The Beginners by Rebecca Wolff

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


*Some Spoilers contained* Well, I finished it. It was almost painful to do so at times, but I plowed through. There was a lot of potential with the story line and with the actual characters, but the majority of a time, I felt like I was listening to someone relate their dream after they'd been awake for a few hours and they kept forgetting the point of the dream.

Cherry and Ginger are high schoolers in a small, idyllic Massachusetts town, caught between being kids who play make-believe all day and women who are interested in sexual relationships and social structures. A mysterious couple comes to town (Raquel and Theo) who take an interest in them and they are suddenly enveloped by these strangers. When Cherry starts to recognize that they're not healthy people to be around, Ginger continues to become more and more enmeshed in their dysfunction and so the story goes.

There was one point, about 200 or so pages in, when Theo makes a confession about their true 'story' and I actually said out loud 'What?!' because I didn't see it coming. However, Wolff did not take the opportunity then to use that plot twist and move the story forward. To the end, I kept waiting for a great twist or for something to finally click into place but it just didn't.

She definitely has a great handle on use of language, it's poetic (duh, she's a poet, right?) but there were so many holes in the story that had to be filled in. I feel like I have a pretty good imagination, but there were times I had to re-read a page thinking I'd missed something-nope.

I closed the book and wanted to fling it because I was annoyed that I plowed on for virtually nothing. As my History professor once said on a paper that clearly needed more fleshing out '...if you ever again make me slog through seven pages, there had BETTER be a point.'


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Long Drive Home: A Novel by Will Allison

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Will Allison has written one of those 'it could happen to anyone' stories: A cautionary tale about the daily choices we make and how they could have a devastating effect on the rest of your life. While driving his daughter home from school, work-from-home dad, Glen is involved in a series of near-miss road rage incidents which culminate in his 'teaching the other driver a lesson', which results in the death of a teenage boy.



The story gets tricky when Glen doesn't tell the truth, to anyone really, about the incident. In thinking that he's protecting his family both from civil suit and criminal prosecution, he not only leaves out important details from the accident in question, but deletes the earlier incidents from the day. In attempting to shield his child, he's actually putting her in a horrible situation because she witnessed the earlier events.



***SPOILER ALERT***



I kept waiting for Glen to come clean and tell the whole story to the detective. I figured the story would either culminate in him being absolved of responsibility or convicted of vehicular manslaughter. I did not expect to have him confess only through a letter to his daughter which could really only further burden her later in life.



In trying to protect his family (well, let's be honest, he was protecting himself) he lost everything. One has to think that he will also lose his daughter's respect when she one day reads the letter and realizes that her father displayed not protective capacity, but extreme cowardice. Losing the respect and trust of his wife, and revealing himself to the detective to be 'broken', Glen was one of the more morally ambiguous characters I've read in awhile.



While I did like the book, I found myself having a hard time liking Glen. He caused so much stress and strain, while not giving his family, the victim's family or the victim himself the closure they deserved.



Oh what tangled webs we weave...



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Here, Home, Hope by Kaira Rouda
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This review is going to be a bit of a ramble, but that may be appropriate since the book was as well. I realize that I was reading an advanced reader's copy, but it read more like a second or third draft. Kelly is a mother of two teen/tween boys and is in the predicament of trying to 'find her purpose'. She makes an ever-growing, rambling list of Things to Change, or T2C as she puts it. I felt like this could have been a great book if her editor had handed it back to her and said 'Great! Now polish it up, give your characters some depth and insight and make your main character likeable.'


Kelly doesn't seem to have any real connections to her friends, past or present, and she just flits from one topic to another. One minute she's obsessed that her husband is having an affair, and the next she's off on another shopping spree with confrontation number 354 with her arch-nemesis, Rachel.


Honestly, the most likable character in the book was probably Charlotte, who was not necessarily intended to be your character of choice.


The only interpersonal conflicts in the book (aside from Rachel) are all tidied up swiftly with an 'aw shucks' chuck on the shoulder and Kelly, though she has almost zero insight save for the five thousand Oprah-esque a-ha moments, deems herself a very worthy counselor to all of her friends. It's definitely the Kelly show, which I like because it is supposed to be about her finding who she wants to be, but all the characters are so wooden and one-dimensional. They have these revelations that are supposed to be shocking, but I couldn't bring myself to care about them because the reactions by the other characters were so formulaic it was almost silly. I felt like I was reading a fast-talking parody of a women's fiction novel.


Also, could she throw in any more Lifetime Movie of the Week topics? Anorexic teen, adulterous friends who've put her in the middle of their secrets, making amends with high-school friends who you abandoned/bullied and then CONTINUE to call her Bony Beth, becoming a self-made woman, death of a loved one, divorce...seriously, pick 1-2 serious topics and actually explore them instead of having your main character come off as a completely shallow and self-involved twit. It made me a little sad because, and this may be reading too much into it, but I had to wonder if Rouda has a lot of close friends herself. If so, she didn't do a great job of drawing on her experiences with them to create dialogue or set-up of characters.

The woman is food-obsessed and, again, completely shallow and lacking insight when it comes to other people. She has her clothes sorted into weight-gain phases, talks about the benefits of 'having an anorexic around' and says other pretty callous things that drove me cra-zy as I read.

Would you really have your heroine do nothing but bring a bouquet of flowers to a friend whose estranged husband JUST DIED in a motorcycle accident. Really? You'd have to call your mother to see if you should bring a casserole to her, and the consult your friend to see if you're needed at the funeral? Um, how about you just show up and go? But that's just me.

The commentary on stay-at-home moms and their cattiness was about to make me send a little tweet to Miss Twitter Queen. Since it's clear Rouda is not an at-home mother, it made me wonder if this is her little soap box to talk about them? Yes, she is a proponent of women empowering themselves, but what if the way that we do that IS to stay at home? Is that not enough?

After finishing the whole book, I realized I should have read the 'about the author' section first. Really? Two pages? I don't need to know every class you've taken, or that you have a big twitter following. It is awesome that she is a great businesswoman, and strives to empower other women to realize their potential, but stick to what you are really good. Not everyone can write a novel. Or, I guess, not everyone should. Look out, folks, she's got another one coming out soon! You can find out all about it on her twitter feed, her facebook page, her blog or by emailing her. All of which is included in her biography. Which is clearly an autobiography.


Maybe I was just no in the best frame of mind to read this, but it's hard when you compare it to other women's fiction like Jennifer Weiner, who takes more care in creating characters and conflict resolution. While still beach reads, they're more sophisticated and well-crafted. And with that, I will end my rant. If you've read the actual released copy, am I missing something?



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Canning for a New Generation: Bold, Fresh Flavors for the Modern Pantry by Liana Krissoff

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


The postal carrier made my day this afternoon when she delivered my birthday gift from my sister, Sherri. I've been lusting after it for so long on my amazon wish list that when I first opened the package, I thought it was something I already owned. I love the photos, I love the font, I love the print of the section pages and I love the paper on which those photos and fonts and prints are created.



In short, I love this book! Not only does it have amazing recipes for everything from Raspberry jam with lavender and lemon to Smoky Corn Chowder, but additional recipes of what to DO with said canned goods. It's broken into season and then further separated out into fruits and vegetables. Makes my little wanna-be organized heart go pitter patter. Actually, it makes it so that my procrastinating nature can flip to the season we're actually in and make something RIGHT NOW. There is a local lavender farm that is currently having their 'Lavender Daze' celebration, so I'm going to snap up some fresh lavendar for the jam this weekend. There are little sticky notes popping out of every section of this baby.



I. Can't. Wait. The hot water bath is calling my name...



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Beside Still Waters by Tricia Goyer

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Beside Still Waters starts out like many of the other Amish-centered books that I've read, particularly two series that I really like by Beverly Lewis. In addition to the standard internal conflict brought upon children in the Amish community who are in the thick of their Rumschprimge, eighteen year-old Marianna Sommer also has a family tragedy to contend with; The day of her birth also marks the day her family experienced a defining tragedy. Feeling like she'll never be enough to replace two sisters, Marianna has always strived to be an exceptional daughter and member of the Amish community. With two daughters gone and a son who's chosen to live outside the faith, her parents decide that a cross-country move will be just the fresh start their family needs.

Marianna is devastated, because she feels that a proposal from Aaron is just around the corner and is afraid they won't be able to survive the distance. As an eighteen year-old, she could technically stay behind, but doesn't feel that's a real choice as she's a big source of support for her parents in tending to the younger siblings and helping around the house.

For me, there's always been something fascinating about the Amish and conservative Mennonite traditions and way of life, so I am usually drawn to books about them. This book was no exception in being a 'nice' story. There is no real conflict that makes your guts wrench (other than the narrative about the family's tragedy) and the author is clearly of a conservative Christian bent, as is demonstrated when the family settles in Montana and marvel at the 'friendship' that the local Christian church members seem to have with God, as opposed to their strict reverence of Him.

It bothered me that she insinuated that the relationship that the Amish had with God was less personal or less impactful than that which the members of the local Christian church (it wasn't ever specified, so I'm thinking it was a non-denominational gathering?) have with Him. That presumed bias, while evident, didn't change my enjoyment of the story, which is not anything spectacular, but is certainly a quick read and kept me company over a few days in the backyard watching my kids play, and soaking up the sun.

It also felt a little untrue to the characters that her parents (strict and conservative members of the Amish community) once they arrived in Montana, were fairly quick to start 'coming around' to the ways of the local church: Her father ordered an English Bible, and started making other small changes that they were worried would happen before they moved because it was rumored that the Montana Amish community was much more lax than that which they left in the Midwest. Maybe the lack of prying eyes from the neighbors finally allowed them to take the time to be introspective and figure out what really works for them. If that's the case, I hope they invite their oldest son back into their lives at some point, as it would seem hypocritical otherwise.

Although the writing style was fairly simplistic, it held my attention enough that I would read the upcoming installments. I'd love to see if Marianna and Aaron end up together, as she seemed so firm in her faith that she'd join the church in the Fall, or if she starts to question their compatibility and instead falls for a local boy with a relationship with God that is so foreign to her.

Having an easy Summer read is never a bad thing in my opinion, so I'd still recommend this to friends who've enjoyed similar stories in the past.

I wrote this review while participating in a blog tour by Mom Central Consulting on behalf of the Beside Still Waters Campaign and received a copy of the book and a promotional item to thank me for taking the time to participate.

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Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


This one is hard to review for me, because I feel a little underwhelmed with how things panned out. Katniss Everdean finds herself, once again, at the center of President Snow's attention in his quest to maintain Capital control over all of Panem. She has her same rag-tag team of experts and confidantes, but it's becoming less clear who she can, or should, trust. Holed up in District 13, it's all just one big PR stunt to try and get the rebels riled up to resist against The Man.



While I can't say I'm disappointed in the ending, it did seem to wrap up rather neatly. Yes, there are some disappointments, and maybe I'm a little cold, but the one death (don't want to spoil) that is at the crux of the story doesn't affect me as sharply as it probably should have. Maybe because I never really connected to that character, or maybe it was because I knew that there was no way the story would end with all the relevant characters alive and well. Either way, I tore through this trilogy in one week, so it certainly kept me hooked even though parts of it were fairly formulaic. The level of moral corruption is pretty astounding when you actually think about the things that are happening instead of it just being a far-off novel of a dystopian future.



Overall, it's a good trilogy and worth reading. I'm glad it's a trilogy only, because I think further installments would just be beating that dead horse. I'm giving it four stars not because it's superb writing, or even because it's a crazy original idea, rather it's because it's a well-developed idea that I'm sure you can find more and more layers to if you read it multiple times.



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The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Enter the world of Panem, the region that was once North America, which houses the Capitol and 12 surrounding Districts. Each district is responsible for a different segment of industry, and the Capital rules with an iron fist. Each year, one boy and one girl from each district are picked as tributes to play in the Hunger Games, an event that is a fight to the death with only one winner. The odds of getting picked are stacked against the poor and hungry, and to the victor go the spoils.



Katniss is a sixteen year-old girl who's been providing for her mother and little sister, Prim, since the death of their father in the coal mines several years ago. When Prim is chosen as the Tribute for District 12, Katniss immediately volunteers to take her place and a chain of events is set into action.



Brutality and strife sell, and the Hunger Games capitalize on it all, creating events in the arena to make 'good TV' and generally forgetting that they're dealing with the loss of human life with each gory scene they display for all to see.



This is a YA series, but it's written so well that you don't feel like you're lowering yourself to a lower reading level to enjoy it. I really liked it, and can't wait to start Book Two: Catching Fire. I'm so glad I listened to friends who said I should have all three books ready to go, because once you start, you won't want to stop!



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Bumped by Megan McCafferty

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


I was a huge fan of the Jessica Darling series, so when I heard that McCafferty had a new book out, I quickly bought it (and read it basically in one sitting). At first, I didn't know what in the world was going on with all the wink, wink, double-blinking, but quickly realized that because it was set in the future, the characters no longer needed to have their smartphones with them to update their status on MiNet on the fly, all they had to do was roll their eyes and do a series of clicks, ha! The whole premise is pretty disturbing, but that is certainly the point. I loved all of the social commentary, specifically the fact that the firm for whom her 'Surrogette' agent works is called UGenXX.

The inside cover gives a great synopsis, but I liked looking (as did my sister who recommended this book to me) at the conversations with McCafferty about where she drew her inspiration for the novel. As with most topics of personal freedom, and specifically reproductive freedom, every decision or absolute can lead down a very slippery slope. McCafferty certainly knows how to make it a great ride!



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Swamplandia! by Karen Russell

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


There is so much to say about this book, but I'll try to limit it to non-spoiler comments. The first 50-60 pages really suck you in, and then there's a slight lull in the middle. After finishing, though, I feel like the majority of what was in those pages was necessary for plot and character-development. A coming-of-age tale that spins in some magical realism (or does it?) and also provides a great social commentary, this is a great book club pick because I felt like it was after discussion that I realized how much I liked it.

It may be one that I read again, but not for awhile. There's a lot to think about and digest, but it's wonderfully written, and there are so many places that give the reader pause. Will you get sucked into Ava's voice and naivete, or will you remain skeptical with all of your adult knowledge? I definitely found that I'm a cynic (but maybe only because I've seen the worst too many times). Travel deep into the swamp to be introduced to a world that will seem magical, if only because it's foreign, Swamplandia! is sure to make you start googling alligator parks you can visit in real life!



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Run Like a Mother: How to Get Moving and Not Lose Your Job, Family, or Sanity by Dimity McDowell

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I loved this book! I've been following their blog and facebook pages for some time, but hadn't read the book. I've been reading it at night for a couple of weeks and have really enjoyed it. I found that I related most to Dimity, but also appreciate that having two very difference 'voices' as authors means that it will reach a large audience. I've already purchased five copies of this book because I have so many girlfriends and sisters with whom I think the messages of this book will really resonate. It is possible to be an active runner and still be a present mother, but the key is in finding a balance that will work for your family's unique situation.

With a ton of nutrition, gear and training advice mixed with their personal stories of trial and triumph and quotes from other moms this book really runs that gamut. It's a book that I know I'll refer back to over and over.



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Little Bee by Chris Cleave

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


This book was really amazing. Little Bee is a refugee from Nigeria, who was held in an immigration facility in the UK for two years prior to being let out with a group of three other women, in what turns out to be an unethical manner that does not leave her with legal paperwork.



Knowing nobody, except a couple with whom she had a fateful encounter in Nigeria, she contacts them and sends all of their lives in directions that nobody would have predicted.



Chris Cleave uses language beautifully and the harsh realities he brings to light in addition to the subtleties of everyday life that we may take for granted or are just the norm were revisited when seen through the eyes of Little Bee.



This is a must-read, and I won't give any more details, but be warned that a box of Kleenex may be in order.



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Casting About by Terri DuLong




I am so excited that I will be receiving a copy of this book to read and review! It should be arriving in the next month, so stay tuned!



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Knit the Season by Kate Jacobs

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


I have to say that, considering how much I liked Friday Night Knitting Club, I'm pretty disappointed with not only the plot (or should I say lack of plot) in this third book in the series, but with the wooden dialogue and two-dimensional characters.

I read the whole thing, but it took over a week because I was just not getting caught up in the characters like I had before. It was kind of like watching the re-make of 'The Women', in that you expect great things because you like all the actresses and you loved the original, but it just falls about 20 feet short.

I'm so sad to say, Ms Jacobs, but unless the next is a vast improvement, I hope you consider the Knitting Club series cast off, and the ends woven in.

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One-Skein Wonders by Judith Durant

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


There are some really great projects in here, including socks and scarves. You generally think of one skein or ball projects as being dinky little things that may be more decorative than practical...not so! With Christmas around the corner, I'm looking forward to knitting up some of the more beautiful scarves. It's nice to know that they'll be projects that are not only quick, but also affordable and wearable. I'm so glad I added this, and Luxury One Skein Wonders to my crafting library.



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The Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry



The Lace Reader is the story of one woman, Sophya 'Towner' Whitney, who left Salem, MA for California as a young adult after the tragic death of her twin sister Lyndley. Prior to heading to California, she had a brief, but successful, stay at a psychiatric hospital.

She returns to Salem following the death of her beloved aunt, Eva, a local 'lace reader' and town legend. The story is all about the women who've influenced Towner, with the confusing events of her past and a mystery intricately woven in.

I just finished this book, and there is still a lot to be processed. I really loved that it's set in Salem, a place I've visited a couple of times before, and that I still have another chance to see before leaving New England.

This book is a rich, descriptive text, full of explanations of lace-making and the geography in which the story is set. I did, toward the end, start to guess how it was going to end, and piece things together, but I think it was intended with the break-through flashes of memory and family history provided.

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A Reliable Wife by Robert Goolrick


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Goolrick's novel, an idea which was first explored after he read Wisconsin Death Trip in the 70's, is another of those quick reads that's got a lot of depth at the same time. I flew through this book in two days, mainly because I couldn't wait to see if what I thought was going to happen would.

Ralph Truitt is a Wisconsin businessman living in the small town of his family's name. A man haunted by the ghosts of deeds and relationships past, he puts out a want ad for 'a reliable wife.' Answering the call is Catherine Land, a woman who also has her share of dark corners and regrets.

Together they explore the landscape that may or may not become their lives. Set in one very long Wisconsin winter, the novel delves into an array of relationship dynamics with twists and turns while also giving a glimpse at some of the vignettes that inspired Goolrick to write about a Wisconsin winter in the first place.

The lives that go terribly wrong in the turn of a thought, minds gone mad when the snow sticks around too long.

While it could easily have been a very bizarre tale that took everything just a step too far, I felt like he kept a nice balance between predictable love story and a novel with deception and twists; sex and sexual themes seem to have a heavy hand, but it didn't feel gratuitous.

No spoilers, this is one to delve into post-haste.

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Remains Silent by Michael Baden


My rating: 2 of 5 stars
This book had a lot of potential, and I read it mainly because it sounded like it could really be along the lines of the Kay Scarpetta books.

I guess the word that could really describe this would be 'unsophisticated'. It was almost as if you were reading the pitch for this book and not the actual book. The rough outline. The character development was pretty lazy, and there was no real build-up...the portions that were supposed to leave you breathless barely registered a change in heart-rate.

I had the second one out of the library, but after reading the first chapter, I realized that my hopes that the editors would have taken a more heavy hand with this one were going to be dashed, so I returned it. What a disappointment! I was really hoping to find the next great medical drama/thriller series.

No cigar on this one.

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Born To Run

Born to Run: A Hidden Tribe, Superathletes, and the Greatest Race the World Has Never Seen by Christopher McDougall


My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I honestly haven't had a book that was, if not life-changing, then thought-changing like this book. I'm currently in the midst of training for my first half-marathon, and just thinking about the body mechanics, mind-set and absolute joy that the Tarahumara find in running makes each run go a little more smoothly, and has forced me to push myself WAY outside of my former comfort zone.

I've improved my time by almost two minutes per mile, and actually look forward to those long Saturday runs.

Coincidentally, this is the first time I've spent a lot of money on shoes...and that was because this is the first time I've felt on the verge of injury. I'm hoping that with ice, ibuprofen, lots of quality time with the foam roller and time, it'll resolve itself.

Some day, I may even invest in a set of the Five Finger 'shoes' that they feature in the book and my friend's husband bought after reading the book.

This is a must-read for every runner, or anyone who's even thinking of taking that first step. It's ridiculously inspirational and a phenomenal cultural read on top of that!

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Mennonite in a Little Black Dress: A Memoir of Going Home by Rhoda Janzen

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I really liked this memoir. I loved that it was the kind of read that you could pick up and finish in a couple of days, but not because you'd done nothing but read for those two days.

Rhoda Janzen is a Mennonite who 'left the fold' in the religious sense only. Following the dissolution of a long-term marriage when her mentally ill, sometimes abusive husband left her for 'Bob from gay.com' she is further broken, literally, by a car accident that leads her to take some much-needed solace and rest in the home of her parents, who are devout Mennonites; her father was actually once the head of the North American Mennonite Conference for Canada and the United States.

Full of humor, explanations of some of the philosophies of the faith and lots of talk about the food that comforts, there were several times that I actually laughed out loud. I know it's such a cliche, but this really is 'laugh-out-loud funny'.

Throughout, she is respectful of her parents' religion, but is still able to point out the things that are ridiculous to her in a way that is humorous without being bitter.

She clearly loves her family, and everybody likes a good story about getting back to your roots, even if you never really strayed very far.

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The Hour I First Believed by Wally Lamb


My rating: 4 of 5 stars
In this story within a story, within a story, Wally Lamb encompasses a number of this country's tragedies from the last decade, then reaches back to the Civil War, suffrage and the formation of women's prisons to weave a tale that is richly told.

Focussing on the lives of teacher Caelum Quirk and his 'three strikes' wife Maureen, a school nurse, Lamb tells the story of a couple struggling to make their marriage work, after finally realizing that they truly do love, need and want each other, in the midst of chaos and tragedy.

Maureen, working at Columbine on the day of the shooting, was in the library hiding in a cupboard. One of the 'collaterally damaged' she struggles with acute PTSD that slowly slides into chronic PTSD. Caelum, who was on his family farm dealing with the aftermath of his Aunt Lolly's death, the aunt who helped raise him, was gone from school that day and is left wondering how everything might be different if he'd been at school that day.

Selling their home in Colorado, they move back to his family home in Connecticut where he discovers old letters and documentation about his ancestors and the Women's prison his great, great, great grandmother founded, along with family secrets, history and lore.

A story of self-discovery, intertwined with mythology and faith and rich with history, this is one story that won't let you down on a research level. i won't go into the particulars of the story, so as not to contain spoilers.

The one criticism I have, and it was discussed at book club, was that it seemed like SO much happened in the book; he was personally involved with people from Columbine, Hurricane Katrina, the Iraq War...but that's understandable from the story-telling standpoint because those sub-plots were illustrative of how much things have and have not changed all at once. From the Civil War to Iraq, everyone struggles with their belief system, and how they're going to apply it.

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