Category: Book Review

Cook Yourself Thin Faster by Lauren Deen (and giveaway!)

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)31 Comments

I love food.  It’s true.  I absolutely admit to loving a good buffet, I hardly have anything I will not eat or try.  There was a time in my youth… that did not matter.  No matter what I ate, I did not gain.  I was not a work out queen either… in fact I can not recall any exercise in those years beyond the required gym class.

Well times… they do change…

As I became older, married, with children… the pounds did not just melt away any more.  I came to a point where if I wanted to look the way I well…. wanted to look, then I needed to work for it.  In those years, I worked hard at the gym, tried hard to watch what I ate and did maintain the look I wanted for myself. 

Now…. (*fast forward to present time), I have actually found things that I enjoy doing that also qualify as “working out and exercise”.  Who knew… it could also be fun?  😀

I still fall off track.  I get good at it, and then lose my mojo…. and then, like now, work on putting myself back on the track again.  Of course…. I still have that “love of food” that has never left me.

When I found this book recently at one of my local book stores I was excited about it.  Flipping through it I seen the pictures of the food were mouth-watering and something I would definitely be all for giving a try.  I mean, look at some of these:

  • Dessert Pizza
  • Mini Blueberry Muffins
  • Seven-Layer Dip
  • Pineapple Mojitos
  • Shrimp and Grits
  • Cheese “Fries”
  • Carrot Soup with a Kick
  • Flank Steak with Indian Salsa
  • White Pizza with Roasted Mushrooms

And it also is broke into wonderful categories:

  • Breakfast
  • Starters
  • Mains
  • Sides/Soups/Salads
  • Dessert

AND – if you know me, you know that I do not like to spend a lot of time in the kitchen doing prep work and searching for a long list of ingredients.  I was thrilled to see that the recipes were fairly simple to make, took few ingredients, and not a ton of “kitchen duty”.  YAY to all of that!  😀

I also like recipes that I can serve to guests or take to potlucks that do not look like they are “healthy foods”  (enter the vegie tray….)

I plan to spend some more time in this book yet this afternoon.  Many (but not all) recipes have a mouth-watering picture.  They all have nutrition information, and a list of ingredients that are pretty easy to find.  (I may make the spaghetti squash for dinner)  These are recipes my hubby would even enjoy and not feel deprived of flavors (just calories 😉 )

On page 29 I found this little gem which looks tasty and something I could easily prep ahead of time for work:

Asparagus and Goat Cheese Quiche

Recipe:
Cooking spray
4 asparagus stalks, cut into 1 inch pieces
2 large eggs
1 large egg white
3/4 cup low-fat milk- (I use 1%)
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
2 oz. goat cheese- (I would use a low fat cheese)

1.) Preheat the oven to 425F. Spray four 5 oz. ramekins (I would use my muffin tin) with cooking spray. Fill a large bowl with ice and cold water and set aside. 
2.) Place the asparagus in a shallow dish with 2 Tbsp water. Cover with vented plastic wrap, and microwave on high until bright green and just tender…about 3 1/2 minutes. Carefully uncover and place in ice bath to cool, and drain. 
3.) Whisk together the eggs, egg white, milk, salt, and pepper until well blended. Divide the cheese and asparagus among the 4 dishes, and pour the egg mixture on top.
4.) Bake until just set, about 15 minutes. Serve warm or cool.

I hope to make that this week… maybe even later today as this ends my official week off of work and I am back to it tomorrow morning 😀

I posted this review today as part of Beth Fish Reads Weekend Cooking.  Stop over and see what else is cooking this weekend!  😀

In a typical me fashion, after bringing this book home… I seen I already had it on my “To Be Read” Shelves…. so….. my “Doh!” is your “Woo Hoo!” as I am giving my second copy away to one commenter – who shares with me…. what they are having for dinner tonight….  (I will announce the winner of the book Tuesday morning)

Amazon Rating

Goodreads Review

Folly Beach by Dorothea Benton Frank

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)39 Comments

Cate Cooper has had quite the year.  She had built up quite a life with her husband of twenty-six years, Addison Cooper.  And what a whirlwind it had been, an insane love for each other in the beginning… and then it all began to unravel.

As Cate stood over Addison’s casket, she had to wonder where it all went wrong…

Life can be funny that way, as Cate soon finds out that Addison’s death is only the beginning of surprises for her.  Quickly (really minutes) after the funeral Cate discovers that Addison was not at all who she thought he was.  Within 48 hours… she is out of the home she had grown to love, and finds herself heading back to Folly Beach, the place of her childhood, looking for scraps she can accumulate into a new life.

But Folly Beach is not only the place where Cate grew up… it is also the memories of another woman from another life time… memories of a marriage that was like a symphony, the Heyward’s spirit lives on within the breezes of Folly Beach.

Can Cate go home again and start anew?

Folly Beach, South Carolina

Take it from someone who did return to her childhood home, yes, you can go home again. Folly Beach took me a bit by surprise.  I was expecting it to be a good story, I wasn’t expecting some of the great humor!

“Everything was a sheet of ice, the temperature around 20.  It was only by God’s holy grace that we had all managed to make it to the cemetery without flying off the highway and into a ditch.  I was pretty sure the ditches were filled with mangled bodies.”

And that’s just in the early pages, as Cate’s story unfolds it is not only one of a backdrop of historical (?) fiction, a little romance in the mix and a lot of family drama too… it is also one of finding your own fit in this world.  I enjoyed going along with Cate as she did just that.

The reason I question the historical fiction above is that while the scenes in the book referring to the Heywards may be fiction, the Heyward’s were not.  Dorothy Kuhns Heyward and her husband Dubose Heyward were real people and real playrights.  Dorothy was also a novelist and assisted her husband in turning his novel Porgy, based on Negro life on the waterfront of Charleston, South Carolina, into a play.

Truly fascinating to see them woven into this book.

As I write this review I sit at the antique round kitchen table that was my mother’s. If you lean on it, you will find it to be not quite level, but as far as I am concerned, no other table will grace my home. It connects me to her. 

And I wouldn’t have it any other way.

You can find Dorothy Benton Frank at website: www.dotfrank.com, and she’s also on Facebook.

Amazon Rating

Goodreads Review

I received this book as part of the TLC Book Tour

Also – I happen to have an extra copy of this book and would love to give it to one of my readers!  Please leave a comment here letting me know where you would like to escape for a time of relaxation and renewal?

Divergent by Veronica Roth

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)46 Comments

In this later world society (what was once known as Chicago), when one turns sixteen years of age there is an annual Choosing Day where each teen will choose one of five factions in which they will devote their lives.  These factions are:

DAUNTLESS:(the brave) fearless, undaunted.  Undaunted: courageously resolute, especially in the face of danger or difficulty; not discouraged.

 

ABNEGATION: (the selfless) 1. to refuse or deny oneself (some rights, conveniences, etc.); reject; renounce. 2. to relinquish; give up
ERUDITE: (the intelligent) characterized by great knowledge; learned or scholarly.  The word “erudite” focuses on knowledge rather than intelligence– intelligence being something you’re born with, and can’t necessarily control, and knowledge being something that you acquire.

CANDOR: (the honest) 1. the state or quality of being frank, open, and sincere in speech or expression; candidness.

2. freedom from bias; fairness; impartiality.

AMITY: (the peaceful)  1. friendship; peaceful harmony.  2. mutual understanding and a peaceful relationship, especially between nations; peace; accord.  3. cordiality

and the one that no one is supposed to talk about (like “He who shall not be named in the Harry Potter Series…)

 

DIVERGENT: 1. diverging; differing; deviating.  2. pertaining to or causing divergence.  3. (of a mathematical expression) having no finite limits  Diverge: 1. to move, lie, or extend in different directions from a common point; branch off.  2. to differ in opinion, character, form, etc.; deviate.  3. Mathematics . (of a sequence, series, etc.) to have no unique limit; to have infinity as a limit.  4. to turn aside or deviate, as from a path, practice, or plan.

 

A teen may choose to stay in the faction they were born into… or after a series of tests may find that they are better suited for a different faction.  The point of the factions is form a “perfectly balanced” society… all working in their areas for the greater good.

Hopefully you are still with me…

When Beatrice Prior goes to her Choosing Day, she has every intention of staying in her families faction and continuing on with the life she has always known… but when it comes time to make the choice…

she chooses differently.

Beatrice (Tris) now finds herself in a world she really does not know, instead of the one of peace and meekness that she is used to, suddenly he is being trained to be a fighter, learning to fend for herself and doing surprisingly well with it.  Of course, she makes a few friends as well as a few enemies along the way.  And inside holds a secret that not only gives her an edge, but could also destroy everything.

The 2nd book, Insurgent is due out May 1, 2012

Every year I like to pick a book I really have been wanting to read for a while for my first book of the year.  It’s a quirky tradition but one I enjoy!  This year, I had it narrowed down to three books, and I made my final decision on New Years Eve…

Divergent.

I chose well. 😀

Divergent was everything I love in a great read… a fast start to the book, amazing characters, a captivating story line, fresh and new topics, and a satisfying ending.

 I picked this one up in the early morning hours of January 1 and finished around 11 pm that night.  I did little more than read all day.  It was BLISS.

Divergent falls into the dystopia genre that I have really come to enjoy.  I have no idea the attraction other than I think I really enjoy reading about survival more.  In all of these books, survival is the goal… food usually a luxury, housing is not what we have today, and the evil of this new world seems to be every where….

In Divergent’s case the evil is within the division of the people in the first place.  The segregation is very real…. once a teen has chosen their faction, if it is other than their home one, they will leave their family immediately and start a new way of living.  Communications between factions is frowned upon, each looking at the other as weak, or the enemy – seriously it is mind boggling.

I think what amazes me most about a read like this is that it is all fiction.  Author Veronica Roth has taken a world and divided it, making up rules, and people, and diseases, and manipulation…. and I love that it is all new, not done before. 

It’s hard to put Divergent into words other than to say it blew me away.  I will be anxiously awaiting the opportunity to purchase the second in the series, Insurgent, which is due out May 1. 

Amazon Rating

Goodreads Rating

I purchased this book from Amazon

The Black Shard by Victoria Simcox with a SIGNED giveaway!

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)18 Comments

As if Summer for a girl without many friends is not hard enough, Kristina’s parents are thrilled when Hester’s parents invite Kristina along to spend time at their horse camp.  Yes, Kristina adores horses… but everyone seems to not be getting the clue to is that Kristina and Hester pretty much loathe each other.

When a cruel prank goes wrong… Kristina finds that somehow she has found her way back to Bernovem, the magic land she has experienced before but was beginning to think that perhaps it had all been a dream.  Her friend, Prince Werrian is there to take her hand and show her around and when a chance to sail with Werrian to his homeland of Tezeral, Kristina thinks maybe this summer will not be so bad after all…

 

 

It has been over two years since I read The Magic Warble, the first book in this series.  I remember I was excited by Victoria Simcox’s writing and enjoyed her book very much.  When Victoria contacted me to read this second book I immediately said yes. 

There are several things I like about this book.  One is that immediately I get a sense of Narnia.  What I mean is I get that “other world” experience as Kristina and Werrian connect again to share an adventure.  Werrian is very “Prince Caspianish” and that.. is a good thing.  😀  I also enjoyed the story behind the Black Shard, a mysterious stone that gives off images of things happening in other places… And of course I am a sucker for the talking horses, mice, dogs and more that make this an overall delight to read. 

When I finally did get the time to sit down and read this book in the midst of the busy season, I only meant to read a little of the book.  What actually happened?  I sat down and read it from beginning to end in one sitting… finding no place safe in the book to stop reading as something was always happening ad I had to know why…

Why was Kristina constantly feeling ill?

Why was Hester so mean ALL THE TIME?

What was going to happen once they arrive in Tezerel?

WHAT is up with that crabby gnome Elzwur???

If you were ever a fan of Narnia, these books will take you back.  Be warned… I believe there is another book (there must be!) coming.  In the end – all is not resolved and while it was a fulfilling read… I find myself wondering excitedly what will happen next.

Author Victoria Simcox has graciously offered a signed copy of The Black Shard to be given to one of my readers!  Leave a comment here and you will be entered into the giveaway.  I will choose a winner later this week.

Amazon Rating

Goodreads review

The 2011 WHERE Are You Reading map has been updated to include The Black Shard

 

I received this book from the author

The Christmas Cookie Club by Ann Pearlman (and giveaway!)

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)36 Comments

As per a well designed tradition, Marnie looks forward to the annual Christmas Cookie exchange with eleven of her dearest friends.  The first Monday of December, every year… the ladies gather, coming from near and far with thirteen dozen cookies in cute containers… one dozen for each of the ladies in the group and an additional dozen to be given to a local nursing home, children’s group, or homeless program.  Besides cookies they are to bring an appetizer to share and a bottle of wine.

Oh and there are a few rules….

  1. No Chocolate Chip cookies… one year 5 people brought them
  2. No bars, they stick to each other and crumble
  3. No paper plates covered in Saran wrap and bows.  Try carrying 12 paper plates filled with cookies.
  4. No more than twelve women in the group
  5. You can’t miss a year, if you can’t come, send your cookies or you forfeit your place.  There are women waiting to get into the group
  6. It’s always the first Monday in December.  Put it on your calendar.
  7. Bring a copy of your recipe for each person.

As each lady passes her cookies, as per tradition, they are to share the story behind the cookie. Is it traditional?  Where did it originate from?  Why this cookie? 

And each year, more that cookie stories are shared as the evening moves on, there is laughter and tears, glorious triumphs over sickness, and heartbreaking confessions of loss and struggles.  The Christmas Cookie Club is more than the sugary residue of cookies and scents of gingerbread… it is the bonding of friends through all else. 

It’s no secret that I am not a fan of Christmas books.  Mainly too fluffy, too over the top perfect, I am left with a sugary after taste that is not appealing.  Yet, I am still drawn to covers and titles… and this one had me at both. 😀

Still… I entered this book cautiously reserving the right to stop reading if after a few pages I decided it wasn’t for me.  And then I entered Marnie’s world… seeing a man she was hoping may be permanent, having two daughters – Sky who has tried and tried to have a baby and time after time the baby would not make it to term and today Sky would get news from the doctor about her current pregnancy.  And then there is Tara, her daughter who became pregnant at 18, rebellious and young, jet black hair with blue chunks foiled in and due soon… not wanting to get married as that is soooo outdated, and seriously, what does that ensure anyway?  Divorced due to a cheating husband,  Marnie couldn’t argue with that…

Each chapter starts with a cookie recipe and then the story of one of the women, the one bringing that cookie.  AND (also cool) the chapter end with the history of one of the spices in that said cookie, and that was interesting too.

I was actually quite impressed with the Christmas book.  It was a nice read and not too overly sweet and neat and all tied with a bow.  Lives are messy, and in Ann Pearlman’s book she reminds us that we all come with baggage…. broken people like a broken cookie…. are still a delicious treat to be with!  😀

I wish I would have started this book two months ago… then I would have had time to create my own Christmas Cookie Club.  I love the idea of friends gathering over food, friendship, eats and wine.  I love that each woman takes a turn to share the story of the cookie, but there is also conversations, and catching up.  The whole thing… is awesome.

I am giving my copy of this book away!  To enter this giveaway leave a comment here telling me your favorite cookie of the season.  😀  I will announce the winner Sunday morning and send the book as soon as I have the winners address.

The 2011 WHERE Are You Reading Map has been updated to include The Christmas Cookie Club

I purchased this book from our local library book sale

Maman’s Homesick Pie by Donia Bijan

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)16 Comments

Donia Bijan grew up in a family that appreciated good food.  Food to her was a language all of its own, it was used to celebrate as well as substantiate, is was used in times of great joy, and n times of sorrow.  Growing up in Iran, Donia was surrounded by foods that were a part of her families life… loaves of bread were sliced in thick slabs and covered in fine cheeses and tomatoes, roasted duck, leg of lamb, homemade jams and fresh brewed teas were a breakfast staple.  Her father, a doctor, would not have his family wasting money on foods they could buy on the streets when they could make their own mouthwatering delicacies better than any thing purchased.  Her mother a nurse, would share her time between her family, the kitchen, and the hospital.  Many childhood memories were in that kitchen as vegetables were cut for thick stews, and batters stirred for mouth watering baked goods.

Then in 1978 when the Islamic revolution threatened their safety, Donia’s family fled to California, where the food of then and now formed a bridge to the life they had left behind.  Donia grew into a love for creating foods that created togetherness, and to her fathers disappointment (he wanted her to go into medicine) yet her mothers unending support, Donia took the steps needed to become the award winning chef she is today.

From the Persian world of her youth, to her new life in America this book walks up through Donia’s time at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris to apprenticeships in France’s three star kitchens, back to San Francisco where she opened her own now famous bistro. 

Recipes I made this afternoon... Orange Cardamom Cookies and the Persian cardamom Tea

My review for Weekend Cooking hosted over at Beth Fish Reads:

For a girl who does not really like to cook, I sure do read a lot of cooking related books.  😀  Honestly that baffles me a bit too… but as I type this and really think about it, I am mesmerized by those who can cook…those who can take a table full of ingredients and create a master piece. 

I don’t think it is so much that I do not like cooking, as I have yet to find the patience it takes to do it right. 

From the moment I laid eyes on this book I knew I wanted to read it.  It sounded like the just the type of story I enjoy reading.  Donia family brings to the table a memoir of family and traditions, and foods that would make the strongest of readers salivate page to page.

Along side Donia’s story of growing up surrounded by an appreciation for fresh foods, and wholesome meals, she leaves us with trails of recipes sprinkled throughout the pages.  While some looked delicious but I felt I was not skilled enough to put it to the test, others sounded down right doable, and I put my basic skills to the test today of placing ingredients together to make the delectable  Orange Cardamom Cookies along side the Persian Cardamom Tea…

the results were delicious.  I think I now know what is going into my Christmas goody bags…. 😀

Donia’s story is an incredible journey that I would recommend to anyone who enjoys a wonderful memoir filled with a family that feels like you are sitting at their glorious table.

Orange Cardamom Cookies

8 ounces (2 sticks) unsalted butter

1/2 cup sugar

1 egg yolk

grated zest of 2 oranges

2 cups flour

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground cardamom

1 Tablespoon poppy seeds

Beat butter in a bow with an electric mixer until it whitens.  Add the sugar and blend well.  Add teh egg yolk and orange zest.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl.  In a separate bowl mix the flour, salt, cardamom, and poppy seeds.  Once mixed, add to the butter mixture and mix until a dough like consistency. 

Form the dough into two logs, roll in waxed paper and refrigerate for 30 minutes.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

Using a sharp knife, cut the chilled dough into 1/2 inch rounds and place on cookie sheet 1 inch apart.  Bake 12 – 15 minutes until edges of cookie are golden brown.  This dough will keep well in the freezer up to 3 weeks.

 

Persian Cardamom Tea

Bring kettle to a boil.  Swirl some of the boiling water into teapot to warm it then dump water back into kettel.  Measure 2 heaping teaspoons of Earl Grey tea leaves and 1 crushed pod of cardamom and place in tea pot.  Add the boiling water to pot and let steep for ten minutes.

Pour a cup of tea and then pour tea pack into tea pot to to warm cup and to make sure color is even.

Amazon Rating

Goodreads Review

The 2011 WHERE Are You Reading Map has been updated to include Mamans’ Homesick Pie

I received this book as part of the Linus’s Blanket

and Devourer of Books Book Club

Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfeffer

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)30 Comments

Imagine…

If one day you and your family are outside your home ready to witness a significant event… a meteor about to hit the moon.  You are all excited as thought you are going to witness an eclipse, but then… when the meteor does hit, the moon is pushed closer to the earth. 

Suddenly… people are in a panic, due to the moons pull, tidal waves start taking out cities near the coast, earthquakes and intense storm patterns make up the days and the nights.  Electricity is on again off again and the grocery stores have been cleared out and closed.  What is left of the gas is now $9 a gallon and nothing is open anymore – not even McDonald’s.

Life as we knew it…

is no more.

This is what happens to Miranda, her two brothers, and her mother when the meteor hits the moon.  Suddenly the most important resource of all…

is hope.

 

 

Ok… so funny story.  About a year ago my friend Amy and I were driving to my cabin up North.  On the way Amy started talking excitedly about this book… “It was so real,” she says excitedly, “everything comes to a stop… no longer did the world have use of computers, cars stopped along the roads, stores closed – basically the world comes to a screeching halt!”

I agreed, it did sound like a fascinating book and had been in the back burner of my mind ever since that conversation. 

When I started reading Life As We Knew It I knew what she meant… all a little too real, and I had the second and third books in hand ready to go on to them.  Upon seeing Amy recently I told her, “I am finally getting into that book, Life As We Knew It, that you recommended so long ago to me.  I am loving it, why did I wait so.   long?”

“What was it called?” she asked, looking confused.

“Life As We Knew It,” I replied, “you know the one you recommended to me about a year ago while we were going to the cabin.”

Amy thought for a moment.  “Oh, you must mean One Second After.  That’s the one I read about all the computers and everything stopping and sending the world back into the dark ages.  I have never read Life As We Knew It.”

Me:  “oh.”

LOL

SO anyway, I read the wrong book – for the right reasons and I have to say it was a wonderful read. 

Life As We Knew It is all to real.  When the meteor knocked the moon closer to the earth causing all these repercussions (tidal waves, earth quakes, volcanic eruptions, and of course, wide-spread panic) I could imagine all to easily that happenings. 

Grocery stores quickly empty, vandalism becomes huge, and as days turn into weeks and weeks turn into months, people are afraid to leave their home.  If you are lucky enough to have a wood stove – AND lucky enough to have fire wood, that wood is kept inside your home.  Rooms are blocked off to conserve heat in one main area and food is rationed to the point of days of fasting and choosing which one meal you want a day – breakfast, lunch, or dinner.

In a world of overabundance, where I almost daily stop by a store to pick up something I need to make dinner, run into a gas station for a diet Dr Pepper, or Twizzlers, and occasionally have to hit the local book store for that “must read”, the idea is down right frightening. 

Looking around my own home I wonder how long I would last with the canned goods in the cupboard, blocking off our windows with sheets of plywood so people could not see in at what we have…

Life As We Knew It is written wisely from 16 year old Miranda’s point.  I think a book like this being written from the point of view of a young adult is wise because while obviously the situation is unbelievably hard, the voice of Miranda keeps it from being too heavy.  She of course, mourns her dreams of dating, loss of school friends, and the swim team. 

The book is very realistic as this family goes through the “what if’s”, as things seem to go from bad to worse, food becomes low, electricity is a thing of the past, there is fear of running out of firewood to keep the house warm, and then… the well runs dry… no more water.

I am currently listening to the second in the trilogy, The Dead And The Gone on audio.  Interestingly enough it is being told from the exact same time frame, but this time it is told from a teenage boys perspective in New York, where Miranda is in Philadelphia.

And uh yes, at some point I guess I do need to read One Second After 😛


In closing, I want to leave with you with this song.  I love the song anyway, but now find it very fitting for this book:


The 2011 WHERE Are You Reading map has been updated to include Life As We Knew It

I purchased this book from Barnes and Noble

Anyone ever feel like clocking a character? The Christmas Wedding by James Patterson/Richard DiLallo

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)30 Comments

Christmas is in the air, and along with the smells of gingerbread, pine, and holly, there also seems to be something else… a feeling of…

magic.

Gaby Summerhill is filled with a sense of something big is about to happen and through a series of videos to her grown children, 54-year-old Gaby shares a special message:

She is getting married.

Yes, Gaby, widowed for three years now,  is asking all her children to come back home to where they had all their family memories and join her as she marries….

well.. that’s the fun isn’t it?

Three men have asked for Gaby’s hand and she is thrilled with the asking, but nobody, including the groom himself knows who will be Gaby’s husband until the wedding on Christmas.

Gaby feels that by generating this excitement it will create an atmosphere worthy of coming home too, and that is what she wants most of all… her grown children, busy with their own lives and the chaos within, have grown apart from what Gaby knew was once a tight knit family.  Perhaps they will come to be together for Christmas… for a wedding…

 

Hmph.  Every December our book club (yay Bookies!) chose a Christmas style read for our December gathering.  In past posts I have mentioned that I find these books almost impossible as they are usually too light and perfectly (gag me) fluffy to get a real good read out of them. 

I really thought we were going to be safe with Patterson. 

Personally, I liked Gaby’s grown kids… each dip we had into their lives made me wanting to know more, Claire and her abusive drug addicted husband and troubled teen son Gus, Emily the lawyer go getter who runs from one project to another and has an adoring handsome doctor husband, Lizzie who’s husband Mike is a sweetheart who also has cancer, and son Seth who is a writer and lives his wonderful girlfriend Andie.  Each of their stories could have been a book in itself…

But no, the story was about Gaby who had three men on the hook and thought it to be fabulous.  My thoughts and the thoughts of the majority of the Bookies was what a selfish woman.  Gaby was a little too self-centered for my liking.  While the book was meant to be a sweet Christmas read of family coming home, I never got the sense that coming home was hard on anyone.  There was no conflict between the siblings or Gaby that made the pull of the mystery wedding a necessity.  I got the feeling that they would have come home for Gaby’s if she was mailing the mailman while standing in the front yard (and seriously, I am surprised he also was not a contender…. 😛

Over all the book read like a rush.  It felt hurried and pieced together, a dabble into this life, a dabble into that.  In the end, while I have to admit it was a lot better than some of our Christmas reads we have had in the past, it was not  a book I would recommend to others.

*To give you my true feelings… I actually went to Wal-Mart looking for a pinata that could represent Gaby… I thought it would be fun to smack “her” with a stick.  Lucky for her, I could not find one that fit the character – however I do reserve to hold on to the pinata plan for a future read.  😛

Overall the Bookies rated this on a scale of 1 -5, a 2.8.  Most of the ratings were low but a couple hit middle 3’s and we agreed that as a Christmas read – we have read a lot worse.

The 2011 WHERE Are You Reading Map has been updated to include The Christmas Wedding

I purchased this book from Amazon.com

Hometown Girl by Mariah Stewart

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)10 Comments

Brooke Madison Bowers.  Everyone in St. Dennis, Maryland knew her name.  After all she was the prettiest, most popular girl of her town.  Star of the pageant and Prom Queen, there was no doubt in anyone’s mind that Brooke would go far.  She married the man of her dreams and Brooke’s happily ever after seemed to all be falling into place…

but things can happen…

When her husband is killed while serving in Iraq, a very brokenhearted Brooke returns to her hometown along with her young son, to be close to those who love her.

When Jesse Enright moves to St. Dennis to run the family law firm, Brooke catches his eye and his heart in short time.  But Brooke has no intention of putting her own heart on the line again and Jesse finds that if he wants any chance at all with Brooke he is going to have to wait for her to first come to him.

Ummmm…. so Sheila, I didn’t think you really enjoyed romance novels?

This is true… but every once in a while a book comes along that I am drawn to despite the genre.  Honestly, reading that synopsis, doesn’t it remind you a bit of the movie Hope Floats?  In both cases you have a popular, beautiful woman who returns to her home town after things go wrong in her marriage.  She is afraid to love again but along comes a guy who seems to be so right… yet the woman is afraid to put herself out there… I love Hope Floats.  I own the movie.

Ok.. I drifted…

Hometown Girl is part of a series called The Chesapeake Diaries.  I admit, I have not read the previous books and I am curious about them.  While I did not need the other books to get into this one, there are friendships around Brooke (especially in the beginning) that I feel had I read the previous books I would have felt more in the know. 

While it is true romance stories are not my genre of choice, this is just a sweet read.  Honestly, I rooted for Jesse.  I love the fact that Brooke runs a cupcake shop, it just feels like a sweet story and a nice place to live.  I liked the characters and am drawn to read the other books just to get to know them better.  In fact, I enjoyed Mariah Stewarts way with words so much that I have been checking out some of the many other series she has written.

Thank you to Lisa with TLC Book tours

for the chance to read and review this book

Benny’s Angel by Laura Allen Nonemaker

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)1 Comment

Who stole the flowers in God’s Secret Garden?

When Ella Eagle discovers that the flowers in God’s Secret Garden have wilted, she alerts Mayor Benny Bunny. The main suspect in the case is evil Count Slime, who is jealous of the joy the animals have in the garden. Mayor Benny calls in Oliver Owl, the captain of the Owl Force Wisdom Watchers, but the owls have not seen Count Slime during their patrols of the garden. Mayor Benny suggests the animals pray for an answer. God hears their prayer and sends Marietta the angel to help them solve the mystery.
Author Bio
Laura Allen
Nonemaker
Laura Allen Nonemaker’s desire to write took root as a child in Bermuda. Since then, Laura has written in a variety of genres and her work has appeared in Essence Treasury: Celebrating the Season, Alive! and Kentucky Monthly Magazine.
Laura has been involved in short-term missions, including trips to Russia, Poland, and the University of the Nations in Kailua Kona, Hawaii. Three years ago, her interest in the arts motivated her to join the planning team for Artful Missions, which conducts juried art shows and donates to outreaches in the U.S. and India to rescue women and children from human trafficking.

This book was sent to me as part of a tour with KCWC Blog Tour.  While this book is short and sweet, it packs within its pages a powerful message about our joy and how we are in control of the way we respond when things go wrong. 

 

 

I remember when my boys were growing up and they would come home all upset about what someone had said to them.  Maybe it was name calling, or maybe it was a comment about how they played a game or answered a question.  I always told my boys that they had the power to choose how they responded, a kind response or none at all can really take the power away from the offender, after all – they are fueled by the reaction.  The same goes for the message within this book, while Count Slime wanted to see the animals of the garden have sorrow and feel scared, when that reaction was missing – the Count goes about his way… defeated.

 

 

I think even as an adult I need to remind myself sometimes that I choose how I respond to situations that may be difficult or painful.  Knowing that, somehow makes me feel better.

 

 

This book would make a wonderful addition to a Christmas stocking.  The book also includes a code for a free download of the audio version of the book.  What fun to play the audio version while paging through the colorful illustrations that go along with this story.

 

 

 

Thank you to KCWC Blog Tour and Tate Publishing

for offering me this book for review