Review: All Is Bright by Sarah Pekkanen

All is Bright by Sarah Pekkanen

  

Pages: 25 

Format: ebook 

Buy the Book: Amazon  

Goodreads:  Thirty-year-old Elise Andrews couldn’t bring herself to marry Griffin, her childhood friend turned sweetheart, so she let him walk away. Eight months after their breakup, she arrives in her hometown of Chicago on Christmas Eve and hears a voice from the past calling her name in the grocery store. It’s Griffin’s mother, Janice, who invites Elise over for a neighborhood gathering of eggnog and carols.

Walking into Janice’s house sends Elise tumbling headlong into memories of her relationship with Griffin—and with Janice, who exudes the kind of warmth Elise ached for after her own mom passed away when she was six. But Griffin has moved on, and suddenly Elise doubts her decision to give him up and lose her chance at being folded into his wonderful family. Confused and reeling, she goes in search of an answer to a universal question: How do we say good-bye to people we’ve loved without losing everything they’ve meant to us?

Kritters Thoughts:  A short and sweet holiday read that was perfect for the season.  It was a simple reminder to treasure those who are near whether they are our true family or a new family that has surrounded you.  I have a traditional family that I enjoy celebrating holidays with, but I also have an extended family of friends that I hold just as close throughout the year.

I definitely wish that this story could have been longer - I was just getting hooked in when it so quickly ended.  I could see this story being developed into a full novel; I wouldn't mind revisiting these characters in the future. 

Rating: absolutely loved it and want a sequel (or a full novel!)

Ebook 2012 Challenge: 68 out of 25

Review: Brain on Fire by Susannah Cahalan

Brain on Fire by Susannah Cahalan

Publisher: Free Press

Pages: 264

Format: ARC 

Buy the Book: Amazon  

Goodreads:  One day, Susannah Cahalan woke up in a strange hospital room, strapped to her bed, under guard, and unable to move or speak. Her medical records—from a month-long hospital stay of which she had no memory—showed psychosis, violence, and dangerous instability. Yet, only weeks earlier she had been a healthy, ambitious twenty-four year old, six months into her first serious relationship and a sparkling career as a cub reporter. 

Susannah’s astonishing memoir chronicles the swift path of her illness and the lucky, last-minute intervention led by one of the few doctors capable of saving her life. As weeks ticked by and Susannah moved inexplicably from violence to catatonia, $1 million worth of blood tests and brain scans revealed nothing. The exhausted doctors were ready to commit her to the psychiatric ward, in effect condemning her to a lifetime of institutions, or death, until Dr. Souhel Najjar—nicknamed Dr. House—joined her team. He asked Susannah to draw one simple sketch, which became key to diagnosing her with a newly discovered autoimmune disease in which her body was attacking her brain, an illness now thought to be the cause of “demonic possessions” throughout history. 

Kritters Thoughts:   A young woman at the beginning of a promising career at the New York Post as a journalist, when a few random occurrences linked together put her in the hospital with no explanation  the story takes off.  This non-fiction memoir was my favorite non fiction read of 2012.  Because she is a journalist, she was able to piece together moments that she may have missed by using the resources around her.  She wrote this book in such a way that it was easy and enjoyable to follow.

My overall though after reading the book was how many people are living with an illness that is either misdiagnosed or is so rare that the doctor cannot name it and really help with the symptoms.  I have never really been a person that gets sick often, but my sister always gets hit with something or the other, but thankfully everything she has had to live with has been common and easy to treat.  I can't imagine living or having a family member that is sick, but can not be diagnosed.

I would absolutely recommend this book to readers who love the non-fiction, memoir genre.  I would also pass it along to those who may not be fans, because this is written in the best format to introduce someone to the genre.

Rating: absolutely loved it and want a sequel

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

It's Monday, What are you Reading?

It was quite a week, the first part was just hectic on the job and off the job.  Then Wednesday, I went to NYC for some holiday fun and the Random House Open House - so although we were on a train for a few hours, not a lot of reading occurred.  With the holidays underway, I will be wrapping and preparing for all the holiday magic.  

A meme hosted by Sheila at BookJourney. 

Finished this past week:

Five Years to Live by Frank Zaccari
The One I Left Behind by Jennifer McMahon
Traces of Kara by Melissa Foster

Currently Reading:

The Death of Bees by Lisa O'Donnell
Friendfluence by Carlin Flora

Next on the TBR pile:

The Tell by Hester Kaplan

Across my Doorstop

Another two weeks worth of books, I just couldn't get it together last weekend.  This December has been way busier than I could have ever predicted.  As I said in the video, I am back from NYC and will have a whole post about the Random House Open House on December 19th.  It will be another not so wordless Wednesday!

For Review:
The Darlings by Cristina Alger  (Goodreads  Amazon)
The House Girl by Tara Conklin (Goodreads  Amazon)
Footprints in the Sand by Mary Jane Clark  (Goodreads  Amazon)
Porch Lights by Dorothea Benton Frank  (Goodreads  Amazon)
Wife 22 by Melanie Gideon  (Goodreads  Amazon)
Saturday Night Widows by Becky Aikman  (Goodreads  Amazon)
Y by Marjorie Celona  (Goodreads  Amazon)
Vanity Fare by Megan Caldwell  (Goodreads  Amazon)
The One I Left Behind by Jennifer McMahon  (Goodreads  Amazon)
The Promise of Stardust by Priscille Sibley  (Goodreads  Amazon)
A Land More Kind Than Home by Wiley Cash  (Goodreads  Amazon)
Friendfluence by Carlin Flora  (Goodreads  Amazon)
The Intercept by Dick Wolf  (Goodreads  Amazon)
All the Lonely People by Jess Riley  (Goodreads  Amazon)

Swap Sites:
Killer Summer by Lynda Curnyn  (Goodreads  Amazon)
The Anglophile by Laurie Gwen Shapiro  (Goodreads  Amazon)
Baby Needs a New Pair of Shoes by Lauren Baratz-Logsted  (Goodreads  Amazon)

Author Interview: Emily Kimelman

Yesterday, I reviewed the second book in the Sydney Rye and another good one!  So today, I was given the great opportunity to interview the author Emily Kimelman.  Here it goes . . . 

1.  What do you find yourself rambling about?

I will go on and on about trips I want to take.  I ramble about my fantasy of a "family compound" where I will live with all people I love, fainting goats, chickens, donkeys, Icelandic horses, Great Danes, and Bull Mastiffs.  Oh, and don't get me started on the evolution of the mystery novel and Charles Darwin unless you have some time on your hands.

2. When looking at your female characters, do you put a piece of your personality into the characters?

I think there is a lot of my personality in Sydney Rye, especially her sense of humor.  But Sydney can kick serious butt and I am a total klutz.  Sydney is much harder than me.  I'm a big softie and faced with the challenges she's gone through I would probably curl up into a ball and cry for my mother.

3.  If you could put your book in any one person's hands, who would it be?

Anyone who is about to spend a couple of hours on the beach.

4.  What is your favorite part of the writing process?

The beginning when everything seems possible.  I love writing my first draft when nothing can go wrong as long as I'm getting it down on paper.

5.  Where is your perfect writing spot?

Anywhere that I can look up from my screen I see water, preferably frozen.

6.  What is next on your plate?

I'm working on a couple of different ideas (my favorite part!).  There is another Sydney Rye in the works and a new series that is tickling my brain.  My husband and I are going to India for the next couple of months and I'm sure that all of the new sites, sounds, and flavors will inspire me.  I wouldn't be in the least bit surprised if Sydney ended up on an adventure in Mumbai or Goa.


Thank you so much to Emily for answering some questions.  I completely agree with the book on the beach - best place to read!

Review: Death in the Dark by Emily Kimelman

Death in the Dark by Emily Kimelman

  

Pages: 90

Format: eARC 

Buy the Book: Amazon 

Goodreads:  This is the second story in the award winning, best selling Sydney Rye series of dark murder mysteries. It is a novella length adventure that picks up right where the first book, UNLEASHED, left off. 

When the fugitive, Joy Humbolt, accepts her new identity as the Private Detective, Sydney Rye, she must learn to control her emotions and her out of control dog, Blue. With the help of an expert trainer Sydney learns to fight with her mind as well as her body. However, when the daughter of her close friend is brutally murdered in the desert Rye turns away from her trainer to seek revenge. Sydney's quick temper and deadly intentions lead her into a trap that she will need all of her new skills to survive.

Kritters Thoughts:  A second book in the Sydney Rye series by Emily Kimelman and although it had been some time since I read the first book, I was able to pick up this one and enjoy it just as much as I did the first.

In this second book Joy Humbolt becomes Sydney Rye and starts her training to become the detective that she wants to be.  I loved her reference to The Karate Kid movie and it definitely had that feel as Merl comes on the scene to help train her patience and combat which go hand in hand.  I liked the trouble that she got mixed in and in this novella it was solved in a matter of pages - loved it!  It was also great to see her dog Blue return in this book; every girl needs a great dog by her side! 

I am excited to be receiving the third installment in the near future and will definitely be reading and reviewing it here on the blog.

Rating: absolutely loved it and want a sequel (one is on its way!)

Ebook 2012 Challenge: 77 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.

Review: Judging a Book by Its Lover by Lauren Leto

Judging a Book by Its Lover by Lauren Leto

Publisher: Harper Perennial

Pages: 269

Format: book 

Buy the Book: Amazon  

Goodreads:  Want to impress the hot stranger at the bar who asks for your take on "Infinite Jest"? Dying to shut up the blowhard in front of you who's pontificating on Cormac McCarthy's "recurring road narratives"? Having difficulty keeping Francine Prose and Annie Proulx straight?

For all those overwhelmed readers who need to get a firm grip on the relentless onslaught of must-read books to stay on top of the inevitable conversations that swirl around them, Lauren Leto's "Judging a Book by Its Lover" is manna from literary heaven! A hilarious send-up of--and inspired homage to--the passionate and peculiar world of book culture, this guide to literary debate leaves no reader or author unscathed, at once adoring and skewering everyone from Jonathan Franzen to Ayn Rand to Dostoyevsky and the people who read them.

Kritters Thoughts:  A piece of nonfiction work that is interesting for both a non reader and a super reader.  As a reader, I usually limit my reading to a few genres and current books, so I enjoyed reading this book as it clued me into books that I didn't read in college or years right after and it actually gave me a list of books that I am going to try to make time to read.

As far as the faking it part, I didn't love it and thought it could be presented in a different way.  I don't ever fake reading a book, either I have or I haven't and would never want to fake it.  But beside that part of the book, I enjoyed reading about the book industry as a whole and the funny things you can learn from people who read certain genres.  Although the author may have poked a bit too much at authors and books that I adore, I wasn't too offended.

I would definitely recommend this book to readers of all genres.  The books she promoted and spoke about where what I maybe would qualify as semi classics - not the usual classics that everyone has heard about, but those that most may have, but if you aren't a reader you may not have heard of a majority.  

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

Wordless Wednesday

I was given the great opportunity (thanks Ashli!) to take my parents and the hubs on a White House tour while the holiday decor was still up!  This has been on my Washington, D.C. bucket list since we moved here.  

(not so wordless, sorry)

Review: My Kind of Christmas by Robyn Carr

My Kind of Christmas by Robyn Carr

Publisher: Harlequin MIRA 

Pages: 314 

Format: eARC 

Buy the Book: Amazon 

Goodreads:  Patrick Riordan always thougth that nothing could match the adrenaline rush he gets from his job.  But this Christmas, Patrick's pulse is really racing . . . 

The Riordan brothers may have a reputation for being rough-and tumble, but Patrick has always been the gentle, sweet-natured one. These days, his easygoing manner is being tested by his high-octane career as a navy pilot. But for the Riordan brothers, when the going gets tough…the tough find the love of a good woman.
Except the woman who has caught Patrick’s attention is Jack Sheridan’s very attractive niece.

Angie LeCroix comes to Virgin River to spend Christmas relaxing, away from her well-intentioned but hovering mother. Yet instead of freedom, she gets Jack Sheridan. If her uncle had his way, she’d never go out again. And certainly not with rugged, handsome Patrick Riordan. But Angie has her own idea of the kind of Christmas she wants—and the kind of man!

Patrick and Angie thought they wanted to be left alone this Christmas—until they meet each other. Then they want to be left alone together. But the Sheridan and Riordan families have different plans for Patrick and Angie—and for Christmas, Virgin River–style!


Kritters Thoughts:  If you have ever taken a visit to Virgin River with the fantastic characters that Robyn Carr has created, then this will be an extra special read to enjoy during the holidays.  New characters are added - Angie and her special friend Megan - these two will make quite the impact in the small town of Virgin River.  Angie has just survived a major car accident and needs to escape her parents home to recenter herself and find out what path she wants to go down next.

Although the reader is quite aware how this book will probably end - the journey is still worth the ride!  I love how my favorite characters from books past show up, but it still feels like a new book.  The one sore spot I had was the age difference between the lovebirds, it was a little on the large side, but sort of worked because they had quite a few things in common.  I must say it again - it was just fun to revisit these characters and at a different time of the year as I haven't read any of the other Christmas books in this series.

I would absolutely recommend this book to readers of both the women's fiction and romance, it has enough for both sets of readers.  It is also a book for new and old fans of the Virgin River series, you can start anywhere in this series and not feel completely lost.

Rating: absolutely loved it and want a sequel

Ebook 2012 Challenge: 69 out of 25

Review: Invisible by Carla Buckley

Invisible by Carla Buckley

Publisher: Random House 

Pages: 384 

Format: eARC 

Buy the Book: Amazon 

Goodreads:  Growing up, Dana Carlson and her older sister, Julie, are inseparable—Dana the impulsive one, Julie calmer and more nurturing. But then a devastating secret compels Dana to flee from home, not to see or speak to her sister for sixteen years.

When she receives the news that Julie is seriously ill, Dana knows that she must return to their hometown of Black Bear, Minnesota, to try and save her sister. Yet she arrives too late, only to discover that Black Bear has changed, and so have the people in it.

Julie has left behind a shattered teenage daughter, Peyton, and a mystery—what killed Julie may be killing others, too. Why is no one talking about it? Dana struggles to uncover the truth, but no one wants to hear it, including Peyton, who can’t forgive her aunt’s years-long absence. Dana had left to protect her own secrets, but Black Bear has a secret of its own—one that could tear apart Dana’s life, her family, and the whole town.



Kritters Thoughts:  A powerful book that will keep me thinking for weeks.  This book had everything from sibling relationships to a small town to environmental issues - it all fit together seamlessly.  Dana is the younger sister that leaves the small town after her life is turned upside down.  Peyton is her niece, who is trying to deal with the death of her mom and the return of a long lost aunt.  Together they narrate this book with each having chapters told through their own voices and I think having these two characters tell the story make this book even bigger and better than if it had been told by one or the other.

A unique book that gave some mystery to this small town as many of its residents are dealing with kidney disease.  Dana returns and makes it her mission to find out what is making all of her childhood friends and family affected by this debilitating disease.  I loved how the environmental aspect of this story unfolded.  The reader is only told the details piece by piece as Dana investigates; it allowed for me to try to draw conclusions.

I would recommend this book to readers who love family drama, but with the added mystery gives the book great added drama.  I will be reading Buckley's other book and following her from now on!   

Rating: absolutely loved it and want a sequel

Ebook 2012 Challenge: 74 out of 25

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from Random House via 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.

It's Monday, What are you Reading?

Even with an eventful week at work and in my personal life, I was able to get quite a lot of reading completed.  It helped that the boy worked quite a many hours this week also.  This next week I will be headed to NYC for Rockettes and the Random House Open House, it should be a very fun week!!

A meme hosted by Sheila at BookJourney. 

Finished this past week:

Judging a Book by Its Lover by Lauren Leto
How to Host a Holiday by Kathleen Kitson
She's the Boss by Lisa Lim
The Bracelet by Roberta Gately
Goodnight, Brian by Steven Manchester
I Never Promised You a Goodie Bag by Jennifer Gilbert
One Flight Up by Susan Fales-Hill

Currently Reading:

Five Years to Live by Frank Zaccari

Next on the TBR pile:

The One I Left Behind by Jennifer McMahon

Review: Leaves by Michael Baron

Leaves by Michael Baron

Publisher: The Story Plant 

Pages: 352 

Format: book 

Buy the Book: Amazon  

Goodreads:  Welcome to Oldham, CT, a small town rich in Colonial heritage while being utterly contemporary. Situated along the Connecticut River Valley, Oldham bursts with color every fall, as the leaves on its trees evolve into an unmatched palette of scarlet, orange, purple, yellow, and bronze. For more than three decades, the Gold family has been a central part of Oldham in the fall, its Sugar Maple Inn a destination for "leaf-peepers” from all over the country, and its annual Halloween party a stirring way to punctuate the town’s most active month.

But this year, more than just the leaves are changing. With the death of their parents, the Gold siblings, Maria, Maxwell, Deborah, Corrina, and Tyler, have decided to sell the Sugar Maple Inn, and this year’s Halloween party will be the last. As October begins, the Golds contend with the finality that faces them, and the implications it has for a family that has always been so close. For some, it means embracing new challenges and new love. For others, it means taking on unimagined roles. And for others, it means considering the inconceivable. Complicating it all is a series of "hauntings” that touch each of the Gold siblings, a series of benign interventions that will remain a mystery until October draws to a close.


Kritters Thoughts:  A family of five children and an inn that has been left in their possession as they have both passed away.  Each has played their own role, but with the inn going to corporate hands, they must each give up a piece of their childhood.  Throughout the book there are references as to memories in the past - I loved how each memory was introduced and shared by each character.

As you may know, I love family dramas that are full of sibling rivalry.  With 5 siblings, each with different hobbies, jobs, children and spouses, I had to make a chart for this book, but it was worth it because this book will excitedly have a sequel (or maybe more than one!)  I loved how some of their stories intermingled, it made their relationships feel real; the whole book felt really real which is something I look for in a book that I pass on and on!  

I don't normally quote books, but this completely made my day when I read it - "How did someone at the back end of the birth order become such a control freak?"  I love how these siblings took on different roles than the normal birth order usually deems.  

I think this book had quite some substance, so if you are looking for some meaty family drama, this book is perfect to curl up with during a winter weekend.

Rating: absolutely loved it and want a sequel (and it is on the way!)

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from Providence Book Promotions.  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.