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I have two reviews for you today--and both are contemporary YA fiction from Janet Gurtler. I also have a guest post from Janet! Now, how to fit it all into one post...
I'm Not Her was released in May, and tells the story of a girl whose sudden rise in popularity unfortunately coincides with her sister's cancer diagnosis.
"For the first time in my life, I didn't feel envy..."
Tess is the exact opposite of her beautiful, athletic sister. And that's okay. Kristina is the sporty one, Tess is the smart one, and they each have their place. Until Kristina is diagnosed with cancer. Suddenly Tess is the center of the popular crowd, everyone eager for updates. There are senior boys flirting with her. But, the smiles of her picture perfect family are cracking and her sister could be dying. Now Tess has to fill a new role: the strong one. Because if she doesn't hold it together, who will?
Janet Gurtler tests the bonds of sisterhood in this moving debut that readers of Jodi Picoult and Sarah Dessen will savor.
Title: I'm Not Her
Author: Janet Gurtler
ISBN-13: 9781402256363
Paperback: 285 pages
Publisher: Sourcebooks, Inc., 2011
Purchase at IndieBound, Amazon, The Book Depository
Source: Sourcebooks
drey's thoughts:
Janet Gurtler's I'm Not Her is a moving story about a fifteen-year-old dealing with her older sister's cancer. And if dealing with a life-changing (and potentially life-threatening) illness isn't enough, Tess also has to deal with her parents acting like completely delusional dorks about it. (I totally understand that they were having a hard time with the diagnosis; however in my eyes it doesn't excuse their leaving everything in the hands of a fifteen-year-old because they "couldn't handle it"--they're the adults.)
And then there's school. School, where every one of Kristina's friends keep asking Tess where Kristina is and why she isn't in school (delusional parents didn't want anyone to know). School, where Tess has to skip class to accompany her mother to the hospital for Kristina's treatments (again, without being able to tell why). School, where Tess is now noticed (see above); and the other kids are making up stories about her and Kristina because they aren't getting any information. Not easy for a freshman to deal with, that's for sure.
I liked Janet's portrayal of Tess. She's resentful of all the negatives affecting her, and feels guilty for that resentment. She wants her life to stay the way it was, but she knows it's most likely temporary, whereas her sister's life is irrevocably changed. There's nowhere for her to go with this, without feeling like she's selfish. This is YA drama and angst as it should be.
drey's rating: Excellent!
If I Tell explores the ramifications of keeping secrets--your best friend's, your mother's, her boyfriend's--and the mess it can make of your own life...
Jasmine Evans knows one thing for sure... people make mistakes. After all, she is one. Jaz is the result of a onenight stand between a black football player and a blonde princess. Having a young mother who didn't raise her, a father who wants nothing to do with her and living in a small-minded town where she's never fit in hasn't been easy. But she's been surviving. Until she sees her mom's new boyfriend making out with her own best friend. When do you forgive people for being human or give up on them forever?
Title: If I Tell
Author: Janet Gurtler
ISBN-13: 9781402261039
Paperback: 244 pages
Publisher: Sourcebooks, Inc., 2011
Purchase at IndieBound, Amazon, The Book Depository
Source: Sourcebooks
drey's thoughts:
Jaz is seventeen, and the only biracial kid in her small town. At least, as far as she knows. She doesn't have any friends in school, and is thrown into a whirlpool of emotions when she sees her best friend Lacey making out with her mom's boyfriend. And that whirlpool gets deeper and wider when she finds out her mom's pregnant. What a mess!
Jaz can't confide in anyone--the only two people she's ever felt comfortable talking to have betrayed her. So she keeps things bottled up, only to find out that she has too many emotions fizzing inside her all at the same time. And her anger leaks out in spurts and splashes as she lashes out at her (former) best friend, at Simon, and even at her mom.
The emotional roller-coaster Jaz is on pulls you along as it goes up (new boy) and down (facing Simon or Lacey) and up (new friend at school) and down (her mom's emotional state), so much so that you wonder when she's going to let it all out. Which will happen, of course. The only question is when. And where. And who's going to get hurt in the process... (ok, that's more than one question)
This is an addictive read--you can't put it down until you find out how Jaz fares. Excellent teen read covering topics far and wide, including racism, bullying, depression, self-identity, and trust.
I was soooooooooooo excited at the opportunity to review Erin Morgenstern's The Night Circus, which has been showing up all over the blogosphere!
Title: The Night Circus
Author: Erin Morgenstern
ISBN-13: 9780385534635
Hardcover: 387 pages
Publisher: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group, 2011
Purchase at IndieBound, Amazon, The Book Depository
Source: Doubleday
drey's thoughts:
Erin Morgenstern's The Night Circus is fun and charming, with a dash of mystery. At its heart are two young people who've been set up as competitors in a game where there are few rules and only one winner. Their playing field is a mysterious circus that appears and disappears on an irregular schedule, filled with spectacular performances to thrill your senses.
The story started in spurts, which along with the short chapters confused me until I started getting the flow of it. Eventually though, everything tied together nicely, and you really appreciate this enchanting masterpiece.
The cast of characters are varied and unique. I loved Celia, and wished for a better childhood for her. I didn't care for her father at all--what kind of (insert not-so-nice word here) would set his own daughter up for something like this? Marco is a bit more mysterious than Celia--we know nothing other than his selection, his learning magic, and his eventual job with the "proprietor" of the circus, Christopher Lefevre. He knows Celia the moment he meets her, though she has no idea that he's her competitor. I'm surprised he didn't take advantage of that knowledge, but that's the kind of guy he is. We can't have Celia falling for a jerk, after all...
I really enjoyed The Night Circus, and will probably re-read it if I can find the time--just to see if I'd missed anything in the original reading...
drey's rating: Excellent! The Night Circus is all it's cracked up to be, even though it took me a little while to get engrossed in it.
Have you read The Night Circus? What did you think? And if you haven't, c'mon and enter to win a copy!
Giveaway!
Thanks to the publisher, I have TWO copies of The Night Circus for you! This one's for US residents only (sorry!), no PO Boxes please. To enter, fill out the form below by October 16th. Good luck!
Cathy Holton is this month's Featured Author, and Summer in the South is her latest novel...
Title: Summer in the South
Author: Cathy Holton
ISBN-13: 9780345506016
Hardcover:
Publisher: Random House, 2011
Purchase at IndieBound, Amazon, The Book Depository
Source: Cathy Holton
drey's thoughts: Summer in the South is a story about a young woman who's trying to figure out her life--who she is and what she wants. She's rallying though the loss of her mother and getting dumped by her lover, when a college friend offers her sanctuary at his family's home in a small town in Tennessee.
Ava hopes the solitude will spark her creative juices and get her started on writing again. She hopes to find out about her roots, and reaches out to the man who might be her father. What she gets is some of that, along with a decades-old mystery that nobody will talk about. Of course, this being a polite Southern town, nobody's actually going to tell her outright to let sleeping dogs lie. They'll just hint at it instead, even while knowing that this Yankee gal isn't going to get it...
I enjoyed Ava's journey, even when I thought that she was a little clueless at times and a little stubborn at others. I also enjoyed reading passages from the novel she's writing, even though I was confused at first--was this history, or her imaginings?
Summer in the South is a lovely piece of Southern fiction that'll immerse you in its hospitality and gentility. Enjoy it with a glass of sweet tea.
I'm thrilled to be part of the blog tour for Alma Katsu's The Taker!
About the author:
Alma Katsu is a writer living in the Washington, DC area with her husband, musician Bruce Katsu. She was born in Fairbanks, Alaska but spent most of her childhood in Massachusetts, in the middle of the area where colonial history was made. She started writing as a stringer for local newspapers while still in high school and continued as a freelance writer through her college years at Brandeis University, mainly in music journalism. She moved to Washington, DC to take a job with the federal government and stopped writing fiction for about twelve years to concentrate on her career. She returned to writing fiction at age forty and was accepted into the writing program at Johns Hopkins. The Taker is her first novel and is published by Gallery Books/Simon and Schuster. She's not much for writing short stories but has had a few published, most recently in Enhanced Gravity, an anthology of work by Washington DC women writers, published by Paycock Press.
Alma was gracious enough to take the time to do a Q&A, so here you go!
drey: Hello Alma! Thank you for taking the time to visit drey's library and do this Q&A.
When did you know you wanted to write?
Alma: When I was very young, I was an artist. I actually sold my first work commercially when I was 10 years old. Everyone expected me to be an artist when I grew up, but I discovered that I enjoyed writing more. It was more of a challenge. I figured whatever career I chose, it would have something to do with writing, although not necessarily fiction. I never expected to be able to make a living as a novelist.
drey: What was the first story you wrote, and what happened to it?
Alma: The first story I remember writing was in the fifth grade. It was about a Victorian-era detective who lived with his sister and had to wear gloves all the time because he’d ruined his hands with acid while conducting an experiment. An obvious Sherlock Holmes rip-off. My teacher liked it, though, and encouraged me to continue writing.
drey: How did you celebrate the UK release of The Taker? Any plans for the US release?
Alma: I held my breath when The Taker was released in the UK, not knowing what to expect. It came out right after the London Book Fair. The Taker got a few nice mentions in the press, from Cosmo UK and Marie Claire, and good support from bloggers. But since I was a debut author and no one knew me, there were no plans to tour and it was hard to get much attention from the press.
I’m very lucky in that the US publisher is very supportive of the novel. They’ve already had a day of events for The Taker during BEA this past May, and sent me to Comic-con in San Diego, and we have appearances lined up for two months following the release. We’re having the launch party in Arlington VA at a friend’s independent bookstore, One More Page Books, with a special wine (Marietta Cellars Angeli Cuvee, in case you want to drink along at home) picked out specially for The Taker, and my husband’s band is going to play. It should be a great party and anyone in the DC area is welcome to join us.
drey: I'm wishing I lived in DC, I'd love to join you guys!
I loved Adair--he's so villainous, and yet can be so charming. Where did you find the inspiration for his character?
Alma: Adair is getting quite the fan club—I was just on a panel on crafting the villain at The Writing Show, the monthly meeting for the James River Writers in Richmond, VA and the moderator confessed that she loved Adair. He has a huge personality and he believes his own PR, if you know what I mean.
I drew partly on what I learned from analyzing genocides and mass atrocities on the job. (I used to be an intelligence analyst.) You see really horrible people involved in what usually amounts to people killing their neighbors. You have a charismatic leader and followers (whose buttons the leader knows how to push), all of these people feel justified in doing something that they must know, on some level, is wrong. Most people can rationalize just about anything to themselves, if not to others. So that’s part of why Adair is such a convincing villain—he believes he has the right to do what he does.
The other inspiration for Adair is Bill Sykes, from Oliver Twist. Sykes had such simmering menace.
drey: In your opinion, what's his most redeeming quality?
Alma: I don’t know if it’s redeeming or not, but the thing about Adair that doesn’t make me completely throw up my hands is that he believes he considers all sides to a situation before he makes his decision. That is, he thinks he’s open-minded. You actually might be able to talk him out of doing something, but you’d have to make a really strong argument. He is so lacking in self-awareness that it’s almost endearing.
drey: Lanore's love for Jonathan spanned centuries, even if (in my opinion) he wasn't deserving of such devotion. Were Jonathan's flaws a conscious decision, or just how he ended up getting written?
Alma: One thing I noticed about some of the handsome men I’ve known is that they can be very passive. They know when a woman is drawn to them. If that woman wants to act on her attraction, they won’t stop something from happening, but they’re not going to make any commitments, either.
I agree that Jonathan didn’t deserve Lanny, but you know how it is: you can’t tell your best friend that she’s involved with the wrong fella. And everyone has flaws. The characters in The Taker are like most people, in that they act in their own self-interest most of the time. The question is what line won’t they cross? At what point do they realize they’re lying to themselves in order to justify doing something they know is wrong?
drey: How true. And I loved how Lanny's character did not seem to want to think that she could be wrong in loving Jonathan...
What, in your opinion, is Jonathan's worst trait?
Alma: He’s selfish, but not actively selfish. He’s not only handsome but he’s used to people doing things for him because of his family. It’s easy to see where he might come to believe that it’s not his fault if people want to please him. He’s not encouraging it—but he’s not refusing their favors, either.
drey: Where are Luke and Lanore headed next?
Alma: You’ll find out about that in the next book, The Reckoning. At the end of The Taker, we see that they’re living together in Paris, thinking they’re going to start this life together but you know we can’t make it as easy as that for them.
drey: Lanore is so introspective at the end of the book. What is her greatest regret?
Alma: I think she regrets having put her life on hold for Jonathan, wandering aimlessly while hoping for his return. But if you knew everything that happened to her during those years—and you’ll hear a little about them in The Reckoning and in the last book, The Descent—you’ll see that she had a wonderful full life and many adventures, and she finds someone who loves her as completely and fully as she deserves.
drey: That's good to hear! I can't wait to read the next books! *grin*
The Taker hits the big screen--Who do you see in the roles of Lanore, Luke, Jonathan, and Adair?
Alma: I’m really bad at this question because I don’t watch movies very often and so I don’t know many young actors and actresses. (drey: that's ok, I don't either!) Several people have said Jonathan Rhys Meyers for Adair but lately I’m thinking Jason Momoa wouldn’t be a bad choice. He’s a bit muscly but he’s got that hot & sweaty thing going. All my choices for Jonathan are dated, I’m afraid. A few people have mentioned Mia Wasikowska for Lanny.
drey: What's next? Is there a sequel (or two)?
Alma: There are more books, as mentioned. I’m wrapping up The Reckoning now. You’ll see lots of the characters return and get to see what they’ve been doing for two hundred years. One comes back that you might not expect (hint, hint.) All three books are a bit different from each other. Lots of adventures, more surprises, but at the end Lanny gets what she wants after learning a lot about herself and the true meaning of love.
drey: Thank you so very much for doing thsi Q&A! I can't wait for The Reckoning!
About the book:
True love can last an eternity . . . but immortality comes at a price. . . .
On the midnight shift at a hospital in rural Maine, Dr. Luke Findley is expecting another quiet evening of frostbite and the occasional domestic dispute. But the minute Lanore McIlvrae—Lanny—walks into his ER, she changes his life forever. A mysterious woman with a past and plenty of dark secrets, Lanny is unlike anyone Luke has ever met. He is inexplicably drawn to her . . . despite the fact that she is a murder suspect with a police escort. And as she begins to tell her story, a story of enduring love and consummate betrayal that transcends time and mortality, Luke finds himself utterly captivated.
Her impassioned account begins at the turn of the nineteenth century in the same small town of St. Andrew, Maine, back when it was a Puritan settlement. Consumed as a child by her love for the son of the town’s founder, Lanny will do anything to be with him forever. But the price she pays is steep—an immortal bond that chains her to a terrible fate for all eternity. And now, two centuries later, the key to her healing and her salvation lies with Dr. Luke Findley.
Part historical novel, part supernatural page-turner, The Taker is an unforgettable tale about the power of unrequited love not only to elevate and sustain, but also to blind and ultimately destroy, and how each of us is responsible for finding our own path to redemption.
Title: The Taker
Author: Alma Katsu
ISBN-13: 9781439197059
Hardcover: 436 pages
Publisher: Simon & Schuster, 2011
Purchase at IndieBound, Amazon, The Book Depository
Source: Pocket Books
drey's thoughts:
Alma Katsu's The Taker is a surprisingly mesmerizing tale of childhood fancies and grown-up realities. We start with a childhood infatuation that grows into so much more. Love? Well, Lanore is certain it is. Who knows what Jonathan thinks... Especially when he's got all the girls vying for his attention already.
But Lanore is convinced that she's the one for him, that they're meant to be together, and it's all going to work out. Until the day she's sent to Boston in shame, heartbroken because he's betrothed to another.
Lanore meets up with Adair and his group in Boston, and winds up staying with them. Smart? Maybe not. But it's not like she had much choice. Destitute women rarely do. As she tries to make the most of her opportunities though, she finds that her new friends have a darker side. And is drawn irrevocably into their web when she tries to run away... Now they want Jonathan too. Can she give him up, even after he broke her heart?
The Taker is a dark story, set in a time when women don't have options other than do as you're told, or take to the streets. And Alma Katsu makes it even darker with Jonathan's callousness, and Adair's motives and inclinations. Luke is a refreshing change from the other characters, but he seems to pale in comparison to the rest--maybe because he isn't just like them? In any case, there's something for everybody here, whether you like mysteries or the paranormal or just plain fiction.
drey's rating: Excellent!
Have you read The Taker? What did you think? And if you haven't, here's your chance...
Giveaway!
Thanks to the publisher, I have two (yes, TWO) copies of Alma Katsu's The Taker for you, if you live in the US (no PO Boxes, please). To enter, just fill out the form below. Remember you can come back and tweet this daily! Good luck!
It's the last day of August, so I thought I'd post my thoughts on August's Featured Author Ann Wertz Garvin's On Maggie's Watch today...
Title: On Maggie's Watch
Author: Ann Wertz Garvin
ISBN-13: 9780425236789
Paperback: 290 pages
Publisher: Penguin, 2010
Purchase at IndieBound, Amazon, The Book Depository
Source: Ann Wertz Garvin
drey's thoughts:
What do you do when you're eight-and-a-half months pregnant and find out there's a sex offender living on your street? If you're Maggie Finley, you start up the Neighborhood Watch and take midnight strolls past his house. Just to make sure he's not out there hurting anyone, that's all...
But it's not all for Maggie. She's a natural worrier--worrying about the baby, the neighbors, the husband working late... Then she makes a new friend and starts worrying if she maybe likes him just a little itsy bit too much? In between all the worrying and cuticle-chewing Maggie finds time to distract her best friend from her daily grind, and starts compulsively leaving "presents" for the offender.
As off-the-wall as Maggie seems, she could be someone you know--if you know people who're neurotic and just a tad too anal-retentive to let things slide, who get a bit obsessive about their latest "passion"... And I liked her, and wished I knew somebody on my street who cared that much. Never mind that she didn't do more research before going all gangbusters, and never mind that what she's doing isn't quite legal. Ann Wertz Garvin's portrayal of Maggie makes her somehow endearing, which makes On Maggie's Watch a cozy read. (Yes, even with the troubles...) And I thought that the present Maggie gets at the end, is a nice little reminder that you can't always judge a book by its cover.
drey's rating: Pick it up! Summer's not over yet, there's still room for at least one more read! *grin*
Have you read On Maggie's Watch? What did you think?
Whew! Do we have a treat for you today. Traci Slatton swings by to talk about the path from inspiration to novel!
About the author:
Traci L. Slatton is a graduate of Yale and Columbia, and she also attended the Barbara Brennan School of Healing. She lives in Manhattan with her husband, sculptor Sabin Howard, whose classical figures and love for Renaissance Italy inspired her historical novel Immortal and her contemporary vampire art history mystery The Botticelli Affair. Fallen is the first in a romantic trilogy set during the end times.
How I Get From Inspiration to Ideas to Research to Novel
By Traci L. Slatton,
Author of Fallen
This topic fascinates me, because I wrestle with it every day. I
am a creative person and I have a lot of ideas for stories. I'm
also hungry. I'm starving to write 100 books before they peel my
cold, dead fingers off my keyboard and lay me in a plain pine box.
Then there's another consideration: writing is misery. Every page
is agony.
Ideas come and I take notes. If I'm walking, I'll make a voice
memo. Usually characters stuck in tense situations, and bits of
their dialogue, come to me first. Sometimes I'll get a palpable
feeling-sense of a relationship: the tenderness and eroticism and
playfulness and fierceness of it. I also see my main characters in
my mind's eye. With FALLEN, my recent post-apocalyptic
romance, I had a vision of Europe in shambles, and a man and a
woman who were both very strong and very tormented. She was
willing to do anything to keep some children alive, but she was
strongly connected to an absent husband. So the premise came to me
first. I had a clear sense of the man as good and bad, a leader, a
striated human soul. I could feel his essence.
Usually I won't start writing until the idea threatens to shove
bamboo shoots up my fingernails if I don't write it. That's when
compulsion has set in. The beginning is great fun. It's a rush.
I've never been interested in drugs but I always think that the
rush of creative energy when I finally surrender to a story must
be like the rush of some potent chemical. It's intense, it's
alchemical, it consumes me. It's like falling in love, because
it's all I can think about. I walk down the street with scenes
scrolling through my brain. I feel alive in a new way.
After that initial rush, the work sets in. Maybe it's like a
marriage at this point. You know, when the honeymoon has worn off
and you're sick of picking up your spouse's toenail clippings from
the coffee table and you just want to throw a heavy wrench at his
head. It's a lot of unglamorous work. Here's when I mock up an
outline of the story, the main turning points, and the character
arc. I grapple with the nuts and bolts of story, and the
fundamentals of what I aim to do with this particular one.
Best I've figured out, and this is an on-going inquiry for me,
story is what your main character wants and how they DON'T get it.
All story has a common source: it's an argument for a specific
value. And all good fiction has two qualities: 1, it's about truth
but not necessarily about fact, and 2, it is structured around
conflict and obstacle.
So I have scenes, obstacles, disasters, bits of dialogue, and
the faces of my characters all jumbled up in my brain, and I sit
down and start writing the first few chapters. Then I pause to
write an outline. I also figure out what value I am arguing for. I
am opinionated and I have strong values, which helps. I write out
my value on a sticky note and tape it to the side of my iMac.
I also almost always have a clear sense of the ending of the
story. With FALLEN, I saw my heroine riding off without
her man. I saw her heart-broken and determined. I enjoy writing
stories where the stakes are high, so I tweak the plot points to
up the ante. How can I push a scene? How can I turn up the volume
on a character's breaking point?
Writing is an arachnoid process: it's like weaving an intricate
web from the silk in my gut. That weaving happens in the back and
forth between the vast, oceanic creative flow and the careful
structuring of analytical thought. Both are crucial.
I usually do research as I am writing. I'll pause in the middle
of a page and read six chapters in a book, or google around the
internet, or send emails to people I know who might have answers.
A small plane flies from Edmonton to Le Havre in Fallen,
so I emailed my friend Geoffrey, who's a pilot, to ask him how
that would be done. He had some ideas and he emailed some of his
friends, too. When I have my answers, I resume writing. If I need
to do further research, then, after a day or so, I'll keep writing
and start reading the necessary texts at night.
The end is another rush, because I get excited to torture my
main characters more intensely, and so finish the story. Finally I
have a first draft. Here's where I ask a few trusted friends to
read and critique. I've also found a free-lance editor who is
scary smart, and I have her read the draft. Then I go back and
revise, revise, revise . . .
drey's thoughts:Fallen starts off with a bang, capturing your attention right away...
I was flattened against a brick wall, watching in terror as she struggled not to inhale the killing mist that pulsed a few centimeters from her face. If she breathed it in, it would kill her. If she moved into it, or if it moved to engulf her, it would kill her. Dissolve her from within, filling her mind with madness before blistering her cells with heat until she ruptured into steam and water droplets. All that would be left of her would be a splatter of water on the ground and a fine beige powder sifting down from the air.
Yikes!! This is so not a world I want to live in--a mysterious mist that kills, rogue bands of survivors who round up women and children for far more nefarious purposes than you could imagine, dwindling food supplies...
It is in this world that Emma Anderson finds herself in charge of her five-year-old daughter Mandy, and seven other children; trying to survive and keep them safe and alive. When she meets a band of men who are seemingly able to keep the mists away, Emma barters for protection for herself and the children. Before she knows it, she's healing the camp's sick and making friends. Well, except for a few of the men...
I like Emma. She's strong, she's resolute, and she's fearless in standing up for those who can't help themselves--almost to the point of getting herself killed. I like that some of the survivors have acquired a new skill, like Emma's healing.
The plot is simple (survive), the story is moving. I enjoyed reading Fallen, and the realization at the end makes me antsy to find out what happens in the sequel to this first-in-a-trilogy.
Today's post is a blog tour organized by TLC Book Tours for Connie Briscoe's Money Can't Buy Love...
About Connie Briscoe
Connie Briscoe is the author of seven novels, one novella, and one nonfiction book. Her third novel, A Long Way From Home, the story of her ancestors, was nominated for an NAACP Image Award. Her work has appeared on the bestseller lists of the New York Times, Chicago Tribune, Washington Post, Boston Globe, Boston Herald, USA Today, and Publishers Weekly.
Her nonfiction title, a photo-essay book featuring luminaries such as actress Ruby Dee and Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton, was coauthored with celebrated photographer Michael Cunningham. The collection of novellas was coauthored with Lolita Files and Anita Bunkley.
Lenora Stone used to say if she didn't have bad luck, she wouldn't have any luck at all. At age thirty-eight, instead of socializing with Baltimore's A-list, she photographs them for Baltimore Scene, a glossy magazine filled with beautiful people who, unlike Lenora, never have to worry about car trouble and overdue bills. As much as she'd love to slam the door on her overbearing boss, quitting isn't an option. She's barely making her mortgage payments and, though her condo might not be a palace, it's hers. Lately even things with her boyfriend Gerald haven't been right. They've been together for three years but he can't seem to ask the one question she's been waiting for. But what Lenora doesn't know is that her luck is about to change...
Just when she thinks things can't get worse, Lenora wins the jackpot in the Maryland lottery. In a heartbeat, all her dreams become possible. She quits her job and indulges her every desire-starting with a shiny, silver BMW and a million-dollar mansion. Gerald is finally ready to put a ring on her finger and the city's most exclusive women's group is dying for her to join, officially moving Lenora from behind the lens, into the limelight. But in Lenora's lavish new world, all that glitters definitely isn't gold. Her old friend's are concerned about her sudden changes, and Ray, a sexy, young landscaper Lenora covered for the magazine is looking for more than a purely professional relationship.
As her life starts to come together, the things Lenora holds dear begin to fall apart. Has her world really changed for the better, or does fortune come with a heavy price?
Title: Money Can't Buy Love
Author: Connie Briscoe
ISBN-13: 9780446534840
Hardcover: 287 pages
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing, 2011
Purchase at IndieBound, Amazon, The Book Depository
Source: Hachette Book Group
drey's thoughts:
Connie Briscoe's Money Can't Buy Love is a cautionary tale--of what not to do if you happen to win the lottery... Case in point: Lenora Stone. Lenora has bills up the wazoo, a commitment-phobic boyfriend, and a boss we'd all love to hate. But then she wins the lottery, and becomes lost in the glee of spending it all.
She was briefly anxious about winning all that money, and worrying about how she'll manage it. But that went flying out the window with her first purchase, and she doesn't slow down. She ignores her friends' advice, cheats on her boyfriend, and generally displays a definite lack of good judgement...
The saving grace here? Lenora's also someone any of us could know in real life (though I know I don't know anyone
who's won the lottery!). Sure, she doesn't do what I'd rather she did, but she's just an
insecure woman who let money get the better of her. She's still a talented, smart, good person, and you'll want her to get her head straight before she loses it all.
What would you do if you won a five-million-dollar lottery? My first stop would be to an accountant and financial planner. *grin* Then again, there's no chance of winning if I don't ever buy tickets!
drey's rating: Pick it up!
Have you read Money Can't Buy Love? What did you think? And if you haven't, read on...
Giveaway!
Thanks to TLC Book Tours and Hachette Book Group, I have one autographed copy of Money Can't Buy Love for you! This is open to US and Canada only, no PO Boxes please. To enter, fill out this form before 6pm CST August 24th. Good luck!
drey's thoughts: Anna and the French Kiss is a lovely story about a girl who meets a boy and how their friendship evolves into something more. Of course, this being set in a high school (even if it is in Paris), there's the requisite angst and my-friend-also-likes-the-same-boy drama. Not that it's drowning in angst and drama, because if that were the case I wouldn't have liked it as much as I did.
I liked the cast of characters in Anna and the French Kiss, especially Anna. She's bright, funny, and nice. Etienne is witty and charming, and such a romantic. The two make a lovely couple, if only they could just get to the point where they were a couple. Then again, if it was that easy, this would be a novella instead of a heartwarming romantic read.
drey's rating: Excellent! Add it to your summer reading if you like a good boy-meets-girl story.
Have you read Anna and the French Kiss? What did you think?
I've been meaning to pick this one up all of June (because that's its release month) but hadn't gotten around to it till now... You'll want to add this to your summer reading.
drey's thoughts:
Elin Hilderbrand's Silver Girl is the story of a woman whose life is turned completely upside down by her husband's actions--and of friendship, redemption, and love.
Meredith Delinn faces complete ostracism from society when her husband Freddy's financial ponzi scheme is busted wide open. Needing to hide her face (and shame) from everybody, she calls up her childhood best friend and is whisked off to Nantucket for the summer. Not that everything's great between Connie and Meredith... And Connie has her own turmoil to lay to rest.
I did not like Freddy--and maybe it's by design. After all, by the time we meet him, he's being sentenced for ripping off millions and millions of dollars from investors. And, the flashbacks down memory lane don't really paint a picture of someone I would like. Which begs the question--why did Meredith end up with him anyway? A boy, of course. Because we make wonderful life-altering decisions while nursing a broken heart.
Connie is someone I'd want to have as my childhood BFF. Yes, she has her own set of problems, but who among us doesn't? Yet she's loyal enough to say "yes" when Meredith asks. That is a friend.
And Meredith. From shock and denial, to anger and worry, Meredith is a rock whose husband definitely does not deserve her. She is torn between staying loyal to her husband, and cutting all ties to start over. And when her high school boyfriend shows up on Nantucket, she wonders if she can start over.
Silver Girl is an emotional read, and you feel for both Meredith and Connie as each deals with their own problems while trying to help the other through. The threads of friendship shines brightly through, even over rocky roads. A good addition to the summer reading pile.
Today's tour is for Gwendolen Gross' latest, The Orphan Sister...
About the author:
Dubbed the reigning queen of women's adventure fiction by Joanna Smith Rakoff in Book Magazine, Gwendolen Gross grew up in Newton, Massachusetts. She graduated from Oberlin College, where she studied science writing and voice performance. She spent a semester in Australia with a field studies program, studying spectacled fruit bats in the rainforest remnants of Northern Queensland.
After college she moved to San Francisco, then San Diego, and worked in publishing, as well as performing with the San Diego Opera Chorus. Through the San Diego Writing Center, she was selected for the PEN West Emerging Writers Program.
Gwendolen received an M.F.A. in fiction and poetry from Sarah Lawrence College. Her poems have been published in dozens of literary magazines, including Salt Hill Journal, Global City Review, The Laurel Review, and Hubbub, where her poem was selected for the 1999 Adrienne Lee Award.
An original, timely, and touching novel about a set of triplets—two identical and one fraternal—who find their alliances suddenly shifting when a dark family secret comes to light which forces them to redefine their roles and their identities.
As the fraternal triplet to her identical sisters, Olivia and Odette, Clementine Lord has always struggled to forge her own way alongside a matched pair, always feeling like the unmatched shoe. When their father, a prominent neurosurgeon, disappears for a week and returns with a shocking family secret, the crack in the three women’s tight relationship threatens to unhinge them all. As Clem attempts to sort out her family history and come to terms with her future, she reflects on the tangled relationship she’s had with her father, her mother’s stubborn loyalty, the tragic death of her college boyfriend, and her complicated feelings for her best friend, Eli. Ultimately she discovers that love—both familial and romantic—is more resilient and adaptable than she ever thought possible.
Remiscent of Sarah Pekkanen’s The Opposite of Me, the issues of sibling rivalry, identity, and moral responsibility combine in this poignant and compulsively readable novel of three sisters caught in the crosshairs of adulthood and family intrigue.
Title: The Orphan Sister
Author: Gwendolen Gross
ISBN-13: 9781451623680
Paperback: 283 pages
Publisher: Simon & Schuster, 2011
Purchase at IndieBound, Amazon, The Book Depository
Source: Pocket Books
drey's thoughts:
Gwendolen Gross' The Orphan Sister tells the story of one of a triplet set who's not like the other two, and how that affects their relationship and interactions--with each other, with their family, friends, with strangers. It is also the story of a family that falls apart when the father disappears--telling only one child where he went--and of secrets that can tear your life apart if you let it. It is a story of grief and yearning and loss when a loved one dies young. And last but not least, it is a sweet romance between two best friends who (finally) take that step that has been waiting for them for so very long...
The emotions are tangled and complicated, the characters are easy to like, and the story is compelling. The mystery surrounding her father's disappearance throws Clementine for a loop, especially when her mother's reaction isn't quite what she expects, and one of her sisters' is openly hostile. He is not a person you would care for, and yet I almost felt bad for the consequences of his past--I guess that's the mark of a good author! I enjoyed Clementine tremendously--she's been a third wheel all her life, and yet she's the strong one for her family in its time of need. She's loyal and true, she's steadfast even when confused, and she's the one who tries to hold the family together.
drey's rating: Excellent! Pick this one up for your summer reading.
Giveaway!
Thanks to the publisher, I have one copy of The Orphan Sister for you! US residents only, please (no PO Boxes). To enter, fill out the form below before 6pm CST July 20th. Good luck!
I've been meaning to pick this title up for a while now, and finally got around to reading my 2-year-old copy...
Title: The Lovely Bones
Author: Alice Sebold
ISBN-13: 9780316044400
eBook
Publisher: Little, Brown, & Co., 2009
Purchase at IndieBound, Amazon, The Book Depository
Source: Purchased
drey's thoughts:
Alice Sebold's The Lovely Bones is the story of fourteen-year-old Susie Salmon in heaven, watching over her family and friends on earth as they deal with her disappearance and subsequent presumed death. It is a heartbreaking story of devastating loss and eventual healing.
This is an emotional read, and Alice Sebold does a masterful job at deftly tugging yours along. I was immersed in the Salmon family's falling apart as they try to negotiate this reality that they so don't want. And I felt Susie's calm as she's navigating Heaven and learning to let go.
The characters are real. The plot is simple. And the storytelling superb. I'm going to add the movie to my Netflix queue now.
drey's rating: Excellent, even if I didn't like the lack of a final resolution.
I am sooooo lucky to have received a copy of Tom McNeal's To Be Sung Underwater for review! Thanks, Anna!!
About the book:
Judith Whitman always believed in the kind of love that "picks you up in Akron and sets you down in Rio." Long ago, she once experienced that love. Willy Blunt was a carpenter with a dry wit and a steadfast sense of honor. Marrying him seemed like a natural thing to promise. But Willy Blunt was not a person you could pick up in Nebraska and transport to Stanford. When Judith left home, she didn't look back.
Twenty years later, Judith's marriage is hazy with secrets. In her hand is what may be the phone number for the man who believed she meant it when she said she loved him. If she called, what would he say?
TO BE SUNG UNDERWATER is the epic love story of a woman trying to remember, and the man who could not even begin to forget.
About Tom McNeal:
Tom McNeal was born in Santa Ana, California, where his father and grandfather raised oranges. He spent part of every summer at the Nebraska farm where his mother was born and raised, and after earning a BA in English at UC Berkeley and an MFA in Creative Writing at UC Irvine, he taught school in the town that was the inspiration for his first novel, Goodnight, Nebraska. Tom has been a Wallace Stegner Fellow and a Jones Lecturer at Stanford University, and his short stories have been widely anthologized.
Title: To Be Sung Underwater
ISBN-13: 9780316127394
Paperback: 436 pages
Publisher: Little, Brown, & Company, 2011
Purchase at IndieBound, Amazon, The Book Depository
Source: Hachette Book Group
drey's thoughts:
Tom McNeal's To Be Sung Underwater isn't just a love story. It is a love story in the past, and a journey of angst and (re-?) discovery in the present. There's a lot of background here, and this is where I'll admit that I did not like Judith when I first meet her. In fact I definitely disliked her until we get past her first summer in Nebraska, visiting her father.
Then I felt a bit sorry for her. Her mother doesn't fit in. Her father's umpteen states away. She doesn't have friends. All this while a teenager, which is hard enough as it is. Even the present-day Judith is a bit of a wreck--her daughter's leaving her behind (as most teenagers do), her husband may be having an affair (or is it just in her head?), her assistant is showing her up... When did life get so off track?
There are no cut-and-dried answers for Judith here, just as there aren't in real life. When things get to be more than she can handle, Judith retreats. And creates a sanctuary of sorts, where she relives her first (and only?) love: Willy Blunt and that magical last summer in Nebraska. If she searches for him, will she like what she finds? Will he?
And when all is said and done, will Judith get her act together?
drey's rating: Excellent! This is definitely a book-club read I'd recommend (if I were in a book club!), for the discussion alone.
Giveaway!
Thanks to Hachette Book Group, I have two copies of To Be Sung Underwater for you, if you live in the US or Canada (no PO Boxes, please)! Only one winner per household, so if you win the same title somewhere else, you'll only get one copy. To enter, fill out this form before 6pm CST June 30th. Good luck!
I thought the premise of a cad who had to go back and apologize to the girls he'd dated and dumped, would make for a humorous read, especially from a British author...
Title: Ex-Girlsfriends United
Author: Matt Dunn
ISBN-13: 9781402245046
ARC: 317 pages
Publisher: Sourcebooks, Inc., 2011
Purchase at IndieBound, Amazon, The Book Depository
Source: Sourcebooks
drey's thoughts:
Matt Dunn's Ex-Girlfriends United is a funny tongue-in-cheek look at a guy who's trying to get his best buddy to change his caddish ways. It's not too difficult to start the process--by apologizing to his exes--especially when they've rated him badly on a website, but how much does the process stick with the guy?
I expected this to be more about Dan (the cad). After all, it's Dan's ex-girlfriends who've torpedoed his chances at adding to that loooooooooong list... Instead, it's more about Eddie, who starred in Dunn's previous novel Ex-Boyfriend's Handbook, and his confusion about his current relationship when his ex-girlfriend shows up out of the blue. Wanting him back, of course.
There's angst, which I'm not used to from guys. There's denial, which I am. And there's humor, which makes everything better.
drey's rating: Ok. I wasn't enamored with Dan, and Eddie was a bit too wishy-washy for my liking. But I did appreciate this addition to the chick-lit/contemporary romance genre, as you hardly get much that's written from the guy's point of view.
Update (5/15): Blogger maintenance has lost my original post, and I've had to re-do this review. I apologize for this being off-air while I regathered my thoughts.
I want to say "thank you" to Sarah Jio for visiting us this month, and for my copy of her lovely debut novel The Violets of March...
Title: The Violets of March
Author: Sarah Jio
ISBN-13: 9780452297036
Paperback: 293 pages
Publisher: Purchase at IndieBound, Amazon, The Book Depository
Source: Sarah Jio
drey's thoughts:
Sarah Jio's The Violets of March is a touching story of heartbreak and hope entwined with a long-buried family secret.
When Emily Wilson's marriage crumbles, she heads out to her great-aunt Bee's to get some time to think and heal. It doesn't take long before she meets a gorgeous artist, and reconnects with an old summer fling. Then she finds a diary in her room, and is engrossed in the owner's tale of loss and regret. As she reads Esther's tale, Emily can't help but wonder who she is and why that diary was in her room.
The Violets of March is a story of two women's hopes and dreams, and heartaches. About the choices you make and the actions you take when you love so deeply that when something threatens that love, you either fight like heck for it, or run like hell to save your heart. One chose to run, and the ramifications reach to the present day. The other has a choice to make--what will it be?
This book will tow you under its spell and barely let go even when you've turned the last page. And as Sarah Jio brings it to a close, you'll find yourself wanting the characters to hang around for just a bit longer--if only to reassure yourselves that they're doing alright.
drey's rating: Excellent! Add this poignant tale to your summer reading, and don't forget the tissues...
Have you read The Violets of March? What did you think?
I've never read Jasper Fforde, but I'm thinking that may change, based on the satire and sarcasm in One of Our Thursdays is Missing... I love me some good satire!
Title: One of Our Thursdays is Missing
Author: Jasper Fforde
ISBN-13: 9780670022526
ARC: 359 pages
Publisher: Viking Penguin, 2011
Purchase at IndieBound, Amazon, The Book Depository
Source: Penguin Group
drey's thoughts:
I wasn't sure what to expect when I picked this up, and I'll admit I was a bit lost in the first few chapters... And then it all started to click. And when I say "all", I mean "ALL" because there's a LOT of stuff here!
Character: One of the things that'll confuse you if you've never read this series before is, there are multiple Thursdays. The character, not the day of the week. Thursday Next is one of the more famous literary characters inhabiting BookWorld (when she's not in RealWorld, that is). They live in a world demarcated by literary genre, and act out their scenes when a reader picks up their book and starts reading. Thursday's series was so popular that she has versions--namely written Thursday (who only exists in BookWorld), and the latest stand-in, Scarlett. Written Thursday is the one featured most prominently in One of Our Thursdays is Missing--when the original Thursday goes missing, Written is the only one who seems to care enough to attempt to find out what happened. Assisted by a robot-butler named Sprockett, Thursday tries to be wily about looking for the real Thursday, especially when she figures out that there are characters who are very interested in not having the real Thursday found. Rounding out the cast of characters are a talking penguin, a Mrs. Malaprop, and a romantic interest (not from her book).
Pace & Plot: One of Our Thursdays is Missing has a very basic plot at its heart--the search for the missing Thursday. But the journey you go on is anything but basic, and is a pretty quick action read--even if there were a few slow (and irrelevant?) spots on the way to the finish line.
drey's rating: 3/5 Good: Perfect for those who love satire and wit coupled with a rollicking adventure in between the covers!
Have you read Jasper Fforde's Thursday Next series? What did you think?
Sarah Pekkanen is going to be my Featured Author next month, but her book comes out in a week. I've been staring at the cover for a while now, finally picked it up, and wow did I get my socks blown off!
drey's thoughts:
I am in awe. Sarah Pekkanen's Skipping a Beat is masterfully written, and I couldn't help but be touched, moved, engrossed... Julia and Michael are teenagers when they first meet and fall in love with each other. Both have baggage. Both are trying to escape their realities. Both find someone who understands where they're coming from, and why they want to go where they want to go...
Fast forward to the present day. Julia and Michael have left their childhood behind, gotten married, and built successful careers. Both have also let that success pull them apart. But then both get a second chance. Will they take it?
Character: I wasn't sure I liked Julia at first. Other than the flashback scene in Chapter Two, she was just another rich woman more involved in her own life, than someone who really cared what happened to her husband. It was all "what about me?"... Blaming her insecurities on her husband and her suspicions that he'd had an affair--it was too easy to do, you know what I mean? Where's your own culpability? But then as she and Michael finally start talking to each other again, I realized that Julia is just like any other woman out there. She's smart and strong, but her weak point is Michael, and she'd turned the other way instead of facing their issues head on, because she's afraid that confrontation would lead to his leaving her. Oh, the things we'd re-do if we had only known, huh?
Pace & Plot: Skipping a Beat isn't too slow- or too fast-paced, it moves at just the right speed for you to get into the story and feel like you know Julia and Michael. The story starts off kind of harsh (only a teensy bit), and mellows as you get further along. Warning--you should be ready with a tissue or two by the time you get to the end...
drey's rating: 4/5 Excellent: Pick this up if you're looking for a poignant read on what really matters...
2011 Challenge: New Author
Have you read Skipping a Beat? What did you think? And if you haven't, here's a chance to win your own copy...
Giveaway!!
I have one very-gently-read copy of Skipping a Beat for you. This one's for US residents only, and runs through 6pm CST March 2nd. To enter, comment below and tell us: What would you do with a second chance? Don't forget to include your email address.
drey's thoughts: Blue is not quite what I expected. Here's why: I expected more of a children's story (imagination, magic, made-up world, etc), and I got a poignant tale of a father and daughter reconnecting with each other via a pretend-world that they conjured up when she was going through a life-threatening illness...
Character: Chris is a sad character, and one I didn't know how to connect with. I could see the why of where he's at, but that's about it. I expected a bit more emotion from this scientist father, but I suppose not everybody could be just as I expect... Becky, I could get. She's plucky and funny and smart, even at just fourteen... She's also trying to navigate the waters of post-divorce parental interactions, crushing on the cutest boy at school, and not worrying that her nosebleeds are the pre-cursor to her leukemia's return. Then she finds out that Tamarisk, the world she and her dad created, is real. And so are the people and creatures she imagined into being all those years ago... Now there's something threatening that beautiful world, and she's made it her mission to try and figure out how to fix it.
Pace & Plot: Blue started off a little slowly, going back and forth between real-life (Chris & Becky), Tamarisk (Miea), and some in-between place where Gage muses... I still don't quite get Gage, but oh well. Once Becky re-discovers Tamarisk, things start moving quickly, as she attempts to help Miea figure out the blight that's plaguing the kingdom. This is where Blue is at its most descriptive, with the fantastical flora and fauna, the riot of colors, and those who people this kingdom... The ending isn't a surprise, but the journey there is worth the read.
drey's rating: 3/5 Good: Pick this one up for an emotional read on a cold winter's day.
I'd asked for a review copy of The Goddess of Fried Okra because I loved the title and the cover... I guess sometimes you just go with what you see... :)
drey's thoughts:
In this heartwarming tale of hope, Eudora "Pea" O'Brien is buried under her grief and guilt at her sister's death, and takes off on a road trip to find the reincarnation of her sister. She doesn't go very far when she rescues a young pregnant teenager from an abusive boyfriend, finds herself a kitten, and runs over a con artist... And then her car dies. Guess life has a way of interrupting plans, huh?
Jean Brashear's The Goddess of Fried Okra is one of those books that pulls you in and doesn't let go until you're done. The story is eclectic--mentions of Conan the Barbarian sit alongside Isis and Odin's wolves. And the characters are endearing. You find yourself rooting for Pea to look up and realize that she's found something better than what she was searching for--she's found a home.
Title: Wild Ride
Author: Jennifer Crusie and Bob Mayer
ISBN-13: 9780312533779
Hardcover:
Publisher: St. Martin's Press, 2010
Purchase at IndieBound, Amazon, The Book Depository
FTC Disclosure: My copy of Wild Ride came from my local library (I love my local library!). I am an affiliate at IndieBound, The Book Depository, and Amazon, and any purchases made by clicking on the cover or the links provided may result in monetary compensation.
drey's thoughts:
I always love a Jennifer Crusie book for a quick fun read, and when I saw this one in the "new books" section at my local library, I just had to bring it home... And when work for my day job drove me completely nuts, I picked this up for some brain relaxation.
And brain relaxation it provided. Mab--Mary Alice Brannigan--is working on restorations at Dreamland (an amusement park) when she gets run over by a clown. Not the kind that scares kids at parties, but one of the metal statues that decorate the grounds. How is that possible? Well, consider that Dreamland was built as a prison for demons, and one got loose...
Ethan Wayne has a bullet in his chest from Afghanistan, and returns home to Dreamland to live out his last days. Then Dreamland throws him a curve and a lifeline, but it takes him a while to appreciate the chance...
Then there are the government agents intent on finding out if there really are demons at Dreamland, and how the demons can be used. Because that's what governments do, right? Add in the Dreamland regulars, Mab's icky uncle, and the demons themselves, and Wild Ride is a quick breezy read with a dash of romance and a tablespoon of action. No brains required. *grin*
Title: Cold Rock River
Author: Jackie Lee Miles
ISBN-13: 9781402240041
ARC: 304 pages, with another 35 pages of recipes (yum!)
Publisher: Sourcebooks, 2010 (reprint)
Purchase at IndieBound, Amazon, The Book Depository
FTC Disclosure: My copy of Cold Rock River was provided by the publisher for this review. I am an affiliate at IndieBound, The Book Depository, and Amazon, and any purchases made by clicking on the cover or the links provided may result in monetary compensation.
drey's thoughts:
First thing I'll mention (and the only negative about Cold Rock River)is the font used in the ARC to depict entries from Tempe's diary, or letters written by Adie and Buck, is pretty small. Put that same small font into italics, and it made for difficult reading.
BUT. Don't let that distract you from the story itself. Cold Rock River is a story about innocence lost, life's hardships, and love's burdens. All bundled together into prose that sweeps you along until you've passed through the rapids and end up in the quiet pool at the end of the river. Adie is young and impressionable, and easily swept off her feet by the good-looking and sweet-talking Buck Jenkins. Unfortunately for Adie, Buck can't figure out how to not stray, especially with his boss' pretty daughter. Even when he's married and has a child on the way.
After getting married, Adie and Buck move to Hog Gap, Buck's hometown. She finds them a little place of their own so that they don't have to live with Buck's mother Verna and his brother Austin. At their new home, she meets Willa Mae, who has a story of her own to tell, and Murphy Spencer, the neighbor who helps her out, probably more than he should have.
Interspersed with entries from a diary from long-ago, all the characters have a part to play in this story, from the beginning to the very end. A story on how history sometimes repeats itself, and how one person's actions can impact more than just themselves, Cold Rock River is a haunting tale that had me from the first page to the last word.
, the issues of sibling rivalry, identity, and moral responsibility combine in this poignant and compulsively readable novel of three sisters caught in the crosshairs of adulthood and family intrigue.
. Tom has been a Wallace Stegner Fellow and a Jones Lecturer at Stanford University, and his short stories have been widely anthologized.
