Category: Book Reviews

Title: The Secret Life of Violet Grant
Author: Beatriz Williams
Published: May 27, 2014 by G. P. Putnam's Sons
Pages: 448
Source: Purchased
Rating: 4/5
Goodreads

Manhattan, 1964. Vivian Schuyler, newly graduated from Bryn Mawr College, has recently defied the privilege of her storied old Fifth Avenue family to do the unthinkable for a budding Kennedy-era socialite: break into the Mad Men world of razor-stylish Metropolitan magazine. But when she receives a bulky overseas parcel in the mail, the unexpected contents draw her inexorably back into her family’s past, and the hushed-over crime passionnel of an aunt she never knew, whose existence has been wiped from the record of history.

Berlin, 1914. Violet Schuyler Grant endures her marriage to the philandering and decades-older scientist Dr. Walter Grant for one reason: for all his faults, he provides the necessary support to her liminal position as a young American female physicist in prewar Germany. The arrival of Dr. Grant’s magnetic former student at the beginning of Europe’s fateful summer interrupts this delicate détente. Lionel Richardson, a captain in the British Army, challenges Violet to escape her husband’s perverse hold, and as the world edges into war and Lionel’s shocking true motives become evident, Violet is tempted to take the ultimate step to set herself free and seek a life of her own conviction with a man whose cause is as audacious as her own.

As the iridescent and fractured Vivian digs deeper into her aunt’s past and the mystery of her ultimate fate, Violet’s story of determination and desire unfolds, shedding light on the darkness of her years abroad . . . and teaching Vivian to reach forward with grace for the ambitious future––and the love––she wants most.

My review:

This is my second novel I've read by this author (this is the first of a trilogy), and I'm just going to admit that if she re-writes the phone book, I'm going to read it! I just adore her writing style. Just enough description to not be over the top, completely readable without being pretentious, and her books just flow so nicely. In this story, we alternate back and forth between Vivian (1964) and her aunt (1914), who disappeared after a somewhat scandalous circumstance. We follow Vivian as she tries to decipher what happened to her aunt. I must admit that while I liked both storylines, I was drawn more to Violet's. Vivian's story dragged a bit at times, although certainly not enough to keep me from fully enjoying this novel. I love the fact that I can learn some history through Ms. Williams' books, and it's nowhere near as painful as history was for me in school (I was NOT a fan) 🙂 I really like that the women are very strong, smart, and capable, and the fact that Violet was a scientist (which I DID love and majored in) was icing on the cake.

A bit of mystery, scandal, romance, strong women.....this book has it all. If you have not read any of Williams' books, you simply must rectify this! Her standalone A Hundred Summers was a 5 star read for me earlier in the year. I cannot wait to read the final two books in this series.

Title: Pretending To Dance
Author: Diane Chamberlain
Published: October 6, 2015 by St. Martin's Press
Pages: 352
Source: Publisher via BookSparks
Rating: 4/5
Goodreads

Molly Arnette is very good at keeping secrets. She lives in San Diego with a husband she adores, and they are trying to adopt a baby because they can't have a child on their own. But the process of adoption brings to light many questions about Molly's past and her family—the family she left behind in North Carolina twenty years before. The mother she says is dead but who is very much alive. The father she adored and whose death sent her running from the small community of Morrison's Ridge. Her own birth mother whose mysterious presence in her family raised so many issues that came to a head. The summer of twenty years ago changed everything for Molly and as the past weaves together with the present story, Molly discovers that she learned to lie in the very family that taught her about pretending. If she learns the truth about her beloved father's death, can she find peace in the present to claim the life she really wants?

My review:

Best last four lines of a novel EVER! The type of book that you will just sit and quietly reflect when you finish. Having said that, this novel, while very good, was not without flaws for me. First and foremost, I didn't like the main character Molly. Didn't like her in the flashbacks to her teen years, didn't like her as an adult, didn't like her decisions throughout the years. What I did love was the death with dignity plot. Well explored, without being preachy on the subject. The fictionalized subject of "pretend therapy" was very intriguing. Molly had a lot of people who were saints to put up with her antics, her husband being one of them. I also loved the character of Nora, what a wonderful, selfless woman who was not given the credit she deserved (especially by her pain in the neck daughter). The story weaves back and forth from the present day to the past, and it does so seamlessly. Even though I had the family secrets figured out fairly early, it didn't detract from my enjoyment of the story.

Once again, Chamberlain does not disappoint. This is a well written, well researched novel that is perfectly paced and an enjoyable read. I just wish I had liked the main protagonist better.

This book is part of the BookSparks fall reading challenge. You can read about the program by clicking on the link.

Title: House Trained
Author: Jackie Bouchard
Published: October 20, 2015 by Lake Union
Pages: 291
Source: Publisher via BookSparks
Rating: 3/5
Goodreads

Alex Halstad, a childless-by-choice interior designer and dog mom, is a true perfectionist. But her orderly life turns chaotic when the teenage daughter her husband, Barry, never knew he had shows up on their doorstep...with a baby girl of her own in tow. While Alex’s dog enthusiastically welcomes the new arrivals, Alex struggles with the loss of her steady routine. She desperately needs peace and quiet to get her business back on track before Barry finds out she’s spent most of their savings. Meanwhile, the arrival of the girls stirs up old insecurities, and Alex can’t help but worry that Barry’s ex will make an entrance too. With her tidy life a distant memory, will Alex be able to learn from her dog the true meaning of love and acceptance?

From bestselling author Jackie Bouchard comes a humorous and heartwarming look at how life creates opportunities to love in surprising ways.

My review:

This was an enjoyable book, but I'm not sure that it is one that will stick with me. Having said that, I would read another novel by this author because it was very entertaining in the moment, even if I won't necessarily remember it in months to come. I liked the fact that the author did a great job with interjecting humorous situations into some rather sensitive topics, namely those of secrets, trust, and being childless by choice. Interspersed with the story lines, we have the adorable dog of the house. I have not read any previous books by this author, but in doing a bit of research I learned that all of her books feature dogs. Being a dog lover, I'm totally on board with this idea. I thought the writing was good, the story flowed well (perhaps a bit faster pace in the second half), and I enjoyed the characters (including the dog :)). The main character Alex was a bit over the top with her insecurities, but it didn't bother me enough to not like her, or root for her. The ending was predictable, but satisfying to me.

Pick this one up for a cute story that has a bit of everything to it, especially if you are a dog person.

This book is part of the fall reading challenge hosted by BookSparks. To find out more, click the link.

Title: The Muralist
Author: B. A. Shapiro
Published: November 3, 2015 by Algonquin Books
Pages: 352
Source: Publisher at BEA
Rating: 4/5
Goodreads

Alizée Benoit, an American painter working for the Works Progress Administration (WPA), vanishes in New York City in 1940 amid personal and political turmoil. No one knows what happened to her. Not her Jewish family living in German-occupied France. Not her artistic patron and political compatriot, Eleanor Roosevelt. Not her close-knit group of friends, including Mark Rothko, Jackson Pollock, and Lee Krasner. And, some seventy years later, not her great-niece, Danielle Abrams, who while working at Christie’s auction house uncovers enigmatic paintings hidden behind recently found works by those now famous Abstract Expressionist artists. Do they hold answers to the questions surrounding her missing aunt?

Entwining the lives of both historical and fictional characters, and moving between the past and the present, The Muralist plunges readers into the divisiveness of prewar politics and the largely forgotten plight of European refugees refused entrance to the United States. It captures both the inner workings of today’s New York art scene and the beginnings of the vibrant and quintessentially American school of Abstract Expressionism.

B.A. Shapiro is a master at telling a gripping story while exploring provocative themes. In Alizée and Danielle she has created two unforgettable women, artists both, who compel us to ask, What happens when luminous talent collides with inexorable historical forces? Does great art have the power to change the world? And to what lengths should a person go to thwart evil?

My review:

This is a wonderfully told story, and a fascinating look into some of the parts of WWII that I don't often read about. A lot of focus on the Works Progress Administration (WPA) highly regarded by Eleanor Roosevelt, the failure of the US to allow immigrants from Europe to enter the country, and the mental state of a lot of the artists of the time. I really appreciated this different perspective on the state of the world at that time. The story is told in alternating chapters by the artist Alizee (in the 40s) and present day Dani (her great niece), an art appraiser. The book has a bit of a mystery to it, as we follow Dani on her journey to find out what happened to her aunt by using some art pieces found taped to the back of Abstract artists paintings. Concurrent with this we have Alizee's story of her art creations, her relationships with other artists of the WPA, and her desperate struggle to free her family from Europe. We get insight into what was going on in Europe just prior to and during the war through letters sent to Alizee from various family members. Very well written, the characters were ones you really cared about finding resolution for.

I love the way this author seamlessly combines historical events with fiction to create a page turning novel. Make sure you also pick up her first book The Art Forger, which is equally as good.

 

Title: Station Eleven
Author: Emily St. John Mandel
Published: September 9, 2014 by Knopf
Pages: 336
Source: Purchased
Rating: 4/5
Goodreads

One snowy night Arthur Leander, a famous actor, has a heart attack onstage during a production of King Lear. Jeevan Chaudhary, a paparazzo-turned-EMT, is in the audience and leaps to his aid. A child actress named Kirsten Raymonde watches in horror as Jeevan performs CPR, pumping Arthur's chest as the curtain drops, but Arthur is dead. That same night, as Jeevan walks home from the theater, a terrible flu begins to spread. Hospitals are flooded and Jeevan and his brother barricade themselves inside an apartment, watching out the window as cars clog the highways, gunshots ring out, and life disintegrates around them.

Fifteen years later, Kirsten is an actress with the Traveling Symphony. Together, this small troupe moves between the settlements of an altered world, performing Shakespeare and music for scattered communities of survivors. Written on their caravan, and tattooed on Kirsten's arm is a line from Star Trek: "Because survival is insufficient." But when they arrive in St. Deborah by the Water, they encounter a violent prophet who digs graves for anyone who dares to leave.

Spanning decades, moving back and forth in time, and vividly depicting life before and after the pandemic, this suspenseful, elegiac novel is rife with beauty. As Arthur falls in and out of love, as Jeevan watches the newscasters say their final good-byes, and as Kirsten finds herself caught in the crosshairs of the prophet, we see the strange twists of fate that connect them all. A novel of art, memory, and ambition, Station Eleven tells a story about the relationships that sustain us, the ephemeral nature of fame, and the beauty of the world as we know it.

My review: I'm very late to the party in reading this one. I've had it on my tbr pile for a while, and when I found out that the author was speaking at the Boston book festival, that was motivation to pull this one off the shelf. Overall I really liked this book. It's not really something that I tend to gravitate to (most of the dystopian novels I've read have been YA), but I was very intrigued by the end of the world concept. So intrigued, that I kind of wish there was more of that storyline, and not so much of the traveling troupe. I really enjoyed reading about the way the characters who were left (both during and after the epidemic flu), coped within their surroundings. Jeevan and his brother, who were holed up in his apartment watching the chaos out the window, and later, those who end up at an abandoned airport. I found the troupe to be rather boring, and particularly didn't care for the violence associated with some of their journey. The story does jump back and forth in time, but it was fairly easy to keep up with. I liked the writing style, there were some beautifully written passages. It's interesting to note that this is the first (and probably the only, from what she said at the book festival) foray into dystopian from Ms. Mandel. I admit to not having read any of her previous work, but I would like to someday.

Fascinating story about the end of the world as we know it, and the few who are left behind. Loved the survivor stories, but the Shakesperean troupe was not my favorite storyline.

Emily St. John Mandel (seen here with Sandra Newman) at the Boston book festival.

 

Title: The Good Neighbor
Author: A. J. Banner
Published: September 1, 2015 by Lake Union Publishing
Pages: 196
Source: Publisher via BookSparks
Rating: 3/5
Goodreads

Shadow Cove, Washington, is the kind of town everyone dreams about—quaint streets, lush forests, good neighbors. That’s what Sarah thinks as she settles into life with her new husband, Dr. Johnny McDonald. But all too soon she discovers an undercurrent of deception. And one October evening when Johnny is away, sudden tragedy destroys Sarah’s happiness.

Dazed and stricken with grief, she and Johnny begin to rebuild their shattered lives. As she picks up the pieces of her broken home, Sarah discovers a shocking secret that forces her to doubt everything she thought was true—about her neighbors, her friends, and even her marriage. With each stunning revelation, Sarah must ask herself, Can we ever really know the ones we love?

My review:

This book was a quick read. Interesting enough, but may not be one that I will remember much about in the months to come. I liked the storyline, and the pace moved along with a decent enough writing style. The twists and turns were well done, some were predictable, but others were not. There was some suspense that kept me turning pages, and I liked the fact that I had some people pegged wrong 🙂 I just wasn't ever totally invested in the characters, and I'm wondering if this was a function of the length of the book, or if it was the way the characters were written? It's also being touted as yet another psychological thriller, and I wouldn't really call it that. As I mentioned, there was some suspense, but not worthy of that term in my opinion.

Not a bad novel to pick up for a quick read. The plot will keep you moving through until the end, but you may find the characters a bit lacking.

This book is part of the BookSparks fall reading challenge. Click the link to find out more about this program.

Title: White Collar Girl
Author: Renee Rosen
Published: November 3, 2015 by NAL
Pages: 448
Source: NetGalley
Rating: 4/5
Goodreads

Every second of every day, something is happening. There’s a story out there buried in the muck, and Jordan Walsh, coming from a family of esteemed reporters, wants to be the one to dig it up. But it’s 1955, and the men who dominate the city room of the Chicago Tribune have no interest in making room for a female cub reporter. Instead Jordan is relegated to society news, reporting on Marilyn Monroe sightings at the Pump Room and interviewing secretaries for the White Collar Girl column.

Even with her journalistic legacy and connections to luminaries like Mike Royko, Nelson Algren, and Ernest Hemingway, Jordan struggles to be taken seriously. Of course, that all changes the moment she establishes a secret source inside Mayor Daley’s office and gets her hands on some confidential information. Now careers and lives are hanging on Jordan’s every word. But if she succeeds in landing her stories on the front page, there’s no guarantee she’ll remain above the fold.

My review:

I was initially drawn to this book on NetGalley because of the cover. Kudos to the designers, as they made me venture on to find out what the book was about. Synopsis looked interesting so I requested to read it and was approved. I love it when a cover steers me to a stellar book choice! This book was really interesting on so many levels. I loved the time period, it begins before I was born, but continues up until I was a toddler. I loved that it took place in Chicago. So many books take place in NYC, it's nice to learn a bit about the history of some other major US cities. And the fact that it highlights a woman trying to make her way in a "man's world" (we are in the 50's) was excellent fodder for a plot. I also learned a bit about the inner workings of a newspaper back in that time period, and the corruption surrounding Mayor Daley. A subplot about how Jordan's brother was killed added yet another dimension to the story, although this was probably my least favorite part. It was threaded throughout the book, and while it was interesting, I found myself just wanting to get back to the newsroom. Well written, good characterization, and some real-life news items to provide a historical aspect.

Great book choice to learn about Chicago in the 50's, the newspaper business, and the role of a working woman during this time period. I'm so glad this cover caught my eye!

 

Title: Rooville
Author: Julie Long
Published: September 8, 2015 by SparkPress
Pages: 396
Source: Publisher via BookSparks
Rating: 4/5
Goodreads

Even after thirteen years in Southern California, Owen Martin can feel the corners of his squareness still sharply evident. He’s a TV weatherman bored by the beautiful climate. He wants to coach basketball but all the kids play soccer. And he seems to be the only person who thinks a fruit smoothie is a poor substitute for a vanilla shake. When he’s fired from his job, Owen is relieved to head home to Iowa, to the town his ancestors founded and the simple life he knew before his father died. He can’t predict the atmospheric pressure he's about to encounter, which, as any meteorologist knows, is the key catalyst for change. . . .In his absence, Martinville has become the center of the Transcendental Meditation movement and host to all things alternative. There are golden domes for mass meditations, a vegan café where the burger joint stood, and all the shop doors around Town Square now face east. But far worse than anything is the danger to the Martin family farm. In a town divided between “Regulars” and “Roos” (gurus), Owen is clear where he stands until he falls for a levitator instead of the down-to-earth girl he had in mind. With old customs and open-mindedness clashing like warm and cold fronts, Owen gets caught in a veritable tornado. Can he save the farm, get the girl, and reunite the town? Maybe . . . if he’s willing to embrace a change in the weather.

My review:

Sweet story about whether or not you can truly go home again, and what happens when the home you know is vastly different than it was when you left. It's a tale of the "regulars" vs. the "roos (gurus)", and if there can be a peaceful co-existence. I loved the character of Owen, a lovable guy who just wants to settle down in his old home, in his old hometown, in a place where life should be simpler (and has four seasons). We follow him along his path to achieve his goals, but what a set of adventures he must go through along his way. Well written, well paced, and partly factual (the author grew up in the actual town in Iowa where many of the Roo events actually took place). The tornado section was a bit tedious, but necessary to set up the end. While I was happy with the ending, I'm not sure that I actually believe that Owen's relationship would work out long term, but in the world of this story, I can hope that it does 🙂

Refreshing story about going back to your roots. A great protagonist, with a wonderful collection of community characters, this is one that is worth a read.

This book is part of the BookSparks fall reading challenge. To find out about this program, click the link.

"It's the most wonderful time of the year"........at least for reading! I just love holiday books, and will be participating again this year in the Ho Ho Ho Read-a-thon. This event is hosted by Caffeinated Book Reviewer and Bookshelfery.

How adorable is this year's graphic? I can't wait to get in the holiday spirit with my reading choices!

And here are my books! Shown in no particular order, it's quite a stack! I don't know how many I'll get through, I'm not setting any goal, we'll just see how it goes. I will be updating my progress in this post, and will give a final tally once the read-a-thon is complete. SO excited to get in the holiday book spirit!!

A Christmas to Remember by Jenny Hale......PROGRESS as of 11/17/15 60 pages

I Heart Christmas by Lindsey Kelk
A Very Nantucket Christmas by Nancy Thayer......COMPLETED 11/16/15 209 pages

Winter Stroll by Elin Hilderbrand----COMPLETED 11/13/15 272 pages

The Christmas Pearl by Dorothea Benton Frank.......COMPLETED 11/16/15 176 pages

The Christmas Quilt by Jennifer Chiaverini
Wishin' and Hopin' by Wally Lanb......COMPLETED 11/15/15 286 pages

Blue Christmas by Mary Kay Andrews---COMPLETED 11/13/15 194 pages

The Gift by Cecelia Ahern.....COMPLETED 11/14/15 302 pages
TOTAL BOOKS READ: 6 1/4
TOTAL PAGES: 1499

Love this event! Happy holidays everyone! Until next year's event..........

Title: The Admissions
Author: Meg Mitchell Moore
Published: August 18, 2015 by Doubleday
Pages: 320
Source: Publisher via BookSparks
Rating: 5/5
Goodreads

      The Hawthorne family has it all. Great jobs, a beautiful house in one of the most affluent areas of northern California, and three charming kids with perfectly straight teeth. And then comes their eldest daughter's senior year of high school . . .
     Firstborn Angela Hawthorne is a straight-A student and star athlete, with extracurricular activities coming out of her ears and a college application that's not going to write itself. She's set her sights on Harvard, her father's alma mater, and like a dog with a chew toy, Angela won't let up until she's basking in crimson-colored glory. Except her class rank as valedictorian is under attack, she's suddenly losing her edge at cross-country, and she can't help but daydream about the cute baseball player in English class. Of course Angela knows the time put into her schoolgirl crush would be better spent coming up with a subject for her term paper—which, along with her college essay and community service hours has a rapidly approaching deadline. 
     Angela's mother, Nora, is similarly stretched to the limit, juggling parent-teacher meetings, carpool, and a real-estate career where she caters to the mega rich and super-picky buyers and sellers of the Bay Area. The youngest daughter, Maya, still can't read at the age of eight; the middle-child, Cecily, is no longer the happy-go-lucky kid she once was; and the dad, Gabe, seems oblivious to the mounting pressures at home because a devastating secret of his own might be exposed. A few ill-advised moves put the Hawthorne family on a heedless collision course that's equal parts achingly real and delightfully screwball.
     Sharp and topical, The Admissions shows that if you pull at a loose thread, even the sturdiest of lives start to unravel at the seams of high achievement.

My review:

This book could not have come at a better time. My daughter was doing her final submission of her college applications, and I fully embraced the make believe world of The Hawthorne family! The author completely nailed the personalities and voices of the three girls in the family. Having had daughters who have gone through all of these stages, I was in love with her characterizations! There is a lot going on in this book that is not just about getting into college, although that part is written really well. We have the two younger girls with their own issues, the Dad who is obsessed with Harvard, and the Mom who is being stretched way too thin. I found this book to have some humorous parts, mostly poking fun of the Bay Area elite (the section about the yoga class and juice bar had me laughing out loud). There were some serious issues also interspersed to make a well rounded and enjoyable read. It got a little far fetched with Angela at the end, but I was too immersed at that point to care, and the ending was very satisfying.

You don't have to have experience with college admissions to enjoy this novel, it's a darn good family tale that will have you craving more from this author!

This book is part of the BookSparks fall reading challenge, click the link to be directed to their page for more information.