute of One Day. One Day follows the lives of Dexter and Emma throughout their twenty year friendship, same day, different year. What a great concept, and it worked brilliantly.

What exactly was it that made me devour this book in one sitting? I believe it was Dexter and Emma. I enjoyed them, I laughed with them, I cried with them, I got mad at them…they were my friends. David Nicholls thought hard about what he wanted Dexter and Emma to be. They were well drawn out characters, you grew comfortable with them. You root for them you even want to yell at them.

One Day is heart wrenching, it’s beautiful, it’s even freaking poetic to me.

Did you know that there is a movie coming out in July of this year of One Day.  Emma will be played by Anne Hathaway, and Dexter will be played by Jim Sturgess.  I can't wait!!

One Day Photo/ copyrighted Focus Features

These Things Hidden by Heather Gudenkauf

These Things Hidden

Author:  Heather Gudenkauf

Genre:  Fiction

Publisher:  Mira

Date Published:  January 18th 2011

From Goodreads: 

When teenager Allison Glenn is sent to prison for a heinous crime, she leaves behind her reputation as Linden Falls' golden girl forever. Her parents deny the existence of their once-perfect child. Her former friends exult her downfall. Her sister, Brynn, faces whispered rumors every day in the hallways of their small Iowa high school. It's Brynn—shy, quiet Brynn—who carries the burden of what really happened that night. All she wants is to forget Allison and the past that haunts her.

But then Allison is released to a halfway house, and is more determined than ever to speak with her estranged sister.

Now their legacy of secrets is focused on one little boy. And if the truth is revealed, the consequences will be unimaginable for the adoptive mother who loves him, the girl who tried to protect him and the two sisters who hold the key to all that is hidden.

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Wow!  I knew it, I knew that I was going to love this book.  I whipped through Ms. Gudenkauf's first novel The Weight of Silence, so I had really high expectations for These Things Hidden.  The book did not fail me. 

These Things Hidden is told through 4 perspectives, Charm, Claire, Allison, and Bryn.  From the description you get what the story is about, but you also know there will be twists and turns throughout the story.  With so many perspectives being told you would think one of these characters would fall short, but they are all fleshed out, and written so well. As you read each chapter you slowly realize how these four characters are connected. 

The plot unfolds delicately but timely.  I didn't feel there were any fillers, and I never wanted to yell at the book "let's get a move on".  I wonder if Ms. Gudenkauf figures out where she is going while writing or if she outlines and knows exactly where she wants the story to go.

A very heartwrenching emotional read that is well take a hold of you until the very last page. 

If you love Diane Chamberlain you will love author Heather Gudenkauf. 

Heather Gudenkauf website

Still Missing by Chevy Stevens

Still Missing

Author:  Chevy Stevens

Genre:  Thriller/Mystery

Publisher:  St. Martin's Press

Date Published:  July 6th 2010

What a freaky scary book. I read this in such a fast pace, and I loved every minute. The thriller/mystery genre is one I dabble in here and there, and the main reason for this is I never get the seating on the edge of my chair feeling I expect from the genre. Still Missing is the reason I continue reading thriller and mysteries though. I was so engrossed in this novel it’s amazing that I remembered to cook dinner…wait, I didn’t. We had McDonald’s that day.

Still Missing is the story of the kidnapping, captivity, and escape as well as consequential emotions that follow of Annie O’Sullivan. The novel starts off with Annie at her therapist.

“If we’re going to do this, it’s going to be done my way. That means no questions from you. Not even one sneaky little “How did you feel when...” I’ll tell the story from the beginning, and when I’m interested in hearing what you have to say, I’ll let you know.”

If that’s doesn’t have you turn the page with a quickness then I don’t know what will. The story is being told during Annie’s therapy sessions. The chapters are actually called sessions. Most of the sessions are of Annie telling the story of the kidnapping, but then you have sessions about what she’s going through post nightmare. The tale that Annie tells is frightening to no end. Seriously, this is a women’s worst nightmare. I kept on reading way until the night because I need to know how she escaped, how she managed the torture. How the hell did she survive?

Chevy Stevens wrote a debut novel that did the unusual for me, it kept me on the edge of my seat. Thank you for that Ms. Stevens, and for that you have a fan for life.

Is this recommendable…hell yeah!

Go read it!

In the Woods by Tana French

In the Woods

Author:  Tana French

Publisher:  Viking Adult

Genre:  Mystery/Thriller

Date Published:  May 17th 2007

 In the Woods has some flaws but I found the story Tana French weaved engrossing.

Detective Rob Ryan along with his partner Detective Cassie Maddox get assigned the case of 12 yr. old Katy Devlin, who was found murdered at a archaeological site in Knocknaree, Ireland. The site of the murder brings back painful memories for Detective Rob Ryan. 12 yr old Rob along with his two best friends Jamie and Paul went into the woods in Knocknaree where the archaeological site is now and only Rob came back. Covered in blood and completely traumatized he has no memory of that day, so consequentially the case of Jamie and Paul remains unsolved. The case of Katy Devlin brings back some memories that affect Detective Ryan as well as her case.

I was quickly grabbed by In the Woods, and it did not let me go until I read the last page. I don’t often read mystery/thrillers but after reading this I wondered why the hell I don’t. It was thrilling, and I was kept on pins and needles wondering who killed Katy, and what happened in those woods twenty years before. I thought Ms. French did a wonderful job intertwining both these cases making for double the ride.

As I mentioned in the beginning there were flaws in In the Woods that irked me. Detective Rob Ryan appeared totally incompetent as a detective at times. I would find myself wondering how someone could be so stupid and not realize something especially a detective. Detective Cassie Maddox was a way better detective in my opinion, and I wanted her to shoot her partner a couple of times for being plain stupid. The biggest no-no though was the ending. This could have been a 5 star book even with the Detective Barney Fife (Rob Ryan), but the ending shattered it. It didn’t put this book super low that I won’t recommend it, because even with the ending I thought it was a pretty good solid debut.

Would I recommend this, yes but I’m warning you the ending could possibly piss you off. I am looking forward to the reading the next book, The Likeness, and I do believe I found another author to keep a look out for.

End the end, did I luurve it..no, but I really really liked it.

Sh*t My Dad Says by Justin Halpern

Sh*t My Dad Says

Author:  Justin Halpern

Publisher:  Harpercollins Publishers

Date Published:  May 4th 2010

It's hard to believe that there is someone out who hasn't heard of Sh*t My Dad Says, so I'm going to keep it short and simple. 

It had me literally laughing my ass off!

It is a very short read, but every bit of it is entertaining.  Each chapter starts with a dad story then there is a couple of pages of the infamous quotes. 

If you are looking for something funny pick this up. 



The True Story of Hansel and Gretel by Louise Murphy

The True Story of Hansel and Gretel

Author:  Louise Murphy

Genre:  Historical Fiction

Publisher:  Penguin

Date Published:  July 29th 2003

From Goodreads:

In the last months of the Nazi occupation of Poland, two children are left by their father and stepmother to find safety in a dense forest. Because their real names will reveal their Jewishness, they are renamed "Hansel" and "Gretel." They wander in the woods until they are taken in by Magda, an eccentric and stubborn old woman called "witch" by the nearby villagers. Magda is determined to save them, even as a German officer arrives in the village with his own plans for the children.

Combining classic themes of fairy tales and war literature, this haunting novel of journey and survival, of redemption and memory, powerfully depicts how war is experienced by families and especially by children, and tells a resonant, riveting story.

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The True Story of Hansel and Gretel is a hard book to put down, as well as a hard book to digest.  The setting, Poland during War World 1 is a horrific time for the people living there.  The Germans occupied and ran everything, and so much brutality was happening in small little villages.  The True Story of Hansel and Gretel is a retelling of Hansel and Gretel turned up a notch. 

Author Louise Murphy's writing is really great.  I could see what these families were dealing with, I could feel there hopelessness, then hopefulness.  I hated the Nazis, I loved the children that didn't know better, or could hardly remember what life was like before the Germans came rushing in with there guns, and brutality. 

The ending is bittersweet, but I couldn't expect a pretty ending.  I completely feel for The True Story of Hansel and Gretel, and Louise Murphy's writing. 

It's amazing how hard it is to write a review for something you LOVED!

Just read it!

Rumor Has It by Jill Mansell

Rumor Has It

Author:  Jill Mansell

Publisher:  Sourcebooks Landmark

Genre:  Women's Fiction

Date Published:  May 1st 2010

From Goodreads:

Newly single Tilly Cole impulsively moves to a small town, only to find she's arrived in a hotbed of gossip, intrigue, and rampant rivalry for the most desirable man—Jack Lucas, whose reputation is beyond bad. Tilly has no intention of becoming another notch on his bedpost. But she finds the thoughtful, caring guy she comes to value as a friend doesn't seem to fit the town's playboy image. Should she listen to her friends or her heart? Is Tilly being mature and sensible—or running away from the love of her life?

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I have a up down relationship with Jill Mansell’s writing. Some of her books I’ve put in the DNF pile some I’ve devoured in a couple of days. With Rumor Has It Jill Mansell is on my awesome list again. I absolutely loved it, it’s become my favorite of hers.

I’m starting to realize that characters are a huge indicator of whether I will love the book or not. I completely fell for all the characters in Rumor Has It, even the deranged wannabe scorned soon to be ex wife, Stella. Tilly Cole has taken the job as a Girl Friday for interior decorator Max. She moves in with Max and his daughter Louisa, and quickly forms a friendship and bond with them that is wonderful to read. There interactions are witty and fun.  Max is such an endearing funny character. I instantly liked him, and how he ran his household.  Jack is the town male floozy, and most eligible bachelor in the small town of Roxborough. Jack has his sights on Tilly, but Tilly doesn’t want to be another notch on the belt.

The main story is about Tilly, but there are a couple of side stories in Rumor Has It. Tilly’s best friend just started seeing a recently separated man, and along for the ride is his soon to be ex wife, Stella. Max’s ex wife, and Lou’s mom, Kaye is a actress in a series in the states and is going through a rough time after some untrue bad publicity ends her job, and career. All these stories going on around Tilly’s makes Rumor Has It a fun page turning read.



Juliet by Anne Fortier

Juliet

Author:  Anne Fortier

Genre:  Historical Fiction

Publisher:  Ballantine Books

Date Published:  August 24th 2010

From Goodreads:

Twenty-five-year-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?

From Anne Fortier comes a sweeping, beautifully written novel of intrigue and identity, of love and legacy, as a young woman discovers that her own fate is irrevocably tied—for better or worse—to literature’s greatest star-crossed lovers.

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What a captivating wild ride! I absolutely adored Juliet. The mystery, the romance, and the gorgeous Siena backdrop all meshed together made for a grand story. I’ve been pining for this book as soon as I heard about it, as I am a sucker for anything Romeo and Juliet related.

Anne Fortier hit it out of the ball park with her debut novel, Juliet. I’m impressed with the flow of the story, and the research that must have went into this amazing book. Everything just came together beautifully. Ms. Fortier takes you for a ride into past Siena, circa 1300’s to present Siena. Chapters flip back and forth between the current Guiletta, and the Guiletta of Romeo and Juliet. I also learned a great deal about Italian especially Siena, their customs, and the importance of what your last name is.

There were some minor flaws, for instance some of the dialogue was unrealistic. It at times stalled the pace, but it was very minor, in my opinion. Present Guiletta was overly gullible, and a time or two I got frustrated. None of these things took away from this great story, though.

Juliet will definitely pluck you out of your life and take you for a soap opera ride into the story of Romeo and Juliet.



One for the Money & Two for the Dough by Janet Evanovich (Mini- Reviews)

One for the Money

Author:  Janet Evanovich



I was one of the few who hadn’t read any books from Janet Evanovich, to remedy that I decided to give the Stephanie Plum series a chance.  I know that the Stephanie Plum character is a beloved character to many.  I’ve read about the whole Ranger/Joe Morelli/Stephanie triangle. there wasn’t any of that in book 1, and I guess I was expecting that right off the bat.  In fact, Ranger is not much in this book at all. I don't really get a sense of who Ranger is.  I did like it though, I immediately picked up book 2 after reading this one.

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Two for the Dough

Author:  Janet Evanovich

Book two of the Stephanie Series was a little bit more slow for me.  Again it was alright, but I was expecting more.  Where the hell is Ranger?  Not much of him in this one either.  Hmmm, I going to have to continue I guess to get to the meaty, really great stuff.  For now though I’ve stopped with book two.  I will eventually get back into the life of Stephanie Plum, bounty hunter.

Uncharted Territori by Tori Spelling

Uncharted Territori

Author:  Tori Spelling

Genre:  Memoir

Date Published:  June 15th 2010

From Goodreads: 

It’s not every Hollywood starlet whose name greets you on a Virgin Airways flight into la-la land. But Tori Spelling has come to accept that her life is a spectacle. Her name is her brand, and business is booming. Too bad when your job is to be yourself, you can’t exactly take a break.

Tori finally has everything she thought she wanted—a loving family and a successful career—but trying to live a normal life in Hollywood is a little weird. With the irresistible wit, attitude, and humor that fans have come to love, the New York Times bestselling author of sTORI telling and Mommywood is back with more hilarious, heartwarming, and candid stories of juggling work, marriage, motherhood, and reality television cameras.

Tori comes clean about doing her time on jury duty, stalking herself on Twitter, discovering her former 90210 castmates’ "I Hate Tori" club, contracting swine flu, and contacting Farrah Fawcett from the dead. Like many mothers, she struggles to find balance (Stars, they’re just like us!)—only most women don’t have to battle it out with paparazzi at the grocery store. She talks openly about the darker side of life in the spotlight: media scrutiny over her weight and her marriage to Dean McDermott, her controversial relationship with Dean’s ex-wife, and her unfolding reconciliation with her mother.

Having it all isn’t always easy—especially when you’re a perfectionist—but with the help of her unconventional family and friends, an underwear-clad spiritual cleansing or two, and faith in herself, she’s learning to find her happy ending. Because when you’re Tori Spelling, every day brings uncharted terriTORI.***

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I’ve read all of Tori Spelling’s books so far, and they are starting to run into each other. It’s hard to identify each book, they all seem the same. There are some funny parts though in Uncharted Territori.  I don’t know if I will pick up another memoir from her, I really think she doesn’t have much else to say. I would love to read a tell all about her days with 90210, she barely taps into that period of her life. For now though unless she comes out with fiction or a 90210 tell all I’m done reading another Tori Spelling book. I love reading her tweets though, and she does seem like a pretty cool lady.

Super in the City by Daphne Uviller

Super in the City

Author:  Daphne Uviller

Genre:  Chick Lit

Publisher:  Bantam

Date Published:  January 27th 2009

From Goodreads:

In this off-the-beaten-sidewalk debut, native New Yorker Daphne Uviller reveals the secrets of a sexy, story-filled Big Apple, where a mystery lurks behind every apartment door—and a savvy but slightly lost young woman unexpectedly finds herself holding the keys.

In a city brimming with opportunities for heroism, twenty-seven-year-old Zephyr Zuckerman has often fantasized about committing acts of bravery that would make front-page news. Now she may get her big break—though it may require plunging a few toilets. When the superintendent of her parents’ Greenwich Village brownstone is led away in handcuffs, unemployed Zephyr takes over his post and unleashes her inner sleuth: discovering titillating secrets about her tenants—from a smoky-voiced Frenchwoman who entertains throngs of unsavory visitors to a moody musician who just has to be hiding something—and realizing that her new reality is far more intriguing than her imagination.

Soon Zephyr has sussed out wrongs that stretch from losers on the Internet to art fraud and an international crime ring. The mob thinks she’s in the FBI, and the FBI thinks she’s in the mob—a predicament she needs to clear up fast. But perhaps not before the cute, surly exterminator helps her solve the mystery of what to do with the rest of her life....

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I picked this up at a UBS for a buck, freaking awesome. Super in the City is a great entertaining chick lit mystery, light on the mystery, heavy on the chick lit.

The best part of Super in the City is Zephyr, the feisty over imaginative female protagonist. 27 yr. old Zephyr becomes the super of her parent’s apartment building after James, the old super is lead away in handcuffs. While being the super she starts noticing some strange things going on in the building, and seriously what is the deal with James, who she thought was British, but she couldn’t mistake the Brooklyn accent coming out of him while being lead away in handcuffs. Mixed into the mystery of the going and comings of some tenants is the female friendships she has with the Sterling Seven, the girl friends she’s had since school. Together the Sterling Seven talk men especially Zephyrs new crush, the buildings exterminator.

Author Daphne Uviller is a native New Yorker, who also was the Super to her parents building, so she definitely wrote what she knows, and it shows. The writing and story flowed and I quickly got sucked into the life of Zephyr, the tenants, and The Sterling Seven. There is a little of everything in Super in the City. I was happy to find out that there is a sequel coming out August 2011, Hotel No Tell.

The Christmas Gift by R. William Bennett

The Christmas Gift

Author:  R. William Bennett

Publisher:  Burgess Adams

Date Published:  September 1st 2010

I literally sobbed my eyes out with The Christmas Gift. At 152 pages this Christmas book gives a whopper of a punch right to your emotions. It’s a really quick read but the story stays with you long after you read it.

The Christmas Gift is about two 6th grade boys that find an unlikely friendship after learning the gift of forgiveness, compassion, and understanding. Scott’s family moves around a lot, when he arrives at his new school he has a unfortunate incident with the school bully Ben in the lunch line, after that he becomes a target of Ben’s. Things come head to head one day when during lunch Scott sticks up for himself, but what happens after that is a story that will touch your heart, seriously. I need to discuss this book with someone so I started reading bits and pieces of it to my husband, and was completely choked. Imagine reading something out loud with a lump in your throat…that was me. This book is one that I will pass on to my kids to read, and my nephews, because I really think they will be able to gain something good, and really think about others.

I absolutely loved The Christmas Gift, it was truly a gift..lol! I highly recommend this one for adults, and kids of all ages.

The Transformation of Things by Jillian Cantor

The Transformation of Things

Author:  Jillian Cantor

Genre:  Women's Literature

Publisher:  HarperCollins

Date Published:  November 2nd 2010



“Is reality a dream, or are dreams our reality”

Life isn’t always grand when you’re part of the elite. Jennifer and Will are part of the upper society in their town of Deerfield. Will is a judge, and is never at home, and Jennifer plays tennis at the country club, is part of a Ladies Club. On the surface they are fine with their lives, so encumbered in it they don’t really realize that they aren’t happy. Then Will gets indicted on bribery charges, and things start becoming clear. Could this be the best thing to have happened to them? Jennifer slowly realizes what is important and how much they are missing with a meaningless life with the help of herbs and the sudden ability to get into peoples lives and minds through dreams.

The Transformation of Things is a cleverly written novel that is part fantasy. There is quite a bit of relatable things going on. Don’t we all get caught up on appearances, and the portrayal of over the top bliss? Though at the beginning things our hard, Jennifer finds out who her friends are, and what actually makes her happy. Author, Jillian Cantor adding these herbs giving Jennifer the ability to look into someone elses life and thoughts was brilliant, because with it she was able to have Jennifer discover what was really important, and to realize that everybody is not perfect, and life isn’t always as it seems.

Character wise I was glad to get to know Will. Usually in books that are about marriages and life in general have the husband come in and out of the story and really never get to know them, but with Will I really felt that Ms. Cantor put thought into who he was.

I really enjoyed how much emphasis she put on being a mother. The stress and feeling of losing oneself in motherhood was greatly touched upon in The Transformation of Things. As a mother of three I could relate to Lisa, Kat, and Kelly. The insight to their lives was a nice touch of my reality. It made me feel connected to the story.

Overall, I’m very pleased with The Transformation of Things. I read this over a two day period, closing the book satisfied.

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

The Kite Runner

Author:  Khaled Hosseini

Genre:  Historical Fiction/Literary Fiction

Publisher:  Riverhead Trade

Date Published:  April 27th 2004

From Goodreads:

An epic tale of fathers and sons, of friendship and betrayal, that takes us from the final days of Afghanistan’s monarchy to the atrocities of the present.

The unforgettable, heartbreaking story of the unlikely friendship between a wealthy boy and the son of his father’s servant, The Kite Runner is a beautifully crafted novel set in a country in the process of being destroyed. It is about the power of reading, the price of betrayal, and the possibility of redemption. And it is also about the power of fathers over sons -- their love, their sacrifices, their lies.

The first Afghan novel to be written in English, The Kite Runner tells a sweeping story of family, love, and friendship against a backdrop of history that has not been told in fiction before, bringing to mind the large canvasses of the Russian writers of the nineteenth century. But just as it is old-fashioned in its narration, it is contemporary in its subject -- the devastating history of Afghanistan over the past thirty years. As emotionally gripping as it is tender, The Kite Runner is an unusual and powerful debut.

 

 

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I can't believe I had no interest in reading The Kite Runner, I finally gave in after I found a copy at a consignment store for cheap.  There was no way I was leaving that store without a book in my hand.  WOW!  This is one of the best books i've read of late, so well written, and the story was heartwrenching.

The bulk of the story takes place in 1970's Afghanistan, Amir and Hassan are best friends, but come from totally different social classes, infact Hassan is Amir's servant.  Hassan really got the short end of the friendship, because Amir was not a very good friend.  Amir teeter totted between loving Hassan and resenting him.  I came to really love the character Hassan, he definitely pulls at your heart strings.  Things come head to head when Amir's resentment of Hassan become too strong which leads to Hassan and his dad leaving the household.  Soon after Afghanistan becomes war torn, and Amir and his dad escape to America.  What happens after is really the second half of the book. 

I'm most impressed with how emotionally involved I was with the characters.  I cried a couple of times reading this, and that really says something about the writing.  When someone can write something that touches you deeply enough to feel something real, well, kudos.   I also loved learning about the Afghan culture.  The kite running tradition was really interesting, though hard to picture.


There are a couple of things that made me think "too perfect" like the fact that Amir comes head to head with Assaf, his and Hassan's childhood enemy, as a adult.  What are the chances?  Assaf is now a taliban leader, and I just thought the confrontation between him and Amir was too unbelievable.  I understand why he did it though, I so hated Assaf that I wanted him to get his, and well he did.



The Kite Runner is  Mr. Hosseini's debut novel, what a impact he made in the literal world.  The Kite Runner is about love, friendship, jealousy, and the human heart.  I cannot recommend this one enough.

The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters

The Little Stranger

Author:  Sarah Waters

Genre:  Literary Fiction

Publisher:  Riverhead

Date Published:  April 30th, 2009

From Goodreads:

With The Little Stranger, Waters revisits the fertile setting of Britain in the 1940s-and gives us a sinister tale of a haunted house, brimming with the rich atmosphere and psychological complexity that have become hallmarks of Waters's work.

The Little Stranger follows the strange adventures of Dr. Faraday, the son of a maid who has built a life of quiet respectability as a country doctor. One dusty postwar summer in his home of rural Warwickshire, he is called to a patient at Hundreds Hall. Home to the Ayres family for more than two centuries, the Georgian house, once grand and handsome, is now in decline - its masonry crumbling, its gardens choked with weeds, the clock in its stable yard permanently fixed at twenty to nine. But are the Ayreses haunted by something more ominous than a dying way of life? Little does Dr. Faraday know how closely, and how terrifyingly, their story is about to become entwined with his.

Abundantly atmospheric and elegantly told, The Little Stranger is Sarah Waters's most thrilling and ambitious novel yet.

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The Little Stranger is my first Sarah Waters experience, it was really a great Halloween reading pick.  Definitely subtle in it's scariness, you really had to appreciate the scene Ms. Waters was painting with her words.  She didn't jump out and say BOO, but slowly let the creepiness of the situations melt over you. 

The Little Stranger's main character is the old dilapated mansion, Hundreds Hall.  Again, the description of the mansion had your imagination picturing a ominious place.  You could sense the evil lurking in every shadow, and hallway.  Author Sarah Waters takes her time and uses her words wisely building the suspense until you must find out what's next. Hundreds Hall at it's heyday was a beautiful place but tragedy seemed to always find it's way to the house, the worse being the death of a child from an illness.  The cream of the crop reigned there, and the townspeople were fascinated with the people living there, and moreso the mansion itself.  One of the most enamored with the mansion is one of the local Doctors, Dr. Faraday, who as a kid completely fell under it's spell. 

Ms. Waters  unquestionably puts emphasis on developing her characters.  The first half of the book really is for you getting to know the characters, so that you can learn to care about them.  I loved that about The Little Stranger.  I felt like I knew all the characters personally, so much I knew about them.  I knew the faces they made when frustrated, embarassed, etc.  As Dr. Faraday starts enmeshing himself with the occupants, the Ayers, I think it is the mansion fueling his want to help the family and not so much the family itself.  As things start falling apart with the people connected with Hundreds Hall, the Little Stranger shows it's evil.

My only complaint in The Little Stranger is the ending.  Infact, the ending was open ended.  In reading some reviews I see some feel it ended as it should have, I was disappointed.  I feel you are left taking a guess, and I would rather be told by the author what she intended.

The Little Stranger is gothic historical tale that is riveting, and written brilliantly.  I am now looking forward to reading more from Sarah Waters. 

Love in Mid Air by Kim Wright

Love in Mid Air

Author:  Kim Wright

Genre:  Literary Fiction

Publisher:  Grand Central Publishing

Date Released:  March 29th, 2010

From Goodreads: 

A chance encounter with a stranger in an airplane sends Elyse Bearden into an emotional tailspin. Suddenly, Elyse is willing to risk everything: her safe but stale marriage, her seemingly perfect life in an affluent Southern suburb, and her position in the church. As Elyse embarks on a risky affair, her longtime friend Kelly and the other women in their book club begin to question their own decisions about love, sex, marriage, and freedom. In the end it will take an extraordinary leap of faith for Elyse to find--and follow--her own path to happiness.

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Love in Mid Air is a uniquely written book about a common situation. We’ve all read books about marriages stopping dead in it’s tracks, infidelity and mid life crisis, but Love in Mid Air has a different vibe.

I was impressed by the realness of the main character Elyse. Elyse is not the cookie cutter wife who is discarded for the token hot younger women, she is infact the one who wants, and dreams of a better relationship. I really felt for her, and understood her frustration with her husband, who could never really see her, nor hear her. When Elyse meets a man on a flight, she finds her self torn between doing what’s expected or what she wants. There is no combing over things in Love in Mid Air, Elyse really struggles with the thought of divorce, and how it will impact those in her life. At times I would get frusterated with her, because some of it seemed so selfish, but that is the part of me that is rooted with my belief of “for better or worse”. I can’t help it, I’m old fashion in my thinking of what all a marriage is.

There were quite a bit of female bonding in the book between Elyse and her close girl friends, but I never quite got off, or felt any closeness to those character, to me Elyse was the star of this novel, and everyone else faded into the background.

Love in Mid Air errupts all sorts of emotion from you as you read it. I’m surprised due to the topic that I didn’t hate Elyse, but really I just found her human. I would recommend this to anyone looking for a drama filled real look at a marriage that is drowning in emptiness.





When We Were Gods: A Novel of Cleopatra by Colin Falconer

When We Were Gods: A Novel of Cleopatra

Author:  Colin Falconer

Publisher:  Three Rivers Press

Date Published:  March 26th 2002

From Goodreads: 

Arrestingly beautiful and fiercely intelligent, Cleopatra VII of Egypt was barely more than a teenager when she inherited the richest empire in the world—one that stretched from the scorching deserts of lower Egypt to the shining Mediterranean metropolis of Alexandria. Imperiled at every turn by court conspiracies and Roman treachery, Cleopatra brazenly sought a partnership with the only man who could secure Egypt’s safety: Julius Caesar, a wily politician and battle-hardened general with a weakness for women. The result was a passionate love affair that scandalized Rome and thrust Cleopatra into the glittering but deadly world of imperial intrigue and warfare—a world that she would mesmerize and manipulate even after Caesar was gone.

Colin Falconer takes the reader inside the walls of Alexandria’s great palaces and into Cleopatra’s very heart, creating a vivid portrait of an unforgettable woman who thrived and triumphed in a world ruled by men. This is the glorious story of a legendary woman, a story that blazes through thousands of years of history to capture the imagination of readers today.

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When We Were Gods is a fascinating read.  At 512 pages I took my time so I can savor every word.  Cleopatra has always been a interesting figure in history to me, as well as anything Ancient Egyptian, so slowly I've been gathering books both fiction and non-fiction about it's history, and famous rulers.

Author, Colin Falconer did a super job in describing the times, and giving us a glimpse of Ancient Egypt and Rome.  Ruthless, that would be the word I would describe what was going on in Cleopatra's time.  When We Were Gods takes us into Cleopatra's reign of Egypt, how ambitious she was, and cunning.  What a grand women in history.  She did things all the way, or not at all.  The author takes us through all the major history plots in her life from her time with Julius Casaer, to her ending.  I loved getting to know Cleopatra as a mother.  I really felt that her ambition came from wanting to give her kids the world in their hands. So much of what she did was for them. 

Some parts in the book were racy, and sexual but we are reading about Cleopatra, and she sure knew how to use what she had to get men to do her bidding.   In no way did the scenes leave a bad taste in my mouth. When We Were Gods is a well-researched book that will enthrall you, and leave you wanting more of Ancient Egypt. 



Arcadia Falls by Carol Goodman

Arcadia Falls
Author:  Carol Goodman
Publisher:  Ballantine Books
Publication Date:  March 9, 2010

From Goodreads: 

Meg Rosenthal is driving toward the next chapter in her life. Winding along a wooded roadway, her car moves through a dense forest setting not unlike one in the bedtime stories Meg used to read to her daughter, Sally. But the girl riding beside Meg is a teenager now, and has exchanged the land of make-believe for an iPod and some personal space. Too much space, it seems, as the chasm between them has grown since the sudden, unexpected death of Meg’s husband.



Dire financial straits and a desire for a fresh start take Meg and Sally from a comfortable life on Long Island to a tucked-away hamlet in upstate New York: Arcadia Falls, where Meg has accepted a teaching position at a boarding school. The creaky, neglected cottage Meg and Sally are to call home feels like an ill portent of things to come, but Meg is determined to make the best of it—and to make a good impression on the school’s dean, the diminutive, elegant Ivy St. Clare.


St. Claire, however, is distracted by a shocking crisis: During Arcadia’s First Night bonfire, one of Meg’s folklore students, Isabel Cheney, plunges to her death in a campus gorge. Sheriff Callum Reade finds Isabel’s death suspicious, but then, he is a man with secrets and a dark past himself.


Meg is unnerved by Reade’s interest in the girl’s death, and as long-buried secrets emerge, she must face down her own demons and the danger threatening to envelop Sally. As the past clings tight to the present, the shadows, as if in a terrifying fairy tale, grow longer and deadlier.

In Arcadia Falls, award-winning author Carol Goodman deftly weaves a mesmerizing narrative of passion: for revenge, for art, for love.



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I'm a big fan of Carol Goodman, so I was really excited to get to read Arcadia Falls.  Like most of Ms. Goodman's books,  Arcada Falls take place at a boarding school. I am not at all surprised how quickly I fell into the story.

Meg just lost her husband,  she decides the best option for both her and her daughter is to take a teaching position at a boarding school in Arcadia Falls.  Meg quickly notices something isn't quite right at the school.  Wierd rituals, and a mysterious death of a student has Meg wondering what is going on at Arcadia.  She realizes the rituals, and wierdness somehow link back to the past of Arcadia, and the founding members of the boarding school.

I really enjoyed how things started coming to light.  The plot is interesting, and keeps you reading to find out what happens in present Arcadia, and past Arcadia.  The pagan rituals are eery, and the students are very strange.  The story goes back and forth between what is happening in the now, and what was happening in the then at Arcadia.  We are learning about the past through a journal of one of the artist who helped start the boarding school.  

Arcadia Falls is a great gothic mystery.  Carol Goodman is one of my go to authors.  She has yet to fail me.

Book recieved from Crazy Book Tours for review

Bird in Hand by Christina Kline

Bird in Hand .
Author:  Christina Kline
Publisher:  William Morrow
Publication Date:  August 1, 2009
Paperback, 288 pgs.

From Goodreads:


Four people, two marriages, one lifelong friendship: everything is about to change.



It was an accident. It was dark, it was raining, Alison had ...more Four people, two marriages, one lifelong friendship: everything is about to change.


It was an accident. It was dark, it was raining, Alison had only had two drinks. And the other car ran the stop sign. But Alison finds herself trapped under the crushing weight of grief and guilt, feeling increasingly estranged from her husband...


Charlie, who has his own burdens. He's in a job he doesn't love so that Alison can stay at home with the kids (and why isn't she more grateful for that?); he has a house in the suburbs and a long commute to and from the city. And the only thing he can focus on these days is his secret, sudden affair with...


Claire, Alison's best friend. Bold where Alison is reserved, vibrant where Alison is cautious, Claire has just had her first novel published, a thinly veiled retelling of her childhood in North Carolina. But even in the whirlwind of publication, Claire can't stop wondering if she should leave her husband...


Ben, an ambitious architect who is brilliant, kind, and meticulous. And who wants nothing more than a baby, or two — exactly the kind of life that Charlie and Alison seem to have...


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After reading the first couple pages of Bird in Hand I knew I was going to enjoy it. I quickly got lost in the story of Alison, Charlie, Claire and Ben. 

Bird in Hand is the story of marriage, friendship, and what ifs.  I immediately was drawn to Alison, she seemed the weak one out of the four but honestly her tenacity to keep going through all that came at her really showed that she was the strongest.  The foursome were divided into the selfish, and the giving.  You right away after reading the first twenty five pages knew who the selfish were, and their behavior was plain gross and of the me, me, me variety but sadly this is the way of the world.  I couldn't help but be emotionally attached to some of the characters and found myself thinking Charlie and Claire deserve each other.  Good riddance!

Marriage is hard. It is ever constantly changing, and growing as are the people in it. Bird in Hand is the realistic view of what happens when one outgrows the relationship, and seeks something more.  Ms. Kline's writing is so engaging, you feel like you are peering through someone's window watching the raw realness of a marriage that is on it's last breath.

Bird in Hand is the first book i've read by Christina Kline, and it certainly won't be the last.  I read it in a couple of hours.  A really great book, it is definitely worth the read.

 Christina Baker Kline is a novelist, nonfiction writer and editor. In addition to Bird in Hand, her novels include The Way Life Should Be, Desire Lines and Sweet Water. She is Writer-in-Residence at Fordham University.

Website

Twitter: @bakerkline

Facebook

Thanks to TLC and Christina Kline.

The Swan Thieves by Elizabeth Kostova

The Swan Thieves

Author:  Elizabeth Kostova

Publisher:  Little, Brown and Company

Release Date:  January 12th 2010

Hardcover, 560 pages

From Goodreads:

Psychiatrist Andrew Marlowe, devoted to his profession and the painting hobby he loves, has a solitary but ordered life. When renowned painter Robert Oliver attacks a canvas in the National Gallery of Art and becomes his patient, Marlow finds that order destroyed. Desperate to understand the secret that torments the genius, he embarks on a journey that leads him into the lives of the women closest to Oliver and a tragedy at the heart of French Impressionism.

Kostova's masterful new novel travels from American cities to the coast of Normandy, from the late 19th century to the late 20th, from young love to last love. THE SWAN THIEVES is a story of obsession, history's losses, and the power of art to preserve human hope..

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I had been looking forward to reading the Swan Thieves, and it didn't disappoint. I take immense pleasure in reading Author Elizabeth Kostova’s writing. It's beautiful, and flows just right.

I’ve mentioned before that I prefer books plot driven, but I digress when it comes to Ms. Kostova. The Swan Thieves is part mystery, part love story, brought together nicely. Pyschiatrist Andrew Marlowe comes in contact with Robert Oliver when he comes to the mental hospital Andrew works at after Robert Oliver is arrested for trying to slash a painting at a musuem. Robert’s not talking all he does is paint the same face over and over, and Andrew begins to wonder who is this women he paints, and how does it connect with the painting at the museum, if at all.  Ms. Kostova's words made me want to see the world with a painter’s eyes.

The story is more character driven, and the mystery is not all that hard to figure out. I knew how it was going to end probably about half way through. Though, I was intrigued with how the layers were being peeled away to reveal the why, and how.  The story switches back and forth between Dr. Marlowe, the two women in Robert’s life, and a young women in the late 19th century.

My only complaint with The Swan Thieves is the ending. It was as if with a snap of the finger the book ends. A bad mark in a otherwise great book.

Rating: 4