Fiction

Review: The Silent Sister by Diane Chamberlain

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814W1xbdR+LI’ve read a few books by Diane Chamberlain, each one intriguing and full of a good story. This newest one didn’t disappoint.

Riley MacPherson has lived her life knowing that once upon a time she had an older sister. But just what happened to Lisa has never been completely clear. Did she die in a tragic accident? Was it suicide? Murder? Or is there something else going on, something that’s been kept secret for far too long? All of Riley’s beliefs and questions come together in a burst of confusion when, after her father’s death, she’s charged with the task of clearing out his house and settling his affairs. Brother Danny isn’t much help as he’s lost in his own solitary world after a tragic military accident. Friends and neighbors provide bits and pieces of information but each story conflicts with the other. A deep desire to find out the truth about her family leads her in a direction she could have never imagined.

This is a good story, solid and engaging until the very end. The characters are believable and likable, and the story line is entirely plausible. My only complaint is that it was mildly predictable and had me guessing the climax around halfway through. Still, Chamberlain is an author who knows how to write about contemporary issues, and she’s rapidly becoming one of my favorite contemporary fiction authors.

~Thalia

Buy It Now: The Silent Sister

Review – Winter of the World by Ken Follett.

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12959233What a tour de force! So far, I’ve spent around 2000 pages, and countless hours inside the world that Ken Follett has created for his Century Trilogy. I’ve just finished Winter of the World – book two of the Century Trilogy, and all I can say is wow!
Continuing on from where book one left us, Winter of the World explores the lives of our favourite characters, as well as their offspring. Just like in book one, we are treated to a snapshot of these characters daily interactions against some of the major occurrences of the 20th century. As we know, Follett is an expert at covering huge events, with a huge amount characters, in a way that doesn’t leave the reader confused or exasperated. Setting his story mainly within WWII, and masterfully managing to show all the different perspectives that helped to shape this period, Follett allows us to see life – both from the view of everyday citizens and government officials – unfold, and indeed the consequences that occur from the smallest action, to the biggest action.
I’m not going to lie to you: When reading a book of this magnitude, page length and content matter included, it can sometimes be a bit overwhelming. You get so invested in Follett’s world, that you begin to forget your own world, and then when you get sucked back into reality, it can be hard to get back into the alternate reality. I had to take a break for a week or two, but after that, I got straight back into it and thoroughly enjoyed myself.
Sequels are usually nowhere near as good as their predecessor; however, in this case, I actually enjoyed it slightly more. I think it was more to do with the time period rather than the actual writing or story, so do not let that put you off starting this trilogy. All in all, this is another 5 star result from Follett, and I cannot wait to get stuck into the final book!
~ Pegasus.
Winter of the World: Book Two of the Century Trilogy

Review: What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty

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*1I absolutely loved this book. The scenario is simple enough….Alice bumps her head and wakes up and can’t remember the last 10 years of her life.

Sounds simple enough, right? Wrong. Sure we can run into a friend that we haven’t seen for ages and judge them….how much have they changed….how much have they remained the same….are they thinner? Thicker? Do they act the same? Are they still lovely? Are they cynical? How much can someone change in ten years? How many life events can happen?

But stop all that….forget about your husband, you children, your parents, your siblings, and your friends….let’s stop for a second and look at ourselves. Whoa….that’s right….how much have YOU changed in the last 10 years? How has the changes you’ve made effected how people perceive you? How has it effected how you perceive OTHER people?

Not so simple now is it? We all know that people change…but it happens year by year….month by month….week by week…and day by day…..it happens so gradually that perhaps we don’t even realise it at all….until we wake up one day and ten years have passed….and we wonder…where did I go?

But Alice has no idea why she has changed. Why people treat her differently….she has only the view of herself from ten years ago…she has none of the newer memories that changed her to explain why….so she is left wondering how this could have happened. She is left judging herself and trying to figure it all out.

The novel gives you much to think about. The more you think about it, the more you have to think about. Imagine yourself 10 years ago…..now imagine your younger self looking at who you are today…with none of the knowledge of how you got there…..what would they see? WHO would they see? Would they be happy? Would they be a bit surprised? Disappointed? Would you feel confident that you had chosen the correct path and that you had made the right choices?

If not, would you be brave enough to make the changes your younger self desired? Sure we have all heard that saying….”If I only knew then what I know now”…..but really what does that mean? If you know it NOW, why not do the best you can to rectify it? Why assume that just because it was in the past that it’s too late to change yourself and try to make things better? Do we just use sayings like that for an excuse to take the easy road and not make changes in our life?

Again…so much to ponder here….I do believe I need to hurry up and read another Liane Moriarty book….this was pure bliss for me….

Until next time…

Urania xx

Buy it now What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarty

Review: The Bridge from Me to You by Lisa Schroeder

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the-bridge-from-me-to-you-by-lisa-schroederDisclaimer: I am not a romance/love story person. Most “mushy” stories leave me running away as fast as I can. But sometimes the romance is secondary to a bigger plot, as was the case with this newest book from Lisa Schroeder.

Meet Lauren. As the new girl in town, she’s the object of much speculation. We find out very early on that she’s come to live with her aunt and uncle, but the suspense builds until we find out exactly why. She struggles with the loss of her immediate family, her place in her new family, and how she fits in to this small, close-knit town. Her point of view is told in prose, for the most part, which lends a poetic quality to her story.

But hers isn’t the only perspective that we hear. There’s also Colby. In this small town that’s centered around football, he’s one of the team’s rising stars. He’s going places, just not the places he wants to. His family, and the entire town for that matter, have every expectation that he’ll go on to make it big in college football. His story is told in more traditional narrative form as he tries to find the strength to stand up for what he wants, both in love and out of life in general.

This was a good, engaging book that earned a solid four out of five stars for me. The alternating writing style works completely and adds credibility to the different stories being told. It’s a love story, no doubt, so don’t go into it thinking you’ll be getting some deep, mysterious, angst-filled young adult book. My only (slight) complaint would be that it really does paint a somewhat rosy picture of high school life and small town life in general. But in today’s world of harsh headlines, sometimes that’s just what you need in a good book.

~Thalia

Buy It Now: The Bridge From Me to You

Review: Suspicious Minds by Christy Barritt

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I just finished Squeaky Clean Mysteries #1, and here I am halfway through #2! I love how Gabby finds not just another crime to solve, but another guy to confuse her heart.

Gabby finds a dead Elvis, and in her search for his killer she finds a bunch of quirky fans of Elvis-look-alikes. With puns and song references abounding, this cozy mystery is a fun Stephanie-Plum-esque romp through the eyes of a crime-scene-cleaner.

The crazy thing here is that after just one book I am now hooked on this series. The awesome thing is that after Suspicious Minds comes a Christmas novella – for only 99¢!

-Calliope

read my full review of HAZARDOUS DUTY (book 1)

buy SUSPICIOUS MINDS (book 2)

buy IT CAME UPON A MIDNIGHT CRIME (book 2.5) for 99¢

Review – A Good School by Richard Yates.

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48340It’s been a while since I’ve reviewed a book. As most of you may know, I’ve set myself a “challenge” of reading the Century Trilogy back to back. Well, I think that may have been a mistake. I am currently on the second book, and whilst I do really like it, I find myself only being able to read small chunks at a time. Now, this may have more to do with me starting substitute teaching and being exhausted every day, but I also believe there may be a psychological aspect due to the “challenge” aspect that I set myself. I decided to try and remedy this by reading something completely different.
To make my lunch breaks in the day a little more interesting, I took a short (about 250 pages) book to read. This book is by one of my favourite authors, so I knew I’d enjoy it. Richard Yates’ ‘A Good School’ is often described as the 70’s version of The Catcher in the Rye. I tend to disagree with this statement; Catcher in the Rye focuses on teenage rebellion in a society that is blatantly against the main character. A Good School focuses more on a society that is providing everything for the main characters, at least on a surface level.
The plot revolves around a group of adolescent school boys in a private prep school somewhere in Connecticut (most of Yates’ novels are set here and it is funny as I live here also, I can both what he is saying, and the complete opposite end of the spectrum!) that endeavors to churn out the best of the best in terms of future success stories. However, the plot spends an equal amount of time looking at the lives of the teaching faculty of the school – for they too are both entrenched and disenfranchised by the idea of this “good school”.
What I love about Yates is that he isn’t afraid of showing a broad emotional spectrum; pride, greed, vulnerability, anger, passion, and many other emotional states are portrayed in this short novel. With Yates, it may seem that he is all about doom and gloom, but really, he is about realism. These things happen every day, these emotions get felt every day, these consequences happen every day. There is no writing for the sake of shock value with Yates – everything is genuine and realistic.
Yates wrote this book in the 1970’s, but set it in the early 1940’s. This ability to set a story in a time in which it applies perfectly, and yet have it also apply to the time in which it is published, is ingenious. For a short novel, it really does pack quite the punch. If you find yourself wanting a short read, but also a read with substance, I really cannot recommend this enough.
~ Pegasus.
A Good School: A Novel

Review: Hazardous Duty (Squeaky Clean Mysteries #1) by Christy Barritt

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Since I’m on a mystery roll, I scoured my early kindle purchases for a fun cozy mystery title. Hazardous Duty fit the bill. It reminds me of Evanovitch’s Stephanie Plum books – but subtler, cleaner, and with a smidge of God talk in there.

Gabby is a crime scene cleaner, so she runs into murders and mayhem all the time. Difference is, usually no one tries to kill her! Gabby tries to help a friend and solve a crime while maneuvering around politics and a dirty politician. Between trying to save her own life, spending time in her apartment house of quirky friends, and trying not to fall in love with a man anything like her loser dad, Gabby is a little bit scattered and a lot scared!

Thanks to two new friends who happen to be male, good-looking, and on the right side of the law, Gabby makes it to the end of the book alive. On her way, a little seed of faith is planted, and I can’t wait to see where it takes her in Book 2.

This is a deal at 99¢, and so good that I gladly paid $10 for book 2. 🙂 Yes. I did.

-Calliope

buy HAZARDOUS DUTY

Review: The Slow Regard of Silent Things by Patrick Rothfuss

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Untitled-14 Okay. So anyone that knows me probably thinks I’m giving this five stars just because it’s Pat Rothfuss….well…yes…and…no….I guess it gets five stars because I don’t think any other author could have written a book like this and have it work! However….I was prepared to rate it lowly regardless of who wrote it….so yes, it gets five stars but only because, for me, it was a five-star read….

As I was reading this I felt like I might have to only give it three stars…

I know Rothfuss has been a bit worried about this short book…

Some will say he should have been because they feel it’s awful…it doesn’t have a plot, it doesn’t have a beginning, it gives no history of the main character…it doesn’t even have any characters…it only has one…Auri….

However, I didn’t find it awful at all….and for those that are disappointed….that Rothfuss has nothing to be proud of…..

I have a few thoughts about that….Rothfuss should be proud of this book because he, himself, loved it…in the end, isn’t that really enough? I initially wrote this review before reading Rothfuss’ personal note at the end….he states he wrote this story to find out more about Auri…the way he talked about this book it was almost as if the story wrote itself….he didn’t know where it was going, he only wrote where it took him….at the end of the day he didn’t think others would like it….he didn’t think it was a book that could be published….but HE loved it…..

Second of all….

He should also be proud that all he said about it is true…it’s not a real story…it doesn’t contain any spoilers….it doesn’t make a lot of sense…it won’t make any sense if you haven’t read The Kingkiller Chronicle…he was honest and up front about what this book wasn’t…..

No…it’s true….this isn’t a typical story….it doesn’t follow any format that stories are supposed to follow. It’s very different….it’s very unconventional…but no more so than Auri is herself. For that reason alone I don’t think it could have been written any differently and still fit with who she is…..

But if that’s not enough…

Here’s the kicker…

As I read this short novel I felt small ripples in my heart…much like walking on thin ice and feeling it start to crack underfoot…at about 70% I felt it shatter…I so felt for Auri…I ached for her…I felt that she was real…I can’t even begin to try to make anyone understand this beautiful wreck of a girl. Or how such a tiny slip of a girl can be so powerful. I can’t explain how something so shattered can be so breathtaking in its beauty…

But damn it…Pat Rothfuss can…NOW THAT IS SOMETHING TO BE PROUD OF!!!!!

Finally….As I hit the last bit of this story all I heard in my head was:

“In madness there is beauty”. I don’t know where that came from. I’m not even going to search it on google…all I know is that it sums up this book in five words…

“In madness there is beauty”

It’s madness that Rothfuss stepped outside the box and took a chance on something so different….and finally….in Auri herself there is madness….

but again….

“In madness there is beauty”….

“In madness there is beauty”…..

Until next time…

Urania xx

Buy it now The Slow Regard of Silent Things by Patrick Rothfuss

Review: Gracefully Grayson by Ami Polonsky

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UnknownPreteens and teenagers…growing up and finding your place in the world. Trying to figure out who you are, what role you’re going to play and where you fit in. Normal, run of the mill stuff for most kids. But what if you really aren’t who everyone thinks you are? What if you’ve been given a role to play that doesn’t truly mesh with what your heart tells you about yourself? This is the story in this wonderful debut novel by Amy Polonsky.

Meet Grayson. He’s an even-tempered, sweet young boy living a very difficult life. He lives with his aunt & uncle because his parents died when he was just four, a mere baby. And although they love him and treat him as one of their own, he’s always felt the loss of his mom and dad. That alone would be enough to make most kids question who they are. But there’s more. You see, Grayson also struggles with his very identity. He’s always been drawn to “girlie” pursuits, whether it’s adding a princess to his drawing or wearing girls’ clothes. He knows, however, that this goes against society’s expectations and norms so he hides it. So he exists in his own little world. He gets by without too much trouble or grief from the other kids. He goes to school and does things with his family from time to time. But when he’s alone, he dreams about wearing pretty skirts, soft colors, and sparkles.

Then one day, Grayson takes a chance. He steps outside of his comfortable little box and tries out for the school play. New worlds and friendships are opened up for him along with new challenges. And he, along with his family, are forced to confront some hard truths. Things will never be the same for Grayson, but that’s not necessarily a bad thing.

Grayson’s story is both heartbreaking and heart-lifting at the same time. It filled me with hope while also making me weep. It’s an important story, one that must be told and should be read by anyone who comes in contact with young people. It’s a reminder that what you see on the outside isn’t necessary the truth. And seeing the world through Grayson’s eyes shows us that we are all very different while also being very much alike in our hopes and dreams.

~Thalia

Buy It Now: Gracefully Grayson

Review: Three mysteries by selected authors

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I primarily read contemporary romance, but I do love a good mystery. This past week I read three cozy mysteries – all winners! I guess I hit the trifecta … now you can, too. 🙂

HELL ON WHEELS by Sue Ann Jaffarian
Paralegal and accidental sleuth Odelia Grey and her husband Greg witness a murder, and it appears to be committed by one of their friends! With Odelia’s boss home recovering from injury, Odelia has plenty of time to play detective and find out whodunit.

As with all the books in this series, I love Odelia’s candor and blunt approach. This particular mystery included quadriplegic rugby, traffic on the 405, help from the baddest criminal in town, and a very unexpected romance (oh, that part made me HAPPY).

Sue Ann Jaffarian writes a fun, witty, heartwarming story about good versus evil, family relationships, and that dance we call marriage. Jaffarian happens to move the plot along by having the characters go after a murderer… The thrill of the chase, you know?!

buy HELL ON WHEELS

I WILL FEAR NO EVIL by Debbie Viguie
Rabbi Jeremiah is in transition. He’s falling in love, being asked to help with the church next door, dragged into a crazy serial murder mystery, and trying to be true to himself – even though he’s still figuring out who he is.

Luckily, his longtime friend and confidante Cindy is right by his side. Trouble is, can Jeremiah keep her safe – and his heart safe – while they figure out who is behind the witchy crimes?!

Oh, and Trina? Quite possibly my new favorite character. A “mental” federal agent. 😉

Viguie did a fantastic job integrating Halloween, church, synagogue, murder, witches, a costume party, and a youth group haunted house. Oh and romance with an alpha. Yup. You heard me. ROMANCE. Just a bit.

Debbie Viguie writes the Psalm 23 Mysteries so fast my head spins. The plot moves quickly, the dialogue is spot-on, and she doesn’t rush relationships. I am chomping at the bit everytime there’s an impending release.

buy I WILL FEAR NO EVIL

MURDER ON THE FIRST DAY OF CHRISTMAS by Billie Thomas
Chloe and her mom are interior decorators. They have special access into people’s homes, and are sometimes privy to dangerous secrets.

When the mother-daughter team does up some fancy mansions for Christmas, they are surprised by the “gifts” they find: a dead man’s hand, a rat, a dead Santa, and a very confusing (and enlightening) version of The Twelve Days of Christmas.

The women keep sticking their noses where they don’t belong, until they are confronted by the killer. Not to worry, the Carstairs pair use Southern charm – and their newfound friendship with the Law – to keep themselves alive.

It’s super fun to read about over-the-top Christmas parties, evening gowns up to here and down to there, quirky characters, and a mother-daughter relationship that goes from rolling eyes to warm embraces. Billie Thomas successfully weaves together family banter, a murder mystery, and a little bit of Christmas romance.

buy MURDER ON THE FIRST DAY OF CHRISTMAS

-Calliope