Guest Book Review: Suzanne Davis Gets a Life

By Connie Fischer

Suzanne is a 31..OK…34 year-old single woman living in a tiny apartment in New York City. Her job is as a technical writer for an air-conditioning company. With her biological clock ticking away, she has yet to find the perfect man. As she works mostly from home, her every day life is pretty predictable. However, she is determined to step up her search for a husband and decides to start by spending time on the apartment’s playground observing the mothers as they interact with their children on a daily basis. She slowly gets to know some of them which gets her introduced to several men and involved with a book group. A couple of the men she meets aren’t too bad, but neither are they the greatest.

Suzanne has a mother who has driven her crazy all of her life resulting in her now amassing large fees from her shrink. Thank goodness her mother lives in Arizona.

The story takes us through some of the dates Suzanne has with men and the resulting sexual encounters. In addition, she introduces readers to the characters in her apartment building that will leave the reader laughing.

Life continues on this flat line way until Suzanne is diagnosed with a serious illness. What follows is an account of her reaction to her illness and her treatment.

The novel has a number of laugh out loud moments. The biggest thing that struck me was that I could just hear Woody Allen telling this story. It was perfectly written for him to narrate it.

While I enjoyed some of the humorous moments and goofy characters in Suzanne Davis Gets a Life, I found that the book became a bit monotonous after awhile. However, I’m sure many readers will like the comedy.

Thanks to Paul Dry Books for a print copy in exchange for an honest review.

Connie Fischer is a retired office manager from NASA. Loved books from the time she could read. Spent childhood summers in her front yard tree reading Nancy Drew books and biographies. Loves historical and contemporary romance novels, chick lit and anything British. Is a reviewer for the blog, bookworm2bookworm. Her goal for 2014 on Goodreads is to read and review 100 books and she's way ahead of schedule. Lived in Paris, France for a number of years. Living now in southwest Florida. Ahhh...life is good!

Book Review: Ignoring Gravity

By Sara Steven

There were two primary reasons I felt drawn to Ignoring Gravity. The close relationship I have with my younger sister, number one. The second reason: there was a brief time during my childhood where I was convinced I was adopted. This paranoia was brought on by a passing joke my paternal grandmother told to a friend of hers, not knowing I was in the other room and had heard every word. She told her friend that I must be the mail man’s child, because at eight years old, I didn’t look at all like my father or other relatives in my family. When I heard that, I took it seriously and began to question who my real father was and my identity. A lot to take on when you’re a child, yet it’s a lot to take on for anyone, even for an adult like Rose Haldane.

Rose Haldane is confident about her identity. She pulls the same face as her grandfather when she has to do something she doesn’t want to do, she knows her DNA is the same as his. Except it isn’t: because Rose is adopted and doesn’t know it.

Ignoring Gravity connects two pairs of sisters separated by a generation of secrets. Finding her mother’s lost diaries, Rose begins to understand why she has always seemed the outsider in her family, why she feels so different from her sister Lily. Then just when she thinks there can’t be any more secrets...(Synopsis courtesy of Goodreads)

After Rose discovers the truth, she makes it her mission in finding out who her biological parents are. In doing so, she creates a lot of chaos within her relationships, primarily with Lily, who is dealing with family drama of her own. Should Rose back down and accept the life she has been given, or should she continue to seek out the life she may have had? The bigger question: Who is Rose, exactly?

I really enjoyed all of the twists and turns that accompanied the characters in this book. Just when I thought I had everything figured out, and knew who Rose’s parents were, the plot would take a sharp detour. I really felt as though I was with Rose on this journey of self-discovery, and when she finally unravels the secrets that have been decades in the making, I was as shocked as she was.

Looking back at my own family photos, it’s quite apparent that I’m my father’s daughter, especially now that I’m a grown-up. We look a lot more alike than I’d ever thought possible. I think for Rose and her family, she will always be a true Haldane, no matter what the outcome. Family is family, and it’s what (and who) you make of it that counts the most. A fantastic read!

Thanks to Sandra Danby for the book in exchange for an honest review.

Stacey Wiedower makes herself at home...plus a book giveaway

When I first saw the title of Stacey Wiedower's debut novel, 30 First Dates, I kept thinking of 50 First Dates, which is one of my favorite movies. However, the concept of this story is completely different, but it still sounds like a lot of fun (and hopefully less sobbing involved). In any case, I'm glad that Stacey could stop by to talk about her favorite things and I hope you'll enjoy getting to know her in this way. 

Stacey started her career as a reporter at a daily newspaper before following her passion to interior design school. She spent three years at a firm with bizarre similarities to Designing Women, and now she funnels all of those experiences into her work as a full-time writer. Along with magazine articles, website copy and a weekly feature called "My New Home," she writes romantic comedy, and the zany characters she's met poke their heads into her stories from time to time. Stacey lives in Tennessee with her husband, also a writer, and a son who's inherited their overactive imaginations.

You can visit Stacey at her website, Facebook, and Twitter. And if you'd like to check out her novel, she has TWO e-books for some lucky readers anywhere in the world!

Synopsis of 30 First Dates:
Erin Crawford is a relationship blogger with a bucket list and a vendetta. After years of horrible luck in relationships, she decides to start a blog called "30 First Dates." Her mission: go out with 30 men before her 30th birthday, all to find a non-jerk in 30 dates or less. As she blogs about her sometimes humorous and sometimes laughably bad dates, she crosses off her bucket list of 30 things she wants to do before she turns 30—and kills two birds with one stone by completing the items on her dates! In fourteen months she skydives, skinny-dips, crashes a wedding, travels to multiple cities and lives way outside her comfort zone. The only question is, as her birthday approaches and her list grows smaller, will Erin be able to find love? Or is she destined to be a first-date-only kind of girl?

Oprah used to give away her "favorite things" on her show. If you were to do a show where you could give people FIVE of your "favorite things," what would you include and how would you present it?

I love reading “favorite things” lists! One of my favorite magazines, Elle Décor, features a designer or trendsetter in a list of “12 Things He/She Can’t Live Without,” and I pore over this article every month. You learn so much about somebody by finding out what they love (and you get great ideas for things you might want to try yourself). I’m super excited to write my own list of five favorite things:

Bare Escentuals mineral foundation. I discovered bareMinerals makeup probably six or seven years ago, and I don’t think I’m overstating things to say it changed my life. I still don’t understand how it works, but this small tub of powder is like a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser for your face. It goes on easily, stays on all day and covers any and all blemishes and splotchy spots. It’s even helped my complexion! And it’s made with natural ingredients that give it a low ranking on the toxicity scale, which makes it even better.

My old-school Kindle. I stare at a computer all day long, every day, so when I read the last thing I want to do is look at another backlit screen. That’s why I love my early model Kindle, which reads like the pages of a “real” book. For my giveaway I’d upgrade viewers to the newest non-lit model, but honestly, that good old original Kindle does me just fine.

PG Tips black tea. My mother is British, and so even though I grew up in the American south, I’ve started and/or ended most days of my life with a nice, hot cup of English tea. A teaspoon of sugar, a splash of milk … perfection. My favorite brand is PG Tips, and my parents used to bring back suitcases full of it before it became readily available in the United States. My electric tea kettle is another must-have in my life.

MacLeod Family Vineyard zinfandel. I had an amazing experience touring this small, family-owned vineyard on a trip to Sonoma County, California. My husband and I sat on hay bales in the bed of the owners’ pickup, their sweet dog right beside us, as we rumbled across the hilly terrain. We tasted wines, cheeses and chocolates on a red-and-white checked tablecloth under a shade tree, surrounded by a panoramic view of rolling hills draped in grapevines. It was as idyllic as it sounds! The trip inspired a scene in 30 First Dates, though my vineyard experience was a bit less risqué than main character Erin Crawford’s. (Let’s just say I was fully clothed.)

Time to myself. I can’t for one second imagine life without my family and friends. But there’s nothing like a weekend away to recharge, forget your mountain of responsibilities and relax, already. On my show, I’d give an audience full of busy working moms a long weekend at a technology-free spa. Oh, and if anybody wants to give me that, I’ll be your new best friend!

Thanks to Stacey for sharing her favorite things with us and for sharing her book with our readers!

~Introduction by Melissa Amster

How to win: Use Rafflecopter to enter the giveaway. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us. If you have trouble using Rafflecopter on our blog, enter the giveaway here.

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Worldwide. Giveaway ends January 21st at midnight EST.

Book Review: Winter Street

By Amy Bromberg

Of all the beach reads that come out each summer, the one I look forward to most is Elin Hilderbrand's. She's known as the queen of summer reads. When I found out this past summer that she was going to be coming out with a holiday novel, I was just over the moon with excitement! And like of all her other novels, this one didn't disappoint.

Kelley Quinn is the owner of Nantucket's Winter Street Inn and the proud father of four, all of them grown and living in varying states of disarray. Patrick, the eldest, is a hedge fund manager with a guilty conscience. Kevin, a bartender, is secretly sleeping with a French housekeeper named Isabelle. Ava, a school teacher, is finally dating the perfect guy but can't get him to commit. And Bart, the youngest and only child of Kelley's second marriage to Mitzi, has recently shocked everyone by joining the Marines.

As Christmas approaches, Kelley is looking forward to getting the family together for some quality time at the inn. But when he walks in on Mitzi kissing Santa Claus (or the guy who's playing Santa at the inn's annual party), utter chaos descends. With the three older children each reeling in their own dramas and Bart unreachable in Afghanistan, it might be up to Kelley's ex-wife, nightly news anchor Margaret Quinn, to save Christmas at the Winter Street Inn.

Before the mulled cider is gone, the delightfully dysfunctional Quinn family will survive a love triangle, an unplanned pregnancy, a federal crime, a small house fire, many shots of whiskey, and endless rounds of Christmas caroling, in this heart-warming novel about coming home for the holidays. (Synopsis courtesy of Hachette.)

What we find at the core of this family is some dysfunction that each of the characters is going through. Just like a soap opera, their lives are intertwined. I became so wrapped up in each of them, I flew through the book in two days. Elin’s in-depth descriptions of the story’s atmosphere made me feel like I was a part of the Quinn family.

Like all of Elin's novels, this one takes place on Nantucket. After I read each of them, I always tell my husband we have to take a vacation there. Well, the reader now gets to see Nantucket in the winter, which Elin portrays beautifully. Unfortunately, I’ve never been to a bed and breakfast, but I picture one being just like the Quinns'; rustic, quaint, and cozy, with a “you’re at home” kind of atmosphere.

If you’re looking for a great book to read on a snowy weekend in front of the fireplace, definitely pick up Winter Street.

Thanks to Hachette for the book in exchange for an honest review. Visit their website for more information on Elin's novels.

Colleen Oakley goes to the ball....plus a book giveaway

We are proud to feature one of the 2015 Debs from The Debutante Ball, a great website that has introduced us to all sorts of wonderful authors (Sarah Jio, Erika Marks, and Sarah Pekkanen, just to name a few). From what we've been hearing, Colleen Oakley is no exception to this standard. 

In high school, Colleen decided to become a journalist after watching her mother yell at a journalist on TV. Her articles and essays have been featured in newspapers and magazines such as The New York Times, Ladies’ Home Journal, Marie Claire, Women’s Health, Redbook, Parade, and Martha Stewart Weddings. She lives in Atlanta with her husband, two children (who are also rebellious because, genetics), with two more on the way, and a huge mutt named Bailey. She likes to write, read, and drink tequila. (Not necessarily in that order.) You can find her at her website, Facebook, and Twitter.

Colleen is here today to talk about her favorite things. Thanks to Gallery Books, we have a copy of her debut novel, Before I Go, for a lucky US reader.

Synopsis of Before I Go:
Twenty-seven-year-old Daisy already beat breast cancer three years ago. How can this be happening to her again?
On the eve of what was supposed to be a triumphant “Cancerversary” with her husband Jack to celebrate three years of being cancer-free, Daisy suffers a devastating blow: her doctor tells her that the cancer is back, but this time it’s an aggressive stage four diagnosis. She may have as few as four months left to live. Death is a frightening prospect—but not because she’s afraid for herself. She’s terrified of what will happen to her brilliant but otherwise charmingly helpless husband when she’s no longer there to take care of him. It’s this fear that keeps her up at night, until she stumbles on the solution: she has to find him another wife.
With a singular determination, Daisy scouts local parks and coffee shops and online dating sites looking for Jack’s perfect match. But the further she gets on her quest, the more she questions the sanity of her plan. As the thought of her husband with another woman becomes all too real, Daisy’s forced to decide what’s more important in the short amount of time she has left: her husband’s happiness—or her own? (Courtesy of Colleen's website.)

Oprah used to give away her "favorite things" on her show. If you were to do a show where you could give people FIVE of your "favorite things," what would you include and how would you present it?

I used to LOVE Oprah’s "Favorite Things" show! Ralph Lauren cashmere sweaters, diamond watches, 600-thread count bedding — it was like watching Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous, but even better, because the audience got to have a piece of it. I’m afraid my show wouldn’t be quite as exciting — more like "Lifestyles of the Cheap and Practical" — but these are five of my favorite things right now:

Hudson jeans. I’m no style maven — I’m usually about three trends behind. (As in, I just learned what ombre-ing your hair meant). So a lot of you probably already know about Hudson jeans and have a pair or 12 in your closet. But I just found out about them this summer— and immediately bought three pairs. They are THE BEST butt jeans in the world universe. (Seriously, even aliens from other planets would look good in these jeans). They also have a wider and higher waistband (without being a mom jean), so they somehow erase muffin tops. I think they were created by magical elves.

Neutrogena face cream. Did I mention I was cheap? I mean, um, practical? Yeah, so you’re not going to catch me at Sephora dropping $1000 (or even $100) on face cream — even if it miraculously makes you look like Beyonce (well, OK, I might buy it then). But I will drop $14 on Neutrogena’s Naturals Multi-Vitamin Night Cream. It’s lightweight, but creamy, and smells fantastic — and it makes my skin feel so soft. I’m sure beauty experts would balk at this, but I put it on in the morning and the evening. Cuz I’m a rebel like that.

My minivan. First of all, yes, I drive a minivan. I have two kids and am expecting twins in March (I’m just as shocked about this as you. Probably even more so.), so we bought a minivan in October. At first I thought my body would reject it. A minivan? Those are for soccer moms and people who wear pleated jeans (read: soccer moms). My son plays T-ball, so obviously I’m not a minivan kind of person. But… I love it. The automatic sliding doors? The 4502985898651 cupholders? The storage space? Oh man, don’t get me started on the storage space. I’m seriously like the Honda Odyssey spokesperson. I think my friends have stopped inviting me places, because I can’t stop talking about how great my minivan is. Yes, I’m that person. And I just signed my son up for soccer.

The Book With No Pictures. My kids got this children’s book by BJ Novak for Christmas, and it elicits ALL the giggles. And my kids’ giggles are my favorite thing in the world. But I can’t give my kids away (because then, what would I need a minivan for?) so I’d give away this book.

Tequila. Specifically, Tanteo jalapeno tequila, because it makes the MOST DELICIOUS jalapeno margarita. Try it. You will not regret it. Well, if you drink an entire pitcher, and then stand on top of a bar and sing Midnight Train to Georgia at the top of your lungs to an unsuspecting crowd, you might regret it. Er, hypothetically. But not until the next morning. So, drink up! (And have an extra for me, because I’ve been on pregnancy-hiatus. Insert sad trombone sound here.)

Thanks to Colleen for sharing her favorite things with us and Gallery Books for sharing her book with our readers!

How to win: Use Rafflecopter to enter the giveaway. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us. If you have trouble using Rafflecopter on our blog, enter the giveaway here.

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US only. Giveaway ends January 18th at midnight EST.

Book Review: The Same Sky

By Melissa Amster

Shortly after moving to New Jersey, I was in a Starbucks and they had those shelves where you could take and leave books. I found one called How to be Lost, by Amanda Eyre Ward, and decided to see what it was about. I was instantly absorbed and deeply moved by the story. Soon after, I checked out her other two books that were available at the time, Sleep Toward Heaven and Forgive Me. Both were equally amazing. I even recommended them all to my mom, who loved them too. So when I found out about Amanda publishing her latest novel, The Same Sky, I immediately requested it from NetGalley and started reading it as soon as I was given access. All I know is that Amanda hasn't let me down yet and I need to go back and read Close Your Eyes, which I missed the first time around.

Alice and her husband, Jake, own a barbecue restaurant in Austin, Texas. Hardworking and popular in their community, they have a loving marriage and thriving business, but Alice still feels that something is missing, lying just beyond reach.

Carla is a strong-willed young girl who’s had to grow up fast, acting as caretaker to her six-year-old brother Junior. Years ago, her mother left the family behind in Honduras to make the arduous, illegal journey to Texas. But when Carla’s grandmother dies and violence in the city escalates, Carla takes fate into her own hands—and with Junior, she joins the thousands of children making their way across Mexico to America, facing great peril for the chance at a better life.

In this elegant novel, the lives of Alice and Carla will intersect in a profound and surprising way. Poignant and arresting, The Same Sky is about finding courage through struggle, hope amid heartache, and summoning the strength—no matter what dangers await—to find the place where you belong. (Synopsis courtesy of Amazon.)

Both Carla and Alice were sympathetic characters who had difficulties in their lives that they were trying to overcome. Alice is trying to find other ways to be a mother that don't involve the heartache of trying to adopt again. (Since she had cancer a while back, the medicines made conception difficult for her.) Reading about her chance to be a mom and having it taken away so quickly was definitely heartbreaking. And Carla is so young, but has to grow up quickly to be able to fend for herself and keep her brother safe and out of trouble. Her goal is to find her mother and the journey to America is dangerous. Carla's story was almost like reading about someone during wartime. (I was book multi-tasking with The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah and easily saw some parallels). Some parts were heavier as a result, and disturbing to even imagine.

While it took a while to try to figure out the connection between Carla and Alice, once it fell into place, it took my breath away. I had all these different ideas for how they could be connected at all and didn't see this one coming. Amanda is good with throwing twists like this into her stories and The Same Sky was no exception. She's still an author I highly recommend and I can't wait to see what she comes out with next.

Thanks to Random House (Ballantine) for the book, which I accessed through NetGalley, in exchange for an honest review.

What's in the mail

Melissa A:

Spun and Forgotten (UK) by/from Catherine McKenzie

Twin Piques by/from Tracie Banister (e-book)

Before I Go by Colleen Oakley from Gallery Books

The Magician's Lie by from Sourcebooks

One Day This Will All Make Sense by/from Katie Jansson Shahin (e-book)

Amy:

A Memory of Violets by Hazel Gaynor from HarperCollins

The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah from St. Martin's Press

The Pearl that Broke Its Shell by Nadia Hashimi from HarperCollins

Dog Crazy by Meg Donohue from HarperCollins

The Grown Ups by Robin Antalek from HarperCollins

Sara:

Miss Adventure by/from Geralyn Corcillo (e-book)

Siding with Plato by Michelle Manning from Authoright

eDating the Old School Way by/from Maura Stone


Accept this Dandelion by/from Brooke Williams (e-book)

Jami:

The Other Wife by/from Kathleen Irene Paterka (e-book)

Bad Will Hunting  by/from Heather Wardell (e-book)

Becky:

Sisters of Treason by Elizabeth Fremantle from Penguin UK

The Traveling Tea Shop by Belinda Jones from Penguin Random House (e-book)