My Not So Perfect Life

I read this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review. It made me laugh out loud and was just the light-hearted kind of book I needed for that particular moment in time. Sophie Kinsella has a way of turning our deep-down fears of personal inadequacies into laughable moments. Life in the big city was not all it was cracked-up to be for Cat (Katie), but she hated to throw in the towel and move back to the country. When her father and step-mother ask for her help, Katie believes she can help, but fully intends to stay just temporarily. This is the story of how our perceptions of people and places are not always based on truth. Katie faces her own truths and discovers herself along the way. I appreciate the chance to read it very much. 

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1836127864?book_show_action=false&from_review_page=1

I Liked My Life

Book Review - Good Reads

This is the story of Madeline, her daughter Eve, and husband Brady. Madeline has died, but it does not stop her from trying to find her replacement in her families lives. Maddy watches and guides her family from where she is - somewhere in-between heaven and earth. As Maddy's death unfolds, we learn the backstory of her life and that of her friends and family. Both Brady and Even struggle to discover what hidden secrets Maddy had, and how she could have been so vastly unhappy without their knowing it. Both characters search deep into their souls and discover truths about themselves that are unsettling, yet enable them to grow into the lives they are meant to live.

Each life has a turning point - many turning points. Eve and Brady find themselves wishing to go back to any moment in time and react differently; live differently, speak differently. Their epiphanies are full of prose, poetry and words of wisdom; self-discovery moments they are guided to by Maddy from her place watching over them. One of the most beautiful pieces of prose is given to Eve by Maddy's sister Meg in the form of "Maddy's Truths". Such great words of wisdom.

As with every wonderful work of fiction the plot twists and turns, leaving the reader guessing at the truth until the very unpredictable ending - I did not want the story to end. As well as surprising me, it left me satisfied and contemplative all at once.

I have been sitting on this review, deciding just what to say. I read the book twice - I should say I devoured it once, then went back and reread it slowly, savoring it. It is such a unique story, and so well written; Abby's words are magic and beautiful. I am completely in love with this book, and I cannot wait for Abby's next , even though "I liked My Life" will not be on sale until January 2017. I was so thrilled and honored to have received an ARC of this book - thank you Abby, for the gift of your words and story, and for the opportunity to read it early.

Book Review - I've Got Sand In All The Wrong Places

One of the best parts of being a librarian are some of the perks I’ve discovered along the way. As a long time bookseller (close to 16 years; shameless plug – I owe my education and my career path to Barnes & Noble. More of that another time, but BN – seriously? Thank you.) I was familiar with ARCs – Advanced Reader Copies – of books. I’ve been gifted with a few from some of my favorite authors – Jodi Picoult, Dean Koontz, Claire Cook, not to mention many others. I’ve even got an original ARC of a little known book by Stephenie Meyer called Twilight – maybe you've heard of it, by chance? As I dropped back my hours bookselling to fulfill my new full-time career, I found less and less chances to obtain ARC treasures. Until I read about Net Galley one day. Net Galley is an opportunity for me to read ARC e-versions of many upcoming books for free. The “cost” is in order to keep on being gifted with free ebooks, I need to write a (hopefully favorable) review online and share it – through Amazon, GoodReads, blogging, websites, etc. At first it was just great fun – I started requesting and receiving many books. Some were really good, others, not so much. But I also discovered the more I read and reviewed the more perks came at me. Like auto-approval from certain publishers. Again, at first, it was just from publishers who really just wanted to get their books circulating. But one day a major publisher put me on their auto-approved list and more choices opened up to me, and a few more publishers added auto-approval to my profile. Recently I saw a book advertised that looked like a good read from St. Martin’s Press; ”I’ve got Sand in All the Wrong Places” by Lisa Scottoline and Francesca Serritella, a dynamic mother and daughter writing team. I’ve read a few of Lisa’s books but was essentially clueless about the weekly column she and her daughter write. I’ve become an instant fan.

"I’ve Got Sand in All the Wrong Places" is one of the best books I have read in a while. I loved it from the first page and found myself laughing out loud throughout the whole thing. As adult women in the 21^st century, we all essentially have the same cares and concerns about life and living – growing older, dealing with curve-balls, both big and small. Lisa and Francesca offer light-hearted words of wisdom, and their down-to-earth wit prove that life can be taken much too seriously.

There is one chapter with a more serious note; Francesca shares the story of a brutal physical attack. Her vivacious nature allow her to share that story and her ongoing recovery as a victim of a terrible crime. It’s a healing process, and although Francesca and her mother are not certain she will continue to live life as guileless as before her attack, she perseveres and forges on, sharing her story and not allowing herself to fall prey to becoming a cowering victim of fate. I found this inspiring, and I also found (past that chapter) her outlook on life wonderfully refreshing. She continues to move on. That is what this book is about; moving on each day. As women we can either give in to calamitous doom, or we pull on our big-girl panties and continue on with forward momentum. I say Good for you, Lisa and Francesca. Thank you so much for the gift of this wonderful book!

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26114256-i-ve-got-sand-in-all-the-wrong-places

It's Never Too Late To Begin Again

In December while on Christmas break I discovered mention of Julia Cameron’s book The Artist’s Way. I began the main exercise of that book – an activity called Morning Pages. The idea of morning pages is a catharsis of sorts; to clear one’s brain from the debris that we all have floating around inside of us. As early as possible upon rising for the day the idea is to hand write 3 8 ½ by 11 pages of thoughts. It’s not exactly journaling, and it is written for no audience to read. It is stream-of-consciousness writing and from it patterns in life emerge and we can sort of clear and address any blocks we might have – clearing the way for creativity, but not just as an artist or writer, but in our careers or jobs; our family life; wherever we might be blocked. It is a fabulous exercise. I do find it a challenge to rise an hour earlier to do this exercise, and sometimes I don’t have an opportunity to write until after work, but I feel it is helping me in my life. I feel clearer, more focused. I am able to concentrate and even think about the future through different eyes. It’s interesting that it took me this long to pick up that particular book; it was published in the mid-90’s and as a bookseller from 1998 through 2014 I have seen that book countless times, never taking the time to discover what it was about. It’s made a world of difference to me.

When I saw that Julia had a new book coming out – It’s Never Too Late To Begin Again, and that I could read it through Net Galley in exchange for a fair book review I completely jumped at the chance. Admittedly, when I began reading it and discovered that Julia primarily wrote it for newly retired people I nearly balked at reading it. But then I remembered that The Artist’s Way was not written purely for artists, either, so I continued on. The book is written to help individuals realize that it is never too late to begin life again. Some of us are considering out place in life, contemplating a change in our life style or career, and some of us are in an in-between stage of life; some people are just beginning retirement and are uncertain what life will bring next. Regardless of where we are, I believe this book can help us discover our next desire or course of action.

 I have not finished the book,  and I really don’t want to. It is one of those books that I am just delighting in reading and I truly do not want it to end and be over. I’ve skipped ahead, skipped back, re-read the inspirational quotes, flipped forward again – I keep reading back and forth, but I am not ready to be finished with it.  A few years ago in my first job as a school librarian I worked for a private school. We held our twice annual book fairs at the local Barnes & Noble, and that suited me fine; I worked at that particular store part-time, and book fair weeks were a lot of work, but fun, too; being a bookseller and school librarian during that stage of my life were probably some of the most fulfilling days of my career. Parents were so appreciative of my knowledge and honesty, and steering the children toward “just-right” books was such a pleasure and so satisfying. At the same time, in between visits from the kids (they rode on the bus as a field trip to the store and often parents would meet them there), the parents would wander the store and I could talk books to as many as wanted to. One particular mom had been fighting cancer over that past year. She had two daughters; one was on the verge of “graduating” 8^th grade; the other had graduated the year prior. In our chat at the store she spoke frankly of her illness and her fears of dying from her illness. I don’t know how the conversation drifted, but we began speaking of the afterlife. And from that I told her of a book I had read on the subject which captivated me – Many Lives, Many Masters by Brian Weiss. She ended up purchasing it, and a few weeks later she called me and left me a voice mail. When I first heard her voice, my heart beat incredibly fast and lodged in my throat. She said, Kim, I just want you to know I have not finished the book, and I do not want to. I thought – oh, no! Then she went on in a rush of laughter – she loved it, thought it was fabulous and did not want it to end, which is why she was not going to finish it.

That is how I feel about Julia Cameron’s newest book. I don’t want it to end. It is not a book designed to be read in one sitting. It is intentionally set up to be spread out over a twelve week period. There are tasks involved – Morning Pages, Walking, creating a Memoir, an Artist Walk. Each are activities designed for soul searching; for rediscovering ones passions – or even finding them for the first time. I am very new to Julia Cameron and her books, but I am truly enthralled with her writing and her suggestions. I look forward to continuing with this book and never really finishing it. Julia – thank you so much for your gifts to your readers.

<Half a Chance, by Cynthia Lord

What I really liked about this children's book is its lack of angst, magic, or bullying, which tend to be thematic in today's children's literature. I believe sometimes children just need to read a in order to experience the story of life. Half a Chance is a simple sweet story about a little girl who has moved around the country with her family quite often; her father has wanderlust and is a famous photographer. She is ready to settle down and just live her life in one spot. When she and her parents move to a little town in New Hampshire, they take up residence at a house on a lake. She meets the boy next door and his family, and she becomes enchanted by the loons on the lake. She enters a photography contest, and the book revolves around her taking photographs, but also forming friendships. It's a true to life story, told beautifully. As a child this is the sort of book I would have gravitated toward. I would highly recommend it to anyone with children 4th grade and up.

Life After Life

GoodReads Book Review

I could not put this book down. 529 pages, and I read it in a 24 hour period! Imagine being born time, and time again, into the same life, with the opportunity of improving things each time you were reborn. Ursula dies before she is born, and then is reborn, only to strangle in childbirth. She is born again, and lives until an accident takes her life. Over and over, on the same day of the same year she is born. People, circumstances change, improve, worsen, and still she comes back again and again. What a fascinating concept. What if you had the change to right the wrongs of the world - what would you choose to do?

Ursula's life begins in 1910 in the English countryside not far from London. She lives (repeatedly) through WWl and WWll. Life After Life is a fictionalized look at historical events in England and Germany during the war years; in fact, in one of her lives she become best friends with Hitler's mistress Ava. During her life's struggles, she finds herself wondering how her life became what it was. This is one of the most intriguing books I have read in a very long time.

Jerry's Magic

I was offered an advanced copy of a book called Jerry's Magic by W.W. Rowe through Net Galley. I don't think my words will make or break this book, and in fact I always hesitate to review a book I do not care for, yet there might be an older child or person who could benefit from this book, so I decided to share my thoughts.

This is a short read, and I think the intended audience is children around 10 years old, which is Jerry's age in the story. However, I think that Jerry's growth and ability to learn meditation and answer to a higher self might confuse a ten year old audience.

As an adult I can appreciate Jerry's choices, and Jerry's magic. I am not certain that a 10 year old would. The story starts out simply enough, but about halfway through becomes more about the higher power of our souls and our ability to discover the magic within ourselves and about how if we believe in something enough it becomes real. These are deep topics for a young audience. While a child might enjoy Jerry's mishaps as he struggles to make money pedaling magical wares to help his mom and enhance the family income and making a better life for them, Jerry's self-discovery was a little to mature a reaction for a ten-year old boy, in my opinion. It is not a book I cared much for, and I do not plan to recommend it to the children in my library.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/1248839156

Falling Together

I just finished reading Falling Together by Marisa de los Santos. This, to me, was one of those stories I just did not want to end. I want to know what happens in the characters’ lives going forward. I want to be their friend; to be entwined in their lives.

This is the story of Will, Pen, and Cat and the friendship they formed early in their college days. They were the Three Musketeers; the St. Elmo’s Fire friends, whose friendship essentially went separate ways until several years after their graduation. Cat has disappeared, and Will and Pen reunite in order to find her and solve the mystery of her life since their split. Pen is heartsick over the death of her father; Will is stoic over the loss (but not to death) of his own father; Cat’s mystery surrounds the death of her father. The path of discovery is through each other.

The tale is told mostly from Pen’s point-of-view, but occasionally shifts to third person Will. Cat’s story is told from their memories of her. I found the characters well rounded and well developed, and their relationships to each other folded almost agonizingly slowly – I wanted to skip ahead to satisfy my curiosity! Their backstories unwind and fill in the blanks, leaving the reader to see that even book characters do have flaws in their personalities, and the road to love is not always paved with gold or is always smooth sailing. Although filled with much banter and humorous moments, to me, the best part was the prose and moments of self-discovery Pen experienced.

 

Falling Together by Marisa de los Santos

At the Water's Edge by Sara Gruen

Before I delved into this book I read some of the reviews; not something I normally do, but I was curious. Some criticized it for not being historically accurate, or in casting an incorrect light on WW2. To me, the books was not about World War 2 or many of the events that lead up or resulted from the war. It was about the lives of people during wartime, yes, and how they coped and lived and how life still went on in spite of it all. In fact, one of the characters observes that very thing - that life continued; girl continued to want to dress up for their men, that parties took place, regardless. Maddie was a rich party girl, living a spoiled elite society life with her husband and their best friend until they take things too far and are banished from their home, cut-off from society and most of their money. They decide, on a whim, to adventure to Scotland to correct the wrong they did by proving the Loch Ness monster really did exist. Once in wartime Scotland Maddie quickly discovers that she had been living a life of illusion. She discovers strength in herself she did not know existed and she discovers unpleasant truths about her life and her past. I like her growth as a character, and I really liked the friendships she formed. As Maddie grew and changed she saw behind the façade of her marriage and her life. Monster's can often hide in plain sight.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/584274-kim">View all my reviews.