Val is your average run of the mill college student. She has a roommate Jean and friends she enjoys hanging out with…
Bud is an elderly man…. having raised his own kids, and now enjoying now only their kids, but also their kids-kids, his life is full.
Yet both Val and Bud hold a secret.
Val has a power within her that can push and pull people and has saved lives…. Bud has visions of future events that he can see not only the event itself, but also how the future changes due to these events….
Together they can make a difference.
I am not really sure what I thought I was going to be reading when I chose this book for review. I can assure you it turned out to be nothing like I could have imagined. The characters of Val and Bud are both likable and I liked the ideas of these hidden powers (think Hero’s)….
As I started getting into the heart of the book there was something about the Val/Bud relationship that just didn’t sit right with me. I do not want to give away too much but I have to say there is a point in this book that bordered on creepy, uncomfortable…. and well… awkward.
Honestly, it came to a point where I almost stopped reading.
What kept me going? If you can make it through the “Oh Gah! Did that just happen?”.… and take a deep breath and move on…. there is a storyline deeper within the surface story that is actually amazing.
I can’t say that I ever fully recovered from the one part of the book… but I can say that in the end it wraps up incredibly with a powerful happening that left me in tears that only come when I have just experienced something incredible. I can certainly say that I hope there is a sequel as I would love to know what happens next.
Cover Story: I like it….At first glance of course it is the coffee cup that draws me in but then if you look closely at the smoke it is a skull….. leaves you thinking, “what is up with that?”
“Momma always told me, being in the North isn’t living…. its absolute hell.”
Cecelia Rose Honeycutt
Cecelia (Cee Cee) Honeycutt is twelve years old but feels she has had to be an adult almost her entire life. Her father (and we use the term loosely) is never around. he travels for his job and the brief times he is home he is always mad and shouting at Cee Cee’s mother Camille.
Camille, a long time ago, was a Southern beauty queen. And this is where many of Camille’s problems lie… in a non satisfying marriage, Camille has reverted in her mind to the beauty queen days. Many times dressing in formal gowns and a tiara as she dances and waves in her yard or goes up town shopping. Some days she has trouble remembering exactly where she is and tends to go on shopping sprees that involve buying boxes and boxes of shoes or dresses.
In the middle, of course in Cee Cee….. trying to help her mother but at the same time resenting her not being a mom that she can be proud of…. one that will let her be the child instead of the adult….
And then one day all of this changes, with the incident with the ice cream truck…..
ooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo
TMI?
Not really….. I have shared nothing here that you can not learn from reading the back of the book cover. And what I have said, really is only the beginning of a charming story about a young girl finding her way and her place in life.
Wow. Yes, in a word wow. Beth Hoffman presents a story line filled with such fun and realistic characters that I wanted to don a large sun hat and come knocking on the door! And what characters you will meet along the way! Cee Cee may think that her life is one to be pitied but as circumstances open new doors for her and she begins to find a new direction – one that she could never have dreamed!
In this endearing book (as told from the point of view of Cee Cee) Cee Cee will place memories in her life book that she will hold close to her heart forever…
and in the end, I will too.
** This audio book is read by Jenna Lamia, who’s youthful voice made Cee Cee come to life. I absolutely adored the reading and had to jump on-line to find out what other books Jenna has narrated. She was perfect for the role – and the voices of the characters jumped out of the speakers and I felt as though I was in the room with them…. picking weeds out of the garden, spying on the crazy neighbor and drinking cold lemonade on the porch.
AMAZON Rating
I purchased my copy of this audio from audible.com
I am a game lover. A BIG one. I have an entire double wide closet devoted to games in our family room. I am a game addict. If you remember last year about this time I had the awesome (AWESOME!) opportunity to review BLURT as well as a really interesting book called Timeless Toys. I was totally engrossed in both!
The Game Closet
SO…. knowing this about me…. you can just imagine the SSSQQQQQUUUUEEEEEEE”ing” going on over here when I received this gorgeous book in the mail for review! Seriously, you may have heard me and thought that sound was a cat or a siren but no… alas… it was me. 😀
I love game nights and when we gather with friends to get our “game on”. I am more than thrilled to take part! What I loved about this book is that it gave me ideas for ice breakers for any gathering, as well as pages and pages of ideas for games anywhere from card games, word games, holiday games….. oh the games!
It seems like my family plays more games around the holidays. When we gather together we undoubtedly have to pull out a game. This Thanksgiving, as this is when I am posting this review, I am pulling out the “Grateful Guessing” game out of the book (page 194). For this game you give each guest three small pieces of paper and a pen ( I am putting them at the dinner place settings). Each person is to put one thing they are grateful for on each of the three papers. All papers are collected and placed in a bowl. Take turns pulling out a piece of paper and reading it. It is up to the guests to guess who wrote it. The object is you can be as sneaky or as real as you want – but if you wish to stump the group, come up with a funny off the wall thing to be grateful for…. “I am so thankful for what I thought was my appendix rupturing turned out to be gas….” …. well… uh…… really – who could have written that?
There are so many great ideas with well written easy to follow instructions. I can see many of these being tweaked to be used for event planning, family outings, meeting ice breakers, and more.
Overall I give this book my highest rating! I will use this over and over again.
I knew within the first few paragraphs that “ooh, this is going to be good!”
Sheila
Yolanda Trigiana (Viola) stood at five-five, but seemed much taller as she was short-waisted and long-legged. In her youth she loved to wear wide-brimmed hats adorned feathers and/or berries which only added to the appearance of her being taller than she was. She had a spirit though, a spirit that was larger than herself and carried her well all the days of her life. She lived life to the fullest, was always prepared for any occasion with a sack lunch or a ready meal…. she worked hard and left her mark wherever she went.
Lucia Spado (Lucy) was born in Italy in 1894. She was the eldest of eight children and much like Viola, she was a wonderful leader and homemaker. Lucy was a natural at so many things… she could cook, bake, and sew. She would barter with these skills and use cooking to repay things like a mending of a fence. Lucy lived in a time when nothing was thrown away and you found a use for every scrap of food and every piece of cloth.
This is the start to a wonderful story of author Adriana Trigiani’s grandmother’s. Within the pages of this book you will learn so much more about these two remarkable women and the wonderful memories and traditions they handed to the next generation.
♥ ♥ ♥ ♥
As I read this wonderful book, this tribute to Adriana’s grandmothers I could not help but think of my own. My Great Grandmother Lasher was a strong woman who raised my mother. She was born in the late 1901 and was a farmer’s wife. She never drove a car. She would always tell me stories about my grandfather (who died before I was born) and how he owned a bar in Minnesota. She would say that even though he owned the bar, he never touched a drink in his life. (To this my mom would wink at me so I never knew if this was the truth…)
My other grandmother, my dads mom, was the opposite of my Grandma Lasher. Grandma Ruth was small boned and spry. She would help me play pranks on my parents. One of my last memories of her is when we visited her 6th floor apartment to take her out to lunch. Grandma Ruth and I raced down the steps trying to beat the elevator down to the main floor that held my mother.
In both these stories I look back with bitter-sweet memories. Both of these women knew how to knit, crochet, and quilt. Skills I have never learned but wished I had at their knee. I look back now seeing all the history that passed away with them. I wish I would have asked them more questions about themselves, about their lives growing up…. I wish I would have sat patiently when they tried to teach me their ways…
but I was too young and I did not think they had anything they could tell me that I needed to know.
I read this book and think about what a throw away society we are today. It is cheaper to throw away a broken toaster than to have it fixed. I think of all the scraps of material I have tossed through the years left overs from projects and I now think of all the things my grandmothers would have found uses for. I could have learned a lot from these women, I think we all could have.
Adriana Trigiana writes a wonderful memoir here that pulled at my heart all the way through. What a beautiful tribute! I highly recommend this read.
Finally! Yesterday afternoon Chance and I ventured 23 miles past out local movie theater (with our noses in the air) as we made our way to a newer and rumored more “cushy” theater. We stopped at a Dairy Queen brazier in the area and stocked up on burgers and fries which I promptly placed in my purse.
Yes…. yes I did.
All of this for what you may ask?
The much awaited showing of Harry Potter and The Deathly Hallows of course!
We arrived early and were thrilled to walk into a theater that had large comfortable chairs and plenty of room. I literally “SSSQQQQQUUUEEEEEDDDD” when the opening to the movie came on the screen (seriously – ask Chance… I did.) I grabbed my mushroom swiss out of my purse and got comfortable.
I loved it.
LOVED IT!!!
I know sometimes it is hard for such a long anticipated movie to live up to the hype but I was not disappointed. True to the book each scene was like a chapter… coming to life! Hold on to your seats… if you are like me, The Deathly Hallows will send you back in time and suddenly I was remembering the first books, and my kids reactions – and the excitement to see them reading and talking excitedly about a book….
I really have a lot of memories entwined within these books!
There are several moments in the movie I would love to chat about but I do not want to spoil anything
Halloween Costume 2011?
for anyone who has not seen this yet. Let me just say I have always enjoyed watching Helena Bonham Carter as Bellatrix. She is so incredible in this role. (She may be my next Halloween costume!)
I remember this was the book that was such a leap for me. I loved the characters and I loved the setting of Hogwarts… when circumstances pulled Harry, Hermione, and Ron away from the school… I wasn’t sure where they were headed or what this meant for the storyline, but I was in. All in. J K Rowling did not disappoint me them and the movie did not disappoint me now. In all honesty, it was an emotional experience to see this characters on the big screen working towards finishing up a much beloved series.
In a word: Bitter sweet.
I would highly recommend you see it. In fact, I will see it again when my son is in town this weekend.
Garlic and Sapphires is all about the New York Times food critic’s journey from the L.A. Times to the new position she held for 6 years in New York (an unwanted one at that…. and how she tried to blow the interview!). Ruth Reichl learns quickly that in New York the restaurants have been learning about her months before she has arrived into her new job. Rumor has it they even have her picture posted in the restaurants so everyone can be aware when she enters. A flight to New York gives Ruth time to come up with a plan….
With the help of a family friend, clothing, make up and wigs, Ruth is morphed into several alter egos:
Molly Hollis: A larger older woman, bland in her clothing choices
Miriam: The creation of her own mother
Chloe: A blond bomb shell who dresses to the nines, with red nails and lipstick to match
Brenda: The earth mother
By utilizing these different disguises, Ruth is able to dine in the restaurant she wishes to review without fear of being recognized or receiving special treatment…. in fact, with each disguise, she learns how the restaurants really treat their everyday customers… in some cases poorly, and in other cases – remarkably well. Ruth’s reviews lead her to be the most influential restaurant critic int he country, but it was hard-earned.
I always thought being a restaurant critic would be pretty glam. Eating at wonderful establishments, waiters fawning over you bringing you the best dishes to eat… but Ruth shares the dark side of her job as well, such as hate mail, angry restaurant owners, and even trouble sleeping at times, fearing if she went to far….
I loved this book. I picked it up from my library yesterday and this morning after I took care of a few home projects I settled into my cozy chair with a blanket and let the life of a restaurant critic both amaze and delight me. I enjoyed how Ruth came up with her many disguises, her funny restaurant happenings, and the opinions of her husband and five-year old son. I really enjoyed reading the story of the restaurant and the follow-up with the actual New York Times Review. Every so often Ruth wold drop in a recipe as well which has inspired me to do a little food creating myself – which for me is a rare occurrence!
I never knew I would enjoy a book like this but I am so glad I read it. Ruth’s writing is fun, down to earth, and filled with facts I never knew about food and cooking. (note to self: wasabi has a smoother and milder taste than shaved fresh as opposed to the powdered version).
Truly a delight that I would recommend to any food lovers. Thank you to Michelle at Red Headed Book Child for posting about this book earlier this week and bring it to my attention. I would love to read this author again.
Book Journey has updated the 2010 Reading Map to include Garlic and Sapphires
Cover Story: It is appropriate for the book… although it would have been cool to have either her face peeking out or maybe Ruth in the center surrounded by pictures of her alter ego’s
“Craving a little early Christmas? The Snow Globe may be just the book to put you in the spirit of magical moments and miracles.”
Sheila
Kiley Gray has had better days. Her boyfriend has dumped her for her sister. Yup. Her scatter brained sister. Kiley is having trouble finding a job and if that wasn’t enough, her two best friends Alison and Susanne have full lives and really do not have time to be the friends that Kiley needs right now.
When Kiley and her friends get away for a girls weekend (lets just say I love girls weekends and I was hooked from this point on!) you find out that each girl has a reason to need a break. While on this getaway, Kiley wanders into an antique shop where a snow globe catches her eye. The stores owner assures Kiley that this globe will bring miracles into her life and really, what does Kiley have to lose?
There are times when a book just hits you in the right mood and the right time and that is what I found with Sheila Robert’s Snow Globe. It’s no secret that I enjoy reads with women’s friendships and adding a little Christmas magic to the pages as Minnesota has its first snow of the season is well… a bit magical.
Through this small book I found friendships that while at times may seem distant, you soon see that the base of these friendships is strong and sometimes a little Christmas magic, even when found within a snow globe, can remind us all of what is truly important.
I really enjoyed this book and found the writing to be much like another author I enjoy for this style of writing., Debbie Macomber.
There is so much more I would like to share about this delightful book but because what lies between the pages is part of the magic, I am going to leave it at this.
Amazon Rating
Book Journey’s 2010 Reading Map has been updated to include The Snow Globe
Cover Story: It oozes Christmas and magic…. I like it
Thank you to Dorothy at Pump Up Your Blog Tour for allowing me to be part of this book tour
If Haley Randolph was taking a survey on her life right now she would most definitely check the box marked FABULOUS! What was not to love? She had just spent the time of her life in Europe with her all too wonderful boyfriend Ty Cameron, who just happens to own the Department store where Haley works. And as if life just wasn’t delicious enough, Ty’s grandmother Ada has handed the keys of her Mercedes to drive….
the icing on the cake would be to get her well manicured hands on one of the seasons “must have” hand bags!
All things come crashing in around Haley when she finds the body of her nemesis, Tiffany Markham in the trunk of the all too beautiful Mercedes, and to rain a little more on Hailey’s parade, due to a recent encounter with Tiffany, Hailey tops the suspect list. Her only choice is to try to find Tiffany’s killer before death becomes her fashion faux pas!
When I first heard of this book and the description I immediately thought of Stephanie Plum from the Janet Evanovich books. There was a time, many years ago where I admit, Stephanie and I made the rounds as I started with One For The Money and made my way all the way through book twelve of the series before I let this series go. In many ways, Haley reminded me of Stephanie and that over the top ditsyness sometimes is a little too sweet for my tooth.
However- the book also reminded me of a quick cozy mystery which occasionally…. goofiness and all…. I do crave. (Darn sweet tooth!) While I did laugh at the sheer goofy happenings at times in the book, I think I would have enjoyed it more in the summer on the deck with my sun glasses on and a very large iced tea close at hand.
I discovered as I was reading that this book is actually #3 in the Haley Randolph mysteries, but never fear – I did not feel I needed the previous two books to follow what was happening.
Buddy Valastro is a fourth generation baker. Born in New Jersey into a traditional Italian family, Buddy showed incredible talent as a baker and decorator.
Star of the hit TLC reality show Cake Boss, today Buddy Valastro is a household name that upon hearing it brings visions of masterpiece cakes that are gorgeous to look at as they are a sensation tot he taste buds. Buddy’s often asked to demonstrate, compete, and teach his craft around the country. In his 10,000 sq foot state of the art facility, Buddy and his staff turn out thousands of wedding cakes, specialty cakes, and pastries weekly. His award-winning designs have been featured numerous times in different bridal and baking magazines. Carlo’s Bakery has also been featured in books, newspapers, such as, The New York Times, and television; most namely The Food Network. He and his cakes have also been featured on The Today’s Show, Good Morning America, The View, and HBO’s hit series, The Sopranos.
By uniting time-honored quality with modern innovative techniques, Carlo’s Bakery is rated among the best. Their distinct old world taste is hard to come by. This is what sets Buddy apart from other sugar artists. Buddy hopes to one day pass on his passion and knowledge to fifth generation members of the Valastro family and continue the Carlo’s Bakery legacy.
A must see in Hoboken, New Jersey
Cake Boss is more than a gorgeous book with mouth-watering recipes. Cake Boss is a memoir of the Valastro family, Buddy’s remarkable father who played such a positive role in where Buddy is today… and within the first few pages of this book you will know that this is a book about family. From Danny Dragone, who helps out wherever he is needed, Stephanie who was the first woman to work in back with the bakers (no small feat), Joey the brother-in-law who is not only married to Buddy’s sister, but is also one of the top bakers, the counter is run by Buddy’s sisters. Little Frankie who’s been in the bakery business since he could walk, and Sal who has been with the bakery since 1960. This is truly a family business.
And that is just the beginning, as I turned the pages I found myself immersed in what family means to Buddy. As I found myself reading the history of the “Cake Boss” I became immersed in the strong sense of history. I enjoyed reading about the first cakes Buddy was allowed to make, to his growing talent as a baker… to his first wedding cake where he really began to flourish.
(Who knew reading about the history of a bakery and a family could be so interesting?)
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. While I have heard of the show Cake Boss, I admit I have never watched it. I can assure you I am going to start now. This book jump started my heart for a family I did not know, and reading this book makes me want to know more.
Fun Facts:
1. How many pounds of flour are used in a week: Over 3000 2. What is the most used ingredient in the bakery? A special type of flour called soft as silk
3. How many cannolis are made in one week? Close to 6000 a week 4. How many employees work at Carlos’ Bake Shop? 35 5. How long does it take to make the average wedding cake? At least three hours 6. What is the most popular item in the bakery? lobster tails 7. What is the most popular cake flavor? French cream 8. What is the most unusual item sold at the bakery? Sfogliatelle -a flaky pastry filled with orange-flavored ricotta
9. When should a bride book her appointment to discuss her wedding cake? Six months before the big day 10. Most frequently asked question of Buddy: “Can you make my birthday cake?”
While I did not have time before I wrote this review, I will be making the Biscotti from the recipe section of this book for gifts for co-workers and friends this Christmas. When I make the recipe I will be sure to post about it and link you back to this book.
I think Cake Boss would make a wonderful gift book to that person you know who loves to bake.
In the heart of Medici Florence, part-time model and full-time prostitute Luciana Vetra stumbles across a deadly secret when she is asked to pose for the central figure of Flora in Sandro Botticelli’s famous Primavera. When Luciana is turned away without being paid for her posing for the picture, she steals a smaller scroll of the painting in compensation, only to find that within the picture holds a secret. The secret is so deadly that her friends are being killed all around her as she is forced to run for her life, and finds help in the one man who has never exploited her, Guido Della Torre, a novice at the Monastary of Santa Crose.
I do like a good mystery, and in that way,the Botticelli Secret did not disappoint. I found it to have a very Dan Brown feel to it, much the same as I found in his books The Davinchi Code and also in Angels and Demons. However the main characters Luciana and Guido (a prostitute and a monk) are not Sophie and Robert Langdon. I mean – Luciana has quite a reputation for herself and Guido is a man of the cloth….
however – in that sense the book works, and is mainly why I kept reading.
Where I struggled is that the first 250 or so pages, when Luciana is still quite rough around the edges, the language is foul, some of the acts that the reader is allowed to “witness” is stomach turning, and there is a point where I had to skim in hopes of the books tone changing as Luciana spends more time with Guido.
It does.
The painting features six female figures and two male, along with a blindfolded putto, in an orange grove. To the right of the painting, a flower-crowned female figure in a floral-patterned dress is scattering flowers, collected in the folds of her gown. Her nearest companion, a woman in diaphanous white, is being seized by a winged male from above. His cheeks are puffed, his expression intent, and his unnatural complexion separates him from the rest of the figures. The trees around him blow in the direction of his entry, as does the skirt of the woman he is seizing. The drapery of her companion blows in the other direction. Clustered on the left, a group of three females also in diaphanous white join hands in a dance, while a red-draped youth with a sword and a helmet near them raises a wooden rod towards some wispy gray clouds. Two of the women wear prominent necklaces. The flying cherub has an arrow nocked to loose, directed towards the dancing girls. Central and somewhat isolated from the other figures stands a red-draped woman in blue. Like the flower-gatherer, she returns the viewers gaze. The trees behind her form a broken arch to draw the eye. The pastoral scenery is elaborate. Botticelli (2002) indicates there are 500 identified plant species depicted in the painting, with about 190 different flowers.
The second half of the book shows that Luciana’s heart is softening and I was able to relax more into the details of the read and beauty of the details as they travel around trying to solve the clues that are given within this amazing (and real) painting. I enjoyed the clues and the solving of them and liked the second half of the read a lot more than the first half.
Overall, if you can hang in there, the book is filled with colorful details of the cities they travel fifteenth century Renaissance Italy.
Bookies (Book Club review)
The Bookies found the book centered around the painting to be quite interesting. Of the 13 of us at the review, only one of us had ever heard of the painting before. In that sense, the book gave us a little bit of culture that we were not quite expecting, but enjoyed.
Most of us found the beginning of the book and Luciana’s character to be quite crude and the language and acts in that part were probably the worst we have encountered as a group in all the years we have been meeting (since Aug. 2001). However, only 4 of the Bookies at the review truly disliked the book. The rest found that if you could get through the first part, and realize that the author is creating a very vivid picture of who Luciana was, it makes the ending all the more sweeter.
On an overall scale of 1 – 5, five being the best, The Botticelli Secret rated a 4 average with the Bookies.
Book Journey 