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| # | cover | title | author | isbn | isbn13 | asin | num pages | avg rating | num ratings | date pub | date pub (ed.) | rating | my rating | review | notes | recommender | comments | votes | read count | date started | date read |
date
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date purchased | owned | purchase location | condition | format | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1479262773
| 9781479262779
| 4.45
| 42
| Mar 11, 2013
| Mar 11, 2013
|
After her father’s death, Maris Carrington leaves her comfortable life in Chicago for the small Connecticut town where she grew up. The last of her fa...more
After her father’s death, Maris Carrington leaves her comfortable life in Chicago for the small Connecticut town where she grew up. The last of her family, with only an aunt living worlds away in Italy, Maris finds herself overwhelmed by the effects inherited from her father, including a plucky German Shepherd and an 8mm role of film that will change her life completely. The only appropriate place to sort through these new revelations is Stony Point, the quaint beach town where she spent her adolescent summers; the town full of close friends and fond memories that she left behind for the big city. Time has gone on for them all, but Stony Point remains the same: it remains the youthful dream world of Maris, Jason, Eva, Matt, Neil, Kyle, Lauren, Vinny, and Paige. As the circle of friends find themselves drawn back to the beach they realize just how much has changed between them. Maris is torn between her steady Chicago life with her steady Chicago boyfriend and the gentle magic of life in Stony Point with the one who got away, wounded architect Jason. Jason is fighting his own battle, particularly a war of demons waging within him over the death of his brother Neil. Kyle and Lauren have found their marriage on the rocks. Eva just wants to know life as anything other than an orphan, a void that even her family with Matt hasn’t filled. As they all come together at Stony Point, they’ll find in each other the strength to face their troubles and overcome their obstacles. Blue Jeans and Coffee Beans has all the makings of a perfect summer read: the idyllic beach town, captured by beautiful descriptions; the cast of characters, each one endearing themselves to the reader; the poetic language of author Joanne DeMaio’s writing style; the truly surprising plot-twists woven throughout a fascinating story. It absolutely fits the bill, much like DeMaio’s first novel, the charming Whole Latte Life. But there’s something bigger about Blue Jeans and Coffee Beans; it feels as though the author has graduated to a different level by taking on tougher life challenges and a fuller cast. DeMaio has a particular knack for her themes – namely friendship, family, romance, and the beach; combined with her terrific storytelling ability and the certain literary glow of her writing style, the novel leaves a decidedly impressive mark on its reader. As much as it struck me as being about a collection of deeply emotional themes, I also found it to be an interesting character study. Maris and her friends all have flaws, they’re all very human, and the exposure of their imperfections struck me as very brave. At times I felt Eva’s selfishness for not embracing the family she had, or I was exasperated with Lauren for pushing her husband away. If that were the extent of the characters’ presence it would be easy for a reader to feel irritated by them, but there’s a certain depth to them all that evokes the reader’s empathy instead. Maris, despite having plenty of things to deal with herself, is perhaps the strongest of the cast, and the most relatable; it makes her an ideal focal point amid the numerous other characters and their stories. On that subject, with a group this large and with small plot points woven between them, it would be easy for anything to go awry – the author or the reader could lose interest, and the story could falter – but I found the novel to be solid, with every element taking deep root. A lot of things stood out to me, but especially the setting; DeMaio creates a dreamers’ Connecticut that had me wanting to take off for the coast to discover my own Stony Point. While it is the recipe for a wonderful summer read, it’s also not your average beachside book. Cozy and eloquent, Blue Jeans and Coffee Beans is a novel that truly feels like home. (Review © Casee Marie, originally published on June 18, 2013 at LiteraryInklings.com. I received a copy of the book for the purpose of review.)(less) | Notes are private!
| none
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1
| Jun 11, 2013
| Jun 18, 2013
|
Jun 11, 2013
| Paperback
| |||||||||||||||
| 0375753753
| 9780375753756
| 3.93
| 34,215
| Jan 01, 1905
| Aug 10, 1999
|
Published in 1905, The House of Mirth was the novel that launched Edith Wharton’s name as a celebrated novelist several years into her occupation as a...more
Published in 1905, The House of Mirth was the novel that launched Edith Wharton’s name as a celebrated novelist several years into her occupation as a writer. An instant classic, it remains one of the pillars among her bibliography of more than fifty works. Why it took me this long to read it, I’ll frankly never know. The novel tells the story of bold, ethereally beautiful Lily Bart whose impassioned desire for all things luxurious in life clashes with her meager income and single status. Marrying rich seems to be her only option, and that excludes from her a future with Lawrence Selden, the handsome and inadequately-financed lawyer with whom she feels most liberated to be herself. Scurrying through the maddeningly treacherous formalities of the social sphere, Lily must learn to hoist herself up amid the unkind words and devious schemes of people disguised as friends. What makes Lily such a remarkable character, I think, is the rapidity with which she bounces from appearing superficial and pious to soliciting herself to the reader as a woman of genuinely profound insight. The alterations between which seem to be, in the context of the story, her ultimate downfall, but they work in the same way to build her up in her audience’s esteem. I won’t spoil the end of the novel in case anyone reading here hasn’t yet experienced it; but I will reiterate, as many usually do, that The House of Mirth is a heart-wrenching and bittersweet work. And it’s just beautiful. I can understand, after finally reading it, why it carried Wharton to her initial success as a writer. This first reading has already catapulted her high on my list of favorite authors, and it has me wondering why it ever took me so long to read her. I feel like I’ve read The House of Mirth at an appropriate age all the same, particularly because it calls on so many emotions which, I think, are more acutely developed now. Lily’s plight, despite appearing here in New York’s Gilded Age, has moments that ring of familiarity to modern readers. The challenge of understanding, on the late edge of her twenties, what it is she should do with herself and finding amongst the torrid waters of social convention the true fabric of her own character can easily strike a chord with the appropriate reader. The difference, of course, illuminates the achievements of feminism in our time, though one could argue that the novel also highlights the continued flaws of contemporary society (a feat Wharton achieved with stunning clarity over one hundred years ago!). Lily is a woman vastly ahead of her time in her aspirations, which are to be free of social obligation and to live her life in true, unfettered independence; to live however she would like, in her own brand of luxury, and on her own terms. Her convictions to make her future so are admirable, though the reader soon discovers with her that such a future isn’t so readily available. Her many ill-advised decisions, which have occasion to win out over her remarkable intelligence, lead her further from her dream life, but closer, in a tragic way, to a better and more blissful understanding of herself. This was, for me, the novel’s triumph as much as the love story between Lily and Selden. That latter piece, unfortunately, has all the chemistry a reader can want, but far too much distance. When the two share a scene their connection is wonderful, but there’s a palpable divide between them that keeps the reader from every really feeling like they’ve made a connection at all. It did make me wonder if that was Edith’s intention because it adds a sort of final blow to the ultimate tragedy of the novel. But what Edith went above-and-beyond with was her depiction of society. She was a zinger of a lady, completely unafraid to lay bare the scathing indecencies of Lily Bart’s scandalous social “superiors” and exploring in depth the unraveling of society’s merit in the face of classism, hypocrisy, and declining ethics. The people on whose level Lily aspires to reach are, the reader is quick to understand, decidedly far below Lily herself on a moral scale; but the vision of the social climate refuses to see things in that way, priding instead an affinity for the hollow glamour of wealth and status. It’s a stab that resonates into the world of the novel’s modern readership and clearly expresses why The House of Mirth has endured over time. I was enthralled in Edith’s execution of The House of Mirth, from her use of language to the artistry with which she took the reader into the depths of her story. It wound around me with such solidness, such impenetrable realness; the sort of novel that will linger forever on my mind, as genuine classics do. The characters which populate the novel are immense in number – it was, initially, a bit difficult to work through the Trenors and Dorsets and Van Osburghs and Stepneys, etc. – but each came to life to set the stage for the dramatics of Wharton’s story, and I eventually came to know them well. Edith’s writing style and particular narrative language felt genuinely accessible to me, too. Her sentences are constructed in a way that are noticeably beautiful but also truly sensible. At the same time, it has its complexities (the huge cast is a good example), but great authors have a way of making their readers welcome complexities now and then. Edith certainly had a unique ability of encouraging her reader to work a little harder at some points and then rewarding them with the brilliance of her talent when they find themselves struck by some of her most impressive sentences. Overall, I think The House of Mirth was one of the most invigorating books I’ve read from our proclaimed list of literary classics. While the romance between Lily and Selden felt on the brink of being barely a romance at all, there was so much else in the novel that boasted substance – really, Lily herself was powerful enough to carry the entire show on her own, right through every amusing, enlightening, and ultimately heartbreaking scene. (Review © Casee Marie, originally published on June 7, 2013 at LiteraryInklings.com.)(less) | Notes are private!
| none
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1
| May 26, 2013
| Jun 06, 2013
|
May 26, 2013
| Paperback
| |||||||||||||||
| B00BI15Y7E
| unknown
| 5.00
| 6
| Feb 23, 2013
| Feb 23, 2013
|
For authors of every variety, building a brand on the internet is the pivotal foundation to marketing books and cultivating readership. In today’s tec...more
For authors of every variety, building a brand on the internet is the pivotal foundation to marketing books and cultivating readership. In today’s technology-driven world an online presence is practically a necessity, and when we start to dissect the facets of internet success we’re quick to find that all roads lead to blogging. Indie author and blogger extraordinaire Molly Greene has taken the determined initiative to highlight what makes a powerful blog in her book, Blog It!, where she whittles down the many overwhelming aspects of beginning a blog and curates them specifically for authors. Covering everything from choosing the right platform to managing subscribers, Greene delivers answers to the myriad questions every new blogger is apt to ask. And she answers them swiftly, sensibly, and succinctly. I found Blog It! to be wonderfully achieved: at once informative and organized, balanced in a way that will excite future bloggers (and even existing ones) without instilling them with the feeling of being in over their heads. Greene has a very capable approach to topics that many aspiring bloggers often chew over in uncertainty, and her ability to simplify some of blogging’s more complex areas makes her a terrific guide. I nodded along to many of her suggestions, such as comparing and contrasting free and self-hosted blog platforms, and I even learned some new things myself (proof that even longtime bloggers are at risk for missing out on some of the field’s new technology and helpful tools). Greene also extols the relevance of good social media conduct (i.e. being kind!) and explores the ever-complicated art of developing a steady Twitter following. While it caters to authors, I would definitely attest that Blog It! presents something for bloggers of every milieu and will likely help any blogger to better understand the virtues and pitfalls of successful blogging. I enjoyed her chapters on content and audience, especially. Greene knows that keeping a blog isn’t as simple as writing things down and pushing that “Publish” button; she helps the reader to understand how they can make their content work for them, and what it takes for blog posts to be useful to readers. Likewise, her focus on engaging readers and building community defines the reasoning that no blogger is an island and, in fact, that a blog can help a writer connect to their peers (as well as their readers) in a whole new way. Accessible, realistic, and genuinely helpful, Blog It! is a must-read from a celebrated blogger and talented author. (Review © Casee Marie, originally published on May 29, 2013 at LiteraryInklings.com. I received a copy of the book for the purpose of review.)(less) | Notes are private!
| none
|
1
| May 20, 2013
| May 24, 2013
|
Apr 16, 2013
| Kindle Edition
| |||||||||||||||
| B0041T57WM
| 4.18
| 11
| Sep 02, 2010
| Sep 02, 2010
|
At forty-five years old, Lilly’s life as a divorcee in Manhattan is far from what she expected. Haunted and unfulfilled by the memory of her ex-husban...more
At forty-five years old, Lilly’s life as a divorcee in Manhattan is far from what she expected. Haunted and unfulfilled by the memory of her ex-husband, a torrid artist with more passion for drinking than painting, Lilly lives day to day, contented by her tepid relationship with a stoic businessman. When her mother Ida calls her home with the confession of a long-kept secret Lilly finds her world turned upside down, and soon she’s traveling to Australia to meet the father she never knew. A scoundrel and legendary adventurer, Cameron is a bold man with a brash exterior, but underneath his spirit is grizzled by a secret. As Lilly sets out across the Australian outback with Cameron, his alluring son Grant, and Grant’s twenty-something daughter Jen, she finds herself unraveling the twisted web of secrets and deceptions that surround her newfound family, and stepping into a web of her own. Afterthought, Janet Clare’s debut novel, is a skillful examination of the power of secrets and our flawed belief that we can control them. Reading the novel, it’s almost difficult to remember that it is, in fact, a debut; so assured is Clare in her prose. Her ability with words is deeply evident in the creativity of the novel’s construction, and she approaches Lilly’s narrative with a nakedness that captures the protagonist’s personality – and her somewhat bleak view of love and life – very well. Lilly’s attitude and her actions – including an attraction, more or less incestuous, to her half-brother Grant – will work either for or against the reader, depending upon the audience, as all books do. For me, Afterthought represented a creative triumph, a journey through life’s non-beauties set against the backdrop of an otherwise enchanting place, and I appreciated the depth and clarity of Clare’s story. The themes the novel explores are all bold, and they require equal boldness in order to capture them: Clare demonstrates this exceptionally well. While it could likely be expected that a story of a father and daughter uniting for the first time would be a heartfelt journey to familial love rediscovered, Afterthought puts its heart into a far less idyllic place, but a place that’s just as real. In its efforts, the novel achieves a uniquely observant contemplation of life’s challenges and the way our choices can affect its fragility. Beautifully rendered and engagingly paced, Afterthought is a novel I’ll be thinking about for a long time to come. (Review © Casee Marie, originally published on March 7, 2013 at LiteraryInklings.com. I received a copy of the book for the purpose of review.)(less) | Notes are private!
| none
|
1
| not set
| Mar 06, 2013
|
Mar 07, 2013
| Kindle Edition
| ||||||||||||||||
| B00BGXP1IQ
| unknown
| 4.00
| 29
| Feb 16, 2013
| Feb 16, 2013
|
In 1941 Seattle, young Grace Vandenberg’s life was turned upside down when she discovered that her boyfriend Joel had time-traveled his way into her l...more
In 1941 Seattle, young Grace Vandenberg’s life was turned upside down when she discovered that her boyfriend Joel had time-traveled his way into her life directly from the year 2000. Convinced that their futures couldn’t be aligned, Joel left her to return to his century, but Grace, refusing to give up on the power of love, is determined to follow him. In a mind-boggling new era of cell phones and computers Grace settles into a blissful life with Joel, but her now perfect world is shaken anew when a trip to a newly-restored historic theater sends her all the way back to the year 1918. As she witnesses her teenage parents’ first meetings and falls in love with a handsome Army captain, Grace must make sense of the life she’s stumbled into and come to terms with the cold truth: she may never see Joel or the new millennium ever again. In The Show, the direct sequel to his debut The Mine and the third in his Northwest Passage series, John A. Heldt proves himself once again as a masterful storyteller. He has, for the third time, woven heart-stirring romance, beautifully detailed history, and the ever-complex device of time-travel into what may be his most satisfying novel so far. While The Show is a perfect compliment to is predecessor, it stands handsomely on its own and offers new insights on yet different topics of life: love, loss, motherhood, and family. Grace was a stellar supporting character in The Mine and it’s a delight to see her take center stage here. She blossoms into a very strong, capable heroine with a passion that the reader will instantly appreciate. Plucky and resilient, she illuminates the power of the female spirit as a wife, mother, daughter, and friend. She is supported by a highly memorable cast from the earliest part of the 20th century: sassy twins Lucy and Edith, compassionate Uncle Alistair, and the kind, charismatic Captain Walker, among many others. Against the believably rendered backdrop of 1918 their story cocoons the reader easily as it unfolds. It takes a special talent to juggle the many facets of The Show. Heldt continues to handle the element of time-travel well, always delivering it in a pleasingly realistic way, and he shows consistent ability with the depth of detail that is required when writing about different eras. Succeeding further yet with genuinely felt romance, myriad emotions, and profound life lessons, The Show easily finds its home in the reader’s heart with little intention of traveling away anytime soon. (Review © Casee Marie, originally published on May 21, 2013 at LiteraryInklings.com. I received a copy of the book for the purpose of review.)(less) | Notes are private!
| none
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1
| May 13, 2013
| May 17, 2013
|
Feb 28, 2013
| Kindle Edition
| |||||||||||||||
| 9780615583617
| unknown
| 4.83
| 6
| unknown
| unknown
|
In the late 16th century, a band of Portuguese Jews sought refuge in Turkey under the protection of Suleiman the Magnificent, the most celebrated Sult...more
In the late 16th century, a band of Portuguese Jews sought refuge in Turkey under the protection of Suleiman the Magnificent, the most celebrated Sultan in the Ottoman Empire. Among those escaping persecution were noble widow Doña Antonia Nissim, her daughter Reyna, and her nephew Jose. Faced with the truth of their Jewish heritage for the first time in their lives, Reyna and Jose connect with each other and find love and comfort in Turkey. Years later, their daughter Tamar falls in love with the Sultan’s son, Murat; the two vow to spend the rest of their lives together despite the oppositions of their families and the obstacles of classism and religion that stand in their way. They remain committed to their shared determination until the tensions escalade between their families and Tamar vanishes. Mad with devastation, Murat assumes his role in the Ottoman Empire and sparks what will become known as The Sultan’s Curse, a plague that affects his every descendant. Fast-forward to present-day Turkey and Selim Osman, a wildly successful real estate magnate and the grandson of the last Osman Sultan. In the prime of his life, Selim has the world at his feet until fate deals him a cruel blow: a shocking and life-altering diagnosis. Abandoning his life in Turkey, Selim turns to a Manhattan hospital in the hope of a cure; here he meets Hannah, a spirited young painter whose father is fighting a medical battle of his own. As Selim and Hannah start to understand the depth of their connection they’ll rejoin a love once lost and finally bring two fates together after decades of dormant solitude. A lush novel spanning generations and eras, The Debt of Tamar is ambitious and beautiful crafted by debut author Nicole Dweck. Its story is a fascinating one, spun with originality by the author in a fearless departure from the typical structure of a novel. There’s a noticeable artistry to the way Dweck uses a full cast – five generations’ worth of active characters – to tell the story of one love and one destiny. What could be expected to be a frustratingly complex tale becomes a genuinely accessible novel, one that balances names, dates, and histories all with a surprising and pleasing lightness. Dweck knows exactly how long to focus on a generation of characters before moving us on to the next, understanding very well how her reader will process all this information, all these emotions and experiences. Lingering purposefully on Tamar and Murat, the novel’s central love story is palpable, but it’s where Dweck goes next that will truly surprise and engross her reader. There’s nothing predictable about The Debt of Tamar, which is a statement that takes on new meaning as soon as the reader finishes its final pages: often a book ends one way or another, happy or sad. I was mesmerized by the way Dweck approached Happily Ever After as something woven in the invisible power of fate, something that transcends human emotion and even the human lifespan. Her efforts awaken the reader to a mystical idea of the true eternity of love and its ability to triumph even after its lovers are gone. Beyond the enchantment of her story, Dweck proves herself a capable and truly talented writer, piecing together luminous moments of prose that will blossom under her audience’s eyes. Her writing, particularly in the contemporary portion of the novel, offers a gently poetic touch that caused me to stop and remark on the way words, though perfectly natural apart, can create something special together. I suppose that in itself is a reflection on her depiction of the legacy of Tamar and Murat: existing apart, but together in love. (Review © Casee Marie, originally published on May 14, 2013 at LiteraryInklings.com. I received a copy of the book for the purpose of review.)(less) | Notes are private!
| none
|
1
| May 06, 2013
| not set
|
Feb 28, 2013
| ||||||||||||||||
| 1451666330
| 9781451666335
| 3.27
| 205
| unknown
| Apr 30, 2013
|
Life for Laura Warren is punctuated by the methodical: a radiographic technician, her work at a prestigious hospital on the Maine coast requires her t...more
Life for Laura Warren is punctuated by the methodical: a radiographic technician, her work at a prestigious hospital on the Maine coast requires her to look at cancer every day, unearthing the answers to patients’ most fearsome question and yet not being in a station to share what she knows. Keeping her thoughts to herself is something she’s familiar with at home, too. Her husband, Dan, has become increasingly embittered by the loss of his job, effectively driving a wedge further into their already fractured relationship. The bright lights in Laura’s life, her children, are living full lives of their own – creative, talented Ben away at college and savvy Sally in her final year of high school. Laura never really entertains escape, but when she finds herself at a weekend conference in Boston her world is turned upside down when she chances into conversation with another guest at the hotel. Richard has all the looks of a stuffy insurance salesman in his fifties, but no sooner have they engaged in a passing conversation when they realize they’ve both stumbled upon something profound, maybe even life-changing. Douglas Kennedy’s eleventh novel, Five Days, is a luxurious work that spins several unpleasant topics into a rich literary experience. It’s a love story that explores both the rampant ecstasy and wrenching sadness with a scope so broad it will leave the reader rather breathless. As the title suggests, the story is divided into five days amid Laura’s life, documenting the unhappiness of her every day, the tentative thrill of discovering something new, and the frightening elation at the prospect of changing her life for the better. Perhaps what I connected most with in the book was the difficulty – and triumph – in Laura’s plight to recreate her life; Kennedy focuses the novel on her first-person narration, which allows the reader to become fully acquainted with this remarkable character. Initially, I felt that I couldn’t quite relate with Laura, that her tone was rather depressing, but the beauty of Kennedy’s work is in the power he maintains over his own writing. His timing is excellent. As Laura frees herself from the confines of her depressing life and embarks on a life-changing relationship with another man, she allows herself to open up to the reader, to drop her guard. But it was after what happened later – when changes she had never expected began to take shape – that I found her at her most empowering. Kennedy’s use of language is superb, and his detailing creates a beautiful, almost dreamlike literary world that’s tinged ever slightly with melancholy. Richard and Laura are both pragmatic and romantic, two fascinatingly smart, well-read, engaged people. Their connect is so that Kennedy manages to set them more or less above every other character in the book – which, as they together share in their delight of obscure artistic references and an all-too-encompassing interest in synonyms – could make the reader feel either connected or slightly detached. Their intellect being the chief source of their chemistry, I found it fascinating to follow along and see the sparks ignite on the page. Overall, I found Five Days to be a thought-provoking look at the power of love to build up, destroy, and change our lives as we know it, and how we as humans deal with the magnitude of it. (Review © Casee Marie, originally published on April 30, 2013 at LiteraryInklings.com. I received a copy of the book for the purpose of review.)(less) | Notes are private!
| none
|
1
| Apr 21, 2013
| Apr 27, 2013
|
Feb 28, 2013
| Hardcover
| |||||||||||||||
| 1479376766
| 9781479376766
| 4.40
| 10
| Oct 25, 2012
| Oct 25, 2012
|
Marcus Gorman’s Triceratops tells the story of two remarkable twentysomethings from the West Coast set adrift in the madness of New York City: Charlot...more
Marcus Gorman’s Triceratops tells the story of two remarkable twentysomethings from the West Coast set adrift in the madness of New York City: Charlotte, roaming the streets armed only with a liquor addiction, a mouth like a sailor, and her artist ex-lover’s disturbing final work; and Henry, a guy whose primary life concerns involve Beat generation poets and a dedicated knowledge of jazz music. After spending a hazardous night together back in Seattle Henry and Charlotte never expected to see one another again – and definitely not on the other side of the country, in the middle of the night, in the middle of an empty New York street. But as their lives work their perverse magic the two are thrown together for three weeks filled with the sort of insanity that only New York City is capable of. Swallowed up in a scene filled with art, music, sexuality, liquor, drugs, and madness, the two find friends, lovers, and enemies amid New York’s wildest array of characters: its musicians and artists. Combining dark comedy with astonishing real-life insight, Triceratops works itself into a spectacle of the bizarre, and the result is rather brilliant. Gorman’s ability to handle scenes that alter between being utterly brazen and entirely relatable is a remarkable talent, and he executes it wonderfully. Woven within the fascinating mayhem of their setting, his characters offer transformative reflections on life and human nature that not only build their own perceptions, but reach out and cause the reader to reflect on them as well. It makes for a mesmerizing experience, while other elements of the book entertain on a lighter level. The combination was enough to leave me speechless after the novel’s final pages, and exhausted in that way that great books often leave us. I loved that the story was told from the alternating perspectives of Charlotte and Henry, the transition between which was, for the most part, indicated only by the narrative’s change of tone. While I found the book comfortable to navigate, giving the narration decidedly more attention also allowed me to best appreciate the artistry of Gorman’s prose. This style of writing will keep the reader on their toes, much as the story itself does. It contributed, I thought, to the artfully woven sense of disarray that the story often provoked; a metaphor, perhaps, for the haphazard situations the characters find themselves in, but underneath the surface it always manages, fantastically, to make sense. While perhaps the subject matter may not be for every audience, beneath the bold exterior of many scenes is a profound intelligence that will be deeply felt by its audience. Gorman’s selection of characters through which these insights are carried connect the reader especially with the uniqueness of humanity and the natural differences we all possess. Never without substance, Triceratops is at once powerful and amusing, offering readers an experience unlike any other. (Review © Casee Marie, originally published on May 7, 2013 at LiteraryInklings.com. I received a copy of the book for the purpose of review.)(less) | Notes are private!
| none
|
1
| Apr 29, 2013
| May 04, 2013
|
Feb 28, 2013
| Paperback
| |||||||||||||||
| 1455529338
| 9781455529339
| 3.38
| 40
| 2013
| Apr 16, 2013
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Michael Hurley was still reeling from the end of his twenty-five year marriage after a life-changing infidelity when he found himself out of a job and...more
Michael Hurley was still reeling from the end of his twenty-five year marriage after a life-changing infidelity when he found himself out of a job and with little wherewithal, left only to look back on his life and wonder how to move forward. A lifelong sailor, Hurley found his call for perspective answered by the sea, and he committed himself to undertaking an impressive journey from Maryland to Nassau on his 32-foot sailboat, the Gypsy Moon. With only the open water of the Atlantic for company, Hurley set off on his expedition in the hope of uncovering answers to his many questions through self-reflection amid the natural grace – and hardship – of life on the open seas. Initially, he wrote letters to his friends that chronicled his innermost thoughts and experiences during his trip, but eventually those letters transformed into Once Upon a Gypsy Moon, a memoir that details two years spent between the Gypsy Moon‘s determined journey and the life on land that churned along because of it. On his adventure Hurley would connect to himself, grow ever more deeply in-tuned with his faith, and meet the love of his life. He would discover, as well, that life is as unpredictable, and sometimes as unsettling, as the ocean’s tempestuous waters. Once Upon a Gypsy Moon drew several different and impassioned reactions from me. At its height, the memoir captivated me in deep artistic appreciation; Hurley’s elegant, fluid prose was a source of pure delight all its own, and his depictions of life aboard the Gypsy Moon had me wishing for a dockside view, at the very least, all the better to immerse myself in the memoir’s tangible salty air. Amid the rocky terrain of the unpredictable ocean landscape – and with technical difficulties and masterful storms to blight his path – Hurley engages the reader with stories from his life, filled with both joy and sorrow. Through the entirety of his craftsmanship, Hurley has created a certain atmosphere that softly envelops his reader. When his narrative set foot on dry land, however, the scenes involving his social excursions felt slightly more distant. As it is in dreams, I felt that I couldn’t quite make out the faces of the people he wrote about; the finite details didn’t hook me there. Where they did, however, was in his documentation of his days spent tending to the Gypsy Moon. Even for one with as limited a nautical vocabulary as I, these scenes were clearly spun of a special sort of magic. Every memoir is, of course, an excursion into the deeper reaches of the author’s own insight, and Hurley delivers his view of the world – predominantly of love, marriage, and the intricacies of his personal faith – through extravagant prose the scope of which reveals that the author is not just a sailor, but also a dreamer and a poet. Hurley’s insights share their space in the memoir with the Gypsy Moon herself, and she’s a bit of a scene stealer. Many would agree that few things are as commanding as the majesty of a boat on the water, and for a mortal man to offer something more enchanting is a true task. It would take an especially poignant story to entertain the reader as well as the simple, tremendous escapism of imagined life at sea; whether Hurley’s missive accomplishes this will depend greatly, perhaps entirely, on the character of the reader who entertains the pages of his memoir, but he certainly puts his heart and soul into the process. His honesty and courage are admirable, and his opulent, creative use of language delivers the memoir in a beautiful presentation. At times sparkling with charisma and exuding the crisp excitement of maritime adventure, Once Upon a Gypsy Moon offers readers a journey through the ocean of life that will appeal to the hearts of dreamers and romantics, be they on land or at sea. (Review © Casee Marie, originally published on April 16, 2013 at LiteraryInklings.com. I received a copy of the book for the purpose of review.)(less) | Notes are private!
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1
| Apr 08, 2013
| not set
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Feb 28, 2013
| Hardcover
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| 1449786006
| 9781449786007
| 4.47
| 17
| Feb 20, 2013
| May 01, 2013
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Brothers Danny and Sam Armstrong grew apart after an unconventional childhood. Their distant father and unstable mother were different people in the s...more
Brothers Danny and Sam Armstrong grew apart after an unconventional childhood. Their distant father and unstable mother were different people in the spotlight; together they worked to create one of the biggest evangelical ministries in America, with an impressive array of books, sermons, and a tremendous California church to their name. After their father’s death abroad and their mother’s unexpected suicide, Danny and Sam are drawn out of their separate lives and into a pulsating new adventure. Their mother’s final wishes mention Stella Adams, a woman that neither brother ever knew. When Danny and Sam attempt to discover her identity they unravel a series of shocking secrets and uncover a heart-wrenching history of child trafficking in Africa. When Danny goes missing in Zambia Sam must embark on a journey to find both his brother and the elusive Stella Adams, with spirited journalist Angela Reyes along for the ride. As the brothers uncover the secrets long hidden by their father they find in themselves the resolve to make a change and stop a ruthless trafficker who wields a fearsome reign over Africa and its children. The Disillusioned, the explosive upcoming thriller from D.J. Williams, engulfs a remarkable variety of themes and delivers them in a solid and very original story. There are so many elements, and Williams divides his attention effortlessly among his various dynamics, from the complications of the ever-winding mystery to the simplicity of Sam and Angela’s static attraction. I could have easily engrossed myself in yet more of almost every subplot, but Williams knows exactly how to layer them into an impressively full story. The object of blending genres, plots, messages, and ideas into one cohesive novel is a task that requires a lot from the author, and Williams does it well. He’s sure of his footing and confident in his story, which contributes to the reader’s experience. All of his characters spark in their interactions, from the closer-growing relationship between essentially estranged brothers Sam and Danny, to the scenes between the imposing Ali Siatembo and his ruthless hired assassin, the joint sources at the root of the story’s villainy. The Disillusioned is atmospheric and its suspense carries grandiose dramatics, but there are also elements of the novel that take us on an emotional departure from fiction. Williams hauntingly portrays the bleak reality of child slavery set against Africa’s sweltering unrest. His depictions of child trafficking are often challenging and always heartbreaking to read, but in his efforts Williams actively sends a message to the reader and raises awareness for the tragic situation which affects many corners of the world. I was also intrigued by the way Williams explores the power of faith from perspectives both inside and outside of religion. Of the Armstrong brothers, Sam is perhaps the most grudgingly detached from the church his father surrounded him with, and there’s a central focus on Sam’s efforts to maintain his faith in the hunt for his brother. It struck me several times how in-tuned Sam was with his own faith, regardless of how religiously active he was. It sent a powerful message of the unfailing power of faith and its ability to transcend definition. With a deep and affecting variety of emotions and messages, The Disillusioned pulls its reader headlong into the adventure and achieves an entertaining story of life, love, faith, and both the strength and fragility of the human spirit. (Review © Casee Marie, originally published on April 9, 2013 at LiteraryInklings.com. I received a copy of the book for the purpose of review.)(less) | Notes are private!
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1
| Mar 24, 2013
| not set
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Feb 28, 2013
| Paperback
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| 1599323451
| 9781599323459
| 4.50
| 2
| Oct 24, 2012
| Oct 24, 2012
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In today’s hectic world we are constantly motivated to fit as much into a day as possible, and we often do so in the pursuit of satisfying others rega...more
In today’s hectic world we are constantly motivated to fit as much into a day as possible, and we often do so in the pursuit of satisfying others regardless of our own physical or mental health. But could it be possible that the recipe for our most successful and empowering selves begins with focusing on our own needs first? This is the question naturopathic doctor Forrest Beck poses to readers in his book, Cultivating the Fine Art of Selfishness. You read that correctly: we’re talking about selfishness rather than selflessness. The premise Dr. Beck has founded his book on completely alters our view of the word from an unattractive, vain, often greedy quality to a simply more self-aware lifestyle that, he believes, will create a chain reaction in how we treat others and thereby change the quality of help we can offer them. Other readers may relate to me when I say that I, at first, struggled to align myself with the concept of the word “selfish” as a positive purely because I was brought up on its negative connotation, but Dr. Beck sets the groundwork for his theory so well that the unusualness of the word’s new meaning is quite brief. Instead, I found myself catching on the word every time it was used, and it reminded me anew of the possibility for enriching my life through the ideas and inspiration Dr. Beck presents. In Cultivating the Fine Art of Selfishness Dr. Beck explores the way we live now and unearths the less obvious, though entirely dangerous, habits we fall into on a daily basis. He divides his book between four parts – on our personal connectivity, our habits, our health, and our financial awareness – and within each part he allots chapters dedicated to further exploring each topic under the premise of selfishness. I related especially to the first part of the book and its discussion of managing “me time”, highlighting the importance of daily solitude in order to reflect, meditate, energize, dream, and otherwise center ourselves. Here Dr. Beck offers tools for finding the most convenient hours of the day to be alone and how we should spend them. True to current technology, he even examines in detail our use of social media and how our internet habits can affect our outlook. (If you spend a lot of time online as I do, this chapter will be especially telling.) Additionally, his chapters on achieving our best possible individual health goals was enlightening, wherein he offers some unique and time-tested ideas for managing eating and exercise habits. As soon as I finished reading I felt inspired and motivated to make smart choices in my life; but I also felt accepting of myself in the moment, as well. I think that’s a great uniqueness of Dr. Beck’s premise, that giving our own needs top priority in our lives will ultimately lead us toward a much more superior level of self-esteem. Perhaps the best component of Dr. Beck’s book is the confident voice with which he delivers his ideas. He writes with warmth, compassion, and sensibility, making every new chapter read as naturally as a conversation. It’s often easy to feel overwhelmed by such primary lifestyle topics – perhaps because we can all relate to them, and we’re all familiar with our own bad habits – but Dr. Beck’s approach takes the scare factor out of making a lifestyle change, and indeed he makes being “selfish” sound fun. After all, is it really selfish to give our all to the physical and mental place that we call home? (Review © Casee Marie, originally published on April 25, 2013 at LiteraryInklings.com. I received a copy of the book for the purpose of review.)(less) | Notes are private!
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1
| Apr 16, 2013
| Apr 19, 2013
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Feb 04, 2013
| Paperback
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| 1466427507
| 9781466427501
| 3.47
| 274
| Mar 12, 2012
| Mar 12, 2012
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Rachel DeMartino and Sara Beth Riley have shared a special friendship – as well as wishes, dreams, secrets, and plenty of coffee – for twenty-five yea...more
Rachel DeMartino and Sara Beth Riley have shared a special friendship – as well as wishes, dreams, secrets, and plenty of coffee – for twenty-five years, and now they’re celebrating their fortieth birthdays with a weekend getaway in Manhattan. For Rachel, the perfect celebration takes a disturbing turn when Sara Beth excuses herself during lunch at a small café and doesn’t return. Leaving nothing but a note and a thousand questions, Sara Beth makes the decision to finally take her life into her own hands. Grieving over the loss of her mother, reeling from the tense state of her marriage, and mourning her shattered dreams for starting her own antique business, Sara Beth’s midlife celebration quickly escalates to crisis. But while Sara Beth indulges herself in a moment’s recklessness to salvage her life, Rachel is left with nothing but a note and a crack in an otherwise seamless friendship. Rachel’s own fortieth year is not what she anticipated: widowed, with a college-bound daughter, her strongest dream is for a little cottage by the beach, and plenty of inspiration to pursue her sketching. As she scours Manhattan to find Sara Beth she enlists the help of mounted police officer Michael, who helps her to realize that hope for a magical time in the city may not be lost after all. As Rachel and Sara Beth separately embrace this new chapter in their lives and eventually reunite to repair their shorn friendship, they discover the power of change and how some things – like conversation and coffee with a friend – are unwavering in the face of it. Joanne DeMaio’s Whole Latte Life is a rich blend of poignancy and charm; the perfect recipe for a heartwarming debut novel. Bursting with memorable characters and thought-provoking commentary on the lives and feelings of modern women, the novel touches on all of the important pillars of the contemporary fiction genre, and DeMaio’s writing carries it beautifully. Whole Latte Life is a very full novel, moving at a pace that works wonderfully for it, but not caring to rush any faster; because DeMaio knows that if you move too fast, you risk not catching the light. And that, to me, is what much of the experience of Whole Latte Life is about: catching the light. For Rachel, discovering the secret stories of Manhattan’s history with her very own handsome guide, to Sara Beth, tapping into the fire of her own spirit and living life, finally, on her own terms; each woman’s struggles are vastly different, their journeys diverse, but both come to the same understanding: that life is beautiful, dreams are strong, and true friendships are vigorous, unstoppable things. I was drawn to both Sara Beth and Rachel, comfortable in the shifts between their stories, and I found a piece of myself in each of them. I felt very strongly that their stories transcended age and reached to the core of femininity, to the impossible power and the unique blessing of womanhood. Deeply, the plights of each woman, their worries and trials, resonate with the reader, and their triumphs are felt with just as much substance. Whole Latte Life is at once breezy in its applicability and absorbing in its perception, weaving itself into a beautiful patchwork of life, love, friendship, and everything in between. (Review © Casee Marie, originally published on March 22, 2013 at LiteraryInklings.com. I received a copy of the book for the purpose of review.)(less) | Notes are private!
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1
| Mar 07, 2013
| Mar 16, 2013
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Feb 04, 2013
| Paperback
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| 0985401443
| 9780985401443
| 4.73
| 30
| Apr 01, 2013
| Apr 15, 2013
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After losing his parents and brother in a tragic accident, young Jon Meyer is left to start over in a small Indiana town. Under the guardianship of a...more
After losing his parents and brother in a tragic accident, young Jon Meyer is left to start over in a small Indiana town. Under the guardianship of a grandmother he’d never before known, Jon’s new life begins at a high school filled with unfamiliar faces. As he struggles with the difficulties of being the new guy in a town unaccustomed to change Jon finds the troubled waters of his life disturbed anew when prejudice begins to take root: Jon is Jewish, and in 1941 under the shroud of World War II, very few people are inclined to make his association. Friendliest and most accepting is Mary Dalhgren, the amiable daughter of the town’s mayor. Mary is bold and intelligent, with a mind and spirit well beyond the simplicity of the town, and her connection with Jon is an instant one. As the two tentatively explore their feelings, they face obstacles in the shape of jealousy, bigotry, and even war. Mary’s father, misguided in his political aspirations, wants his daughter far away from the boy while high school basketball star Vernon King wants Mary on his arm – and no one else’s. When the tensions of prejudice reach a boiling point, a new tragedy tears Mary and Jon apart; and soon Jon finds himself in England fighting the Germans. As Jon and Mary both risk their lives, they share the hope of someday finding their way back to each other once and for all. Defiant Heart, Marty Steere’s second novel, is a fascinating combination of history, romance, and the social extremes of the 1940s. The author has created a cast of characters that jump off the page, and he writes with a commendable attention to detail that carries the story to an even higher level. As I reflect on the story of Defiant Heart I find myself dividing it between two acts, the first following Jon and Mary’s budding relationship amid the prejudice of the town, and the second following Mary and Jon separately as they deal with the war and their loss of each other. Each act, as I’ll call them, is presented in wonderful clarity, with scenes that spark to life under the writer’s expertise before being woven together beautifully. Steere’s depictions of Jon’s struggles as an outsider – consequence of his Jewish faith, predominantly – were heartbreaking, but the truthfulness of the story leaves in the reader a deep sense of gratitude to the author. Steere is boldly willing to unearth the unpleasant realities of the flaws in America’s social landscape, and he does so with a great deal of grace and honesty. I love a good romance and the one between Jon and Mary was beautiful, certainly memorable, but where I really surprised myself was with the war scenes of the second act; the unsettling tension of Jon’s fight for survival, his eternal camaraderie with his fellow soldiers, and Steere’s stunning use of detail all combined for a substantial reading experience that had me riveted. It’s a testament to the author’s creations, Jon and Mary, that the reader is heart-bound in the scenes when they are apart as well as together. For all that its story entails, Defiant Heart spares itself from being too heavy of a novel; it boasts no unnecessary bulk and reads in a way that relays plenty of detail without hampering the reader with too much information. It becomes a lovely volume that promises all manner of emotional attachment to its reader and entertains them without leaving them for a moment feeling daunted by the scope of the story; a winning combination, and it’s executed with great talent. Defiant Heart is a smart, tangible exploration of love, loss, and survival that will enfold its reader into its world and keep them tucked away until the very end. (Review © Casee Marie, originally published on April 12, 2013 at LiteraryInklings.com. I received a copy of the book for the purpose of review.)(less) | Notes are private!
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1
| Apr 2013
| Apr 06, 2013
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Jan 25, 2013
| Paperback
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| 0312567472
| 9780312567477
| 3.72
| 813
| Oct 01, 2012
| Feb 12, 2013
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When Russian billionaire Aleksandr Kasianenko plans an elaborate birthday celebration for his supermodel mistress, Bianca, no detail is overlooked. A...more
When Russian billionaire Aleksandr Kasianenko plans an elaborate birthday celebration for his supermodel mistress, Bianca, no detail is overlooked. A custom super-yacht on the mystifying Sea of Cortez, exquisite cuisine, personal tours of private islands, and a finitely detailed guest list of five of the world’s most powerful couples will make Bianca’s thirtieth birthday an historic one. Among the party are UK celebrity footballer Taye Sherwin and his interior designer wife, Ashley; Latin music superstar Luca Perez and his haughty English boyfriend, Jeromy; devious US Senator Hammond Patterson and his unhappily married wife, Sierra; world-renowned journalist Flynn Hudson and his humanitarian-minded friend, Xuan; and well-aged movie star Cliff Baxter, a perpetual bachelor and regular Sexiest Man Alive alum, with his spirited younger girlfriend, Lori. With its star-studded array of passengers and finely-crafted amenities, the yacht’s stage is set as the million-dollar attendees lavish themselves amid the most extravagant glamour money can buy. But trouble finds paradise – or perhaps it never left; Ashley wants revenge from Taye, who made tabloid headlines when he cheated on her; Luca is discovering that Jeromy’s sexual insatiability has led him outside their relationship; Sierra is struggling with the realization of her senator husband’s sexual perversions and personal deceits; Flynn can’t seem to escape the one woman he’s ever loved, while Xuan finds herself in Bianca’s crosshairs; and free-spirited Lori is determined to set Cliff off his path of bachelorhood and onto the road to marriage. Meanwhile for Aleksander, an old enemy is plotting his revenge for past wrongs with the help of a Mexican daredevil and his wily band of pirates. In true Jackie Collins style, this luxurious birthday cruise will soon become the backdrop for an adventure of secrets, lies, sexual exploits, and backstabbing deviancy on the high seas. If any author can be credited with dominating a genre, Jackie Collins certainly fits the bill. Her books have gone full circle and beyond, often being used to describe their genre rather than the other way around. For fans of the author’s historically sensational combination of glitz and bawdiness, The Power Trip will be a happy journey into the iconic world of Jackie Collins. Her knack for creating outrageous and colorful characters – from the likable to the outright detestable – is in full swing; every guest on the indomitable yacht is defined in detail, making the book play out in the reader’s mind like a boldly imagined film. There are possibly more characters to dislike than there are to like amid The Power Trip, and the unlikable ones are extreme in their villainy. I did, however, find myself connecting strongly to the characters whom quickly became my favorites – determined Sierra and intrepid Flynn – as well as being pleasantly surprised by my growing affection for others – most notably cheeky Cliff and his adventurous girlfriend, Lori. Rumor has it that the celebrity guests were reimagined by Collins based on real-life stars, which adds a certain amount of gossipy intrigue to the book. The story Collins has dreamed up takes its time unraveling, luxuriating at the beginning before zipping through an exciting final act. The pace she keeps is complimentary to the story and shows her experience as a storyteller. For someone who is so well-versed in her genre, one might expect that Collins’s formula could become predictable in this, her twenty-ninth novel, but her surprises pack a great punch. As expected, The Power Trip pushes boundaries in a way that will either turn readers off or leave them wanting more. Jackie Collins has created a quintessential page-turning adventure of sex, money, and murder that feels like taking a trip away from the winter climbs and into the absolute glamour of summertime. (Review © Casee Marie, originally published on February 12, 2013 at LiteraryInklings.com. I received a copy of the book for the purpose of review.)(less) | Notes are private!
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1
| Feb 03, 2013
| Feb 08, 2013
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Jan 25, 2013
| Hardcover
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| 1781161526
| 9781781161524
| 3.86
| 115
| 1955
| Jan 29, 2013
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It’s 1952 and American Bill Denning is ready to say goodbye to life in the army’s Restitution of Property division with his eyes set on returning home...more
It’s 1952 and American Bill Denning is ready to say goodbye to life in the army’s Restitution of Property division with his eyes set on returning home to the States. But when a friend and fellow army man comes to him with a quiet and emphatic request for one last case, Denning finds himself amid tumultuous drama in Switzerland as he works to recover the elusive Herz diamonds, spoilers from the war which are reportedly being smuggled out of the continent. On a mission to retrieve the diamonds, Denning will need all of his wits and a few trusted friends to help him navigate the treacherous territory of Europe during the Cold War and the manipulations of men who will do what they must for their own agendas. The ninth in Helen MacInnes’s bibliography of more than twenty novels, Pray for a Brave Heart showcases the author’s talent brilliantly. Originally published in 1955, it highlights and expands on many of the elements for which MacInnes continues to be revered, even now, over thirty years after her death; there is a smart energy and a gripping literary prowess that sparks off the pages. Comparing Pray for a Brave Heart with the first of MacInnes’s novels that I recently read, Above Suspicion, I was struck by the way she managed to maintain her unique brand of storytelling while completely altering the experience of the two novels. With fourteen years between the publication of each book, and with seven books in between, MacInnes was able to evolve her story’s thrills to keep her genre fresh without losing touch with the writing style readers instantly came to know her for. I enjoyed the departures from Above Suspicion that she took in Pray for a Brave Heart, most notably the different way she approached her narrative. Bill Denning is a vibrant character and his unique blend of intelligence, humility and vague cynicism bleed through to MacInnes’s writing voice in a way that caught my attention from the very beginning and kept me entertained throughout. The story, as well, is a riveting journey through post-war Europe; deceptively simple on the surface, the reader is barraged with information, names, places, and scenarios in just the sort of tightly-wound way that gives a good suspense novel its ultimate pull. Smartly crafted, wonderfully paced, and filled with characters whose agendas could be either truthful or malicious, Pray for a Brave Heart is the quintessential exploration of the world of espionage; it’s suspense writing at its finest, and MacInnes at the height of creativity. (Review © Casee Marie, originally published on February 28, 2013 at LiteraryInklings.com. I received a copy of the book for the purpose of review.)(less) | Notes are private!
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| not set
| Feb 26, 2013
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Jan 25, 2013
| Paperback
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| 1781161534
| 9781781161531
| 3.80
| 420
| 1941
| Jun 22, 2012
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In 1939, when Oxford professor Richard Myles and his wife Frances receive a visit from their good friend Peter Galt, they find themselves faced with a...more
In 1939, when Oxford professor Richard Myles and his wife Frances receive a visit from their good friend Peter Galt, they find themselves faced with a surprising request. They are planning their annual trip abroad and Peter asks them to first visit Paris where they’ll meet a man – an agent. Their journey will continue as their mystery Englishman in Paris dictates, leading them through Europe and encounters with a series of agents until they reach one man whose status has become unknown to the organization. Peter relies on Richard’s sharp intellect and uncanny memory, while Frances’s presence will help the couple achieve a place above suspicion. The stoically determined Richard and infinitely courageous Frances agree to the scheme, resulting in a full-blown adventure which will take them across Europe and under the nose of Nazi enemies. With the help of a fellow Englishman and a wily American reporter, the Myleses will find that their summer holiday has turned into much more than they bargained for. Above Suspicion, Helen MacInnes’s first novel, was a smashing success upon its first publication in 1941, and now it’s been published in a sleek new paperback edition by Titan Books. MacInnes was lauded for her ability as a master of the spy genre, and the significance of her talent still resounds today; through the passage of time, Above Suspicion maintains its high-energy level of entertainment while its wit and intellect continue to shine. MacInnes created a first-rate duo of amateur spies in Richard and Frances, two characters that the reader is bound to find impossible to forget. Richard’s quite wisdom and keen sensibility paired with Frances’s boldly adventurous spirit make for the perfect combination. Meanwhile, their eventual comrades – young Robert Thornley and Henry van Cortlandt – add a fantastic combination of humor and daring. What is already an exciting story, fascinating in its intricacy, is brought to even brighter life through the charming characters that season its pages. I found myself gripped by Above Suspicion and the depth of MacInness’s story, charmed by her natural ability to ease through genres; scenes were at times humorous, frustrating, exciting, and romantic as the adventure progressed. Her confidence as a writer and her bold determination bring a certain invigoration to the novel, making it a well-rounded spy story steeped in the detailed history of pre-war Europe. While there are plenty of surprises and a good deal of mystery, Above Suspicion runs on a more intellectual sort of thrill. MacInnes paced the scenes in a way that let the reader linger over simple moments before she delivers a shock that reminds them of the gravity of the situation Richard and Frances are in. The result is a very full reading experience that engages the mind and entertains in a way that remains timeless. (Review © Casee Marie, originally published on February 21, 2013 at LiteraryInklings.com. I received a copy of the book for the purpose of review.)(less) | Notes are private!
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1
| Feb 14, 2013
| Feb 21, 2013
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Jan 25, 2013
| Paperback
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| 9781780336930
| 3.34
| 64
| Jul 19, 2012
| Jul 19, 2012
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Riley is a Massachusetts girl fresh from college when she boldly moves across the country to Arizona, separating herself from her family in an attempt...more
Riley is a Massachusetts girl fresh from college when she boldly moves across the country to Arizona, separating herself from her family in an attempt to find her own footing in life. Amid the fervid unrestraint of Tucson’s monsoon season she meets Ben, and the two discover a comfortable life together. They live simply and love passionately until Ben’s spasmodic and unpredictable temper pushes Riley to a place from which she refuses to return. Stricken by the sting of his abuse, Riley once again separates herself from the life she knows and leaves her unstable Tucson world for home and family in New England. But allowing a love to die, she discovers, – even an illogical, rampant young love – isn’t made any easier by walking away. As she comes to grips with the consequences of her choices and learns to reestablish her life, a tragedy close to home will shake her world anew. With determination, and with the help of her true friends and family, Riley will have to learn how to weather a monsoon season of her very own. Katie O’Rourke’s debut novel reads in a wonderfully unique way; her lyrical prose and the unstructured path of her story make Monsoon Season a refreshing journey through the art of literature. I found myself absorbed in the unfolding drama of Riley and Ben’s tumultuous relationship, guided through the quickly shifting scenes and perspectives with ease. O’Rourke doesn’t tie the novel’s narrative down to one format; some scenes play out in Riley’s voice, others in Ben’s, while others still are seen from the perspectives of the people around them. Such an exploration of the mode of novel-writing could have distracted readers, but O’Rourke is so strong in her ability, so confident in her direction, that the story only gains momentum from it. I had no difficulty in following along; on the contrary, I felt connected to the unique flow of the novel. Monsoon Season’s structure contributes, in a way, to the emotional upheaval and resolute determination Riley feels in escaping a potentially disastrous situation. In Riley the reader finds a very strong-willed and companionable protagonist, a girl at once relatable and admirable. Ben, on the other hand, must suffer the results of his own mistakes, and the reader feels the ebb and sway of the impossible connection he and Riley share. What would have been a consistently compelling story between Riley and Ben is extended into something a bit fuller, a bit richer, when O’Rourke pulls back from their lives to examine the situations of those around them. Riley’s parents and siblings and their relationships are explored in a way that temporarily leaves a romantic drama behind to touch on the poignancy of family. Ben’s mother is given focus as she herself deals with the aftermath of an abusive marriage and the fear of its genetic inheritance. Donna, Riley’s friend and roommate in Tucson, explores her young life and burgeoning romance. Laura and Jack, Riley’s childhood friends, discover how unexpectedly life can bring joy and sorrow, love and loss. O’Rourke handles every separate thread in such an assured way, and with such a lovely use of language, that the story glides evenly, allowing the reader to experience seemingly everything at once. Monsoon Season will effectively entertain the reader, touch their heart, and leave them reflecting on our intense vulnerability in life and our ability to overcome it. (Review © Casee Marie, originally published on February 6, 2013 at LiteraryInklings.com. I received a copy of the book for the purpose of review.)(less) | Notes are private!
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1
| Jan 31, 2013
| Feb 03, 2013
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Jan 10, 2013
| Paperback
| ||||||||||||||||
| B007ZHC8ZQ
| unknown
| 3.84
| 44
| Nov 06, 2012
| Nov 06, 2012
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A few quick, informal thoughts on Erin Knightley's e-novella, which serves as a holiday-themed interlude in her Sealed with a Kiss series. Her writing...more
A few quick, informal thoughts on Erin Knightley's e-novella, which serves as a holiday-themed interlude in her Sealed with a Kiss series. Her writing continues to capture England's Regency era with whimsy and charm, and her characters are delightfully entertaining. Miss Mistletoe is a story without much conflict which, during the holiday season, is a very nice option to have. It was a great bit of fun to settle in and follow along as Finn and Cece fall unceremoniously (and ever so adorably) in love under the embarrassment of a past mishap involving some well-placed mistletoe and a bit of scheming from an impetuous young girl. In all, a quick and charming story that delivers simple joy, humor, and warmth - everything I look for in a cozy Christmas read.(less)
| Notes are private!
| none
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1
| not set
| Dec 2012
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Jan 01, 2013
| Kindle Edition
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| 1451674384
| 9781451674385
| 3.67
| 1,085
| Aug 01, 2012
| Jan 08, 2013
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For the first sixteen years of her life, Shannon never knew her parents. Left by her mother on the steps of a YMCA just hours after her birth, the you...more
For the first sixteen years of her life, Shannon never knew her parents. Left by her mother on the steps of a YMCA just hours after her birth, the young girl’s abandonment is witnessed by only one man. Her destiny remained bleak and uncertain as she was shuffled through foster homes, her name altered and her childhood a blur. Y is the captivating story of Shannon’s plight to come to terms with the hand she’s been dealt. It’s a remarkable narrative on life and the perpetual question of “why”, examining what drives us to make life-altering decisions. The novel follows Shannon as she finally finds a permanent home with a strong-willed single mother, struggles with the weight of her little life, and eventually commits to the decision to find her parents. The biggest danger becomes whether her search will uncover things best left alone. Alternating between Shannon’s young life and the story of her mother, Yula, the novel delves into the bond between mothers and daughters, and the unforeseeable connections they share. Marjorie Celona’s debut is a stunning work, hauntingly paced and meticulously crafted. There’s a self-certainty to her prose that leaves a profound mark on the reader, and her wonderful, sad, enchanting young heroine only amplifies the significance of the story. Shannon is remarkable in every way, the sort of character that will leave a lasting impression on the reader. At times bitterly sad, other times charmingly witty, Shannon’s narrative holds the reader in an unflinching, riveted curiosity. With wisdom and sarcasm well beyond her age, she examines her life as well as her mother’s, the events that led to her birth and the many heart-rending fragments afterward, all dogged by the same daunting question: why? From her relationship with her adoptive sister to an ill-advised attempt to run away, Shannon dissects her life decisions with extraordinary insight and honesty. She becomes a friend to the reader, somewhat distant but all heart, as her story is explored, intertwined with the fateful plight of her pregnant eighteen year-old mother, sixteen years in the past. I was moved, quieted, and deeply fascinated by Y and Celona’s beautiful writing; this is a writer whose career I look forward to following. The boldness with which she conceived her story is utterly admirable, as is the fearlessness with which she handled several unhappy topics. Everything about Y manages a chilling but brilliant picture in the reader’s mind, and Celona softens all of the book’s supporting characters just enough for the astonishing mind of Shannon to come into its full glory at the novel’s center. The Canadian backdrop of both city and wilderness are depicted with both a subtle grace and impacting detail that illuminates every corner of the novel. Y is, as a result, an affecting story and a striking example of the art of literature at its finest. (Review © Casee Marie, originally published on January 11, 2013 at LiteraryInklings.com. I received a copy of the book for the purpose of review.)(less) | Notes are private!
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1
| Jan 2013
| Jan 09, 2013
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Dec 28, 2012
| Hardcover
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| 0778313905
| 9780778313908
| 3.85
| 3,358
| Jan 01, 2011
| Oct 23, 2012
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None
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1
| Dec 21, 2012
| Dec 28, 2012
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Dec 21, 2012
| Paperback
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| 9781592323852
| unknown
| 4.50
| 4
| unknown
| unknown
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In the late 18th century New York is on the brink of revolution as America wages its war for independence from the British crown. Amid the political u...more
In the late 18th century New York is on the brink of revolution as America wages its war for independence from the British crown. Amid the political upheaval of the age, slavery is as prominent as ever before. Hezekiah Thomas was born to a white General father and black slave mother, placing him at a unique position in the general’s house. Born a slave, Hezekiah’s life has been a war of good and evil, from the love he’s found in his wife Betsy to the mysterious death of his mother and the subsequent animosity that has grown between him and his half-brother, James. On their father’s death, Hezekiah finds himself unexpectedly a free man for the first time in his life; a portion of the General’s last will and testament that causes no shortage of anger from James. Finally liberated, Hezekiah drinks in the sensation of having the power to build his own life; but soon, with his pregnant wife and unborn daughter still slaves and with the intolerant world of New York on the brink of the Revolutionary War as his only hope, Hezekiah finds that freedom can destroy a man as quickly as it liberates him. He teaches himself a valuable trade, but despite his best efforts he finds himself embroiled in the one enterprise he swore never to acknowledge: slave ownership. As his pride and blind hope cause him to make unwise decisions, Hezekiah finds himself slipping further into a dark situation that can only bring about tragedy for his loved ones and their dreams of a happy life. Slave: Escaping the Chains of Freedom is Jacqueline Malcolm’s first novel in her new trilogy, which boldly explores the harsh realities of slavery in Revolutionary America and examines the lives of those affected by its injustice. Malcolm has given the series a forceful and passionate beginning with its opening novel. Her ability for storytelling grabs hold of her reader and captures them relentlessly as she weaves comfortably through the dramatic themes of hope, endurance, faith, and man’s fight for the greatest, most elusive prize: freedom. Hezekiah is a character born of stark drama and bursting with energy as his narrative offers both personal reflection and suspense; his naivety is at some points palpable, and the reader can begin to see the threads of misfortune weaving together while Hezekiah continues in his plight. It’s always a daring choice to let the reader in on the realities of a story before the hero is aware, but in Malcolm’s case the plot works out well. I found myself mourning Hezekiah’s decisions without being entirely sure that hope was really lost; enough of the story was kept yet beyond my prediction that the novel kept me in rapt attention throughout. Hezekiah is a strong character, one I rooted for greatly, but he’s also very flawed, and perhaps this encourages his endearment to the reader. While he sees the injustice of slavery that others have yet to understand, he himself is blind to the power and worth of women: his emotions often battle with his wife Betsy, at once putting her and his love for her above all else before mentally pushing her opinions aside, determined that a woman could not understand business, could not understand the realities of freedom. His misguided ideas are to be expected in the era, and as a reader I didn’t fault him. His lessons are difficult ones to learn, but his love for his family and his determination to make them free will guide him over all obstacles; in that, Malcolm has created a fantastic character that reflects both the realities of the 18th century and the progression still to come. I was swept up in the story, relishing in the way it would ease into a comfortable pace before whisking away on new revelations. It was always a step ahead of me, and the ending left me breathless in the way that great reading experiences often do. Every character, from the kind-hearted Betsy to James’s deceitful wife Gloria, jumped off the pages and pulled me into their world. Malcolm’s vivid portrayal of Revolutionary America is beautifully crafted, her language poetic, and her history wonderfully researched. Slave: Escaping the Chains of Freedom is a novel that offers not just an engaging story, but a chance to open our minds to past injustices and explore the reasons for man’s pursuit of them. The vision of the book and its author is a powerful one, and the result is a book that will compel its readers throughout before leaving them hungry for more. (Review © Casee Marie, originally published on December 14, 2012 at LiteraryInklings.com. I received a copy of the book for the purpose of review.)(less) | Notes are private!
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1
| not set
| Dec 13, 2012
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Dec 21, 2012
| Paperback
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| 098590271X
| 9780985902711
| 3.33
| 3
| Jan 30, 2013
| Feb 01, 2013
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As a proficient technology executive with a successful career history, Janet Pucino saw firsthand the inequality women face in America’s modern corpor...more
As a proficient technology executive with a successful career history, Janet Pucino saw firsthand the inequality women face in America’s modern corporate world. From the difficulties women face in moving up the corporate ladder to the belittlements that prevent the fullest use of their skills at every corporate level, Pucino witnessed the remarkably one-sided struggles that result from an environment historically prone to gender biases. In her new book, Not in the Club, An Executive Woman’s Journey Through the Biased World of Business, Pucino explores the concept of an informal but obstinately elite group dominated by men in the upper echelons of corporate America: the “Club”. The premise of the book illustrates the reality of gender inequality in the business world, as well as calling attention to hierarchical biases and the general inaccessibility of organizations whose executives demonstrate Club-based mentalities. Backed by startling research study results and calling on the experiences of other executives – both male and female – Pucino boldly uncovers the reality of the mood in today’s corporate world. Not in the Club takes several shapes throughout its exploration, all merged into an informational book under the systematic and professional voice of its author. Partly a memoir, it serves as a canvas for the personal experiences and anecdotes Pucino has collected throughout her career that support her Club theory. Now the CEO and founder of a company specializing in content development, publishing and consulting, she has much to reflect on in the progress of her career and the people whose professional involvement helped – as well as hindered – her managerial experience. Alternatively, much of the book works as an informational guide for women in the early stages of their careers, illuminating key characteristics of Club mentality and offering advice on how to progress through or divert from organizations that foster it. Lastly, Pucino’s book is a call to arms for both men and women at every stage of their corporate careers to stop and examine the reality of gender bias and the extent of its presence in professional environments. Pucino writes with commendable professionalism, and while at times I could imagine that the passion with which she pursues her study could ruffle the feathers of some readers, it’s clear that the strength of her voice is a necessary tool for creating change. Her business savvy and use of the industry’s language will likely appeal to professionals in all capacities of the corporate world, making the book a useful and effective component within its milieu. Promoting new ideas for business management with a refreshingly progressive focus, Not in the Club clearly portrays Pucino’s mission to create more opportunities for women and an increasingly effective environment for professionals of all diversities. (Review © Casee Marie, originally published on January 18, 2013 at LiteraryInklings.com. I received a copy of the book for the purpose of review.)(less) | Notes are private!
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| Jan 10, 2013
| Jan 18, 2013
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Dec 11, 2012
| Hardcover
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| 067002368X
| 9780670023684
| 3.53
| 543
| Aug 01, 2012
| Aug 02, 2012
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My full review at Literary Inklings Intertwining passages from Edith Wharton’s diaries and letters, The Age of Desire depicts an iconic time in history...more My full review at Literary Inklings Intertwining passages from Edith Wharton’s diaries and letters, The Age of Desire depicts an iconic time in history from the perspective of two resolute and very different women. From Paris to England, Germany to New England, Wharton’s world comes to dazzling life under the skill of author Jennie Fields. Legendary talents take the stage to become delightfully lucid characters in this novelization of Wharton’s midlife scandal, most notably her lover, Morton Fullerton, and their very great friend, the lively and compelling Henry James. The presence of such creative entities as Anna de Noailles and John Galsworthy give finite illumination to the author’s beautifully crafted recreation of Paris in the early twentieth century. But perhaps the most irrepressible presence in the novel comes from the two women at the helm of the story: Edith and Anna. To tell their story is a bold choice, as the likeness between them is nearly impossible to discern; Edith’s actions often exude extreme self-centeredness while Anna’s open and charitable nature rank her highly in the reader’s esteem. But at the core of each woman’s story there is found an extraordinary examination of female nature and the unpredictable, often indecipherable roots of friendship. Read more...(less) | Notes are private!
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| not set
| Nov 2012
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Nov 19, 2012
| Hardcover
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| 0375870407
| 9780375870408
| 3.77
| 1,639
| Jan 08, 2013
| Jan 08, 2013
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When Duncan Meade enters his senior year at the esteemed Irving School his spirits are low and his expectations are lower. After an entire summer away...more
When Duncan Meade enters his senior year at the esteemed Irving School his spirits are low and his expectations are lower. After an entire summer away, he still can’t manage to sway his thoughts from the disastrous events of the cold February night of his junior year when a traditional secret party went from harmless to heartbreaking in the blink of an eye. Everyone at Irving remembers Tim Macbeth, the albino boy who transferred in to finish his senior year among them. Everyone’s heard the rumors of his surreptitious relationship with Vanessa Sheller, girlfriend of the school’s star athlete. But no one knows the whole story of what really went on, or the events that lead to the terrible incident at the senior party. Those details are gone – until Duncan finds something special left behind in his room. It’s a gift from Tim: the whole story. As Duncan unravels the threads of Tim’s fateful senior year he struggles with the weight of his own: most notably the Tragedy Paper, a staggering and historically difficult thesis challenge delivered by Irving’s fiercely dedicated senior English teacher, Mr. Simon. Together, as Duncan and Tim relive the events of the previous year and face down their demons, they’ll plant the seed for a Tragedy Paper that will go down in the Irving School’s history. Elizabeth LaBan’s debut novel is a whirlwind of themes and emotions, culminating into a quietly explosive story that will provoke its reader from the first pages until the very end. Through two separate focuses – alternately Duncan’s and Tim’s – LaBan weaves the struggles of two very different young men into one corresponding story, meeting together at the source of the novel’s elusive suspense. The author’s ability to nurture The Tragedy Paper’s story into a well-calculated mystery with a host of supporting themes is triumphant, to say the least; I was drawn in easily and without fail. There wasn’t a moment when I felt I had predicted how things would work out, partly because the story itself is compelling in every scene, entertaining the reader in the present while encouraging a nearly palpable energy of anticipation as the mystery starts to unravel. The beguiling mystery of the book is supported by a captivating love story and an examination of one teenager’s struggle for self-worth. The foundation of The Tragedy Paper and its beautiful execution are further emboldened by the remarkable characters LaBan has created to tell its tale. The passion of Tim’s plight to finally fit in, to no longer be seen as the albino boy, is intensely felt. Duncan, too, strikes a chord with the reader through his desire to escape from the awful events he witnessed. From the kind yet enigmatic Vanessa to her selfish boyfriend Patrick, and even the school’s colorful faculty, The Tragedy Paper is brought to bolder and brighter life. The art of storytelling and of creating a memorable cast are all signs of a terrific talent; yet, LaBan takes The Tragedy Paper one step further. At the depth of the novel she infuses an intellectual and philosophical significance that further beguiles her reader, an examination of words and meanings that transcends the literary experience to encourage the reader to think deeply and revel in the limitless possibilities of words. As a result, The Tragedy Paper is absolutely a triumphant book among the vastly growing Young Adult genre that will work its magic on readers for a very long time. (Review © Casee Marie, originally published on January 8, 2013 at LiteraryInklings.com. I received a copy of the book for the purpose of review.)(less) | Notes are private!
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1
| Jan 05, 2013
| Jan 06, 2013
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Nov 16, 2012
| Hardcover
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| 0385522452
| 9780385522458
| 3.33
| 86
| Oct 30, 2007
| Oct 30, 2007
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During the holidays we all become susceptible to the vexation that comes with the rush of the season. From the pressure of finding the perfect gift to...more
During the holidays we all become susceptible to the vexation that comes with the rush of the season. From the pressure of finding the perfect gift to the anxiety over gaining unwanted weight, countless nagging irritations try to work their way into our lives. But the season, when experienced with true and devoted holiday spirit, can be a magical time, and once in a while all we need is a friendly reminder to count our blessings. Christine Pisera Naman’s debut novel, Christmas Lights, serves as just that sort of reminder to step back and enjoy the blessings of the holidays. Through eight vignettes the novel tells the stories of seven different women and how their personal struggles lead to triumphs with the help of a little holiday spirit. Katherine faces the mortality of life as she visits her aging husband; Julianna experiences the heart throbs of teenage love; Adrianna discovers her inner-strength against the fragility of her marriage; Cassandra overcomes her greatest heartbreak; Victoria finds love in the most unexpected of places; Alexandra comes to understand that the ones who love us never really leave us; and Isabella finds her soul mate through the miracle of motherhood. These spirited women come together in the book’s final story, illuminating the reader’s belief in hope, love, Christmas, and the power of God. With each story Christmas Lights brings to life an instantly familiar woman whose struggle is one that the reader will feel a significant passion for. Through every story I shared in each woman’s emotional journey; together they explore the timeless territories of love, loss, happiness, grief, and peace through simple lessons that reach out from their daily lives to change their attitudes and renew their faith. In such a way, Christmas Lights also offered me a warm and friendly reminder of how the holiday season can offer a special look at the beauty of the lives we’re given. It allowed me to take a break from the many distractions of the holidays to blissfully steal away to a place of reflection, laughter and, in some moments, sorrow. The women in the book – from the wise and aging Katherine to the spirited young Julianna – each offer a unique insight into how the way we live our lives during Christmas can impact our perspective and heal our souls. It’s a relevant lesson told with simple charm and uplifting beauty by the author’s gentle, encouraging narrative. I was enchanted with the novel and its many stories before being delighted further by the way the author weaves together the many threads of the book in its final pages. The cleverness of the ending struck me several times over and revealed truly creative layers behind what on the service appears as a simple holiday read. The result was deeply touching and heartwarming; a wonderful way to begin the holiday season. Christmas Lights is proof that a quiet afternoon spent reading can, through stories of family, inspiration, and God’s grace, ultimately change a reader’s perspective or reinvigorate their thriving holiday spirit. (Review © Casee Marie, originally published on December 3, 2012 at LiteraryInklings.com. I received a copy of the book for the purpose of review.) (less) | Notes are private!
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1
| Dec 2012
| Dec 02, 2012
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Nov 15, 2012
| Hardcover
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| 1935460447
| 9781935460442
| 4.29
| 14
| Sep 04, 2012
| Sep 04, 2012
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Phillip Madden was a top cipher expert and MI5 agent when his life was changed forever: during a family drive amid the tranquility of the English coun...more
Phillip Madden was a top cipher expert and MI5 agent when his life was changed forever: during a family drive amid the tranquility of the English countryside his wife and son were killed in a tragic collision. Reeling from the loss, Phillip terminated his career as an agent and hid himself away in the reclusive country. Five years later, when Phillip is contacted by a man claiming to be his illegitimate and secret firstborn son, events are set into motion that will take him on an adventure he never expected. The crash that caused his wife and son’s deaths, presumed to have been an accident, is revealed to be connected with the death of a courier for the prominent Lorente crime family. Before he died, the courier had hidden a stash of blood diamonds. As a last and most unaware connection to the location of the blood diamonds, Phillip finds himself in the crosshairs of both the powerful Alberto Lorente and his ruthless Eastern European rival. Relying on his skills and a few remaining friends within MI5, Phillip enlists the aide of his Austrian friend Rudi, his newly discovered son Carl, and Rudi’s beautiful sister Astrid. But staying one step ahead of his captors proves difficult when his friends and foes come in all manner of disguises. The writing team of Jack Everett and David Coles handle the explosive story of The Diamond Seekers with aplomb, moving through numerous developments and crafting imaginative characters with ease. The story’s layers of unpredictable drama beguile its reader as the hunt for the diamonds evolves to span England, Austria, Italy, and even Russia. Along the way every culture is uniquely captured through its characters, from the determined and resourceful Englishman Phillip to his Austrian ally Rudi, and most notably in the Italian mafia lord, Alberto Lorente. Bordering on the obsessed, Alberto models his life and work after his famed ancestor, Niccolo Machiavelli. The darkness surrounding his character leaps off the page and lends one of many fascinating threads to the masterfully detailed story Coles and Everett have created. While a majority of the novel’s plot lends itself to the thriller genre with its taught mystery, romance also plays a part in the story through the burgeoning relationship between Phillip and Astrid. The theme of family also sees a tribute through Phillip’s connection with his son, Carl. Each unique story and their subsequent emotional journeys are all illustrated with color and charm throughout the novel. The many elements in The Diamond Seekers come together effortlessly to create a novel of terrific suspense and richness. The mystery in the book was what grabbed me the most; the way Coles and Everett applied contemporary styling to classic suspense gives the book a truly unique place in the world of mysteries. Its tone felt at once as timeless as an Ian Fleming novel while the setting maintained a fast-paced and contemporary energy. As a result, The Diamond Seekers is a book that will captivate its reader with page-turning suspense, entertain them with its cast of lively characters, and leave them satisfied with a thoroughly engrossing story. (Review © Casee Marie, originally published on December 21, 2012 at LiteraryInklings.com. I received a copy of the book for the purpose of review.)(less) | Notes are private!
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| Dec 17, 2012
| Dec 20, 2012
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Nov 15, 2012
| Paperback
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| B00A1ID5X0
| 4.42
| 43
| Nov 03, 2012
| Nov 03, 2012
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In 2010, teacher Michelle Preston Richardson is mourning the premature death of her wealthy and successful husband, Scott. Her high school sometime-sw...more
In 2010, teacher Michelle Preston Richardson is mourning the premature death of her wealthy and successful husband, Scott. Her high school sometime-sweetheart, Scott had always been the source of emotional tumult for Michelle. Now, widowed at forty-eight years-old, she finds herself reflecting on how different her life could have been if she’d only had the courage to challenge Scott’s hold on her and follow her own dreams. In the spirit of embracing her youth and maybe finding solace in the familiarity of the past, Michelle visits her small hometown of Unionville, Oregon for her high school reunion. When her spirited, spontaneous high school friends decide to ditch their reunion festivities to rebelliously tour the dilapidated mansion where a wealthy family famously vanished in the ‘70s, Michelle’s curiosity is piqued. But entering into one dark room of the mansion proves impossibly ill-advised when Michelle exits to find that she’s been hurtled back in time to Unionville in 1979. Shocked and alone, Michelle must come to terms with the reality around her and forge a future in her own past. When she takes a job at the local high school as an attendance secretary she soon comes face-to-face with the members of her class as they embark on their senior year – including her young self, a spirited and passionate Shelly Preston. As Michelle takes this opportunity to quite literally get to know herself she discovers unlimited possibilities in Shelly’s life and embarks on a mission to help eliminate her obstacles, as well as using her knowledge of the future to help her friends and loved ones in this new present. But when historical events begin to repeat themselves Michelle must weigh decisions that only she can make; decisions that could mean life or death for the people she cares for. The Journey is the second novel in John A. Heldt’s Northwest Passages series following his wonderful debut, The Mine. Where The Mine illustrated Heldt’s ability to colorfully recreate the dazzling world of the 1940s, The Journey reveals an equally vivid interpretation of the 1970s through the eyes of both middle-aged Michelle and high school senior Shelly. His creation of the novel’s protagonist and her younger self defies the typical structure of time travel heroines, developing from one woman two very separate characters. Each woman evolves in her own unique way and reflects different strengths and weaknesses that the reader can easily relate to. With The Journey Heldt embarks on a fascinating and remarkably vast novel, one that spans emotions as well as eras, and the result is a moving examination of what it means to live a life you’re proud of. Life and death, love and heartbreak, dreams and unfortunate realities are all faced from the perspective of two very different times in our lives: the fresh-faced, energized years of high school graduation and the reflective time of middle-age. Every element of The Journey grasps its reader’s attention and challenges them to understand the depth of their meaning. In a way the novel’s title reflects both the story it’s about to tell as well as the experience the reader is about to embark on. As Michelle finds love in Unionville’s math teacher and baseball coach, Robert Land, a young Shelly Preston is at a crossroads with her on-again, off-again boyfriend Scott. The two women help each other through their conundrums in life, from the romantic to the scholastic and everything in between, in a way that smartly reminds the reader that sometimes we need to take advice from our younger selves as well as our present selves. This theme also contributes to the uniqueness of Shelly and Michelle as characters, separating them from each other with the idea that a person’s life can have more than one destiny. It all leads to the novel’s beautifully crafted final chapters where the reader is held in unrestrained, excited anxiety as the future becomes completely unforeseeable, even for a time traveler. Heldt boldly takes the reader through unexpected territory, and the novel soars because of it. At turns humorous and heart-wrenching, The Journey’s moving story wields a remarkable power over its reader, guiding them through the lives of two very different, very inspiring women. (Review © Casee Marie, originally published on December 17, 2012 at LiteraryInklings.com. I received a copy of the book for the purpose of review.)(less) | Notes are private!
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1
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| Dec 12, 2012
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Nov 15, 2012
| Kindle Edition
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| 0985778970
| 9780985778972
| 3.89
| 9
| Aug 23, 2012
| Aug 27, 2012
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Alessandro Stradella was a legend in his time, a celebrated composer who took Italy in the 17th century by storm; wrestled from fame to infamy, Strade...more
Alessandro Stradella was a legend in his time, a celebrated composer who took Italy in the 17th century by storm; wrestled from fame to infamy, Stradella received accolades and evictions alike, finally coming to Genoa after being sent from Rome, Turin, and Venice. Despite his scandals, his seductive genius for Baroque music and his overwhelming charm reserved for him a place of esteem within the nobility of Genoa. In D.M. Denton’s languid new novel, A House Near Luccoli, the author examines the famed composer’s time in Genoa through the lens of fiction, centering her story on the house near Luccoli Street where Stradella rented an apartment and filling it with her own brand of characters. Among them is the novel’s protagonist, Donatella. Plain and a confirmed spinster, Donatella resides in and tends to the house near Luccoli along with her ailing grandmother and domineering aunt. When Stradella sweeps into the quiet house Donatella becomes enraptured with the world he offers, so much different than the life she planned to live with her bloom fading before even having the chance to fully blossom. After beginning work for Stradella as a copyist, his passionate realm of intrigue and music, artists and royalty, envelops Donatella’s curiosity just as she begins to lose herself to the beguiling and reckless composer. But as her longings war with her own simple reality, she must find strength within to keep from being trampled among Stradella’s many admirers and his own larger-than-life persona. A House Near Luccoli is as charmingly crafted as Stradella’s compositions, often mirroring their power, beauty, and delicate intricacy. It’s a novel at once intimate and expansive, quickly ushering the reader into the vivid 17th century world of Stradella and exposing the history of a lesser-known genius while enfolding them in a fictitious story of romance, friendship, art, and intrigue. Denton’s narrative is complex and challenging, steeped in a richness that befits the grandeur of the time period. Her use of language and her inventive storytelling captured me from the first page; some passages of dialogue felt more abstractly constructed than others, lending me the enchanting image of an artist’s story being told through an equally artistic medium. I enjoyed the freedom she displayed in writing. Her depiction of Stradella presented an absorbing study of a truly fascinating man, and left my interest piqued to discover more about himself and his music. In Donatella I found a protagonist I was keenly drawn to. She is perhaps a daring choice for a heroine, at times appearing melancholy in her situation at the house in Genoa, but I felt an understanding with Donatella, a timid woman with an artist’s fiery spirit inside, who has somehow managed to lose her life to her own daydreams. Her interests have captivated her while her longings have been left dormant, only to be brought to surprising life by Stradella and all his colorful, vibrant artistry. The relationship forged between the duo, sometimes a friendship, sometimes a romance, sometimes a turbulent bundle of unknown feelings, is one I was loathe to let go of at the book’s final pages. Additional characters are ever on hand through Denton’s story to create more intrigues and offer new dramatic surprises. It culminated into an ending that held me in rapt attention and made me want to immerse myself in the book all over again. Compelling, stimulating, and studiously researched, A House Near Luccoli is a beautiful representation of the boundlessness of historical fiction, and a story as sumptuous and engaging as the man at its center. (Review © Casee Marie, originally published on December 7, 2012 at LiteraryInklings.com. I received a copy of the book for the purpose of review.)(less) | Notes are private!
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1
| Dec 02, 2012
| Dec 06, 2012
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Oct 30, 2012
| Paperback
| |||||||||||||||
| 1478342226
| 9781478342229
| 4.32
| 77
| Oct 30, 2012
| Oct 30, 2012
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My full review at Literary Inklings Nolfi’s delightful concoction of Liberty, Ohio, with its small town feel and larger-than-life characters, is litera...more My full review at Literary Inklings Nolfi’s delightful concoction of Liberty, Ohio, with its small town feel and larger-than-life characters, is literary escapism at its finest. The story of Second Chance Grill is a whirlwind of love and loss, joy and sorrow, honoring time-tested concepts through the art of fiction, in which Nolfi is especially gifted. It takes no time at all when the reader journeys into its pages to realize that this novel is all heart and all love. It isn’t always easy – from romantic hardships to life-threatening diseases, the characters all face strong challenges – but it’s beautiful; such is true love and real life. Countering the weight of some of the sorrows, though, is Nolfi’s unique ability with both character development and chemistry. The romance between Mary and Anthony leaps off the page and into the reader’s heart, sparking a goosebump-inducing storyline of its own. Meanwhile, at eleven years old, Blossom contributes a darling wit and supreme wisdom that leaves a mark on her audience. Read more...(less) | Notes are private!
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1
| Oct 22, 2012
| Oct 29, 2012
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Oct 29, 2012
| Paperback
| |||||||||||||||
| 0446567426
| 9780446567428
| 3.89
| 38
| Oct 02, 2012
| Oct 02, 2012
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My full review on Literary Inklings The story weaves history with fiction in a way that feels completely new, taking liberties as a necessity to explor...more My full review on Literary Inklings The story weaves history with fiction in a way that feels completely new, taking liberties as a necessity to explore the many scenarios Jackie could have found herself in. The reader is pulled deeply into the era with the appearances of artistic icons and the plethora of pop culture references that reflect life in the ‘50s. Even the historical timeline plays a central role in eliciting humor and engagement from the reader, as we see nuggets of thoughts from Jackie on what the future might hold if Cuba comes under the control of young Fidel Castro. The authors use a diverse and extensive selection of history, both in the worlds of politics and the arts, to drop smartly-planned quips that allow us to enjoy the freedom of knowing how things work out. Read more...(less) | Notes are private!
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| Oct 11, 2012
| Oct 15, 2012
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Oct 11, 2012
| Paperback
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