Review: The Christmas Cookie Club by Ann Pearlman

The Christmas Cookie Club by Ann Pearlman

Publisher: Atria

Pages: 272

Format: book

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  A riveting and highly commercial debut novel about the rich and complicated friendships between twelve women who meet for a cookie exchange. 


Kritters Thoughts:  From the beginning, I fell in love with Marnie the main character and her group of friends.  The friends were diverse and from all walks of life which gave the book a realism because we pick up friends in our lives through many different ways.  As I prepare for my first cookie exchange this year, I loved reading how organized and committed these ladies were to this yearly tradition.  


Marnie has quite a group of ladies that surround her.  From a new co-grandma to a friend from high school, she gathers 12 women each year to exchange cookies, stories and their lives.  All while kicking off the holiday season - what a charming tradition.  With recipes for the cookies that are shared at the party, the reader was able to be a part of the cookie club.  My one negative thought was the chapters that described ingredients and gave the history of chocolate, sugar and so on - I thought this was a little weird and would have preferred maybe more back story to the characters than these inserted chapters.  


This is a sweet/sweat story that is worth adding to your list to read for next year's holiday season.  I may even try a recipe or two!  

Rating: absolutely loved it and want a sequel


GR Oct-Dec Challenge: Happy Holidays

Review: Georgia's Kitchen by Jenny Nelson

Georgia's Kitchen by Jenny Nelson 

Publisher:  Gallery

Pages:  336 

Format: paperback 

Buy the Book: Amazon 

Goodreads: At thirty-three, talented chef Georgia Gray has everything a woman could want—the top job at one of Manhattan’s best restaurants; a posse of smart and savvy gal pals who never let her down; and a platinum-set, cushion-cut diamond engagement ring courtesy of Glenn, the handsome entertainment lawyer who Georgia’s overbearing mother can’t wait for her to marry. The table is set for the ambitious bride-to-be until a scathing restaurant review destroys her reputation. To add salt to her wounds, Glenn suddenly calls off the wedding.

Brokenhearted, Georgia escapes to the Italian countryside, where she sharpens her skills at a trattoria run by a world-class chef who seems to have it all—a devoted lover, a magnificent villa, and most important, a kitchen of her own. Georgia quells her longings with Italy’s delectable offerings: fine wine, luscious cheeses, cerulean blue skies, and irresistible Gianni—an expert in the vineyard and the bedroom. So when Gianni tempts Georgia to stay in Italy with an offer no sane top chef could refuse, why can’t she say yes?

An appetite for something more looms large in Georgia’s heart – the desire to run her own restaurant in the city she loves. But having left New York with her career in flames, she’ll need to stir up more than just courage if she’s to realize her dreams and find her way home.

Kritters Thoughts:  One woman is not happy in her relationship, not happy at her job and can't figure out who to change it all.  So after the relationship falls apart and the job is gone, she heads to Italy to find a new balance in her life.  With kitchens in Manhattan and Italy at the center, food is a major character in the book and this author nailed the descriptions of each dish and made me quite hungry while reading!  


I fell in love with Georgia and wanted to become her friend which makes me fall deeper into any book - a connection the characters is key in my book.  Although there is heartache and relationships in this book, it was refreshing to have the woman try to find the balance in her life within herself instead of depending on others for it.    


A wonderful piece of women's fiction that will make you want to visit both Italy and New York for the food and the atmosphere.  A strong woman at the center and a depth to the story makes this book a piece of women's fiction in my mind and one worth picking up.

Rating:  absolutely loved it and want a sequel


GR Oct-Dec Challenge: Black, White and Red All Over

Review: Inseparable by Dora Heldt

Inseparable by Dora Heldt

Publisher: Amazon Crossing 

Pages: 224 

Format: ARC

Buy the Book:Amazon 

Goodreads:  Still reeling from her recent divorce, Christine, the beloved protagonist of Dora Heldt's uproarious Life After Forty, is sure that yet another birthday is the last thing she needs.  But here it comes nonetheless, the big 4-4, in all its lonely mid-life glory.  Making matters worse is Christine's fear that, throughout her life, she  has relied too heavily on the support of her girlfriends.  As the big day nears, she begins to think that none of those women can understand just what she is going through.  Alarmed by Christine's growing despair, her best friend and sister hatch a plan to prove her wrong: they will gather together all of Christine's old friends from the various stages of her life and throw a surprise party the likes of which she has never seen.  Of course finding all of those women turns out to be easier said than done!  Nonetheless, the final result proves to be a priceless gift, a moving and laugh-out-loud portrait of one woman's life as told through the stories of her friendship.


Kritters Thoughts:  A wonderful sequel that lived up to the first because it took the story to another level.  Christine's friends have helped her survive a separation and a divorce and now they are determined to have her reconnect with her girlfriends of the past.  The book is the chronology of her friends finding her friends from the past and gathering them all to celebrate her birthday - it was a fun journey to go on with these characters.  


Throughout this book I was thinking of the girlfriends in my life that have been there through different phrases of my life - the childhood days, the college years, the single in the city phase and now the girlfriend days.  I just wish that I could pull all the girls that have been in my life into a room and just reconnect and revisit all the good ole times.  Reading this over the holidays was perfect to help me get into the spirit of what the holiday season should be about - pulling together those who mean the most to you.  


Ok now over the sappiness - this book was a great chick lit read that was centered around female friendships and how vital they are for our past, present and future.  Each woman will enjoy this book for the appreciation we should have of the friends that surrounded us daily.  


Rating:  absolutely loved it and want a sequel


GR Oct-Dec Challenge 2011: It's Starting to Get Chilly

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from the author and Little Bird Publicity.  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.

Review: Cobwebs of Time by Tessa Jones

Cobwebs of Time by Tessa Jones

Publisher: Rutledge Books 

Pages: 708 

Format: hardback 

Buy the Book: Amazon 

Goodreads:  Laura enters college in 1969, a sheltered young woman in love with her high school boyfriend, determined to change the world by becoming a teacher. Her first day, she meets Brad Malone and is magnetically drawn to him despite his reputation for breaking hearts. Cobwebs of Time is a sweeping novel of their lifelong love affair, set against the social upheaval of the seventies and the economic boom and bust of the eighties.




Kritters Thoughts:  A book that I have had in my possession for YEARS, maybe 8 or 9 years because it was a gift from my mom while I was in college as this book is set on my small campus of Elon University.  I finally sat down with this chunkster over the Thanksgiving holiday weekend and completely devoured it.  With hints of a sweet love story, mixed in with soap operaness with a few characters being a bit on the promiscous side, but in the end this book hit home because of the setting.  


Centered around a college freshman who ends up being a woman who has found and lost love, but through it all is always striving for the best for herself and those around her.  I fell in love with Laura from the beginning because she reminded me of myself as a naive young woman entering college and having the world all in front of me.    


Separated in three parts, but within each part a few of the characters take on the position of narrator and guide the story ahead from their perspectives.  I liked the change in first person from character to character because you saw the relationships through both who are in it - I thoroughly enjoyed getting into the male characters minds and seeing how they react to situations.  The reader was able to follow these characters from their college days to adulthood and it was interesting to see where each character would end up - in some instances I was quite surprised.


The biggest reason that this book made one of my favorites of recently is because it started where I went to school and in some parts ended close to where I live now - Alexandria, VA.  How often has the setting of a book made the book for you?  


I do have to warn, if you are going to pick up this one, it did have quite a few sexy times, if that is not in your usual reading, I would potentially skip this one.




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


Off the Shelf Challenge 2011: 20 out of 50


GR Oct-Dec 2011 Challenge: Black, White and Red All Over

Review: Silver Girl by Elin Hilderbrand

Silver Girl by Elin Hilderbrand 

Publisher: Reagan Arthur Books 

Pages:  416

Format: eARC

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads: Meredith Martin Delinn just lost everything: her friends, her homes, her social standing - because her husband Freddy cheated rich investors out of billions of dollars.

Desperate and facing homelessness, Meredith receives a call from her old best friend, Constance Flute. Connie's had recent worries of her own, and the two depart for a summer on Nantucket in an attempt to heal. But the island can't offer complete escape, and they're plagued by new and old troubles alike. When Connie's brother Toby - Meredith's high school boyfriend - arrives, Meredith must reconcile the differences between the life she is leading and the life she could have had.

Kritters Thoughts: My first experience with Elin Hilderbrand and I was more than thrilled about this heart-wrenching tale of two woman who are the same age, but struggling with their husbands' absences in completely different ways.  What starts with a Ponzi scheme which could mimic the well-known Bernie Madoff catastrophe, ends with a story of friendship that can defy the test of time.  


Switching between the two women's perspectives worked completely well in this book, from the simple aspect of labeling each chapter, so the reader was able to know from the flip of a page who was talking and which character was on the main stage.  To switch back and forth, the reader was provided with the complete picture of their friendship and the trials that it had to withstand.  The reader was also able to see what miscommunication and misunderstanding can do to two friends whose lives are intertwined.  


From beginning to end, I was swept into their stories and wanted to know if at the end of it all would these friends be able to continue their friendship as these new people they were becoming was happening.  A book that takes place over a summer was a great read as I said goodbye to summer and I brought in fall, but maybe some readers would love to experience the summer with them.




Rating: absolutely loved it and want a sequel


Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from NetGalley.  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.

Review: The Ghost at the Table by Suzanne Berne

The Ghost at the Table by Suzanne Berne

Publisher: Algonquin Books 

Pages: 304 

Format: book 

Buy the Book: Amazon  

Goodreads:  When Frances arranges to host Thanksgiving at her idyllic New England farmhouse, she envisions a happy family reunion, one that will include her sister, Cynthia, and their estranged father. But tension mounts as the sisters discover that each has a different version of their shared past.




Kritters Thoughts:  Rarely, do I read reviews for books before reading them - no need to spoil the fun, but for some reason I did on this one.  Depressing was the overall theme for the reviews, so I went in a skeptic and hoping that this book wasn't the downer it was potrayed to be.  


A story that centers around the two remaining sisters of a family that started with three.  With a less than wonderful childhood, these girls lost their mom early on and with that they lost their father to another woman.  A sister passing away and distance made this reconnection over Thanksgiving awkward and dramatic.  Add in random guests and one of the sister's two daughters, this book was even awkward in the reading.  


A connection between the book that sister Cynthia is writing about Mark Twain's three daughters and their childhood is interesting as she continues to give details about this book she is writing about the Twain family.  It was great to read this book in the week leading up to Thanksgiving, but I am not sure I would have enjoyed it if I had read it at another time of the year.

Rating: enjoyable, but didn't leave me wanting more


GR Oct-Dec Challenge: Happy Holidays!

Review: The Lady of the Rivers by Philippa Gregory

The Lady of the Rivers by Philippa Gregory

Publisher: Atria Books 

Pages: 497 

Format: ARC paperback and  eARC 

Buy the Book:Amazon 

Goodreads:  Jacquetta, daughter of the Count of Luxembourg and kinswoman to half the royalty of Europe, was married to the great Englishman John, Duke of Bedford, uncle to Henry VI.  Widowed at the age of nineteen she took the extraordinary risk of marrying a gentleman of her house-hold for love, and then carved out a life for herself as Queen Margaret of Anjou's close friend and a Lancaster supporter - until the day that her daughter Elizabeth Woodville fell in love and married the rival King Edward IV.  Of all the little-known but important women of the period, her dramatic story is the most neglected.  With her links to Melusina, and to the founder of the house of Luxembourg, together with her reputation for making magic, she is the most haunting of heroines.

Kritters Thoughts:  As I am not a huge historical fiction fan, I don't tend to read a ton of books each year from this genre, but every so often I am drawn to a story not matter what year it took place.  If I read historical genre, I usually lean towards Philippa Gregory because she has this unique ability to make a historical story feel accessible to any reader.  


This story centered around a mystical woman who is living in a time where people are very apprehensive of magic and mystical things.  Through two marriages and many, many children - Jacquetta is a woman who has power when women don't usually have power or even a say in their lives.  I loved how she exerted power, but also uplifted the man in her life as the center of the household.  To learn about the impact that she had on future kings of England was interesting and really made her a bigger character that one may think at the beginning.  


I absolutely loved watching her "views" into the future come true in one way or another.  That was something that kept me intrigued and reading way beyond page 200.    


A great read that is part of a series that is perfect to curl up with during these  cold months.  Add this one to your list as a readable and enjoyable historical fiction read.

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

GR Oct-Dec Challenge 2011: Who Would You Like to Sleep With?

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from Crazy 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.

Review: The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins 

Publisher: Scholastic, Inc. 

Pages:  374 

Format: nookbook

Buy the Book: Amazon  

Goodreads:  In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. The Capitol is harsh and cruel and keeps the districts in line by forcing them all to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the annual Hunger Games, a fight to the death on live TV. 


Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister, regards it as a death sentence when she steps forward to take her sister's place in the Games. But Katniss has been close to dead before—and survival, for her, is second nature. Without really meaning to, she becomes a contender. But if she is to win, she will have to start making choices that will weigh survival against humanity and life against love.




Kritters Thoughts:  As a young fan of dystopian, meaning I have only read 3 dystopians, I am still hesitant to read the genre, even though I have loved each and everyone I have read.  After the hype died down for this series, I decided it was time for me to bite the bullet and try out the first in the series.  So thankful I did!


A story that centers around a young girl who is thrown into a do or die situation that is televised around her country.  She encounters love, evil and is torn between fighting for what is right and saving one's own self.  I was enveloped into a new world that was easily explained.  It was interesting to read about this made up country and find the similarities in the country we are currently living in.  


With the movie on its way to theaters, I was torn as to knowing who they had cast for the characters and visualizing them myself.  I did cheat a little and check out the main characters and I guess I can't give an unbiased opinion about the cast because I read the book with the cast already in my mind, so they work for me!


A story that you just can't put down once you are half way through because you must see it to the bitter end.  I will be definitely picking up the next two in this series to see where Katniss ends up and where this country goes from here.  I would recommend this book to those who haven't read a dystopian for a little glimpse into the genre and to those who are definite dystopian fans.

Rating: absolutely loved it and want a sequel


GR Oct-Dec 2011 Challenge: Popularity Contest

Review: Under the Neon Sky by Jay Rankin

Under the Neon Sky by Jay Rankin

Publisher: self-published

Pages: 268

Format: ebook

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  A gripping, true story about a Las Vegas doorman who worked the graveyard shift at one of the major hotels on the Strip.  The sights, smells, and page popping characters are unforgettable as we take a journey that will transform how we used to envision the city that never sleeps.  We watch as this doorman begins to emotionally break and wonder if he will become broken seeing his friends, his wife, hotel guests, and himself cross too many boundaries in this riveting, page turning story.

Kritters Thoughts:  After sitting a day to write the review, I am still on the fence for this one.  From one side of the fence, there were a crazy amount of curse words and the language was very crass.  But the other side of the fence - this book provided an awesome insider's view of the city that many wish to visit for one reason or another.  


A doorman for the largest hotel in Las Vegas that within it are held the biggest boxing matches on the same nights of concerts, shows and more.  A huge job that at times can be downright overwhelming partly because you are dealing with the public the entire time.  I felt for him at his job where his supervisors were conniving and his co workers were deceitful.  From his work life to his home life, he was surrounded with destruction.  But I wonder and I think he wondered if it was all due to living in Las Vegas?  


An entertaining story that due to my being in Vegas for a quick work trip helped me see a different view of the city that maybe vacationers don't want to admit to seeing while they are in town.  When I go back to vacation, I will definitely have this book in the back of my mind with questions about how well the employees are being treated in such a harsh atmosphere.    

Rating: enjoyable, but didn't leave me wanting more

GR Oct-Dec 2011 Challenge: Through the Decades: 2000-2009

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from the author in conjunction with NURTURE 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.

Follow the author:

Author Website

Twitter – Under the Neon Sky & Jay Rankin

Goodreads

Facebook Page

Schedule of the Tour:
November 1st – Jaidis S. @ Juniper Grove
November 2nd – Krystal L. @ Live To Read
November 3rd – Beverly G. @ Everyone Loves A SiNner
November 4th – Lisa Ma. @ A Casual Reader’s Blog
November 7th – Stephanie Ba. @ Mother Of Insanity: Are we crazy yet?
November 8th – Bobbie @ NURTURE Virtual BOOK Tourz™ Blog
November 9th – Tina A. @ Read More
November 11th – Bonnie S.B. @ Hands and Home
November 14th - April R. & Wendy @ My Book Addiction and More
November 15th – Jaidis S. @ Juniper Grove
November 16th – Mason C. @ Thoughts in Progress
November 17th – Kristin D. @ Kritters Ramblings
November 18th – Lynda M. @ Hubpages
November 22nd – Evangeline H. @ Sugarpeach
November 23rd – Lea. R. @ Journey Reader
November 25th – Farrah K. @ The Book Faery Reviews
November 29th – Bobbie @ NURTURE Virtual BOOK Tourz™ Blog
November 30th – Lindsay H @ Everyday Is An Adventure

Review: Recalculating by Jennifer Weiner

Recalculating by Jennifer Weiner 

Publisher: Atria Books 

Pages: 35 

Format: nookbook 

Buy the Book: Amazon

Amazon:  On the surface, Maureen’s life appears no different from any other stereotypical 54-year-old housewife's: a suburban home in a small Pennsylvania town, two loving kids, grandchildren, and a husband to dote on at the end of the day with a home-cooked meal and a crisp martini. Fat bitch, dumb bunny, slut, tramp: these are just a few of the cruel words that echo in Maureen’s ears every day and define the harsh reality she actually lives in. For years, Maureen has harbored a dark secret known by only one other person: her husband, Tommy.

After Tommy dies, Maureen imagines that the years of physical and mental abuse are over. But just six months later, while looking for the Halloween decorations in the attic, Maureen finds a gift-wrapped GPS with her name on the box: an early birthday present from her late husband. When the voice from the machine starts giving her sinister directions, she learns that sometimes the dead are restless... and she's locked in a battle not just for her life, but for her soul.



Kritters Thoughts:  A great short story that has some mystery that is perfect for the season.  With a little Halloween spin, this short story packs a punch full of creepy.  


After seeing an announcement on twitter of a new Jennifer Weiner book, I mad a dash to look for it and even after hearing it was a short story - I immediately purchased the nookbook and read it right then and there.  


A story about a woman who has withstood abuse in the most unusual way from her husband for years and years, she finds the strength to overcome the abusive hold he has on her in more ways than one.  I was sucked in at page one and at the end, I was hoping for more which is exactly how a short story should be.  With a moving story, you weren't disappointed by the length, but I wanted more and more.


For just under a buck, it is worth a trip to Amazon to read the latest by Jennifer Weiner    

Rating:  absolutely loved it and want a sequel


GR Oct-Dec 2011 Challenge: Happy Holidays

Review: Impaled on the Horns of the Devil by Barbara Boatright

Goodreads:  With courageous confession, the author describes her high school romance, laced with parental opposition, the pull of premarital sex, and an awareness of guilt before God.  After less than a year of marriage to her high school sweetheart, when she begins to recognize her parents concerns as valid, she meets a man who becomes a destructive force in her life.  He encourages her to divorce her husband and instead, become dependent on him for emotional support.  With painful honesty she relates how he gains manipulative control over her emotions and moral standards.  She joins him in defying biblical commandments and societal conventions.   

Kritters Thoughts:  First, I want to start by saying, I am so thankful that I agreed to review this book, but man I wish I could retitle this one.  As a wonderfully written, heartfelt memoir about a woman who was emotionally abused by an ex-husband, I have a hard time passing on this book because the title doesn't match the story.  


I was completely swept up in her story because it was different from what you normally read, first it was true and second it was emotional abuse instead of physical abuse.  I think because of the different type of abuse, I enjoyed it more because you don't read books with very little physical abuse in them.  They way he pushed her away from anyone that she had a connection with was sly and deceiving, but as a woman I maybe couldn't have recognized if I was in her shoes the things that were happening and how horrible it all looked when all the pieces were matched together.


A memoir that broke my heart because with each page I knew that it was true and that she had to live through these experiences to become the woman she is today.  I applaud her honesty and ability to share such a personal story in the hopes that woman can find strength knowing that they are not the only one in their particular situation.  So bypass the awkward title and get this memoir, so it can tug at your heart strings and maybe even help someone along the way.  

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

Pages:  247

GR Oct-Dec 2011 Challenge: I

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from the author and Bohlsen PR.  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.

Review: Children of Paranoia by Trevor Shane

Goodreads:  All Wars have rules


Rule Number One: No killing innocent bystanders.


Rule Number Two: No killing anyone under the age of eighteen.


Break the rules, Become the target.


Since the age of eighteen, Joseph has been assassinating people on behalf of a cause that he believes in but doesn't fully understand.  The War is ageless, hideen in the shadows, governed by a rigid set of rules, and fought by two distinct sides - one good, one evil. 




Kritters Thoughts:  Wow!  What a book that took me out of my comfort zone and I loved it!!  A semi dystopian book with a love story twist, what more could a girl ask for?  Written in the form of journal entries and a letter to a child, I connected with Joseph our main character from the beginning and was just waiting for him to find the love that would change his life.


Before you get to the love story, you must read quite a bit of guts and gore.  If you have a weak stomach for death, then this may not be the book for you.  But if you can handle it, there is more to this story than a man who is killing people.  The bigger story of trying to find where one fits into a bigger picture is something that everyone tackles at one point in their life.  Was he on the side of good or evil?  Did we find out or do I still wonder?  This made the book deep and it made me fall in love with the story even more.


Head to your closest store and grab this one.  I noticed in Goodreads it said #1 - so is it the first in a series, I sure hope so!




Rating:  absolutely loved it and want a sequel


Pages:  384


Oct-Dec 2011 Challenge: Football (Carolina Panthers)


Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from the author in conjunection with Crazy 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.


Check out this video from the author - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ppaqOBkX4EA


Tour Schedule:
10/11/2011 - Kristin    Kritters Ramblings - http://www.krittersramblings.com                      
10/12/2011 - Lauren    Ravishing Reads - http://ravishingreads.blogspot.com                       
10/13/2011 - Maggie    My Utopia - http://myutopia36.blogspot.com/                          
10/14/2011 - Laurie    Reader Girls - http://readergirls.blogspot.com                         
10/16/2011 - Christa    Mental Foodie - http://mentalfoodie.blogspot.com                            
10/17/2011 - Gwenyth Love    Rants~N~Scribbles - http://rantsnscribbles.blogspot.com      
10/18/2011 - Sinn    Sinnful Books - http://sinnfulbooks.blogspot.com                        
10/19/2011 - Meg    A Bookish Affair - http://abookishaffair.blogspot.com/                          
10/20/2011 - Louise    Between the Covers - http://www.betweenthecoversblog.net/              
10/21/2011 - Christie    The Fiction Enthusiast - http://thefictionenthusiast.blogspot.com/     
10/22/2011 - Heather    Proud Book Nerd - http://proudbooknerd.com/                          
10/23/2011 - Julie    Book Hooked - http://www.bookhookedblog.com                          
10/24/2011 - Stacy    Girls in the Stacks - http://www.girlsinthestacks.com                         
10/25/2011 - Nicole    All I Ever Read - http://books.nicoleabouttown.com