Waiting on Wednesday - The Heights

 

Waiting On” Wednesday is hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine.  What book are you waiting for to be released?  Here's my pick:

 

The Heights; Peter Hedges

(Amazon)

Tim Welch is a popular history teacher at the Montague Academy, an exclusive private school in Brooklyn Heights. As he says, "I was an odd-looking, gawky kid but I like to think my rocky start forced me to develop empathy, kindness, and a tendency to be enthusiastic. All of this, I'm now convinced, helped in my quest to be worthy of Kate Oliver." Now, Kate is not inherently ordinary. But she aspires to be. She stays home with their two young sons in a modest apartment trying desperately to become the parent she never had. They are seemingly the last middle-class family in the Heights, whose world is turned upside down by Anna Brody, the new neighbor who moves into the most expensive brownstone in Brooklyn, sending the local society into a tailspin.

Anna is not only beautiful and wealthy; she's also mysterious. And for reasons Kate doesn't quite understand, even as all the Range Rover- driving moms jockey for invitations into Anna's circle, Anna sets her sights on Kate and Tim and brings them into her world.

Like Tom Perrotta, Peter Hedges has a keen eye for the surprising truths of daily life. The Heights is at once light of touch and packed with emotion and depth of character.

Wordless Wednesday

 

21 - Making Toast; Roger Rosenblatt

Making Toast; Roger Rosenblatt

Amy Elizabeth Rosenblatt Soloman was a successful pediatrician, the wife of a hand surgeon, and mother to three young children, ages 6, 4 and 1. She was just 38 years old,  in the prime of her life, when she collapsed while working out on her treadmill at her home and died.  The cause of death was an undiagnosed heart anomaly. 

Ginny and Roger Rosenblatt, Amy's parents, should have been traveling and enjoying life, but when tragedy struck, and their daughter's children were left without their mother, Ginny and Roger moved from their Long Island home into the home of their son-in-law,Harris, to care for their three, young, motherless grandchildren.  Their life now was filled with diapers,  play dates,  school activities, preparing meals, bedtime stories and everything in between....even "making toast" just perfect to the likes of all the children.

MY THOUGHTS - This short, but touching memoir (just 171 pages) is not all sadness and gloom as one might expect. Written in simple prose, the story is not depressing or sappy. Yes, it is about loss and grieving, but more importantly, when all is said and done, it is about family, and about doing the right thing.  It is about rolling up your sleeves and  stepping up to the plate, and helping the people who need you the most.  It's about rebuilding lives in the aftermath of tragedy, and redefining what family really means. RECOMMENDED - 4.5/5 stars

(Review copy provided through Shelf Awareness/ECCO Books)

20 - The Girl Next Door; Elizabeth Noble

The Girl Next Door; Elizabeth Noble

An apartment building on the Upper East Side of Manhattan is the backdrop for Elizabeth Noble's latest novel. Ed and Eve Gallagher move from York, England to New York City because of Ed's bank job. The couple believes that they have found the perfect place to live, however, Ed is gone a lot because of his job, and Eve finds herself becoming very lonely as a stay at home wife.  

Violet Wallace is a private woman, she is an 82 year's old, an Englishwoman who also lives in the building and she and Eve become friends.  Then there is Jackson Grayling III, a spoiled trust fund recipient who is in love with Emily Mikanowski, who is unimpressed by Grayling's looks or wealth. Emily is friends with Charlotte, a frumpy librarian into steamy romance novels, who happens to have a crush on Che, one of the doormen.

Well, you get the picture here, and there are several more residents: Jason and Kim Kramer, Rachel and David Schulman and Madison. It's basically a novel  about the building's residents and how their lives intertwine. 

MY THOUGHTS - Initially I had high hopes for this novel, based on its premise. A few years back I read a wonderful novel with a similar plot: Between Two Rivers; Nicholas Rinaldi. This book was also set in NYC, a condo building, but it was far superior to this novel, all of the characters were memorable and extremely well developed ; their issues were very real.

In The Girl Next Door, to me, the characters seemed a bit too stereotypical, with issues like: infidelity, infertility, jealousy, betrayal, friendship, love and loss.  I did enjoy parts of this book, and I think if you are in need of a lighter beach-type read you might enjoy this book. However,  if your goal is for something memorable, something deeper, you might want to look elsewhere. Recommendation - YOU DECIDE - 3.5/5 stars.

(Review copy provided by Simon and Schuster - thank you)

Tuesday Teasers

 

 

 

 Miz B and Teaser Tuesdays asks you to:

 

Grab your current read. Let the book fall open to a random page.

Share with us two (2) sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.

You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given! Feel free to Grab the logo and post your own Tuesday Teaser.
 

This Is Where I Leave You; Tropper

(p.252...After my little outburst, I am deemed unfit for Shiva, so I load Ryan and Cole into Wendy's rented minivan to drive them over to Wonderland, a second-rate amusement part a few miles down the interstate. I figure Wendy could use the break, as she's been offhandedly remarking, more than usual, about smothering them in their sleep.)

(This book is really good - library copy)

Mailbox Monday

Monday Again

 

Mailbox Monday is a fun meme where bloggers reveal the books that arrived at their house (by mail) over the past week. It is hosted by Marcia of The Printed Page. 

 

 Get any good books? Please share!

 

• The Girl Who Fell From the Sky; Durrow (Jan-2010) (Algonquin Books)
• The Girl Who Chased the Moon; Sarah Addison Allen (3-16-2010)(Amazon Vine)
• The Man From Saigon; Leimbach (2-23-2010) Doubleday
• Fragile Beasts; O'Dell (3-18-2010) Crown and Shaye Areheart Books
• The Solitude of Prime Numbers; Giardano - (3-18-2010) Amazon Vine
• The Frozen Rabbi; Steve Stern - (5-11-2010) (Algonquin Books)
• Sugar; Bernice McFadden - Sent by author
• Veracity; Bynum (1-2010) (Simon and Schuster)
• A Stain on the Silence; Andrew Taylor (2-16-2010) - (Hyperion)
• Eternal on the Water; Monninger (2-16-2010) (Simon and Schuster)

All of these look pretty good to me, and a few have been on my wish list for several months, so I am not sure where to begin ?? Which book would you read first from this list?

Sunday Salon - February 7th

 

Hello, Sunday Blogging Buddies, hope you had a great week! 

We've been watching the mid-Atlantic snow storm reports, and California mudslide news --just awful.  I am hoping all of you who live in those areas are safe and doing well.  We just have cold windy weather to contend with, and for that we are grateful.

We went to see the new Mel Gibson movie this week: The Edge of Darkness.  It was good (not great, but worth seeing).  We especially liked the fact that it took place in Massachusetts : Boston area as well as the western part of the state Northampton, so there were lots of familiar places we were able to identify. Patiently waiting for Shutter Island which hits the theaters her on 2/19/2010.

Today is my husband's birthday, and Wednesday was my sister-in-laws, so today we are having a joint birthday celebration...... pizza and cake party. Neither Henry or Nancy would not want me to mention their ages on my blog, but I know you are curious, aren't you? LOL  Let's just say, that if we put the appropriate number of candles on their joint birthday cake it would look something pretty close to this:

 

Instead I am being considerate of their advanced age, and remembering that payback is a bit_ _. Here is a picture of their actual cake which will have (1) box of 24 candles for the two of them to blow out because of their reduced lung capacity (at their age).  Fortunately, neither of them read my blog so I can pretty much write whatever I'd like :) 

             
Books Read This Week

1. American Rust; P. Meyer
2. Fancy Nancy Heart to Heart; O"Conner
3. Wish Her Safe At Home; Benetar
4. The Girl Next Door; Noble (no review yet)
5. Making Toast; Rosenblatt (no review yet)

Books in Progress

1. This Book is Overdue; Johnson
2. Sacred Hearts; Dunant (audio and review copies) - almost done

               This Weeks Tentative Reading Plans

• Brazzaville Beach; William Boyd
• Bloodroot; Amy Greene
• Unfinished Desires; Gail Godwin
• The Weed That Strings the Hangman's Bag; Bradley

Other Sunday Stuff

I wanted to thank Lisa @ Lit and Life for passing on this award to me. I try to remember to thanks those who thought of me, but I know I am not good about passing them on. Please don't be offended, it just isn't always possible. I hope you understand.

 

Thanks again Lisa!

Well, time to make some coffee and then still some last minute details to get ready for today's company. Oh, and not to forget, the Super Bowl (My only real interest in this event is the commercials that everyone will be talking about the next day).  Stay safe everyone and enjoy your week.

19 - Wish Her Safe At Home; Stephen Benatar

Wish Her Safe At Home; Stephen Benatar

It is the 1980's and Rachel Waring is a middle-aged woman with a life no one would envy. She lives in London with an awful roommate, she's stuck in a dead end job, has never married, and her parents have died. Imagine Rachel's surprise when she learns she has inherited an old but beautiful mansion in Bristol from a great aunt.

When she sees the place, she decides she has nothing to lose by packing up her things, leaving her dead end job and moving to Bristol. She thinks that things have to improve, and that maybe this is just what she needs to change her image and change her life. It doesn't take too long for things to take a downward slide once she moves to Bristol. She begins to do some research on a former occupant of the mansion from the 18th century, and she purchases a painting of who she believes is the former occupant, and begins to call him her housemate.

MY THOUGHTS: The author, Stephen Benatar, did an amazing job getting inside Rachel Waring's head. The writing is terrific. The story is told from Rachel's point of view, as she is slipping into a happy kind of madness. I really like Rachel, and felt sorry for her. To me, Rachel was like that neighbor or coworker we all may have run into at some point in our lives: quirky, socially inept --everyone else seemed to see Rachel as rather pathetic, yet harmless, but Rachel was oblivious to how others responded. I loved the story itself; it was very different from anything I've read lately. I was never really sure when an event was actually happening or just taking place inside of Rachel's head. I might have rated this book a bit higher, but I found parts of the story seemed to drag, even though the book was only 263 pages. Despite this, I feel the book was a worthwhile read and I am glad that I read it. RECOMMENDED (4/5 stars)

(Review copy received through the Amazon Vine program)

18 - Fancy Nancy: Heart to Heart; Jane O'Connor and Robin Glasser

Just in time for Valentine's Day comes Fancy Nancy: Heart to Heart.

For those of you not familiar with the Fancy Nancy series,  Nancy is a little girl who loves to be "fancy". She loves to play dress up and enjoys fancy clothes, fancy accessories, fancy activities, and even fancy words. The books are not only beautifully illustrated, but the "fancy words" she uses and explains the meaning of, is the added bonus to these books.

In Fancy Nancy: Heart to Heart, Nancy learns that just about everything for Valentine's Day is "fancy". She receives a secret Valentine, and follows the clues to find out who it is from.  In this adorable holiday story, Nancy explains how scrumptious raspberry cream candies are, how gorgeous Valentine cards can be, and what a secret admirer means, for a few of Nancy's "fancy" words. This edition is suppose to have a page of fun stickers included, however it was missing from the library edition that I borrowed. Recommended for ages 4-8, this book is the perfect gift for the special little "fancy girl" in your life. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED - 5/5

Library Loot - 2/5/2010

 

All Library Books are either 2009 or 2010 releases from my wish list.

Have you read any of these? If so, What were your thoughts?

(So far I've Only Read Fancy Nancy: Heart to Heart (very cute)

17 - American Rust ; Philipp Meyer

American Rust is a simple, but compelling story that paints a bleak portrait of life in the once thriving steel mill towns of Pennsylvania.  The story is set in present day, in the fictional town of Buell, PA.  As the mills closed down and companies moved elsewhere, many local businesses, once prosperous are now boarded up. The once lovely landscape, is marred by polluted rivers and rusted out buildings and barges. The people who still live in the area have very few employment alternatives.  Many of those who were making top blue collar wages, were now either unemployed or stuck in minimum wage jobs, struggling to support themselves, never mind a family.

The central characters are two very different, high school friends Issac English and Billy Poe. Isaac was top in his class, brilliant like his sister Lee who is left Buell and is now a student at Yale. While Isaac should to off attending a top rated college as well, instead he is at home caring for his disabled father who was injured at work.  His mother committed suicide earlier.  Billy Poe was a football hero in high school, but instead of going off to college on an athletic scholarship, the angry, hot-headed Billy stays back in his hometown of Buell as well.

One day Isaac decides to leave town with some of his father's money. He tells he buddy his plans to hitch a train and head for Berkeley, CA.  However, when an incident involving some homeless men results in one person dead, and later an identifying jacket is found at the scene, the lives of these two friends, and the people close to them will be forever changed.

MY THOUGHTS - American Rust is an amazing debut novel -- the title fits the story perfectly. The story is told through shifting perspectives, and through the inner thoughts of the characters --a style that works well. A cautionary novel that showcases what often happens to once booming towns when the good jobs dry up, and the families left behind are unable to work and support their families.  It's also a story about moral dilemmas, and about people who have too much time on their hands, and some who make the wrong choices in life.  The characters in this novel, even the minor ones, are flawed yet so very realistic.  American Rust is a sad story, but if you can handle that, and go in with your eyes wide open, this book is really a worthwhile read.  I think this book would be a good choice for book club discussion. I'll be looking for future works by this author. RECOMMENDED - 4/5 stars.

About the Author
 Philipp Meyer grew up in Baltimore, dropped out of high school, and got his GED when he was sixteen. After spending several years volunteering at a trauma center in downtown Baltimore, he attended Cornell University, where he studied English. Since graduating, Meyer has worked as a derivatives trader at UBS, a construction worker, and an EMT, among other jobs. His writing has been published in McSweeney’s, The Iowa Review, Salon.com, and New Stories from the South. From 2005 to 2008 Meyer was a fellow at the Michener Center for Writers in Austin, Texas. He splits his time between Texas and upstate New York.

 

Thanks to TLC Book Tours for the Opportunity to Read/Review this Book.

(To view the complete list of tour stops, and links to other reviews for this book visit the TLC site.)

Waiting on Wednesday - Every Last One

 

Waiting On” Wednesday is hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine.  What book are you waiting for to be released?  Here's my pick:

Every Last One; Anna Quindlen 

Random House - 4/26/2010

AMAZON
 
In this breathtaking and beautiful novel, the #1 New York Times bestselling author Anna Quindlen creates an unforgettable portrait of a mother, a father, a family, and the explosive, violent consequences of what seem like inconsequential actions.

Mary Beth Latham is first and foremost a mother, whose three teenaged children come first, before her career as a landscape gardener, or even her life as the wife of a doctor.  Caring for her family and preserving their everyday life is paramount.  And so, when one of her sons, Max, becomes depressed, Mary Beth becomes focused on him, and is blindsided by a shocking act of violence. What happens afterwards is a testament to the power of a woman’s love and determination, and to the invisible line of hope and healing that connects one human being with another. Ultimately, in the hands of Anna Quindlen’s mesmerizing prose, Every Last One is a novel about facing every last one of the the things we fear most, about finding ways to navigate a road we never intended to travel, to live a life we never dreamed we’d have to live but must be brave enough to try.
 

Wordless Wednesday

February Giveaway - Secrets of Eden; Chris Bohjalian

Let's Have a February Giveaway for a book by one of my all time favorite authors - Chris Bohjalian!

Secrets of Eden - Pub. Date 2/2/2010

(I enjoyed this book a lot; BTW: it is an ARC. You can read my review HERE)

Eligibility requirements for a chance to win:

• This giveaway is only open to followers of this blog (NEW and OLD).
• One entry per person, please.
• US and International entries are eligible to win.
• In the comment section tell me the name of (1) book you can't wait to read .
• Leave your email address in the comment in case you win.
• (1) Winner will be selected on Sunday, February 28th.

 Good luck!

The New York Reading Challenge

I am a sucker for a good reading challenge, especially when it's a simple one to be successful like this one. Did you hear about Fizzy Thought's New York Challenge?

The rules:
1. The challenge runs from February 1st through May 15th, 2010.
2. Between now and May 15th, read 1 (one) book set in New York City and post your review. You can certainly read more, if you’re the overachieving type, but I’m trying to get maximum participation. The book can be non-fiction or fiction, poetry or prose, graphic novel or audio book…whatever floats your boat. It can even be a guidebook. It just has to have New York City as its primary setting. And no fair using a book you’ve already read.  Full Details HERE!



I am hoping to read (1) of these (2) books:

• Nanny Returns; McLaughlin
• The Girl Next Door; E. Noble - 3.5/5

Come on, join, you know you want to!!!!

Tuesday Teasers

Miz B and Teaser Tuesdays asks you to:

Grab your current read. Let the book fall open to a random page.

Share with us two (2) sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12.

You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given! Feel free to Grab the logo and post your own Tuesday Teaser.

Sacred Hearts; Sarah Dunant

(p. 121)..."Before her eyes have had time to adjust to the gloom (even in daylight it remains murky here), Zuana is struck by the smell.  She has prepared herself for sickness, even the telltale scent of death, but this is different: light, fragrant, like a wave of perfume--roses or even frangipani--summer smells in winter.  It is almost as shocking as the sight that greets her on the bed."

(Quoted text was taken from an Advance Reader Edition sent to me by Random House)

Challenge # 12 for 2010 - Reagan Arthur Books Challenge

I signed up for this challenge last week, but just realized that I never did my post....OOPS!

Here is some information about this new challenge for 2010.

Read the Reagan Arthur Books. Order doesn’t matter and we are defining “reading” as print, audio, or e-book. You don’t have to read all of the books, but we encourage you to read all of those that appeal to you!

This challenge is hosted by that is hosted by Kathy/Bermuda Onion & Julie/Booking Mama.
 

Here is your chance to win a copy of this book and many more. This is a low stress challenge for anyone who loves to read. The rules are simple : Read Reagan Arthur Books.

• Order doesn’t matter and we are defining “reading” as print, audio, or e-book.  You don’t have to read all of the books, but we encourage you to read all of those that appeal to you!
• Begin the challenge when you write your challenge post. The challenge is perpetual and does not have an end date.
• Submit the links to your reviews (or your reviews if you don’t have a blog) to rabookschallenge(at)gmail(dot)com.
• Help spread the word. We will be using the hashtag #rarthurbooks on twitter.

 you can sign up here.

(There is a great giveaway to kick off this new challenge.)

My Tentative List of Reagan Arthur Books

1. Unnamed; Joshua Ferris
2. Black Hills; Dan Simmons
   

Mailbox Monday

Is it Monday Again ?

Mailbox Monday is a fun meme where bloggers reveal the books that arrived at their house (by mail) over the past week. It is hosted by Marcia of The Printed Page. 

 Get any good books? Please share!

Not the Greatest Photo - Sorry!

• Every Dog Has a Gift;  Rachel McPherson (3/2010) (Penguin Survey Giveaway)
• The Language of Secrets; Dianne Dixon (this was a Waiting on Wednesday pick of mine and the author saw it, contacted me to thank me, and had her Publicist at Random House send me a copy---That was exciting!) - (3/23/10)
• Making Toast; Rosenblatt - Shelf Awareness/Ecco Marketing (2/16/10)
• The Weed the Strings the Hangman's Bag; Alan Bradley - Amazon Vine (loved book 1 of this series) - (3/2010) - Delacorte Press
• Shadow Tag; Louise Erdrich - Harper Collins ( 2/2/10)
• This Book is Overdue; Marilyn Johnson - Harper Collins (2/2010)
• The Professor and Other Writings; Terry Castle - Harper Collins (love the cover)
• The Book of Fires; Jane Borodale - Penguin Group (another great cover)

With sincere appreciation for sending me these books to read/review.

Sunday Salon - 1-31-2010 - January in Review

 

Hello, Sunday Blogging Buddies, hope you had a great week!

It has been freezing here this week, we even had some snow squalls one day along with 45MPH winds causing scary white-out conditions for drivers (nearly 100 accidents in the area in a 8 hour period). Fortunately, we were both safe and warm at home...whew!  

I am so happy that I got all caught up on my January books read/reviews, so that I can officially close out the month. 

Here is what I read/reviewed in January:

1. The Handmaid's Tale; Margaret Atwood - 4.5/5
   
2. Gilded: How Newport Became America's Richest Resort; Davis - 4/5
   
3. Remarkable Creatures; Tracy Chevalier - 4.5/5
   
4. The Disappeared; M.R. Hall - 3/5
   
5. One Amazing Thing; Chitra Divakaruni - 4/5
   
6. South of Broad; Pat Conroy - 4.5/5 (audio)
   
7. Blacklands; Belinda Bauer - 4/5
   
8. The End of the Road; Sue Henry - 2/5
   
9. The Red Door; Charles Todd - 3.5/5
   
10. Secrets of Eden; Chris Bohjalian - 4/5
11. Making Rounds With Oscar; David Dosa, M.D. - 5/5
12. Shutter Island; Dennis LeHane - 4/5 (audio)
13. Winter's Tail; Hatkoff - 4.5/5
14. Noah's Compass; Anne Tyler - 5/5
15. Not My Daughter; Delinsky - 4/5
16. The Happiness Project; Gretchen Rubin - 3/5

• January = (4) non fiction (2) audio) (12) fiction(12 review books)

• Favorite Books of the Month: Making Rounds With Oscar and Noah's Compass

2010 Challenge Progress

1. 2010 100+ Reading Challenge - 16/100
2. 2010 Reading From My Shelves Project - 13/75
3. 2010 ARC Reading Challenge - 12/38
4. 2010 Pub Challenge - 6/10
5. 2010 New Authors Challenge - 6/50
6. 2010 Support Your Local Library - 4/50
7. 2010 Audio Book Challenge - 2/20
8. 2010 Thriller/Suspense Challenge - 2/12
9. 2010 Chunkster Challenge - 1/6
10. 2010 Booker Challenge - 0/6
11. 2010 Books To Read Before I Die Challenge - 0/20

 

January Books Purchased = (4) 

Link to Books Purchased/Cost

Total Cost $16.95 includes taxes and/or s/h

February Goals

1. Read (1) Books for Booker Challenge
2. Read (2-3) Books for Books To Read Before I Die Challenge

Books in Progress

1. American Rust; Meyer  (tour book)
2. Sacred Hearts; Dunant (audio and review copies)
3. Wish her Safe At Home; Benatar - (review copy)

Other Sunday Stuff

I wanted to take a minute to thank some bloggers for passing on some thoughtful awards to me this week: 

  

              (From Susan @ Suko's Notebook)

      

      (Peaceful Reader)                (SB @ Not To Serious I Hope)

Happy 101 - Asks That I Name (10) Things I am Happy For 

(here goes)

1. Good Health
2. A Peaceful Life That I Love
3. Knowing I'm Loved
4. Wonderful husband and children
5. Caring family and friends
6. (4) amazing feline family members
7. Books, Book Stores
8. Bloggers Everywhere
9. Having enough
10. Helping others

Have a great Sunday and a terrific week as well!

16 - The Happiness Project; Gretchen Rubin

 

The Happiness Project or, Why I Spent a Year Trying to Sing in the Morning, Clean My Closets, Fight Right, Read Aristotle, and Generally Have More Fun  (now that is one heck of a title)!

Gretchen Rubin's new book is part memoir and part self-help. It is based on the author's 365 day quest to find more happiness in her life. One day the author had an epiphany of sorts while riding on a city bus. "The days are long, but the years are short," she realized. "Time is passing, and I'm not focusing enough on the things that really matter."  Recognizing some of her own flaws:  quick to blame, craves praise, snores and is somewhat messy, she decided to spend a year making her life happier, hence, The Happiness Project. The project involved "scientific studies" and "wisdom of the ages" to see what works.

What is a Happiness Project?

As define by the author: "A Happiness Project is an approach for changing your life. First is the preparation stage, when you identify what brings you joy, satisfaction and engagement, and also what brings you guilt, anger, boredom, and remorse.  Second is making of resolutions, when you identify the concrete actions that will boost your happiness. Then comes the interesting part keeping your resolutions."

 In this book, beginning with January, each month was dedicated to a new resolution.

• January -  Boost Energy: Vitality
• February - Remember Love
• March - Aim Higher: Work
• April - Lighten Up: Parenthood
• May - Be Serious About Play (Leisure)
• June - Make Time for Friends (Friendship)
• July - Buy Some Happiness (Money)
• August - Contemplate the Heavens (Eternity)
• September - Pursue a Passion (Books)
• October - Pay Attention (Mindfulness
• November - Keep a Contented Heart (Attitude)
• December - Boot Camp Perfect (Happiness)

(In addition, within each month's resolution there were points to focus on and examples.)

Take February -- Resolution = Remember Love (Focus on - quit nagging; don't expect praise; fight right; no dumping and give proofs of love)

At the very end of the book there are guidelines for starting your own personalized Happiness Project. The guidelines include questions for the reader to answer to help them formulate their own game plan.

MY THOUGHTS - I started out really loving this book, even though some of the January resolutions were nothing new: go to sleep earlier; exercise better; toss, restore, organize and tackle a nagging task.  Her personal resolutions would be pretty easy to apply to most anyone's life. I was even thinking of a few people I knew who might enjoy this book.  However, by the time I got about half way though I decided to nix that idea. A lot of what I was reading seemed rather self-indulgent.  There are also a lot of references and comments from her blog throughout this book, so I began to think perhaps I'll just recommend the blog instead to the people I had in mind. (Happiness Project Blog)

As I mentioned there were things I did enjoy a lot about the book. It was well written, insightful, and oftentimes humorous.  My problem really was that the author, in my opinion, is not what most might consider to be a typical, wife and mother with job who happens to be in a bit of a rut.  Far from it, the author has many advantages: for starters, she admits that she is married to the love of her life, has two wonderful daughters. In addition, her bio she states the following:

"I wrote a bestselling biography of Winston Churchill, "Forty Ways to Look at Winston Churchill," and one of John Kennedy, "Forty Ways to Look at JFK." My first book, "Power Money Fame S..: A User's Guide," is social criticism in the guise of a user's manual. I've also written three dreadful novels that are safely locked away in a drawer.

Before turning to writing, I had a career in law. A graduate of Yale and Yale Law School, I clerked for Justice Sandra Day O'Connor and was editor-in-chief of the Yale Law Journal."
  
While all this is certain admirable, most who are might consider reading this book are coming from a whole other place in life.  I would think that many might look to this book as a self-help guide. If that is the case and if, for example, the reader is unhappy and prone to depression, this book is unlikely to be the cure. In fact, it might make such a reader feel more overwhelmed by the thought of taking on such a huge project.  But, on the other hand  if your life is pretty good and you are just looking for a way to make things run more smoothly or to become more organized in life, then you might want to give The Happiness Project a try.  MY Recommendation  ? YOU DECIDE. (3/5 stars)

(Thanks to Harper Collins for sending me a review copy)

15 - Not My Daughter; Barbara Delinsky

Not My Daughter; Barbara Delinsky

First let me say that I always seem to enjoy a Barbara Delinsky book. Not just because she is a New England author, but because her stories most always about real life situations. This particular novel is about a subject that would make most mothers of teenage girls cringe: A Pregnancy Pact.

In a nutshell Lily, Mary Kate and Jess are three teenage girls, lifelong friends, who decide it would be a great idea to get pregnant at the same time, so that their babies too could be friends. The girls are smart and popular, and even the mothers of these girls (Susan, Kate and Sunny) are friends.  

Susan, the mother of Lily is the first to hear the pregnancy news. She thinks what her daughter has told her is a joke, but when she learns that she is serious, all the hopes and dreams that she had for the daughter she raised on her own, seem to be just that -- dreams.  Susan always taught her daughter to be independent, and that it was possible for a woman to raise a well-adjusted child on her own.

Susan speaks from experience, as she too was pregnant at seventeen. She decided to raise Lily on her own; her own parents basically sent her on her way, and were never involved in Lily's life. Lily's father Rick, a successful news reporter, is still somewhat involved in his daughter's life and truly cares about Susan. Meanwhile, Susan has done well on her own, and is now a high school principal, and yes, at Lily's school. She has much to risk professionally, when the news of this pact breaks.  Once it is out in the open, everyone seems quick to point the finger and place blame.

As I eagerly turned the pages of Not My Daughter, set in the small, close-knit (fictional) town of Zaganack, Maine it brought to mind a similar, true to life story I had heard about.  An real life pregnancy pact in another coastal town, this one in Gloucester, Massachusetts. In case you haven't heard about that one, here is the link to the June 18, 2008, Time magazine article.

MY THOUGHTS -  I enjoyed this book a lot. It was thought provoking, timely and emotionally gripping, but I was a bit disappointed by the ending -- to say more might spoil it for others who plan to read this book. Despite the ending, the book is an important story that is told and the book is RECOMMENDED - 4/5 stars

(Finished copy provided to me by Doubleday for review - many thanks)

14 - Noah's Compass; Anne Tyler

Noah's Compass; Anne Tyler

Call me a sucker for books about "sad-sacks" and the "under-dog", so imagine my delight when I read the first two paragraphs of Anne Tyler's new book: Noah's Compass.........

(Page 3...   In the sixty-first year of his life, Liam Pennywell lost his job. It wasn't such a good job, anyhow. He'd been teaching fifth-grade in a second-rate private boy's school.  Fifth grade wasn't even what he'd been trained for. TEACHING wasn't what he'd been trained for. His degree was in philosophy. Oh, but don't ask. Things seemed to have taken a downward turn a long, long time ago, and perhaps it was just as well that he had seen the last of St. Dufrig's dusty, scuffed corridors and those interminable after-school meetings and the reams of niggling paperwork.

In fact, this might be a sign. It could be just the nudge he needed to push him on to the next stage --the final stage, the summing up stage. The stage where he sat in his rocking chair and reflected on what it all meant, in the end."

So when circumstances bring Liam to the final chapter of his life, " short, stocky and out of shape" Liam, decides to scale down his possessions and move to a smaller place on the outskirts of Baltimore. The night of the move Liam goes to bed exhausted, and when he wakes up the next day, he is in the hospital with a sore and bandaged head. Liam has no memory as to what happened to him the night before, he only recalls going to bed the night before.

Unable to deal with the fact that he can't recall the incident that landed him in the hospital,  he decides to see a Neurologist. While he is at the doctor's office he meets Eunice, a professional "rememberer", hired by a aged, wealthy man with Alzheimer's. Liam is so impressed, that he believes Eunice is the answer to helping him remember what happened to him. Eunice agrees to help Liam, but this story is not all doom and gloom, there is humor and comic relief to be had for the reader.It is, however, the head injury which occurs at the very beginning of this novel, that becomes somewhat of a catalyst for the story of Liam's life.

So the title Noah's Compass is significant; his "compass" being Liam's memories. Not just of how he got the head injury, but his memories of his life in general, which  has been somewhat of a self-imposed amnesia, that helped him block out failures and disappointments in his life.

MY THOUGHTS - I LOVED this novel. Liam is a humble, unassuming sad-sack that tugged on my heart-strings but also made me laugh. Humorous, yet poignant, Anne Tyler has written a winner. A story about a quiet man, in the final stage of his life, who is searching for the meaning in the life he has lived. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED - 5/5 stars

(Thanks go to Doubleday for sending me a final copy of this book for review)

Friday Finds: (Bloodroot), (Information Officer), (Apparition and Late Fictions) and Settled in the Wild)

 

I have not participated in Friday Finds in 2010, but since I found a few really interesting looking books this week I thought it would be a perfect time to jump back in and mention my finds. 

1. Bloodroot; Amy Greene - (amazon) - Bloodroot is that rare sort of family saga that feels intimate instead of epic. Set in Tennessee’s Smoky Mountains, it’s told largely in tandem voices that keep watchful eyes on Myra Lamb. She is a child of the mountain, tied to the land in ways that mystify and enchant those around her. There’s magic to Myra--perhaps because she has the remarkable blue eyes foretold by a nearly-forgotten family curse--but little fantasy to her life. Bloodroot is as much about the Lambs as it is about a place, one that becomes ever more vivid as generations form, break free, and knit back together. Its characters speak plainly but true, they are resilient and flawed and beautiful, and there's a near-instant empathy in reading their stories, which--even in their most visceral moments--are alluring and wonderful. 
2. The Information Officer; Mark Mills -  Summer 1942: Malta, a small windswept island in the Mediterranean, has become the most bombed patch of earth on the planet, worse even than London during the Blitz. The Maltese, a fiercely independent people, withstand the relentless Axis air raids.
   
   Max Chadwick is the British officer charged with manipulating the news on Malta to bolster the population's fragile esprit de corps. This is all, besides a few broken-down fighter planes, that stands in the face of Nazi occupation and perhaps even victory—for Malta is the stepping-stone the Germans need between Europe and North Africa.
   When Max learns of the brutal murder of a young island woman—along with evidence that the crime was committed by a British officer—he knows that the Maltese loyalty to the war effort could be instantly shattered. As the clock ticks down toward all-out invasion, Max must investigate the murder—beyond the gaze of his superiors, friends, and even the woman he loves.
   
   Filled with remarkably poignant and atmospheric details of life under siege, and indelible characters who live and breathe, The Information Officer is a taut, transporting thriller—an enthralling novel told with exceptional skill and style. 
3. Apparition and Late Fictions;  Thomas Lynch - Heart-rending stories of life and death: a debut fiction collection by the award-winning author of The Undertaking. A Methodist minister gone astray, a grieving trout bum gone fishing with his father’s remains, an artist overwhelmed by incarnate beauty—these are just a few of the iconic yet utterly unique characters in Thomas Lynch’s spirited collection. Set in Michigan’s north woods, in Ohio’s interior, on islands, in casinos, and in distant cities, these stories are linked by the gone and not forgotten: former spouses, dead parents, and missing children. In pursuit of love and its redemptions, these are pilgrims haunted by memory, dogged by desire, made radiant by romance and its denouements.
   
   With the elegant prose of Frederick Busch and the Irish sensibility of William Trevor, Lynch masterfully creates a world where mirage and apparition are commonplace, where people searching for connection and old comforts find them both near at hand and oddly out of reach.
4. Settled in the Wild; Susan Shetterly - Starred Review. I live on land that has not surrendered the last of its wildness, Shetterly (The New Year's Owl: Encounters with Animals, People and the Land They Share) writes of her home in rural Maine. It keeps secrets, and those secrets prompt us to pay attention, to look for more. In her first essay collection in more than 20 years, she beautifully renders some of what she's learned in the decades since she and her then husband moved into an unfinished cabin—idealistic, dangerously unprepared, and, frankly, arrogant, she can see now. Most of these essays, however, focus on life after she's settled in, when she's learned to listen for the sounds of the coming spring through her open bedroom window or impulsively stands down a bobcat that's chased a baby rabbit into the middle of the road. Shetterly's eye for poetic detail is exquisite, especially in longer essays such as the story of how she nursed an injured raven back to health, after which it set up home on her roof and became best friends with her terrier. But she writes about her neighbors (even those she admits she never really knew) with equal grace and empathy. Let's hope it's not another quarter-century before her next collection arrives.

So hope I get to read/review some of these 2010 releases. Have you read any of them? If so what did you think?

13 - Winter's Tail: How One Little Dolphin Learned to Swim Again; Hatkoff

 

A sucker for all of God's helpless creatures, when I heard about Winter's Tail, I decided to pick this book up from the library.  It was such a touching story. For those of you who have not heard about this amazingly resilient dolphin, here is what actually happened.  

On December 10, 2005 a baby dolphin, about 2-3 months old was spotted in Mosquito Lagoon, Florida with lobster trap ropes wrapped around it's tail and mouth. The fisherman who helped rescue the dolphin, later named "Winter" was Jim Savage. Realizing that the injuries to the creature were serious, he contacted fish and wildlife conservationists who responded and took the frightened, injured dolphin on a (3) hour journey to the Clearwater Marine Aquarium to mend. Although,  the dolphin did lose her tail, she was left with a stump which was later fitted with a prosthetic sleeve and tail enabling her to swim again. The last report I read indicated that Winter (4) years later is still thriving in her closely monitored environment. If you are ever in the Clearwater, FL area, you can visit Winter at the Aquarium.

The authors of this wonderful inspirational and beautifully illustrated book are Craig Hatkoff  and his daughters Julianna and Isabella. (Ages 4 - 8) RECOMMENDED - 4.5/5 stars (Library Book)

Waiting on Wednesday - Private Life

Waiting On” Wednesday is hosted by Jill over at Breaking the Spine.  What book are you waiting for to be released?  Here's my pick:

Private Life; Jane Smiley

(Pub Date: May 4, 2010)

(Amazon)

A riveting new novel from the Pulitzer Prize–winner that traverses the intimate landscape of one woman’s life, from the 1880s to World War II.

Margaret Mayfield is nearly an old maid at twenty-seven in post–Civil War Missouri when she marries Captain Andrew Jackson Jefferson Early. He’s the most famous man their small town has ever produced: a naval officer and a brilliant astronomer—a genius who, according to the local paper, has changed the universe. Margaret’s mother calls the match “a piece of luck.”

Margaret is a good girl who has been raised to marry, yet Andrew confounds her expectations from the moment their train leaves for his naval base in faraway California. Soon she comes to understand that his devotion to science leaves precious little room for anything, or anyone, else. When personal tragedies strike and when national crises envelop the country, Margaret stands by her husband. But as World War II approaches, Andrew’s obsessions take a different, darker turn, and Margaret is forced to reconsider the life she has so carefully constructed.

Private Life is a beautiful evocation of a woman’s inner world: of the little girl within the hopeful bride, of the young woman filled with yearning, and of the faithful wife who comes to harbor a dangerous secret. But it is also a heartbreaking portrait of marriage and the mysteries that endure even in lives lived side by side; a wondrously evocative historical panorama; and, above all, a masterly, unforgettable novel from one of our finest storytellers.