Friday, February 22, 2013

Book Reivew: Cool Side of the Pillow

by: Gregory G. Allen

Available at Amazon

Synopsis:
Zachary Kleinmann lives in the elite world of New Canaan, Connecticut and has left his accounting job four years earlier to be a modern stay-at-home father. But as his son is starting preschool, his wife is passionately involved in her own career, and Zach is knocking on forty years old, he begins to wonder how he will find his own serenity and define himself moving forward. Enter Ginger Charman, an older, eccentric, free living children's theater actress who has dedicated her life to bringing joy to children and keeping all those around her young at heart. As Zach is pulled into her world and discovers secrets about his new friend, he is not sure he'll ever be able to leave the rabbit hole once he has fallen through - or if he'll even want to venture outside of it again.

Fantastic! This guy has a way with words that just demands your attention. Yesterday as I was watching tv and crocheting, all I could think about was finishing this book. And I finally did, after I put the kids to bed.

It really resonated with me because Zach is basically a male version of me. He was a numbers guy who hated his job, hated that world and was happy to give it up to take care of his son. But now his boy is in school and everyone is pressuring him to go back to work. But who would want to go back to something that you truly detested???

So, now what? While trying to figure that out he meets Ginger Charman. She's a wonderful actress who does shows for children in libraries, at parties and so on. Zach comes in and is completely fascinated by this woman. She comes from a similar background, they all do in this story. Children of money. But she throws off all those expectations and follows her passion.

Can he do that? What is his passion? What would he love to do day in and day out, so it wouldn't be like work? He does find a dream and follows it. You'll have to read the book to find out what that is, though.

There were a few parts that seemed forced into the story, taking more time to develop characters would have solved that. But all in all, I enjoyed my time with this one.

Book Review: Yellow Crocus

by: Laila Ibrahim

Available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble

Synopsis:
Mattie was never truly mine. That knowledge must have filled me as quickly and surely as the milk from her breasts. Although my family ‘owned’ her, although she occupied the center of my universe, her deepest affections lay elsewhere. So along with the comfort of her came the fear that I would lose her some day. This is our story...

So begins Lisbeth Wainwright’s compelling tale of coming-of-age in antebellum Virginia. Born to white plantation owners but raised by her enslaved black wet nurse, Mattie, Lisbeth’s childhood unfolds on the line between two very different worlds. Growing up under the tender care of Mattie, Lisbeth adopts her surrogate mother’s deep-seated faith in God, her love of music and black-eyed peas, and the tradition of hunting for yellow crocuses in the early days of spring. In time, Lisbeth realizes she has freedoms and opportunities that Mattie does not have, though she’s confined by the societal expectations placed on women born to privilege. As Lisbeth grows up, she struggles to reconcile her love for her caregiver with her parents’ expectations, a task made all the more difficult as she becomes increasingly aware of the ugly realities of the American slavery system. When Lisbeth bears witness to a shockingly brutal act, the final vestiges of her naiveté crumble around her. Lisbeth realizes she must make a choice, one that will require every ounce of the courage she learned from her beloved Mattie. This compelling historical novel is a richly evocative tale of love, loss, and redemption set during one of the most sinister chapters of American history.


This is a book about a girl and her "mammy" - which is funny because the girl never thinks of it that way. Her mother calls it that. But Mattie is really Lisbeth's main caretaker, her mother. I don't care what they say, Mattie breastfed that girl and cared for her until she was around twelve.

Lisbeth loves Mattie with all her heart, and enjoys sharing her learning time with Mattie's son. But she lives a charmed life and doesn't fully grasp the ramifications of slavery until she catches her own fiance with a slave girl. She is then heart-sick. What to do?

This story broke my heart several times, but it's beautifully written. Maybe it didn't always end this way, but how many families had slaves raising their children? And to then tell yourself that you are doing the slaves a favor because they are simple minded and irresponsible like children? Then why are they running YOUR household and raising YOUR children???

It brings up many good points. The author points out that slavery is something that still happens today, although it's hidden from public view.

Aside from the politics of slavery, the story of Mattie and Lisbeth is irresistible. Lisbeth loves her so much, Mattie is the person she wants when she is hurt or scared. Mattie loves Lisbeth as well, but she has her own children and husband to worry about as well. You just don't know what is going to happen from one part of the story to the next.

Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Book Review: How Hard Can it Be?

by: Robyn Peterman

Available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble

Synopsis:
What happens when an accountant decides to grab life by the horns and try something new? Apparently a pirate named Dave, a lot of pastel fleece, and blackmail—just to start with…

Visualize and succeed, Oprah said. I was sure as hell trying, even if my campaign to score a job as the local weather girl had ended in a restraining order. Okay, TV was not my strength. But a lack of talent has never stopped me before. Which is why I’ve embarked on a writing career. I mean, how hard can it be to come up with a sexy romance?

Leave it to me to wind up in a group of grandmotherly porno writers who discuss sex toys and apple cobbler in the same breath. Also leave it to me to leak an outlandish plot idea to a bestselling author with the morals of a rabid squirrel. And only I could get arrested for a jewelry heist I didn’t commit—by a hunky cop whose handcuffs just might tempt me to sign up for a life of crime. Maybe I’ve found my calling after all…


Be prepared to laugh your ass off!

The main character decides to take a break from her CPA world and try writing a romance novel. How hard could it be, right? She meets a wonderful group of old ladies, and turns beet red as they talk about sex, s&m, and so on as if they were talking about their grocery list. Then enters the evil Evangeline, who has a huge career as a romance novelist. But it turns out she has stolen everything she has ever written. The only thing she's good at is digging up dirt and using it against people to get her way.

Later on meet the neighbor they name "Mr. Asstastic." See if she can actually take down Evangeline with her "pile of confusing, offensive, unreadable shit." Can she save her new friends and still get the guy?

It's a silly book, and it won't be winning the Pulitzer, but god it was fun! I laughed so much.

The best part of this book was the absolutely horrible trashy novel the main character writes for the evil...ummm...woman. It's so horrible that all you can do is laugh, especially at all the words for penis she comes up with. "Skin flute, pork sword, love muscle..."

Truly a pick-me-up book. But the story, that is included, really is offensive and disgusting, but knowing why she was writing it made it that much funnier.

Book Review: Heart Like Mine

by: Amy Hatvany

Available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble

Synopsis:
When a young mother dies under mysterious circumstances, those she leaves behind begin looking for answers in the past—and find a long-buried secret they could have never imagined.Thirty-six-year-old Grace McAllister never longed for children. But when she meets Victor Hansen, a handsome, charismatic divorced restaurateur who is father to Max and Ava, Grace decides that, for the right man, she could learn to be an excellent part-time step-mom. After all, the kids live with their mother, Kelli. How hard could it be?

At thirteen, Ava Hansen is mature beyond her years. Since her parents’ divorce, she has been the one taking care of her emotionally unstable mother and her little brother—she pays the bills, does the laundry, and never complains because she loves her mama more than anyone. And while her father’s new girlfriend is nice enough, Ava still holds out hope that her parents will get back together and that they’ll be a family again.

But only days after Victor and Grace get engaged, Kelli dies suddenly under mysterious circumstances—and soon, Grace and Ava discover there was much more to Kelli’s life than either ever knew.

Narrated by Grace and Ava in the present with flashbacks into Kelli’s troubled past, Heart Like Mine is a poignant and hopeful portrait about womanhood, love, and the challenges of family life.


The only thing that really bugged me in this story was that the main character dated a man with children, when she adamantly wanted none of her own. But on the other hand, I loved that the author put the reasoning behind it into the story. At a certain age it's really hard to find a man who hasn't been married and had children. But he didn't have full custody, so she felt she could enjoy them in small doses.

But what happens when that mother dies? Now he has the children full time, they are all mourning the loss and they all count on Grace to help them through it. Does she have the strength to help the man she loves, and can she figure out how to become the step-mother the children now need?

I didn't think I would connect with this character. When I hear about women like this in the real world, I can't help but wonder why they'd date a man with children if they really didn't want children. Yes, he might not have them much now, but you can't predict that. And it's wrong to lead a guy on when you plan on checking out if circumstances change.

But better to be honest. He knew she didn't want kids, and had no desire to be a mother. He tried his best to limit her responsibility. And God love them, they actually communicate. It does get rocky, but how could it not? All of a sudden she's playing step-mother full-time when she never even wanted part-time. He's under pressure from his restaurant and his kids and his ex-wife's death. It's bound to be bumpy.

Fantastic story, but it is not a happy tale. Read it for yourself and see, it won't let you down.

Monday, February 18, 2013

Book Review: Guilt

by: Jonathan Kellerman

Available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble

Synopsis:
The #1 New York Times bestselling author Jonathan Kellerman’s “psychology skills and dark imagination are a potent literary mix” (Los Angeles Times), and this intensely thrilling blend has never been so powerful as in the acclaimed author’s new novel of murder and madness among the beautiful dreamers, seductive predators, and doomed innocents adrift in the glare of Southern California’s eternal sunshine.

A series of horrifying events occur in quick succession in the same upscale L.A. neighborhood. A backyard renovation unearths an infant’s body, buried sixty years ago. And soon thereafter in a nearby park, another disturbingly bizarre discovery is made not far from the body of a young woman shot in the head. Helping LAPD homicide detective Milo Sturgis to link these eerie incidents is brilliant psychologist Alex Delaware. But even the good doctor’s vast experience with matters both clinical and criminal might not be enough to cut down to the bone of this chilling case—and draw out the disturbing truth.

Backtracking six decades into the past stirs up tales of a beautiful nurse with a mystery lover, a handsome, wealthy doctor who seems too good to be true, and a hospital with a notorious reputation—all of them long gone, along with any records of a newborn, and destined for anonymity. But the specter of fame rears its head when the case unexpectedly twists in the direction of the highest echelons of celebrity privilege. Entering this sheltered world, Alex little imagines the macabre layer just below the surface—a decadent quagmire of unholy rituals and grisly sacrifice.

Before their work is done, Alex and Milo, “the most original whodunit duo since Watson and Holmes” (Forbes), must confront a fanatically deranged mind of such monstrous cunning that even the most depraved madman would shudder.


Let's see...it's the 28th novel in the Alex Delaware series. I think it rocks, honestly. The main characters are Alex Delaware (duh) and Milo Sturgis, Milo is the detective that Alex helps out on occasion (in every single book - *giggle*). There was much more tension between Alex and Milo in this book. In the last novel Alex had saved Milo's life, add to that all the extra footwork Alex put into this one that the captain noticed and commented on while criticizing Milo.

We also got to see a few of Alex's buttons get pushed. He had a rough childhood and it's really colored his life as an adult. But basically Alex is a retired child psychologist. He did the hardest work for years, working with children with terminal illness, usually cancer. He had invested wisely, so now he works when he wants too. Yeah, I'm jealous. lol

I love these novels because it's like reading an episode of Law and Order. I don't have to worry about the kids seeing it, they don't read over my shoulder yet. It has all the crime, tension and interpersonal drama that one could ask for. Being that it's a series, it includes the loves of both Alex and Milo.
"She didn't die pretty."
An outraged activist might call that blaming the victim. Anyone with homicide experience would call it logic."
Hey all, did you know that Milo is a gay lieutenant who is basically given free reign to solve whatever he wants because he has the highest solve rate ever? It's a good thing, because being gay in a police department can't be easy. Kudos to Mr. Kellerman for including that bit of reality in this series.
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