Review Blast! August Catch- Up Edition

I hate doing these quickie reviews but there comes a time when I realize I’m so far behind that I just need to get over 
myself and get it done.  So here you go. . .

Just Listen, by Sarah Dessen, was an excellent read.  The story was very real - nothing sci-fi, supernatural, or dystopian about it, which is rare with Young Adult novels these days.  The story was about a teenager, her sisters, and her attempt at holding her family together and deal with fall-out after a sexual assault led to rumors and misunderstandings.  This story tackles rape, anorexia, and depression amongst other themes.  It’s a heavy novel with a very real core.  Definitely worth reading.  I recommend it to older teens and adults of all ages.

Airhead, Being Nikki, and Runaway, by Meg Cabot, are the three books that make up the Airhead trilogy.  The story is very far fetched.  After an accident in a department store, Emerson wakes up to find her brain transplanted onto the body of a supermodel.  Emerson has to pretend to be Nikki while trying to remain herself.  The first book hooked me enough to keep reading but honestly I find them all a bit silly.  That darn Meg Cabot can always hook me into her stories, weird as they might be.  While I can’t wholeheartedly recommend them to adults, the target teen audience might enjoy the trilogy. 

I’m pretty well convinced that I’ve read Number the Stars, by Lois Lowry, before.  It’s a familiar story.  That being said, I read it again and once again found myself caught up in one family’s courage to stay together through the worst possible time, and another family’s bravery to help them no matter the cost.  It’s always worth a read - or a re-read. 

Sisterchicks in Wooden Shoes is part of an ongoing series by Robin Jones Gunn.  The stories are stand -alone novels of women getting together and finding out more about themselves, and God, along the way.  In this installment, Summer heads to the Netherlands to meet her longtime pen pal Noelle.  The women had been great friends for years but had never met face to face.  Summer is escaping from a possible breast cancer diagnosis and Noelle is still running from a difficult relationship with her father.  As the two women share adventures, they learn that their friendship was meant to be and they both find healing.

Behind the Gates, by Eva Gray

Behind the Gates, by Eva Gray, is the first in a new series for children, called Tomorrow Girls.  It looked interesting as it's a dystopian novel for kids, which as far as I know is fairly unique.  The young adult shelves are full of them but for ages eight - twelve, I don't see as many.

The story starts with Louisa and Maddie heading toward a special boarding school.  They anticipate freedom and activities, but they find that the school is very different than expected.  They are taught survival skills and have all of their electronics taken away.  Louisa loves it but Maddie wants to go home. 

The girls, along with some new friends, discover that things aren't quite what they seem and they begin to wonder about the school's intentions.  With the world at war, are they being taught survival for a reason?

The story ends just as the story gets going.  It will be interesting to continue the series eventually.  I enjoyed the book but was not blown away by it.  It will probably appeal more to its intended age group but I can see where kids might not be patient enough to wait for the second book.  It might be an idea to get the entire series!

Gone With a Handsomer Man by Michael Lee West

Gone With a Handsomer Man, by Michael Lee West is a clever and witty mystery romance.  I found it to be a fun read.  I'm not good with mysteries though so I did peak ahead to see the culprit!

The story is about Teeny Templeton, an amateur baker who is engaged to a wealthy Lothario.  When she comes home to find him playing naked badminton with a couple of women, she gets angry and starts throwing peaches.  This is where the story spirals, with her having to move out, try to regain custody of her dog, and eventually solve a mystery.  She also meets a handsomer man from her past who helps her to get over Bing. 

The writing is very clever with some great lines that I shared with my mother on several occasions.  The story moves fairly quickly and the dialogue is snappy.  It might be a little too snappy and clever at times, but it all worked, especially set in the city of Charleston.  While the story resolved itself, there was a definite cliff-hanger so I can only assume there will be a sequel.  I hope. 

Heart of the Matter by Emily Giffin

Heart of the Matter, by Emily Giffin is one of those books that is completely frustrating and yet completely readable. The story is a triangle of sorts, two women, one man.

Tessa and Nick have been married for years, with two small children. By all accounts, they have a satisfying, happy marriage. Nick is a surgeon and works odd hours, something the family is used to. When Nick meets Valerie, the mother of a young boy in his care, he is instantly attracted.

The reader is treated to two views. We see the story through Tessa's eyes as she begins to doubt her husband's faithfulness. We see the story through Valerie's eyes as a woman who is falling fast for the good looking doctor. Personally, I liked both women. That's what made it all so difficult. I also kind of liked Nick despite him being a cheating husband.

I've read a few other books by Emily Giffin and recognized some of the characters from past books. I always enjoy those little connections. Heart of the Matter is a solid read with believable characters and a believable situation. I recommend it

The Graveyard Book by Neil Gaiman

The Graveyard Book, by Neil Gaiman is one of the most unique books I've ever read. As a child I was terrified of cemeteries and frankly, I'm not fond of them as an adult either. Imagine growing up in a graveyard, raised by ghosts. The story begins with a baby wandering (crawling) into a graveyard, not knowing that he was being pursued by a murderer. A kindly ghost couple vows to protect and raise the baby, and a resident vampire agrees to provide for him. The baby, now named Nobody, lives and learns surrounded by his ghostly family and friends.

The complete normalcy of Bod's life struck me. He wasn't afraid of graveyards or ghosts because it was all he knew. He found peace amongst the dead. There are many stories of orphans being raised by horrible monsters - usually human. Bod's family were dead but yet they loved him and cared for him. Go figure. It was a fresh perspective on the story.

I enjoyed this book immensely. It was beautifully written and I confess to crying at the end. It's a Newbery Award Winner and deserves that award. I don't know if I would have been okay with reading it as a very sensitive child but as an adult it was no problem. It's perfectly acceptable for children to read but I think it would be great to read to a child just in case as it is a little on the dark side of things.

Misery Loves Cabernet by Kim Gruenenfelder

Misery Loves Cabernet, by Kim Gruenenfelder, is a very funny book. Having a funny book to read was a really nice thing for me as life in general wasn't very funny over the last few days. That being said, I enjoyed this book much more than I thought I would.

I received the book as an advanced readers copy through Library Thing. I knew nothing about the author and was very pleasantly surprised. My big concern was that the book is a sequel and I was afraid I would miss out on some important back story. The good news is that the book can stand alone, and does so rather well.

Charlie has a job working as a personal assistant for one of the biggest movie stars in the world, Drew Stanton. Drew is probably my favorite character in the book. He is spoiled, charming, and I find his affection for Charlie to be very sweet. Of course he's not the romantic interest for her but in my opinion he could be. . . Maybe in the next book? Charlie is caught up in her work, her romantic entanglements, and the lives of her friends and families.

I enjoyed the characters a lot. They were unique, quirky, and fun. Anyone who is a fan of women's fiction, and enjoys a good fun read, should pick up this book.

The Constant Princess by Philippa Gregory

The Constant Princess is the story of Katherine of Aragon, who was the first of Henry VIII's wives. She was a princess of Spain, the daughter of King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella. She was the mother of Henry's daughter Mary (Bloody Mary).

The story began with Catalina, Infante of Spain, Princess of Wales, and future Queen of England, as a little girl living in Spain. She was beloved by her parents and brought up as a princess of both Spain and England, having been betrothed to Prince Arthur at a young age. Catalina traveled to England at the age of fifteen and married Arthur. After a trying few months, Catalina found herself in love with her husband. Not long after, he died of illness. She struggled to maintain her dignity while being tossed back and forth between her parents and King Henry VII. She fought for her place in England and eventually married Arthur's brother, King Henry VIII.

I really struggled with this book. It was well written and interesting, much like Ms. Gregory's other books on the Tudors, but I had a hard time getting into it. I suppose it was because I knew what was going to happen. There wasn't much mystery really. I enjoyed The Queen's Fool and The Other Boleyn girl more because they were about characters that I didn't know anything about. While I knew about Anne Boleyn, I knew nothing of Mary Boleyn.

I have a confession. . . I skimmed the last hundred pages or so. It was all about battles and war planning. That didn't interest me, I would have rather Katherine have some joy at the birth of Mary, but that was barely touched on. It was a bit of a disappointment over all but I still plan to continue reading her books.

Baby Proof by Emily Giffen

Baby Proof is one of those books that make you think. There are a few moments that hit entirely too close to home and can hit on sensitive nerves. It was hard for me to get going with this book. I started it, read a few pages, and put it down thinking that I was not going to be a fan of the main character. It turns out I was wrong and while I didn't love the book, I liked it enough to finish reading it and I'll probably share it with a few people.

Baby Proof is about Claudia, a woman in her mid-thirties, who has a very loving marriage. Thing start to go bad when her husband decides he wants children and she absolutely does not. They can not come to a compromise and end up getting a divorce. Claudia struggles through losing the only man she's ever really loved while dealing with work, a new romance, and the drama surrounding her sisters and her best friend.

One thing I really enjoyed was that all of the minor characters had a sub-plot. Claudia's sister Maura was struggling with her husband's infidelity and decisions regarding her marriage and three young children. Her other sister Daphne is struggling with infertility and her best friend, Jess, is dating a married man. All the loose ends tie up neatly towards the end of the book but one question is left hanging. I'm not going to tell you what it was. You'll have to read and find out.

There is also a nice little cameo by Ethan from Something Blue. It's nice to know that he and Darcy are still together!

Sisterchicks Go Brit by Robin Jones Gunn

I picked up the first Sisterchick book (Sisterchicks on the Loose) a few years back, I think it had just come out. I had started reading Robin's books when I discovered the Glenbrooke series. I'm a Christian but I don't read a lot of Christian fiction. I'll be honest, I find a lot of it terribly cheesy and not all that interesting. I mean no offense to the sincere authors who write Christian fiction, some of it is quite good! There are authors who craft beautiful stories that touch hearts. My main issue with a good chunk of the genre is the idea that everything is good all the time. Even with God in my life, things are not good all the time, things can be dark and scary, painful and lonely. I want real characters and real situations. That said, let me tell you why I like the Sisterchicks books.

The first thing you should know is that they are about travel. With the exception of Sisterchicks Down Under they are about women -usually two friends -traveling together. I only say that book is an exception because it involved relocation for one woman who made a friend in her new temporary home. If you have ever traveled with a very close friend you'll know that it's not always easy. Even for the best of friends to spend that much time together can be tricky. I have traveled with my best friend and it's a lot of fun. There is usually one point where we are tired and cranky but we respect each other to know that we can let it pass and move on.

In the Sisterchick books the women generally have a plan but rarely get to follow it. Isn't that usually the way it is with traveling plans? There's always something to mess things up but these women embrace it, enjoy it and have fun. There's a great scene in Sisterchicks Go Brit where one of the characters splits her pants right before taking off in a hot air balloon. With some creative use of duct tape, she manages to get through the flight. After coming down to earth she sits down in some grass and not realizing that some of the sticky tape might be coming through she stands up to have "daisies" on her pants. It's cute and you know what? It could totally happen to all of us.

I have been to the UK and I can really relate to those moments of seeing some of the great treasures for the first time. The first time you see the Tower Bridge, Buckingham Palace, Big Ben, and the Crown Jewels is quite amazing. The main character also has a great love for English literature. I'm getting there but I do understand where she is coming from.

It's a light, fluffy read, perfect for an airplane or vacation read. It takes you away and you can't help but enjoy it. If you are a woman who loves to travel or just wants to travel I say pick these books up. The books do bring up Bible passages and the women usually have some sort of growth in their relationship with God but the books aren't overly preachy. Even if you aren't a Christian, you could easily read them for the adventures. Enjoy!