Review: Let It Snow 4

ondbookshelfDecember 18, 20144 Comments

Let It Snow

by John Green, Maureen Johnson, Lauren Myracle

An ill-timed storm on Christmas Eve buries the residents of Gracetown under multiple feet of snow and causes quite a bit of chaos. One brave soul ventures out into the storm from her stranded train and sets off a chain of events that will change quite a few lives. Over the next three days one girl takes a risky shortcut with an adorable stranger, three friends set out to win a race to the Waffle House (and the hash brown spoils), and the fate of a teacup pig falls into the hands of a lovesick barista.

A trio of today's bestselling authors - John Green, Maureen Johnson, and Lauren Myracle - bring all the magic of the holidays to life in three hilarious and charming interconnected tales of love, romance, and kisses that will steal your breath away.

My review.........3 stars

It's been a while since the holiday read-a-thon, and I still have a few holiday stories I'd like to get to this year, this being one of them. I liked this book, but didn't love it. The first story, by Maureen Johnson, was adorable, and I would have given that one 4 or 4.5 stars as a stand-alone book. The other two were somewhat "meh" for me. They weren't awful, and they were a quick read, but nothing outstanding about either. I did really like the fact that the book, composed of 3 different stories by 3 authors, does take place over the same time period, and the characters do interact at various points in each story. That was a clever writing surprise.

This would be a fun, fast read that could be consumed during the Christmas festivities, when your attention may not be at it's best (with all the distractions of the season). However, if you have not read My True Love Gave to Me, that would be my pick for a seasonal short story collection.

Review: Belzhar 11

ondbookshelfDecember 12, 2014December 17, 201411 Comments

Belzhar

by Meg Wolitzer

If life were fair, Jam Gallahue would still be at home in New Jersey with her sweet British boyfriend, Reeve Maxfield. She’d be watching old comedy sketches with him. She’d be kissing him in the library stacks.She certainly wouldn’t be at The Wooden Barn, a therapeutic boarding school in rural Vermont, living with a weird roommate, and signed up for an exclusive, mysterious class called Special Topics in English.

But life isn’t fair, and Reeve Maxfield is dead.Until a journal-writing assignment leads Jam to Belzhar, where the untainted past is restored, and Jam can feel Reeve’s arms around her once again. But there are hidden truths on Jam’s path to reclaim her loss.

From New York Times bestselling author Meg Wolitzer comes a breathtaking and surprising story about first love, deep sorrow, and the power of acceptance.

My review...........4 stars

I can't believe it.......I really liked this book!! I'd heard so many good reviews about this one, and was reluctant to try it for two reasons. It deals with time travel, which ranks right up there with my hatred of aliens, zombies, spirits and ghosts. And it's written by an author whose previous book (The Interestings) I did not like. I decided since it was a rather short book, and it was in the young adult category, that it would be a quick read, even if not my cup of tea. No one was more surprised than me that I couldn't put it down! The characters were so well written, and the plot was so compelling, I had to see what was going to happen!

The title is in reference to the book that the Special Topics in English class is studying, The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath. I had read this book way back either in high school, or shortly thereafter, and considered whether I should re-read it before starting this. It's really not necessary, there are a few references to the book, but nothing that would require you to even have read that book previous to reading this one.

If it weren't for the fact that there was the issue with time travel (which had to be included or there would have been no story!), this would have been a 5 star for me! Pick this one up if you want a book that you will fly through in one or two sittings!

Review: Saving Grace 1

ondbookshelfDecember 9, 20141 Comment

Saving Grace

by Jane Green

Grace and Ted Chapman are widely regarded as the perfect literary power couple. Ted is a successful novelist and Grace, his wife of twenty years, is beautiful, stylish, carefree, and a wonderful homemaker. But what no one sees, what is churning under the surface, is Ted’s rages. His mood swings. And the precarious house of cards that their lifestyle is built upon. When Ted’s longtime assistant and mainstay leaves, the house of cards begins to crumble and Grace, with dark secrets in her past, is most vulnerable. She finds herself in need of help but with no one to turn to…until the perfect new assistant shows up out of the blue. To the rescue comes Beth, a competent young woman who can handle Ted and has the calm efficiency to weather the storms that threaten to engulf the Chapman household. Soon, though, it’s clear to Grace that Beth might be too good to be true. This new interloper might be the biggest threat of all, one that could cost Grace her marriage, her reputation, and even her sanity. With everything at stake and no one to confide in, Grace must find a way to save herself before it is too late.

Powerful and riveting, Jane Green's Saving Grace will have you on the edge of your seat as you follow Grace on her harrowing journey to rock bottom and back.

My review...........4 stars

I really enjoyed this one. It was an interesting story, the text flowed well, there were characters you loved and disliked. I wanted to keep reading to find out what was going to happen at the end. Essentially all the qualities I like in my books.

I did have a few issues that kept me from the 5 star ranking. I was annoyed several times in the book with Grace. I really just wanted her to stand up for herself and not be so wishy-washy. She was a professional woman, and while I know there are plenty of them who stay in bad marriages, that didn't mean I had to like it. I can't really say more about this without revealing spoilers (which I never want to do). There are also recipes at the end of most chapters which I found annoying. I would have been fine with them at the end of the book, but I thought they were out of place (even though they were briefly mentioned within the chapter) and distracting.

I received an advance copy of this to review. This novel will be released on Dec. 30th, 2014. Overall a good read, I would recommend it. If you like your female characters to have a lot of backbone though, this may not work for you.

You Can’t Judge A Book By It’s Cover? 2

ondbookshelfDecember 6, 2014December 6, 20142 Comments

BUT I CAN, AND I DO!

Welcome to my new series about my visual issues with books. From time to time, I'll be delving into the fact that book covers really are the first thing to draw me in. Will I read books with what (to me) is a so-so or ugly cover? Of course I will, but only if it's been recommended, or it's an author I already know I have liked in the past. When I walk into a bookstore, I'm going to be drawn to certain book covers, and will then pick up the book to see what it is about. I don't have time to read every synopsis on every book, so if you are a new (to me) author, I'm probably going to pass you by with a boring/ugly cover. Honestly, I might even buy a pretty book for my shelf that I don't even end up reading, because it's just SO appealing! Somehow I bet I'm not the only one who feels this way (although maybe not to my degree of craziness!).

Today's post is about the new Sophie Kinsella book Shopaholic to the Stars. I am a fan of this series, and have most of the others on my shelf, so I was excited to pick this one up.

Until I saw it..............

Yuck! First of all, it doesn't even come close to matching any of the other books. It's just plain boring, and I hate yellow! Why did I not know before it's release that this was the cover? I happen to follow Sophie on twitter, and this was not the cover she had been showing. Where was that cover? Once I did a bit of research (see, I told you I was a bit obsessed with covers), I realized that she lives in the UK.

THIS is the UK cover:

There was just no way I was going to have this cover out there, and have to settle for the ugly yellow one on my shelf! I bought the UK version from a seller on amazon (paid as much for the paperback as I would have for the US hardcover), had to wait several weeks for it to get here, but it was worth it........this one is so cute 🙂

Stay tuned in the coming weeks, I will be featuring other books that I have been drawn to because of their covers! Anyone else have a love affair with book covers?

Review: The Evolution of Alice 6

ondbookshelfDecember 1, 20146 Comments

The Evolution of Alice

by David A. Robertson

THIS HAUNTING, EMOTIONALLY RESONANT STORY delivers us into the world of Alice, a single mother raising her three young daughters on the rez where she grew up. Alice has never had an easy life, but has managed to get by with the support of her best friend, Gideon, and her family. When an unthinkable loss occurs, Alice is forced onto a different path, one that will challenge her belief in herself and the world she thought she knew. The Evolution of Alice is the kaleidoscopic story of one woman’s place within the web of community. Peopled with unforgettable characters and told from multiple points of view, this is a novel where spirits are alive, forgiveness is possible, and love is the only thing that matters.

My review...........3 stars

This was a well written story dealing with loss, and how it is dealt with. I was happy to read a book about Native Americans, and would have liked even more details about life on a reservation, and the treatment of those in the rez community. It is touched on briefly a few times, but I thought there could have been more. Alice and her best friend Gideon are both very well written. Gideon's grandfather and Alice's ex-husband were good additions to the story, but there were some other side characters that I didn't feel were needed. They got in the way of my totally enjoying it.

This is not a happy story, there are many depressing and sad parts, but the love Alice has for her children shines through beautifully! If you like stories with great characterization, and the resiliency of people through tough times, this would be a great book for you. Thanks to netgalley for giving me a copy of this for review.