Wednesday, June 29, 2011

Review: Children and Fire

Children and Fire by Ursula Hegi

What can I say? I love Ursula Hegi. Trudi Montag is STILL one of my favorite characters ever. Ursula writes with such passion, that you become completely enveloped in her storytelling. This book was no different, although at the end, it left me feeling bereft. I am wondering if the meaning just went over my head.

I was really with the story, until the end. I don't understand it all, but it was a good book, none the less.

In the beginning of Hiltler's reign, they obviously couldn't go against it. No freedom. That is something to chew on. What you can or can't read, what you say do, everything being monitored. Hegi has left lots for me to think about.. Now that is a sign of another good book!

Monday, June 27, 2011

Review: The Autobiography of Mrs. Tom Thumb

The Autobiography of Mrs. Tom Thumb by Melanie Benjamin

Can you say one of my new favorite authors?? WOW!!! This book was more than I expected. I expected a story to enjoy on one of my summer days, but this one knocked my socks off and so much more! I will recommend it to everyone I know.

Mercy Lavinia Warren Bump may have been tiny but she was mighty. She had a personality bigger than life. She exceeded so much more than anyone ever thought she ever would. Vinnie had plans and she let no one stop her! From being on a tacky showboat to finally meeting P.T. Barnum and becoming one of his biggest sucesses, Vinnie did it all. She paid a price though, her sister and ultimately love.

You know it is a good book when you want to find out more and more about the subjects from a book. That is a wonderful thing, and it has made me hungry for more. Thank you Ms Melanie, you are a very talented writer and I look forward to many more years of reading!! (hint hint)

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Review: Dance Lessons

Dance Lessons by Aine Greaney

Ellen is a widow, hasn't even been a year ago since her husband Finlan drowned. She runs into Sheila who knew Finlan back in his home town. Finds out her husband wasn't an orphan, his mother is still alive. So after a few events leading up to Ellen arriving at her husband's hometown overseas, she ends up taking care of his mother that is dying of cancer.

Do they ever really to a point in this book or does it just drift? That was my feeling the whole entire book. It left me feeling as if I was looking through the scenes with a shear curtain in between and I couldn't get the whole glimpse. Left me feeling not done, not done hearing the story.

However beautiful the writing was, I did enjoy this book. Not sure why it is called Dance Lessons...I get Finlan's daughter that Ellen never knew about dances, but I don't think that was the main part. At least I didn't get that.

Sunday, June 19, 2011

Review: A Cowboy's Touch

A Cowboy's Touch by Denise Hunter

What a wonderful book! Denise Hunter has quickly become one of my favorite authors. She knows what women like to read, but it is all clean and God inspired. Abigail is suffering from overworking, so her mom tells her to take three months off of their magazine to go to Montana and check out an aunt that they think might be getting older and might need to be in an assisted living center.

When Abigail gets there, she meets a young lady, Maddy who instantly Abs feels a connection to. When Maddy's summer nanny quits before she even starts, Maddy's dad Wade is in a spot. What a perfect answer though, Abigail! Wade is quiet and reserved, but there are sparks there right from the beginning. When Abigail stumbles upon who Wade really is, Abigail thinks it would be the perfect article to rescue the magazine. What will Wade think though when Abigail exposes where Maddy and J.W. really are and who Wade really is? Will their love survive?

Hunter writes like no other. Abigail comes to understand what a Truthseeker really is. This book will have your eyes sparkling with tears, as you take a journey with Abigail, Maddy and Wade.

Saturday, June 18, 2011

Review: Driftwood Cottage

Driftwood Cottage by Sherryl Woods

What can I say? I am a sucker for Sherryl Woods. Reading the Chesapeake Shores series is always a pleasure of mine. It is like going home. Where everyone knows your name and everything about you, and still loves you anyway. Like an old comfortable blanket.. We know what to expect, we know what is going to happen but the ride is still fabulous.

In this installment Connor and his live-in girlfriend Heather have broken up because Heather wants more now that they have Little Mick. She knew from the very beginning that Connor was against marriages but once she had Little Mick she wanted something more permanent. Unknown to Connor Little Mick and Heather are now living in Chesapeake Shores, Connor's hometown! His heart is broken but he doesn't think he will ever change the way he feels about marriage, doomed! That is until Heather has a serious car accident and Connor is faced with the fact that he might live without her forever.

However, will Heather believe his sudden change of heart? Heather all the sudden doesn't want to get married once Connor does.

The love stories never get old with Sherryl. I love it, even though they are totally predictable, full of fluff, but like an old comforting blanket! I love the way she puts it all together. I don't need a lot of the junk in there, love the books just the way they are!

Review: Rest in Peace

Rest in Peace by Frances Devine

A cute cozy mystery with heavy relying on God! What a breath of fresh air! This is my first book by this author but one I will rave and rave about. At first, with all the introductions of new people it was hard to catch on to but all the sudden I found myself unable to put it down. I love when that happens. Our main herione, Victoria, runs a boarding house for elderly, most of them being friends of her grandmother, whom has passed. Victoria and her elderly loved ones are once again thrown into a mystery, when Victoria finds the local pet shop owner dead. Did someone kill him or was he murdered? If he was murdered, why and by whom?

All the residents of Cedar Chapel Lodge are very endearing and I really loved the little bit of Whatzit that we got. Wish there would have been more of him! I felt as if there was a part of me, well a BIG part of me in Victoria. She just seemed like one of us, which really helps to meld yourself into the story!

Frances Devine really hit the mark, and I can't wait to get my hands on the rest of the series and hoping there are more in the works!

Thursday, June 16, 2011

Review: Softly and Tenderly

Softly and Tenderly by Sara Evans with Rachel Hauck

Softly and tenderly Jesus is calling, calling for you and for me... So the song goes. One of my favorites. What an awesome read!

I haven't read the first book, but I think from my experience that the books can stand alone as well. We meet Jade, who is married to Max. They are having troubles with having children. But when Max's ex-wife dies and Jade finds out that they slept together a week before Jade and Max's wedding and have a son, will Jade be able to forgive Max and keep Asa as her own even though she can't have any?

Jade's mother in law and Jade walk in on her father-in-law and June's friend having an affair. So maybe Max takes after his father Rebel and will cheat all his life too.

With all of this going and Jade's mother, Beryl, having leukemia and dying, can Jade take any more? Is her place with Max or somewhere else, perhaps with her ex-husband Dustin? All these questions will be answered in this fantastic, easy to read book!

Tuesday, June 14, 2011

Review: The Caregiver

The Caregiver by Shelley Shepard Gray

I finished this book in TWO settings.. Only a few hours! How can you not want to finish this book? I wanted so bad to hear if Lucy and Calvin would ever come together. To see if Lucy could overcome her fears about men not being violent and loving her like they should.

We start out with Lucy on a train, going to Jacob's Crossing from Michigan to take care of her cousin Mattie who is going through chemotherapy. What she doesn't expect is to find Calvin attractive and his much younger sister Katie very endearing. She spends some time with them and really is starting to feel comfortable with Calvin. When she sees him yell at another person and get very angry all bets are off. He must be like Paul too!

Taking care of Mattie leaves little time for herself but Calvin manages to wiggle in there. Gray left it open for a few more storylines in there as well! This is a MUST read!

Monday, June 13, 2011

Review: Skinny

Skinny by Diana Spechler

Where to start.. I have so many things I could say about this book. I read a lot of reviews before writing this, so the actual book subject has been talked about a lot. Overweight vs skinny people.. Gray's father passes away, which Gray feels that she killed him. (You will find out why she thinks this almost at the end of the book) When she finally talks to the man in charge of her father's will, she finds there is a trust for a woman. When she looks this woman up on the internet, the woman has a child about the same time as when the trust started. So Gray thinks, oh my, my dad had an affair and this is my sister.

Gray then looks her up on the internet, to find out she is going to Camp Carolina, a camp for overweight children. Gray applies to be a counselor and without any knowledge to actually qualify, goes. It seems all of the people put in charge to help these kids don't have any knowledge or skills to really help these children. Gray has a boyfriend back in New York, Mikey, who seems kind of like a man with no direction.

What happens over the 2 months at camp, is a big mess! I am not going to give any more away but you will find out what happens between Gray and her "sister" and more..

At the beginning I really struggled to read this book and connect with Gray. It got better as it went along or maybe I just wanted to know if Gray would ever come out of her feeling sorry for herself. I wanted to like her, but it was really difficult.

Good points in the book, just hard to see them with all the disjointed ideas in the way.

Review: The World's Greatest Christmas Cookies

The World's Greatest Christmas Cookies

This cookbook of all kinds of wonderful cookie recipes is perfect for a holiday gift. These recipes are perfect for your favorite baker in your life! My group gets together once a year for a cookie exchange and I know I will be making a couple of these! It will be hard to choose but rewarding. Everyone in your family can get in on the action.

The pictures are divine. There is a picture for almost every recipe! The sweet tips are sweet indeed! Every one of them is useful. I found the butter tip immensely helpful.

Some of the recipes are super easy, which makes baking with young children during the holidays lots of fun! Some are going to be easy but time consuming and then there will be ones that will challenge you!

Some of my favorite ones on my to-do list are, Mrs. Santa Cinnamon Cookies, Pecan Care Bears, Peanut Butter Cup Cookies (which will be a HUGE hit at my house), Caramel Apple Cookies and Orange Iced Cranberry Cookies.

Then there are bars which Chocolate Pizza is included! Can't get much better than that!

Notched up are the filled bars which you will find Santa's Favorite Ice Cream Sandwiches.

Talk about yummy, my mouth is watering just typing all of this! Make sure you get this cookbook, for yourself, for gifts..

Review: Summer Rental

Summer Rental by Mary Kay Andrews

Sizzling summer beach read!!! Don't miss out this summer on one of the best books of 2011!

We have three friends who are going to meet up at a beach house for the month of August. Dorie, Ellis and Julia. All three have different personalities and of course things going on in their lives, so this beach escape is much needed. Ellis is the schedule freak -- Dorie is a man magnet and is married to Stephen and everyone thinks they are a perfect couple. Then Julia is a model and is dating Booker, who is a bit older than Julia, but wants to marry her. Ellis lost her job just right before this vacation and she is worried because she hasn't had any other job offers.

All of them are looking forward to relaxing, hanging out with each other but when they start to learn each other's secrets and problems will they be able to relax?

Then Dorie goes one day to have a milkshake, comes upon a woman that looks like she is loaded and looking for a motel. So Dorie invites her to stay at the beach house with them -- But Maryn has bigger problems than all the girls. Will Maryn open up to the girls and learn to lean on someone?

This book is so delicious and wonderful, you will be sad when you reach the last page that it is over!

Friday, June 10, 2011

Review: The Art of Saying Goodbye

The Art of Saying Goodbye by Ellyn Bache

We meet 5 women off the bat, and then we go back and forth between all of them, finding out about them and what each one might be struggling with. Iona was my favorite. Seems like a hard lady on the outside but really is a loving lady and could be a wonderful friend. All these ladies I yearned to really like. Could like them on the surface, but there was no real depth. Even Paisley, as much as I was like, yea I think I might like her, after all the stuff I read, not really sure I do!

Each woman, as in real life, is struggling with something, whether it be a spouse dying, to not being happy in their marriage. Nothing new to the scene as far as that. The way Ms Bache wrote it though, is a bit different, back and forth a bit more, and we get a special glimpse of Paisley's mind at times. I enjoyed those brief moments, they seemed the most real to me.

I would recommend this book, it would be a good book to take to the beach. Not too heavy that you need a lot of concentration, and not to much if you can keep up with the cast of characters!

Saturday, June 4, 2011

Review: The Year We Left Home

The Year We Left Home by Jean Thompson

Different. This book was different from what I thought it would be. When I got past all the things that were annoying me about this read, then I really enjoyed the book. My favorite character was Torrie. She had a spunk about her that I really fell in love with and thoroughly enjoyed.

This book is set over the course of 30 years, through the lives of a family.. We get different view points and even some from a cousin Chip, who changes his name to Ray for awhile. I loved the descriptions of the family, you can imagine the big hearty folk from Iowa, can't you?

This book reminds us that even though we want to all leave home when we are young, it seems eventually we come back don't we? We usually come back to our roots.

If you love generational sagas, this is a mini one! Everyone is searching for something, will everyone in the family find it? I know you will enjoy seeing all the ups and downs of this cast of characters.

Wednesday, June 1, 2011

Review: Summer in the South

Summer in the South by Cathy Holton

Different from Cathy Holton's usual type of books -- but very good at the end. Does that qualify as a good book? I wasn't too sure most of the way through. I struggled wondering where this story was going, back and forth with all these details that really didn't seem to have a point. UNTIL about 50 pages left, it got really good and made me glad I hung in there!

Ava is invited to go down to a college friend's hometown for the summer to write her first novel ever. If she can even figure out what that might be that is. Will's family seems nice, but there seems to be secrets and things no one wants to talk about. Such as Charlie Woodburn, or Hadley.. But will Ava's snooping cause too many problems for a prominent southern family?

If you are looking for your usual Cathy Holton book or a regular mystery book, this isn't it. This is totally different! Which at the end made me very glad I stuck with it and finished it. I wanted to know if there really was a murder, and how Jake and Will really fit into everything.

There are a few surprises -- wonderfully added I think! You begin to think you are there with Ava, totally uneasy at night while she is writing. Still has that Cathy Holton southern charm though! That I couldn't live without!

Read this book, stick with it, you will be glad you did in the end. It is all worth it, I promise!