Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Spring Fever

Mary Kay Andrews is one of my favorite authors and I am always happy to read what she writes.  Her newest book, Spring Fever, does not disappoint. 
Andrews has provided another great read that is full of her usual Southern charm and a bit of suspense and romance - perfect for taking to the beach or pool.
Annajane Hudgens thinks she is over her ex-husband. She is engaged to be married and as the book begins, is attending the wedding of her ex-husband, Mason Bayless.  However, Mason's wedding never happens as his daughter, Sophie, gets sick just as the service begins. Annajane is still deeply involved in Mason's life - as an employee in his family's business, as his sister's best friend and as a caretaker and friend to his daughter Sophie. Her plans to leaver her small Southern town and begin life anew are also put on hold as she tries to uncover the true motives of Mason's fiancee.  And, despite the fact that she and Mason both claim to have moved on and be over each other, the two seem still very much interested in each other and well matched.
I'm always a bit sad when I finish one of Andrews' books - they are so fun to read, and so hard to put down.

Waiting on Wednesday

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

This week's pick: Off the Grid by PJ Tracy
Due out August 2, 2012

Product Description taken from Amazon:
On a sailboat ten miles off the Florida coast, Grace MacBride, partner in Monkeewrench Software, thwarts an assassination attempt on retired FBI agent John Smith. A few hours later, in Minneapolis, a fifteen-year-old girl is discovered in a vacant lot, her throat slashed. Later that day, two young men are found in their home a few blocks away, killed execution-style. The next morning, the dead bodies of three more men turn up, savagely murdered in the same neighborhood.

As Minneapolis homicide detectives Leo Magozzi and Gino Rolseth struggle to link the three crimes, they learn that there have been similar murders in other cities around the United States. Piece by piece, evidence accumulates, pointing to a suspect that shocks them to the core, uncovering a motive that puts the entire Midwest on high alert and Monkeewrench in the direct line of fire. Before it's all over, Grace and her partners, Annie, Roadrunner, and Harley Davidson, find themselves in the middle of a shocking collision of violence on a remote northern Minnesota reservation, fighting for their lives.



Sunday, June 24, 2012

Sunday Salon

It seems that I am in some sort of blogging slump. I am still reading - although not as quickly as other summers- but am just not very ambitious when it comes to blogging.  I am hoping that will change soon and  I will feel more like reviewing what I am reading. But, I am also not forcing myself to blog if I don't feel like it. Blogging is supposed to be fun.
This weekend my oldest daughter is having her best friend stay with us for a few days. This is the friend who just moved a few weeks ago, so it is nice to have her around, although I am doing a lot of driving and entertaining.  Today is a trip to the pool and rock climbing wall, softball practice, movies at bedtime, and who knows what else they will think of. 
I just read Fifty Shades of Grey by E.L.James yesterday. I am mentioning it here because I won't be reviewing it later.  This is one of those books that you don't know if you should admit to reading. The story is very easy to read, but as a friend and I discussed, there is a reason people who claim they haven't read anything in ten years are reading this book.  I'm not impressed with the quality of writing, but I would bet that most people aren't interested in the writing if they are reading this.  In terms of the writing, it reminds me of the Twilight series.  I'm not sure if/when I will read the second in the series, but I have heard that the second book has a bit more of a story to it and answers some questions that arise at the end of the first book.
Now not only am I in a blogging slump, but after I finished Fifty Shades, I have started three or four other books and just can't get into anything. I blame this on having way too many books to choose from.  I just can't quite find anything and there is a huge stack waiting for me. 
This week looks to be full of pool and library visits, the end of my daughter's softball season, and great summer weather.
What's up for your last week of June?

Friday, June 22, 2012

Full Body Burden

Kristen Iversen's memoir Full Body Burden: Growing Up in the Nuclear Shadow of Rocky Flats is an eye-opening look at the Colorado community she grew up in, just next door to a factory making plutonium pins for nuclear bombs.  Iversen and her siblings were raised near the beautiful Rocky Mountains- a location I associate with clean air and healthy living. Yet, what the community around Rocky Flats was exposed to was anything but healthy. 
Increased incidence of cancer and lingering health issues have long been the norm for residents surrounding Rocky Flats.  Despite the vast amount of evidence suggesting that plutonium was responsible for these health problems, little to nothing has been done for the victims. Instead the government has denied any responsibility for the problems people battle. 
Iversen has chronicled all of this very carefully and clearly in Full Body Burden, working on this book for over a decade.  She has spoke with former employees, attorneys, and residents to hear their stories and the way they have been affected by Rocky Flats.  For a brief time Iversen was an employee at Rocky Flats herself.
I was amazed by this book, which reminded me of the movie Erin Brockovich.  This will no doubt be one of the best non-fiction books I read this year, and I have been recommending it to every friend I have that is a reader. 

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

The World Without You

It is no secret that I love women's fiction, which happen to most often be written by women. Joshua Henkin's latest novel The World Without You was an amazing women's fiction novel penned by a man.
It is the July 4, 2005 when the Frankel family converges on their summer home. Parents David and Marilyn along with their grown daughters (Noelle, Clarissa and Lily) and families have come for a memorial for their son/brother Leo, who was killed in Iraq while he was reporting from there. He has left behind a young son Calder and wife Thisbe who are also coming for this occasion.
While this novel takes place over the span of just a few days, the family dynamics are all revealed as the parents plan to divulge their future plans - shocking their children.  The sisters all have their own issues to deal with as well. From Noelle's move to Israel and adherence to strict Judaic law, to Clarissa's quest to become a mother, Lily's relationship with her boyfriend, and Thisbe's new boyfriend, there are plenty of things this family is experiencing over this holiday weekend which marks the one year anniversary of Leo's death. Henkin's characters feel real and complex, and his ability to create a believable family with all the ins and outs of family relationships made reading this novel enjoyable from beginning to end.  While I doubt Henkin plans on writing more about the Frankels, I would love checking in with this family again to see how things have developed since 2005.
The World Without You has been receiving good reviews from many bloggers and reviewers - all deserved.  This is one book I loved and I can't wait to read more by Henkin.

Waiting on Wednesday

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

This week's pick: When We Were The Kennedys by Monica Wood
Due out: July 10, 2012


Product Description taken from Amazon:
1963, Mexico, Maine. The Wood family is much like its close, Catholic, immigrant neighbors, all dependent on a father’s wages from the Oxford Paper Company. Until the sudden death of Dad, when Mum and the four closely connected Wood girls are set adrift. Funny and to-the-bone moving, When We Were the Kennedys is the story of how this family saves itself, at first by depending on Father Bob, Mum’s youngest brother, a charismatic Catholic priest who feels his new responsibilities deeply. And then, as the nation is shocked by the loss of its handsome Catholic president, the televised grace of Jackie Kennedy—she too a Catholic widow with young children—galvanizes Mum to set off on an unprecedented family road trip to Washington, D.C., to do some rescuing of her own. An indelible story of how family and nation, each shocked by the unimaginable, exchange one identity for another.

Monday, June 18, 2012

Summer of the Gypsy Moths

We just arrived back from our week-long Florida vacation today.  Our flight left at 7:10 Florida time which is an hour earlier in Iowa.  Since the airport was an hour away from the house we stayed in, we were up even before the crack of dawn - at 3:00 AM.  Since it is almost 10 PM now, I am nearly ready to call it a day. 
One of the books I read prior to leaving on the trip was Sara Pennypacker's Summer of the Gypsy Moths.  I had been anticipating this one, and absolutely love the cover.  However by the time it made its way to the top of my stack I had read a few reviews about it, one of which commented that it was hard to figure out what audience this book was intended for. 
Stella is living with her great-aunt Louise in a house on Cape Cod because her mother is unreliable.  Although Louise does a good job taking care of her, Stella would rather be with her mom, especially since Louise takes in Angel, a foster child.
SPOILER ALERT - When Louise dies unexpectedly, I wasn't sure where this story was going to go. I never anticipated that these two girls would bury Louise themselves and continue to take care of the rental cottages that were normally in her care, in order to avoid being taken into foster care.  END OF SPOILER
As a parent of a ten year old, a child in the target audience of this novel, I am curious what her reaction to the story would be.  While I was horrified by this, I doubt she would be. 
I loved the setting of this story, and even Stella and Angel's resourcefulness.  Despite the serious events that occur, I still felt this book was a fun read and included a little suspense as I devoured this book in one sitting, trying to determine when Stella and Angel's secret would come to light.

Friday, June 15, 2012

Disney Trip 2012

Today is already our fifth day in Orlando, Florida. We've been to Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, Epcot, Sea World, and Downtown Disney.  Today we relaxed a bit more and swam in our pool.  We are staying in a house we rented and the girls are enjoying their pool time. It's a small pool, but just right for our kids who are finally able to swim on their own (the oldest two) and kick around in an inner tube.  This afternoon we made a trip to Give Kids the World Village which is where we stayed for our oldest daughter's Make A Wish trip.  We are called a Welcome Back Family and given the perk of free ice cream. This was a huge treat for us when we stayed since we had ice cream for breakfast every day.  Tomorrow we are going to be back at Disney. Sunday we are hoping for a beach trip and also a stop at Kennedy Space Center.  Reading is only happening at night before bed. I have tried to take a book in the car, but am quickly scolded by my husband who needs my help navigating. Even though we have had some whining and crying, it has still been a great trip.  It is exhausting walking around all day in 90 degree weather - and Florida means humidity, too, so it isn't a dry 90 degrees.  I am honestly sweating almost all day long.  We have bought more overpriced drinks than I can count, but don't feel like we have another option since all of us are thirsty constantly.  Iowa might seem cool when we return. 
I'm sure I'll post more later.  But so far, this is what we've been up to:




Thursday, June 14, 2012

When We Were The Kennedys

Monica Wood's memoir When We Were the Kennedys is my latest Amazon Vine read.  I had such high hopes for this since I love books with a Kennedy family theme. However, there was only a loose connection to the Kennedys in this memoir and I spent more than half of the book wondering when JFK's assassination would occur.
Wood's family lives in Mexico, Maine, a town where life centers around the paper mill in the 1960s.  Her father dies unexpectedly on his way to work one day and nine year old Monica shares with us how this impacted her family and the ways in which she grieved.  Wood's writing is impeccable, capturing her experiences realistically and honestly. Wood's family is Catholic and both her family and the Kennedy's have lost their father, although if I wouldn't have been waiting for the Kennedy assassination until nearly the end of this memoir, I would have enjoyed it more.
So, I have mixed feelings about this one. I certainly can't fault the writing of this memoir, yet feel almost as though I was tricked into thinking this book had more than just this loose Kennedy connection.  I would have enjoyed it more had I not been waiting for that.

Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Waiting on Wednesday

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine

This week's pick: City of Women by David R. Gillham
Due out August 7, 2012

Product Information taken from Amazon:
It is 1943—the height of the Second World War. With the men taken by the army, Berlin has become a city of women. And while her husband fights on the Eastern Front, Sigrid Schröder is, for all intents and purposes, the model soldier’s wife: She goes to work every day, does as much with her rations as she can, and dutifully cares for her meddling mother-in-law, all the while ignoring the horrific immoralities of the regime.

But behind this façade is an entirely different Sigrid, a woman who dreams of her former Jewish lover, who is now lost in the chaos of the war.

Sigrid’s tedious existence is turned upside down when she finds herself hiding a mother and her two young daughters—whom she believes might be her lover’s family—and she must make terrifying choices that could cost her everything.

Monday, June 11, 2012

The Kennedys

I've always enjoyed books about the presidents, vice presidents, first ladies, and pretty much anyone who has inside knowledge of the First Family.  And what First Family continues to have books published about it more than 40 years since his administration?  Yes, the Kennedys, of course.  The year is only half over and already I have read two books on the Kennedys with a few more on my TBR stacks. 
J. Randy Taraborrelli's latest book After Camelot tells about the lives of all the Kennedys from JFK and Jackie to Ethel and Bobby, Ted and Joan, as well as their children and grandchildren and those of their sisters as well.  After Camelot didn't reveal any big secrets. Much of the Kennedys' lives are already well documented. But this book places all the information about this family in one book that is full of anecdotes and information that gives a glimpse of what these famous people are really like. 
I found myself eagerly reading this book, enjoying the familiarity it provided to the Kennedys and the era that they can claim as their own.

Sunday, June 10, 2012

Sunday Salon

This past week was my girls' first week of summer vacation.  We managed to have basketball camp for four days, two trips to the pool, trips to the library where we signed up for summer reading, three softball games, and said goodbye to my oldest daughter's best friend and family who are moving. It has been a busy week. 
And in addition to that, we are packing for vacation.  Tomorrow we head off to Disney World for a week of fun and sun.  This is a big trip for us - one we've been saving several years for.  Our youngest daughter has never been on an airplane and is excited about that and seeing Minnie Mouse. Our older two girls were at Disney five years ago and are excited to be heading back.  There are still many things to clean and pack and prepare for. 
So what do I want to do? Sit down and read. It's another beautiful, hot summer day here and I would love nothing better than to hang out and read. Even though our vacation will be busy, I am still hoping there is some time for relaxing by the pool at the home where we are staying.  I have a few posts scheduled for this week and we will have internet access while we are there so I am hoping to post from Florida as well.

Saturday, June 9, 2012

Summer Reading

I can't believe that summer is flying by so quickly.  We did manage to get into the pool twice this week where I got quite the sunburn (duh me. I did put sunscreen on my children but not myself). I have been to three softball games this week and carted my kids around to other activities.  There is a class I am taking online that is feeling a bit overwhelming.  So summer reading?  Not so much. There are a few books I have read and enjoyed, but the high hopes I have had aren't really happening right now.  On Monday we are off for a week of vacation (more about that tomorrow) and will be busy for another week.

Objects of My Affection by Jill Smolinski was a fun read - perfect for the pool.  This is one book that's been on my radar for a while.  Lucy is down on her luck. Her son's in rehab. She and her boyfriend have broken up. She has just sold her house to pay for her son's treatment, and has just been hired to organize and clean out the house of hoarder-artist Marva Meier Rios.  Lucy gets more than she bargained for with her new job. Marva is not the easiest person to deal with and despite the fact that Lucy has been hired to help clean out and organize Marva's house, Marva isn't very cooperative in this effort.
Parts of this book were a bit predictable.  I wasn't surprised that Daniel, Lucy's ex-boyfriend comes back into Lucy's life or that her son Ash isn't successful at rehab.  However, Smolinski's story was fun and entertaining. Her characters were likeable.  Objects of My Affection was a great summer beach read.

Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Waiting on Wednesday

Waiting on Wednesday is hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine.

This week's pick: Tigers in Red Weather by Liza Klaussmann
Due out: July 17, 2012

Product Description taken from Amazon:
Nick and her cousin, Helena, have grown up sharing sultry summer heat, sunbleached boat docks, and midnight gin parties on Martha's Vineyard in a glorious old family estate known as Tiger House. In the days following the end of the Second World War, the world seems to offer itself up, and the two women are on the cusp of their 'real lives': Helena is off to Hollywood and a new marriage, while Nick is heading for a reunion with her own young husband, Hughes, about to return from the war.

Soon the gilt begins to crack. Helena's husband is not the man he seemed to be, and Hughes has returned from the war distant, his inner light curtained over. On the brink of the 1960s, back at Tiger House, Nick and Helena--with their children, Daisy and Ed--try to recapture that sense of possibility. But when Daisy and Ed discover the victim of a brutal murder, the intrusion of violence causes everything to unravel. The members of the family spin out of their prescribed orbits, secrets come to light, and nothing about their lives will ever be the same.

Monday, June 4, 2012

Burn Down the Ground

It's already June 4th and even though I've read a few books this month I haven't reviewed any of them.  Today was my girls' last day of school, so summer has now officially begun and it's time to really get into my summer schedule and leisure reading. That means I also need to try and get some reviews written before I forget what I have read.
Burn Down the Ground by Kambri Crews is a memoir I enjoyed reading, despite the fact that Crews' life was anything but easy.  Part of the memoir focuses on the fact that her parents were deaf, creating a unique childhood experience for her and her brother. There were aspects to the deaf lifestyle I had never taken into consideration that I found rather fascinating such as the fact that there is a Deaf community that has different activities planned for the deaf.
The other portion of this memoir recounts Crews' childhood. Despite the fact that her father was unfaithful to her mother and they built a house in a remote wooded area, her childhood didn't seem that strange to me. That is, until her father's violence became extreme and secrets of her childhood and her parents' marriage are revealed.  Although I knew her father's behavior was bizarre, even I was amazed at the extremes he reached.
Burn Down the Ground is not the first memoir I have read about someone overcoming the odds to lead a successful life, but I never tire of these stories. 

Sunday, June 3, 2012

Sunday Salon

I can finally say, "School's out for summer!"  My girls get out tomorrow after just half a day, so even though it is a school night we aren't doing a very good job of getting to bed. 
This past week my brother-in-law and his wife and daughter came to visit us from Montana. Their daughter is a year and a half old and this was our first time meeting her.  My girls were very excited to see their new cousin.  There were a lot of late nights, meals out, and time spent with them.  It was great, but hard on my kiddos who were extremely crabby and tired by the end of the week.
Tonight my oldest daughter had a going away party for her best friend. We have known she was moving for the past three months, but what once looked so far off is now upon us.  I have shed tears over this myself because this a friend that isn't replaceable. They have a few plans already for later this summer and spending time together, but I think things will be very noticeable once school starts in the fall. Sigh.
I have had a productive week of reading although I haven't been as good about blogging. A class I am taking has started so that is absorbing some of my free time. The week ahead is full of softball games, an eye doctor appointment, piano lessons and a hair cut.  That schedule looks pretty nice considering I usually cram much more into a week where I am working full time.
What's up for your week?

Saturday, June 2, 2012

Louise's Gamble

Sarah Shaber's new mystery series set during World War II is fast becoming a favorite of mine. Louise lives in Washington, D.C. where she works for the OSS, spending her days filing important documents to help the war effort.  She rents a room in a boarding house, typical for single adults in the 1940s. Shaber seems to have her finger on the pulse of what this time period was like from Louise's clothes to the idea that even kissing a man in public was inappropriate. 
Louise spends one night each week attending a knitting group where she becomes friendly with a young Italian immigrant.  When this woman approaches Louise and tries to give her some information to help the war effort.  Louise talks to her boss who then advises her how this will be handled. However, things don't go as planned and once again Louise finds herself in the middle of something dangerous.  Not one to shy away from a little excitement and also wanting to find out the truth, Louise embarks on her own investigation. 
Mystery lovers will enjoy this book as will readers who like books set in the 1940s or about World War II.  I am recommending this series to many friends and think this will be a big hit in my small library where many readers remember the era Shaber is writing about.

May Recap

Despite May being a busy month with all the end of the year activities at school, I read a lot of great books. Here's the recap:

1. How To Eat a Cupcake by Meg Donohue
2.  Rush for the Gold by John Feinstein
3. The Starboard Sea by Angela Dermont
4. The Woman Who Wasn't There by Robin Gaby Fisher
5. I've Got Your Number by Sophie Kinsella
6. By the Iowa Sea by Joe Blair
7. The Fall Back Plan by Leigh Stein
8. The Good Father by Noah Hawley
9. Much Ado About Anne by Heather Vogel Frederick
10. The Unfinished Work of Elizabeth D. by Nichole Bernier
11. Irises by Francisco X. Stork
12. The Lost Years by Mary Higgins Clark
13.  Monday Mornings by Sanjay Gupta
14.  The Red Book by Deborah Copaken Kogan
15. Child of the Mountains by Marilyn Sue Shank
16. The Sleepy Hollow Family Almanac by
17.  Love's Unfolding Dream by Janette Oke
18.  Lone Bean by Chudney Ross
19. Faith Bass Darling's Last Garage Sale by Lynda Rutledge
20. The Master's Muse by Varley O'Connor
21. Wild by Cheryl Strayed
22. Louise's Gamble by Sarah Shaber
23.  True Sister by Sandra Dallas

19 books were library books, 4 were my own
3 were non-fiction,20 were fiction
5 were YA/tween, 18 were adult books
5 were written by male authors, 18 by females

Friday, June 1, 2012

Blast From the Past

I can't believe it's been a decade since this book was out.  I love Jeanne Ray's work and am excited that just this past month she has a new novel out. Her books are ones I can consistently recommend to people of all ages and not worry about the language or content offending anyone.
Kotlowitz's book showing how two young boys grew up in the projects is one I should re-read. Since I first read this book my job situation has changed and I now educate children whose childhoods are not that different than the boys in this book.
I probably shouldn't admit this, but I recall very little about this Picoult book. 
Love, love, love Alice.  I'm still a bit behind in this series, but these are books I can't wait for my own girls to read.
While I can't recall the plot of this one anymore, even though I could make some guesses based on the cover picture, I do remember enjoying it and thinking that this was a good book for boy readers - sometimes hard to find.
How about you? What were you reading ten years ago? Last year?