REVIEW for Yiddish Yoga

A big thank you goes out to Harry at New Market Press for sending me this delightful book.

TITLE: Yiddish Yoga

AUTHOR: Lisa Grunberger

GENRE: Yoga musings

RATING: 4 Stars

I love all things yoga and I especially love books focusing on yoga. Yiddish Yoga is an absolutey delightful little book (just a little over 100 pages) of musings on Yoga by the author (in the voice of Ruthie our main character) Lisa Grunberger.

Ruthie is an older lady who has just lost her husband - somewhat lost, her granddaugher decides to pay for Ruthie's yoga lessons. However, Ruthie has never done yoga and is skeptical - still she agrees to go.

What follows is an hilarious, touching and absolutely wonderful book of Ruthie's musings about yoga and about yoga/life in general. For example, as Ruthie learns Warrior 1 pose - she comments that she is now "a Senior Citizen Power Warrior Bubby". I loved it.

This book is an easy read, but I chose to read only a few pages a day - kind of like a daily meditation because Ruthie and her love of life was so engaging that I felt as though I needed to carry her with me on a daily basis. She will also make you want to take up yoga classes.

This book is inspirational and cute and poignant and lovely.

REVIEW for The Everafer

Another big thank you goes out to Melissa at HarperTeen for sending me this book!

TITLE: The Everafter

AUTHOR: Amy Huntley

GENRE: Fantasy/YA

RATING: 4 stars

The Everafter is not usually the type of book that I like to read. For some reason, my mind has a hard time with fantasy type books - its as though I am so firmly rooted in reality in my day to day life, that my mind can't quite seem to get out of itself and its daily stuff to go beyond what is there.

However, what drew me to The Everafter is the premise of the book. Madison knows that she is dead and that is all that she knows - however, she does have something to focus on - she see bright objects that turn out to be all the things that Maddie lost in her life while she was alive - and the best yet! she gets to re-arrange the outcome this time.

This touched a chord in me. I don't know how many times I have wanted to just go back to an event and make it different somehow. Also, being a huge control freak, the topic of this book really attracted me - what if I could control the outcome??? So, of course, I had to read this one and fast!

However, this book turned out to be so much more than just the concept of "making things go your way". Rather its really about life lessons and how things in the universe really do happen for a reason (something I struggle through in my own life).

This book is about love and about stopping to take a moment out of our always so hectic lives to really "smell the roses". This book is about appreciating what you have and about understanding that not everything has to be huge and explosive, that sometimes, the smaller things are the things that you should appreciate.

There were many, many life lessons in this book for me and it actualy made me stop and think about how I live my life everyday. I am always in a rush and I often miss the best things that are right in front of me. As for making sure the outcomes are always the way I want them - still workin on letting THAT fantay go :)

Loved, loved this book.

REVIEW for The Murder of King Tut

Thank you to Miriam at Hachette Books for sending me a copy of this book.

TITLE: The Murder of King Tut

AUTHOR: James Patterson

GENRE: History

RATING: 4 stars

I have to say that I am amazed at James Patterson. First off I seriously wonder when this man sleeps??? He writes so much and has such diversified subjects that I am kind of in awe of him. His latest?? a non-fiction book on King Tut - who would have thought of James Patterson and King Tut in the same breath???

I don't really know very much about Egypt and its history, I DO remember having to learn all this stuff in high school, but I also DO remember how bored the whole subject made me feel. I did not feel the same when I read Patterson's view and takes on ancient Egypt and more specifically King Tut's life and the discovery of his burial place.

Patterson introduces us to Howard Carter who is a famous Egyptologist who actually discovered King Tut's burial location. Patterson does a wonderful job of presenting to us Mr. Carter - detailing his love of Egypt and how he finally discovered the burial location.

Intertwined with all of this is basically an interesting history lesson on King Tut and the Egypt of King Tut's period. However, what makes this book more interesting is Patterson's theory or view on King Tut's murder (hence the title of the book).

In true Patterson form - he researched his subject matter extensively and it shows. He also manages to insert his trademark fast paced, thrilling storytelling and actually made me want to read the next page and the next page.

I will not reveal too much more, but suffice it to say that this book was a very, very interesting read on what could potentially have been just another boring history lesson on Egypt.

REVIEW for Confessions of a First Daughter

Thank you! thank you to Melissa at HarperCollins for sending me this one! It was a huge treat to read!






TITLE: Confessions of a First Daughter

AUTHOR: Cassidy Calloway

GENRE: YA

RATING: 4 Stars

Confessions of a First Daughter was a great read! From the very first paragrahp where we are introduced to Morgan Abbott - the daughter of the President of the US, I fell in love with this character. I was refreshingly surprised! Author Calloway chose to make Morgan a very ordinary, likeable and extremely accident prone character - we get absolutely none of the bitchiness that one would expect to see out of the first child (or in this case Tornado) and I absolutely loved that.

Morgan is an ordinary teenager who is trying to win the school election, has a wonderful BF and a horrible (or is he?) boyfriend - sounds like a pretty typical teenager to me and to boot, she has a smokin Secret Service Agent who makes this story doubly more interesting.

I liked the writing which is always at a great clip and there is no wasted words on boring information and details that we don't know. I think Morgan's dad could have been fleshed out more (her mother also for that matter), but that is a minor comment in an otherwise great story.

The only other problem I had, and this one was bigger, is the subplot of Morgan "standing in" for her mother for a few hours - first of all, this did not wash at all with me and it, frankly, felt like a bit of a cheap story ploy that this book did not need at all - as the storyline of Morgan and her escapades stands very well on its own.

I am thrilled to see that this is book 1 of a series and I am psyched to read the following books.

REVIEW for Stardust

A big thank you goes out to Simon & Schuster for sending me a copy of this book!

TITLE: Stardust

AUTHOR: Joseph Kanon

GENRE: Fiction

RATING: 4 stars

I have never been a big fan of the movies or more specifically the behind the scenes going ons of making a movie, yet, I must admit that I have always had a bit of a "thing" for what it must have been like to be in a big studio in the glamour years of Hollywood - the 1940's specifically. I imagine lots of glamour, schmoozing and BS.

Well, this is one of the basic premises of the book Stardust and that is what hooked me on the storyline.

Author Joseph Kanon has created a whodunnit type of book, set, of all places in the 1940's of glitzy Hollywood. Our main character, Ben, has faced the war in Europe and returns home only to find that his brother has died under very mysterious circumstances. Little does Ben know that he is about to confront a war within his own surroundings!

In an attempt to find out what happened to his brother, who happens to be a bigshot in movies, Ben finds himself investigating the movie business, more specifically all the BS and goings on of the studio for which his brother worked. As Ben digs deeper, he finds a maze of political and financial tangles that will lead him to discoveries about his own family that he wishes he had never found out.

What I loved so much about this book is the author's knack for keeping the suspense alive, among the dirty secrets behind the old Hollywood, yet, at the same time giving us priceless descriptions and scenarios of what old Hollywood must have been like. There is a "fake gentlemen" feel to the whole storyline that makes it delicious to read about, almost like I am listening in on some gossip that I am not supposed to be hearing! The main character is great, especially when he finds himself confronted with his own unanswered questions and his own dilemnas about what is right or wrong.

While the whodunnit aspect is certainly an important part of this book, the old Hollywood background gives this read a scrumptuous sinful feeling and I loved it.

REVIEW for Anne of Green Gables the Musical

A thank you goes out to Fitzhenry & Whiteside LImited for sending me this great companion to the Anne of Green Gables legacy!

TITLE: Anne of Gren Gables the Musical

101 Things You Didn't Know

AUTHOR: Don Harron
GENRE: Non fiction

RATING: 4 Stars

I am a huge, huge fan of anything associated with Anne of Green Gables or more specifically, Lucy Maud Montgomery. I also had the opportunity of seeing this ongoing play in Prince Edward Island (PEI is one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen) a few years ago.

I was absolutely thrilled when I found out that this book had been published and WOW! there is so much "unknown" little tidbits in this book that I could not put it down. Loaded (and I mean loaded) with stories, directly from the mastermind of the play, Don Harron - he covers everything and I do mean everything you may ever want to know about the creating, putting together, presenting of this long running stage show. I was particularly interested in any stories concerning casting and the actors, but I also found out many, many things that I had no idea about.

There are also tons of pictures and this is an absolute "must" for any fan of AGG and the stage show.

Highly recommended.

REVIEW for Runaway Devil

Thank you to Jess at Random House Canada for sending me a copy of this book!

TITLE: Runaway Devil

AUTHORS: Robert Remington and Sherri Zickefoose

GENRE: True Crime

RATING: 4 Stars

http://www.mcclelland.com/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780771073601

I don't read alot of true crime books, mainly because I always end up saying the same thing "I can't believe how crazy humans can get" and let me tell you, this one made my hair stand up on end.

First of all, this book is Canadian, that is the murders were done in Alberta - and these murders were actually done by a 12 year old girl - who is accused and tried for the murder of her parents and her brother, if that was not scary enough, this young girl was on the A-list - she was a so-called "good girl" with people all around her saying "she just was not the type".

This book does a wonderful job of portraying our young killer known only as JR (she is so young that by law, she cannot be identified) - as I was reading about her life "pre' murder and reading all the comments that were said about her, I share everyone's disbelief at the fact that she had this type of horror inside of her. However, as the authors dig deeper and go beyond the facade that JR wanted us to see, we find a dark, dark side - interests in goth and heavy metal music - which for most (almost) teens is just part of growing up - but not so for JR. Then, of course, there is also "THE GUY" - it is highly suspected that JR committed these murders with his help (he is much older and had a huge influence on her).

What I thought this book did so well was depict the "good girl" image and then the "corrupted girl" image so thoroughly - they obviously did a lot of research into this case and found information that was extremely damaging , yet went a long way into making some kind of logic out of these senseless murders.

Throughout the entire book, I took turns being at times, horrified, sad, angry and at all times, scared for how crazy "humans" can actually get.

This true crime book certainly set up to do what it was set out to do. This one reads stranger than any fiction/thriller could.

http://www.mcclelland.com/catalog/results.pperl?title_subtitle_auth_isbn=runaway+devil

REVIEW for The Last Wild Place

A big thank you goes out to Fitzhenry & Whiteside for sending this book along to me!








TITLE: The Last Wild Place

AUTHOR: Rosa Jordan

GENRE: YA

RATING: 4 Stars


Fitzhenry & Whiteside have some of the most beautiful YA-Tween books out on the market today.

I like that their books, always an enjoyable read, also feature important social messages and The Last Wild Place is no exception.

Author Rosa Jordan has created a cute and adorable character in Chip. Chip is lonely, he does not have many friends (or so he thinks) and he feels abandoned by a family that is dealing with their own stuff. One day, Chip comes across an abandoned farm and discovers some panthers have made it their own - they look as sad, lonely and out of their element as he does. He soon discovers, however, that the panthers have other troubles - for one, they are being threated by a company that wants to build a meatpacking plant. Chip can`t let this happen and what follows is an absolutely beautifully written story about a child`s love for animals AND a story of self-discovery for Chip.

I cried as I read this book - its so moving that I wanted to crawl into the storyline and help Chip do what needed to be done.

This book is very poignant and I loved the message that it sends - you are NEVER alone when you are helping someone else.

This book is a beautiful read.

REVIEW for Chasing Daisy

Thank you to Simon & Schuster UK for sending me a copy of this book!

TITLE: Chasing Daisy

AUTHOR: Paige Toon

GENRE: Chick lit

RATING: 2.5 stars



I had never read anything by Paige Toon before, but I am a huge fan of Brit chick lit (they are the best at it!) and was excited to read this one.

Our main character Daisy Rogers has a broken heart, her relationship has just ended - and this one mattered. She needs a change - away from her life, her family - she is soooo over men. So, what does she decide to do? travel around with the Formula One people! - right away, I had a bit of a problem with this premise. Here we have a main character who has vowed off men and then decides to change her life completely - by travelling in a world surrounded by men and testosterone!!!!!! But this is, after all, chick lit, so I decided to let this one pass.

Has Daisy gets use to her new life, she, of course, falls in love with someone else - a driver who is willing to put life and limb on the line for his love of speed. This turns Daisy's life upside down (again!) and now she needs to learn how to deal with this aspect. However, there is also a cool guy in the picture - which will she choose?

We also have the requisite - mom and dad are not that great and we have the wonderful and stand by your side girlfriend.

Nope, I just could not get into this one at all. The writing was stilted at times and felt stiff. Maybe its because I did not really like the main character???? This one just did not do it for me.

REVIEW for Candor

Thank you author Pam Bachorz for sending me a copy of her debut novel!






TITLE: Candor

AUTHOR: Pam Bachorz

GENRE: YA

RATING: 3.5 Stars




Author Pam Bachorz introduces us to her debut novel - Candor. This YA is a cross between sci-fi (think Stepford Wives) and social issues and Barchorz does a great job of incorporating the two genres into one very well told story.

We are introduced to our main character Oscar Banks - Oscar is a bad boy, but he is impersonating a good boy. Why? Because he is the son of the creator of the town called Candor - where, for a price (a very high price) parents and their children (read: difficult children) can set up residence and POUF! just like that, the kids become perfect little soldiers - with only these thoughts floating in their minds "Studying is the most important thing", "never lie to your parents" just to name a few. How is this being done, - brainwashing - and only the adults are aware of it.

However, Oscar is different - he only pretends to be brainwashed and, as a side business (like father like son????) he helps teens "escape" the brainwashing for a price of course - until he meets Nia and as Oscar struggles to save her from subliminal messages and brainwashing, we see an interesting inner struggle play itself out within Oscar.

This book is quite different from the type I normally read. However, I had to say that author Bachorz had me hooked pretty much from page 1. Oscar is both a likeable and horrible little character - and in many ways, he is just like his father and the story plays itself out around Oscar as Nia plays the catalyst that prompts Oscar to truly look at himself and figure out what is truly important to him.

The writing is very well done and I found myself despising ALL of the adults in this novel. There is an interesting social commentary here - do adults really manipulated their teens? (or rather) do they really wish they could? and just how far would they go to have the "perfect" children. While the author does not pretend to have all the answers, she does a wonderful job of setting up this plotline as one that makes you ask yourself alot of questions.

I enjoyed this book and recommend it.

MEET MY NEW TOY!!!

This is my new best friend PINKIE. I finally caved in and got myself a NETBOOK - and, of course, it had to be pink!!!

I had been pricing these for a few months and did not like the prices - especially since they were charging more for a pink one!

However, last weekend, I found a good deal at Best Buy and asked my friend if he could pick this up for me (since they did not have any in stock anywhere near me)....and he did!!!

Needless to say, I was super anxious to see him (for a couple of reasons) but also because he came bearing gifts --- my little Pinkie!!!!

Now, I will be able to sit at my favorite little tea room and write even more book reviews - without having to haul around my incredibly heavy laptop.

Pinkie is soooo light - I love her!!!!

I figured that this worked very well as both my birthday present to myself AND a "god, this summer has been a challenge" reward.

REVIEW for The Unemployed Millionaire

A great, big thank you goes out to Wiley & Sons for sending me this book. Wiley & Sons have some of the best non fiction books out there!

TITLE: The Unemployed Millionaire

AUTHOR: Matt Morris

GENRE: Personal Finance

RATING: 4 Stars

Having it had my own experiences with unemployment this summer and considering the situation in which many, many people find themselves, I believe this book comes at a a perfect time - the title alone inspires confidence and makes me want to read this book.

Matt Morris starts off his book by telling us that he was not born with a silver spoon in his mouth, but rather that he has been down and out and still managed to become a young millionaire. This was actually a nice take on the books that start with "I have been investing my babysitting money ever since I was 10".

Morris focuses mainly on how to make money, using the modern day techniques (such as the Internet) but also on how to focus on the happenings of today. i.e. make money using the current or upcoming trends or fads.

This book is completely different from all the other personal finance books i have read - it basically throws out the window the notion of having to save every penny and to patiently wait and wait for years until your money grows. Rather, this book encourages you to look at what is currently going on around you and capitalizing on that (ebay (a few years ago) would be a good example).

Morris helps you identify these trends, then helps with the analysis and the assessment of how realistic making money is with this particular trend and then encourages you to go for it - if it has potential. I particularly the Action Management section - in other words stop putting it on paper and start working it in real life.

I liked this book, I am not sure if I am ready and willing to do all that is needed, but I certainly felt very encouraged and inspired after reading this one and that is half the battle.

This book is loaded with practical tips and advice and I recommend for anyone who is "not willing to work for someone else".

REVIEW for Crush

A big thank you goes out to the wonderful people at Vanguard Press for sending me an ARC of this thriller!




TITLE: Crush

AUTHOR: Alan Jacobson

GENRE: Thriller

RATING: 4 Stars



I have been finding it more and more difficult to find some truly great thrillers, but I have also enjoyed Jacobson's novels and Crush is no exception.

Crush brings back our main character from the 7th Victim - Karen Vail who is fast becoming one of my absolute favorite characters. I love that she is so strong willed, yet is fighting her own brand of demons - I am always looking for really human characters with their faults and their good points and Jacobson does an excellent job of balancing Karen.

Indeed Karen is in serious need of some downtime, she needs to regroup and figure out a few things - she is not feeling well at all. She decides to take a trip to the Napa Valley - a way to get away and take some time to herself. Unfortunately, murder and serial murders seem to find her wherever she is and soon, she finds herself back into a horrid scene which points directly to a serial. Adding to the situation, she cannot seem to get an accurate profile of the killer - has she lost her ability or is she so exhausted that she just cannot think straight?

No matter, Vail must find this madman before he kills again - so, surrounded by the task force, she throws herself completely into this case - which will prove to be one of the most difficult of her career.

The writing is top notch and the pacing is perfect - not too many boring details that drag the storyline down and at the same time, the author keeps the plot moving along at a very nice pace.

At times, I kept thinkint that I had the whole thing figured out, only to find out a few pages later, that I was completely wrong and I LOVE that in a thriller. This one kept me guessing until the very end.

I love thrillers that I cannot put down - you know - "just one more page" type of read and this one wassssss perfect.

Loved it.

WINNER OF THE BLINDMAN'S BLUFF CONTEST

A BIG CONGRATULATIONS GOES OUT TO:







KAYE



- the winner of the book Blindman's Bluff




Please come and visit often as I will be giving away more books before the end of the year. Don't forget to visit my very first post of 2009 to enter my big blog contest (there is still time!!!)



http://bookshipper.blogspot.com/2009/01/contest-time-celebrating-2009.html

REVIEW for Marrying George Clooney

Thank you goes out to Andie at Perseus Books for sending along this great book to me.

TITLE: Marrying George Clooney

AUTHOR: Amy Ferris

GENRE: Humour

RATING: 4 Stars

First of all, I have to say that the title of this one grabbed me. Although I have never had a huge George Clooney fantasy (everytime I see him I see this huge sign flashing on his forehead "COMMITMENT PHOBE") and that is enough for me to run the other way:) Rather my book would probably be titled "Marrying John Cusack" (which I am thinking is also a commitment phobe - but what the heck - its a fantasy).

However, from the very first sentence in this book, I fell in love with both the author Amy Ferris AND the writing. I am in my late 40's and people around me have been telling me about perimenopause and menopause for years - actually, it feels as though I have been preparing for menopause all my life.... Reading about Amy's restless nights and fantasies, as well as all her mid-life crisis experiences (both real and imagined) made me laugh, cry and basically feel a little braver about the approaching big M.

I love that this woman was brave enough to put it down on a paper and to share it with us - I am hoping that by doing this, it made Ferris own mid life crisis a little easier. There is nothing like sharing with another person to lessen the burden and to help another and I loved this book so much, I am going to make sure to give it to another person to enjoy.

REVIEW for Homicide Related

Thank you goes out to the wonderful Red Deer Press for sending me this book!







TITLE: Homicide Related

AUTHOR: Norah McClintock

GENRE: Mystery YA

RATING: 4 Stars


I had never read anything by this author before. This is actually a clever and fun read, featuring Ryan Dooley who is a YA with lots and lots of history. It seems as though life and karma just seem to "find" him wherever he goes. With having had his own troubles with drugs and prison, he is trying to find his way, but along the way he bumps into an old friend who will come in and challenge everything that Ryan has worked hard to become and to make Dooley question everything he knows believes. If this were not enough, Ryan's mom disappears and it seems as though there are alot of things that are going on - that other people seem to know about and won't share with him.

What I liked most about this book is the character of Ryan. He has learned his lessons from being hit over the head with the brick and is now trying to be a better version of himself. Yet, this is not always easy as Ryan finds himself struggling through all the events of his life (his past life trying to lure him back) and his concerns for his mother are all very real issues to him.

The author does a wonderful job of showing us what Ryan's head and heart are going through. He is, in no way, a goody-goody, but at the same time, I found a strength and light in the Ryan character that made me want to see him succeed.

This book is partly mystery but more importantly it is about a boy who has to make some very, very though choices in his life.

This is a good, good read.

REVIEW for Hollyhood

Thank you goes out to Deanna at HarperCollins Canada for sending me this great book!






TITLE: Hollyhood

AUTHOR: Valerie Joyner

GENRE: Fiction

RATING: 4 Stars



Reading Hollyhood reminded me of the books I use to read in the 80's when the subject matter focused intently on Hollywood and the inner workings of the studios, etc. Hollyhood is written from the point of view of a young African-American man who has made it big in the Hollywood studios - behind the scenes and behind the camera. Valerie Joyner has a good take on Hollywood and writes very, very well about the inside goings on of producing a successful tv show. As I was reading the table reading scene in the beginning of the book, I could almost feel as though I was there.

I love getting the "dirt" on what really goes on behind the scenes of my tv shows and Joyner pulls no punches as she shows us just how much BS there is going on. This book is extremely character driven and I have to say, at the beginning, I was a tad confused with all the players - who, thank goodness get clearer as the book develops. There is the pre-requisite amount of jealousy, sex, romances and what passes for schmoozing in Hollywood.

The storyline was a tad slow, it took the author a whole chapter to introduce us to the players, I felt as though it could have been hasten a little bit, yet, the storyline is compelling and interesting.

Its been a long time since I have read such a fun book on the Hollywood insiders and this book is an easy and fun read.

REVIEW for The Man Who Loved Books

Thank you to Lydia at Penguin Books for sending me a copy of this book.

TITLE: The Man Who Loved Books

Too Much

AUTHOR: Allison Hoover Bartlett

GENRE: non-fiction

RATING: 3 Stars

I love reading books about books - as a matter of fact one of the best ones I have ever read is called Used and Rare by Lawrence Goldstone. So with this in mind, I was thrilled to read The Man Who Loved Books.

This is actually a true story - the author Barlett goes on a "mission" of sorts to discover more about books and more specifically the stealing of rare and precious books. As part of her training, she meets up with various vendors at an Antiquarian Book Fair. She will also hook up with Ken Sanders, who has made a career of tracking down these thiefs.

While this book was fun to read, it really did not go deep into the book world - rather it gives us an overview of some parts of the book world - specifically those related to value of the book and the interest a thief would have in the book which is fine considering the subject matter of this book.

However, what ends up happening is that I found myself not caring all that much about the whole thief aspect of this book and hoping that more would be told about rare books.

I think this is what happens when you ask a booklover like me to read a book about books - I ended up caring more about the subject of books then about the guy stealing them or the guy trying to catch the thief.

Which is to say that I am not sure that I am the best audience for this book, perhaps someone who is into the more "technical" aspects of a whoddunit would be better suited to read this one?

Overall, it was a fun book to read, but I think I may have missed the point of the storyline a little bit :)

REVIEW for Larry King My Remarkable Journey

TITLE: Larry King My Remarkable Journey

AUTHOR: Larry King

GENRE: Memoir

RATING: 3 Stars




For some reason, I got on the Larry King memoirs bandwagon. I say this because I am not a Larry King fan. Everytime I watch him, I think "shut up and let your guest answer the question" - which is something I actually think about when I watch Oprah - who frequently asks a questions and then goes on and on about answering it - leaving very little time for the guests to speak up.

I also think that Larry King is kind of boring - both physically and professionally speaking - so I am not certain why I actually got this book - except to say that I seem to have gotten on the bandwagon.

Having said this, his book actually does a fair job of talking about his life, starting with his life before he became an interviewer and, of course, focuses alot on his current life.

I was amazed at the amount of women he has had in his life (gotta ask myself why?) but I do have to admit that he was actually more interesting in his memoir than I thought he would be. He was also extremely candid which was a big plus for me - especially when he talks about the son that he never knew existed until much later in his life.

This book is actually pretty good as far as memoirs goes.

REVIEW for GROUND ZERO - REPAIRMAN JACK

A big thank you goes out to author F.Paul Wilson for sending me this great novel!

TITLE: Ground Zero

AUTHOR: F. Paul Wilson

GENRE: Thriller

RATING: 4 stars

I have tried to consciously stay away from reading novels on 9/11 - I always, always find them so depressing - everytime I think of 9/11 I always see those horrors come back into my head!

However, I was absolutely intrigued by the fact that F. Paul Wilson would choose to set one of his novels at this tragic time in our history. I am a fan of Repairman Jack so I simply could not pass this one up.

Wilson's premise is actually quite interesting - what if there was actually ANOTHER person masterminding the 9/11 events despite the fact that Al-Qaeda was credited with the act of terror? AND what if another plan was being hatched right now???

With these chilling thoughts in mind, Ground Zero finds our main character Repairman Jack being asked to find Eddie Connell's brilliant sister, who seems to have disappeared. Repairman Jack does eventually find her and he realizes that he is now smack in the middle of the 9/11 events and he will have to move mountains in order to find "the one that got away" before he can mastermind another attack of terror on the world.

This novel is scary, scary and completely plausible in my opinion!!! There is so little that is known about the masterminds behind the plot that I found myself completely buying into the notion that there could have been "another" who actually controlled all the events "from the darkness".

Wilson not only presents a completely plausible alternative, he does so in such a manner that you will not want to put this book down - and you will also find yourself wondering about everyone around you.

I love the way Wilson writes, he moves his story along at a fast pace and his character Repairman Jack is a wonderful character - flaws and you will find yourself cheering for him to find the "bad guy".

I loved, loved this one.

REVIEW for Celebrity Bride

A big thank you to author Alison Kervin for sending me a copy of her book!





TITLE: Celebrity Bride

AUTHOR: Alison Kervin

GENRE: Chick Lit

RATING: 4 Stars




I love, love the premise of Celebrity Bride. I am sure I am not the only one who wondered what it must be like to be "the chosen one" - that special girl who caught a famous person's eye. Of course, its all very romantic and silly, but it is such fun to think about all the "what ifs". Well Celebrity Bride takes it one step further and gives us a great romantic story involving uber celebrity Rufus George and Kelly Monsoon - just an average girl who catches his eye.

This novel, although unrealistic, was soooo much fun to read. I absolutely loved discovering who our two main characters are (and just how different and yet similar they both are). Its nice to imagine some ordinary girl, with an average everything - getting a taste of the fame and fortune and fortunately, Kelly does NOT turn into this horribly entitled bridezilla from hell. I also liked the Rufus character who is quite charming and a notch above the usual novel-related superstars that are nothing more than spoiled brats who will sleep with everything that moves.

This novel is not about that type of behavior - but rather a comical, touching and fun look at what it is like to be suddenly propelled into the world of the famous. This is a charming, charming read, if a tad slow at the beginning. But I continued reading and things picked up around chapter 3 - and I am quite happy that I did.

This was so much fun and made me just tad jealous of imaginary Kelly and her imaginary love :)

REVIEW for Sandra Lee Semi-Homemade Slow Cooker Recipes 2

Thank you to Deanna at HarperCollins for sending me this recipe book!






TITLE: Sandra Lee Semi-Homemade Slow
Cooker Recipes 2

AUTHOR: Sandra Lee

GENRE: Cookbook

RATING: 3 Stars


I am a hopeless, hopeless cook - so when I discover Slow Cooker Recipe books, I always jump on them. This book was okay - most of the recipes were simple enough to prepare, but some of the ingredients were a little doubtful to me. Too many condensed soups (fatty, fatty) and some very specific items that were not always that easy to find at the supermarket.

Part of the reason I hate cooking is the shopping aspect and with this book, you have to shop. I am still trying to find a store that sells bacon crumble. The diversification of the recipes is somewhat limited. I thought there were alot of meat recipes - and if there is no meat, there is some other fatty ingredient.

I tried a few of the recipes such as the beef and root vegetables stew (although I don't really eat meat very much) and frankly, although I followed the recipe, the stew came out tasting average. I don't dislike this book, I just thought it would be better than it was.

REVIEW for Women are Crazy, Men are Stupid

A big thank you goes out to Simon & Schuster for sending me this great book!

TITLE: Women are Crazy, Men are Stupid

AUTHORS: Howard Morris and Jenny Lee

GENRE: Relationship

RATING: 4 Stars

I am endlessly fascinated by relationships, mainly love relationships. I actually had a boyfriend who felt he could not go on with the relationship because "I exhausted him" with all my analyzing and trying to understand where he was coming from and how we could meet in the middle. This was my first clue that men and women are absolutely wired differently. Come to think of it, a few guys in my life have said that to me - that they are exhausted after a "discussion" with me - hum!!!

Of course, this makes me THE perfect audience for this type of book and as soon as I saw the title, I immediately thought "I would rather be stupid than crazy" because you can fix stupid. I know, that is a weird thought! but hey! I can exhaust even myself at times :)

This book is actually quite true (in my opinion) and I found myself nodding at many of the comments. This is kind of a she said/he said type of book and I am constantly amazed at how differently the two sexes think. Sometimes, when I read this type of book I think I need to stop doing that because I feel more depressed afterwards - how on earth can we ever find a middle? If you can get pass this feeling, then you will enjoy this entertaining, funny and sometimes actually poignant look at relationships from the point of view of both sexes - and never the twine shall meet!

Of course, being the female, I was ALWAYS in agreement with the female point of view - the explanations were totally understandable - nough said.....

If you want to read something entertaining then pick this one up.

REVIEW for Undiscovered Gyrl

Thank you goes out to author Allison Burnett for sending me a copy of her book.





TITLE: Undiscovered Gyrl

AUTHOR: Allison Burnett

GENRE: Novel

RATING: 4 Stars




Undiscovered Gyrl is a novel - but it actually reads like a non-fiction journal - detailing the musings/thoughts/feelings/emotions of a young girl who is determined to blog about all of her most personal life issues - covering one year of her life. This book is not for the faint of heart as there are some pretty steamy stories, such as the details of her relationship with a much older man. Which is only one of the more tintallating stories that she blogs about.

Although I am no prude, I found that, at times, this novel and the blog entries (under the guise of being the thoughts and life experiences of a young girl who is discovering herself) was trying to be a little scandalous on purpose. I think this is why I am not a fan of "blog entries" when they are part of a novel - because obviously these entries are not real and are not someone's life experiences - so its a little harder to accept them (for me anyway). I would find it easier to believe had they been really lived as opposed to simply imagined and penned.

Still, this book is strangely compelling which is why I gave it a 4 star. I could not seem to stop reading the blog entries - which, in my opinion, from the first entry show us that the young girl writing them has got some major issues to deal with and, indeed, as the book progresses and we get to read more and more - we find that this is one seriously screwed up girl.

Reading this book was a little bit like watching an accident, I know I should not be doing it, but it was strangely compelling. I am not sure about the ending - its kind of a surprise which, again, made me feel a tad manipulated - but this book was so unpredictable in many ways, that the ending does not surprise me.

I liked the down to earth writing style of the author and I have to give her points for writing a novel that completely engrossed me.

REVIEW for Nearly-Weds

A great big thank you goes out to author Jane Costello for being kind enough to send me a copy of her new book.

TITLE: The Nearly-Weds

AUTHOR: Jane Costello

GENRE: Chick Lit

RATING: 4 Stars

I have read every book written by author Jane Costello and Nealy Weds is right up there as a favorite.

We first meet Zoe - she is heading to Boston to become a nanny, after she was unceremoniously dumped by her fiance Jason.

As soon as I met Zoe, I knew she would be a character that I would truly enjoy. The letter written by her mother was absolutely hilarious and I liked the fact that although Zoe was a bit of a ditz about the US (she was from the UK) she was NOT a silly, one dimensional character. I do have to wonder about the whole UK thing vs US thing - are the two so really different? In the first part of the book, Zoe spends much of time absolutely confused by all the differences in the two countries. Being from a country other than the US, I do see some differences, but frankly, when I am in the US, I do spend a lot of time with a stun look on my face - which is what author Costello does with Zoe. This got a tad annoying at times, but is a very minor criticism of the storyline.

The relationship between Zoe and her two charges is actually heartwarming and I truly loved the fact that the author chose NOT to make these kids the devil's own - as we have been seeing in so many novels lately.

The relationship between Zoe and Ryan was somewhat predictable, but is so romantic and cute that I really got hooked into it.

The writing, as always is A-1 and I cannot say how much I enjoyed this book.

REVIEW for Recovering My Voice

Thank you goes out to Paula Krapf at Author Marketing Experts for sending this book along to me!

TITLE: Recovering My Voice

AUTHOR: Aruni Nan Futuronsky

GENRE: Memoir

RATING; 3 Stars

I love reading books about recovery and spirituality - about finding your true path - through trials and tribulations and this book fits this perfectly. Recovering My Voice is a beautiful testimonial of the human spirit and our desire to "find" who we really are - if we are brave enough and willing enough to do so. Author Aruni Nan Futuronsky details for us, in her memoir, her struggles from a very young age - although she had moments of joy, as she very well describes in this book, she somehow never managed to quite "fit in" to be able to find her inner joy for more than a few moments at a time.

I loved some of the touching stories she tells of her memories (bits and pieces here and there) for spending time with her dad or being on the beach. As she grows, she finds herself becoming less and less happy and isolating herself - trying to deal with her demons, which include her sexuality - which she will find herself at turns fighting against and denying in an attempt to be like everyone else. This, of course, leads her to become an adult who is in full denial about herself and, in true addict in the making fashion, she will reach out to drugs and alcohol to numb her pain. As time goes by, she attends an AA meeting, which will help her find what she has been searching for. I loved this about the book - the author's willingness to look to AA for help and guidance .

Using AA as her diving board, she finds herself on a path to finally finding her spirituality and some direction in her life and from this part on the novel takes off and shows us just how connected she becomes (and continues to strive to be) with herself as well as her life and those around her. This book is touching and I found myself choked up quite a few times. I loved the raw honesty and I admire the author for being so open and candid with her readers.

My complaint about this book though is that its extremely detailed at times and frankly, a little too long. At some points, I wanted to skip entire pages (I didn't because I wanted to honor the authors work) but there was just too much information here at times. Also, the author's writing was beautiful, but at times was a little bit much.

However, this is a beautiful memoir and I did enjoy reading it.

REVIEW for Recipe for Disaster

A big thank you goes out to author Maureen Fergus for being to nice and sending me a copy of her great book!



TITLE: Recipe for Disaster

AUTHOR: Maureen Fergus

GENRE: YA

RATING: 4 Stars




For those who have read my blog, you know that I am a book cover lover - for me, half the appeal of a book is its cover (many debates have gone on about this one!). So, I have to tell you that Recipe for Disaster "had me" with the cover. Although its not fancy, its perfect for this book AND the muffins looked extremely yummy!

Recipe for Disaster is also a YA book which is a genre that I love to read (even though I am a tad past the YA age group). However, when I was a YA, all we had to read were Nancy Drew (which I liked alot) so I am making up now by reading some good YA books. I have to say that the YA of today are lucky - they have such a wide variety of good YA which, more importantly, covers so many important topics of today!!! I wish I had these when I was younger. No matter, as I said, I have been catching up on reading these books and Recipe for Disaster was a perfect choice.

I think if I had to choose only a few words to describe this book it would be "melodrama". In the very first chapter, we meet Francie who finds herself already smack dab in the middle of some drama - with her parents. Francie makes everything about her and everything is a huge drama - which in other words pretty well means she is a teenager :) As I was reading this book, I kept having flashback about my own YA days - and how well I remember those feelings that everything was "always the end of the world". The author does an excellent job of describing the angst these YA are going through and although I am sure I did not find it funny back then, I loved reading about it now.

Francie is your typical teen - except that she has a passion for baking - which was another aspect of the book that I loved and that the author explored very well. It was nice to read about a YA who found a true passion and is working towards making it her career. The description of the foods in this book were also scrumptious and only added to the delight of the storyline.

This book is about the eternal issues that we have all dealt with - friendship, fitting in, being special and love (not necessarily in that order) and the author is very adept at weaving a story - I loved, loved this book and am looking forward to a part 2 perhaps?

REVIEW for Prism

Another shout-out goes to Melissa for sending me this YA, written by authors Faye and Aliza Kellerman.







TITLE: PRISM

AUTHORS: Faye and Aliza Kellerman

GENRE: YA

RATING: 3 Stars

I am not normally a fan of sci-fi/fantasy, but I do like (most) of Faye Kellerman's books and I do enjoy a good YA so I thought I would give Prism a try. I really liked the premise of this book. We find three lost souls (aka as Zeke, Joy and Kaida are all going on a school trip, but as luck (or fate) would have it, they will be stuck together on this field trip - and end up in a cave. That is all Kaida remembers when she wakes up in her own bed - yet, the world around her has completely changed and she can't quite get a grip on what is happening. Western medicine is now taboo and even mentioning 9-1-1 gets her in deep trouble, Kaida hooks up with Joy and Zeke and they realize that they are in a world that has completely changed in an instant - a world where only "natural" medicine is acceptable and that death is all around them.

They must find a way back to their own world - but how? The authors do a nice job of fleshing out the main characters and we get an idea, early on, of each of their strengths and weaknesses. However, its the basic storyline that actually delivered quite a lot of suspense, especially since this is somewhat of a hot topic - "natural vs western medicines" and the growing interest in a more natural, simpler way of life. This subject is of personal interest to me actually and I thought it interesting that this type of issue would be addressed in a YA novel.

What removed from the enjoyment for me a little bit (and that is where the 3 stars come in) is that I find the set up was not really all that well done. I am not clear as to why western medicines could not be incorporated into the storyline as a secondary means of treating the illness. There is such a hatred directed towards this philosophy, but yet the authors did not do a great job, in my opinion, of explaining or even convincing me of their arguments against the whole western medicine thing - especially as people are dying.

It felt to me as though there was a piece of storyline or informatin missing and I felt it as a thread throughout most of the book.

REVIEW for Down Around Midnight

A big thank you goes out Meghan Fellon for sending me a copy of this book.





TITLE: Down Around Midnight

AUTHOR: Robert Sabbag

GENRE: Memoir

RATING: 4 Stars



I thought that when I started reading Down Around Midnight, I would be reading the story of a plane crash. However, little did I know that this book and this author would offer up soooo much more than just the usual "this is what happened" fluff that you sometimes find in this type of memoir.

First off, this is a true story an is scary in itself. Imagine getting on a plane and it crashing - the reason - pilot error (not to mention irresponsibility and stupidity). On a summer night in 1979 author Sabbag was on a plane near Hyannis and it crashed into a forest. The pilot died, Sabbag was injured and could not walk and several of the passengers were hurt. Yet, one brave woman went for help and by the grace of god, Sabbag was found and survived. However, Sabbag obviously missed the memo where he might be suffering from PTS and actually did not talk about his experience for over 20 years until one day he decided to "look into" and actually share his experience in the form of a book.

Over the course of this self-discovery, Sabbag realized that he was in denial for years and NEEDED to find out more information about why the plane crashed and more specifically about his fellow passengers. So, with much research, this book details the horrible coincidences (maybe there is no such thing?) and all the events that were set in motion that would eventually end up playing itself out that night in 1979. This book is harrowing in many, many ways - from the history of the pilot who SHOULD NOT have been flying to the brave people on the plane and how they managed to get past the event (or not) and lastly to Sabbag himself who needed to go on this journey through the most traumatic event in his life to understand himself better.

Yes, this book is about a plane crash, but it is about soooo much more.

Written with a frank honesty that touched me deeply, I simply loved this book.

REVIEW for SECRETS OF ST-JUDE'S - JEALOUS GIRL

A big, big thank you to author Carmen Reid for sending along a copy of this book!

TITLE: Secrets at St-Jude - Jealous Girl

AUTHOR: Carmen Reid

GENRE: YA

RATING: 4 stars

I am an adult who absolutely adores this YA series. I fell in love with these books from the first one in the series and was delighted to read the sequel Jealous Girl. Gina is back at St-Jude after spending some "quality time" with the girls in California - still a little conflicted about where she really wnats to be. Gina is, nonetheless thrilled to be back in Scotland because now she can have an actual date with Dermot and see "her girls".

However, life has plans of its own and as Gina gets to know Dermot better, she starts to wonder if he is the guy for her. On the other hand, the girls all seem to have things happening in their own lives and although they are still close, things are a little different in this second year at St-Judes.

This YA tackles many subjects such as relationships, stalking and taking care of a sick family member and does it in a funny, touching and perfect way.

Carmen Reid writes a story that is totally engrossing and reminded me of my own teen years when the girls in my life were sooooo important.

I loved this book and I can't wait to read the follow up.

REVIEW for Retail Hell

A big, big thank you goes out to author Freeman Hall for sending me a copy of his wonderful new book


.

TITLE: Retail Hell

AUTHOR: Freeman Hall

GENRE: Memoir

RATING: 4 Stars



Congratulations Freeeeeeemmaaaannn, you have managed to make me totally scared of the retail world - and, as a client, I will be doubly careful with the people behind the counters from now on. I loved this book. It was extremely funny and author Freeman Hall has a wonderful way of telling the story.

I have to say that Freeman is kind of a major pain in the derriere himself and I can just imagine having to come face to face with him behind the counter. He comes across as extremely sarcastic and frankly, a bit of a snob, but this only adds to the "fun" factor in the storytelling. I laughed when I read about the (what feels like) million of stairs he and his fellow co-workers had to use everytime they entered and left the store. The crazy, over the top enthusiasm from the store managers was also hilarious (although I can just imagine how annoying it must be to have this woman giving orders).

This book, while taking a funny and bitting look at our love of retailing and spending, spending (how crazy is it to spend so much money on a handbag? although I have done it myself!!!), I could not help but also feel some sadness. This book also shows us just what is wrong (in part) with society right now - spending too much money on our "wants", working at jobs we don't like, people disrespecting each other and big corporations trying to "brainwash" us.

However, I am being way too serious here, because this book is a delicious insight into what it is like to be on the "other" side of the counter and I loved every minute of it.

REVIEW for Hollywood is Like High School with Money

Thank you goes out to Miriam at Hachette Books for sending me a copy of this book!

TITLE: Hollywood is Like High School

with Money

AUTHOR: Zoey Dean

GENRE: Chick Lit

RATING: 4 Stars

I am a huge fan of chick lit and I can never seem to get enough. I was hesitant about reading this book for some reason, but as soon as I opened the first chapter, I was hooked.

Our main character Taylor Henning is driven, but at the same time nice - in the beginning, however soon enough we find that Taylor faces a main nemesis and will do anything, and I mean ANYTHING to get ahead.

I loved the title of this book because, basically, the characters, although "adult" could absolutely be confused with high school students trying to "one up" each other at every turn. There is back stabbing (big time), bad mouthing, gossip which turns into life lessons - its obvious that even if you are an adult, it does not mean you are on the righteous path of right and wrong.

This book moves along at a fast pace and frankly, I disliked most of the main characters which actually worked well for this novel!

This is a fun beach read and I am glad that I actually caved and read it.

REVIEW for 206 Bones

I am always excited when I get a new Kathy Reichs book and I have to thank Michelle at Simon & Schuster Inc. for sending me a copy so quickly!

TITLE: 206 Bones

AUTHOR: Kathy Reichs

GENRE: Thriller

RATING: 2 Stars


I have read everything by Kathy Reichs, in part because I love the fact that many of her stories are based in Montreal and its fun to read about your town as part of the storyline. I really, really wanted to like 206 Bones, but I just could not get into it. Yes, I did manage to finish it, but I have to say that it felt as though I had been reading this one for weeks and weeks, even though I did manage to get through it in a few days.

We find Tempe and Lieutenant Ryan in Chicago - someone is accusing Tempe of having deliberately misled people on a former case. It turns out that there is someone out there who is trying to get to Tempe and this sets off a series of events - which sees Tempe and Ryan flying back to Montreal and going back and forth and back and forth. This novel is so slow moving, that I found myself wanting to skip pages and pages and would still have been able to follow the storyline.

On the other hand, there were so many characters involved, not to mention subplots scattered between the US and Montreal that I found myself not caring enough to really follow the cast of characters.

This story felt confusing, but more importantly boring to me. I know that, in my experience, most authors cannot always write a winner and this is definitely not a winner for Reichs, in my opinion.

REVIEW for Wedding Tiers

It was a joy to receive this wonderful little book by author Trisha Ashley.






TITLE: Wedding Tiers

AUTHOR: Trisha Ashley

GENRE: Chick Lit

RATING: 4 Stars


I love it when I pick up a chick lit book that i don't want to put back down until I am finished reading it and Wedding Tiers by Trisha Ashley was precisely that type of book for me.

First of all, I am a book cover lover and this cover was great, great! What a great read! I loved it, there was something for every chick lit lover in this one - young sweathearts, a romantic little cottage, a cozy little village (ok, for me it sounded so quaint and cozy since I live in Montreal and the are very few quaint little villages here let me tell you).

As I was reading this book, I could feel my imagination completely getting away from me as I imagined Josie and Ben in their little cottage in that quaint little village - so romantic and so well detailed by Ashley!!!

I also loved the interaction between the two friends Josie and Libby and some of their business adventures - hilarious and some were downright tasty. Of course, the "single" man arriving on the scene was a nice addition and this guy sounded absolutely yummy!

This is THE PEREFECT summer chik lit beach book!! I recommend it to anyone who is/has/wants to fall in love.

REVIEW for Feminista

A great big thank you goes out to Victoria at St-Martin's Press for sending me this wonderful read!




TITLE: Feminista

AUTHOR: Erica Kennedy

GENRE: Chick Lit

RATING: 4 Stars



The description of this book completely intrigued me - the main character Sydney is a strong-willed and fiercely independent woman! She has remade herself into the person she has always wanted to be, including getting the physique that she wanted. She is no-nonsense and she is tough. Yet, as time marches on, she is starting to feel as though something (or more specifically) someone is missing in her life and as luck would have it, her rich sister comes in and saves the day by paying for the services of well-known matchmaker Mitzi Berman (at the tune of $40K).

While Sydney is not averse to this arrangements, sexy Mac Cooper (of Harvey's Department Store fame) falls into Sydney's radar and the rest, as we say is what great novels are made of.

First of all, I have to admit that I loved the Sydney character - I have often been told that I am a tad too hard as nails myself and that I can be a little cold (even when I am not trying to be), so I had a personal stake in Sydney. On the other hand, I was also wondering what this novel would have been like had Sydney NOT wanted (truly not) to meet a guy? No matter - the author does a wonderful job of balancing out Sydney's true nature -vs- what she would like (i.e. romance).

This must not have been an easy thing to do, as in so many novels, the balance of career and "true to yourself" usually go by the wayside when the sexy guy enters the picture (come to think of it, it happens in real life also). Yes, the author does try to "mold" our Sydney into a girlie girl - which I believe is the one facet of the novel that is a little weak (although there are some great passages and the dialogues and exchanges were very funny).

What works best in this novel is when Sydney is true to herself in finding her own comfort level. As for Max Cooper, he sounds like one sexy dude, although I am not sure I would have picked him as a potential mate - but then again, nobody ever said that women were particuarly good at picking the right man.

This book is in turn uplifting, funny, a little sad and always, always entertaining.