Book Review: The Memory Keepers Daughter by Kim Edwards

On a winter night in 1964, Dr. David Henry is forced by a blizzard to deliver his own twins. His son, born first, is perfectly healthy. Yet when his daughter is born, he sees immediately that she has Down’s Syndrome. Rationalizing it as a need to protect Norah, his wife, he makes a split-second decision that will alter all of their lives forever. He asks his nurse to take the baby away to an institution and never to reveal the secret. But Caroline, the nurse, cannot leave the infant. Instead, she disappears into another city to raise the child herself. So begins this story that unfolds over a quarter of a century – in which these two families, ignorant of each other, are yet bound by the fateful decision made that long-ago winter night. Norah Henry, who knows only that her daughter died at birth, remains inconsolable; her grief weighs heavily on their marriage. And Paul, their son, raises himself as best he can, in a house grown cold with mourning. Meanwhile, Phoebe, the lost daughter, grows from a sunny child to a vibrant young woman whose mother loves her as fiercely as if she were her own.


Reading this book was like an up-hill battle for me. I have looked forward to reading it for so long and was expecting great things based on all the praise-worthy reviews on the book jacket. Boy was I disappointed! The plot and synopsis of the story had such excellent promise but along the way the author dropped the ball. It was very difficult to relate or sympathize with Norah Henry, even though she is the one wronged by her husband’s rash (but not unfounded) decision to lie about the “supposed” death of their mentally defected daughter while keeping her healthy twin brother.
Norah’s self-destructive ways and at times selfish childishness did nothing but annoy me and drive me farther away from her pain. What the author did really well was humanizing Dr. David Henry because reading the back of the novel I thought he was a monster. He was the only character I actually felt was not overly contrived. Phoebe “the memory keeper’s daughter” did not have a true voice in the whole novel and that was a poor choice by the author. The major climax and confrontation I was hoping would happen between members of the family never occurred; instead the author decided do something that was shocking but totally unnecessary to the digression of the conflict. So this book left me asking some questions on how if I was in the same situation would I have handled things and that is the biggest valuable I took away from the read.

Book Review: Dead as a Doornail by Charlaine Harris

Small-town cocktail waitress Sookie Stackhouse has had more than her share of experience with the supernatural—but now it’s really hitting close to home. When Sookie sees her brother Jason’s eyes start to change, she knows he’s about to turn into a were-panther for the first time—a transformation he embraces more readily than most shapeshifters she knows. But her concern becomes cold fear when a sniper sets his deadly sights on the local changeling population, and Jason’s new panther brethren suspect he may be the shooter. Now, Sookie has until the next full moon to find out who’s behind the attacks—unless the killer decides to find her first…

The fifth installment of the Sookie Stackhouse series, Dead as a Doornail, was one I didn’t care as much for the first time through. On re-reading it, I found I liked it quite a bit better. Someone is taking shots at the local shifters, and Sookie’s brother Jason–newly made a werepanther–is under suspicion. The werepanther leader Calvin and the werewolf Alcide have not yet abandoned their interest in her, while her ex-lover Bill seems bent on making her jealous. Meanwhile, someone actively has it in for Sookie, going so far as to burn down her house. This is the book that initially made me crinkle my nose, as it introduces the weretiger Quinn, and that sort of went over a line for me of “one too many supernatural males interested in Sookie”. But that one objection doesn’t detract from a basically solid and engaging story. It’s not too difficult to ID the perpetrators, but I didn’t mind that much.
Most entertainingly, the vampire Eric spends a good chunk of the book driven to distraction trying to remember the events of Book 4–and when Sookie finally gives in and tells him what he’s unable to remember, that only increases his frustration. This for me is the high point of the plot, since it lays down intriguing hints of what’s to come in the next books. Eric is by far the most amusing character over all to me in the whole series and not just because of the hunk who plays him on the made for television version. His humor is dry and witty and just what you would expect for a being who is over 1, 000 years old and somewhat bored. If you like Eric or are just a fan of the series in general give this book a shot, it is not the best of the series but it lays essential ground work for what is coming next.

Book Review: The Pact by Jodi Picoult

The first book by “New York Times” bestselling author Picoult available in mass market paperback is a riveting, timely, heartbreaking, and terrifying novel of families in anguish and friendships ripped apart by inconceivable violence.
 

After you’ve read a few Jodi Picoult books, you come to expect certain things. A compelling, flashpoint topic (teen suicide, stigmata, school shootings, sexual abuse, etc.) that rips a small New England community apart. Courtroom drama. Finely wrought family dynamics. A maverick lawyer, a quirky judge, and a lot of angst. Tons of plot twists and turns. All of the above were present in “The Pact,” a story of the death of a teenage golden girl, with her longtime boyfriend accused of the murder — which he claims was a double suicide gone awry. The defendant bobs and weaves as news of Emily’s pregnancy comes to light, and plenty of red herrings are thrown into the mix. But still something was missing. I felt like there just wasn’t quite ENOUGH drama in this book… I expected one more horrifying secret to be revealed at the end. I did not believe that Emily’s reasons for killing herself were sufficiently grave. And I couldn’t believe that NO ONE — not the police, not his parents, not the lawyer, no one — asked Chris what really happened that night. Still, with Picoult’s wonderful writing, this book is still worth reading

Book Review: The Necklace by Cheryl Jarvis

The true story of thirteen women who took a risk on an expensive diamond necklace and, in the process, changed not only themselves but a community. Four years ago, in Ventura, California, Jonell McLain saw a diamond necklace in a local jewelry store display window. The necklace aroused desire first, then a provocative question: Why are personal luxuries so plentiful yet accessible to so few? What if we shared what we desired? Several weeks, dozens of phone calls, and a leap of faith later, Jonell bought the necklace with twelve other women, with the goal of sharing it. Part charm, part metaphor, part mirror, the necklace weaves in and out of each woman’s life, reflecting her past, defining her present, making promises for her future. Lending sparkle in surprising and unexpected ways, the necklace comes to mean something dramatically different to each of the thirteen women. With vastly dissimilar histories and lives, the women show us how they transcended their individual personalities and politics to join together in an uncommon journey. What started as a quirky social experiment became something far richer and deeper, as the women transformed a symbol of exclusivity into a symbol of inclusiveness. They discovered that sharing the necklace among themselves was only the beginning; The more they shared with others, the more profound this experience–and experiment–became. Original, resonant, and beautifully told, this book is an inspiring story about a necklace that became greater than the sum of its links, and about thirteen ordinary women who understood the power of possibility, who touched the lives of a community, and who together created one extraordinary experience.


 In Cheryl Jarvis’ book, The Necklace, Jonell McClain convinces 11 other women to band together with her to bid on a $37,000 diamond tennis necklace. (The 13th – and most reluctant – member is the jeweler’s wife.) They hold regular meetings, they set up guidelines for sharing the necklace (everyone gets it for a month), they talk about where the necklace has been and what they’ve done while wearing it – everything from trips to the gynecologist to sky diving. There are rules about when you must have the necklace (if you are going to Paris) and what you must do while you have it (you must make love wearing only the diamonds, which is how one woman convinces her husband to sign off on the project). The women are very different from each other, they have different reasons for getting involved, but they all find it a novel and exciting experience and they take different things away from it. Perhaps it’s because I’m not a big fan of jewelry that I cannot imagine a necklace changing my life, or so many women being moved by the power of some diamonds. Patti, a personal shopper and a woman with a huge wardrobe and closets full of accessories, finds that owning the necklace changes her whole perspective on being a consumer, so perhaps it’s possible. It was interesting to see the different ways the women connected. I’m not sure that it has anything profound to say about our consumerist culture, but it says a lot about how women form friendships and the value of those friendships. I also found that necklace gave the women something to talk about with other people and a reason for people to take an interest in them. This seemed to make them blossom, far more than you could credit to pretty jewelry.

Book Review: Hearts West by Chris Enss

Complete with actual advertisements from both women seeking husbands and males seeking brides, “Hearts West includes twelve stories of courageous mail order brides and their exploits. Some were fortunate enough to marry good men and live happily ever after; still others found themselves in desperate situations that robbed them of their youth and sometimes their lives. Desperate to strike it rich during the Gold Rush, men sacrificed many creature comforts. Only after they arrived did some of them realize how much they missed female companionship. One way for men living on the frontier to meet women was through subscriptions to heart-and-hand clubs. The men received newspapers with information, and sometimes photographs, about women, with whom they corresponded. Eventually, a man might convince a woman to join him in the West, and in matrimony. Social status, political connections, money, companionship, or security were often considered more than love in these arrangements.

 

This book was not only a fast read but a fantastic read. It brings you inside a time in America where it was acceptable to be a “mail order” bride. When people braved the American west and headed out to settle there was one very clear thing, there was far more Men then Women. The gentler sex was needed for so many reasons, to make families, to help with the homes and just to bring that little something that Women have about them. Chris Enss captures this nearly forgotten practice in gripping detail telling the stories of some of those who placed the ads and some who answered. Sometimes it worked out, and sometimes it didn’t after all nothing is ever 100% right? If you would like a true look into the way many relationships were formed at a time in history when Women were a “commodity”, but most willingly put themselves out there you really need to take a look at Hearts West. In this book you will also find those who were out to make money on the need for women to be in one place, some had hearts in the right place and some did not. There are some amusing scenes painted of throngs of Men awaiting a boat load of women that they can claim for wives, and what should appear on the gangplank of the boat? One, two maybe three women! Not what you would call a bounty of Ladies coming to the hard country! But the picture is amusing, and many of the stories do end in happy love matches, all from answering a simple ad in the paper. If your interested in true history and would like a book that will not only give you that but something to laugh, and cry about. I do recommend you read Hearts West by Chris Enss, my only complaint about this book is that I wish it was longer.

Book review: Second chance by Jane Green

With this life-affirming tale of friendship and fate, Jane Green once again shows why she is a nationally bestselling author with legions of loyal fans. The story of a group of people who haven’t seen each other since they were best friends in school, they reunite when one of them dies in a terrible tragedy. Recapturing the intimacy of their younger days, they are each surprised at the impact their encounter brings. Warm, witty, and as wise as ever, Second Chance will strike a chord with anyone who is still trying to figure life out. I’m not sure what happened to Jane Green’s writing craft in this book; the POV jumps wildly in and out of various character’s heads, sometimes in the same sentence. The tense shifts from present to past and back. I suppose the effect is supposed to be one of sitting over a cup of tea with a good friend and having a gossip about other good friends. Only problem is, the book doesn’t come with tea. The story is Green’s version of The Big Chill – a man dies (and why Green chose to make it a terrorist attack on US soil is beyond me; the means of death is very tangential to the story and a car accident would have served the exact same purpose) and his death serves as the impetus for his old school friends, who haven’t really seen each other in twenty years, to gather together. They are your usual collection of stereotypes in reunion stories: the woman trapped in a loveless marriage; the happily married couple who can’t conceive; the mousy one; the glamorous, alcoholic film star. No new ground is broken, although the familiar old tropes are trod on over and over. Still, like all familiar things, there is comfort in visiting and Green’s characters, if not highly original, are engaging

Book Review: A rogues proposal by Stephanie Laurens


Demon Cynster has seen love bring other men to their knees and he wants no part of it. That is, until he meets the enchanting Felicity Parteger, who wants to marry and become a mother. Although passion runs high on both sides, Felicity knows Demon is not one to surrender his freedom Oh another Cynster marries, thankfully he realizes this by chapter two. And, unlike Devil his older cousin, Demon was willing to fall and admit to falling by the end of the book. Love Flick for her willingness to follow danger and leave Demon to catch up, not to mention her quick friendship with twins. And yes I know this review may not help unless you LOVE the Bar Cynster’s and their entire crazy, overbearing, protective, possessive family members, including the beautiful, darling, amazing, adventurous and protective Females

Book Review: The Last Rake in London by Nicola Cornick

Under a blaze of chandeliers, in London’s most fashionable club, Jack Kestrel is waiting. He hasn’t come to enjoy the rich at play, he’s there to uphold his family name. But first he has to get past the ice-cool owner: the beautiful Sally Bowes. And Jack wants her to warm his bed–at any price Edwardian society flocks to Sally’s club, but dangerous Jack Kestrel is the most sinfully sensual rogue she’s ever met. Inexperienced with men, the wicked glint in Jack’s eyes promises he’ll take care of satisfying her every need…. I spent most of this book hoping the heroine would buck up and kick her boorish hero squarely in the family jewels. The writing wasn’t horrible , except for repeated misuse of the word “quiescent.” Although, given what a doormat the supposedly independent and self-minded heroine is, perhaps quiescent IS the word for her….this one rates a meh. But at least it was a fast read.

True Mom Confessions:Real Moms get real by Romi Lassally

Mothers’ hilarious, outrageous, heartfelt admissions


“Sometimes I lock myself in the bathroom.”


“I put an educational DVD on so I could have sex. It wasn’t with my husband.”


Romi Lassally provides a judgment-free zone where women can reveal their mommy misdemeanors. From not feeling like cleaning up vomit in the middle of the night, to barking something completely inappropriate to the children, to wanting to be pawed by hands that aren’t covered in jelly, the confessions pour in daily.


Heartfelt and hilarious, naughty and nasty, frank and outrageous, the confessions culled together for this book represent the best-or the worst?-of those humbling hidden secrets of motherhood in all its glorious messiness as improvisation and triage. They dare to suggest that it’s okay for moms to make mistakes, to have unkind thoughts, to publicly or privately embarrass themselves-and above all to be human.


This was a fast read for me and being only a step mom I was not fully sure I would relate,but it seemed like fun. So I went for it. Well I am glad I did because it was a great book, it made me laugh and it made me cry and really no matter what kind of Mom you are you can relate.

If you are a Step Mom, Mom Mom, Fur Mom or any kind of Mom at all I reccomend reading this one. It will help you and make you see indeed your not alone in the little things and bigger things either. True Mom Confessions is just that!

Book Review: A Fatal Waltz by Tasha Alexander



At her friend Ivy’s behest, Lady Emily Ashton reluctantly agrees to attend a party at the sprawling English country estate of a man she finds odious. But the despised Lord Fortescue is not to be her greatest problem. Kristiana von Lange, an Austrian countess once linked romantically with Emily’s fiancÉ, the debonair Colin Hargreaves, is a guest also. And a tedious evening turns deadly when their host is found murdered, and his protÉgÉ, Robert Brandon—Ivy’s husband—is arrested for the crime.

Determined to right a terrible wrong, Emily embarks on a quest that will lead her from London’s glittering ballrooms to Vienna’s sordid backstreets—and into a game of wits with a notorious anarchist. But putting Colin in deadly peril may be the price for exonerating Robert—forcing the intrepid Emily to bargain with her nemesis, the Countess von Lange, for the life of her fiancÉ.


This is the third book in the series about Lady Emily Ashton, and while I have thoroughly enjoyed each one, I believe that this one is my favorite so far. I have enjoyed watching Emily’s character grow and mature in each book. This time, she sets out to prove the innocence of Robert Brandon, her friend Ivy’s husband, after he has been arrested for murder. The novel moves at a fast pace, and many of Emily’s friends from the previous books appear as new ones are also introduced. At the end of the previous book, Lady Emily became engaged to Colin Hargreaves, and he plays a major role in this story as he did in the others. This time, Lady Emily experiences a few qualms over a past romantic relationship of Colin’s. Political intrigues put Colin’s life in danger, and Emily does her best to ensure his safety. Colin is as wonderful in this book as he was in the other two. I find him to be an unusually delightful hero. He is so supportive of Emily and willing to let her test her abilities and intelligence. I eagerly await reading the next book in the series 🙂

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