Thursday, August 16, 2012

Review: Kat Fight by Dina Silver

Kat Fight by Dina Silver 

Publisher: Createspace 
Pages:  241
Format: ebook
Buy the Book: Amazon 


Goodreads:  Kat Porter is a consummate romantic, eager for her chance to find love and commitment. But after her boyfriend of four years, Marc, begins to grow apathetic and sends her calls straight to voicemail one too many times, Kat finally musters the courage to confront her so-called sweetheart, who seems more interested in dodging her than courting her. Though she’s no fan of ultimatums, Kat is at the end of her considerable wits, and lobs a massive one his way, completely confident that he'll make the right decision when faced with losing her. He doesn't. 


Kritters Thoughts:  Are you looking for the perfect girlie book to add to your collection?  Pick this one up!  Kat Porter is just trying to fall in love and find her forever and the current relationship with Marc is just not working, so she finally takes matter into her own hands and makes a break, but this break breaks her and makes her start from the beginning.  

This book hit close to home and was entertaining, I found it to the perfect recipe for a chick lit read.  I was Kat's age when I said forget it and decided to go at it single for awhile.  A year and a half later, I met the boy I am now going to marry and I know how scary it was to decided at 25 to be single and realize that maybe I wouldn't be marrying soon like all of the rest of my friends were, it was hard.  

I loved reading a book that takes a main character and flips her world upside down, life isn't always perfect and I liked the realism of life that Silver showed through her characters.  And of course, another part that hit home to me was the gay best friend - I have one and without him I wouldn't be the me I am today, that relationship is something that can not be recreated and beyond my significant other is most precious.  I applaud Silver by putting it at the center of the book, I loved the humor he brought, but also the support system to Kat as she went through new adventures.

I am recommending this book to all of my friends who love a good chick lit read.

Rating: absolutely loved it and want a sequel

Ebook 2012 Challenge: 41 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, August 14, 2012

Review: Ready or Not? by Chris Manby

Ready or Not? by Chris Manby

Publisher: Berkley Trade
Pages: 336
Format: book
Buy the Book: Amazon 


Goodreads:  Every bride is entitled to pre-wedding jitters, and what reasonable girl wouldn't think twice about marriage when her fiancĂ© shaves off his eyebrows just in time for the photographs? But what if the bride-to-be is really freaked out by something else? Like, perhaps, the terrifying notion of happily-ever-after? With her ex-boyfriend back in the town, Heidi Savage is wondering whether she can really forsake all others-especially for the man waiting at the end of the aisle with no eyebrows.




Kritters Thoughts:  Heidi has been engaged for a year and is in the last six months of planning her big day when work, friends and her relationship all hit a few speed bumps.  A friend who is now a single mom, an ex reentering her life and a fiance who is sneaking around all make Heidi wonder whether this impending wedding is a good idea.  If I had been in her shoes, I probably would have had the same crazy stress filled reaction.


An entertaining look at wedding planning and how it can affect a relationship.  I also appreciated the real life aspect of talking about what happens after the big day because that is just as important as planning the big day.  It was great to read about the same spats that each couple has while planning a major event.


Although, I felt justified in the spats that we have had, apart of the time I am not sure that this is quite the book to be reading while getting ready for a wedding.  Full of secrets and exs reappearing, I didn't feel warm and gooey after reading it, but if I had read it at any other time I would have loved the story.  I maybe would recommend it to those who are on their honeymoon and enjoying the after bliss of the day being in the past!
Rating:  enjoyable, but didn't leave me wanting more


Off the Shelf Challenge 2012: 5 out of 50

Monday, August 13, 2012

Review: Have Mother Will Travel by Claire & Mia Fontaine

Have Mother Will Travel by 
Claire and Mia Fontaine 

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

Goodreads:  A mother, a daughter, and a life-changing adventure around the world . . .

Their bestselling memoir, "Come Back," moved and inspired readers with the story of Mia Fontaine's harrowing drug addiction and her mother, Claire's, desperate and ultimately successful attempts to save her. Now it's a decade later and Claire and Mia each face a defining moment in her life, and a mother-daughter relationship that has frayed around the edges. At fifty-one, Claire's shed her identity as Mia's savior but realizes that, oops, she forgot to plan for life after motherhood; Mia, twenty-five and eager to step outside her role as recovery's poster child, finds adult life isn't all it's cracked up to be. Determined to transform themselves and their relationship once again, the pair sets off on a five-month around-the-world adventure.


Kritters Thoughts:  A piece of nonfiction which was perfect as a read a long with my mom!  We were both provided the book for review and decided that it would be neat to read it together so we could talk about it.  

I knew that it was written by a mother/daughter duo and assumed that I would fall in love with the daughter's voice because it would be so similar to my own thoughts as we are close in age, but this was not the case.  From the beginning I loved reading the parts written by the mother, Claire - her words challenged me, maybe because I am used to hearing the daughter perspective in my own mind and like to read the other side of the coin!

The one quote that stuck out for me and has stayed in my mind even a few days later as I write this post - (not direct quote) - It doesn't matter what life benchmarkers there are out there, you shouldn't be worried if you are not hitting the benchmarkers at the same time as your peer group.  I am challenged about this on a daily basis, as I hit 29 today, I thought I would be further along in life, but I need to remember that in 12 days I am going to marry a really great guy and we are happy, nothing beyond that matters.

A book that I would recommend to all mothers and daughters to read together, it really made me think about the moments that I am blessed to share because my mom lives right down the road from me.  She is able to be there for both the big and little moments, from challenging the seamstress for my wedding dress to going to lunch in the middle of the work week, this book reminded me I need to be thankful of all the moments because some mother/daughters do not get them as much and for awhile I lived far away and wasn't able to get the small moments as often.


My mom has posted her review of this book on her blog - Ope's Opinions, go check out her thoughts!


Rating: absolutely loved it and want a sequel

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


Sunday, August 12, 2012

It's Monday, What are you Reading? (84)

Another Monday has come and this will be my last full week at work.  It will jam packed with things to do, so fingers crossed that some reading and relaxing will take place this week.  

A meme hosted by Sheila at BookJourney. 

Finished this past week:

The Prisoner of Heaven by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

The Unfinished Garden by Barbara Claypole White
So LA by Bridget Hoida

Currently Reading:
Section 132 by Helga Zeiner
What I Did by Christopher Walking

Next on the TBR Pile:
Finding Emma by Steena Holmes

In My Mailbox (76)


What a fun two weeks of books and bookish things.  Didn't have a chance to blog about it, but had a fun time at One More Page this past week with John Green calling in to book club to discuss The Fault in our Stars, it was so much fun!  I went with my mom and it was so fun to see a bunch of young adults being fan girls about an author!!

A meme hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren.

For Review:

A Girl Like You by Maria Geraci  (Goodreads  Amazon)
Imperfect Bliss by Susan Fales-Hill (Goodreads  Amazon)
The Sauvignon Secret by Ellen Crosby  (Goodreads  Amazon)
The Candidate by Paul Harris  (Goodreads  Amazon)
The Shoemaker's Wife by Adriana Trigiani  (Goodreads  Amazon)
The Fine Color of Rust by Paddy O'Reilly  (Goodreads  Amazon)

Swapped:
Scrambled Eggs at Midnight by Brad Barkley & Heather Hepler 
     (Goodreads  Amazon)
21 Steps to Happiness by F.G. Gerson  (Goodreads  Amazon)
Rescuing Rose by Isabel Wolff  (Goodreads  Amazon)
The Professs' Wives' Club by Joanne Rendell  (Goodreads  Amazon)
Tales from a Wedding Day by Olivia Ryan  (Goodreads  Amazon)
Tales of a Drama Queen by Lee Nichols  (Goodreads  Amazon)



Friday, August 10, 2012

Review: The Prisoner of Heaven by Carlos Ruiz Zafon


The Prisoner of Heaven by Carlos Ruiz Zafon 

Publisher: HarperCollins
Pages: 416 
Format: ARC
Buy the Book: Amazon 


Goodreads:  The third in the cycle of novels that began with The Shadow of the Windand The Angel's GameThe Prisoner of Heaven returns to the world of the Cemetery of Forgotten Books and the Sempere & Sons bookshop. It begins just before Christmas in Barcelona in 1957, one year after Daniel and Bea from The Shadow of the Wind have married. They now have a son, Julian, and are living with Daniel's father at Sempere & Sons. Fermin still works with them and is busy preparing for his wedding to Bernarda in the New Year. However something appears to be bothering him. Daniel is alone in the shop one morning when a mysterious figure with a pronounced limp enters. He spots one of their most precious volumes that is kept locked in a glass cabinet, a beautiful and unique illustrated edition of The Count of Monte Cristo. Despite the fact that the stranger seems to care little for books, he wants to buy this expensive edition. Then, to Daniel's surprise, the man inscribes the book with the words 'To Fermin Romero de Torres, who came back from the dead and who holds the key to the future'. This visit leads back to a story of imprisonment, betrayal and the return of a deadly rival.


Kritters Thoughts:  The third in a sort of series that made me fall even more in love with the characters and the setting of this bookshop in Barcelona.  With repeating characters, this book was easy to get into and even harder to put down - I loved revisiting some of the characters at a different point in their lives and seeing what they were up to at this moment.    

The setting of this bookshop in Barcelona and the people who work and visit there always has a little bit of underlying tragedy and mystery.  I think that although this was the shortest of the three, it had the most bang for the buck.  There was a lot of content and not too much extra mess to get a reader confused.  

Out of all three books in this kind of series, I think this was my favorite, easy to follow the characters as they wove in and out of past and present trying to figure out the details to all of the questions hanging in the air - it was my favorite so far!  This review may be short and sweet, but so was the book!

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

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.

Other Tour Stops:


Tuesday, July 3rd: Col Reads
Wednesday, July 4th: A Novel Source
Thursday, July 5th: No More Grumpy Bookseller
Friday, July 6th: Broken Teepee
Monday, July 9th: A Book Geek
Tuesday, July 10th: Just Joanna
Wednesday, July 11th: My Two Blessings
Thursday, July 12th: Book Him Danno!
Monday, July 16th: A Bookish Affair
Tuesday, July 17th: Man of La Book
Wednesday, July 18th: Bookworm’s Dinner
Monday, July 23rd: Drey’s Library
Wednesday, July 25th: “That’s Swell!”
Thursday, July 26th: Jenn’s Bookshelves
Friday, July 27th: Wordsmithonia
Date TBD: Raging Bibliomania


Thursday, August 9, 2012

Review: A Simple Thing by Kathleen McCleary

A Simple Thing by Kathleen McCleary

Publisher: William Morrow 
Pages: 304 
Format: ARC 
Buy the Book: Amazon 


Goodreads:  When Susannah Delaney discovers her young son is being bullied and her adolescent daughter is spinning out of control, she moves them to remote, rustic Sounder Island to live for a year. A simple island existence--with no computers or electricity and only a one-room schoolhouse--is just what her over scheduled East Coast kids need to learn what's really important in life. But the move threatens her marriage to the man she's loved since childhood, and her very sense of self.

For Betty Pavalak, who moved to Sounder to save her own troubled marriage, the island has been a haven for fifty years. But Betty also knows the guilt of living with choices made long ago and actions that cannot be undone. The unlikely friendship between Susannah and Betty ignites a journey of self-discovery for both women and brings them both home to what they love most. 




Kritters Thoughts:  Two stories build at the same time and overlap in the most interesting ways in this book that takes the reader from suburbia Northern VA to an island with no amenities off the coast of the state of Washington.  Susannah is trying to save her children and herself from the past and possible future mistakes, so she grabs her two children and flees to this remote island, while Betty is nearing the end of her life and still trying to heal from the tragedies that have taken over her life.


The author blended these two stories without any confusion and gave these two women distinct characteristics that made me want to find out how they were going to overcome their personal issues.  For awhile the reader was kept in the dark as to the whole story of each of these women's past, but they were revealed at just the right time.


I wanted to know where these women would end up and more importantly how they were going to get to that spot.  I think this is a great book for women to read to hear how different relationships and struggles can impact a lifetime.


Rating: absolutely loved it and want a sequel


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.



Here's the tour schedule

Tuesday, July 24th: Sara’s Organized Chaos
Wednesday, July 25th: Mutant Supermodel
Thursday, July 26th: BookNAround
Monday, July 30th: Chaotic Compendiums
Thursday, August 2nd: A Worn Path
Monday, August 6th: A Novel Source
Monday, August 6th: Being 5
Tuesday, August 7th: Mommy Uncensored
Tuesday, August 7th: Bookworm “Another Book Please”
Wednesday, August 8th: My Convertible Life
Wednesday, August 8th: Paperback Princess
Thursday, August 9th: Kritters Ramblings
Friday, August 10th: Moments of Exhilaration
Friday, August 10th: Mother Fog
Monday, August 13th: Kind of a Mess


Tuesday, August 7, 2012

Review: Quest Inc by Justin Cohen

Quest Inc. by Justin Cohen 

Publisher: Telemachus
Pages: 284 
Format: ebook 
Buy the Book: Amazon  

Goodreads:  The World 's #1 Personal Development Agency . . . has to prove it. What if you brought together five top personal development experts equipped with virtually everything we know about unleashing human potential and gave them some lives to change? Could they really coach anyone to lose fifty pounds, fix a broken relationship, or get rich? What would they do for a homeless person, or a pro-golfer trailing at the back of her league? How about taking the racism out of a racist, or turning a hellish employee into a ray of sunshine? Welcome to Quest, Inc. They say they can change your life. Now, as they re followed by an investigative journalist from one of the world 's leading news publications, they have to prove it or be damned as charlatans. Based on real life peak performance and transformational strategies, you ll see the highs and lows everyone faces on the road to self-realization especially the experts. Get ready for breakthrough . . . or breakdown.




Kritters Thoughts:  What an interesting book, that even after finishing it I am still trying to pull my thoughts together!  From the synopsis, I wasn't sure if this was fiction or non-fiction and even after the first few pages, I was still a little confused.  The beginning starts with a former self help fitness guy who has clearly fallen off the train that he created himself - gained weight, marriage about to fall apart and just loosing his life in general, so his former self help friends intervene and help him put his life back together.


After the come together to help him in his pursuits that decide to start their own company to do the same thing for others.  This is where the book picked up, but became choppy and almost moved too fast.  Their clients quickly rolled in and then out and the reader wasn't given the opportunity to really get to know their situations.  I wish the author had spent more time and had fewer clients.  


This was definitely a different book than I normally read and I enjoyed taking a chance, but it didn't quite live up to what I thought it would be.




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


GR August-September 2012 Challenge: Q&A


Ebook 2012 Challenge: 39 out of 25


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


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