Review: The Almond Tree by Michelle Cohen Corasanti

First --a HUGE THANK YOU to Goodreads, as I won this book in a FirstReads Giveaway!

What a powerful story! A story that will grip your heart and never let go--even after you finish reading it. Ichmad and his family have triumphs in knowing what love for family really means, with all they have to endure as Palestinians in Israel from the 1950's to present. As a reader, I am a WASP(is that term used anymore?). I am and have been so far removed from the ageless conflicts in Israel that I was shocked to read the depth of sorrow these families had to endure. Michelle Cohen Corasanti writes an amazing story; sharing perspectives and personal trials of Arabs and Jews. She takes the reader right to the characters' hearts and minds. Her book is not for the faint of heart. Graphic and very sad at times; heartwarming as well. All to get Ichmad's story told. I am grateful for all I learned through this book...and forever changed.

Rating:  5 stars!!!

Review: Depraved Heart by Kathleen Valentine

Oh Heavens, where to begin? Kathleen Valentine is truly one of my favorite authors! In Depraved Heart: A Novel, she spins a tale of twists, turns and dark secrets in the enormously wealthy Ravenscroft/Silver families throughout generations. The good, the bad, the ballerinas!
Saying all that to say this: I was not in love with this book.
The last 1/3 of the book I was completely swept up in "what is going to be revealed next?!" Kathleen writes so well, I was discovering secrets with awe as her reader should.

Initially, it was another story for me. I was introduced to too many characters with names so fanciful, I expected Fabio to jump out of the pages, tear his shirt open & declare his forbidden love for each of the women(and maybe the men--as they were beautiful and very rich) who crossed Hathor's dangerous estate. The excess, the art, the names of characters, were too hard for me to get past in order to enjoy the good and tangled story underneath.

I will continue to read Ms. Valentine's work. The Old Mermaid's Tale is more than a 5-star read! Depraved Heart: A Novel, I did not lose my heart to thee!

Rating:  3 stars.

Review: Mudbound by Hillary Jordan

An amazing book! Profound and impacting, very well written. Each chapter, a perspective from a different character; done in seamless transition from each point of view. I have read other books written in that manner that completely chop up a book--not so with Mudbound. The strong women in this novel: I felt for Laura, with the life changes and shocking events that transpired around her when she least expected. I loved her tender heart that she worried about expressing with the pervasive attitudes around her. Even her forbidden thoughts were real. I loved Florence for her strong presence and personality. She never apologized for her superstitious additions to her spirituality. The men all had a tug-of-war going on within themselves. Henry--his love for farming, yet struggle to provide for his family and make them happy. Hap--his desire to break out of what had been "the black man's" lot in life to this point in history, and be his own man by owning land. Jamie--oh Jamie, suffering inside with his relationship with alcohol; and his poor relationship with his father. Ronsel-a true unsung hero, who could not live his desires because of the color of his skin.  Last but not least-Pappy. Self absorbed to cover self loathing. Who could like him? I really think it is the picture of how awful things were for African Americans in the deep south in the 1940's. I was truly struck by the pictures Ronsel & Jamie painted of the racist, heinous Nazi's; then how whites treated blacks right in their own back yard. The night I finished this book, I had very vivid dreams just before I woke up. The strong impact of this novel is staying with me.

Rating:  5 stars!

Review: The Seance Society by Michael Nethercott

First, many thanks to Minotaur Books and NetGalley for this ARC of this e-book!

A light mystery with a colorful cast of characters. It read kind of like the Clue game of the '70's --A mysterious death is investigated. The scene is in "The Parlor". Was it the odd, outspoken Mr. Kemple? The boisterous drama queen Miss Sassafrass? Mousey Ms. Chauncey? Mr. O'Nelligan and Detective Plunkett set out to find out. Good thing Lee Plunkett is surrounded by all these personalities, because as the central character, he is about as exciting as a flat soda. I liked the book; the references to Yeats & Shakespeare. I even liked all the goofballs thrown in who may or may not have been involved in a crime. My 2 cents: If Lee has more mysteries to solve, he needs more personality.

Rating:  A solid 3 stars.

Book Review: The Fault In Our Stars by John Green

 

Oh my! I am so glad I read this book. I worked my way into Hazel & her family's lives. I met Augustus Waters; and Isaac; and the insufferable Peter VanHouten. I was humbled by the way the characters' challenges of living with cancer did little to stain their zeal for life. My problems are so much smaller, yet I am a hell of a lot more selfish. To author John Green: Thank you for writing this book! You have taught me much through Hazel's story. I could elaborate forever; I'd just end up sobbing, and promising to be eternally changed. You wrote from your soul & emerged among the very stars you fault. Brilliant, brilliant, BRILLIANT!

Rating: obviously 5/5 stars

Book Review: These Is My Words (Sarah Agnes Prine, #1) by Nancy E. Turner

I dearly loved this book! It is nothing short of amazing! Sarah Prine takes the reader on her amazing life adventure into the Arizona Territory in the late 1800's. She's a spit-fire young girl who transforms into an equally spit-fire woman. She adores and fiercely defends her family; she is a wicked shot with a rifle AND pistol; and true love finds her in the most unexpected of men. More than an engaging story, Ms. Turner authors a work of historical fiction that swept me off my feet & dropped me right on Sarah's doorstep at her Arizona ranch. I laughed with her; I cried with her; I was thrilled for her & I may have even coached her a little through births of her children; I held my breath when she faced death defying situations. First rate and 5 stars!

Book Review: Lowcountry Bombshell (A Liz Talbot Mystery, #2) by Susan M. Boyer

* a note of THANKS! to NetGalley, author Susan M. Boyer, and publisher  Henery Press for the ARC of this novel*

I liked this book.
It began with a bumpy start: A lot of characters with borrowed names--Calista, Moon Unit; and an improbable plot set-up--a lottery winner who's whole life was staged to mirror Marilyn Monroe's; a young female private eye, hired to help save Calista, the Marilyn wannabe, from herself & her enemies. Then the story became quite engaging. It was light reading, held some peril, danger, shady characters, more plot discovery, and mystery solved. It had me guessing the "who dunnit"; and I was wrong. Enough going on that the would-be Marilyn-ish Calista killer was not too predictable. Even a little of the spirit-world thrown in for good measure. A nice mix for a light mystery. 3.5 stars

Book Review: Sherry and Narcotics by Nina Marie Gardner

This novel explores the perils of addiction, and is very addicting itself. Poor Mary. She is such a self-induced hot mess. I really liked her and had a lot of hope for her. She battles so many things in this book--wanting love, wanting to bury pain from personal loss, wanting success, stability,and maybe even normality. The problem is, she wants the bottle more! When she doesn't have resolution to the fulfillment in these areas, she seeks to numb herself with booze. Mary meets a co-dependent soul in Jake, her new British boyfriend. Jake needed recovery too--and permission to release himself from his co-dependency. I feel like I went through recovery & slipped again, just by reading Nina's book. Doesn't help that I work in the human services field; and read about addiction's power over its victims. I wanted to set up my "listening couch" to bring them in & try to help them work through stuff. Oy! A compelling read. 4 stars

Book Review: The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

I found myself quite confused while reading this 'classic'. I am of the "I never had to read it in high school" camp, so this was a first time around for me. I'll give 5 stars for subject matter: unrequited love, affairs, wild parties, money-is no-object getaways, aliases, bootlegging, murder, fall from grace...this book has it all! What it did not have for me was a sensical writing style. I would read; then re-read a passage several times, and still not understand what just happened or why. Was my e-book missing a page? Then it happened again. and again. Gatsby would tell Nick something. Nick would tell the reader only 1/2 of the something & it all just left me scratching my head. In this case, I look forward to the movie, where maybe I can make some sense of the style, "old sport".

 3 stars overall

Book Review: Chum by Jeff Somers

*a note of THANKS! to NetGalley, author Jeff Somers, and Tyrus Books publishers for the ARC of this novel*

Initially, for me, this book started with a -bang-! It was funny and intelligent. Henry & his friends were drinking; personalities were colorful. I could relate. Each chapter was spoken from the voice of one of the friends in the group. I could identify with the characters' thoughts as they weren't able to speak them to each other, when they didn't want relationships to change. The friends would get together for holidays, events, birthdays, etc. All involving a considerable amount of liquor, drunkenness, and debauchery(candidly referred to as mother***kery in the book). I am not certain if Mr. Somers meant for this comparison; but 2 TV series' of the past come to mind: "Friends" and "That 70's Show"--both funny, with characters who were all a little overconfident and annoying in their own right. A much understated character in the book, Luis,reminded me of Fez("That 70's Show"). I also came away from some of the chapters, feeling quite inebriated! Wow, these people could drink! A level of consumption I have not witnessed since my own college days.They were very relate-able, in exaggerated form. I kept thinking of people in my own life I have tried to befriend & couldn't because they were too shallow, too angry, too slutty, etc. The book made me question, "How do my friends see me?" It was intelligently written, compelling, frustrating at times, and somewhat dark. The ending was not at all as I expected! What did I expect, I don't know. I'm still contemplating the whole enchilada. Maybe I'll pour myself a cocktail & it will come to me.

 Rating:  ***.5

Thank you NetGalley, for the ARC. *Cheers* to Jeff Somers for a thought provoking read

Review: A Cold Day for Murer by Dana Stabenow

Things I liked about this book: The Aleut culture; Alaska; Mutt; the characters' struggle with "Outside" life perks they want vs keeping their heritage & culture alive

Things I could do without from this book: Kate's forced anger & masculinity--I think she could just be herself, her struggles and challenges as they are. Much of her character seemed like an angry man in prison too long. I wanted to like her, but I thought she might take me down if I did. That's how it seemed with the men who loved her in spite of her too. She could tear them apart. They were afraid of her, but wanted her.  ??

Mystery solved in the end. I expect if I read another Kate Shugak tale, I may see more maturity in her character. I'm just not compelled to make it a priority. 2.5 stars is all this gets from me

Review: In Search of Bisco

This poignant reminder of how poorly African Americans were treated and viewed in the "Deep South" at the dawn of the Civil Rights movement affected me deeply. I am a Caucasian female, born in the '60's, in northern Michigan, so far removed from the heart of the racial tension and tribulation. I read with renewed shock, the true accounts Mr. Caldwell got first hand from white and black folks alike. I am angry at the awful attitudes and behavior of the majority of white folks. It hurts me to think they really thought and acted that way toward anyone of color. When he interviewed black people throughout his book, the themes of kindness first, and giving despite poverty emerged. Statements such as "the only real difference I see between me and the white man, is the color of my skin" were repeated by blacks in Georgia, Mississippi, and Louisiana. Mr. Caldwell did no sugar coating in any of his accounts. He really was only looking for a boyhood friend named "Bisco". He found instead, some of the worst racists in the form of "fine upstanding white citizens" that I think could ever be found. He was called a n-lover more than once. He knew white racists were so closed to change, and the truth about race not making someone less than human. He knew change was coming, in a slow,heating volcanic motion. God bless you Erskine Caldwell for your words--true,beautiful and painful as they were to this reader.   

rating:  *****

Coming Soon

Coming soon...

Recently, I revived this blog because I enjoy reading & reviewing so much. 2nd, I signed up for NetGalley. I just found out I was approved to read 2 new ARC's!!  I am very excited to post that I will be reading/reviewing the following titles:

                

Thank you so much to the authors & publishing companies for trusting this newbie reviewer! I look forward to reading and reviewing your work! CD

Book Review--Garden Spells by Sara Addison Allen

What a delightful read!  A light story with themes of bringing family together; intuition; following your heart; and a little bit of magic in the mix. The Waverly family is known in their small town for being "odd" . They all seem to have uncanny ability to "know" things--each in an individual way. I felt as if I knew these characters and they were my neighbors and friends. The book stopped short of being sappy or too romantic. It is chick-lit. Well written, intelligent,draws you in kind of chick-lit.  Written in 2007, just sitting on my local library's shelf waiting for me to discover. 5/5 stars! Ms. Allen, I will certainly seek out more from you!