And the Winner Is...

Congratulations to DarcyO for winning a copy of Next to Love by Ellen Feldman.

An email should be waiting for you, please respond with your mailing address so we can send the book to you as soon as possible!

Thanks to everyone who entered. As usual GJR used Random.org to generate the winner.


 

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Children's Corner: Baseball A-Z

Review: In honor of the start of spring training and one of my favorite sports, I checked Baseball from A to Z out of the library for my son. It is a clever book and it definitely teaches kids the basics of the game while also going over some terms that younger kids might not have heard yet; Ace and No-Hitter are the first ones that come to mind.

The illustrations are fun and not at all "babyish". A few of them crack me up when I see them. The facial expressions on some of the players are hilarious. In fact, this is perfectly aimed at my 4 year old son who will be starting t-ball in the spring. The book definitely holds his interest and sparks more questions about the game from him. It's also a good way of reinforcing the ABC's using a different subject matter that causes the child to think a bit.

My only complaints are small ones. The type set could be bigger making it easier to read on the pages that are darker. Also, the color of the type could change depending on the illustrations, again making it easier to read.

If you've got a child, like mine, who is into every single sport he or she tries and baseball is on their radar, then this is a great introductory book.

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Julie's Review: Another Piece of My Heart

Summary: Andi has spent much of her adult life looking for the perfect man, and at thirty-seven, she's finally found him.  Ethan--divorced with two daughters, Emily and Sophia--is a devoted father and even better husband.  Always hoping one day she would be a mother, Andi embraces the girls like they were her own. But in Emily’s eyes, Andi is an obstacle to her father’s love, and Emily will do whatever it takes to break her down. When the dynamics between the two escalate, they threaten everything Andi believes about love, family, and motherhood—leaving both women standing at a crossroad in their lives…and in their hearts. ANOTHER PIECE OF MY HEART is a novel that illuminates the nuances and truths about relationships and is Jane Green at her absolute best. ~amazon.com

Review: I am so excited that Jane Green has another book out! I've read her for a long time and while the last couple haven't been excellent, I still always enjoy her novels. I knew that Another Piece of My Heart sounded a bit different from her other books but still dealing with family issues. Like Promises to Keep this deals with some pretty tough subject matters.

Being in a blended family myself, it's never easy but my dad got remarried when I was in my 20s, so my step-mom didn't have to deal with the teenager angst from either of us. These situations are becoming more the norm than the exception, so I think Ms. Green is extremely timely with her novel. I also know that she and her husband combined families so perhaps part of this subject is very familiar to her but maybe without the drama.
I liked Andi overall. She's by no means perfect but she tries. She tries her hardest with her step-daughter Emily who is so full of rage and hatred towards her. Emily views Andi as competition instead of an ally. She thinks that Andi took her father away from her and that he loves her less. Never mind that Emily doesn't get any love from her drunk mother. Maybe part of Emily's anger should have been directed towards Janice instead of Andi but I never got the sense that she hated her mom.

I don't think Andi ever hated Emily but I think she was extremely hurt by her anger. She didn't know when she would be nice and when she was going to be evil. Trust me, Emily was all kinds of evil. I understood why Andi was fed up. She was fed up because she never felt that Ethan stuck up for her or that he disciplined his daughter. Ethan was too worried about making Emily happy than giving her boundaries.

While I enjoyed the chapters written from Emily's point of view, I still wasn't convinced that she changed. Sure three years seems like a long time to be away but when you are as immature as Emily was, it's not that long. She never really dealt with her feelings for Andi and her resentment towards her father. Frankly, I believe she should have had therapy. Emily might have gotten some parts of her life on track but she was still emotionally unstable. It's not until 3 years after she returns home and leaves again that I finally felt she was grown up, that she had resolved her issues with her family.

I really enjoyed the part of the novel where Janice helps Emily come to an emotional breakthrough regarding her situation. It was refreshing to see Janice step up and be a mother especially when it counted. When Emily needed some one to say some hard things to her but yet could do so in a caring manner.

I enjoyed how Ms. Green jumped ahead in her novel by a few years at a couple points in the novel. It made me feel that the characters were stuck in time and in circumstances they couldn't over come. Now, while I enjoyed the ending of the novel, I did feel that it was a little too neatly tied up. Maybe time and love really does heal all wounds. Maybe I'm just cynical.

For those of you who have read Jane Green previously but have stepped away from her Another Piece of My Heart is the novel to get reacquainted with her.

Final Take: 4.25/5

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Julie's Review: The Scent of Rain and Lightning

Summary: One beautiful summer afternoon, Jody Linder receives shocking news: The man convicted of murdering her father is being released from prison and returning to the small town of Rose, Kansas. It has been twenty-three years since that stormy night when her father was shot and killed and her mother disappeared, presumed dead. Neither the protective embrace of Jody’s three uncles nor the safe haven of her grandparents’ ranch could erase the pain caused by Billy Crosby on that catastrophic night. Now Billy Crosby is free, thanks to the efforts of his son, Collin, a lawyer who has spent most of his life trying to prove his father’s innocence. Despite their long history of carefully avoiding each other in such an insular community, Jody and Collin find that they share an exclusive sense of loss. As Jody revisits old wounds, startling truths emerge about her family’s tragic past. But even through struggle and hardship, she still dares to hope for a better future—and maybe even love. ~amazon.com

Review: The Scent of Rain and Lightning sat in the TBR pile since August 2010! Just goes to show that I have too many books that are waiting for my eyes to feast upon them. Nancy Pickard wrote a wonderful book about murder in a small town and how it affects not only those directly involved but the residents of the town as well. We are introduced to Jody Linder as she sees her three uncles pull up to her house and she knows it's not good news because all three of them are dressed in their best. What she doesn't expect is for them to tell her that the man who murdered her parents has had his sentence commuted and he's coming back to Rose.

The novel then takes us back to 23 years prior and the events that set up the murder. Ms. Pickard spends most of the novel setting the stage for the event by letting us get to know each of the players in the story. What Ms. Pickard does well for the reader is to have you fully believe whatever the characters tell you. If Hugh Linder tells you that Billy Crosby killed his son than you believe it beyond a shadow of a doubt. As the novel goes on, things are slowly revealed and you begin to doubt what you've believed the entire time. Imagine being Jody and all she's known is to hate Billy Crosby her entire life. He took away a life she could have lived with her mom and dad.

I can't share much more of what happens without giving away the twists that the novel makes towards the very end. I will say I was totally shocked and didn't see it coming. I'm not even sure if there were clues that I should have picked up on.

I really enjoyed the setting of the novel and all of the characters. From the Linder family to the residents of Rose, they all are an integral part of the story.

I will most definitely be checking out Ms. Pickard's The Virgin of Small Plains.


Final Take: 4.75/5




 

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Giveaway: Out of Sight, Out of Time

Happy Book Birthday to the fifth book in the Gallagher Girls spy series by Ally Carter, Out of Sight, Out of Time! To help celebrate we are giving away a brand new copy to one lucky winner in the US or Canada.

About the book:  The last thing Cammie Morgan remembers is leaving the Gallagher Academy to protect her friends and family from the Circle of Cavan—an ancient terrorist organization that has been hunting her for over a year. But when Cammie wakes up in an alpine convent and discovers that months have passed, she must face the fact that her memory is now a black hole.  The only traces left of Cammie’s summer vacation are the bruises on her body and the dirt under her nails, and all she wants is to go home.

Once she returns to school, however, Cammie realizes that even the Gallagher Academy now holds more questions than answers.  Cammie, her friends, and mysterious spy-guy Zach must face their most difficult challenge yet as they travel to the other side of the world, hoping to piece together the clues that Cammie left behind.   It’s a race against time.  The Circle is hot on their trail and willing stop at nothing to prevent Cammie from remembering what she did last summer.

To enter, fill out the form below by midnight EST, March 20, 2012.  You must be over 18 and a resident of the US or Canada.  One entry per person, please.

As always, Girls Just Reading uses Random.org to select our winners.

Good Luck!

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Jenn's Review: I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You

Summary:  Cammie Morgan is a student at the Gallagher Academy for Exceptional Young Women, a fairly typical all-girls school—that is, if every school taught advanced martial arts in PE and the latest in chemical warfare in science, and students received extra credit for breaking CIA codes in computer class.  The Gallagher Academy might claim to be a school for geniuses but it’s really a school for spies.Even though Cammie is fluent in fourteen languages and capable of killing a man in seven different ways, she has no idea what to do when she meets an ordinary boy who thinks she’s an ordinary girl.  Sure, she can tap his phone, hack into his computer, or track him through town with the skill of a real “pavement artist”—but can she maneuver a relationship with someone who can never know the truth about her? Cammie Morgan may be an elite spy-in-training, but in her sophomore year, she’s on her most dangerous mission—falling in love.

Review:  Since I heard Ally Carter speaking about the Gallagher Girls series at last years Teen Book Festival, I have been really interested, especially since she mentioned that ALIAS was the inspiration for her teen spy series. All of us at Girls Just Reading have a special connection to ALIAS (more about that here), so this mention had me even more excited.

Perhaps the anticipation was a little too high. I'm not sure what I expected... 15 year old girls diffusing Rimbaldi devices and saving the world? Surely not, but I don't think a super trained teen spy using her skills to attempt to go on a normal date was anywhere on my list either. In some ways, I found the plot to be rather silly, yet in other ways it made complete sense. The nerd in me recognized the ring of truth to the situation - if I had the skill set, wouldn't I use it to over analyze the boy situation too?  Ms. Carter throws in lots of contemporary cultural references (like ALIAS and Buffy), and while I appreciate them, probably on a deeper level than most teens, I worry about how fast they date the series (though I suppose in this age of Netflix, nothing is out of reach).   Still I would have liked to read more about the school, the classes, and Cammie's friends. So many interesting things were mentioned in passing and I am really hoping Ally Carter uses the next four books to delve a little deeper.

Also, I craved a deeper sub-plot to anchor the story a little better and give it roots. Just when things seemed to be going in that direction, the action picked up and the intrigue shifted, things came to an abrupt end... and I found myself wanting to move on to the next book in the series, Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy.

In many ways the Gallagher Girls actually reminded me of Rachael Hawkins' Hex Hall series, swapping out the paranormal for the spies. Both are light, fun reads and I will enjoy working my way through both of them. Now that I know what to expect, I look forward to the journey.

Final Take: 3.75/5

PS.  You should check out Ally Carter's website and the Gallagher Girls Academy site for lots of neat stuff!

PPS.  The fifth book, Out of Sight, Out of Time was just released today... and we're giving it away here.  Happy book birthday!

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Julie's Reviews: All I Want is You

Summary: SHE'S STEALING HIS HEART . . . Vintage boutique owner Venus Smith is stunned to realize her newest acquisition comes with a larcenous legend. Stolen years ago, the antique mermaid brooch belongs to the Clayworth family. The right thing to do would be to return it, but that means facing Connor Clayworth O'Flynn, the sexy department store heir Venus has had an unrequited crush on since childhood-and the man who helped ruin her father. ONE KISS AT A TIME... Connor knows that Venus has never forgiven him for what happened between their families. But business isn't personal, even though Venus's father's betrayal still cuts him like a knife. So when Venus proposes a deal-she'll return his family's brooch if he helps clear her father's name-he reluctantly agrees. As action-packed days turn into flirtatious fall nights, it isn't long before old memories resurface . . . and new desires ignite. Can two young lovers leave the past behind? Or must they first admit that all they've ever really wanted . . . is each other? ~amazon.com  


Review: All I Want Is You is a fun, romantic comedy with a mystery entwined. It was just what I needed after reading a few books that were a bit more on the heavy subject matter side of my reading. I love that Ms. Bodine chooses Chicago as the setting for some of her novels. I love it when I can picture the places I'm reading as clear as day since I know the city pretty well. Now, Ms. Bodine knows the social scene of the elite more than I ever will but that's what makes it that much more fun to read. I have to wonder if some of her characters are based on people she's met at functions.  Here we are introduced to the tenacious Venus Smith, owner of the vintage store, Pandora's Box and Connor O'Flynn, heir to the Clayworth Department Store and their mutual dislike of each other. For two people who dislike each other they sure do think of each other all the time.

I liked that Venus was so tenacious in her beliefs that her father was wronged and that she could find the real culprit of the stolen mermaid brooch. I love that she won't stop until she figures out both problems. I also love that Ms. Bodine has written her as a woman with curves. I mean really how many of us real life women look like a board with big breasts? Yeah, not many.

It's not like Venus and Connor getting together is going to be any big secret as you start the book but it's satisfying how the tension builds, then is resolved, builds again and then resolved with finality. The tension between these two is thick with want and desire which neither of them know how to deal with. Connor has always closed off his emotions and Venus has always worn hers on her sleeve, so who will have the best poker face?

I liked the secondary characters in the book as well. They were well rounded and helped move the plot line along.  The mystery of the novel wasn't complex but it was interesting and served the purpose of bring the protagonists together.

This is the 2nd novel that has featured the Smith sister's and the Clayworth family. The first one was A Black Tie Affair which I read and enjoyed as well. I'm hoping that Ms. Bodine does another book that features the last Smith sister, Diana. I find her to be intriguing and a bit more mysterious than Athena and Venus.

Final Take: 3.75/5



Thanks to Dana Kaye at Kaye Publicity for a copy of the book.



 

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Children's Corner: Before You Came

This is another one of those books like Alison McGhee's Someday (though I don't sob nearly as much while reading this) that is more for the parent than for the child. With it's simple telling of how perspective changes upon becoming a parent, Before You Came is one of those books you want to save to give to your child when they have children.  

However unlike Someday, I think there is a level of accessibility for children; especially those who are often curious as to what things were like before they were born.  Plus the illustrations by David Diaz are incredible.  Honestly, you could deconstruct the book and hang the framed pages on the walls -they are gorgeous!  I think this is a fantastic book for a good cuddle and is yet another discovery that will be added to the permanent collection.

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And the Winner Is...

Congratulations to Susan @The Book Bag on winning our giveaway copy of Julia's Child by Sarah Pinneo.

An email should be waiting for you, please respond with your mailing address so we can send the book to you as soon as possible!

Thanks to everyone who entered. As usual GJR used Random.org to generate the winner.

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Giveaway: Next to Love

We are pleased have an paperback ARC of Ellen Feldman's fantastic novel, Next to Love. Both Alice and Julie fell in love with the novel and hope the winner will enjoy it as much as they did. Just fill out the form below to be entered! Good luck!

Next to Love Summary: For fans of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society, The Postmistress, and Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet, a story of love, war, loss, and the scars they leave set during the years of World War II and its aftermath. It’s 1941. Babe throws like a boy, thinks for herself, and never expects to escape the poor section of her quiet Massachusetts town. Then World War II breaks out, and everything changes. Her friend Grace, married to a reporter on the local paper, fears being left alone with her infant daughter when her husband is shipped out; Millie, the third member of their childhood trio, now weds the boy who always refused to settle down; and Babe wonders if she should marry Claude, who even as a child could never harm a living thing. As the war rages abroad, life on the home front undergoes its own battles and victories; and when the men return, and civilian life resumes, nothing can go back to quite the way it was. From postwar traumas to women’s rights, racial injustice to anti-Semitism, Babe, Grace, and Millie experience the dislocations, the acute pains, and the exhilaration of a society in flux. Along the way, they will learn what it means to be a wife, a mother, a friend, a fighter, and a survivor. Beautiful, startling, and heartbreaking, Next to Love is a love letter to the brave women who shaped a nation’s destiny. ~amazon.com





 

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