Audiobook Review: Come Home by Lisa Scottoline

Title:  Come Home

Author:  Lisa Scottoline

Narrator:  Maggi-Meg Reed

Unabridged Length:  12 hrs, 29 mn


Here is a summary of the book from the Macmillan website:

Lisa Scottoline has delivered taut thrillers with a powerful emotional wallop in her New York Times bestsellers Save Me, Think Twice, and Look Again. Now, with her new novel, Come Home, she ratchets up the suspense with the riveting story of a mother who sacrifices her future for a child from her past.

Jill Farrow is a typical suburban mom who has finally gotten her and her daughter's lives back on track after a divorce. She is about to remarry, her job as a pediatrician fulfills her---though it is stressful---and her daughter, Megan, is a happily over-scheduled thirteen-year-old juggling homework and the swim team. 

But Jill’s life is turned upside down when her ex-stepdaughter, Abby, shows up on her doorstep late one night and delivers shocking news: Jill’s ex-husband is dead. Abby insists that he was murdered and pleads with Jill to help find his killer. Jill reluctantly agrees to make a few inquiries and discovers that things don’t add up. As she digs deeper, her actions threaten to rip apart her new family, destroy their hard-earned happiness, and even endanger her own life. Yet Jill can’t turn her back on a child she loves and once called her own.

Come Home reads with the breakneck pacing of a thriller while also exploring the definition of motherhood, asking the questions: Do you ever stop being a mother? Can you ever have an ex-child? What are the limits to love of family?  
 

My Review:
This was a great audiobook to listen to, as it was filled with action, suspense, and emotional struggles.  Reed did a wonderful job narrating this audiobook by embracing her characters as we follow her along a journey that has her struggling with her parental responibilities, loyalties, and obligations.  Jill's life appears to be on the right track, as she is getting ready to marry a wonderful man, her daughter Megan is excelling in school, and her career as a pediatrician is back on track.

Jill cannot foresee how her life will take a drastic change when her stepdaughter from her previous marriage unexpectedly shows up on her doorstop one evening.  Abby informs her that her father is dead and she suspects that he has been murdered.  Jill thinks that Abby is hysterical from grief so takes the girl under her wing, hoping to alleviate her suspicions.

As Jill spends more time with Abby she is reminded of the love that she developed for both her and her sister.  She was their mother at one time and she can't help but allow the motherly feelings to resurface.  Jill does not expect the renewed relationship with her stepdaughters to create a rift with her husband-to-be, but she cannot ignore her parental longings.

As Jill takes a closer look at Abby's allegations surrounding her ex-husband's death, she notices some things that don't add up.  As she continues her quest for the truth, Jill could end up in the middle of a scheme that not only puts her life in danger, but also everyone that she loves.

This was a very engaging audiobook, with my only complaint being the crying that happened early on in the book.  I found these parts downright annoying, but maybe that comes from raising a daughter.  Otherwise, this was a great book to listen to and with themes of parental obligations, love, and truth, I think it would also make a great book club selection.  I don't hesitate in recommending this book for your listening pleasure.

My Rating:  4/5

Disclosure:  This book was provided to me by the publisher from Audiobook Jukebox in exchange  for an honest review.


 

Mailbox Monday

Mailbox Monday is a great meme that has us list the books that we receive.  Different bloggers now have the opportunity to host this meme for a month at a time.  This month you can see what everyone received over at Martha's Bookshelf.

Here is what I found in my mailbox:

 Bring Up the Bodies by Hilary Mantel (audiobook)

And then from the Half-Price Books:

That Old Cape Magic by Richard Russo

I have had a busy couple of weeks lately!  My son graduated from law school a couple of weeks ago, and then I had to go pick my daughter up from college last week.  I don't think I've driven through so much rain in my life!  With my son getting married next month I don't think life is going to get any easier in my household! 

Winner of The Book of Madness and Cures by Regina O'Melveny

I'm very excited to announce that the winner of The Book of Madness and Cures by Regina O'Melveny is...............

Harvee

Congratulations Harvee!  I will be emailing you shortly to get your mailing information to send to the publisher.  I also want to thank Anna from Hachette for allowing me to host this giveaway on my blog!

Review: The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne

Here is a summary of the book from the Goodreads website:

Set in the harsh Puritan community of seventeenth-century Boston, this tale of an adulterous entanglement that results in an illegitimate birth reveals Nathaniel Hawthorne's concerns with the tension between the public and the private selves. Publicly disgraced and ostracized, Hester Prynne draws on her inner strength and certainty of spirit to emerge as the first true heroine of American fiction. Arthur Dimmesdale, trapped by the rules of society, stands as a classic study of a self divided.

My Review:
I know it may seem hard to believe, but I did not read The Scarlet Letter before reading it as a book club selection last month.  I think this may be one of the hardest books I have ever read, as I tried to understand the story with it's old world language.  It seems that Hawthorne used all of his characters to symbolize various characteristics and sins.

Hester is the strong-willed heroine of this story who makes a moral error in judgement.  She is persecuted for he wrong-doing, but accepts the punishment from her peers.  The punishment will stamp a wound on Hester's heart and taint her mind and soul for the rest of her days. 

Hester's conviction turned out to be a lifelong persecution, from the entire township.  It was interesting to watch the attitudes of the townspeople, as sometimes they would treat her with respect and friendship, while other times treating her like a thief.  She often found it easier to live in solitude to avoid accusing stares that she was sure to find.

This book seemed to have a bit of flavor that reminded me of the Salem Witch Trials.   I'm not sure if this book takes place before or after that period, but witchcraft is briefly mentioned in the story.  With themes of symbolism, love, and truth, this book made an interesting book club discussion.  With that being said I think I also need to tell you that out of our group of nine ladies, only three of us actually finished the book.  It was definitely not one of our favorites and not one that I would recommend for leisure reading.  I am, however, glad that I finally read this classic.

My Rating:  3/5

Disclosure:  This book was from my personal collection and I read it for my own entertainment and as a book club selection. 

Teaser Tuesday-May 22

Check out Teaser Tuesdays from Should Be Reading. TEASER TUESDAYS asks you to:

Grab your current read.

Let the book fall open to a random page.

Share with us two “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page.

You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!

This week my teaser is from Heart of the Matter by Emily Giffin:
"For another, they're not homemade.  And they don't look like homemade... Do you have any idea what the other mothers would say behind my back if I handed out Oreo's?"

pg. 45

What Are You Reading?

Sheila over at Book Journey hosts this meme that gives you the opportunity to share the books that you have been losing yourself in lately and also the ones that you are looking forward to picking up next.

What I finished:

 State of Wonder by Ann Patchett is the book that I finished last week, just in time to post my review for a blog tour last week.  I really enjoyed this book and if you missed my review you can still read it here.

I'm currently reading on my Kindle:

Our current book club selection is Heart of the Matter by Emily Giffin.  I was worried that this book may be a bit too fluffy for me, but I can tell you that I am enjoying it so far.  I'm about a third of the way through it and my only complaint is that I'm just not sure I like where the storyline is going.

What's next:

I may change my mind, but I have had a review copy of The Winters in Bloom by Lisa Tucker for quite some time now.  I don't have a scheduled review until July, so I may be able to knock off a few of my random ARC's before then.

Blog Tour and Review: State of Wonder by Ann Patchett

Thanks to Trish once again from TLC Book Tours for inviting me to be a part of this tour.  Here is a description of State of Wonder from the Harper Collins website:

Dr. Marina Singh, a research scientist with a Minnesota pharmaceutical company, is sent to Brazil to track down her former mentor, Dr. Annick Swenson, who seems to have all but disappeared in the Amazon while working on what is destined to be an extremely valuable new drug, the development of which has already cost the company a fortune. Nothing about Marina's assignment is easy: not only does no one know where Dr. Swenson is, but the last person who was sent to find her, Marina's research partner Anders Eckman, died before he could complete his mission. Plagued by trepidation, Marina embarks on an odyssey into the insect-infested jungle in hopes of finding her former mentor as well as answers to several troubling questions about her friend's death, the state of her company's future, and her own past. 

Once found, Dr. Swenson, now in her seventies, is as ruthless and uncompromising as she ever was back in the days of Grand Rounds at Johns Hopkins. With a combination of science and subterfuge, she dominates her research team and the natives she is studying with the force of an imperial ruler. But while she is as threatening as anything the jungle has to offer, the greatest sacrifices to be made are the ones Dr. Swenson asks of herself, and will ultimately ask of Marina, who finds she may still be unable to live up to her teacher's expectations. 

In a narrative replete with poison arrows, devouring snakes, and a neighboring tribe of cannibals, State of Wonder is a world unto itself, where unlikely beauty stands beside unimaginable loss. It is a tale that leads the reader into the very heart of darkness, and then shows us what lies on the other side. 

My Review:
You may think that I am corny, but I have to start this review by saying that Patchett left me in a "state of wonder" after reading this amazing novel.  It obviously takes an artistically creative mind to create a novel of this magnitude, so Kudos to you Ann Patchett!

Marina is our main character in this novel who works as a pharmacologist in Minnesota.  She is a single woman in her forties and seems to be unsettled about the path that her life has taken.  When one of her co-workers is sent to the Amazon jungle, but doesn't return because of his presumed death, the company decides to send Marina to Brazil not only to find out how Anders died, but also to get an update on the research the doctors are doing for the company.

Little does Marina know that her trip to the Amazon will be a way for her to confront the demons of her past.  She can't help but wonder if she can revisit her past and try to strive for the goals that she had originally set.  As Marina confronts her fears she realizes this life has much more to offer to her.

Marina adapts quickly to life in the bug-infested Amazon.  Friendships are made quickly with other doctors performing their own research, but she becomes especially attached to a young native boy who happens to be deaf.  She allows Easter to be her guide, but it turns out that he needs her just as much as she needs him.  While staying with the tribe, Marina is amazed at the additional research that is being done at the expense of the company he works for.

Patchett takes us deep into the Amazon, creating a tribe that seems to defy medical science.  I don't want to give any more of this novel away, so when you read it you will be amazed by the "wonder" of it all.  With themes of survival, medical science, and friendship, I honestly think that many of you will enjoy this novel as much as I did.  I don't hesitate in recommending this book for personal leisure or as a book club selection.

My Rating:  4/5

Disclosure:  This book was sent to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Mailbox Monday-May 14

Mailbox Monday is a great meme that has us list the books that we receive.  Different bloggers now have the opportunity to host this meme for a month at a time.  This month you can see what everyone received over at Martha's Bookshelf.

This is what came to my house:

An American Family by Peter Lefcourt

Don't you just love this cover?  I think its neat and that lady standing there with her arms crossed kind of scares me!  Well I am off to my deck to hopefully finish reading State of Wonder. 

Teaser Tuesday-May 8

Check out Teaser Tuesdays from Should Be Reading. TEASER TUESDAYS asks you to:

Grab your current read.

Let the book fall open to a random page.

Share with us two “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page.

You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!

This week my teaser is from State of Wonder by Ann Patchett:
A black vulture the size of a turkey walked down the aisles like all the other shoppers, looking for whatever fish heads and entails were to be had underneath the tables.  The bloody scraps were hard to find.

pg. 77

What Are You Reading?

Sheila over at Book Journey hosts this meme that gives you the opportunity to share the books that you have been losing yourself in lately and also the ones that you are looking forward to picking up next.

Here is what I finished:

Last week I finished  The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne in time to discuss it at book club on Wednesday night.  Definitely not one of our more popular books but I will still be posting a review soon.

What I'm reading now:

 State of Wonder by Ann Patchett is what I started next for a blog tour later in the week.  Hopefully I can finish it in time!

And next up:

Our last book club selection before our summer hiatus is Heart of the Matter by Emily Giffin.  I might change my mind and sneak another one in before reading this, but this is my plan right now.

So what has been absorbing your reading time?

Audiobook Review: The House I Loved by Tatiana de Rosnay

Title:  The House I Loved

Author:  Tatiana de Rosnay

Narrator:  Kate Reading

Unabridged Length: 5 hrs, 56 mn.



Here is a summary of the book from the Macmillan website:

Paris, France: 1860’s. Hundreds of houses are being razed, whole neighborhoods reduced to ashes. By order of Emperor Napoleon III, Baron Haussman has set into motion a series of large-scale renovations that will permanently alter the face of old Paris, moulding it into a “modern city.” The reforms will erase generations of history—but in the midst of the tumult, one woman will take a stand.

 Rose Bazelet is determined to fight against the destruction of her family home until the very end; as others flee, she stakes her claim in the basement of the old house on rue Childebert, ignoring the sounds of change that come closer and closer each day. Attempting to overcome the loneliness of her daily life, she begins to write letters to Armand, her beloved late husband. And as she delves into the ritual of remembering, Rose is forced to come to terms with a secret that has been buried deep in her heart for thirty years. Tatiana de  Rosnay's The House I Loved is both a poignant story of one woman’s indelible strength, and an ode to Paris, where houses harbor the joys and sorrows of their inhabitants, and secrets endure in the very walls...

My Review:
This was an enjoyable novel to listen to that brought us into historical Paris, not only through the letters of our dear main character Rose, but also the people that were dear to her heart.  Kate Reading did a great job narrating this novel and to me embraced the characters and the time period that helped to create vivid images for me.

As you can see from the summary above, the home that holds memories of Rose's full life is about to be turned into rubble.  She doesn't seem to have any alternative but to accept the fact that her home will soon be destroyed.  As she comes to terms with this fact, she also finds a way to reconcile with herself the many unfortunate events that took place there.  Through her letters to her long-passed husband, she reveals secrets that have been hidden in her heart throughout her lifetime.

We get to know other characters in the novel from the letters that they write to Rose.  From these various letters we get to know Rose as the gentle and loving woman that she has become.  This makes the secret she has been carrying around throughout her life that much more of an abomination.

I did enjoy this audiobook filled with french accents and history.  My only problem is that I would sometimes be confused if I wasn't paying close attention to whose letter was being read at the time.  Quite often when reading a book like this I find myself going back to the beginning of the chapter to see who is speaking.  Sometimes that is hard to do while listening to an audiobook.  With themes of love, loss, friendship, and secrets, this was an enjoyable book to listen to and I also feel that it would make an interesting book club discussion.

My Rating:  3/5

Disclosure:  This audiobook was provided to me by Audiobook Jukebox in exchange for an honest review.

Winners of In Search of Lucy by Lia Fairchild

I'm very excited to announce the two winners of In Search of Lucy by Lia Fairchild are....

Pame Brennan

and

Nice'

Congratulations ladies!  I will be emailing you shortly to get your mailing information.  Thanks to all who entered!