Tag: Review

Dream When You Are Feeling Blue by Elizabeth Berg

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)22 Comments

 

 

They were known as the “dreamy Heaney sisters”, all young and beautiful.  Kitty who is said to be a Rita Haywood look-alike is sure that her boyfriend Jillian has left her an engagement ring at the jewelry store before shipping out to fight in WWII.  After all he hinted about her going to the store after he had gone to pick up a little something he left for her!  Louise is in love with Michael who is leaving on the same day as Jillian to fight in the war but he will be on the European front, where Jillian will be in the Pacific.  Both sisters pine for their men but while Louise is getting pages and pages of letters form Michael filled with romance and love, Kitty finds Jillian’s letters to be lacking in that department and feels more like a pen pal then a possible fiance.

When Kitty goes to pick up the mysterious package at the jewelery store, what she finds makes her rethink everything she thought she knew, and find an inner independence that she never knew she possessed and make sacrifices, she could never have imagined.

 

 

 

 

Now this is the Elizabeth Berg I have come to know and love.  Recently I had listened to a couple of her reads that left me a little flat, but as my goal is to read through all of her works (come what may) in 2011… I have continued on and so far I am enjoying the journey.

Dream When You Are Feeling Blue is a story from the 1940’s and it is almost sad in some ways to see how much we have changed.  In these times, girls usually did not move out of their parents homes until they were married.  The three sisters (there is a third sister named Tish who is quite the handful) share a room in their strongly Irish home.  As I listened to this on audio it was fun to hear the thick accents of both the parents.  What struck me is how strong knit this family was, come what may – they were in it together and the sisters as well as the three brothers, all listened to and respected their parents.

When the sisters start going to the USO dances, Louise and Kitty mainly to keep an eye on their younger and wilder sister Tish, they are shocked when they see someone actually kissing out in the open.  So different from what happens today.

Another part of the book that spoke to me was the deep sacrifices they made as a family and really that is the theme of the book.  The girls sacrifice their boyfriends to the war and hope that they will return to them whole.  The family sacrifices by all doing their part to make ends meet, the girls getting jobs, Kitty even working in a factory that her parents find not fitting for a girl, but she wants to do her part for the war efforts and they are proud of that.  The food is rationed, some days there is no meat available and many of the meals sound like they had to choke them down as they were made from only what they had.  It made me think of how privileged my own life has been having never have gone without anything I needed like food or comforts of home.

I think from this review you can see this book made an impression on me.  From what I have read of Elizabeth Berg so far, this is her at her best.  While the book is about the events surrounding WWII, it is mostly about what is happening on the home front and the letters that the girls write to the men fighting in the war.

The ending shocked me…. and yes, there was a few tears shed.

Amazon Rating

The 2011 WHERE Are You reading Map is updated to include Dream When You Are Feeling Blue

I borrowed this audio from my library

The Postmistress by Sarah Blake

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)33 Comments

In 1940, Iris James is the postmistress in coastal, Franklin, Massachusetts. Iris knows more about the townspeople than she will ever say – for example, that Emma Trask has come to marry the town’s doctor, and that Harry Vale watches the ocean for U-boats. Iris believes her job is to deliver secrets. Yet one day she does the unthinkable: slips a letter into her pocket, reads it, and doesn’t deliver it.

Meanwhile, Frankie Bard broadcasts from overseas with Edward R. Murrow. Her dispatches beg listeners to pay heed as the Nazis bomb London nightly. Most of the townspeople of Franklin think the war can’t touch them. But Iris and Emma and Frankie know better…

 

 

Who are we to decide what is considered truth and who is allowed to hear it?  This is the underlying message in this book and I am thankful to say this is not as much of a war novel as it is the knowledge that there is a war happening.

 

 

 

My first impressions were “whoa – that’s a lot of characters!”…  I have mentioned this before, I prefer books with few characters as I like to get to know them.  I also struggle keeping a gaggle of characters straight when many are brought in at once or switched frequently and that does happen within this read.  As much as I enjoyed the three main female characters and found this to a pleasant read, there was a lot to keep track of and having just read another world war II book it felt a little like work to read.

But hang in there reader.  These three women do make for an interesting read.  Iris, who resides in Massachusetts is the keeper of all things postal… in this case, the local post office and insists that she be called the “postmaster”, (I am curious as to why the book was not names this, instead of postmistress). Iris’s job is a serious one as in a time where TV’s were pretty much non-existent, radios were the source of entertainment (yup – pre Twitter, texting and hang on to your chair, pre- Facebook.).  Iris was in many cases the communication life line between people such as Will and Emma… until one day…

OOPS!  Moving on 😉

American journalist Frankie Bard is the voice of the war.  Frankie’s job is to find a way to tell the stories of those she meets and this becomes her struggle, as she can not remain neutral.   Frankie’s role really becomes a center to this books as much is set around her broadcasts and the other characters (Iris who feels it can not be as bad as Frankie is saying and Emma  listening to them.

 

Emma is a young newly wed to the towns doctor, Will.  She also resides in Massachusetts.  Through a happening in the book she becomes friends with the much older Iris.  Emma waits for Wills letters that come frequently for a while…. and then they slow to the point of stopping, the results are what will bring all three of these women to a heartbreaking togetherness.

 

While the book at times felt choppy, I have to admit I took great interest in the story line…. what right do we have to withhold information?  How is it that while our world is at war we can go on living as though all is well?  This applies to the book – and I think to our every day lives.  Of course, my thoughts drift to Japan…

Final thoughts:  It is a good read but I did not find it to be an easy read and at times it felt a bit like work to follow what was happening.  If you are making a decision on this book, please check out other thoughts as well as they are mixed and this is one of those books that holds a sense of mystery around it…. some love it, some hate it….  I liked it.  🙂

 

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

 

I received this book to review for the TLC Book Tour

Snitch by Rene Gutteridge

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)17 Comments

Convinced he has a greater chance to die–of boredom–at his desk job than he ever faced in narcotics, Las Vegas police sergeant Ron Yeager agrees to slip off the retirement track long enough to head up an undercover task force designed to combat the recent surge in auto thefts.

Then Ron gets a good look at his inexperienced team he has been assigned.  Jesse Lunden is a cocky maverick who feels this job is beneath him and he really should be taking the lead.  Then there is Dozer who can not seem to stay awake beyond the morning debriefing, Mackenzie “Mack” Hazard who insists on wearing her faith on her sleeve – all the while trying to be a convincing undercover blue eye shadow, short skirt wearing, wrong side of the tracks girl….and well Whiz… lets just say he didn’t earn this nickname because he is smart… Oh, and lets not forget Kyle, Yeager’s youthful Pastor in desperate need of a sabbatical who really is interested in the whole under cover excitement and would really like to (hint hint hint hint) be a part of the team.

Yeager needs to find a way to make this motley crew a team… and the way it looks now… he has half a mind to turn tail and run, not walk back to retirement as fast as his cane can take him.

 

Snitch may refer to:

 


Snitch is the second book I have read by Rene Gutteridge and I flipped through the pages with great joy.  The storyline was fun and quick – yet also carried a solid plot that held everything together.  The characters were interesting and diverse.

Snitch happens to be the second book in this three book series… Scoop being the first one which I have not read.  (Short story – I wanted to try Rene Gutteridge, I put in for several of her books at the library and this is what came  in, so this is what I read.  :D)  However, I did not feel that I had missed out on anything by not having read Scoop first.  Snitch is a self-contained book and while I enjoyed it enough to be curious about the first book and interested in pursuing the third book,, I do not feel I would need to in order to complete the story.

What I really found in this book was a bit of humorous mystery that was enjoyable to read.  A nice mix of suspense, humor, and even a little romance – but not to the point of sappy.  I liked this book very much and for the second time can say I am impressed with Rene Gutteridge’s style of writing.

Amazon Rating

The 2011 WHERE Are You reading map has been updated to include Snitch


I borrowed this book from my library

39 Clues by Rick Riordin

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)31 Comments

 

When Aunt Grace dies, she opens up a clue to a secret that can make or break the world.  Each member of her family is offered two million dollars to take as an inheritance and walk away…

or…

you can turn in the bank voucher for the 2 million and instead get a clue to something…. amazing.  Something that can make you powerful and probably save the world.

Most of the family takes the 2 millions dollars… after all Grace was old and seriously may not have been in her right mind.  The 2 million is a solid deal.. the clue?  Not so much.

Yet 7 families do take the clue…. many of them already wealthy are greedy for the thought of power….  but for Dan (11) and Amy (14) Cahill they really don’t see what they have to lose.  Warded to an unloving Aunt Beatrice after their parents were killed, Beatrice (Grace’s sister) treats the kids like dirt.  The clue…could provide freedom and adventure.

They take the clue.

Soon the siblings as well as the very strange and power-hungry members of their family are on the hunt of a lifetime.  They follow the historical trail of Ben Franklin to find the next clue, with Amy’s book smarts and Dans math smarts they can and do go far but not without trouble from other family and others who they thought were allies, who want the treasure for themselves.

 

 

This book has interested me since it was released…. probably because it is more than a book.  The book includes a website, trading cards, and is really part of a 10 book series penned by different authors.  You can even log into a site and become part of the hunt.  Being a big fan of movies like Indiana Jones, National Treasure, Jewel Of The Nile…

yeah… I was hooked and Scholastic, you are brilliant.

I listened to this one on audio and by now I am starting to feel I have Rick Riordin’s number.  His characters from what I have picked up on from Percy Jackson and the Olympians as well as Red Pyramid have given way to characters of youth of fantasy and intrigue.

The audio book was a  joy to listen to.  As an adult it held my interest and I loved the historical information sprinkled through the book as the siblings uncovered the clues within the clue.  Even I learned a few things about Benjamin Franklin that I did not know.  🙂  As a middle grade reader, I think these books would be devoured.

I love that many authors worked on these books together, each adding their own personal flare.  I just love that!

 

Here is the list of the books in the series: (as written in wikepedia)

 

Each book in the 39 Clues series includes six cards, which unlock one online clue, the same one Amy and Dan find in the corresponding book. Readers can unlock it by entering the code on one of the cards on their 39 Clues account. If eligible, they will also be automatically entered to win the Book Prizes, the largest being $10,000.

Book 1: The Maze of Bones

Main article: The Maze of Bones

The Maze of Bones is the first book in the series, written by Rick Riordan. It was released on September 9, 2008. Amy and Dan Cahill travel to Paris, France in search of a clue that Benjamin Franklin hid there after their grandmother sets their large family off on the quest. William McIntyre (the person that first told Amy and Dan about the clue hunt) told the 7 teams to trust no one. Unfortunately, Amy and Dan didn’t do what William had said.The pages that have strange markings say “Anni Cahill did not drown”. While on the journey they discover that there is more to their family than they were led on to believe. The find and activate a liquid only to be stolen by Ian Kabra. The clue is iron solute.

Book 2: One False Note

Main article: One False Note

One False Note is the second book in the series, written by Gordon Korman. It was released on December 2, 2008. After succeeding in obtaining the first clue, Amy and Dan (along with their competition) travel to Vienna, Austria to find a clue relating to Mozart and his sister, Maria Anna “Nannerl” Mozart, famous Cahills. Following a lead to Venice, Italy, Dan and Amy brush up with the other competitors, however, to secure the lead. The strange markings say “Look to India”. The clue is tungsten.

Book 3: The Sword Thief

Main article: The Sword Thief

The Sword Thief is the third book in the series, written by Peter Lerangis. It was released on March 3, 2009. They travel to Japan to find the next clue, focusing on swords stolen centuries ago by Japanese warrior Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and they make an alliance with Alistair Oh and later the Kabras. Amy and Ian start to like each other, but their relationship ends in an unusual way, because Ian fails horribly at reading his true feelings. The strange markings at the bottoms of the pages say “The competition is about hope”.

Book 4: Beyond the Grave

Main article: Beyond the Grave

Beyond the Grave is the fourth book in the series, written by Jude Watson. It was released on June 4, 2009. Amy and Dan go to Egypt on the next step in their quest and meet an old friend of their grandmother’s, who gives them a hint left for them by Grace before she died. Amy is apparently not over Ian, as she often thinks about him.

Book 5: The Black Circle

Main article: The Black Circle

The Black Circle is the fifth book in the series, written by Patrick Carman. It was released on August 11, 2009. After receiving a telegram from a mysterious person known as ‘NRR’, Amy and Dan travel to Russia. In Russia, Amy and Dan form an alliance with Hamilton Holt. They go through a series of clues that keep leading them to different places and they are being timed.The clue is Amber.

Book 6: In Too Deep

In Too Deep is the sixth book in the series, written by Jude Watson. It was released on November 3, 2009. Amy and Dan arrive in Australia and meet up with their surfer uncle Shep Trent. Also, Isabel Kabra joins the hunt. Isabel tries to kill Amy and Dan by starting a fire and Irina dies saving them. It is revealed that Isabel Kabra was the one who caused Amy and Dan’s parents to die.

Book 7: The Viper’s Nest

Main article: The Viper’s Nest

The Viper’s Nest is the seventh book in the series, written by Peter Lerangis. It was released on February 2, 2010. Amy and Dan, shaken up by their last encounter with Irina, travel to South Africa after discovering a note in Irina’s boat. Their search leads them to a Tomas stronghold in the South African veldt.

Book 8: The Emperor’s Code

Main article: The Emperor’s Code

The Emperor’s Code is the eighth book in the series, written by Gordon Korman. It was released on April 6, 2010.[1][7] Amy and Dan arrive in China, fresh from the shocking discovery that they are Madrigals. In this book, Dan releases the info that he is a Madrigal to the Wizards. At one point in the book, Dan is kidnapped by the Kabras. They continue to search for clues, though, and find a note written on silk from the Chinese emperor Puyi. They find out that the clue is hidden elsewhere. They travel to the top of Mount Everest to find the Clue.

Book 9: Storm Warning

The ninth book, Storm Warning, was written by Linda Sue Park and released on the 25th of May, 2010. Amy and Dan go to Jamaica, where they meet a friend of Grace and her nephew, Lester, who helps them, then dies.Nellie is then confirmed to be a Madrigal in this book.

Book 10: Into The Gauntlet

Main article: Into the Gauntlet

Into The Gauntlet, the final book in the series, was released on August 31, 2010, written by Margaret Peterson Haddix. In the book, all the teams come to Cahill Island. Isabel Kabra captures them, and forces each of them to say their clues, by threatening to kill their loved ones. Amy saves them by smashing the serum over her head and knocking Isabel out cold. Amy and Dan are left with a list of everyone’s clues in their hands, which each team gave them, “because they don’t trust themselves around the serum, and the great power it wields.” Dan and Amy end up winning the clue hunt the way Grace wanted them to, with everyone else wanting them to win.

Book 11: Vespers Rising

This book will serve as a transition between the first and second series. It will be written by Rick Riordan, Peter Lerangis, Gordon Korman, and Jude Watson. The book is expected to be released on April 5, 2011.[8] It will explain the history of the Vesper family, the Madrigals, Grace, and eventually catch up to Amy and Dan.[9]

 

My thoughts:  This is definitely a series to try if you have middle grade adventure readers…. I love the interaction with the website.

The 2011 WHERE Are You Reading Map has been updated to include 39 Clues

 

I purchased this audio from audible.com

 

Harry Potter and The Philopher’s Stone by J K Rowling(Stephen Fry audio)

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)30 Comments

Ok… so in case you have lived under a rock for the last 13 years (can you believe it has only been 13 years since this first book was released?)... anyway here’s the storyline:

So, before the book opens we learn that “he who shall not be named”, from this point forward for time-saving he will be known as HWSNBN, has wiped out Harry’s parents for reasons I can not now reveal and poor little Harry is orphaned and left on his aunt and uncle’s doorstep to be raised until he is 11.   Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon and their spoiled brat of a piggish son (no, I am not opinionated at all – why?) treat Harry like a virus.  He is forced to sleep in a closet space under the staircase and wears only Dudley’s very large hand me downs.

But all of this is about to change.


On the day that Harry turns 11 years old a large giant of a man arrives at the Dursley’s and announces to Harry’s surprise that he will be starting at the Hogwart’s School of Witchcraft and Wizardry and Harry learns in that same amazing moment… that he is a wizard.

From there life is a series of amazing events:  shopping for wands and owls, a magical train that is boarded from platform 9 3/4, meetings of the Weasley’s, meeting of Draco Malfoy (cue threatening evil music), Hermione – annoying but she grows on you, Neville who for some reason I really like, Dumbledore is awesome, a hat that sorts which house you will be a part of at Hogwarts, magical food appears on tables, professors that can turn into cats, Snape a name you won’t soon forget, spell classes that suck just a little bit, a troll in the lady’s room and a gross sentence or two on troll buggers, house points WON, house points lost, magical lessons and life lessons, whats up with Snape’s leg,  Malfoy prank backfires,  flying broomsticks and a game called Quidditch, a broom as a gift, stuttering Proffesor Quirrel and his mighty and also stinky turban, Quidditch practice practice practice, a little broom “almost” disaster, Hermione creates fire, a WIN for Gryffindor,  a secret, a three-headed dog, who is Flamel, Hagrid can not keep a secret, a cloak that makes you invisible, a mirror that shows your greatest desire, Haggrid may have a slight drinking problem, baby dragon, baby dragon go away, DETENTION!, Snape steals into the Forbidden Forest (uhhh… helllo it’s called Forbidden for a reason!) dead unicorns, blood sucking floaty dude, centaurs (because really what is a good fantasy read without a centaur?), a magic stone (mmm hmmmm you knew that was coming, it’s in the title), sleepy flute music, HWSNBN makes a special guest appearance, life-size chess game, Ron gets a smack down, Harry plays Alice In Wonderland with a row of potions,Hermione uses her brain, mirror mirror who’s got the mirror,  old stinky turban returns, what’s in your pocket Harry, whoa – HWSNBN what are you doing there?,  well this is awkward, a little hospital tlc, info on the parental units, Bertie Bott’s Every Flavored beans and Dumbledore eats the ear wax flavored one, final house points awarded, the school year ends on an up note, High fives and “see ya laters” by the dynamic trio, Harry is hauled back to the Dursleys for summer break.

Yup… I think that sums up book one.  😛

A year would not be complete if I did not dabble in yet another way to get my Potter dosage.  Last year I spent time with Jim Dale and enjoyed the audio version of these books.  If you have not tried them in audio – you are truly missing out.  Jim Dale was an incredible narrator and his voices were FANTASTIC!  I enjoyed these very much.  Now this time around I have listened to it in to audio again but with another narrator that I have heard was a “do not miss”, Stephen Fry.

Stephen Fry was also an amazing narrator and once again this story opened up to me like it was the first time.  There is something truly magical about these books.  Every time I read one or listen to one, I pick up on something new… something that links to a later book that makes me shake my head in awe of the incredible mind of J K Rowling.

If you haven’t had your Potter dose in 2011… I suggest you try one of the early books again, or try it on audio for the first time – even if you are not an audio person I think you will enjoy the Harry Potter books and your whole family will too 🙂

The 2011 WHERE Are You Reading Map has been updated to include The Philosopher’s Stone

I borrowed this audio from my lovely library

Wench by Dolen Perkins-Valdez

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)35 Comments

Lizzie, Reenie, Sweet, and Mawu are four slave women who meet when their owners vacation at the same resort in Ohio.  Each of these women have a story and each of these women are mistresses to their master… in some cases willingly.  While at this resort they see the first time free blacks and Mawu leads the group as she talks about escape and freedom.

Reenie and Sweet are on board with the dreams of running to their freedom but Lizzie feels she really loves her master Drayle, and she believes he loves her as well… after all they do have two children together.

In the end, as they spend their third and final summer together in Ohio, the women have a decision to make….

but will it be one of freedom?


This was a fascinating read.  Initially when my book club chose this for our March read I was nervous that it may be like The Help.  I loved The Help, but do not like it when books (or movies for that fact) build off what another pulls off successfully.

I did not have to worry – Wench is a book all in its own.  I was able to learn much through the sto ri es of t he women, and enjoyed each of their takes on their lives and their worth – from mild-mannered Lizzie who felt she was the rightful wife of her master if not legally by heart then, to wild Mawu whose master is cruel and violent and Mawu feels she would rather die trying to escape than continue living in this manner.

I really felt uneducated going into this read as I knew that in some cases the masters of these black women would force them into sex … but I guess I did not realize it was so common.  The complexity of the women’s relationships with their masters as well as in their friendships with each other made for a fascinating read.  In the end I came to appreciate a lot more what these women went through in a time that no one stood up for them….  this book is a read of heartbreak and in a way – triumph as well.

Fabulous fabulous fabulous read.

Amazon Rating


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


 

 

 

 

I received this book for review

 


Bookies review:

Our book club had a wonderful discussion about this book.  We discussed in great detail the different lives each of the four main women had with their masters and with their friendship as well.  The discussion was quite detailed and I enjoyed how deep we dived into the subject of slavery and especially into the relationship of Drayle and Lizzie.

I love it when our group does the little extras and Angie (By Book Or By Crook) had taken the time to find and print out for us the use of the popular songs of slaves.  Follow The Drinking Gourd – the video above, is one of those songs.  It was interesting to hear the words, that were not written down as the songs contained codes of where they would meet when they escaped – and were used by Harriet Tubman when she helped slaves escape

.

The resort, Tawawa House, mentioned in the book, does exist and on Dolen Perkins-Valdez’ website you can read about the history of this resort.  As the masters who took their slaves to the resorts and left their wives at home, this was truly a case of what happens in Tawawa House – stays in Tawawa House.

And of course, when the Bookies meet – we do like to go all foodie on the theme and the girls out did themselves with the delightful treats we had for this review.   Grits, corn bread, stuffed potatoes, a stew, rice and beans with Louisiana hot sauce, sour dough bread, strawberry shortcake, chocolate cake, cinnamon applesauce, a Feta and Craisin spinach salad with poppy seed dressing…. Oh man….


Miss Scarlet’s School Of Patternless Sewing by Kathy Cano-Murillo + Giveaway

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)63 Comments

Scarlet Santana is never happier than when creating fabulous fashions for women of all shapes and sizes. Now, after years of hard work, she finally has the chance to live her dream and study under the hottest designer in New York. To raise money for her move, Scarlet opens an after-hours sewing school in a local record shop, teaching a type-A working mom whose rigid parenting style is causing her family to unravel and an enigmatic seamstress with a mysterious past.

But as stitches give way to secrets and classmates become friends, the women realize an important truth: There is no single pattern for a good life. Happiness is always a custom fit.

 

 

 


I read Kathy Cano-Murillo last summer when I read her book Waking Up In The Land Of Glitter .  At the time I enjoyed her fun style of writing with a flair for the humorous.

Scarlet is a wonderful character and her determination to sew (despite her families efforts to help her move on to another career and her two degrees in engineering) is a good lesson in sticking to what you believe about yourself, no matter what. Her friends are a hoot and I enjoyed the diversity among them.  I like the fact that the women were not all cookie cutter cut outs of one another but that they all brought a little something different to the story.

I found the book to be a light, quick read and a break from my normal routine as of late… I am not a crafty person although I like to pretend I am… and reading about someone who has a real heart and talent for a craft such as sewing was fun.  Scarlett’s passion is inspiring!  The play of words, referring to the “patterns” in our own life are fun and through provoking.

Amazon Rating

The “how to’s” at the end of the book are fun… and after a read like this, I am inspired to try my hand at “Little Victories Pages”…. maybe.  😛

 

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The Giveaway

Thanks to publisher Hachette Book Group, I am able to offer a giveaway (USA and Canada) for a book bundle including copies of Miss Scarlet’s School of Patternless Sewing and Waking Up in the Land of Glitter.

Leave me a comment here letting me know what craft you are either good at or wish you were….  and I will enter you in this giveaway

For a second chance to win – subscribe to my blog or let me know if you already have (upper right hand side bar) and let me know in a separate comment here and I will give you a second entry.

I will choose a winner on March 17th using Random.org.


The 2011 WHERE Are You Reading Map has been updated to include Miss Scarlet’s School Of Patternless Sewing

 


I received this book for review from Hachette Book Group

 

The Oracle Of Stamboul by Michael David Lucas

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)34 Comments

Late in the summer of 1877, a flock of purple-and-white hoopoes suddenly appears over the town of Constanta on the Black Sea, and Eleonora Cohen is ushered into the world by a mysterious pair of Tartar midwives who arrive just minutes before her birth. “They had read the signs, they said: a sea of horses, a conference of birds, the North Star in alignment with the moon. It was a prophecy that their last king had given on his deathwatch.” But joy is mixed with tragedy, for Eleonora’s mother dies soon after the birth.

Raised by her doting father, Yakob, a carpet merchant, and her stern, resentful stepmother, Ruxandra, Eleonora spends her early years daydreaming and doing housework—until the moment she teaches herself to read, and her father recognizes that she is an extraordinarily gifted child, a prodigy.

When Yakob sets off by boat for Stamboul on business, eight-year-old Eleonora, unable to bear the separation, stows away in one of his trunks. On the shores of the Bosporus, in the house of her father’s business partner, Moncef Bey, a new life awaits. Books, backgammon, beautiful dresses and shoes, markets swarming with color and life—the imperial capital overflows with elegance, and mystery. For in the narrow streets of Stamboul—a city at the crossroads of the world—intrigue and gossip are currency, and people are not always what they seem. Eleonora’s tutor, an American minister and educator, may be a spy. The kindly though elusive Moncef Bey has a past history of secret societies and political maneuvering. And what is to be made of the eccentric, charming Sultan Abdulhamid II himself, beleaguered by friend and foe alike as his unwieldy, multiethnic empire crumbles?

 

 

A book that arrives wrapped like this... what could be inside?

 

 


I do not normally give the synopsis you can read on line word for word like that, but I thought it was written so well and covered the basics of the book that I knew I could not do it justice trying to write my own.   And oh a little historical fiction fix!  Just what I needed!  😀  As if the beautiful packaging this book arrived in wasn’t enough – I need not worry, the beauty of this book was not only package deep – but deep within the words themselves came beauty.

Breathtaking and imaginative.. visually fulfilling… the descriptions of the time the place… and even Eleonora.  Eleonora is not like the other children, brilliant in mind, logic, and figuring out facts, she is something to be marveled at and feared as she is different and there is no hiding her abilities.  I enjoyed getting to know this character and how the story vined around her.

This book brought forth memories of wonderful stories from my child hood, there was something about the descriptive pages that brought images to mind much as I think I would remember them as a child – big and powerful and oh so real.  I can not recall a book even bringing memories like these out of me before this one.

I felt for most of the book I was in the story and I held on tight as though putting it down would break the charm… always a fan of unique writing that breaks out of the traditional cookie cutter book molds, I have to say I enjoyed this book thoroughly.  While the ending was not quite as strong as I would have hoped and imagined it would be after being carried through the majority of the pages as though I was on a magic carpet ride – I still am left feeling a sense of….

satisfaction.

I am excited to see that this author, Michael David Lucas comes up with next.

Here are a few others that are posting their thoughts on this book on the tour:

Wednesday, March 2nd: Simply Stacie

Thursday, March 3rd: Janet Boyer Blog

Friday, March 4th: Kelly’s Lucky You!

Tuesday, March 8th: Coffee and a Book Chick

Wednesday, March 9th: Teresa’s Reading Corner

Wednesday, March 9th: Bloggin’ ‘Bout Books

Amazon Rating


I have updated the 2011 WHERE Are You Reading to include The Oracle of Stamboul

I received this book for review as part of the TLC Blog Tour


1st To Die by James Patterson

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)23 Comments

“What is the worst thing anyone has ever done?” the killer muses to himself early in the narrative. “Am I capable of doing it? Do I have what it takes?” Answering his own question, he embarks on a murderous spree that takes him from the bridal suite in a Nob Hill hotel to a honeymoon destination in the Napa Valley and thence to a wedding reception at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland, Ohio. Dispatching his victims on the happiest day of their lives, he purposefully leaves enough clues for his distaff trackers to discover his identity and put him behind bars. But just when the women think they’ve got the case all wrapped up, the killer turns the tables on them in a bloody denouement that even the most discerning reader won’t see coming.

In a word…

“oh-oh.”

 


I have always wanted to try this series but as in most LARGE series, if I didn’t grab on to the reads from the get go, I tend to look at the large amount of books i would have to catch up on to be current and then decide I don’t want to commit.  In this case, I found this audio on sale at audible.com for $4, and thought why not give it a try.

Well… I will tell you right now why not…

Because Sheila, what if you like it?  What is the whole Woman’s Murder Club turns out to be an awesome series?  What is you enjoy the characters and the mystery and figuring it out like you are part of the club?  What are you going to do then?  Huh?  Huh? Huh?

(I am pretty cruel to myself…)

Well…. since that IS what happened.  And I DID really enjoy this read.  I guess I am going to have to move on to the next in the series… 2nd Chance.

Honestly, this surprises me as I have not always liked some of Patterson’s older works… but here I am thinking Lindsey is awesome and the rest of the women in the club too!  What do you get when you have a Homicide Inspector (Lindsey), a medical examiner (Claire), an assistant D.A. (Jill), and a reporter (Cindy)?  You get an awesome kick butt group of women who are tough and protective of their friendship, will share a bottle of wine along with lunch, and go to bat for one another in the blink of a well made up eye.

The crimes… newly weds are being murdered – and the evidence is closing in on a well-known author who not only writes murder mysteries, but appears to have written this one as well!  As Lindsey works with her partner Chris (on duty and off), the pieces come together shockingly fast… but is it too fast?  Is it all just a little too simple?

I enjoyed Lindsey as the main character and I really liked puzzling out the “who did it” and loved that in the end – even though I thought I knew, I didn’t know… and that was a bonus “ooh!!!!” to the read.

Yes, I joke as much as the next person about James Patterson’s short chapters, but this sweet 20,000 chapter book…. (kidding, it was more like 112), was a huge enjoyment for the mystery lover in me.

Amazon Rating

 

The 2011 WHERE Are You reading Map has been updated to include 1st To Die

Purchased from audible.com

 

The Year of Pleasures by Elizabeth Berg

Published on by Sheila (Book Journey)28 Comments

 

Betta Nolan, 55,  has been a widow now in Boston for several months after her beloved husband John died of liver cancer.  Per his wishes, she moves out to the Midwest to fulfill their dream and start a new life.  Betta who is an author of children’s book, sells the home she and John had lived together in and moves into an oversized Victorian home in Stewart Illinois.

While trying to piece together this new life for herself, Betta tracks down her three college roommates, Lorraine, Maddy, and Susanna.  When they hear of the loss of Betta’s husband they are all very sympathetic and agree to come to her home for a weekend and rekindle their friendship of all those years ago.

As Betta starts to mold into this new life she meets a few people in town, a handyman names Matthew, his horrific girlfriend, and Matt’s roommate Giovanni.  She also meets an interesting older man, closer to her age named Tom Bartlett.  While all these changes in her life seem good and positive, Betta questions her move and wonders if perhaps she shouldn’t go back to Boston and try to recapture her old life.

 

 

Betta's Brownstone style home in Boston

 

 

 

Betta's Victorian style home in Illinois

 

 

 

Sound a little familiar?  I recently listened to and reviewed Elizabeth Berg’s Home Safe... about a widow, who was an author, who had an opportunity to move…  listening to these so close together… was at times confusing as I would mix them in my head.

Beyond that, the storyline is quite different.  For one, Betta is a strong woman unlike Home Safe’s Helen.  Betta also has friends where Helen seemed to lean almost completely on her 27-year-old daughter.

Oh but here is another thing that the two main characters had in common for me…. Betta, bugged me.

I know, I know… I should be tarred and feathered!  I really have enjoyed Elizabeth Berg’s books for the most part and fully plan to continue reading her works through 2011, but these widowed women characters…. GAH!  Not that this storyline isn’t a wonderful one to work with, it’s just that Helen was too unsure of herself… and Betta…. Betta moved to fast into the “relationship” department for my liking.

There I said it.  I mean… she had not even been a widow for that long….. and the book gave every impression that the marriage was a good one.  And I know… that is just my opinion.

Moving on… I think my favorite part of the book was Betta reconnecting with her College friends.  I wish that storyline would have been larger. While their friendship does become a big part of the book, I did not find these characters to be developed enough for me to really know who they were that leads to what happens in the end of the book.

As long as I seem to be dishing out opinions here:  I loved the character of Giovanni, found Matthew to be wishy-washy, Tom was … well Tom, and just because I feel like saying it, I think the mailman’s shorts were too tight.  (Ok… ok, I made that up…. I do not even recall meeting a mailman in this book…. :razz:)

Seriously though, again this did not fall into a favorite of mine for Berg but I am glad I had the opportunity to listen to it.  Elizabeth works with a great array of characters that I have enjoyed meeting along the way, if I befriend them or not.

 

Amazon Rating

 

The 2011 WHERE Are You Reading Map has been updated to include The Year Of Pleasures

I borrowed this audio from my library