Category: Book Reviews

The Life List

Published on by macjam4715 Comments

Do you have a life list? Perhaps you have a bucket list, but did you ever even consider a life list.  Lori Spielman’s main character Brett Bohlinger in the book THE LIFE LIST didn’t realize she had one, after all Brett was just a fourteen year old when she wrote it. When her mother’s will was read, Brett’s brothers got their inheritance, but Elizabeth Bohlinger gave her daughter a year to fulfill each item on that very same list and upon completion, according to the terms of the will, Brett would receive her inheritance.

Sounds simple doesn’t it? But through anThe Life List by Lori Nelson Spielman unexpected turn of events, Brett finds herself in need of her inheritance to survive, or so she thought.  Brett had been groomed to take over as CEO of her mother’s company, Bohlinger Cosmetics, but her mother gave that position to her daughter-in-law Catherine, as well as, all of her shares in the company. On top of that, Catherine’s instructions were to relieve Brett of her responsibilities.  Brett was without a job. She broke up with her boyfriend and had nowhere to go but to her mother’s house to live until she could get a job. Even the kind of job was stipulated on the life list – she was to get a teaching job.  Her brothers kept reminding her that according to their mother’s wishes, none of them could live in her house for more than a month at a time.

Within the year Brett was also to fall in love, get married, and have a child. No easy task when there seemingly was no eligible bachelor that she was in love with.  There was Brad Midar, her mother’s attorney, but he was in a long-distance relationship. Garrett Taylor, a psychiatrist, seemed extremely friendly and just the right person, but he was old and they never seemed to be able to meet. Their only contact was over the telephone to discuss one of his patients who was also one of Brett’s students.  Her brother introduces her to Herbert Moyer who seems to fill the bill, but can Brett fall in love with him?  What about the mysterious man in Burberry coat that she keeps bumping into?

It just doesn’t seem possible to meet all of the demands her mother is making.  Get a dog, buy a horse, help poor people, have a good relationship with her dad. This one was a hard one to solve, after all her father was already dead.

Lori Spielman’s debut novel THE LIFE LIST reads so well, you would think she was a seasoned author.  I loved that the characters were real and charming and unforgettable.  The plot was well developed and generously sprinkled with humor. I was hooked from the first page. It is a quick read that is enjoyable right up to the last word. I highly recommend THE LIFE LIST.

Louey The Lazy Elephant

Published on by macjam4723 Comments

Louey the Lazy Elephant by Janice Spina

I love children’s books and LOUEY THE LAZY ELEPHANT  by Janice Spina did not disappoint me. It is a story of a lazy elephant that becomes separated from his family because he was too lazy to get up when his mother told him they were moving on.  Frightened, Louey enlists the help of the other animals in the jungle to help find his family, but he must first prove he is not lazy.

This is a delightful story for young children. I love that the illustrations, done by John Spina, are drawn in crayon.

LOUEY THE LAZY ELEPHANT is the perfect read to book for your favorite little person or for yourself if you enjoy children’s books as I do.

Bella Summer Takes a Chance by Michele Gorman

Published on by macjam47

Bella Summer Takes a Chance by Michele GormanBella Summer, otherwise known as B., is a one of those characters you fall in love with from the start. She has just broken up with her longtime boyfriend, having decided that a relationship based on friendship rather than love was not enough. She then finds a new flat mate in Frederick whom she has convinced herself is gay, despite his protests. Her job suddenly ends as well as her part-time gig as a singer in a local establishment. She realizes that she can’t let her flat mate support her until she finds a job, so she moves back into the house she bought with her former boyfriend Mattias on the condition that their relationship remains platonic.

Bella ‘s best friends Kat, Clare, and Faith were there for her when she broke up with Mattias, when she lost her job and her gig, and they were there to help her through her decision to make her music her life’s ambition, if only she could get a manager and a steady singing gig.

The biggest issue facing B. is whether or not friendship is enough in a relationship. Was she wrong to leave Mattias? Kat and James’ marriage was based on friendship. Faith dated a lot, but couldn’t seem to find her perfect match. Clare finds she is pregnant by “The Shag” and doesn’t think she wants a future with him. In the end will everyone find love and happiness?

I loved the characters in this book. Gorman had names for the men Bella dated: The Dad, The Musician, The Actor, and The Grandson. Kat, Clare, Faith, and Frederick are B.’s lifeline, each with their own problems to unravel. Then there was Marjorie, the lady that B. volunteers to visit in the nursing home, who is the most colorful of all the characters and the wisest in love.

I started reading BELLA SUMMER TAKES A CHANCE and was hooked from the beginning. It has a little of everything – humor, romance, conflict, friendship. I highly recommend this book.

This book was provided by the publisher in return for an honest review.

The Clover House By Henriette Lazaridis Power

Published on by macjam476 Comments

THE CLOVER HOUSE by Henriette Lazaridis Power is a captivating tale of family secrets The Clover House by Henriette Lazaridis Powerand stories to be told by the things we save. It is about love and the choices we make.

Calliope (Callie) Notaris Brown is living in Boston with her fiancé when she is called to Patras, Greece after the death of her dear uncle Nestor, her mother’s brother.  She is told she has inherited her uncle’s belongings, including all of his strange collections.  While trying to make sense of the photos, mementos, and family accounts of their life in Patras during World War II and the occupation by the Italians and Germans, Callie unearths the secrets kept by her mother and her siblings.  Callie’s perceptions about her own heart and about her mother are different from what she believed them to be.

Callie was a remarkably complex character who went from a decidedly ordinary life, doing what was expected of her, to taking up with a group of wild young people from Patras and taking risks to discover why her mother and she were always at odds with one another, and why her aunts, her mother’s own sisters, distanced themselves from Callie’s mother.

THE CLOVER HOUSE was mesmerizing. A beautifully written debut, this could be one of the best books of 2013.

Fly Away by Kristin Hannah

Published on by macjam47

FIREFLY LANE residents are back in FLY AWAY by Kristin Hannah in this moving story of grief, coming together, forgiveness, and love. Kate has passed away leaving her husband Johnny and their children Marah, Lucas, and Willis, and her best friend Tully to learn to live without her.

Tully promised to take care of Kate’s family, especially Marah, and failed miserably. Marah who missed her mom terribly and was having a difficult time with her grief; felt as though she was left on the outside looking in and set off on her own.  Her life was a mess and only got worse when she met Pax and got tangled up in his wayward lifestyle.  Johnny was trying to do the right thing, but his grief blinded him to what was going on around him and even when he recognized it, he was unable to engage effectively.  The twins Willis and Lucas coped fairly well. They were able to laugh and play even in the midst of the toughest time of a child’s life — the loss of a parent.  Tully spiraled downward into addiction, unable to handle the loss of Kate, until a life changing incident brought her to face her addictions and shortcomings.  Fly Away by Kristin Hannah

Dorothy Hart, who was known as Cloud in FIREFLY LANE, overcame the ghosts of her past and her dependence on drugs and alcohol.  Dorothy, Tully’s mother, spent Tully’s childhood running from the responsibility of raising her daughter, while sleeping with any man who would have her and sinking deeper into her dependencies.  Cloud goes into rehab and becomes the mother Tully had always wanted.

If you are looking for a light read, this isn’t it. It deals with some of life’s toughest issues – death, depression, addiction, and grief, among others, but shows that even when a person’s life is at its lowest, there is always hope.

To find out how these characters were redeemed and what it took for them to forgive and move forward, you will have to read FLY AWAY, a book I highly recommend.

LAST NIGHT I DREAMED OF PEACE, The Diary of Dang Thuy Tram

Published on by macjam47

ImageIt has been several years since I read LAST NIGHT I DREAMED OF PEACE, The Diary of Dang Thuy Tram, but her story continues to haunt me.  Dang was twenty-two when she graduated from medical school and turned down her opportunity for higher education in her field. She chose instead to serve as a field doctor for the Viet Cong during the Vietnam conflict.

Tram wrote of her homesickness for her family and for her high school sweetheart with whom she had fallen in love. She wrote of her fears for her loved ones, her patients, and herself. Dang Thuy Tram described the horrors of war and her deep sadness when she lost a patient. She was intensely loyal to her country and to the Communist party.

Always on the move to avoid discovery by the enemy (the American troops), Thuy lived in constant fear.  Dang Thuy Tram and her comrades built clinics hidden from the Americans in the undergrowth. Often there was neither enough medical supplies nor food for the patients. Thuy regularly did without sleep and was continually aware of the danger.  She patched up the wounded and sent them back into action only to have them return wounded again, or worse.  Through all of this, she made many friends and remained faithful to her family and the service of her country.

An American soldier whose orders were to destroy all documents that were of no value to the military, found the diary and kept it on the advice of his Vietnamese translator who urged him not to burn it saying “It has fire in it already.” The soldier kept the diary and thirty-five years later tracked down Thuy’s family and returned the diary to them. Published in Hanoi in 2005, LAST NIGHT I DREAMED OF PEACE became sought after especially by the young, those born after 1975.

Many of us overlook the pain and fears of the enemy. Thuy’s diary confirms that, in war all suffering, fear, pain, and death cross enemy lines.

I highly recommend LAST NIGHT I DREAMED OF PEACE, The Diary of Dang Thuy Tram.

What She Wants by Sheila Roberts

Published on by macjam472 Comments

ImageWHAT SHE WANTS (Life in Icicle Falls series) is the first of Sheila Roberts’ books that I’ve read. At first I had a little difficulty getting into the book, it seemed to start slowly, but that quickly turned around and I found myself caught up in the lives of a group of poker playing buddies. Jonathan Templar is the computer geek who fell in love with his childhood next door neighbor, the beautiful Lissa Castle, and is trying to get her to take a romantic interest in him. Lissa is a magnet for all the gorgeous guys and is “just friends” with Jonathan. His close friend Kyle Long is in love with the company receptionist Jillian who only has eyes for the bosses while his cube mate Missy Wright has set her sights on Kyle. Then there is Adam Edwards whose wife Chelsea kicked out of the house because he took her for granted. How are these guys going to win over the loves of their lives?

Is the answer in the books women read about romance and getting Mr. Right to fall in love with them? Jonathan decides to read some of the books that his sister and her friends are reading. When his friends discover the books, Jonathan tells them he is researching what the women in the novels want in their men because they were written by women. Before long they are all reading the novels, especially those by the popular romance author Vanessa Valentine.

Will Jonathan and his friends each win his heart’s desire? To what lengths will each go to seduce the woman of his dreams? Dance lessons? Going to the gym to get buff? Flowers or chocolates? Will they succeed in the end? Who really is Vanessa Valentine?

I loved that this book was about romance with a different twist. So often romance books are written from the woman’s point of view with the female character trying to capture the interest of the man of her dreams. It was fun watching the men bumbling through courtship in this laugh out loud story. I heartily recommend this to anyone looking for a book that has lots of humor with a romantic theme.

What’s in Your Summer TBR Pile?

Published on by macjam4710 Comments

There are so many fantastic books available in every genre; it can be daunting to decide which book to read. There is a abundance of opportunities for summer reading: at the pool on a scorching afternoon or while waiting for the kids to finish up at practice or swim lessons or on the patio in the morning while it is still cool. Where do you like to read? When is the best time for you to turn the pages of a chapter or two?

Well, grab a tall, cool glass of iced tea, find a shady spot, and get started.

My picks for this summer from the books published in 2013 are:

  1. The History of Us by Leah Stewart (January 8, 2013)
  2. The Painted Girls by Cathy Buchanan (January 10, 2013)
  3. The Aviator’s Wife by Melanie Benjamin (January 15, 2013)
  4. Faith Bass Darling’s Last Garage Sale by Lynda Rutledge (February 5, 2013)
  5. The Good Daughter by Jane Porter (February 2, 2013)
  6. Calling Me Home by Julie Kibler (February 12, 2013)
  7. The Truth About Love and Lightning by Susan McBride (February 12, 2013)
  8. The Comfort of Lies: A Novel by Randy Susan Meyers (February 12, 2013)
  9. Why Can’t I Be You: A Novel by Allie Larkin (February 26, 2013)
  10. The Story Teller by Jodi Picoult (February 26, 2013)
  11. Three Sisters by Susan Mallery (February 26, 2013)
  12. The Best Man by Kristin Kristan Higgins (February 26, 2013)
  13. When She Was Gone by Gwendolen Gross (March 19, 2013)
  14. Z: A Novel of Zelda Fitzgerald by Therese Anne Fowler (March 26, 2013)
  15. The Third Son by Julie Wu (April 1, 2013)
  16. Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline (April 2, 2013)
  17. The Clover House: A Novel by Henriette Lazaridis Power (April 2, 2013)
  18. The Apple Orchard by Susan Wiggs (April, 30, 2013)
  19. The Last Camellia by Sarah Jio (May 28, 2013)
  20. Time Flies by Claire Cook (June 11, 2013)
  21. The Last Original Wife by Dorothea Benton Frank (June 11, 2013)
  22. Mother Daughter Me by Katie Hafner (July 2, 2013)
  23. The Light in the Ruins by Chris Bohjalian (July 9, 2013)
  24. The Wednesday Daughters by Meg Waite Clayton (July 16, 2013)
  25. Forever and a Day by Jill Shalvis (July 31, 2013)

I have already read some of the books listed, and the rest are on my TBR list.  With so many outstanding books available (and many available in the near future), you may undoubtedly have some other books in mind.  That’s great!  Please share them in the comment section.

Happy reading!

The Unfinished Work of Elizabeth D by Nichole Bernier

Published on by macjam47

When I read THE UNFINISHED WORK OF ELIZABETH D, I grew to know Kate and her friend Elizabeth as told by Kate.  Kate and Elizabeth met at their children’s playgroup and became best friends. Then Elizabeth’s sudden and untimely death, followed a month later by the events of 9/11, left Kate in desperate need of a quiet vacation.  However, before Kate and her family set out for their vacation, Elizabeth’s husband Dave told Kate that Elizabeth bequeathed her journals to her, and Kate agreed to pick up the journals on the way to their summer getaway.

Elizabeth’s sole instruction to Kate was, “Start at the beginning.”  As Kate read the journals, I came to know Elizabeth through Elizabeth’s eyes instead of Kate’s.  In Nichole’s story, I was right up there in that attic room reading those journals with Kate, hearing Elizabeth’s own words and from them, learning who Elizabeth really was, all the while trying to equate this Elizabeth to the Elizabeth Kate told us about.  How often do we think we know someone, only to find out there is much more to them or that they have hidden their true identity from us in varying degrees?

As Kate delves deeper into the journals, her relationship with Elizabeth’s grieving husband Dave and with her husband Chris become complicated.  Dave wants to know about the mysterious “Michael” Elizabeth was en-route to see when she died in a plane crash, and Chris feels he and Kate are drifting apart as the journals take more and more of Kate’s time.

Nichole BernierThe Unfinished Work of Elizabeth D by Nichole Bernier’s use of Elizabeth’s journals to tell Elizabeth’s story is pure genius. This is one of those “please don’t let it end” books and highly recommend THE UNFINISHED WORK OF ELIZABETH D.

The Apple Orchard by Susan Wiggs

Published on by macjam47

apple_orchardRecently I read Susan Wiggs’ THE APPLE ORCHARD. Wiggs’ main character, Tess Delaney, considers her life well planned out – she is up for a substantial promotion, has great friends, an apartment she enjoys – everything, except the closeness of family.  Tess’s mother Shannon traveled while her grandmother raised her; her father was never a part of her life, in fact, she knew nothing about him. As a result, Tess, like all the women in her family before her, felt she didn’t need a permanent relationship with a man. Then one morning when she had a very important meeting scheduled with her boss to discuss her promotion, her life changed forever in ways she could not have imagined when Dominic Rossi, an attorney for the grandfather she didn’t know she had, showed up in her office. Rossi informed Tess that her grandfather Magnus Johansen was in a coma and she was named in his will and needed to come back with him to Archangel, a small town in the Sonoma country. This was the beginning of a journey filled with many unanswered questions and Tess didn’t want any interruptions in her life. She certainly wasn’t interested in traipsing off with a strange man to her grandfather’s orchard when she had such a rewarding job in San Francisco.

Confronted with many unsettling issues after arriving in Archangel, Tess doesn’t want to stay to sort through them. However, as each day goes by, she is more drawn to the life and family she discovered there. There is also Dominic Rossi who keeps turning up, but Tess definitely doesn’t need a relationship and a ready-made family to alter her life. Will she stay or return to her former life?

Wigg’s characters were extremely well-developed and the plot had many twists and turns to keep me turning the pages.  Long after I finished the last page, my mind wandered back to Archangel, Tess, and the other characters. I highly recommend this book.