Category Archives: Book Review

10 Books that have stuck with me

Review: The Good Girl by Mary Kubica

The Book:

Born to a prominent Chicago judge and his stifled socialite wife, Mia Dennett moves against the grain as a young inner-city art teacher. One night, Mia enters a bar to meet her on-again, off-again boyfriend. But when he doesn’t show, she unwisely leaves with an enigmatic stranger. With his smooth moves and modest wit, at first Colin Thatcher seems like a safe one-night stand. But following Colin home will turn out to be the worst mistake of Mia’s life.

Colin’s job was to abduct Mia as part of a wild extortion plot and deliver her to his employers. But the plan takes an unexpected turn when Colin suddenly decides to hide Mia in a secluded cabin in rural Minnesota, evading the police and his deadly superiors. Mia’s mother, Eve, and detective Gabe Hoffman will stop at nothing to find them, but no one could have predicted the emotional entanglements that eventually cause this family’s world to shatter.

An addictively suspenseful and tautly written thriller, The Good Girl is a compulsive debut that reveals how even in the perfect family, nothing is as it seems.

Mary Kubica

The Author:

Mary Kubica holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, in History and American Literature. She lives outside of Chicago with her husband and two children and enjoys photography, gardening and caring for the animals at a local shelter. THE GOOD GIRL is her first novel.

Find Mary at: Her Website * Twitter * Facebook * Goodreads

The Standout Line:

“I’ve been following her for the past few days. I know where she buys her groceries, where she has her dry cleaning done, where she works. I don’t know the color of her eyes or what they look like when she’s scared. But I will.”

The Good Stuff:

Hmmm…I don’t want to give too much away, so I’ll be brief. THE GOOD GIRL is an excellent debut novel.

This twisty tale revolves around the kidnapping of Mia Dennett, a twenty-something teacher, former rebellious teen, and the younger daughter of an affluent (and a bit of an a-hole) Chicago judge.

The story is told from revolving POVs. It should have been a straight snatch and deliver for Colin Thatcher, but when he decides not to hand Mia over to his underworld boss, things get…complicated. Watching this kidnapping-gone-wrong from his eyes not only humanizes him, but amps up the suspense when we see that even he doesn’t know what’s going to happen next. Mia’s mother, Eve, may be married to a class-A jerk, but with every moment she waits for word on her daughter she struggles with her own parenting failures. The case detective, Gabe, feels kind of like the well-meaning cop in the rumpled suit from one of your favorite primetime dramas. He really wants to find Mia—and he want’s to not only prove his superiors wrong, but wipe the condescending look from the Judge’s face while rescuing all the women he’s neglected over the years. *Note: Judge Dennett is pretty much the only unlikable character in the story. While none of the other characters are golden girls or boys, there’s something about them, even when they’re shady, that makes us feel for them.

As the POVs shift, so do the time frames. We flash between the actual kidnapping, the brutally cold cabin where Colin hides Mia, and Mia’s recovery. So yes, we know early on that she makes it home, but we don’t know how. Or why she was grabbed in the first place. And the kicker—neither does she.

The Recommendation:

Pick this one up. THE GOOD GIRL is getting plenty of well deserved buzz and tons of comparisons to GONE GIRL. It’s not GONE GIRL: the suspense level is not quite as high, but the characters are a hell of a lot more likeable. On my thriller/suspense scale, it’s relatively safe (about the same graphic violence/sex as a TV cop show). And although this story has some dark twists to it, I didn’t want to throw the book at the end. That’s a GOOD thing.

If you enjoy suspense, you should find this to be a quick read. Funny aside: I took THE GOOD GIRL to the gym with me the other day as motivation to get on the treadmill. When I hit my goal 5k, I still had just a little bit left in the book—so I made myself stay on the dang treadmill so I could finish. Even though I felt like I was going to die. The end of the story was enough reward.

Sound good? It should. You can read the EXCERPT HERE ► http://bit.ly/1r2VQDx

The Details:
The Good Girl by Mary Kubica
No. of Pages: 352
Publisher: Harlequin MIRA
Release Date: July 29, 2014

I received this book free from Netgalley/HarlequinMIRA. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Links above may be “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers.

Forever, Interrupted by Taylor Jenkins Reid

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“Have you ever heard of supernovas? They shine brighter than anything else in the sky and then fade out really quickly, a short burst of extraordinary energy. I like to think you and Ben were like that . . . in that short time, you had more passion than some people have in a lifetime.”

The Book:

Elsie Porter is an average twentysomething and yet what happens to her is anything but ordinary. On a rainy New Year’s Day, she heads out to pick up a pizza for one. She isn’t expecting to see anyone else in the shop, much less the adorable and charming Ben Ross. Their chemistry is instant and electric. Ben cannot even wait twenty-four hours before asking to see her again. Within weeks, the two are head over heels in love. By May, they’ve eloped.

Only nine days later, Ben is out riding his bike when he is hit by a truck and killed on impact. Elsie hears the sirens outside her apartment, but by the time she gets downstairs, he has already been whisked off to the emergency room. At the hospital, she must face Susan, the mother-in-law she has never met—and who doesn’t even know Elsie exists.

Interweaving Elsie and Ben’s charmed romance with Elsie and Susan’s healing process, Forever, Interrupted will remind you that there’s more than one way to find a happy ending.

(From cover)

The Author:

(from Goodreads)

Taylor Jenkins Reid is an author and essayist from Acton, Massachusetts. Her first novel, Forever, Interrupted, was named one of the “11 Debuts We Love” by Kirkus Reviews. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband, Alex, and their dog, Rabbit.

Find Taylor at: Her Website * Twitter * Facebook * Goodreads

The First Lines:

“Have you decided if you’re going to change your name?” Ben asks me. He is sitting on the opposite end of the couch, rubbing my feet. He looks so cute. How did I end up with someone so goddam cute?

The Good Stuff:

I picked this up from my library shelving cart about a week ago. Something had niggled at me, maybe I’d heard I should read this from someone…? The back cover blurb seemed a little depressing, but I figured I’d give it a whirl when the mood struck me. I’d just read a stack of novels about the more serious side of marriage—infidelity, secrets, etc.—and a few more in the same tone are lined up in my queue. This had a cute cover in my favorite color. It seemed lighter…

I cracked it open Thursday night as the family spread out on the couch for reading time. Next thing I knew, I was on page 79 and it was a half-hour past my kiddo’s bedtime. I was that sucked in. You know it’s good stuff.

Something about this story just hooked me at the start. Maybe it’s that Elsie is a book-loving, NPR-listening, only child librarian. Maybe it’s because she met her husband at New Year’s (like me), instantly felt that indescribable connection with her future hubby (like me), and he’d proposed by May (like me). Maybe it’s just because the cover was the exact same shade of aqua as the p.j. shorts I was wearing.

Elsie is instantly likable—once again, maybe because she seemed so familiar. Ben, the love-of-her-life was charming and adorable and passionate about YA novels written for 13-year-old girls. Come on. They are both cute and slightly geeky and totally relatable. I believed that they could meet and know that the other was “The One” that fast. I felt as if my dear hubby and I could be them 15-years, a kid, and a mortgage payment later. But we know from the start Elsie and Ben don’t get that. He’s killed in the first chapter when he gallantly rides his bike to the drug store to fetch some Fruity Pebbles for her. We know they don’t get their happy ending together.

But the story is wonderful just the same.

It alternates between the six months Ben and Elsie had together and the six months after his death. It sounds miserable, but it’s not, I promise. Ben never told his mom he’d eloped. He’d never mentioned he was even dating Elsie, so needless to say, Mom’s not thrilled when she not only loses her only child but discovers he’d gotten married on the sly. Elsie has a rather detached relationship with her cool physician parents, so she’s terrified by this new woman who’s just brimming with emotion. Over the six months, they get to know not only each other, but their beloved Ben and themselves.

The Recommendation:

FOREVER, INTERRUPTED is a delightful debut novel that reminds me a little of Rainbow Rowell (one of my writer crushes). It has a similar easygoing familiarity, but the voice is more mature (as Elsie is a few years older than Rowell’s main characters in Eleanor & Park and Fangirl). It’s surprisingly brighter than you’d imagine for a book about a young widow, but don’t expect to make it all the way through without at least a few tears. My hubby politely ignored mine at the end—or perhaps he was just too sucked into the World Cup third place match to notice.

See, now I’m late getting started on dinner prep because I just had to get this out while the experience and the salty tear streaks are still fresh. Great book. Now you’ll have to excuse me—I’m off to add Taylor Jenkins Reid’s sophomore novel After I Do to my library queue.

The Details:

Forever, Interrupted by Taylor Jenkins Reid
Print Length: 353 pages
Publisher: Washington Square Press
Release date: July 9, 2013

Murder, Mean Girls, and an Innocent Woman Behind Bars: THAT NIGHT by Chevy Stevens

A Fresh Turn on the Path Not Taken: YOUR PERFECT LIFE by Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke

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A very happy Pub Day to Liz & Lisa!

The Book:

Best friends since childhood, Casey and Rachel couldn’t lead more different lives. While workaholic Casey rubs elbows with celebrities daily as the host of Gossip TV and comes home nightly to an empty apartment, stay-at-home mom Rachel juggles an “oops” baby, two fiery teenagers, and a husband who barely seems the man she fell in love with two decades before. After an argument at their twentieth high school reunion, Casey and Rachel throw back shots to get the night back on track. Instead, they get a life-changing hangover.

Waking up in each other’s bodies the next morning, they must figure out how to navigate their altered realities. Rachel is forced to confront the reason she gave up her broadcasting dreams when she got pregnant in college, and Casey finally steps out of the spotlight to face the truth about why she’s alone. And they soon discover that they don’t know themselves—or their best friend—nearly as well as they thought they did.

Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke bring humor and heart to every page of this novel that is sure to please fans of In Her Shoes and The Opposite of Me. Your Perfect Life is a story about two very different women, what they didn’t know about each other, and how, by switching lives, they each learn to appreciate their own.

The Authors:

If you love ::ehem:: Contemporary Women’s Fiction, you’re probably familiar with long-time book bloggers Liz Fenton & Liza Steinke’s Chick Lit is NOT Dead. Their fun and fabulous site features book reviews, author interviews, and tons of book giveaways. With the release of YOUR PERFECT LIFE, Liz & Lisa have transformed it into their own author site. The duo has been best friends for 25 years and survived high school and college together. Liz lives in San Diego, CA with her husband and two children. Lisa, a former talk show producer, now lives in Chicago, IL with her husband, daughter and two bonus children.

Find Liz & Lisa at: Their Website * Twitter * Facebook * Goodreads

The First Line:

My mouth tastes like ass.

The Good Stuff:

Admit it: you’ve had that dream where you switch lives—just for a blessed moment—with someone who doesn’t appreciate your brand of daily chaos. Maybe it’s the friend who doesn’t get how you can spend an entire day constructing the perfect paragraph, the Mother-In-Law who thinks you eat bonbons all day while you stay at home with a houseful of kids, or the old college friend who’s accomplished her career aspirations and so much more, has a nanny and a wine cellar, a perfect husband, and zero body fat. We always think there’s someone out there who has it all together, whose life is so easy compared to our hot mess of domestic and/or professional existence.

Liz and Lisa tapped into our imaginations, constructing the perfect “what if” story. We’ve all read/watched versions of this story before, but what could have ended up as a hokey cliche becomes fresh and funny in their hands. The characters are extremely likable, slightly sassy, and feel—well, kind of like us. I wanted to invite them over to share a pitcher of sangria by the pool and dish about our days. (Daiquiris would work, but I couldn’t handle the Belvedere and sodas they swig in the book.) Maybe it’s because Casey and Rachel are right about my age. Maybe it’s because I’m a long-time SAHM who just went back to a “real” job and I relate to both sides of that great debate. Maybe it was just a smart, sweet, and insightful take on how women reflect upon that path not taken—and how with one sharp turn we can find our true direction.

And did I mention it was funny? Just look at that first line. If you’re reading this in public, watch out. Snort-worthy.

The Recommendation:

If you enjoy contemporary women’s fiction, a good laugh, or need a fun beach read, buy it. Perfect for a flight, long drive, or vacation read. You’ll breeze right through it, and wish it didn’t end.

The Details:

Your Perfect Life by Liz Fenton & Lisa Steinke
Release date: June 10, 2014
Print Length: 304 pages
Publisher: Washington Square Press

Thanks to Netgalley for providing me with an advanced review copy. All opinions are my own.

The Southern Cowboy Cookbook Dishes Up Banana Dream Pudding (recipe) and Down-home Charm

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In the mood for a fresh take on Southern comfort food? Have I got the cookbook for you.

Born of family, faith, and a passion for making the best blend of Southern barbeque around, one of Orlando’s foodie delights is 4 Rivers Smokehouse. Home of the neon “Hot Brisket Now” sign and lines ringing the building on a nightly basis, the first location in Winter Park, Florida, had humble origins. Back in 2009, businessman and weekend chef John Rivers decided to open a sort-of commissary for his “Barbeque Ministry” in the oft chance locals might want to purchase leftovers from his charitable events, or maybe even order take-out. . .

Five years later, John Rivers runs seven ridiculously successful locations in Central/North Florida (with a Tampa locale in the works). Though his restaurants are one of the only places my family and I eat out on a regular basis, most of y’all can’t just drop by for a heaping portion of 4 Rivers tender smoked briquet, tangy pulled pork, or to-die-for baked beans (which my dad swears are second only to the beans his mom used to make). Lucky, John Rivers has kindly shared his delectable comfort food recipes in THE SOUTHERN COWBOY COOKBOOK.

The recipes are a bold blend of Deep-South specialties, traditional Texas BBQ, and Low Country cuisine. All of my favorite sides from the restaurant are in there: Smokehouse Corn, Baked Cheese Grits, Bacon-wrapped Smoked Jalapenos, and more.

The meat sections are the highlight of the book, as that’s what draws customers to the casual 4 Rivers Smokehouses, even though they know they’ll have to wait patiently outside in the Florida heat (sometimes an hour), salivating as whiffs from the smoker drift across the sizzling parking lot. (Don’t worry, when the lines are long, the clean-cut and uber polite staff hands out samples to waiting customers.) Rivers includes recipes for all of his signature smoked meats, including the rubs, marinades, and finishing sauces. While these particular recipes might not be that useful unless you have a smoker, chances are you know someone who does. . . And you can share the book with them. . .

Most of the other recipes are much more approachable for the average home cook. The sandwich section reads like the restaurant menu board, highlighting creations that sound odd, but are oh-so-scrumptious, such as the Messy Pig (coleslaw, pulled pork, dill pickles, pickled jalapenos, & BBQ sauce slapped on a sandwich bun). Yes, you need many napkins.

Tossed in with the iconic recipes are some contemporary favorites, like Coffee-rubed Ribeye, Gruyere Herb Biscuits, and Krispy Kreme Bread Pudding. There are just far too many good ones to mention, and most are accompanied by drool-worthy photographs.

I had the pleasure of attending a cooking demonstration and cookbook discussion with John Rivers at the UCF Book Festival back in April. He chatted with the audience about his unlikely rises as a successful restauranteur, why he’ll never franchise (because he doesn’t want the quality and service to waver), his nationwide search for the perfect barbeque, and the role faith, community, and family play in his business and his life.

Then he made Banana Dream Pudding Cups and passed out samples to the audience.

Banana pudding is a favorite in my house. The simple Southern specialty is a staple at our Easter potluck, and the bowl is practically licked clean by guests. But John Rivers added a twist I’d never thought of: roasting bananas to bring out the sweetness, pureeing them, then adding them to the standard vanilla pudding. Oh, and adding chocolate. And caramel. And Heath bar bits.

::Swoon::

Of course I had to try the recipe at home.

And you can, too.

When you make the puree (I just used my good old mini food processor), blend until you have your preferred consistency. I tried leaving it a little bit chunky, and it added a nice texture to the pudding. Also, don’t use room temp Hershey’s syrup for the chocolate sauce–far too runny and not rich enough. A nice drizzle of hot fudge sauce (homemade or jarred) works much better. And use real whipped cream—it’s worth the few minutes of work.

Banana Dream Pudding Cups

From The Southern Cowboy Cookbook by John Rivers

Serves 6

Banana Dream Puree

5 large bananas
2 tablespoons sugar
1 1/2 cups vanilla pudding (I used instant, but I’m sure homemade would be better)

Banana Dream Pudding Cups

1 cup graham cracker crumbs
1 tablespoon powdered sugar
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
18 (1/4-inch-thick) banana slices
12 tablespoons toffee-chocolate bits (like Heath)
3 cups Banana Dream Puree, divided
1 3/4 cups freshly whipped cream, divided
6 tablespoons chocolate sauce, divided
6 tablespoons caramel sauce, divided
18 vanilla wafers

Make Puree

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Lay bananas, unpeeled on a baking sheet and bake for 10 to 15 minutes, or until bananas turn dark brown and go soft. Allow bananas to cool before peeling.

Peel bananas and place in the work bowl of a food processor along with the sugar. Pulse until desired smoothness.

Add pudding to bowl and mix by hand until combined. Refrigerate until cold.

Make Pudding Cups

Combine graham cracker crumbs, powdered sugar, and melted butter in a bowl, and mix until well blended.

In each of 6 glass dishes (I used stemless wine glasses), place 2 tablespoons graham cracker mixture, then top with 3 banana slices and a tablespoon of toffee-chocolate bits.

Spoon in 1/2 cup puree, then top with 1/4 cup whipped cream.

Sprinkle with 1 tablespoon toffee-chocolate bits, and drizzle with 1 tablespoon chocolate sauce and 1 tablespoon caramel sauce. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Place 3 vanilla wafers around each rim just before serving.

*******

The Recommendation:

Buy it. The cookbook is worth the price just for the Thanksgiving menu, which I plan on making for my holiday celebration this year. (Potential guests, expect Prosciutto Brussels Sprouts, Southern Green Beans, and Smoked Turkey.)

Now that I’ve spent the hour salivating over the cookbook and dreaming of BBQ and banana pudding, I’m going to head off to the gym—possibly with a detour afterwards to pick up some 4 Rivers takeout.

The Details:

The Southern Cowboy Cookbook by John Rivers
Print Length: 223 pages
Publisher: Story Farm

https://4rsmokehouse.com/

Weekend Cooking hosted by www.BethFishReads.com

Joining up again with Weekend Cooking hosted by www.BethFishReads.com. If you’re interested in more food-related posts, drop on by!

A portrait of a broken marriage set against a kidnapping in Peru… CHASING THE SUN by Natalia Sylvester

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The Book:

Andres suspects his wife has left him—again. Then he learns that the unthinkable has happened: she’s been kidnapped. Too much time and too many secrets have come between Andres and Marabela, but now that she’s gone, he’ll do anything to get her back. Or will he?

As Marabela slips farther away, Andres must decide whether they still have something worth fighting for, and exactly what he’ll give up to bring her home. And unfortunately, the decision isn’t entirely up to him, or up to the private mediator who moves into the family home to negotiate with the terrorists holding Marabela. Andres struggles to maintain the illusion of control while simultaneously scrambling to collect his wife’s ransom, tending to the needs of his two young children, and reconnecting with an old friend who may hold the key to his past and his wife’s future.

Set in Lima, Peru, in a time of civil and political unrest, this evocative page-turner is a perfect marriage of domestic drama and suspense.

The Author:

If you are at all a part of the supportive writer/reader online community, you probably know of debut novelist Natalia Sylvester. Born in Peru, she came to the U.S. at age four and grew up in South Florida where she received a B.A. in Creative Writing from the University of Miami. A former magazine editor, she now works as a freelance writer in Austin. CHASING THE SUN is partially inspired by her own family events. She blogs regularly on her own website and posts each Tuesday on The Debutante Ball.

Find Natalia at: Her Website * Twitter * Facebook * Goodreads

The First Lines:

He is always thinking of the last words he said to her—thank you, see you at dinner, rarely as simple I love you—as if they were status reports to a colleague, a quick memo to see where they stood. Andres always speaks last; Marabela has never cared for last works because her power lies in silences.

The Good Stuff:

CHASING THE SUN is a tense domestic drama that happens to be about a kidnapping. You’d think the plot would hinge on the kidnapping part, but this story is much more about dissecting the crumbling marriage of Andres and Marabela.

Life is tense in Lima, Peru in the early 1990’s. Civil unrest fills the streets, kidnapping for ransom is a lucrative business, and the wealthy live in their own walled worlds to stay safe. Through nearly two decades of hard work and dedication, Andres has built a successful printing company. His wife hides in her dark room when not busy with one of her fund-raisers or social obligations, still clinging to bitterness about the photography career that was yanked away from her. Marabela already walked away from the marriage once, and neither seems sure why they remain together. For their children? Their families?

Those of us in happy marriages can’t imagine sacrificing everything—from our money to our very souls—without hesitation to ensure the safe return of a spouse. But once the ransom negotiations begin, Andres struggles with how much more he must surrender to for his wife. The kidnapper’s demand is far more than he’s worth. If he gives them everything—every penny he’s earned, his business, his assets—will it be enough to secure her safety?

Complications arise when Andres learns that his first love, the woman he and his family imagined he’d marry, is at a psychiatric facility recovering from the aftermath of her own kidnapping. Would Marabela also come back broken in spirit and body? Would she come back to him at all? Deep down, does he even want her to?

The Recommendation:

Read it.

I can’t express how delighted I was to win a signed copy from Natalia—even though I already had a Netgalley copy downloaded. There’s something about reading a print copy (especially one with that extra sprinkle of the author’s love) that makes the experience that much more immersive. But even if I had no idea who wrote this, I would have picked up a copy just because of the beautiful cover. That, and the premise for the story is just so unique.

Despite it’s eye-catching cover, CHASING THE SUN isn’t a light and frothy beach read. I still raced through it in about two days. (Okay, much of it was a “pool read” on a gorgeous Florida day.)

It’s challenging to “label” this book, as it could easily be considered literary fiction, Latino fiction or even women’s fiction—although the story is told mostly through a male POV. Natalia balances suspense and tight drama, making us weigh how long we must pay for the choices we make and the the half-truths we tell.

The Details:

Chasing the Sun by Natalia Sylvester
Release date: June 1, 2014 (Kindle), June 3 (hardcover)
Print Length: 306 pages
Page Numbers Source ISBN: 0544262174
Publisher: Lake Union Publishing/New Harvest

Review: The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin

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On the faded Island Books sign hanging over the porch of the Victorian cottage is the motto “No Man Is an Island; Every Book Is a World.” A. J. Fikry, the irascible owner, is about to discover just what that truly means.

A. J. Fikry’s life is not at all what he expected it to be. His wife has died, his bookstore is experiencing the worst sales in its history, and now his prized possession, a rare collection of Poe poems, has been stolen. Slowly but surely, he is isolating himself from all the people of Alice Island-from Lambiase, the well-intentioned police officer who’s always felt kindly toward Fikry; from Ismay, his sister-in-law who is hell-bent on saving him from his dreary self; from Amelia, the lovely and idealistic (if eccentric) Knightley Press sales rep who keeps on taking the ferry over to Alice Island, refusing to be deterred by A.J.’s bad attitude. Even the books in his store have stopped holding pleasure for him. These days, A.J. can only see them as a sign of a world that is changing too rapidly.

And then a mysterious package appears at the bookstore. It’s a small package, but large in weight. It’s that unexpected arrival that gives A. J. Fikry the opportunity to make his life over, the ability to see everything anew. It doesn’t take long for the locals to notice the change overcoming A.J.; or for that determined sales rep, Amelia, to see her curmudgeonly client in a new light; or for the wisdom of all those books to become again the lifeblood of A.J.’s world; or for everything to twist again into a version of his life that he didn’t see coming. As surprising as it is moving, The Storied Life of A. J. Fikry is an unforgettable tale of transformation and second chances, an irresistible affirmation of why we read, and why we love.

********************************

The greatest gifts often arrive before we realize we need them. I’d never heard of the The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry or Gabrielle Zeven until I opened the padded envelope left on my doorstep. The book sat on my towering “To Be Read” pile for a few weeks (a short span in my world) until I sought out a paperback for a beach day.

I read half the book in one sitting, ignoring the sunshine and surf. Instead I imagined I was tucked in a cozy bookstore on a chilly New England island. I couldn’t put the book down.

It’s a simple story that carries the reader along for a quiet yet delightful journey—and I don’t mean “simple” in any disparaging way whatsoever. The prose is clean, the pacing easy, the characters engaging. Though Fikry starts off surely, depressed, and far from charming, his situation rapidly changes and we witness his total transformation. Lambiase could be a stereotypical village detective, but his growing passion for new books makes the tough cop downright loveable. Most bibliophiles will probably see pieces of themselves in the quirky Amelia, and everyone will be enchanted by the delightful Maya.

We are not quite novels.
We are not quite short stories.
In the end, we are collected works.

The novel is short: at a scant 272 pages, it felt more like a short story (like the many Fikry mentions) or perhaps a novella. It’s certainly more a character study than a complex plot-driven novel, but the easy prose makes it far more readable than the average “look at my fanciful use of words” literary novel.

It’s also an ode to books and the people who love them, who live through them, and who embrace characters as if they were their own friends and family. Cheesy as this may sound, this book made me want to be not only a better person, but a better library professional. Books can change lives, if you can only match a person with the right one. As I read the last lines of Storied Life of A.J. Fikry, I yearned to waltz through the door of Island Books and spend more time with my new friends.

Stop in your local bookshop and pick up this gem. “There ain’t nobody in the world like book people.”

The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry is the She Reads April book club selection. Head over to SheReads.org for a chance to WIN one of FIVE copies of this wonderful book.

Special Free Preview!

The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry
by Gabrielle Zevin
Publisher: Algonquin Books
Publication date: April 2014
Genre: Fiction

http://gabriellezevin.com/

If you enjoyed The Rosie Project, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society or The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry, you’ll love The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry.

I received this book free from SheReads.org/Algonquin Books. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Links above may be “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers.I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Review: Lost Lake by Sarah Addison Allen

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From the author of New York Times bestseller Garden Spells comes a beautiful, haunting story of old loves and new, and the power of the connections that bind us forever…

The first time Eby Pim saw Lost Lake, it was on a picture postcard. Just an old photo and a few words on a small square of heavy stock, but when she saw it, she knew she was seeing her future.

That was half a life ago. Now Lost Lake is about to slip into Eby’s past. Her husband George is long passed. Most of her demanding extended family are gone. All that’s left is a once-charming collection of lakeside cabins succumbing to the Southern Georgia heat and damp, and an assortment of faithful misfits drawn back to Lost Lake year after year by their own unspoken dreams and desires.

It’s a lot, but not enough to keep Eby from relinquishing Lost Lake to a developer with cash in hand, and calling this her final summer at the lake. Until one last chance at family knocks on her door.

Lost Lake is where Kate Pheris spent her last best summer at the age of twelve, before she learned of loneliness, and heartbreak, and loss. Now she’s all too familiar with those things, but she knows about hope too, thanks to her resilient daughter Devin, and her own willingness to start moving forward. Perhaps at Lost Lake her little girl can cling to her own childhood for just a little longer… and maybe Kate herself can rediscover something that slipped through her fingers so long ago.

One after another, people find their way to Lost Lake, looking for something that they weren’t sure they needed in the first place: love, closure, a second chance, peace, a mystery solved, a heart mended. Can they find what they need before it’s too late?

At once atmospheric and enchanting, Lost Lake shows Sarah Addison Allen at her finest, illuminating the secret longings and the everyday magic that wait to be discovered in the unlikeliest of places.

***************

I was first introduced to Sarah Addison Allen’s work with Garden Spells, and I was immediately enchanted by her charming characters, serene Southern settings, and dashes of magical realism that draw you into to her world. Each time she released a new novel, I devoured it within a few days, enjoying the stories too much to let one linger on my nightstand.

Lost Lake was no different.

The cover alone is enticing and dreamy, luring readers to visit the quaint Georgia retreat of Lost Lake—you can almost smell the earthy air, feel the moisture clinging to the Spanish moss draped below the canopy of trees.

Kate Pheris needs Lost Lake. She’d been just a shell of herself since her husband died a year ago. As the book begins, she’s sold the home she shared with him, packed up his things, and pushed her memories aside—at the urging of her domineering mother-in-law. But instead of moving in with the bossy woman as planned, she and her precocious eighth-year-old daughter make a sudden detour to Lost Lake, the resort Kate’s Great-Aunt Eby owned once upon a time—a haven she’s not sure still exists.

“You can’t change where you come from, but you can change where you go from here. Just like a book. If you don’t like the ending, you make up a new one.”

When they find what’s left of the once quaint resort, the antique-filled cabins are falling into states of neglect and the property is about to be sold to a developer. A few loyal guests return for one last summer, drawn to Lost Lake for their own reasons. These secondary characters are quirky and endearing, from the mute Lisette, a French woman who has been Eby’s best friend for decades, to the local handyman who’s loved Kate since the summer she spent there years ago. The small town cast’s fierce loyalty and open hearts make you want to pack your bags and join them for your own getaway by the lake.

Sarah Addison Allen has a way with words, an ability to mix reality with dreams; she creates a world where a little boy’s spirit can inhabit a talking alligator, where love potions work, and where ghosts of lost loves patiently wait in the corner chair. Somehow you believe it can be.

Overall, it’s a charming story about second chances, finding your unique place in the word, and the bonds of family and friendship — with a delightful dash of romance and magic. It’s a perfect light read for the temperate days of spring ahead, for relaxing with a good book, and for falling into your own daydreams.

Lost Lake is the She Reads March book club selection. The wonderful people at SheReads.org and St. Martin’s Press are giving away FIVE copies of Lost Lake—CLICK HERE for details!

Lost Lake
by Sarah Addison Allen
St. Martin’s Press (January 21, 2014)
303 pages

Sarah’s website | Facebook | Twitter | Pintrest

Waking Kate

If you enjoyed Lost Lake (or just want to get a taste of Sarah Addison Allen’s world), download Waking Kate, a free e-short story tie-in to Lost Lake,
available on Amazon or wherever e-books are sold.

I received this book free from Netgalley/SheReads.org/St. Martin’s Press. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Links above may be “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers.I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Review: The Art of Falling by Kathryn Craft

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The Art of Falling
by Kathryn Craft
Paperback, 368 pages
January 28th 2014, Sourcebooks Landmark

I received this book free from Netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. Links above may be “affiliate links.” This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers.I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”