Pages

Sunday, March 31, 2013

It's Monday, What are you Reading?


The last week of March was a good week in reading, but a crazy week on the packing and moving side of life.  One month from now we will be in our new home and maybe my new library with built in shelves will be underway.  I can't wait to do a bookshelf tour once all of my books are on the new shelves!

A meme hosted by Sheila at BookJourney. 

Finished this past week:
The Smart One by Jennifer Close
In the Garden of Stone by Susan Tekulve
Have No Shame by Melissa Foster
The Uninvited Guests by Sadie Jones

Currently Reading:
The Banks of Certain Rivers by Jon Harrison

Next on the TBR pile:
Children of the Underground by Trevor Shane

March - the month before spring!


The month of March was crazy hectic with changes on the job and the start of the moving process, I am utterly surprised by the amount of reading I was able to accomplish.  With the husband working quite a few hours to increase the bank account numbers, most of my nights included either packing boxes or reading books!  There were precious few nights where neither got done and we just hung out.  April looks like more of the same, but May may include some house renovation pics!

Books Completed:
1. Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline

2. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
3. If You Find Me by Emily Murdoch
4. The Wanderer by Robyn Carr
5. When She Was Gone by Gwendolen Gross
6. Blue Jeans and Coffee Beans by Joanne DeMaio
7. The Best of Us by Sarah Pekkanen
8. All You Could Ask For by Mike Greenberg
9. The Girl Next Door by Elizabeth Noble
10. There Was an Old Woman by Hallie Ephron
11. Where's the Groom? by Sophie Meyer
12. The Weight of Small Things by Sherri Wood Emmons
13. Bloom by Kelle Hampton
14. Reconstructing Amelia by Kimberly McCreight
15. The King's Jar by Susan C. Shea
16. The Gingerbread House by Nell Carson
17. Widow Woman by Julia Tagliere
18. Someday, Someday Maybe by Lauren Graham
19. Maya's Notebook by Isabel Allende
20. The Smart One by Jennifer Close
21. In the Garden of Stone by Susan Tekulve
22. Have No Shame by Melissa Foster


Total pages read, clicked, and flipped: 6,852

Where Have I Been Reading?: 
Spruce Harbor, ME
Carthage, MO
Lancing, TN
Thunder Point, Oregon
Boston, MA
Stony Point, CT
Jamaica
Greenwich, CT
New York City, NY (4)
Santa Monica, CA
Indiana
Naples, FL
San Francisco, CA

Aspen, Colorado
Minneapolis, MN
Chile
Philadelphia, PA
Bluefield, VA
Forrest Town, AR



Friday, March 29, 2013

Review: Learning to Stay by Erin Celello

Learning to Stay by Erin Celello

Publisher: NAL Trade 
Pages: 352 
Format: eARC 
Buy the Book: Amazon  

Goodreads:  Elise Sabato is proud of her husband, Brad, for serving his country...and grateful when he returns home to her. But the traumatic brain injury he suffered in Iraq has turned him from a thoughtful, brilliant, and patient man into someone quite different....someone who requires more care and attention than Elise can give while working in a demanding law firm. And when Brad ends up on his family’s farm, hundreds of miles away, she wonders where their marriage is headed.

Elise must decide between the life she always wanted and the life she seems to be living…until she finds inspiration in the most unlikely of places: a lovable dog named Jones who teaches her that when the best-laid plans take unexpected turns, sometimes you end up right where you were meant to be.




Kritters Thoughts:  Military families is something I do not know a ton about.  Most of what I know is from tv and movies, so to read a book felt a little more real and I think allowed me to get into their home and read what feels as an honest moment in their lives.  Elise is a working woman and as her husband is sent to a war zone she spends more time developing her law career.  When he returns wounded, her life goes into a tailspin and the reader wonders if they will be able to get to a happy place.

I thought this was such an honest story about a relationship and how when truly married both people truly affect the other to the core.  Elise is greatly affected by her husband's return from war and the change that has been made to him that made him into something that she may have not married in the beginning.  Not to get too personal, but my husband changed career paths drastically before we were engaged, but thankfully we made the decision together and he hasn't affected the core of him and I wonder how I would have felt if this career change would have changed the essence of him - the parts that I love the most.  How would you react if your spouse's behavior and being changed dramatically?

This may be a contender for one of my favorite books for 2013!   

Rating: absolutely loved it and want a sequel

Ebook 2013 Challenge: 9 out of 50

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from Edelweiss.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Thursday, March 28, 2013

Review: The Tin Horse by Janice Steinberg

The Tin Horse by Janice Steinberg

Publisher: Random House 
Pages: 352 
Format: eARC 
Buy the Book: Amazon  

Goodreads:  After years of resistance to the idea, feisty octogenarian Elaine Greenstein finally decides to move from the home in which she raised her family to a retirement community. While she's packing her possessions, she finds a clue to the whereabouts of her twin sister, who disappeared from the little-known Jewish mecca of Boyle Heights on the eve of WWII when the girls were eighteen. Plunging back into memories of her childhood and the momentous historical facts that impacted her family, Elaine recalls her family's stories-those from the Old Country, and tales of immigration travails, and the heartache of being the "smart" one of the twins instead of the "popular" one.

In an utterly unforgettable, salty voice, Elaine revives the memories of growing up with her twin sister Barbara, her parents, her Zayde, her aunts and her younger sisters as the Greensteins bear the disappointments, heartbreaks, and fallout from the immigrant baggage that they have been unable to shed despite settling in southern California-the land of sunshine and opportunity, fig trees and equality.


Kritters Thoughts:  Elaine is a twin and one of four Greenstein sisters living in a Jewish neighborhood on the outskirts of Los Angeles.  As the story begins, Elaine is packing up her things to move to a retirement community and is recalling stories from the past as she goes through her things.  The reader knows from the beginning that Elaine's twin disappeared, never to hear from again, but the story provides the clues as to why she left her family with no word.

At the heart is this family that is struggling to find their way.  With sibling rivalry, the Depression, and cultural issues, the book was slam packed with history to share; I was able to learn about a whole subset of our United States and the places they called home. A theme that showed up quite often is the belief that even though siblings can grow up in the same home and family, their stories and recall of the shared history will be different.  Elaine's recollection of some of the stories was different than her sisters, either due to the age of each sister or the different relationship they each had with mother and father.  I definitely take this with me and realize that my sister was raised in the same home, but had completely different experiences in the same home than I did.

Not quite historical fiction, but a book that takes you through history and a family that has lived through the years.  Elaine tells her stories with an ease that allows the reader to put the pieces of the family's history together one by one.  It made me wish that my grandmother had a book like this that I could share with the stories of my family and the generations before me.

Rating: definitely a good read, but can't read two in a row

Ebook 2013 Challenge: 6 out of 50

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from edelweiss.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Wednesday, March 27, 2013

Wordless Wednesday

This won't be such a wordless post, but hopefully mostly pictures!


This past Saturday, my mom (Ope's Opinions) and I went into DC for a full day of book fun!  First stop was the Library of Congress.  It was cool, but with our recent trip to New York and their big public library, we decided we liked the NYPL better - you can get much closer to the book action!

After a yummy lunch at Pizza Paradisio, we stumbled upon Second Story books which is a used bookstore that was packed full of all things book!  Mom and I found a few books to take home in their new section.

Our last stop was KramerBooks where we picked up a few more books and stopped for dessert.  It ended up bring a full day of fun and books with my mom.  We are going to do a few of these local adventures to make up for not attending BEA this year.  

Tuesday, March 26, 2013

Review: Something About Sophie by Mary Kay McComas

Something About Sophie 
by Mary Kay McComas 

Publisher: William Morrow 
Pages: 320 
Format: eARC 
Buy the Book: Amazon  

Goodreads:  Answering a call that summons her to a stranger's deathbed, a reluctant Sophie Shepard is too late to hear what he was so anxious to tell her. What was so important that a dying man would think of her in his final moments? With the help of Dr. Drew McCarren, Sophie begins to dig into her past, setting off a chain of events that chills the quiet town of Clearfield, Virginia to its roots.

With part of her wanting nothing more than to put Clearfield behind her and run back home, Sophie knows she won't rest until she discovers the truth. But growing closer to the residents also means uncovering their dark secrets: about the woman who gave her up for adoption, the mysterious part these strangers played, and the life she never knew she nearly had.


Kritters Thoughts:  A big mystery in a small town that is wrapped up in this unknowing young woman's past - if only she knew.  She knew she was adopted and ended up in the home of two loving parents; recently her mother passed away and she was contacted by a pastor who is living his last days and has some information he wants to share with her.  Before she arrives in town he has passed away and from there the pieces begin to unravel and finally at the very end the full truth comes out.  

I grew up in a small town, so the small town elements hit very close to home and I could picture the people and the places as if they were just like my hometown.  Sophia comes into this small town and as most small towns do they have a history and they have people who are more than willing to share the gossip; I think there were moments at the beginning where I wanted the pace to start to quicken to start the resolution period, but I felt like the author was still building it - didn't make me put it down, but definitely made me want to read a little quicker to get beyond the build.  

There was definitely a twist at the end that I loved because it gave the truth a little more depth than I thought it would have as the story was unraveling.  As I can definitely not reveal the truth of this girl's story, I can definitely stay it is worth the slow moments in the beginning of the book.

Rating: definitely a good read, but can't read two in a row

Ebook 2013 Challenge: 12 out of 50



The tour schedule

Tuesday, March 26th: Kritters Ramblings
Wednesday, March 27th: Book of Secrets
Thursday, March 28th: Under My Apple Tree
Monday, April 1st: Mom in Love With Fiction
Tuesday, April 2nd: 5 Minutes for Books
Wednesday, April 3rd: A Book Geek
Thursday, April 4th: she treads softly
Monday, April 8th: Raging Bibliomania
Tuesday, April 9th: Tiffany’s Bookshelf
Wednesday, April 10th: Speaking of Books
Thursday, April 11th: I’m Booking It


Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from TLC Book Tours.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Monday, March 25, 2013

Review: Simply Irresistible by Jill Shalvis

Simply Irresistible by Jill Shalvis

Publisher: Forever 
Pages: 311
Format: book
Buy the Book: Amazon  

Goodreads:  Maddie Moore's whole life needs a makeover.
In one fell swoop, Maddie loses her boyfriend (her decision) and her job (so not her decision). But rather than drowning her sorrows in bags of potato chips, Maddie leaves L.A. to claim the inheritance left by her free-spirited mother--a ramshackle inn nestled in the little coastal town of Lucky Harbor, Washington.
Starting over won't be easy. Yet Maddie sees the potential for a new home and a new career--if only she can convince her two half-sisters to join her in the adventure. But convincing Tara and Chloe will be difficult because the inn needs a big makeover too.
The contractor Maddie hires is a tall, dark-haired hottie whose eyes--and mouth--are making it hard for her to remember that she's sworn off men. Even harder will be Maddie's struggles to overcome the past, though she's about to discover that there's no better place to call home than Lucky Harbor.

Kritters Thoughts:  The first in a series that takes place in Lucky Harbor in Washington State.  Three half sisters move into town to renovate a resort that their mother left them, but the property is definitely in need of some of TLC.  A small town and three half sisters who are known to create their own drama is a recipe for a great book.

The middle sister, Maddie is the main focus of this story.  She is leaving her hometown of LA for the small town in Washington for many reasons, one of them being an ex boyfriend who didn't quite show his anger in the best of ways.  This caused my one concern with the book.  Within moments of being in town, Maddie has met a guy and is making out with him.  If I had just left a really bad relationship, I would not be so quick to jump into any physical contact with a guy.  

This point aside, I loved the book.  The sisters were fantastic and I am definitely excited that there are more books in this series.

Rating: definitely a good read, but can't read two in a row

Off the Shelf 2013 Challenge: 3 out of 30



Sunday, March 24, 2013

It's Monday, What are you Reading?


Last weekend came and went and I completely forgot to finish this and post it.  With a trip to Ikea with my family and the continuation of packing, last weekend was crazy.  My weekends from here until we close will probably still be on the crazy train.  I am trying to keep my reading up, so that once we move I can take a breather with posts already loaded and ready to go, so still reading like mad when the husband is working and packing like crazy every chance I get!

A meme hosted by Sheila at BookJourney. 

Finished this past week:
The Girl Next Door by Elizabeth Noble
There Was an Old Woman by Hallie Ephron
Where's the Groom? by Sophie Meyer
The Weight of Small Things by Sherri Wood Emmons
Reconstructing Amelia by Kimberly McCreight
Bloom by Kelle Hampton
The King's Jar by Susan C. Shea
The Gingerbread House by Nell Carson
Widow Woman by Julia Tagliere
Someday, Someday Maybe by Lauren Graham
Maya's Notebook by Isabel Allende

Currently Reading:
In the Garden of Stone by Susan Tekulve

Next on the TBR pile:

Have No Shame by Melissa Foster

Across My Doorstop


For Review:
The Registry by Shannon Stoker  (Goodreads  Amazon)
The Voting Machine by Dmitri Ragano  (Goodreads  Amazon)

Saturday excursion:
Crossed by Ally Condie  (Goodreads  Amazon)
Matched by Ally Condie  (Goodreads  Amazon)
A Cold and Lonely Place by Sara J. Henry  (Goodreads  Amazon)

Library Sale:
Irish Born Trilogy by Nora Roberts  (Goodreads  Amazon)

The Perfect Hope by Nora Roberts  (Goodreads  Amazon)
The Devil in the Junior League by Linda Francis Lee  (Goodreads  Amazon)

Friday, March 22, 2013

Review: The Chalice by Nancy Bilyeau

The Chalice by Nancy Bilyeau

Publisher: Touchstone 
Pages: 496 
Format: ARC 
Buy the Book: Amazon  

Goodreads:  In 1538, England is in the midst of bloody power struggles between crown and cross that threaten to tear the country apart. Joanna Stafford has seen what lies inside the king’s torture rooms and risks imprisonment again, when she is caught up in a shadowy international plot targeting the King. As the power plays turn vicious, Joanna understands she may have to assume her role in a prophecy foretold by three different seers, each more omniscient than the last.

Joanna realizes the life of Henry VIII as well as the future of Christendom are in her hands—hands that must someday hold the chalice that lays at the center of these deadly prophecies…



Kritters Thoughts:  The next adventure with the novice, Joanna Stafford as she tries to save the land from losing the ability to practice their Faith from the hands of evil men.  The story starts a bit in the future and then takes you back to find out how they all end up hiding around a church ready for an ambush - I thought this was the perfect way to set up and start the book.     

The juxtaposition of a novice who is of royal heritage trying to save the Faith from distant family members kept the plot moving.  I also greatly enjoyed her struggle with making choices because they were not made for her by her Faith and a nunnery.  There were a few points where I had to remind myself of the family tree or the workings of everyone involved, but eventually I put all the puzzle pieces together.

After reading The Crown, I was definitely interested in going on another adventure with this fiesty young woman, so when offered The Chalice, I jumped at the chance!  This adventure did not disappoint, but did slow down a little in the middle, but the last 75 pages were worth the wait!

Rating: definitely a good read, but can't read two in a row

Ebook 2013 Challenge: 13 out of 50

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from Simon & Schuster.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.




Thursday, March 21, 2013

Author Interview: Melissa Foster

Hello readers!  Yesterday I was given the opportunity to read and review another Melissa Foster book - Traces of Kara.  Today I will be interviewing here again here on Kritters Ramblings.  So here we go!

1.  I ask this in every interview and I know this is our second, but I must ask it again!  What do you find yourself rambling about?

Life is my inspiration for all of my writing.  I'm not the type of writer who can slot herself into a genre and stay there.  Whatever I feel passionate about at the moment, is what finds its way into my writing.

For my latest release,Traces of Kara, inspiration came from moving into a new town and happening upon the power plant after dark.  I had no idea it was near my house, and when I saw it, it was so creepy that I had to return nightly for two weeks and just start at it.  I let it sink into my soul, and then I went on tours of the building - - and Traces of Kara was born.  This is the darkest, most suspenseful novel I have written to date.


2. You are such an advocate for authors!  Who was an advocate for you in your early days getting published?

When I started publishing, it was very different to find help in any direction.  Without a doubt, MJ Rose has been the greatest friend I could ask for.

3.  Who is your sounding board for your story ideas?  How do they help you bring an idea to fruition?

Not that I'm a momma's girl, even a little, but my mother is the best sounding board - on any topic.  I usually start with a concept, theme, or ending of a book, and then I work my way through.  Inevitably I come to the middle, or what writers call, the "muddle"; that portion of the book that can so easily drag.  I usually make a phone call around then to talk through ideas and concepts.  My mother always begins by saying, "You know this is your thing, not mine.  I'm no good at this."  That leads to a discussion on writing and reading, and then we end up talking through all of my ideas, and she helps me to flesh out the good from the not so compelling.  Then I write, call a few more friends and knock around ideas, and then write some more.  My editor, Kristen Weber, also helps me to develop my story lines in successful directions.

4. If you could put one of your books into any person's hands, who would that be?

Without a doubt, Oprah Winfrey.  Although HAVE NO SHAME is not yet published, I think she'd love that story.

5.  As one of your devoted readers, I want to know what author do you follow and love?  What are you currently reading?

I'm currently reading a friend's novel, HIDDEN UNDER HER HEART by Rachelle Ayala.  The authors I follow and love are so varied.  I read all of Diane Chamnerlain's books, and I love Kristin Hannah's recent books, but really, I fall in love with so many different authors every year.  There's never a lull on my TBR list.  I read everything but horror, sci-fi, and erotica.

6. What is next on your plate?

I have three books ready to be published that I wrote last year, and this year I am completing my first foray into the romance genre with The Other Side of Me.  Next, I think I'm going back to suspense and perhaps finishing a YA/Adult crossover that I began two years ago.  Once LLL is complete, I'll figure out what's begging to be written.

Kristin, thank you so much for hosting me on your blog today.



Wednesday, March 20, 2013

Review: Traces of Kara by Melissa Foster

Traces of Kara by Melissa Foster
Pages: 178 
Format: eARC 
Buy the Book:Amazon  

Goodreads:  Kara Knight can't wait to leave her hometown for the promise of nursing school and a fresh start on her future--leaving behind an over protective mother, a broken heart and painful memories. However, twenty-five miles away, the brother she doesn't know is determined to be reunited with the sister he cannot forget. 

Kara is abducted and thrown into her obsessive captor's delusional world. As the past she thought she knew unravels around her, Kara struggles to make sense of the memories that come creeping back, threatening her sanity and her safety. Meanwhile, Kara's mother races against time to save the daughter she fears she will lose when a long-held secret is revealed. The hours tick away as Roland plays out his plan--to take Kara with him into death at the exact moment of their birth, never to be separated again. 


Kritters Thoughts:  Are you looking for an intense read that won't let you up until the last page?  Then you need to go find this book.  Quite the intense trip that does not let up until there are 5 pages left to flip.  Kara is kidnapped from her job in a power plant that is in the midst of being shut down and in this maze of a plant, an old acquaintance has decided that they should die together.

As this is definitely a thriller, I can't divulge too much or it would completely ruin the reading experience.  A thrill ride with psycho crazies, family secrets and a hunter - this book is not for the faint of heart and is a little different read than others that Melissa Foster has published.

I enjoyed the book, but found the intensity to be exhausting and was definitely ready for the resolution when it arrived.  If you are an intense reader, this one is for you.

Rating: definitely a good read, but can't read two in a row

Ebook 2012 Challenge: 85 out of 25

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from the author.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.


Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Review: The Guilty One by Lisa Ballantyne

The Guilty One by Lisa Ballantyne

Publisher: William Morrow 
Pages: 480 
Format: eARC 
Buy the Book: Amazon 

Goodreads:  An eight-year-old boy is found dead in a playground . . . and his eleven-year-old neighbor is accused of the crime. Leading the defense is London solicitor Daniel Hunter, a champion of lost causes.

A damaged boy from a troubled home, Daniel's young client, Sebastian, reminds Daniel of his own turbulent childhood--and of Minnie, the devoted woman whose love saved him. But one terrible act of betrayal irrevocably shattered their bond.

As past and present collide, Daniel is faced with disturbing questions. Will his sympathy for Sebastian and his own memories blind him to the truth? What happened in the park--and who, ultimately, is to blame for a little boy's death? Rethinking everything he's ever believed, Daniel begins to understand what it means to be wrong . . . and to be the guilty one.



Kritters Thoughts:  From the beginning, the reader is swept into a story where one little boy is dead at a playground and another little boy is presumed guilty of his murder.  At the same time, a story about one of the solicitors, Daniel, is being told as he moved into different foster homes and eventually into Minnie’s home where he finally finds his match.  With contrasting chapters, the reader sees two young boys’ stories and how a rough childhood can greatly impact how they will face the world on an everyday basis. 

I adored having both the stories going on at the same time and finding the similarities between the boys and how Daniel’s past completely affected how he was approaching the accused boy.  There were moments where I almost wished for more of Sebastian’s family history and a few more details to show how he became the boy he was and how that could have gotten him into the situation he was in. 

My one concern for this book was the pace of the trial.  As the evidence is shared throughout the book, I thought the pace of the trial was a little slow and could have picked up a little bit.  Thankfully at the same time that Sebastian’s story was slowing, Daniel’s in the past was picking up pace and really hit a great stride.  I ended up loving his story so much more than the main story of the book.

Overall, I thought this book was different from a few other trial books that I have read where the accused is the only story going on; having Daniel’s story made this book even meater!

Rating: definitely a good read, but can't read two in a row

Ebook 2013 Challenge: 11 out of 50

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from TLC Book Tours.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.


The tour schedule

Tuesday, March 19th: Kritters Ramblings
Wednesday, March 20th: Excellent Library
Thursday, March 21st: she treads softly
Monday, March 25th: JulzReads
Tuesday, March 26th: No More Grumpy Bookseller
Wednesday, March 27th: Book Journey
Monday, April 1st: Bloggin’ Bout Books
Tuesday, April 2nd: Tiffany’s Bookshelf
Wednesday, April 3rd: Speaking of Books
Thursday, April 4th: Lectus
Monday, April 8th: A Bookworm’s World