Book Review – Page 23

The GIRL WHO WAS ON FIRE by Your favorite authors

Published on April 10, 2012April 10, 2012 by Sheila (Book Journey)22 Comments

Still hungry for Hunger Games? You have read the books, seen the movie, and now what? This book will give you that fulfillment! ~Sheila

Sixteen YA authors come together and take you back to the world of the Hunger Games with moving, dark, and funny pieces on Katniss, the Games, Gale and Peeta, even Buttercup (the cat), reality TV, survival, and more. From the trilogy’s darker themes of violence and social control to fashion and weaponry, the collection’s exploration of the Hunger Games reveals exactly how rich, and how perilous, Panem, and the series, really is.

Who is Katniss?

Comparisons to the book 1984

The Peeta Factor

Could Tracker Jackers Exist

Fashion

Does The Last Book Suck (arguments both ways by the same author)

CONTRIBUTORS: Jennifer Lynn Barnes, Mary Borsellino, Sarah Rees Brennan, Terri Clark, Bree Despain, Adrienne Kress, Sarah Darer Littman, Cara Lockwood, Elizabeth M. Rees, Carrie Ryan, Ned Vizzini, Lili Wilkinson, Blythe Woolston, Diana Peterfreund (NEW), Brent Hartinger (NEW), Jackson Pearce (NEW)

Yes. I read the books. I followed up by listening to Hunger games on audio as well. Yes, I went to the movie. Twice. And yes, I was one of those people who did not love love the last book, Mockingjay.

Yet… hungry for more, much like I still am with the Harry Potter books. I want something more.

Thanks to this group of authors there is more, a lot more! The Girl Who Was On Fire is not a bashing of the books by Susanne Collins. Quite the opposite. It’s taking the books (all three of them) and breaking them down into bite size pieces. It is sometimes funny (Katniss being compared to Buttercup the cat – keeps surviving against all odds, doesn’t let people in easy), it is sometimes sad (could Katniss pick who she really loved or did she know what she had to do, who to choose to survive, and isn’t that what it is really all about?)

Each chapter, or topic, is told by a different author who gives their insight on a part of the books. I found this interesting and have to admit I loved the chapter called Did The Third Book Suck, told from the perspective of an author who lists all the ways he felt as a writer it could have been done so much better, and then turns around and explains why just the opposite could be true as well, and why Susan Collins choices in Mockingjay may have been the authors road less traveled but also shows a deeper look into Katniss and Panem by writing it the way she did. (for the record, I did lean more towards this chapters first synopsis, and while I did not think Mockingjay sucked, it was my least favorite of the three books.) My review of Mockingjay.

Who should read this? Hunger Games fans this is a fantastic addition to the three books. It will make you think, nod your head, and occasionally laugh out loud. It is brilliant and fun – all rolled into one.

Why did I read it? I loved the trilogy as a whole. I thought the idea behind Hunger Games was so incredibly detailed and unique from anything I had read before. And yes, I was left Hungry… especially after the release of the movie… I wanted more. The Girl Who Was On Fire gave me that.

Amazon Rating

Goodreads Review

This book was sent to me for review

The Shoemaker’s Wife by Adriana Trigiani

Published on April 4, 2012April 4, 2012 by Sheila (Book Journey)39 Comments

It is the early 1900’s, and Ciro, who lives in a covenant with his older brother, first meets the breathtaking beauty names Enza when they are teenagers living in the Italian Alps. When Ciro witnesses something he should not have, he is sent to America to be safe, where he works as a shoemaker. Enza is left not knowing what has happened to Ciro. When Enza’s family also experiences troubles, she and her father travel to America to seek out a better future.

Fate is a funny thing and the two do collide again now living very different lives then what they once had. Ciro at this time is on his way to fight in WWI and Enza busied herself in her work, working as a seamstress at an Opera House, and eventually meeting Enrico, an international singer, and begins to love again…

Will love win out or will it be war? And what of Ciro and Enza, who had found each other a second time against all odds… against space and time.. was it ever meant to be?

From the stately mansions of Carnegie Hill, to the cobblestone streets of Little Italy, over the perilous cliffs of northern Italy, to the white-capped lakes of northern Minnesota, these star-crossed lovers meet and separate, until, finally, the power of their love changes both of their lives forever.

As if I did not already love Adriana’s beautiful writing, she comes up with this breathtaking Historical Fiction novel that made my heart leap from the very first time I seen it! Cover, title, synopsis, all three captivated me and made me want to drop everything and read it right away.

As always Adriana writes characters so delightfully detailed and three-dimensional that I feel as though I would know them anywhere. Family also seems to play a large theme throughout Adriana’s writing, something I bask in – the warmth the commitment, and it is shown to run deep in Ciro and Enzo as well.

Written in alternating chapters, as the reader we are able to enjoy seeing the story unfold from both Ciro and Enzo’s world. I followed the story line closely feeling as though I too was hanging around the corner watching what was about to unfold. The fact that a part of this book lands in Minnesota, of course, just makes me happy!

As Adriana tends to do, this story is inspired by a true story, and in this case it is molded from Adriana’s own grandparents who grew up in the Alps, but met in the United States after they emigrated.

My final thoughts: I have read and enjoyed many of Adriana’s books and this one is no exception, in fact I think this one rates as one of my favorites of her ten books. If you start this book, you are not going to want to put it down. Consider yourself warned and allow yourself a good afternoon or evening to really sink deeply into this powerful story that will cause your heart to swell and your mind to explore the possibilities… This is a book I will read again.

You can check out who else is on this tour here and check out more about Adriana Trigiani at her website.

Amazon Rating

Goodreads Review

Thank you to Adriana Trigiani for sending me this book!

And to TLC Book Tours for allowing me to gush on their tour!

I’ve Got Your Number by Sophie Kinsella

Published on March 29, 2012April 1, 2012 by Sheila (Book Journey)26 Comments

Ugh. Poppy’s lost it…. her mind, possibly her fiance, and for sure his family who already have doubts about her…

but more to the point,

she has lost her engagement ring. (Yes, the very one that has been in Magnum’s (fiance) family for three generations.

UGH.

Poppy is just having a day. In one beautiful afternoon with lunch with her friends at a lovely hotel, she had not only went against her better judgement of taking the ring off to let her friends see it more closely… but the fire alarm that followed, the panic. of course now… no ring. When she steps outside to make a phone call, someone goes running by and grabs her phone. Yup. Gone.

Seriously? Why did Poppy even get up today?

When she finds an abandoned phone in one of the hotels garbage (NOT like she was looking in the garbage, it was just there!) Beggars can not be choosers… and in this case the finders keepers rule applies as well! Poppy has no idea what the result of taking this phone is going to be…

but she is about to find out…

This book is about a phone, that is true. But it is also about Poppy, and her panic to get the ring back, and about Sam the head of the company who owns the phone she found… the mix is fantastic!

I started seeing this book show up on some of the blogs I frequent. While it has an appearance of cutesy, and not necessarily the type of book that usually lures me in, it stuck with me. When I found it at my library…. even better.

What I thought I was getting was going to be a light chick lit read with the occasional smile and eye roll happening from me as I read it. Seems like lately, I am wrong a lot about books. 🙂

I’ve Got Your Number is actually smart and witty. Sophie Kinsella does a pretty bang up job! As I moved through the early pages I picked up that this was going to be more enjoyable than I had even anticipated. My anticipated half smiles were replaced with full on bursts of laughter as I read a witty line, or a funny moment that impressed me.

(I can not give it away but the gift at the future in-laws made me laugh out loud… I did not see that coming!)

I thoroughly enjoyed I’ve Got Your Number to the last pages. I stayed up way too late to finish it because I had to know…. what I had to know. I think readers will be pleasantly surprised when they pick up this book.

Want to know what others think? Here are a few links to reviews of this book:

Melissa’s Eclectic Bookshelf

The Friendly Book Nook

A Bookworms World

Books In The City

Amazon Review

Goodreads Rating

Thank you local library for letting me laugh along with this book

Before I Go To Sleep by S J Watson (with The Bookies book club)

Published on March 14, 2012 by Sheila (Book Journey)24 Comments

Every day when Christine wakes up she wonders who the man is sleeping next to her. She does not recognize herself in the mirror. Every day her husband Ben patiently tells her who she is, what has happened, and how long it has been. And it has been a long time.

Christine, as is explained to her, is amnesiac, the result of a serious and mysterious accident. At the urging of her doctor, Christine is encouraged to write in a journal every day to help jog her memory of what has been happening in her life. One morning as she goes to read her journal and see who she is she opens it to find one big header:

Do not trust Ben.

What does that mean? Why would she not trust this patient man who has stood by her patiently day after day as she tries to remember. And then slowly, very slowly Christine with the help of the journal and her doctor, starts to see glimpses of a past that does not coincide with what she is being told by those she trusts the most. And for that matter, can she even trust who she has told herself she is?

Word on the street is Before I go To Sleep will be a movie. I would love to see this as a movie, I think it would translate to the screen in a big way that would keep your heart racing until the end!

Mmmmm hmmmm…. I know right? Twisty and turny synopsis? Well it is a twisty and turny book! This book through my emotional meter out the window. As it opens, I think Ben is amazing, how patient to repeat the same thing to the woman he dearly loves day after day. Then…. I don’t like Ben… I have my reasons. 😀 And then… Oh Ben, you are awesome.

See what I mean? And it’s not just with Ben. As Christine learns more about herself, it is still like reading a book through a veil, you never quite see her clearly enough to say you know her. At the time of the reading, that annoyed me that I could not quite get a grasp on her. Now in hindsight, I wonder if that is not just a brilliant move by this new author…. after all why should I see Christine clearly when she can not see herself that way?

In the end for me, I was still frustrated… the twists the turns, I felt were too many… I was exhausted trying to keep up and annoyed with all the characters. Yes… all of them.

But – know this … I am in the minority.

Not only have I read raving reviews on this book, it was also our March book club pick for the Bookies. I was excited to not only read this for the TLC book tour, but to also include the opinions of a group of fantastic girls that LOVE books and discuss them well.

And so the Bookies reviewed. Out of the 12 of us in the room, only a couple struggled with the book the way I did. For the most part they loved the ups and downs and ins and outs never knowing… thinking you know… then realizing you know nothing. On a scale of 1 to 5, the book pulled in a strong 4 average.

And of course, if the Bookies do a house meeting… we have FOOD.

Check out Angie’s review of this book at By Book Or By Crook… Angie is in our book club and had a fantastic time with the book and wrote an amazing review!

Thank you to TLC Book Tours for allowing me

to read this book before I went to sleep 😀

Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver

Published on March 11, 2012 by Sheila (Book Journey)12 Comments

*This review may contain possible unintentional spoilers to the first book, Delirium.

pandemonium is set six months after the first book in this trilogy, Delirium. In a brief recap, Lena was due to receive her procedure that eliminates deliria (feelings of love). Living in a controlled Dystopian society, the government believes that deliria (love) is just messy and people are better off with out it When Lena meets Alex, a boy her own age who had managed to avoid having the procedure done, Lena starts to have second thoughts and a plan is made to escape with Alex.

Now, six months later, pandemonium opens with Lena having survived (barely) to make it to the Wild’s where a small community has formed of those who have not had “the cure”. Outcasts, Intruders as they are called. Lena now has to learn to live in a very different manner and it is going to take all her strength and determination to make a go at this new type of life.

Thrown back and forth between this new world, and the one she came from Lena feels she is living a double life…. which however holds the real Lena’s heart?

**Lauren Oliver and I in New York in 2010 (and bonus sssqqquuueeee for Lauren mentioning the Javits Center many times in Pandemonium, which is where BEA is held!)**

Ahhh…. pandemonium how I have waited for you! It has been almost a year since I had plunged head first into Delirium which left me with a huge cliffhanger that I wanted to know what would happen next! Pandemonium did not disappoint, taking off right from where Delirium left off I learned quickly that author Lauren Oliver has no problem making the hard choices when it comes to what characters will carry on. Shocked at first (but pleasantly so) by the direction that the book went… I found the more I read I read, the harder it was to put down.

Written in clever alternating chapters of then and now, you read this book in two different times, Lena’s time in the Wild’s from day one, and then an alternate later time where Lena…. well, you will just have to read that yourself. 😀

Highly enjoyable and oh snap if it does not leave me with my mouth hanging open and a smack to the head…. now I have to wait for that third book!

I do have some thoughts I want to share, so yup… I have fueled up and rolled out the Spoiler Button for those who have read this book and want to discuss it further, because…. I do want to talk about it. 🙂

Amazon Rating

Goodreads Review

I purchased this book from Amazon.com

The Flight Of Gemma Hardy by Margot Livesey

Published on March 7, 2012March 7, 2012 by Sheila (Book Journey)27 Comments

When Gemma Hardy is found parentless at the age of ten, she is taken from all she has ever known and delivered to Scotland in the hands of her loving uncle and his family. Then when her uncle dies, Gemma finds herself left in the care of the aunt, who never wanted her in the first place.

When an opportunity arises for Gemma to go to a private school, she jumps at the chance, however Claypoole, is not the school that she dreamed of and finds out quickly she ins nothing more than an unpaid servant who is teased by the other girls.

When the school goes bankrupt, Gemma finds herself traveling yet again, this time as an au pair on the Orkney Islands. She is under the employment of Mr. Sinclair, taking care of his eight year old niece. Gemma finds herself intrigued by the mysterious Mr. Sinclair, rich and single, flying in from London whenever he wishes and upon his arrivals the house seems to come alive with his presence.

Could Gemma find herself falling for him?

Bookish people… does any of this sounds familiar? It should, even if you are having a vague twinge of familiarity in the back of your mind, you should sense something. Yes, The Flight Of Gemma Hardy is a remix of the beloved (by many), Jane Eyre.

Perhaps for me, it is all the more familiar, and all the more exciting as I am currently reading Jane Eyre at that same time as I have been reading this book. You might think that would be redundant, but no – it was invigorating!

Many years ago Charlotte Bronte opened up her now famous story with this first line:

“There was no possibility of taking a walk that day.”

Now, in 2012 I open up The Flight Of Gemma Hardy to this line:

“We did not go for a walk on the first day of the year.”

Honestly, it kind of gave me goosebumps…. like I was about to enter into something amazing.

Even though I am still reading Jane Eyre (we have a history of failures… but that is another story for another time), I thoroughly enjoyed this more modern take of Jane/Gemma. Set in the 1950 and 60’s, I was impressed with the story line… never bored with the fact that I was reading two similar books at the same time as Margot Livesey not only breathes a different take and life into her book, she captivates the reader with the spunky Gemma.

If you liked Jane Eyre, you will love The Flight Of Gemma Hardy!

Thank you to TLC book tours for the opportunity to fly with Gemma!

Mental Floss The Book… only the greatest lists in the history of listory

Published on March 1, 2012March 1, 2012 by Sheila (Book Journey)10 Comments

Do you like facts? Fun facts, interesting facts, facts that are conversation starters? Then this book is for you! Filled with lists of facts that are just funny, interesting, and yeah… sometimes down right odd…

Here are a few examples:

Five Presidential Fashion Flubs (did you know that Thomas Jefferson sometimes greeted dignitaries while wearing his PJ’s?)
Questions that probably need answers Immediately (can a pregnant woman drive in the carpool lane – appears that is a yes)
Eight Everyday Items Brought To You By NASA (smoke detectors is on the list, so are cordless tools… but something is conspicuously missing!)
The Stories Behind 9 Muppet Favorites (did you know Kermit was born in 1955 and originally made his appearance on a show called Sam and Friends?)
6 Laws Of Cartoon Physics (such as the fact that weapons never work well and you can pull anything out of a bag or coat)
Missing Body Parts of Famous People (While Stonewall Jackson is busied in Lexington, VA, his arm… well that is busied elsewhere…)
Six Tasty Foods Names After People (Graham crackers and nachos are on this list..)

There is even a magazine called Mental Floss for information junkies!

When both my boys were home a few months ago this book was on the coffee table (yes in the family room we still have a coffee table…. sounds so 70’s when I type it out…) and we poured over this book. We took turns sharing random facts, sometimes laughing out loud, others times saying “What? How can that be?”

In the end we all felt we knew a little more and were a little more prepared if we were ever chosen to be on Jeopardy. 😛

This really is a fun book that I will keep out on that coffee table, ready to be picked up again by company or by me, as I love to read facts out loud to Al and try to stump him. Did you know there are 5 traditions that were invented to make us buy stuff? See? I can’t even stop now!

Amazon Rating

Goodreads Review

Very Valentine by Adriana Trigiani

Published on February 22, 2012March 2, 2012 by Sheila (Book Journey)28 Comments

Valentine Roncalli does not believe she is the pretty one Nor is she the smart one. Valentine in fact looks at herself as the funny one. It’s an easier spot to be in.

Yet now that the Angelina Shoe Company, the one her family has owned for more than a century seems to be on the verge of financial destruction, funny just is not going to cut it. To save the business Valentine must find a way to bring their business into the 21st century, all awhile juggling her own romance with chef Roman Falconi, her larger and opinionated family, and not only enter but try to win a design challenge presented by a prestigious department store.

Valentine will turn her life, and their business upside down in ways she never expected.

Very Valentine is a re-read for me. In fact, it was this book, along with Brava Valentine that entered me into an Adriana Trigiani contest two years ago that lined me up with dinner with her along with 5 other book bloggers when we were in New York in 2010.

When my book club chose this for our February read I was thrilled for them to get a chance to experience this wonderful author, but for me was unsure if I was going to read the book again (what is the Italian word for idiot? 😯 )

As the time came closer to our review I thought I had better skim through it at least and had downloaded it on my NOOK (my challenge to read all book club books this year on my NOOK) and opened the story up… within a minute I was smiling to myself.

Do you know that feeling when you walk into a bakery or a fresh bread store and a scent brings you back to an earlier in life moment? That’s what Very Valentine did for me…. the opening lines made me smile. I was suddenly whooshed back to Valentine’s world and it is a busy one filled with voices of family, amazing Italian dishes, and shoes… oh the shoes. Skim shim… I read the book in its entirety again. 🙂

: In 2011, a group of us had lunch with Adriana again…. fantastic experience, she is such an amazing woman.

Last night at the Bookies review we had a wonderful time discussing family and traditions, two very large and important topics throughout Very Valentine. We also discussed the shoes and Angie (By Book Or By Crook) brought along a slideshow presentation of shoes, embellishments for the shoes, Italy, the windows discussed in the book…. it was awesome. I love that our book club will do the little extras to bring a book to life.

And much like a big Italian, family ourselves, we brought food… delicious food, we ate, we laughed… and before we left it was 9 pm…. (we usually end at 8 pm) 😯

032 — This is the makings of a Harvey Wallbanger which is mentioned in the book. For most of us this was out first time trying it. We served in tiny sample cups.

The book was enjoyed by all. The discussion and food were wonderful (I did not even get a picture of the desert!

SPIN by Catherine McKenzie

Published on February 12, 2012February 12, 2012 by Sheila (Book Journey)18 Comments

How far would you go to get what you have always wanted?

Kate is a 30-year-old party girl. She loves to go out with her friends and celebrate… well, anything! When Kate lands an interview to write reviews for her favorite music magazine, The Line, that is something really worth celebrating! And celebrate she does, perhaps a little too much the night before the big interview and showing up still intoxicated from the night before, she blows it. Literally.

However a few days later the publishers of the magazine call her with an idea. They also run a gossip magazine and the word is out that the current tabloid “it girl” Amber Sheppard has just entered rehab for her extreme partying ways. If Kate is up to the challenge, the publishers would like to send her undercover into the 30 day rehab center to get the inside scoop. If she does well, they will reconsider her for the Music Reporter position.

As Kate considers this opportunity to earn big bucks while tracking a mega star she creates a “to do” list:

Go to rehab
Befriend/spy on “It Girl”
Write killer expose
Land dream job

Piece of cake!

When Kate takes the assignment she is in for a few surprises along the way, one of them being as she goes through the steps wondering if perhaps she did need a little professional help with her partying ways, two being who knew she would meet an incredible hot guy, and three, she never dreamed that Kate Sheppard (her big assignment!) would turn out to be a real friend….

Kate has to decide if what she will gain in the long run will be worth the price she will have to pay.

SPIN was actually a lot of fun to read. You might look at the synopsis and think “oh boy… chick lit YA all the way”, but there is more to SPIN than that.

When I started the book I was annoyed with Kate. Her life style was self-destructive and I have a “low tolerance policy (hence forth known as the LTP) for people who constantly blow up their life and then wonder why things go so poorly for them.

Once Kate enters rehab believing she is only on assignment and does not have a drinking problem is when I see author Catherine McKenzie shine. Kate feels real…. clueless (in the beginning) but certainly real in her actions and even likable as she grows in so many ways during the rehab time.

And it’s not only about Kate. Amber, as well as Henry, are wonderful supporting characters, and there is an assortment of pre- rehab friends that make appearances as well that all felt real. There is a lesson to be found within the pages of SPIN, one on not judging someone based on gossip. People in real life are so much more, and until you have seen where there life has led them to walk… you should not pretend you know what it is like to be in there shoes.

I really enjoyed SPIN. While the ending may be a bit predictable, it was still wonderful and the way it all fits together is handled smartly. By the time I reached the middle of the book there was no putting it down! I am looking forward to reading more from Catherine McKenzie.

Amazon Rating

Goodreads Review

Life Is A Trip by Judie Fein (and a giveaway!)

Published on February 9, 2012March 2, 2012 by Sheila (Book Journey)42 Comments

Judith Fein does not let grass grow under her feet. She, like her husband, enjoy travel and experiencing what this world has to offer. In this book, Life Is A Journey, Judith shares 14 journeys where she learns from other cultures about their families, death, measuring success, faith, overcoming trauma, and forgiveness.

I have always enjoyed traveling and experiencing the world. As a child, I experienced California and Alaska as we have relatives in both areas. Once married and the kids were old enough to enjoy traveling, as a family we went to Florida, Mexico, Costa Rica, California (a couple of times), Haiti, an awkward experience in the Bahama’s….. (a story for another time), and then eventually and most recent Honduras, Al and I and then our college son Justin.

I love to see how people live, how they do life day to day, the sights the smells…. the culture. I too have a bit of the “Judith Fein” bug. 😀

1aa — The High Priest on the Holy Mountain (Har Gerizim)

In well written chapters, Judith shares 14 experience around the world. Places I would LOVE to experience, but most likely, I will experience them through shared stories, and books like this. From stories like Tales Of The Tomb Of Israel (breathtaking…really), to a Mexican Prison, Forgiveness in Vietnam, a

funeral in Micronesia just to name a few.

What I enjoyed most about this read is that the stories are not only about the places, sites, food, and cultural experiences, BUT about the people. I loved reading how a kindergarten teacher of Israel prayed for a husband and found him at age 40 and a Maya woman from Guatemala never gave up on her impossible dream to come and visit the United States (and succeeded against all odds!).

This is a book I will look to again…. when I feel I need a little cultural inspiration. The variety of the chapters were interesting, captivating, and delightful…. they left me thinking of people I would never meet, but thanks to Judith Fein…. feel I have.

If you enjoy books about people, travel and culture, I suggest in your travels you pick up a copy of this book.

In celebration of my birthday…. leave a comment here about where you have traveled… or wish to one day travel and I will enter you into a random giveaway of a $10 Amazon gift card (this will be emailed to the winner). I will draw a winner using random.org on Sunday morning.