Review: Camp Dork by Beth Vrabel

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Ever been to summer camp? How about summer camp caveman-style, while the campers next door get tech time, fancy snacks, and air conditioning? 

In this sequel to Pack of Dorks, Lucy’s time at camp nudges her on a journey of self-discovery. Lucy explores her feelings about her new best friend who transforms physically and socially, the flush of emotions when she thinks about boys – especially Sam, and her compulsion to arrange couples in neat and tidy relationships. All this while she struggles to get a decent supper and keep everyone from hating her! 

My favorite thing about this book is the dialogue. As I read, I could really hear the kids interacting… their different voices, noisy sound effects, and gurgles of bodily functions… just like kids I know. 

Lucy and her friends are real – kind of like a younger Breakfast Club, where stereotypes and prejudices only get you so far. Like the Brat Pack, Lucy and her Pack of Dorks find that facing the truth about yourself and others is the real prize. 

While my reading tastes skew older (like the 40-something mom I am), I enjoyed Lucy and her friends. Author Beth Vrabel offers insightful nuggets that can drive even grown-ups to make some changes in how they view and treat others. 
– calliope

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Review: On the Road by Jack Kerouac

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2552Okay, confession, I don’t even know what “beat lit” is….and if this is an example, I don’t want to know any more.

If I understood “beat lit” would it make me love this book? Appreciate it more? I don’t think so. I didn’t find it well written. I didn’t find it interesting. I didn’t find it anything except me glad to finish it. I saw lots of sex, some more sex, some sex with adults and minors, some drugs, some thieving, more sex, lies, disregard of promises and responsibilities….rinse and repeat…

Please don’t tell me it was the generation. Please don’t tell me it was a rebellion against society and the government. Please don’t tell me I don’t understand. It might have been different if all of what was portrayed was mutual and done with honesty between both parties…but to me it just stank of the selfishness of some parties on various levels….

If you’re more enlightened than me and you know it, feel free to bask in that knowledge whilst I bask in the knowledge that I didn’t enjoy any of this book…

Call if my own personal rebellion of the “American Classics and Beat Lit”…

Until next time…

Urania xx

Buy it now On the Road by Jack Kerouac

Review: Wicked Heart by Leisa Rayven

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01 wicked This is the third book in the Starcrossed world and I am completely in love. I didn’t think I was going to like anyone as much as I liked Ethan and Cassie, but I was totally wrong. Liam and Elissa have my heart.

“Liss, I can’t live without you anymore, and I’m tired of pretending that I can.”

Theirs was a romance 6 years in the making. After being apart for so long, the heart still knows what it wants. So when Elissa finds out that Liam is coming back into her life, she tries to guard her heart, but it’s no match for him. The banter between these two, was amazing. It flowed perfectly. It wasn’t forced, it was totally natural. And let’s not forget the sexual tension. Six years is a long time and when they finally come together, the tension is off the charts. I was fanning myself left and right. Super hot!!

“You can’t look at me like that and expect me to respect our friends pact. You really can’t”
“How am I looking at you?”
“Like you want to straddle my face.”

But circumstances weren’t in their favor. But like I said, the heart knows what it wants and doesn’t always listen to reason.

“Ask me to give up a limb and I swear, I’ll find a way to do it. But don’t ask me to live without you anymore. I can’t. I’m so goddamn in love with you, it hurts.”

I adored this book. While the main characters were Liam and Elissa, I was completely taken with Angel and Josh. They didn’t take away from the main story, but they added so much more to it. Another storyline worth watching, if you would. Josh was Elissa’s best friend and I was cracking up at their connection. They were the perfect besties. Angel was the sweetest girl. You can’t stop liking her. She was thrust into this situation and she handled it with so much grace. I can see why, in their world, she was loved by all who meet her.

Now that I’m done, I have no idea what I’m going to do. But one thing I do know, is that I’ll be waiting patiently to see what’s next in store from the fabulous Leisa.

~Melpomene

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Review: The Widow by Fiona Barton

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I love it when an author, especially in a debut novel, is able to write a story that’s so compelling, so suspenseful that you flip page after page to finally get to the ending.  For me, the best thrillers are the ones where it’s drawn out until almost the very end.  You think you know who dunnit but you’re never completely convinced until that last chapter. That’s what you get with this mesmerizing book from Fiona Barton.

We know from the get go that something bad has happened.  When Jean’s husband is killed, the media immediately are at her door.  They want her story.  But they don’t want the sympathetic story of a grieving widow devastated by the loss of her husband.  They want to know exactly what happened years ago.  That’s when Glen was accused of a crime so horrific that surely he’d be locked away forever.

Somehow, though, that didn’t happen.  And for reasons unknown to the reader until deep into the story, he and Jean have half-heartedly attempted to rebuild their lives.  But the past refuses to let them.  When Glen is no longer in the picture, surely Jean will finally get some peace and quiet.  Too many secrets left buried won’t let that happen, though.  Is Jean the one who can finally shed light on the tragedy that changed so many lives?

This was a classic thriller in all the best ways.  There are horrible crimes, secrets buried, and of course death.  Each chapter was rampant with an undertone of something big about to happen.  As I turned each page, I just knew that finally I’d find it all out.  But alas, it was not to be.  Not until almost the very end.  Yes, I guessed correctly on several things.  On others, not so much.  Grab this one and see if you can do better!

~Thalia

Buy It Now:  The Widow

Review: The Little French Guesthouse by Helen Pollard

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Emmy and Nathan take a trip to the French countryside to work on their relationship. But then Nathan gets, um, distracted. And then it all goes in the toilet and Emmy needs to find a better way to spend her holiday. Like maybe hanging out with the cute gardener, Ryan.  Or making friends with the older and wiser French maid. Or going into town and finding herself. 

I loved the food, the friends, the comraderie, the French phrases, the cute accountant Alain, and the eye candy in the garden. This is exemplar chick lit — light and sassy and easy, but with a substantial storyline, fleshed out characters, and sharp dialogue. 

My most favorite thing about this book is the Amazon listing that says it’s the first in a series. Yes! 

*happy dance… awaiting number two*

-calliope

Buy THE LITTLE FRENCH GUESTHOUSE (only 99¢ for kindle!)

Best of My Love by Susan Mallery

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Shelby and Aidan have self-improvement goals, and they’ve decided to form a mutually beneficial friendship with each other to put themselves on a successful path. They don’t anticipate the whole of Fool’s Gold egging on a ROMANTIC relationship between the two. And they certainly don’t foresee Mayor Marsha putting in her two cents. 

I love all the Fool’s Gold heroes – who wouldn’t? They’re perfectly perfect for their ladies, and they’re swoon-worthy to boot. Mallery did something special with Aidan, though. Shelby got to know him as a friend, totally platonically, before ever diving into something more. Whether something romantic worked out for Aidan and Shelby or not, you’ll have to find out by reading the book. Shelby’s a great catch, so there’s definitely some sort of love story — just wait! 

-calliope

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Review: The Year We Turned Forty by Liz Fenton and Lisa Stienke

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01 a14 Many people have that one moment that they look back and think, if only. If only I could go back and do things differently. Would things change or stay the same? Would I be happier? For Jessie, Gabriela and Claire, they get that chance and we get to see what happens.

I’ll admit, when I first saw this cover, I was immediately intrigued. Not that I want to admit to this, but I’m turning 40 this year, so I knew I needed to read this book, even if it’s not my usual genre.

Regret. That is very hard word to live with. And for Jessie, Gabriela and Claire, they’ve been living with it for over a decade. When they go to celebrate their 50th birthday, they realize just how much they wish they could change back when they turned 40. Amazingly, they’re given that chance to go back and relive the year they turned 40 and we get to see if their new choices make a difference.

But as with life, no matter what you do, some things just don’t change. Each of them have to make hard decisions and some work out for the better while others don’t.

My heart was in my throat as I watched each of them struggle with their choices. I wanted it all to be perfect, but life is far from perfect. You learn, and hopefully grow, from your mistakes. We get to see them as they grow and hopefully learn new things over the year. I admit I did get a little nervous a few times, but I think life has a way of working it out.

When I finally closed this book, I sat back and pondered my own life. I realize that there’s no magic that can take me back so I can relive a “What if? moment. You live and learn from your mistakes. You must make the most of your life now and make each year the best it can be. No regrets.

~Melpomene

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Review: Island in the Sea: A Majorca Love Story by Anita Hughes

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Juliet is a record label executive who gets sent to Majorca to light a fire under Lionel’s songwriting behind. While she’s there she enjoys the seaside, the luxurious food, the shopping, and the sun. Best of all, Juliet meets Gabriella, who turns out to be a good friend, a beautifully talented singer, and the salt of the earth that helps Juliet stay grounded. 

I scoop up Anita Hughes’ novels because of the lush food, extravagant shopping and stunning locales. The Island in the Sea love stories are icing on a cake that’s a feast for the senses. 
-calliope

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Review: The Silent Girls by Ann Troup

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Having never read anything by Ann Troup, I wasn’t quite sure what to expect.  Sure, the description is intriguing.  But how many times have we started a book with high expectations only to experience disappointment when it doesn’t follow through?  Not the case with this one!

When Edie returns to her childhood home to clear up some loose ends after her aunt’s untimely death, she doesn’t expect to be there for long.  Clean out the house, sell off some belongings, settle the estate, and then she’ll be on her way.  But of course things don’t go as planned.

It’s known by all that Coronation Square was the scene of a series of grisly murders years ago. When the killer was caught and executed, justice surely was served.  But as Edie starts digging through the clutter and dankness that was her aunt’s life, she begins uncovering secrets. It quickly becomes apparent that there are people who want those secrets to remain hidden.  And they’ll stop at nothing to make that happen.

This is such a dark, dreary book.  And that’s exactly as it should be.  Anything else wouldn’t have worked.  The author paints a depressing, suspenseful scene that fits the story perfectly.  There are twists and turns galore to keep you guessing until the very end. An excellent, well-told mystery!

~Thalia

Buy It Now:  The Silent Girls

Commemorative Post

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“All the world’s a stage, And all the men and women merely players; They have their exits and their entrances, And one man in his time plays many parts.”

 

When you hear William Shakespeare being mentioned, you may conjure up horrid memories of forced Romeo and Juliet readings in school, or the random Lawrence Olivier production that you caught on TV one time.   However, we need to should give Mr S. some props; I cannot think (and this is obviously purely opinion) of any writer that has left such a legacy that could match or surpass that of Shakespeare’s.  You, of course, may disagree, and I love differing opinions, so please let me know!

Today is the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death.   In his time he wrote 36 plays – spanning many different genres, around 154 sonnets, may poems, and performed for 2 different monarchs!

Shakespeare was the chameleon of writers; 16th and 17th century England wasn’t exactly known for its liberal stance on censorship.  Shakespeare had to perform a delicate balancing act of observing the status quo, both politically and legally, and actually writing what he wanted to write.  Much like many of us I imagine, Shakespeare rather preferred to keep his head!

Even though Shakespeare wrote many wonderful plays, my personal favorite has to be King Lear.   This, to me, is his most “human play”.   It focuses on family, what it means to be a family, and indeed the consequences of flouting the strict societal and legal rules of the time.    There is commentary on old age, primogeniture, parent-child relationships, misogyny, class, justice, nature and human cost.    This play runs the whole gauntlet and it is perhaps his most contemporary of plays.

To help celebrate this anniversary, we are giving away a copy of this beautiful book 

In order to be in a chance of winning, simply leave a comment describing your favorite play by Shakespeare.   Alternatively, you can also comment with your least favorite!   The person that gives the most passionate plead (either for or against a play) will win.  As I may be biased, I will ask one of my muses to pick.

Good luck, and happy reading!

Pegasus.