Tag: Review

Forgotten Road by Randall Arthur

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)11 Comments

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29-year-old Cole Micheal’s had the world at his fingertips… a wonderful career as a musician, a loving wife and a three-year old son that had stolen his heart the moment he was born.  Cole thanked God all the time for the incredible blessings in his life.

And then tragedy strikes and all that Cole held near slips through his fingers and there is nothing he can so but painfully watch it go. 

How could a loving God allow something like this to happen?

Broken and angry, Cole starts down a path of self-destruction, doing anything to drown out the pain and find peace – and he tries to find it in the bottom of every bottle…

And tragedy strikes again.

Now in prison Cole is swallowed up by his anger.  Where is this loving God that his Pastor spoke of?  Where is the God who blesses those who live a good clean life?  Where is he now that Cole needs Him more than ever?

Or does he need Him?  Because who really needs this level of grief?

 

 

I have to share a little background story.  Many years ago I discovered this author Randall Arthur.  I read Wisdom Hunter, Jordon’s Crossing, and Brotherhood of Betrayal.   I loved that his books were faith-based, but not sugary sweet.  They had real meat to them.  Hard issues.  Real issues and real situations with three-dimensional characters.  I devoured his books and waited for more.  And waited and waited.  Finally after watching for more books for a couple of years, I forgot about him, although I continued to recommend his books.  

A little over a month ago I received an email from…. yup, Randall Arthur.  He had a new book out, and seen that I had once talked about his books here.  He was wondering if I would consider reviewing Forgotten Road if he sent me a copy.

Seriously, I was floored, not wanting to seem to fan-girly I quickly emailed back a definite YES.

 

It’s hard when an author you have raved about comes out with a book after many years of drought.  You, as the reader have to wonder if the book will live up to the wondrous experiences you have had in the past, you wonder if your memory serves you right – or if over the years you have elevated the writing to a level of fictitious quality…

I need not worry here.

Forgotten Road was everything I had appreciated about Randall Arthur’s writing.  This book is not your run of the mill “tragedy, lost God, found God, all was roses for ever and ever…”.   Instead, you feel like you could be living in Cole Micheal’s town.  You can imagine that you knew this great song writer and fiddler and feel the pain when tragedy strikes his family, not once but twice in rapid succession. 

AND you can imagine what you would feel like to hear that this once great man, respected by his community goes off the deep end, drinking and soaking in a deep dark pain.  All of this felt like I knew Cole Michael’s…

Written in a way that flashed back to earlier times as piece by piece you get the entire story, occasionally painful – I admit to crying twice while reading. 

AND then, along side this story line is another story of a boy named Jesse who is abused at home and very VERY angry.  He finds out he is adopted and while that is a relief to know that the man who puts him down and beats him is not his real father, he can not help but hold in contempt the people who gave him up and left him to this hell like life.  As Jesse gets older his anger overcomes him and he becomes this beast of a person….

and you have to wonder as his chapters slip between Cole’s what one has to do with the other…

How do I describe such a book?  Powerful comes to mind.  Out of the cookie cutter Christian fiction box is another.  And of course I have to add, a must read.  Randall Arthur was worth the wait on this one.  Beautifully and well written, if you read Christian fiction or not I am going to tell you that you will not be disappointed with this incredibly real read that even as it came to a close, shocked me again, which to this reader, is a big compliment to the author.

 

The Quilter’s Homecoming by Jennifer Chiaverini

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)23 Comments

Elizabeth Nelson had many a man turn his eyes towards her, but Elizabeth only had eyes for one man. 

Henry.  It had always been Henry.

When Henry finally proposes he offers Elizabeth a life in California where he has spent his life savings on a 120 acre ranch.  Elizabeth packs up her belongings and her beautiful wedding quilts and the newlyweds are soon on their way to their dreams.

Upon arriving to the claim they are hit with some shocking news and instead of being land owners, they become hired hands on the very property they thought they would own with barely a penny to their name.  Where Henry is ashamed of their misfortune, feisty and high-spirited Elizabeth does what she can to help out to get them back on their feet and on their way back to the home and family she loves.

Of course, more surprises and bumps in the road keep the plans of Henry and Elizabeth at bay, but along this journey they never intended to take they meet some interesting people – some shady, some meek, some bullies, and some kind… and some how this new reality, becomes a home.

A blending of the past and present brings the story of this place and this last together.

This picture is from the Elm Creek website where all the books are featured. Click to go to site

Normally this would not be my kind of read, or so I thought.  Set in the 1920’s – I prefer more modern-day reads and like strong female characters, not the “Oh save me!” type.  That is where the book caught hold of me.  Elizabeth is not an “oh save me” girl.  She is strong-willed, self-sufficient, and met my criteria of “no wimpy chicks”. 

I really enjoyed the story of Elizabeth and Henry and was surprised to find out that this is actually book ten in the Elm Creek Quilts series.  The book easily stood alone, but now I find myself wondering what happened in the 9 books before?  Did I miss something good? 

I really enjoyed the quilts as a back drop.  After all every quilt tells a story and I found it smart of author Jennifer Chiaverini to set these books around quilts. 

This book, and I suspect the others as well, make for a wonderful cold weather read, even reading about quilts makes you a little warmer on this inside.  I think a quilters club will really enjoy this series.

Steve Jobs by Walter Isaacson

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)29 Comments

If you are not familiar with the name Steve Jobs, you are familiar with the name brand Apple as in Apple Computers, or I Pod, Or I Phone, or I Tunes… all are associated with Steve Job.  While Steve was not the lone creator, not even really the mastermind behind actually making these things work, he is indeed the mind that made them what they are today.

Steve dared to dream things that no one thought could be, or should be dreamed.  He pushed the envelope as far as it would go, nay sayers be dammed, and in some cases friends and family too… nothing stood in his way. 

No one ever would claim that Steve was a layed back easy-going guy.  No.  He was temper mental, known to cry when he did not get his way, insist that things did go his way including color of products, and how to advertise.  While you can easily argue that he was an impossible man…

he was also a brilliant man.

In this audio of Steve’s life from adoption to billionaire, Dylan Baker narrates this audio to a perfection even Steve would have to approve of. 

Based on more than forty interviews with Jobs conducted over two years—as well as interviews with more than a hundred family members, friends, adversaries, competitors, and colleagues—Walter Isaacson has written a riveting story of the roller-coaster life and searingly intense personality of a creative entrepreneur whose passion for perfection and ferocious drive revolutionized six industries: personal computers, animated movies, music, phones, tablet computing, and digital publishing.

Although Jobs cooperated and encouraged this book, Jobs waved all rights to read or approve what people said of him in this book.  A no holes barred telling of an incredible man who fought his own demons all his life, dying of cancer in October 2011.

Steve Jobs in the beginning with the apple, years later, the IPAD

When this book first came out I did not know if I wanted to read it.  I had heard that Steve was not a very likeable man and I did not want to commit the time to read or to listen to his story.  Yet, it was the story itself that drew me to the book.  Steve, and people like him, fascinate me.  The big dreamers.  The ones who step out of the box no matter what people say – see the vision and make it happen.  It’s the same reason I appreciate JK Rowling so much.

I finally downloaded the audio and once I turned it on I had a hard time shutting it off.  From the beginning Jobs story grabbed me, while he was rough and cruel at times, It seemed he always felt he had something to prove.  And brilliant?  On my word! 

I was particularly fascinated by the part where he introduced the 1984 ad.  It was his vision, it was risky and it only aired one time on tv, at the 1984 Super Bowl and to this day is one of the most popular commercials of our time.  The clip I have below is when Steve showed the video the one time before the Super Bowl and while it is a 6 minute clip I highly encourage you watch it.  It is amazing to see a young and enthusiastic Steve.  He sure could bring out confidence in himself and his products. 

I loved this audio and am looking for the book now to have in my collection.  Brilliant and informative, I learned a lot about how the I products came to be, the ideas behind them, the Pixar/Disney battle for the top and how Steve was involved, and more.  I encourage you to check this one out.

The Language Of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh (Bookies Review)

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)13 Comments

Victoria was one of those kids who fell through the cracks of the foster care system.  Placed time and again in homes that did not fit for her, or were flat-out… abusive.  The Foster Care program felt it was Victoria, she was labeled as difficult and uncooperative… and so Victoria continued moving home to home until at 18 years of age she outgrew the foster care age –

and then was on her own.

One home however, haunts her dreams in a painful loss sort of way and if filled with the “what if’s” of life.  When Victoria was placed with Elizabeth a woman who grew up surrounded by flowers and their meanings , Victoria soon learned the secret language as well…. aster meaning patience, honeysuckle for devotion, plum meaning keep your promises….

But a poor decision leads to an unthinkable tragedy and Victoria once again shuts down, holding within her secrets and not trusting anyone with her heart.  She finds herself in a world of flowers and in almost an unreal way she flourishes, knowing exactly what those looking for the right bouquet want and need… and while this keeps her busy and is fulfilling…

she still longs for what she came so close to having if not for her secret, and Victoria is about to learn that your past has a way of finding you… and that isn’t always a bad thing…

 

My book club the Bookies chose this book for our November read.  On synopsis alone, I wasn’t sure about this one… I had some sort of 70’s flower child image in my head, however the girl who recommended this one is usually spot on with her book suggestions and she had already read it and said it was wonderful. 

The Language Of Flowers, as it turns out is wonderful and an incredible discussion book for reading groups.  The beauty we found within the pages of Vanessa Diffenbaugh’s story line here was well worth discussing.  While Victoria is not always likeable, that makes the story even deeper.  She is flawed.  She will annoy the crap out of you (and did).  AND her decisions do not always fall back on her child hood and the “oh look what she has been through though!”  My response to that is, “yeah well, we have all been through stuff.”

However….

Victoria is three-dimensional, while you can not put her on a pedestal, you also can not fully dismiss her.  She makes you want to know more about the way she thinks and the underlining flow of flowers and their language is not only fun but interesting.  I highly recommend this read not only for flower lovers but also for discussion groups as there is so many ways to discuss this book further.

 

BOOKIES THOUGHTS

The Bookies over all rated this one a steady 4 out of 5.  While we differed somewhat on how we felt about Victoria, we still enjoyed the read and the characters.  The flower discussion was good and I had printed out lists for everyone of Victoria’s Dictionary Of Flower, found on-line and created by the author.

Fresh flowers of course adorned our get together as well as flower book marks.  Our food for the review looked like this:

 

The foods served were some mentioned in the book.  I went with Zucchini Linguini because Zucchini starts out as a flower. 😉

The Language of Flowers makes for a wonderful discussion book for book clubs. 

Also submitted to Beth Fish Reads, Weekend Cooking Meme.

Charlotte Street by Danny Wallace

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)11 Comments

 

Jason Priestley’s life is somewhat…

dull.

After giving up a teaching career, he now writes restaurant reviews for a free newspaper that nobody seems to read.  He lives in an apartment above a video game store.  His ex girlfriend has just announced her engagement and the most exciting thing in Jason’s life is his last Facebook update “Jason Priestley is eating soup.”

*Sigh*  Something needs to change.

Then, on a chance encounter, Jason helps an attractive young woman get herself and her multiple shopping bags into a taxi on Charlotte Street.  When the taxi pulls away Jason discovers that the girl has dropped a disposable camera.  He picks it up, hoping that this bit of “opportunity” that has dropped at his feet will give him an excuse to find her and perhaps get to know her.

This one idea consumes him.  Before you know it, Jason is scanning Charlotte Street any chance he gets to hopefully spot her.  When this seems to be a colossal waste of time, his roomy and buddy Dev talks him into developing the pictures to see if they left clues to her hangouts.  What ensues is a comic of errors including an encounter with a free-spirited gal named Abbey, a hot-tempered ex- student of his goes postal, and many blunders when it comes to moving on from his ex.

Yet slowly, steadily, despite the life mines (my term for land mines) Jason is moving towards the mystery girl one photo at a time…

 

So kind of fun…. this book is set in London and there is a Charlotte Street in London.

I thought the idea behind this book was a smart one.  Take a camera dropped by a “ooh I would like to see you again” stranger and try to make the encounter happen by following picture clues.  Meanwhile, the mystery woman starts a blog which pops up not in alternating chapters, but sporadic chapters building on the story line.

Ummmm….

sort of.

While I loved the idea and a lot of where the story was going (yes, I had several laugh out loud moments), overall this book reminded me a bit of one of those crazy rides at an amusement park… you know the ones, you are going full speed one way and then you abruptly stop and either go backwards just as fast freaking out because you do not know where you are going, jerk sideways, or you free fall into darkness.

*whew*

Yeah, I think that sums it up. 
The  book was not what I thought it would be and that is not a bad thing, it just wasn’t all I had hoped (also, not necessarily a bad thing).  I guess since the main point of the book was boy meets girl… boy tries hard to meet girl again, I thought that would have a bigger bang to it then it did.  While funny and interesting, over all the book felt choppy, many different stories within the story and that did not work so well for me.   And, I just have to say while the play on the name Jason Priestley (“no, no… not the one who was the actor on 90201 – ha ha”, was funny – it wasn’t that funny to keep being mentioned over and over and OVER in the book.)

Alright.  Enough snarky.  😀

While yes parts annoyed me – it wasn’t a bad read.. you know how I like witty books and there are some good moments within which would cause me to give author Danny Wallace an “I would read another book of yours” partial thumbs up. 

 

Late, Late, At Night by Rick Springfield

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)20 Comments

 

Rick Springfield, pop star of the 80’s, actor in soap operas and movies.  People pictured him living the life of a king, huge homes and money to burn.  But that was not the truth.  Rick battled demons all his life – self-esteem, sexual addiction, lack of closure from his father’s death, and depression.  Instead of money to burn and big homes during his prime he was staying in seedy motels and wondering how he would afford to get to his next gig…

This is Rick’s story the good… and oh yeah, the bad… and certainly the ugly.

 

watch?v=u2T7wKdQsTo

If you were to ask my husband what my favorite song is, to this day he would answer “Jesse’s Girl” by Rick Springfield.  This… has never been true.  While I like the song, yes, very much – it was never my favorite song and I am not even sure where Al (hubby) gets that it was.  I have however always enjoyed Rick Springfield’s music and admit to finding him to be “hot” (80’s word) and sexy back in the day. 

I have listened to and enjoyed many memoirs over this past year and really like hearing the deeper, behind the scenes stories of the people who I admired from the speakers of my stereo (yup… again, 80’s) or from the screen of my tv. 

I think Rick’s story was good – but, and maybe this is because he is my first rock star memoir, a bit more language and the constant pursue of sex – whenever and whoever then I had anticipated or enjoyed listening about chapter after chapter after chapter.  While that was a large part of the memoir, if you can dig through the crud there is a good story there.  Rick does have one girl who he returns to time and again, eventually even marries and has two sons with.  While he is brutally honest about how many times he has cheated on her – before and after children and I appreciate the honesty, I would be lying if I said it didn’t affect how I felt about Rick as a person.  Rick himself says in the audio that if you are going to judge him for what he has done to her that we (I) was not an understanding person – but I think I am and I still don’t get the “Oh poor me… I cheated again” attitude. 

In Rick’s defense, it is true I do not know much about sexual addiction so maybe what he is sharing is spot on correct behavior and I struggle because I do not and not understand.

“nuf about that.

It was interesting to hear the stories behind the album titles (much more thought goes into this then I knew!) and even the story behind Jesse’s Girl (my – fo-favorite) which was never supposed to be a hit. 

In the end, I think fans of Rick will enjoy this memoir and if you go with the audio version like I did, you do have the privilege of having Rick narrate which is always a plus for me and I think you would enjoy it too. 

Child 44 by Tom Rob Smith

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)16 Comments

 

 

Leo Demidov lives a life in Russia with his beautiful wife Raisa being loyal to the country he is a war hero of.  He wants to serve his country and serve it well.  But Leo is not without his secrets – both past and present… dark and far back into his childhood there was this time… with his brother… but that was then and this is now.  At times he looks upon his wife still a beauty and wonders if she has ever really loved him.

Loyal to a fault Leo goes about his days starting early working late.  And then a series of child murders start to happen and Leo, who has never had children of his own but has always wanted them can not imagine such a  hideous unthinkable crime.  When his very State seems to sweep these happenings under the rug looking at the fact that this could be happening as an embarrassment to their very country therefore it must not be acknowledged, Leo knows he needs to take a stand. 

When Leo starts to investigate these crimes further than his country would like he becomes a criminal against the state and before he knows it he and Raisa are running for their very lives, trying to uncover the truth before they are captured and killed.

Sometimes the truth is closer than you think.

 

 

Why did I want to read this book?  Many years ago a friend of my husband and I mentioned that this was a book he enjoyed very much.  On his recommendation I purchased the book but never a big fan of political issues or war type books I left it on the shelf for a long long time.  I knew I always wanted to read it, I just did not know when.  When recently I came into owning the second and third books of this trilogy, I felt it was time to begin. 

Child 44 reminded me a lot of a book I read when I was in my teens (and I read it to impress a boy I liked but well… you know) Gorky Park by Martin Cruz Smith which honestly surprised me how much I got into it, and really as I type this now think I should have that book in my collection just because it holds some pretty amazing memories for me. 

The beginning of this book captures you right from the start you get a piece of information that at first I didn’t connect it but later you will find in a mind exploding sort of way how that is so important to the story itself, it is moments like these that I really appreciate an authors talent to surprise and inform all at the same time.  Truly… awesome.

The story line never lags, there is always something going on weaving in and out of Leo and Raisa’s life to the mind of the killer himself.  When it switches to the killer stalking a child, planning the next move – I really got chills of anticipation of the capture…. certainly someone had to put a stop to this! 

In the end the book was really a pleasure to read and one I can not wait to share with our friend that I finally took the time and read it.  Child 44 has won many awards: 2009 Thriller Award for Best First Novel, The Strand Magazine 2008 Critics Award for Best First Novel, the CWA Ian Fleming Steel Dagger Award, and was long listed for the Man Booker Prize.  It was released in 2008 and the second book in 2012, and the third in January of 2012.  It could easily be read as a standalone book, but I am curious of where it will go in the second book, The Second Speech.

 

Note:  I did wind up listening to this on audio as I have been traveling a bit lately and needed a good story for the car time.  Narrator Dennis Boutsikaris had a wonderful voice for this book.  I really enjoyed listening to him.

I, Michael Bennett by James Patterson and Michael Ledwidge

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)7 Comments

Life has never really been easy for Detective Michael Bennett.  After he and his wife adopted ten , children (not a typo), she took ill and eventually died of cancer.  For years non Michael has been making it work with the help of Grandpa Seamus and the live in nanny Mary Catherine.  He juggles life between the kids and his job and for the most part it works.

Then Michael finds himself with the opportunity to be part of taking down a big time crime lord and after the set up is launched and the gun smoke has cleared, a good friend and fellow officer is left dead and the crime lord has escaped.  Michael feels as though he is about to crack in two, and instead grabs the whole family, Seamus and Mary Catherine too and  heads to the sanctuary of their family cabin in Newburgh New York. 

At first this time away is bliss, kids splashing in the lake, burgers and steaks on the grill.  really just what the doctor ordered – but as Michael has learned all to well time and again… things are not always as they seem.  When two of his kids get caught up with some local gang members things go bad very quickly… what starts out as looking random is soon discovered it is not.  It looks that Michael and hid family are being targeted.

Whats a guy got to do for a little “r and r”?

 

I just seen this new cover…. is that what Michael looks like? Is it? Is it???? 😉

 

I have enjoyed the Patterson/Ledwidge author combo in this series since I first listened to the first book in this series, Step On A Crack, which explains the Bennett family dynamics.  This series is not as gruesome as some of Patterson’s books can be, the family dynamics really give it a nice level feel without being overly gushy the other direction…. Michael is still a detective in New York and the crimes are sometimes harsh.

As this series goes on I am really enjoying it.  The story line has not become old for me, I enjoy the family and the underlying possible relationship (someday…. maybe…) between Mary Catherine and Michael.  The kids, ages 3 to 13, offer a fun addition to the books to as kids will be kids… the little ones adorable… the older boys getting into mischief as you will see in this book. 

I have seen on-line a bit of grumbling about how this one ends and some others saying they didn’t know they would have to read another book. To that I say…. hello….. you are in the middle of a series and no one has said “Michael Bennett – The End yet. 😀  If I were to guess, I am going to say that due to the way this one ended I think the series is going to wrap up soon with this one big case. 

If you like a good detective story with really good characters and writing, give these books a try.  I have thoroughly enjoyed them all on audio.  Something about Patterson’s narrated books that are pretty AWESOME! 

Good In Bed by Jennifer Weiner

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)2 Comments

Camie Shapiro enjoyed her as a reporter for the Philadelphia Examiner.  Her quick wit and sharp mind make her stories interesting and she had no problem writing about anyone or anything… 

But…

when the day came she opened up a national women’s magazine and seen an article titled “Good In Bed” written by her “on pause” boyfriend, Bruce, things changed.  Bruce’s article is about his ex-girlfriend…. and about their sex life.  And when Bruce refers to this woman as good in bed, but “plus size” and curvy and some reference to a line backer… Camie is shocked to realize he is writing about her.

Loving a larger woman is an act of courage in our world, Bruce has written.

As if Camie’s world wasn’t already a hot mess with her fathers disappearing act, her mother finding love in another woman’s arms, and her sister into God only knows what… now she can deal with the insecurities of being called out about her size in a very public way…

Jennifer was a speaker at BEA this past June.

Many years ago a few of the girls in my book club were reading this book.  I was appalled thinking the title referred to a book that was going to be all about sex and multiple relationships.  Note to self, Do not judge a book by it’s title…

Flash forward and now I have a few of Jennifer Weiner’s books read and I had found the title on audio so thought I would give it a try.  Turns out Good In Bed, is not so bad…
The Good In Bed title while definitely a good “caught my attention” title, is somewhat misleading… while that is what the article in the magazine  is about (not a spoiler, that’s on the synopsis on the book) , the book itself is very non-sexual, I think I could safely give it a PG13 rating.

While not as engaging as some of Jennifer’s books – the audio was still good.  I liked Camie throughout most of the book finding her to be a likeable protagonist for the majority of the book.  Her relationship with Bruce (or the one she imagines) is a little “Bridget Jones’ish” but don’t go jonesing just yet – as while you get a bit of that vibe… Camie is a whole other story.

To sum it up I found Good In Bed to be simply a good listen, nothing over the top and a bit predictable as I figured out what most likely was going to happen early on in the book and that is the way it all went down. 

Wonder by R.J. Palacio

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)19 Comments

You can’t blend in when you were born to stand out.

10-year-old August Pullman is a sweet boy.  He has a loving family and a dog who adores him named Daisy.  But August’s world is a small one.  Born with severe facial deformities he is used to being gasped at when in public places.  Small children point at him and adults quickly scurry away acting as thought there was some emergency “to do: they had forgotten about.  Because of all of this, August has been home schooled.

Until now.

Now as August is about to enter 5th grade his parents think that maybe trying a regular school would be a good idea.  August is not so sure but agrees to give it a try under the safety net that if he wants to quit he can.  As anticipated, most of Augie’s classmates can not get past his face. Augie is called names and noted are left in his locker.  One boy Jack, seems to be a friend, and a girl named Summer (who likes that both of their names are seasons…) but one can never be too sure because peer pressure to agree with everyone else is a strong force in 5th grade.

In an age where bullying amongst kids is strong, can Augie survive the tests and the lessons of being the bigger person?

 


Why did I want to read this book?  WONDER has been on my “”I want to read!” list since last year.  In fact, it was on track to be my first read of 2012 and then at the last second I decided on another book and WONDER was set aside.  Now, October being National Bully Prevention month, I thought I would give it a try to I downloaded it from audible.com to listen to.

Wonder is just that.  A wonder. Narrated in the beginning by August, he tells of his childhood and the start of this school year.  You do not get a clear idea of what his deformities exactly are – August mainly focuses on the reaction of the people around when they see him.  It’s actually heart breaking to hear it from his perspective…

The next part of the book is narrated by August’s sister and then we get into the what August looks like and what that is like from an older sisters perspective.  As you can imagine, at times she is protective… but at other times she is tired of the focus always being on August and what August needs as well as some of the comments made in school.

As the book goes on, the narration changes to August’s new friends in school and what it was like to hang out with August.  The narration changes are actually smart and witty.  It is interesting to hear the “other sides” of what is happening.  

Wonder is a story of triumph over tragedy – it’s about kids acting as kids do, parents trying to hang on and make things right and learning to just be yourself and to heck with the rest.  Wonder is a book that will speak to kids as well as adults.