4 Books!

The Piano Teacher

by Janice Y. K. Lee

Hong Kong, WW2 time period, what happens to people before, during after the war. Affairs, mean. I wished it was better.

The Reliable Wife

by: Robert Goolrick

Wished this was better too! Great story idea. WAY too sordid for me. Man writes an add for a reliable wife, she is a con woman who answers; eventually they fall in love.

Ultra Violet

by: Nancy Bush

This is like a Janet Evanovich book. Woman detective, a husband with 3 ex-wives is killed, she solves the mystery. It was ok.

Holly's Inbox

by: Holly Denham

This is written all like e-mails. It is a VERY thick book, but a fast read. I wished it was better.

It has some adult themes.

I was bugged. I really wanted to really like this book. I didn't.

Crazy for the Storm

Crazy for the Storm
by: Norman Ollestad

Ok, this book I got for FREE in the mail! Very exciting. I signed up for a book give away, and apparently I was selected. I had to read it and give my opinion, which I did happily.

It's a memoir, which I think means, this is how Norman remembers these things, not all certain fact. Norman is 11. His father has taught him how to play hockey, ski, surf. His father was a big force in his life to over come your fears, push through, keep trying. Sometimes to the frustration to Norman, well a lot of times his frustration. His parents divorced when he was 3; but his father was always there, always loved him. Norman won a skiing competition in Big Bear. The trophies would be given out the next day. They drove home (Topanga Canyon) only to fly back the next day for the trophy ceremony. The dad chartered a small plane. There was the dad, his girlfriend, Norman and the pilot. They flew right into the mountain, killed his father and pilot on impact. The girlfriend died later on the mountain. Obviously Norman makes it down the mountain; he wrote the book.

I enjoyed reading about his life. He is only a few years younger than me; lived within 100 miles of me, yet he lived a totally different life than I did. His father loved him and showed it, but was also hard on him.

I would recommend it. I would also tell the author to take out the few swear words he chose to put in the book. I do think that is how he spoke, but it is not ok.

AustenLand

Austenland

by: Shannon Hale

Apparently, Shanon Hale is great friends with "Miss Twilight" Stephenie Meyer. So, I thought I would give her a try.

It was fine...here is the premise:

The woman (age 32?) was given a trip in the will of her aunt to Austenland. That is a place in England. People there act as if they are in a Jane Austen novel; Regency period. They dress and act like them. There are people there who are paying for the vacation, and there are actors there to help move the story along. You stay for 3 weeks.

Ok, the thought is interesting; different vacation, BUT the people come here to fall in love, like Jane and Mr. Darcy! I don't get it. Why try to fall in love for pretend? The people you would fall in love with are actors. Makes no sense. The author presented the case that rich people come here to just have an affair for 3 weeks, then go on with their regular life. Really, how gross.

I'm on the fence if I should recommend or not. I would read another one of her books, maybe this was not her best work.

5 Books; To Read or Not to Read?

This is a "catch-up" of the books I have read, but NOT blogged about...

The Story of Edgar Sawtelle
By: David Wroblewski

I really enjoyed the beginning. The middle was fine. By the end I was just quickly reading to find out what happened as long as I had invested so much time in the story! It is a LONG book.

Parents have a son. He should be able to talk, but he can't. He and his parents learn sign language. The family raises and trains dogs. It is set in (from memory now!) 1930's.

It IS an interesting story. I enjoyed learning about the dog business, the deaf son was an interesting part too. I just think the story was TOO long. There is mystery and intrigue.

If you usually like Oprah's book picks, you will like it. I have learned I don't usually like her book picks. I have tried many.





Ricochet
By: Sandra Brown

I really can't recommend reading this book. I have tried this author a couple of times, but I just don't care for her writing. Her stories are fine, but she has way too much R++ goings on in her books. It makes me feel like I need to read with one eye shut.

HER story is interesting. I enjoyed that, just that other was WAY too much.

A judges wife is accused of murdering a burglar in her home. She is married to a judge. The judge just let a murderer off in his court room. That made the detective mad. There is the mystery.

Rough Weather

by: Robert B. Parker

Robert Parker, at his best, is an easy read; does not tax the mind. It is not bad, but you can't eat cotton candy all day.

This one is worse that usual. I liked the book because the pages are thick, you can really tell when you turn a page. There are not too many words on the page. It is a fast read. Especially coming off that Sawtelle book (like reading the Bible), it was nice to feel like I was moving through the book. That is the best I can say for this one.

Go and read a different Parker book. He has way better ones out there.

If you want to know, Spencer (Parker's character) is asked to be a body guard at a wedding of a very wealthy woman. It is the woman's daughter that is getting married. At the wedding, the daughter is kidnapped, her very new husband was murdered, several guards were murdered. Things don't seem right to Spencer. He finds out why.

The Middle Place

by: Kelly Corrigan

Non-fiction! I really enjoy the Non-fiction variety. This one I liked, but the subject matter may throw some people off...Cancer.

She discovers she has a lump in her breast, it is cancer. The book shows how she deals with it, her marriage, her relationship with her brothers, parents. I enjoyed it, especially after I read the ending just to ease my mind.

Shockingly, her dad (I loved him!) ends up getting cancer too!

People can go through very traumatizing situations and come out the other end a better human being.

I am not really sure why it was called The Middle Place. I think she felt like she was in the middle of feeling like a mother and a daughter at the same time, and then feeling like she needed to parent her parents a bit.

I liked it.

The Last Town on Earth

by: Thomas Mullen

This book review should be written by my dad! He told me about this book, he REALLY enjoyed it. I did too. It was about something I really knew very little about. The flu of 1918; the end of WWI, unions and strikers. This book has all this as its background. True events, fictional people/town.

The town, Commonwealth, is set about 15 miles away from any other town in the state of Washington. The people wanted to have a different kind of town. They are loggers. No need to lock your house, very little crime. It was a good town. The flu started

spreading through the United States, through all the neighboring towns. Commonwealth was not affected, yet. They wanted to keep it that way. They decided to quarantine the town, no one in, no one out. They made a sign at the road to the town to let all people know.

What happens when the guards see a soldier coming to enter the town anyway. They tell him to go back. They hear him cough. What do the guards do?

It is an interesting study on human nature. Good book.

The Lace Reader

The Lace Reader
by: Brunonia Barry

I am sure I got this book because I saw it on some list that it was good. Well, the author of that list and I apparently have two different ideas of good. It is really good if you like a headache! Ugh!

I am just glad it is over. Do not read. But just so you know, it is about a woman who grew up in Salem, abusive father, crazy mother, had Aunt raise her as her own. In the last 3 pages of the book we find out that she is a bit crazy. We have been reading about her twin sister who killed herself as a senior in high school. Apparently that twin sister was born dead. Whatever.

I got very frustrated with all the domestic abuse. You don't really read about it, but it is there and annoyingly frustrating. As Oprah says, "if he hit you once, he will hit you again".

In the end, the woman is seeing 3 different psychiatrists. Let's hope she gets better.

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet

Hotel on the corner of Bitter and Sweet

by: Jamie Ford

Very Interesting!

This book is set during WWII - it is about a Chinese boy that meets a Japanese girl just before all the Japanese people were taken and put in Relocation Camps. They are 12 and 13 years old. They learn so much about life and fairness, cultures.

This book jumps back and forth between 1942 and 1986 - you see what happened and what is currently happening in the current time of the book.

The setting is in Seattle Washington and the Japanese are relocated to Idaho.

The book is fiction, but is very much about real events. I really enjoyed learning about this event. I believe my mother lived right across the street from a Japanese relocation camp! Please tell us more stories!

What a hard time in US history. We do you do, stand by, watch, be active, stand against? Questions we all need to have ready.

The Sweet Potato Queens First Big-A** Novel

The Sweet Potato Queens First Big-Ass Novel
by Jill Conner Browne

I can't believe I haven't posted a book since October!!!

Okay. This book is NOT for the weak-of-heart. There is some pretty forthcoming language. But it is HILARIOUS!! I found it in the library because the author's name is Browne and this book was right next to Sandra Brown (a favorite of mine) on the shelf.

Five misfits meet up in High School and decide to go ahead and live their lives and make great memories even though they are NOT in the popular crowd. The book covers two decades or so of their lives. "Are Queens born or are they made?" the narrator asks. And then proceeds to show how they are born AND made.

This is the first fiction book written by Miss Browne, but apparently she has like 5 nonfiction books out there. I have already requested a couple from the library. She has quite a huge following of Queens and Wannabes and Spud Studs all over the country.

The Associate

The Associate
by: John Grisham

This does read somewhat like The Firm; which isn't necessarily a bad thing. I liked The Firm.

There is a guy, at the end of law school. He gets blackmailed to spy. The usual Grisham stuff ensues.

The very beginning was good; the story got too tense; I didn't like the subject matter; didn't know if I could keep on, so I read the end!
Yes, i did, and I am glad. It helped me to feel better, understand, I kept reading and really enjoyed the book. Kerry is so against reading the end of books (at the beginning of your reading), but I really don't like the tension. I like to fast forward in the tense part of movies.

If you are a Grisham fan, you will like this book.

The Sleeping Beauty Proposal

The Sleeping Beauty Proposal
by: Sarah Strohmeyer

I didn't enjoy this book as much as my last Sarah Strohmeyer.
This one was readable, ok.

This 36 year old woman has had the same boyfriend for 4 years. Desperately wants to marry him. He proposes on National TV! But the proposal is for someone else. He has been cheating on her.

She chooses to pretend to everyone that she really is engaged. It drives her ex crazy. It is a funny (kind of) premise.

The Cinderella Pact

The Cinderella Pact
by: Sarah Strohmeyer

I found this book to be funny and refreshing. I knew nothing about this author, so I was pleasantly surprised.

It is about 3 girl friends, all over weight. They all decide to really lose the weight and they all do it in a different way. It is written with a lot of humor and reality. The main character is also a writer for a magazine and feels discriminated against until she "applies" for a job as someone else and gets that job also. She ends up being her own editor of her made up job applicant.

Easy, light, entertaining read.