Category: Book Review

From Breakfast with ANITA DIAMANT to dessert with JAMES PATTERSON.  Book lovers you will not want to miss out on this treasure of a book!

Fair warning:  I am going to GUSH about this book

I think most book lovers really enjoy books about books, about book clubs, about readers….. AND I also love books that are rich with food details… so vibrantly described that I swear I can smell their mouthwatering aroma right off the pages!   So how about this…. what if I told you there was a book about authors – probably some of your favs…. that not only share some of the frequently asked questions, what readers should know, but also …

a recipe.

It’s true – and it is all in this book.

Table Of Contents barely made it into my home before I was leafing through this books reading fun facts on some of my go to authors…  for instance, Laura Lippman (I’d Know You Anywhere)says

I’m a lifelong reader, and much has influenced me,  But I particularity like Maud hart Lovelace’s “Betsy-Tacy” books.  Which, not incidentally, all filled with delicious sounding food.

and… Sara Gruen (Water For Elephants) says

I wrote half of Water For Elephants in a walk-in-closet.  I had stalled about half way through writing the book and realized I was employing all my favorite writing avoidance techniques.  I painted the walls of our family room five times and spent way too much time on Ebay.  We didn’t have wireless connection at the time so I asked my husband to move my desk into our unwired closet and I went in each morning with my laptop, the dog, and a cup of tea.

And not only fun little clips like the ones above, but also the recipes – oh the recipes!  Interested in knowing Philippa Gregory’s recipe for Medieval Gingerbread?  Henry Ford’s Cantonese Barbeque Pork Buns?  Barbara Delinsky’s Crab and Corn Chowder?  Chris Cleave’s Post-Colonial Pie?

50 different authors in all share pages of information about their writing, their inspiration, their favorite authors, and a recipe worth trying.  I am in total book crush over this read.

I will leave you with this one recipe from an author who holds a special place in my heart, Adriana Trigiani:

Pia’s Crabbies

During the Christmas dinner scene in my novel Rococo, Bartolomeo’s Aunt Edith barely makes it through the front door before she demands a serving of these crab delights!

Credit for these savory snacks goes to my sister Pia, the ultimate party hostess.  Through the years she collects, invents, and reinvents recipes to please the crowds.  We can’t make enough crabbies when we have a party.  They are delish!  Enjoy!

1/2 cup butter (1 stick) softened

1 cup (4 oz) shredded mozzarella cheese

1 cup soft pimento cheese spread (recipe for this is in the book if you do not want to use store bought)

2 tablespoons mayonnaise

1 garlic clove, minced

8 oz. lump crab meat

4 English muffins, split

ground paprika, for sprinkling

salt to taste

1 cup (4 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese

1.  Use a fork to mash together the butter, mozzarella, and pimento cheese spread in a large bowl.  Add the mayonnaise, garlic, and crab meat and mix well.

2.  Toast the English muffin halves, if desired.  Spread mixture on the muffin halves and sprinkle with paprika.  Salt to taste.  Sprinkle the cheddar cheese on top.  Place the muffins on a cookie sheet and broil until tops are golden brown – about one minute.  Cut each crabbie into quarters and serve.

I am not sharing my copy of this book.  Nope.  It is that good.  My only recommendation is that you run to your nearest book store or jump on your favorite online book site and order not only a book for yourself – but for that very bookish friend you have who will jump up for joy and SSSQQQQUUUEEEEE when he/she unwraps this treasure at their next birthday.

Amazon Rating

My 2011 WHERE Are You Reading Map has been updated to include Table Of Contents

I received this book from the author, Judy Gelman

This review is part of the Weekend Reading meme by

Beth Fish Reads

Linger is the sequel to Shiver.  **Warning:  Parts of this review may be spoilers to those who have not read Shiver.

Sam.  Sam is finally the boy he has always dreamed of being.  He is also able to now fully be with Grace and that is all he has ever wanted.  With spring approaching, the wolves will be changing too – those that can still change back into their human form and as the new leader, Sam is about to find out how much falls on his shoulders, especially with the two newer wolves, Cole and Victor.

Grace.  With Sam in her life what else could she wish for?  Turns out… plenty.  She could wish that her non-existent parents could keep their noses out of her life much as they have always done… but no, now they are all concerned about her relationship with Sam and getting all “parental” on her.  Seriously…. eye roll.  And there is this gnawing pain within her that seems to be getting worse.  Is she getting the flu?  Or could it be something much more serious.. something that has lain dormant for a long time?

Not often can I say a second book is even better than the first but in this case I think it needs to be said.  When I started Linger (errr…. last night) I was hoping that this great storyline that started with Shiver would be able to continue to hold my interest.  I wasn’t getting my hopes up too high, as honestly second books many times do not deliver the punch of the first.  I think especially when you are writing fantasy fiction is can be easy to lose the magic along the way…  Not so with Linger.

Within a few pages I was transported right back to Mercy Falls Minnesota, right where I left off… there was Sam, still head over heals in love Grace… and Grace still madly in love with Sam…. and this time there is so much more….

action.

More…

to lose than there was before….

it is so…

INTENSE.

Honestly, I started this book last night (after having misplaced it for a little over a week it was found in the book room…. I know.. I know).  I read about twenty pages last night and then this morning picked it up… and finished it this afternoon.  I could not stop reading it and thank goodness it was my day off and no one is home…. and I read like I used to read on weekends as a teenager when life was all drama, and friends, and books.

Book Bliss people.  No lie.

Linger left me with answers to old questions from Shiver, and new questions as the startling and cliffhanger conclusion left me grasping for the third book…..

that is not here.

Maggie has created a fantasy world within these books that leave me anxious to know what will happen in July when Forever is released.  I could not be more excited to get my hands on this book!

Amazon Rating

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

I purchased this book from Amazon

Clementine has been picked friend of the week!  This means at school she gets to be line leader, collect milk money, and feed the fish!  Even better, she will get a friend of the week booklet on Friday that all the other third graders in her class will fill in with things they like about her.

But when Clementine reads her friend Margaret’s Friend of The Week booklet she got when she was in third grade, Clementine starts to get nervous.  Margaret’s book has comments about how neat and organized she is – Clementine is neither of those things!  To get a great booklet filled with compliments by the end of the week, Clementine takes Margaret’s advice and starts offering her classmates compliments and gifts, hoping this will be reflected in their comments.

What is supposed to be the best week of her life soon turns into the worst.  Since when did friendship become so hard?

 

 

 

So….

I am not much of a Middle Grade (MG) reader.  I thought when I started this blog that I would be more so, but it just never really went that way.  While I do enjoy the MG reads, I do not read much in this age group.

Clementine, Friend Of The Week was a book I picked up in New York at BEA this past year.  As of that date it sat in a box waiting for me and I finally picked it up this weekend not wanting anything real heavy in the middle of the Bloggiesta.

Turns out Clementine’s story is fantastic.  I was thoroughly captivated in Clementine’s dilemma’s and how she interacted with her friends, family, and classmates. I enjoyed how she constantly changes her little brothers name from Pea Pod, to Yam, to Broccoli, Corn, and Onion.  I also appreciated how Clementine’s third grade voice rings true throughout the pages.

After reading this book I found out that Clementine has had two previous stories as well by author Sara Pennypacker.  This is a fantastic books for grade school children to enjoy a fun and funny read, while learning a bit too about true friendship.

Amazon Rating

** The 2011 WHERE Am I Reading map IS NOT updated with this book as I can find no information of the books setting.

I received this book in New York at BEA

Kendra and Seth are going to spend a couple of weeks with the grandparents in Connecticut, grandparents they hardly know.  The house is large and the yard is larger and there seems to be a lot of rules.  Their grandfather tells them not to go near the woods, and the is the strange man on the property who leaves out saucers of milk that they are told never to touch…

Then the day comes when the siblings do cross into the woods…. and they see the mysterious old woman with the rope, mystical creatures, and fairies…

what exactly is Fablehaven and what dangers have they unleashed by breaking the rules?

It is no secret that I am a HUGE fan of all things Harry Potter.  I think J K Rowling is brilliant and every time I pick up one of the books I swear I catch something new that makes me smile…..

When I first heard of this book and heard it was being compared to the Harry Potter reads I was intrigued.  This is something  I could not pass up.  Of course there was also cover love…. its super creepy… and really shiny and that just made me want to read it more.

Fablehaven was an adventure is reading.  Our two characters Kendra and Seth being 13, and 11, gave this book a strong MG feeling to me.

I enjoyed the storyline and of course whats not to love about fairies?  Seth begins to drive me nuts in the book as he is a constant rule breaker and then “oh so sorry,” and then he breaks another rule.  Kendra is just the opposite and does as she is told and that is a big advantage as the book hits the climatic ending.

Overall, this is not Harry Potter.  However I can see MG students enjoy the vivid imagination that is written into the characters (and I do mean CHARACTERS!) of Fablehaven.

Another huge plus of this read is that as I am so late to this books party, that all following books in this series have been released.  So if you love this book, there is no waiting to see where the adventure will take you next!  Five books in all is a very doable set of reads!

Amazon Rating

The 2011 WHERE Are you reading map has been updated to include Fablehaven

I received this book as a win

After a fight with her boyfriend one night, Alexandra goes for a walk and comes upon a bookmobile. When she goes inside to look at the books, she discovers that it’s a library of her own reading history; every book she’s ever read, including her diary, is on the shelf. As her life continues, she searches for the bookmobile, but years go by before she finds it again. When she does, she finds that the books she has read since last she visited have also been added to this personal library.  As Alexandra strives to read more and constantly searches for the bookmobile,she hopes that her hard work will allow her to work with the bookmobile… only all her hard work does is make her a loner and a very lost person who discovers the cost of her dream is really too high.

 

 

 

 

This book was recommended to me by friend and fellow Bookie, Angie.  She has read it and email me that she thought this would be a wonderful graphic novel to look more closely at and probably generate some good blog discussion thoughts.

The title alone captivated me.

I of course loved the fact that the bookmobile was filled with every book that Alexandra had ever read.  I imagined what my own bookmobile would look like…. all the treasures of my youth… from the big puffy baby books to picture books, then into paperbacks…. I get excited thinking about the books I have forgotten I read and how thrilling it would be to see them and recognize them!

And if that was all this small graphic novel had to offer that would have been enough.

But no, there is an ending to the book that shocked me.  It was this ending that actually left me thinking about this book days after I read it but unable to write this review.  Finally I came to the conclusion that while it disturbed me… the bigger message is that we are not to get to caught up and lost in our reading.  As much as we as book lovers enjoy dropping ourselves into a great read, it is also important to do life….. be with people, be active, and live…. not only through books … but also through life itself.

We need to make our own stories.

This book is centered around Chicago and as the night mobile travels it lands by real Chicago landmarks which gives this read a real feel.

This graphic novel stirred me and haunts me a little too.  It left me really thinking about this bookmobile, and I think that is what the author wanted… to leave us with our own personal thoughts about what we read and how we do life.

 

My question to you, as it was to me….  if there was such a thing as a night mobile, and within it there were all the books you had ever read…. if that happened today, what book(s) would sadly be missing from your collection that you wish you had read?

 

My Amazon Rating

The 2011 WHERE Are You Reading Map has been updated to include The Night Mobile

 

Borrowed from my local library

Thank you Angie for a book that made me really think!  😀

 

High School Senior Regina Afton is part of the “in” crowd.  Along side her BFF Anna, no one can stop her.  The students hate them for being so popular, but they fear them more and that is just the way Regina prefers it.  No one is off-limits to her click and they will destroy anyone in their paths and Regina is all too happy to do it as long as it keeps Anna on her side.  Regina knows there is nothing that can bring her down.

Until…. one day…

something does.

At a party one night Anna’s boyfriend moves in on Regina.  When Regina confides in someone about a potential rape, she is sold out for a chance for the other girl to replace her in the popularity circle.  What follows is a series of events that spiral Regina from the top of the heap to the lowest position in the school, practically overnight.  As Regina struggles for a foothold, she sees how her treatment of others has left her with no allies, except possibly the one boy she had helped destroy.

I have so many thoughts about this book.

I seen a review of this late last summer and thought it sounded interesting then.  More recently I found it on a list for a Cybils award and knew that I had to read it.

Some Girls Are is a book of all the things I love and hate about some of the YA I read.  Let’s start with hate.

I hate (I know that’s a strong word – and really dislike is probably more appropriate here) when the books center around parties and drinking and drugs…. and there is plenty of all of the above in Some Girls Are.  I am not prudish, I just think of the audience the books are for and when I see High School characters doing these things like it is just a part of their 15 – 18-year-old existence, it bothers me.

In particular there is a line in the book when Regina’s mom tells her that if she continues to skip school, she will no longer be allowed to see her friends, go out with her boyfriend, or go to parties.  Go to parties?

AND (I am fired up now!) In several instances in the book it seems like these parties go late.  I mean LATE.   While they are always wise to have a designated driver – the level of drinking in this book makes me wonder – do these kids not have curfews?  Do their parents not care if their teenager stumbles into the house at 3 am smelling like a brewery or higher than a kite?

Ok.

Now that I said my piece with that.  Let me tell you what I love about the book.

I love the relationships that author Courtney Summers creates within this book.  I honestly felt Regina’s pain when she is betrayed and ostracized from her friends.  For those of us who have been through high school, we should all be able to remember what it feels like when a secret is told… when a friend, is no longer the friend you thought he/she was.   In this, Courtney Summers excels with the accurate descriptions of the high emotion of youth.

In all YA I read, I try to find the deeper lesson and it is told well here.  As Regina’s story unfolds, she learns who her true friends are, and in the process of healing – she finds herself too.

And holy smokes, can someone say “Mean Girls?”  The level of evilness that happens within this book is no less than the movie that holds that name.  FYI:  There is a girl in the movie – also named Regina….

Overall, this is a book I did appreciate.  I enjoyed the writing style, it became hard to put down as I began to wonder what would be Regina’s breaking point…. who was going to come out on top… and would there (could there?) be a reconciliation between the once friends.

I look forward to reading Courtney Summers again.

Amazon Rating

The 2011 Reading map has been updated to include Some Girls Are

*Actually, I could not find a location for Some Girls Are so I Googled The High School they mention in the book and turns out – there is one in Maine…. so Maine it is.  If anyone knows where the book is set at, please let me know.  😀

I borrowed this book from my local library

Check out Coutney’s blog here

John Kralik was 53 years old, owner of a struggling law firm, divorced twice, distant children, 2 mortgages (not his own), a tiny apartment, and a girlfriend that was about to become his ex-girlfriend.  Life , it was safe to say, was at an all time low.

One New Years day while taking a walk to sort out his thoughts, John struggled with what he had to be grateful about.  Shoot…. he coulomb even spell the word grateful.  Certainly…. even as he looked through his crumbling life… there had to be something.

And that is where it began.  John made a decision that day to write a thank you card every day for a year in an attempt to focus on the positive.  At first it was easy, he thanked people for the Christmas gifts that he had recently received.  Then, he had to dig a little deeper.  What came out of this project was far beyond what John could have ever imagined.  Relationships…. healed and strengthened, people responded in kind, he learned more about people he hardly knew, and John’s world… became a friendly place again….

All because he opened up to the possibility of gratitude for what he had… no matter how little it seemed.

 

I love books that make me realize I was wrong.

When I agreed to review this book I really thought this was going to be a little guide on writing thank you notes.  In a small way it is just that.  In a much larger and more important way, it is about a true story of a man who changed his attitude to gratitude and in turn…. changed himself into someone he wanted to be.

This book… is right up my alley.

I love stories like Pay It Forward, where a kindness changes someone…. makes us look at the good and not focus so much on all that is and can be bad around us.  It’s easy to see where the world fails… where we fail…. it takes a little effort to find the good in things sometimes but I promise you, it is there.

I take this book a little personally because I have been in the low places in my own life and have learned that even the darkest times… have a little light.  It may not be as obvious as the dark that surrounds us, but you can find it.

I won’t get all deep on you – but I will tell you this.  This book inspired me to try to do my own 365 thank you’s.  The written thank you seems almost a thing of the past, yet I know when I receive one I am always thrilled that someone took the time to thank me or appreciate me.  I want to do the same for others.  I think a project like this is one that makes you dig a little beyond the surface…. sure there are the obvious people to thank:

• the mailman who delivers the mail to your box rain or shine (or in my case hauls books to my front door)
• a grandparent for sharing their past with you
• your hairdresser who has listened to your stories for years
• the friend that is always the first one you call when things are rough
• your spouse who you share your life with
• the neighbor who may or may not be a part of your life
• the adult child who struggles but you love – no matter what
• the child still in your home
• A relative who you may have not connected with in a while
• a boss from the past who really made your job worthwhile
• the person who bags your groceries
• parents and siblings

I am going to create a sidebar button and post who I sent the thank you’s to in order to keep track.

I think this book would be a wonderful gift for someone who is struggling to find anything to be grateful for.  I found the book to be inspirational and I am so glad I for the opportunity to read and review it.

Amazon Rating

My 2011 WHERE Are You reading Map has been updated to include 365 Thank Yous

 

I received this advanced copy of this book from Shelf Awareness

 

 

 

A few of you have expressed an interest in also doing a 365 Day Thank You Challenge

Here is a button for that challenge:

You may think that there is nothing in Minnesota that grants a nuclear attack plan.

You would be wrong.

The Prairie River Nuclear Power Plant seems to be the target and with the help of a few Minnesotans as well as a Three Mile Island Survivor with a chip on his shoulder, things are looking a bit grim.

Yet just as things are beginning to look bleak, we find retired U S Government Intelligence, James Becker, living a mere six miles from the targeted plant.  As John uses his past experience to put together the clues, he is also tasked with trying to convince the government of the threat.

Can’t a retired guy catch a break?

So here I am reading a book about the government,war, and terrorists….. and I do not like reading about government, war, and terrorists.

Why then?

Here’s why.  Last year I had the opportunity to read John Betcher’s first book, The Missing Element.  In this book I was introduced to a character I really enjoyed, James Becker.  James was  light-hearted character who while dealing with serious matters, still had a snappy line here and there that made me smile and want to read more.

This past fall I was offered to read John’s second book and I  was glad to do so.  It took me awhile to fit the book into my crazy schedule but once I sat down to read it…. I was back in the world of James Becker again.

I think what makes this book enjoyable for me is that John Betcher’s writing style is down to earth.  I can’t help but like the life he writes into his character James Becker’s DNA.  SO while this topic would be one I would most certainly pass on, John writes it in such a way that I found it fascinating to research the clues and solve the mystery like a side kick in the story.   I, being from Minnesota as well, enjoyed this setting around the familiar area of  Red Wing, a place where you really are not expecting a body to wash up along the shores of the Mississippi.

Amazon Rating

The 2011 WHERE Are You Reading Map now includes The Nineteenth Element

Did I mention a Giveaway?

I did!  To enter this giveaway leave a comment on this review.

A second chance to win will be given if you blog or tweet about this giveaway (let me know in a separate comment)

For a bonus entry – subscribe to receive my posts by email (upper right sidebar) and let me know in a separate comment)

That’s it!  I will close this giveaway out on January 29th.  USA and Canada entrants only please.  The winner will be chosen using random.org

I received my review copy as well as a signed copy to give away from author John Becker

Why is this book the first book I chose to read in 2011?  believe me – it wasn’t an easy choice.  What if I chose a book I disliked?  Who wants to start the year out that way?  I struggled choosing the read that would hold this coveted posting spot but settled on this one for reasons I feel are perfect:

This book was one I wanted so badly last year right around Christmas time.  I could not find it at any of my local book stores but hinted about it enough to actually find it under the tree for Christmas from my husband.  SSQQUUEEE!!!  He does not but me books often, as obviously if you looked around my home it would appear that a book is truly the last thing I need.  However, he does understand the book lover in me and I was thrilled to receive this treasure.  This was Christmas 2009.  That’s right, I have had this book for over a year and lovingly put it on a shelf and there it sat.

For a year.

That is why this book seemed very appropriate to start off the 2011 year with.  I hope this will remind me to not only pursue books I really want to read, but to also take the time to read them.

Happy New year fellow book lovers!

Sheila

 

FALLEN

Seventeen year old Lucinda (Luce) Price has just arrived at the Sword and Cross Boarding School in Savannah.  It’s not that she is a bad girl really… yes she was present during a recent fire that left one of her friends dead, and yes… she see’s shadows that seem to make her skin crawl and bad things seem to happen when they are present…

and of course her parents are worried for her own safety..

but boarding school seems a little extreme doesn’t it?

And then there is Daniel.  She sees this dark, mysterious, weight of the world boy on her first day at school and he promptly…

flips her off.

This action would probably make most girls decide a gut like that was not worth any attention at all, but Luce finds herself fascinated with this boy who makes her heart race and scowls whenever he sees her.  Something in those eyes seems hauntingly familiar.

Then there is Cam, gorgeous popular and totally swoon worthy and the big difference between Cam and Daniel is that Cam is charming, friendly and likes Luce a lot.  Often surprising her with gifts and attention that warms her insides in this new environment.

Yet why can she not shake this need to be with Daniel?

Why do we girls so often go for the bad guys?

 

Fallen is…. a love story, definitely YA, with a sprinkle of paranormal.  Seriously – whats not to love?

I found Luce’s storyline bringing me right into the setting.  Fallen was very visually described and I had no problem at all envisioning the school, the colorful characters (Arriane – both a little spooky and fun at the same time), Penn ( the girl with a heart of gold who usually does not get the credit she deserves) and doesn’t every school have a Molly (ie.  mean girl usually just for the sake of being mean?.  Of course I feel that I too would probably feel a little ga ga for Daniel as well, in fact he reminded me of a boy I knew in High School…

enough said.

There are parts I wish had been a bit more detailed – for instance the fire before Luce comes to the school seems to be vague on what exactly happened and why Luce is blamed.  I wish that would have been a bit more detailed as it does play out to be an important part of this read.

The ending came to a powerful conclusion that actually did take me by surprise how it all played out.

As far as the love (well… read the book, not sure if it is all love) triangle… I enjoyed it being the big sap that I am (I also enjoyed the Bella, Edward, and Jacob triangle).  I mean,even though I can not stand romance reads, a YA powerful love triangle where the guy will do anything to get the girl admittedly tugs at my heart.

I have read over the past year mixed thoughts on this book, anywhere from it being slow, or underdeveloped but I find I do not agree.  I enjoyed the pace of the book and getting to know the characters and the mysteries behind who they all are.  I am looking forward to reading the second book TORMENT which is on my kitchen table currently, and if FALLEN became a movie I for one would check it out.

Reviewer note:  When you are done reading this book, go back and read the first chapter again called, “In The Beginning” it will have a much richer meaning.

Amazon Rating

 

Book 1 on my WHERE Are You Reading Challenge map

This book was a gift from my husband – Christmas 2009

Thank you Al!