Julie's Review: Grounded

Summary: New York City flight attendant Annie Taylor is grounded, putting a halt to weekends in Rome and her jet-setting lifestyle. Soon her noncommittal boyfriends true nature is revealed, and to top it all off, she loses her apartment. With nowhere else to go, Annie leaves the city for the family farm in Kentucky, a place shes avoided for years. She finds a shotgun-wielding grandmother, a farm in disrepair, and a suspicious stranger renting the old stone house. The country quiet haunts Annie with reminders of a past that cant be changed. She tries persuading her grandmother to sell the farm, but is met with stubborn refusal? Yet in the midst of her crashing life, Annie sees a glimmer of hope for a second chance. Jake Wilder is contemplating jumping off the corporate ladder to follow his passion for sustainable farming. Hes almost ready to propose to Camille, a girl who wants more, not less. Annie believes Jake is about to make a terrible mistake, but does she have the right to tell him? As the summer heats up, so do Annie's unexpected feelings for Jake and her interest in the land. When a sudden phone call comes from New York, Annie is forced to choose between coming to terms with her past or leaving it all behind. ~powells.com

Review: What I really enjoyed about Grounded is that it showed me that while you might think you want something different than what you grew up with, you end up finding out that most of the time, you don't. This is what happens to Annie on her journey of discovery. Annie is easy to like. She's level-headed, has great friends and makes bad choices in men. This is what makes her identifiable to the reader. We've all been there and done that at some point.

As Annie joins her Grandmother back in Kentucky at the family farm, she realizes that she doesn't mind the hard work and that she's actually pretty good at it.  While helping her Grandmother recover from knee surgery, Annie finds that she and her Grandmother have a lot in common and don't need the buffer of her grandfather to get along.

I wish that Ms. Correll had spent more time on how sustainable living works. I like the concept and wanted to hear more about how Jake was going to make it work. I think all of us could contribute a little even if it's just by visiting and buying from your local farmers market. My mom is great at doing this, but I need to get better.

I think it's fair to also say that if you don't like any kind of religion in your reading, then Grounded may not be the novel for you. Personally, I think it fit well into the novel and wasn't preachy. It went along with what Ms. Correll was trying to convey in the novel, which is sometimes faith, family and a simple life are all you truly need in life.

I enjoyed Grounded and thought it might have been more "chick-lit" than it ended up being.

Final Take:  3.75/5

Thanks to Amy Bromberg for sending me a copy of this novel.

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Julie's Review: The Girl You Left Behind

Summary:  From the New York Times–bestselling author of Me Before You, a spellbinding love story of two women separated by a century but united in their determination to fight for what they love most. Jojo Moyes's bestseller, Me Before You, catapulted her to wide critical acclaim and has struck a chord with readers everywhere. “Hopelessly and hopefully romantic” (Chicago Tribune), Moyes returns with another irresistible heartbreaker that asks, “Whatever happened to the girl you left behind?” France, 1916:  Artist Edouard Lefevre leaves his young wife, Sophie, to fight at the front. When their small town falls to the Germans in the midst of World War I, Edouard's portrait of Sophie draws the eye of the new Kommandant. As the officer's dangerous obsession deepens, Sophie will risk everything — her family, her reputation, and her life — to see her husband again. Almost a century later, Sophie's portrait is given to Liv Halston by her young husband shortly before his sudden death. A chance encounter reveals the painting's true worth, and a battle begins for who its legitimate owner is — putting Liv's belief in what is right to the ultimate test. Like Sarah Blake's The Postmistress and Tatiana de Rosnay's Sarah's Key, The Girl You Left Behind is a breathtaking story of love, loss, and sacrifice told with Moyes's signature ability to capture our hearts with every turn of the page. ~powells.com 

Review: The German occupation of France in World War I is often overlooked for the occupation with the Nazi regime. The first occupation is where Ms. Moyes sets the historical part of her novel The Girl You Left Behind. I can't imagine being in the position Sophie and her sister Helene were in during the war. To have both of your husbands fighting to win back France from the Germans and then to be told that you will be the place that will serve food to the troops? How do you not do what you should to survive? How do you live with yourself when you know what people are saying? Not only are they saying it behind your back but they are brazen enough to say it to your face, in front of children. When all you can think about is being back with your husband and are so desperate for him, do you do desperate things?

Then we are back in the mid-2000s with Liv who, after 4 years of dealing with her husband's death, still isn't fully back in the land of the living, has to make a crucial decision about a painting that she truly loves. Does it of course have something to do with the fact that it was a gift from her husband? Of course but it's more of a personal connection to the women in the painting. Liv is a mess. There I've said it. The fight for the painting is one thing that is keeping her feet on the planet. She has been in a fog and it is now starting to lift. It is through her fight for the painting that she begins to realize that she needs to let go of the past and start to move on with her life. I love how she fought for something she loved but when it was brought to her attention that it was having negative effects elsewhere, she began to see a bit more clearly.

I loved how Ms. Moyes showed that the past always illuminates the present. That we can always learn something from the past; good, bad or even ugly. Sure, the ending was tied up with a nice big bow, but in this instance I didn't mind. Sometimes you just want the happily ever after. Especially for characters who had been through so much tragedy. I also can't write the review without saying how the title is woven through the novel on so many different levels. I love it when that happens.

I still have Me Before You in my TBR pile but it's been pushed up to the pile of books to be read in December. I'm looking forward to reading her debut novel.

Final Take:  4.5/5

Thank you to Pamela Dorman Books and SheReads.org for my copy of the novel.

 

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Children's Corner: Dan Gutman Books

Review: I can't really remember how my 8 year old daughter got turned onto these novels but she loves them. We have a good start to the My Weird School Daze books but we need to start growing our My Weirder School set.

While my daughter loves these and they crack her up, I find myself wondering about them at times. The main character, AJ, hates school and it's pretty much reiterated in each book. I'm not sure how comfortable I am about that aspect. The teachers are always a little silly, a little airheaded or a little strange. We do talk about the questionable parts at times. I know she isn't going to not like school because of a character but I always have to check in. I haven't read one with her in a while because we are at the point of encourging her to read on her own.

I do know that he has a series of books about baseball and once my son is a bit older, I will be investing in those for him. Although, I will say these books will be good books for him to read as well. Anything to get them to read.

While they might not be my choice, there isn't anything harmful in them and they do seem to be wildly popular with the kids.


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Alice's Review: All You Desire

Summary:  Haven Moore and Iain Morrow have been living a blissful life in Rome, an ocean way from the Ouroboros Society and its diabolical leader. But paradise is not to last. The mysterious disappearance of Haven's best friend, Beau, sends the pair running back to New York, where they encounter the Horae, an underground group of women who have spent centuries scheming to destroy Adam Rosier. Only they can help Haven uncover the secret to Beau's whereabouts in one of her past lives. But their help comes at a price: Haven must infiltrate the Ouroboros Society, charm Adam Rosier, and lure him into a trap. It's a plan the Horae believe will save the world-but Haven and Iain fear that it may destroy the happiness they've been chasing for two thousand years

Review:  All You Desire picks up where The Eternal Ones left off.  I must confess, other than remembering how much I loved The Eternal Ones, I didn’t remember much about it.  After a quick read of my The Eternal Ones review, I felt like I had background to forge ahead.

All You Desire is a good novel.  However, the one thing it lacked was the originality and soul of The Eternal Ones.  Haven was more mature this time.  She faced real dilemmas of a young adult committed to one man.  I liked how she revisited past lives looking for answers and admitting to herself that things with Iain aren’t all that they seem.  Iain on the other hand drove me a little batty.  He was selfish all in the name of protecting Haven.  He took too many unnecessary risks.  If I was Haven, I would have kicked his butt to the curb.

There were so many plot twists, I had a hard time keeping track of whom to trust.   Usually action like that keeps me on the edge of my seat but this time the lack of a solid information was frustrating.  I got to the point where I didn’t care so much about what happened, I kept reading because I wanted it to be over.  That’s never good.  Ms. Miller left the ending wide open for a possible third book in the series.  After All You Desire, I’m not sure if I would pick it up.  One thing for certain is if I did, it’s definitely a library book.

I wonder how I would have felt about this novel had I read it immediately after The Eternal Ones.  Maybe that high would have carried through and I would have enjoyed it more than I did.  Time and distance tarnished the magic for me.  I appreciate the romance of the story.  A love that transcends time is always a big seller for me.  What was frustrating was the convoluted mystery in All You Desire overshadowed that love.

Final Take:  3/5

Eternal Ones Review here.

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Jenn's Review: United We Spy

 Blurb:  Cammie Morgan has lost her father and her memory, but in the heart-pounding conclusion to the best-selling Gallagher Girls series, she finds her greatest mission yet. Cammie and her friends finally know why the terrorist organization called the Circle of Cavan has been hunting her. Now the spy girls and Zach must track down the Circle’s elite members to stop them before they implement a master plan that will change Cammie—and her country—forever.

Review: I should have written my United We Spy review a week ago, but I just wasn't ready to say good-bye to the Gallagher Girls.  I'm still not.  I'm going to miss them all something terrible.

Ally Carter writes strong women who still have vulnerabilities.  Cammie and company have grown so much through this series from freshmen girls who play at spying to have secret boyfriends, to experienced spies who can save the world as seniors.  And I love them for it.  Liz's graduation speech made me cry with pride.

Are the plot lines a little familiar?  Yes, but there have always been strains of ALIAS (and now Castle); that didn't mean I enjoyed it any less.    There was some mock-peril involved, but I thought it worked.  I felt that all the loose ends were tied up neatly with a few surprises along the way.

I am grateful that I stumbled across Ally Carter at the Teen Book Festival a few years back.  I am glad that there is more to come from her Heist Society series and I can't wait for her new Embassy Row series.  That said, the Gallagher Girls hold a special place in my heart and I can't wait until I can share these with my daughter when she is old enough.

Final Take:  5/5


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Julie's Review: Mortal Bonds

Summary: From the author of the extraordinary Edgar-nominated debut novel Black Fridays, a sensational story of murder and financial corruption—and one mans continued search for redemption. William von Becker ran one of the largest privately held investment banks in North America, until the bottom fell out, and the whole edifice was demonstrated to be a fraud. After von Becker dies in prison, financial investigator Jason Stafford is hired by his family. There is still a lot of missing money out there, hes told, and they want Stafford to find it before the Feds do—and certain other parties, some of whom are nowhere near as scrupulous in their methods. Bad things start happening to the people Stafford talks to. Soon bad things are happening to him as well. Making it worse, his treacherous ex-wife has come to town, ostensibly to visit their young son. Stafford suspects theres more to it than that, but even he has no idea how much that visit is about to change all their lives—and send him off to the next chapter of his life. ~powells.com

Review:  No matter how much I like Jason Stafford, I can't deny the fact that he's a convicted felon. This makes him an interesting character and while you are positive he's a good guy now, you know about his past. You see Jason was a white collar criminal, a financial guru who got caught stealing money. So who better to have working on your side than someone who can find lost/stolen money.  Jason is hired by the Von Becker family to find $3B in money that has been hidden. The trouble is that not only is the SEC wondering what you are going to be doing with the money if you find it but then you've got some people that aren't on the right side of the law following you around.

So Jason is knee deep in this case and his ex-wife comes to town. After reading Black Fridays, I have no love lost for Angie but I wonder if she is trying to be a better person. Although she still has no clue on how to handle The Kid and doesn't seem to understand the severity of his issues. The Kid for his part in the relationship with her pretty much has no acknowledgement that she's around.

What I like is that it's obvious that the case Jason is working on is complex but Mr. Sears makes it at least understandable. He acknowledges that this situation is complex by referring to how everyone on Wall Street has a speciality and you might know a little about something but you aren't an expert.

The novel is heart-pounding but it's definitely not all "run and gun". The line between good and bad guys is grey. If you think all government officials are on the up and up, then you will be disappointed to learn that they are not.  Luckily, Jason does have some "friends" in interesting places and they help him out as well.

If you are looking for an intriguing financial thriller than Mortal Bonds is for you. If you haven't read Black Fridays, I do suggest you start there.

Final Take: 4/5

Thanks to Putnam for the ARC of the novel!

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