Mary Bowser has been a slave all her life. She worked for the Van Lew Family in Virginia until one day she is sent away to get an education… and her freedom.
By being educated Mary learns much. She learns about the Civil War and gets a taste of what it is like to hold some power over what is happening around you. Taking ownership of herself returns to Virginia to be with her father, but also finds herself posing as a slave to keep a close on eye on the dealing of President Jefferson Davies. While information was getting out to the North, Mary was never suspected…
How much does freedom really cost?
How about this alternate cover? It creeps me out… then it draws me in…
Pre gush. I really enjoy enjoy fictitious stories based around a non fiction character. The fact that Mary Bower was in fact a real woman who really was a freed slave who came back into slavery to save others is fascinating. That alone was enough to get me setting aside time on a very rainy weekend for this book.
Gush: But Mary Bowsers story is so much more… this extremely well written book dives into this woman’s history with painstaking details… fact of fiction, in the end I felt as though I had a good feel for who Mary was and what she stood for. We can all only hope to leave even a fraction of such a legacy.
I admit I am not a huge fan of war related stories, however Marys part in what was happening around her made the book flow well with the war while being a large topic, was not the main story line. Mary carries the book.
The underground railroad has always fascinated me… such a rich history we have that is we do not take the time to dig into it, it will pass us by and we will be lesser people for never knowing, never caring. Thank you to Mark Bowser and to Lois Leveen for writing such a vivid story I am left wanting more… in a good way.
Thank you to TLC Book Tours for trusting this
treasure of a book to be placed in my care and the chance for my
fingertips to type and try to do the book justice.
This book caught my eye right away, I love this cover. After Camryn reviewed it and talked
to me about it I felt this would make a wonderful beach read.
Sheila
Love and Leftovers
Love and Leftovers is a story written by Sarah Tregay that is about sixteen year old Marcie, who moves to New Hampshire with her mother after her parents’ marriage falls apart.
Marcie’s mom has had depression for a while, but it got even worse after her mom found out her husband was gay. Marcie and her mom live in the summer vacation house, and Marcie gets very lonely. Not only does she miss her super cute emo-rocker boyfriend, Linus, from back home, but she also misses her best friend, Katie, along with all of her other friends, nicknamed the Leftovers. They are called the Leftovers because they are the kids that didn’t really fit in with anyone, or we leftover.
When Marcie’s loneliness starts to get too painful to bear, she starts to notice the perfect J.D., a jock from her new school in New Hampshire; the problem is, she hasn’t ended her relationship with Linus yet. As she and J.D. get closer and closer friends, she wonders if she can stop herself before it’s too late, or if she will have to say goodbye to Linus for good. After a visit from her dad, Marcie is swept back to her hometown, Boise, Idaho, because her mom cannot handle taking care of her anymore. As she sees the Leftovers for the first time, will she tell Linus the truth? Can she fix her broken friendship with Katie? Or will she be back to being lonely?
Love and Leftovers is a book that is portrayed in-verse, or in poems. It is a good and easy book to read. I did find myself tearing up just a little at some parts. While I did not enjoy it as much as Hereafter or The Selection, I felt this one held its own … almost in a different category, and certainly in a different way.
Camryn is 12 years old, soon to be thirteen and enjoys reading YA books of the fantasy and romance genre. A few of her favorite books are “Hourglass” by Myra McEntire, “The Other Countess” by Eve Edwards, “Hush, Hush” by Becca Fitzpatrick, “The Immortals” series, the “Marked” series and the “Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants” series. When she’s not reading she enjoys watching Gilmore Girls or going to book sales for more books to add to her ever-growing collection.
S many things are right in Anne Blythe’s life… she loves her job working for a respected magazine, she enjoys great friends, and has a book deal coming together….
so why for the love of all that is good and holy – can she not find a decent boyfriend?
After yet another disastrous breakup and the announcement of her best friend engagement, Anne feels it is time to take drastic measures…. obviously her criteria of “dark hair, steely blue eyes, and perfect build” in a man in getting her nowhere. When she finds a business card to what she believes is a dating service she feels this is divine intervention telling her to take a chance on a different method to happiness. Upon making a meeting with this service she discovers to her shock that this is an exclusive, by appointment only – arranged marriage service. AND $10,000 at that.
At first Anne balks the idea – the cost is out of her price range, and marrying a guy you have never met (the services rules – they believe that when you choose a partner by looks first you are setting yourself up for failure) is crazy. Yet, her best friends overwhelming happiness and her book advancement of $10,000 makes her decide to give it a try… after all, what does she really have to lose and she can always pull out of the program before the final and largest payment in made.
But there is that nagging… what if? What if all these testings and therapy sessions, graphs and life styles actually could lead up to the man of her dreams? What if she too could be gushingly happy like all those married couples she is surrounded by? Would it work?
Finland Minnesota, the deck to our cabin.
I first read Catherine McKenzie’s book SPIN and really enjoyed it. What I thought would be a light fun chick lit book actually had bite. Again, in Arranged, Catherine McKenzie sets the bar a little higher with a book that has more to discover within its pages than one may first think.
Anne (named after Anne Of Green Gables, and has a brother named Gil…) is a protagonist I could relate too. Driven to succeed but tired of hitting that wall of “let’s try that again!”. I enjoyed her immensely and can even imagine in a similar situation how I may be tempted to take that leap or “fast pass” to happiness (as in do not have a dating period, do not pass memories and proceed directly to the altar!).
There is actually so much more than what I share in the synopsis but honestly as I thought of what else to write it all felt a little “spoiler worthy” to me and none of us want that. This is one of those reads that so many interesting things are happening that I fear saying too much.
I just dove into this book. I was at the cabin this past weekend and read off and on as I had time through the weekend, finishing this last Monday morning sitting on a sunny deck, telling my son we would start the 3 1/2 ride back home once I finished this book.
Final thoughts: I really enjoyed this book, it was a different concept than I had ever really considered so it was fun to live in that world for a few days.
Thank you TLC Book Tours for allowing me to hang out
Color me a litle wackadoodle… but ever since One Flew Over The Coocoo’s Nest, I have had a little thing for books and movies centered around insane asylums. And if you also are drawn to such topics… you know they are few and far between. Nobody…. quite literally…
wants to go there.
Well, until now. When Iris Dunleavy during Civil War time is convicted of madness for being willfull (and yes, I should watch my back!), she is sent to Sanibel Asylum – not a nice little r and r at a local country club, nope… a full fledge asylum with a plethora of interesting, and colorful, characters.
The plan is that Iris is to work the program and be restored to the obedient woman her hubby thinks she should be and then she will also be restored to her wifely duties. Iris of course knows she is not mad, simply strong willed and standing up for her rights. However… mad may be preferable to her life she had…
And then there is Ambrose Weller, a war-haunted Confederate soldier who is calmed only by the color blue. Iris finds herself drawn to him and as she plans a way out of this dreadful place she ponders if she could possibly make a break for two, bringing Ambrose along with her to a life she knows nothing of…
I have been reading a few lighter more “summery” reads as of late and Blue Asylum is quite a bit different from that genre. Quite truly Historical Fiction Blue Asylum is a book with a back bone, and that backbone is named Iris Dunleavy.
I was happy to meet the strong and witty Iris within the pages of this book. She is just the type of female character that keeps me turning pages. Having heard how well Kathy Hepinstall writes, this brilliant protagonist did not surprise me… however, what did, was the surrounding characters who also felt three-dimensional, and actually made me feel for them. I like that.
Feeling.
A cast of fun characters burst forth from Hepinstalls mind – a woman who like to swallow things… really anything… rings, whatever. Another who believes her husband is beside her as she talks to him and walks with him day in and day out… another, a man whose feet are too heavy to move… and of course Ambrose, who is haunted by a war that only the color blue seems to sooth…
What I really enjoyed is how Iris interacted and even helped each person in a way.
a little bit historical… a little bit romance… for me a pleasant mix that left me thinking after that final page was closed.
Before I Fall was my first Lauren Oliver read and I remember
LOVING it. I thought it was brilliant, and now that Camryn has
read it too, I am considering a re-read….
Sheila
Before I Fall
Before I Fall is a book written by Lauren Oliver. The main character, Sam, is a senior in high school. In the beginning of the book, you witness Sam’s death-by-car-crash. Sam lives the day of her death over and over again, each time realizing the mistakes she’s made with her life. Sam’s best friends, Lindsay, Elody, and Ally. They are the most popular girls at school, and bullies at that. Sam realizes that how she treats people isn’t a good thing. Sam and her friends main target, Juliet Sykes, or “Psycho” is constantly picked on at school. When Juliet commits suicide the same day Sam dies, Sam thinks that she has to stop Juliet from killing herself in order to stop her reoccurring death day. Problems such as Sam’s boyfriend, Rob, who is getting impatient with Sam and turning into a jerk right before her eyes, old conflicts with her best friends, particularly Lindsay, and feelings for her childhood best friend, Kent. Can Sam save herself, and Juliet? Or is the process more complex than she thinks?
Before I Fall is now one of my (many) favorite books. It is written extremely well, and the story is great. I almost kept my eyes dry on this one, but not quite. I would recommend this book to everyone. It’s really great. Seriously. Read it! You won’t be sorry…….
Camryn is 12 years old, soon to be thirteen and enjoys reading YA books of the fantasy and romance genre. A few of her favorite books are “Hourglass” by Myra McEntire, “The Other Countess” by Eve Edwards, “Hush, Hush” by Becca Fitzpatrick, “The Immortals” series, the “Marked” series and the “Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants” series. When she’s not reading she enjoys watching Gilmore Girls or going to book sales for more books to add to her ever-growing collection.
Naomi Feinstein is afraid of losing. She is afraid of losing her parents – her dad with a weakened heart…. her mom who is deeply depressed. She is afraid of losing her friend Teddy who she confides everything…
Setting her mind on becoming a doctor, Naomi buries herself in her books, hoping to be accepted into the college of her dreams, Wellesley. When Teddy does (as she had feared) departs from her life, the blow is too hard and too deep, and seems larger than she can handle – even when the hopeful acceptance letter from Wellesley arrives.
Hoping that college will fill all the gaps in her life where fear and loneliness seep in, Naomi heads straight into the school she believes will become her security. But, college is not what she had dared hope, and while Naomi finds herself surrounded by hundreds of other young women… at the same time she feels unreachable and alone.
When Naomi witnesses a girl fall into a freezing lake, things began to change. She learns of a mysterious society – called the Shakespeare Society with all the lure a secret society would have – rituals and secret meetings, and students with a canny passion. Finally Naomi believes she has found something that makes her feel a part of life and fills all those gaps. As Naomi grows into this new person, hard lessons are brought forth and Naomi is about to learn the most important lesson of her life.
Author: Elizabeth Percer
Does anyone remember Dead Poet’s Society? It was a movie from the late 1980’s starring Robin Williams as an unconventional Professor of English, John Kleets. While I adore this movie and love all that John Kleets stood for, the best part of the movie to me, was the secret society of The Dead Poet’s. (Even as I type this my mind is thinking… do I still have this movie in my collection? Is it DVD or VHS? Please be DVD….)
I mention this now, because when I first read the synopsis of this book… that is what stood out to me. An ancient secret society…. sorry, I never went to college – I think I crave the whole secret sorority thing….
In An Uncommon Education, Naomi’s back story (prior to college) is a slow tedious start. I picked the book up. I put it down. I picked it up again. I believed it had a story within its pages that I wanted to read. I just had to find that story.
I hung in there. I found the book detailed, well-developed, I had a good feel for who Naomi was and what she stood for. I liked her. These are the things I clung too while I slogged through the first part of this book.
And then…
Wellesley.
Bringing Naomi to the school, the book picked up more of a heartbeat pace. It had rhythm… it had life. More importantly, I no longer wanted to sett he book down and move on. I think Naomi as well finds her heartbeat. When things get rough and a scandal is resented – Naomi then is forced into some hard truths that really bring this book full circle.
In a few words: Give the book some time to warm up, it is worth the wait.
In a word: WOW.
Thank to to TLC Book Tours for a gorgeous, thought provoking read
It is no secret that I adore Adriana Trigiani’s books. While I have read Viola In The Spotlight and LOVED it, I have yet to get to this one. Thank you to Camryn who spied it on my shelves and took it out on loan and now having reviewed it… I want to read it right away! ~ Sheila
Viola in the Spotlight
Viola in the Spotlight is written by Adriana Trigiani. Viola Chesterton just came home from her school year a Prefect Academy, a boarding school in South Bend, Indiana. When Viola finally comes home to her Brooklyn, New York, she is relieved and more than ready to catch up with her best friends, Caitlin Pullapilly and Andrew Bozelli. Even if Viola is surprised that her BFFAA (Andrew) and Caitlin don’t have a totally free summer, she still feels like this summer will be the best yet. Trouble arises when Caitlin falls in love with the son of Viola’s parent’s tenant, Maurice. Maurice’s dad, Les Longfellow, is in Brooklyn only for the summer to direct a Broadway play, featuring Viola’s grandmother (Grand) and her boyfriend (George). Caitlin’s strict mom would never approve of Caitlin’s relationship with Maurice, so they keep it a secret. Viola gets an internship with the lighting designer of Grand’s play, which Grand got for her so Viola would have some way to spend her time that summer. Problems occur when Viola’s BFFAA, Andrew, starts acting weird around her. Viola brushes it off as nothing, but starts to second guess her judgement later on. As Caitlin and Maurice start getting closer and closer together, Viola knows it’s not right to keep this from Caitlin’s mom, but keeps the secret against her better judgement.
Viola decides to invite her Prefect roomies, Suzanne, Romy, and Marisol to the opening night of Grand’s play. After a few exhilaratingly happy days, they give a tearful goodbye and go their separate ways. When a sad tragedy hits Viola, she is forced to realize that she has the best of friends, and the best family she could ask for. With many not-so-easy decisions ahead of her, Viola realizes that this could be one of her most exciting summers, ever.
Viola In Reel Life is the first book
I ♥loved♥ this book. I read the prequel, Viola in Reel Life, a year – or a couple – years ago. I don’t remember exactly. I would recommend this book to anyone who read the first one. Or who wants a good series to read. It was a really great book, and the prequel was even better.
Camryn is 12 years old, soon to be thirteen and enjoys reading YA books of the fantasy and romance genre. A few of her favorite books are “Hourglass” by Myra McEntire, “The Other Countess” by Eve Edwards, “Hush, Hush” by Becca Fitzpatrick, “The Immortals” series, the “Marked” series and the “Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants” series. When she’s not reading she enjoys watching Gilmore Girls or going to book sales for more books to add to her ever-growing collection.
Louise Brooks was going to make it big. She just knew it. Kansas, was not big enough to hold her, and in 1922, on her 15th year she leaves for New York for her big break. To her annoyance, a 36-year-old woman named Cora Carlisle is sent along with her as a chaperone for the free-spirited Louise.
For Cora, this is hopefully going to be the adventure she felt was missing in her life, and she also has an underlying reason for wishing to go as well. Yet Cora had no idea what an undertaking she was in for… Louise is a beautiful young girl who is arrogant, lacks respect, and is used to getting her own way. Louise’s constant flirting with older men to get her way, and leaping before she looks, keeps Cora on her toes, and complicates her own reasons for coming to New York.
For five weeks, these two women are together and as time goes by, they are changed by what the other brings to the table.
I love modern-day New York. This June will be my third time there and I just love it. Now, saying that, I try to picture New York in 1922 and how it would differ from my experience. Thanks to author Laura Moriarty, I don’t have to stretch my imagination far! This well detailed book leaves me feeling like I could walk down the streets of 1922 New York and feel right at home.
Maybe part of my love for this book is the fact that it is set in New York. Maybe part of that draw is that in a few weeks I will be walking where Louise Brooks one time did as well. Maybe part if the draw is that I will be meeting author Laura Moriarty in New York, and although it is 2012 (details, details), it will be like stepping into the book itself.
*sigh*
Seriously though, I did enjoy this book very much. I did not know prior to this read that Louise Brooks was a very real person, who shortly after 1922, made it big as a silent film star. She was, as Laura Moriarty tells in The Chaperone, very outspoken, and expected things to be her way. (I looked up some information on Louise and was fascinated to find that her father’s business took priority over raising children, and her mother felt that she gave birth to them, now they can raise themselves. An awful incident with a neighbor at a young age did not help Louise’s already wild state…. )
Ok, I digress, but what I can say about this book is that it was a page turner. I loved that while Louise Brooks is a fascinating possible protagonist, she actually plays second fiddle her to the real protagonist of the book, Cora Carlisle, The Chaperone. The story line, the secrets, WOW. Both women, I found be extremely interesting and I am going to highly recommend that fans of history, historical fiction, New York (YAY!), and strong female protagonists, snatch up a copy of this book.
Alice Howland has a wonderful life. She has three grown children, a loving hard-working husband, and she herself is a well established Professor at Harvard. At age fifty, she is not really too surprised when she starts to forget where she left things like her keys and her Blackberry. She is a little more concerned when she gets lost on the Harvard campus that she has always known very well, but a brief Google check regarding menopause brings up forgetfulness as one of the symptoms. Still… it doesn’t hurt to see a doctor…
Alice is stunned when she is diagnosed with early onset Alzheimer’s. Certainly an active woman like herself, can beat this. Yet what follows is a struggle of losing ones memories…. a family in despair and crisis, and a woman who is fighting the biggest battle of her life, just to be…
still Alice.
Lisa Genova has also written Left Neglected about a brain injury and Love Anthony will be out in 2013, about a boy with autism.
I didn’t want to read this book.
When my book club voted this as our May book club read, I was not thrilled. There are few things that truly frighten me, but the thought of not knowing who you are, or fearing people you have known all your life as they have become strangers in your mind – truly frightens me.
When I posted I was reading this on my sidebar under the Bookies tab, many readers shared what an amazing read it was, and honestly – that helped me dip cautiously into this book.
I read it… in one sitting.
Author Lisa Genova wrote something wonderful here. Brilliantly, the story is told from Alice’s perspective. Seeing Alzheimer’s through her eyes was both frightening and informing. I cringed when she introduces herself to the same woman twice, having forgotten she already had done so. When she is lost inside her own home desperately looking for the bathroom, my heart breaks for her.
Page by page as a reader, you are right there with Alice through good days and bad. This fictional story flowed so well from the very start – moments of laughter and yes, moments of tears…. this book is a MUST READ. If you are in a book club, it is an incredible discussion book as well, with questions in the back of the book.
I knew when I had read this book that our book club discussion was going to be deep and it was going to be good. There was so much to talk about! This week when we met and I started asking the questions from the book, I hardly needed to say a word… the conversation flowed. The ladies in our group has much to say about Alice’s journey, her family, and their own personal connection to Alzheimer’s as well.
This is one of those reviews where we didn’t even really need the questions. The book brought memories of people to our review that I had never met but wish I had. Grandparents were discussed, some still living with the disease, and some who have passed on. How Alzheimer’s affects each person differently was amazing. Some reverted to a much younger time in their life, believing they lived somewhere else. Others who had English as a second language – reverted to their first language. Some remembered a spouse, but could not recall anyone else.
And as in most Bookies events there was food.
Alice mentions enchilada’s early in the book so chicken enchiladas were a must!Fresh salads and toppings!Risotto with spinach for memory!Blueberries and dark chocolate are mentioned in the book as brain and memory enhancers
Some interesting facts about Still Alice: Still Alice was initially a self published book, and approved by the Alzheimer’s Society. STILL ALICE debuted at #5 on the New York Times Bestseller list and has spent 40 weeks on that list. It won the 2008 Bronte Prize and the 2011 Bexley Book of the Year, and it was nominated for the 2010 Indies Choice Debut Book of the Year by the American Booksellers Association. It was the #6 Top Book Group Favorite of 2009 by Reading Group Choices, a 2009 Barnes & Noble Discover Pick, a 2009 Indie Next pick, a 2009 Borders Book Club Pick, and a 2009 Target Book Club pick. There are over a million copies in print, and it has been translated into 25 languages. (as seen and noted on the authors website)
Daisy is traveling with her teenage daughter Coco to Paris. When they arrive and Coco goes through her bag excited to take out the carefully picked out skirts, peasant tops, and super cure shoes, instead she find wadded up t-shirts and dirty pants. Ugh. Who packs dirty pants???
WRONG bag.
Andrew is traveling with his teenage son Webb. Andrew had noticed the very attractive woman sitting in 6-B, with her younger sister. Ummm… too cheesy? Ok her daughter, but she doesn’t look like she could have a teenage daughter! He decided to slip a note in her purse when she is not looking. When they arrive Web finds that he has the wrong bag…. filled with expensive shirts and clothing items he can not even identify.
While Andrew and Daisy try to figure out how to get the bag mix up settled, they are unaware that Webb and Coco are also working on their own “reunion”.
Kate Klise was the fourth of six children born to educational film producer Thomas and Marjorie Klise. Raised in Peoria, Illinois, she attended Marquette University and spent fifteen years working as a correspondent for People magazine.[2] She currently resides on a farm with a pond near Norwood, Missouri , where she has many friends who she describes as kind, generous, and always thoughtful. “My nicest characters always resemble them,” said Kate Klise. She is a vegetarian, who loves tomato sandwiches. ~WikepediaI knew when I chose this book it sounded like fun. Visions of light summer reading, smiles and the occasional giggle escaping me while I sat on the deck slathered in tanning lotion drinking ice tea…
well that was the plan.
The book delivered, the weather did not.
Either way, In The Bag was as I had expected. Reading the synopsis I knew this one was just going to be candy for my brain. I liked the alternation chapters between our four protagonists, Daisy, Coco, Andrew, and Web. The note that Andrew stuck in Daisy’s purse cracked me up… totally GUY. 😛 The email exchanges are light and fun.
In the end, a quick, fun, read. That if you are going to the beach, this one need to be, in the bag. 😉
Thank you TLC book tours for a fun summery type book that made me crave beaches and warm sand.
Book Journey 