Review: Looking for Salvation at the Dairy Queen by Susan Gregg Gilmore

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

Sometimes you have to return to the place where you began, to arrive at the place where you belong.

It’s the early 1970s. The town of Ringgold, Georgia, has a population of 1,923, one traffic light, one Dairy Queen, and one Catherine Grace Cline. The daughter of Ringgold’s third-generation Baptist preacher, Catherine Grace is quick-witted, more than a little stubborn, and dying to escape her small-town life.

Every Saturday afternoon, she sits at the Dairy Queen, eating Dilly Bars and plotting her getaway to Atlanta. And when, with the help of a family friend, the dream becomes a reality, she immediately packs her bags, leaving her family and the boy she loves to claim the life she’s always imagined. But before things have even begun to get off the ground in Atlanta, tragedy brings Catherine Grace back home. As a series of extraordinary events alter her perspective–and sweeping changes come to Ringgold itself–Catherine Grace begins to wonder if her place in the world may actually be, against all odds, right where she began.

Intelligent, charming, and utterly readable, Looking for Salvation at the Dairy Queen marks the debut of a talented new literary voice.

My Review:
This was such a neat coming-of-age novel giving us a glimpse of rural life for one young gal in Georgia.  We learn the story of Catherine Grace who has grown up without her mother, knowing the world has so much more to offer than what is available in her stupid little town.  She looks forward to the day she can leave Ringgold for good.

This story had so many elements to it that I just loved.  I found myself smiling or just plain laughing out loud plenty of times while I was reading it.  I am sure many girls could read this book and easily put themselves in Catherine Grace's shoes, as I did.  Many kids that have grown up in small towns can't wait to get out and explore the world.  Personally, I felt the same exact way.  But, like Catherine Grace, once you get out there and start living you realize that it isn't what it's cracked up to be.

Catherine Grace has been lucky to have some wonderful people in her life.  Even with the support of her Preacher father and motherly women to help her, there were still times she felt left out of events because she didn't have a mother of her own.  She not only found kids treating her differently at times, but even adults.  It's hard to grow up with confidence when you feel out of place most of the time.

I loved the relationships in this novel.  Between Catherine Grace, her sister, her father, and Gloria Jean, I absolutely loved all of the characters.  With themes of love, family, and forgiveness I know that many of you would enjoy this book for either personal leisure or a book club discussion.  Our book club loved it and I highly recommend this novel.

My Rating:  5/5

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

Review: Peace Like a River by Leif Enger

Here is a summary of the book from the publisher's website:

Leif Enger's debut is an extraordinary novel—an epic of generosity and heart that reminds us of the restorative power of great literature. The story of a father raising his three children in 1960s Minnesota, Peace Like a River is at once a heroic quest, a tragedy, a love story, and a haunting meditation on the possibility of magic in the everyday world.

Raised on tales of cowboys and pirates, eleven-year-old Reuben Land has little doubt that miracles happen all around us, and that it's up to us to "make of it what we will." Reuben was born with no air in his lungs, and it was only when his father, Jeremiah, picked him up and commanded him to breathe that his lungs filled. Reuben struggles with debilitating asthma from then on, making him a boy who knows firsthand that life is a gift, and also one who suspects that his father is touched by God and can overturn the laws of nature.

The quiet Midwestern life of the Lands is upended when Davy, the oldest son, kills two marauders who have come to harm the family; unlike his father, he is not content to leave all matters of justice in God's hands. The morning of his sentencing, Davy—a hero to some, a cold-blooded murderer to others—escapes from his cell, and the Lands set out in search of him. Their journey is touched by serendipity and the kindness of strangers—among them a free spirit named Roxanna, who offers them a place to stay during a blizzard and winds up providing them with something far more permanent. Meanwhile, a federal agent is trailing the Lands, convinced they know of Davy's whereabouts.

With Jeremiah at the helm, the family covers territory far more extraordinary than even the Badlands where they search for Davy from their Airstream trailer. Sprinkled with playful nods to biblical tales, beloved classics such as Huckleberry Finn, the adventure stories of Robert Louis Stevenson, and the westerns of Zane Grey, Peace Like a River unfolds like a revelation.

My Review:
I read this book with my book club and I can tell you that since I didn't like his other book, So Brave, Young, and Handsome, I probably wouldn't have picked this one up on my own.  I'm glad I did though, because Enger brought us along on a miracle filled journey for young Reuben and his family.

Reuben is the narrator of the novel and it was interesting to see things from his young and innocent perspective.  Even when Reuben sees his older brother Davy kill in cold blood, his innocent mind allows him to believe that Davy did no wrong.  In an attempt to escape conviction, Davy flees his home and family on a quest for his freedom.  Davy's escape sets the tone for the novel, when afterwards his father packs up their belongings in a recently acquired Airstream trailer, and toting along Reuben and his sister, leaving their home in the Minnesota plains to head for the Badlands of North Dakota.  This is where they believe they will find Davy.

Miracles keep happening along their journey that really are unexplainable.  They seem to be making headway until they finally stop for gas close to their destination, and meet a woman named Roxanna.  Roxanna is a gracious woman who opens her heart and home to this family in need.  In time she seems to be the link that could make the Land family complete.

This was a very descriptive novel making it easy to create images of the scenes while reading.  I think my biggest problem with the book is that although it takes place in the 60's, it seemed to have an old western feel to it.  I quite often felt like I was watching an old western cowboy movie unfold before my eyes.  I didn't like watching these movies with my grandparents when I was young, so I didn't appreciate that tone in this novel.

Besides the western tone to the book, I have to admit that I found it enjoyable for the most part.  With themes of family, and miracles, and the age old battle between good and evil, I'm sure many of you will love it.  It made for an interesting book club discussion so I don't hesitate in recommending this novel for any book group out there.

My Rating:  4/5

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

Review: A Hundred Flowers by Gail Tsukiyama

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

A powerful new novel about an ordinary family facing extraordinary times at the start of the Chinese Cultural Revolution

 

China, 1957. Chairman Mao has declared a new openness in society: “Let a hundred flowers bloom; let a hundred schools of thought contend.” Many intellectuals fear it is only a trick, and Kai Ying’s husband, Sheng, a teacher, has promised not to jeopardize their safety or that of their young son, Tao. But one July morning, just before his sixth birthday, Tao watches helplessly as Sheng is dragged away for writing a letter criticizing the Communist Party and sent to a labor camp for “reeducation.” 

A year later, still missing his father desperately, Tao climbs to the top of the hundred-year-old kapok tree in front of their home, wanting to see the mountain peaks in the distance. But Tao slips and tumbles thirty feet to the courtyard below, badly breaking his leg. 

As Kai Ying struggles to hold her small family together in the face of this shattering reminder of her husband’s absence, other members of the household must face their own guilty secrets and strive to find peace in a world where the old sense of order is falling. Once again, Tsukiyama brings us a powerfully moving story of ordinary people facing extraordinary circumstances with grace and courage.

My Review:
Tsukiyama takes us into China when communism is in full force.  We are given a glimpse into the lives of one particular family, whose home once would have been considered luxurious, but now after the new laws have been put in place, they struggle to keep food on the table.  The chapters alternate between the various characters being told in third person.

I usually enjoy stories from this time period when the author takes us into the characters everyday struggles.  Something was missing from this novel for me though.  I can't say that I particularly enjoyed any of the characters or felt a special closesness or bond with them.  I also don't think the plot within the story itself was strong enough to want me to come back for more after I just closed my book for the day.

Life for everyone living within the villa became a hardship after Sheng, the breadwinner of the household, was taken away as a prisoner of the new Republic of China.  Everyone had new responsibilities and duties that were easily performed by Sheng in the past.  Young Tao has his own struggles after he falls out of a tree and breaks his leg.  This becomes a changing point for his life as he realizes things at home are not as they seem and life at school will never be the same.

All the characters in this novel carry their own burdens, but the one that I sympathize with most would probably be Wei.  Wei is Sheng's father and has held a secret deep in his heart since the day they took his son away.  One day Wei can no longer take the shame he feels that he has placed on his son's shoulders, and embarks on a journey to set things right.

As I indicated earlier, all the characters have their own crosses to bear, but I just didn't feel a connection to any of them.  Maybe I just missed something or was in the wrong frame of mind when reading this novel.  With themes of communism, China, family, and honor, you may enjoy this book more than I did.  

My Rating:  3/5

Disclosure:  This ebook was provided to me by the publisher through the Netgalley program in exchange for an honest review.

Review: Half Broke Horses by Jeannette Walls

Here is a summary of the book from the Simon and Schuster website:


"Those old cows knew trouble was coming before we did." So begins the story of Lily Casey Smith, in Jeannette Walls's magnificent, true-life novel based on her no-nonsense, resourceful, hard working, and spectacularly compelling grandmother. By age six, Lily was helping her father break horses. At fifteen, she left home to teach in a frontier town -- riding five hundred miles on her pony, all alone, to get to her job. She learned to drive a car ("I loved cars even more than I loved horses. They didn't need to be fed if they weren't working, and they didn't leave big piles of manure all over the place") and fly a plane, and, with her husband, ran a vast ranch in Arizona. She raised two children, one of whom is Jeannette's memorable mother, Rosemary Smith Walls, unforgettably portrayed in The Glass Castle.

Lily survived tornadoes, droughts, floods, the Great Depression, and the most heartbreaking personal tragedy. She bristled at prejudice of all kinds -- against women, Native Americans, and anyone else who didn't fit the mold. Half Broke Horses is Laura Ingalls Wilder for adults, as riveting and dramatic as Isak Dinesen's Out of Africa or Beryl Markham's West with the Night. It will transfix readers everywhere. 

My Review:
What a beautiful story Jeannette Walls created describing the life of her grandmother, Lily Casey Smith.  Through a first person narrative, we are given a glimpse into the hard life this woman led, and I can tell you, she was one tough cookie.

We follow Lily's life from when she was a young girl living on her parent's ranch in Texas, to her following her dreams.  When she first decides she has had enough life on the ranch, she heads for a new life in Chicago.  Life in the big city turns out to be more than she bargained for when she meets up with a man who turns out to be probably the biggest sleazeball she ever met, and then losing the first true friend of her life.

She finds herself heading back to her family in Texas, to find her mind opened up to the dream of becoming a teacher.  Knowing that she needs to make a life of her own, she heads out on her horse for a one-month journey to her first teaching destination.  This is the first of many teaching jobs for young Lily, as she doesn't conform easily to other's directions and ideas.  She is a woman who stands up for her convictions and will not ever be easily swayed.

We follow Lily throughout her adult life as she finds love and deals with personal tragedies.  She moves across the Western United States, not afraid of what she will find when she gets there, but enjoying the journey along the way.  I developed a respect for Lily throughout this book, just knowing what she endured throughout her life.  She gave every task her all, and was never afraid to try something new.  How her daughter Rosemary turned out to be a woman without ambitions I guess I will never understand.

This was an awesome story that was enjoyed by all of the ladies in my book group.  Overall, our group enjoyed this one more than The Glass Castle.  I enjoyed both of them about the same, but I think there were many more points in this book that just made me laugh out loud.  I mean, if you have read this book, can you tell me that the Mormon's "Wonder Underwear" did not make you laugh?  With themes of love, family, struggles, perseverance, and home, this book made for a wonderful book club selection.  Don't be afraid to read it for your own entertainment though.  I highly recommend this true-life novel.

My Rating:  5/5

Disclosure:  This book is part of my personal collection and I read it as a book club selection and for personal enjoyment.

Review: Cutting for Stone by Abraham Verghese

Here is a summary of the book from the Random House website:

Marion and Shiva Stone are twin brothers born of a secret union between a beautiful Indian nun and a brash British surgeon. Orphaned by their mother’s death and their father’s disappearance, bound together by a preternatural connection and a shared fascination with medicine, the twins come of age as Ethiopia hovers on the brink of revolution.

Moving from Addis Ababa to New York City and back again, Cutting for Stone is an unforgettable story of love and betrayal, medicine and ordinary miracles—and two brothers whose fates are forever intertwined.

My Review:
I was very excited to read this novel that received so much praise from various sources.  This was our book club pick for the summer and I know that many book clubs have already read this one.  A good friend of mine told me this was the best book she read in the last year.  As much as I wanted to love this book like the majority of people out there, it didn't happen for me.

The beginning of the book just went on and on, with Sister Mary Joseph Praise giving birth to the twins in a clinic in Ethiopia.  I think the first twenty-five percent of the book was the birthing process, and personally, I didn't need all those details.   When Sister Mary Joseph dies in childbirth, the father, Thomas Stone, suddenly leaves in his grief, never to return.  This leaves a couple of unmarried surgeons, Ghosh and Hema, to raise the boys as their own.  They name the boys Marion and Shiva and create a home together, making an unlikely instant family.

Ghosh is a good man, and has had an attraction to Hema for quite some time.  He does not hesitate to help her raise these boys after their parents are no longer available.  When he decides to ask Hema to marry him, he rejoices when she agrees to commit to a marriage in one-year increments.  After that year, they can decide if they want to renew their arrangement.  I thought this was a comical situation, but after years have gone by, also romantic.

Most of the story was told by Marion's viewpoint.  This worked well for me as I enjoyed getting to know his character, his fears, likes, and dislikes.  The part that was unbelievable for me, and I think I actually put my Kindle down and said, "Give me a break," was when he described his journey through the birth canal.  Really?  How many of us remember that?

Through Marion's world, we watch these boys grow up into young men.  We get an up-close look at the turmoil in Ethiopia, which I found very interesting.  That was probably my favorite part of the book as I had no idea what caused the discontent in the country.  We follow them as their family bond grows stronger, and as Marion falls in love.  Marion carries this love in his heart, even when he flees the country to study medicine in the United States.  Shiva stays in Ethiopia practicing and perfecting his medical procedures in Ethiopia.

I am not going to give away any more of this book.  Although I didn't really care for it, I am glad that I finally read it.  I will tell you that most of my book club read it and loved it!  One gal even started reading it again after she finished it!  With themes of survival, betrayal, love, and family, I have to admit that it does make for an interesting book club selection.  There was some beautiful writing in this book so although I didn't love it, I'm sure many of you will.

My Rating:  3/5

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

Review: The World Without You by Joshua Henkin

Here is a summary of the book from the Random House website:

It’s July 4, 2005, and the Frankel family is descending upon their beloved summer home in the Berkshires. But this is no ordinary holiday. The family has gathered to memorialize Leo, the youngest of the four siblings, an intrepid journalist and adventurer who was killed on that day in 2004, while on assignment in Iraq.

The parents, Marilyn and David, are adrift in grief. Their forty-year marriage is falling apart. Clarissa, the eldest sibling and a former cello prodigy, has settled into an ambivalent domesticity and is struggling at age thirty-nine to become pregnant. Lily, a fiery-tempered lawyer and the family contrarian, is angry at everyone. And Noelle, whose teenage years were shadowed by promiscuity and school expulsions, has moved to Jerusalem and become a born-again Orthodox Jew. The last person to see Leo alive, Noelle has flown back for the memorial with her husband and four children, but she feels entirely out of place. And Thisbe —Leo’s widow and mother of their three-year-old son—has come from California bearing her own secret.

Set against the backdrop of Independence Day and the Iraq War, The World Without You is a novel about sibling rivalries and marital feuds, about volatile women and silent men, and, ultimately, about the true meaning of family. 

My Review:
This book covers a lot of emotion and familial turmoil as it takes place over the period of just a few days, while a family gathers at their summer home to attend a memorial for the youngest family member.  Leo was killed in Iraq just a year ago, and the family cannot seem to move on since this tragedy.

Henkin packed a punch with this novel that is full of the most beautiful writing I have read in quite some time.  Among the family members that Leo left behind are his wife, a son, three older sisters, and his parents.  All have agreed to meet for the Fourth of July holiday for his memorial.  Everyone seems to be at a crossroads in their lives, wanting to move on but maybe afraid of the consequences if they do.  When Leo's sisters find out about their parents upcoming separation, their lives become even more fragile.

Not only did this book delve into the broken lives of those involved, but also the Jewish religion that created the foundation for who they are today.  The family members did not renounce their religion in any way, but they also did not celebrate it, except for the youngest sister Noelle.  Interesting how she was the wild, party girl in her teenage years, but turned into a devout, Orthodox Jew as an adult.  Throughout this book, everyone contemplates the decisions they have made, including Noelle as she questions why her religion has to be so strict.

The characters in this novel were so real to me and were all facing their own challenges after Leo's death.  They help each other as they deal with their grief over this period of a few days, but the novel stays realistic to me as when they all prepare to leave and go back to their every day lives, problems are not completely resolved.  They've all made progress, but they still have a long way to go.

I loved this novel that depicted human relationships in such a true form.  Henkin made his characters honest and raw, and didn't hold back.  With themes of love, death, and forgiveness, I can't help but think this would also make a great book club selection.  I highly recommend this novel.

My Rating:  5/5

Disclosure:  This ebook was provided to me by the publisher through the Netgalley program in exchange for an honest review.
   

Review and Giveaway: The Winters in Bloom by Lisa Tucker

Here is a summary of the book from the Simon and Schuster website:


Together for over a decade, Kyra and David Winter are happier than they ever thought they could be. They have a comfortable home, stable careers, and a young son, Michael, who they love more than anything. Yet because of their complicated histories, Kyra and David have always feared that this domestic bliss couldn’t last - that the life they created was destined to be disrupted. And on one perfectly average summer day, it is: Michael disappears from his own backyard.

The only question is whose past has finally caught up with them: David feels sure that Michael was taken by his troubled ex-wife, while Kyra believes the kidnapper must be someone from her estranged family, someone she betrayed years ago.

As the Winters embark on a journey of time and memory to find Michael, they will be forced to admit these suspicions, revealing secrets about themselves they’ve always kept hidden. But they will also have a chance to discover that it’s not too late to have the family they’ve dreamed of; that even if the world is full of risks, as long as they have hope, the future can bloom.

Lyrical, wise, and witty, The Winters in Bloom is Lisa Tucker’s most optimistic work to date. This enchanting, life-affirming story will charm readers and leave them full of wonder at the stubborn strength of the human heart.

My Review:
This book had me wrapped up in the characters from the very beginning.  When David and Kyra's son, Michael disappears, both contemplate who from their past could have done this to them.  They have taken every precaution to keep their little boy safe, only to have him taken in the blink of an eye.

Kyra has been struggling with her problems since her mother walked out on the family when she was a young girl.  Kyra became closer to her sister Amy, but somehow failed to realize that the day her mother left, is the day that a piece of Amy died also.  They went through the regular motions of high school and boyfriends, until Amy veered off-track when they left for college.  Amy made all the wrong choices, from drugs, alcohol, and men, until she decides to desert her sister in search of something that will help her feel whole.

David seemed to have a good childhood, although he was always a bit on the emotional side.  He found himself attracted to girls that seemed wounded and frail.  This led him to his first marriage that ended in a disaster that left him shattered and uncertain of trusting anyone in his life again.

When young Michael disappears David and Kyra both realize that they must confront their pasts to get the answers they need.  Tucker did a wonderful job of bringing these character's pasts to life for us and revealing the situation in a way that made me crave for this book when I wasn't able to read it.  With themes of love, resentment, and forgiveness, I feel that this would  be great to read for leisure or  as a book club discussion.  I highly recommend this novel.

My Rating:  4/5

Disclosure:  This book was provided to me by the publisher through the Netgalley program in exchange for an honest review.

Now for the Giveaway!

I was lucky enough to receive a hardcover copy of this book also, so that is what I will be giving away.

To enter this contest you must be at least 18 and live in the U.S. or Canada.

For one entry leave me a comment including your email address below.

For two additional entries, blog about this contest or add the link to your sidebar.

Please include your email so I will have a way to contact you if you win. Use a spam-thwarting format such as myemail.address AT gmail DOT com or myemail.address [at] gmail [dot] com.

Good Luck Everyone!

**This giveaway is closed**

Review: Heart of the Matter by Emily Giffin

Here is a summary of Heart of the Matter from Emily Giffin's website:

Tessa Russo is the mother of two young children and the wife of a renowned pediatric surgeon. Despite her mother’s warnings, Tessa has recently given up her career to focus on her family and the pursuit of domestic happiness. From the outside, she seems destined to live a charmed life. 

Valerie Anderson is an attorney and single mother to six-year-old Charlie---a boy who has never known his father. After too many disappointments, she has given up on romance---and even, to some degree, friendships---believing that it is always safer not to expect too much.

Although both women live in the same Boston suburb, the two have relatively little in common aside from a fierce love for their children. But one night, a tragic accident causes their lives to converge in ways no one could have imagined.

In alternating, pitch-perfect points of view, Emily Giffin creates a moving, luminous story of good people caught in untenable circumstances. Each being tested in ways they never thought possible. Each questioning everything they once believed. And each ultimately discovering what truly matters most. 

My Review:
I wasn't sure what to expect before starting to read Heart of the Matter by Giffin.  This is the first book I have read by this author and I think I stereotyped her as one of those fluffy romance creators, when this book turned out to be so much more.  Giffin puts us in the middle of a very unfortunate situation that spins out of control.

Tessa is one of our main characters who seems to have the perfect life with her plastic surgeon husband and two young kids. When she started to have children, Tessa decided to give up her career so she could focus on being a full-time Mom.  She loves her children but knows she falls short compared to the perfect neighborhood mothers that bring the perfect snacks to school and throw the ultimate kid parties.

Valerie is a single mom struggling to have a successful career and also be a good parent.  Her son Charlie attends a private school that is full of over-privileged children.  She doesn't believe in the lifestyles that most of the families from his school lead, but she finds a way to allow acceptance, knowing that Charlie needs to have friends.  When Valerie lets Charlie to spend the night at his friend's birthday party, she cannot foresee how events will spin out of control, and change her priorities and outlook on life.

I think many people may look at Giffin's books and feel that they are just fluffy women's fiction.  Personally, I felt this book was much more than that.  Giffin gave us a front row view of a very difficult situation from opposing perspectives.  After about the first seventy-five pages I admit that I didn't like where the story was going, but did not intend on putting the book down for any reason.  With themes of love, forgiveness, parenthood, and honesty, I think this book is going to make a great discussion for my book group and would also recommend it as a nice summer read.

My Rating:  4/5

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

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. 

Review: Clair de Lune by Jaretta Carleton

Here is a summary of the book from the Harper Collins website:
An unexpected treasure: A long-lost novel of innocence threatened, by the author of the beloved classic The Moonflower Vine
 
The time: 1941, at the cusp of America's entry into World War II. 

The place: southwest Missouri, on the edge of the Ozark Mountains. A young single woman named Allen Liles has taken a job as a junior college teacher in a small town, although she dreams of living in New York City, of dancing at recitals, of absorbing the bohemian delights of the Village. Then she encounters two young men: George, a lanky, carefree spirit, and Toby, a dark-haired, searching soul with a wary look in his eyes. Soon the three strike up an after-school friendship, bantering and debating over letters, ethics, and philosophy—innocently at first, but soon in giddy flirtation—until Allen and one of the young men push things too far, and the quiet happiness she has struggled so hard to discover is thrown into jeopardy.

My Review:
This book started out a little slow for me, but I am so glad that I stuck it out as I found a new love and appreciation for the characters as the story developed.  Young Allen isn't sure what to do with her life, but knowing that she needs to find a job to satisfy her debts, she lets her mother talk her into becoming a college professor at a small private institution.  Her dreams are put on hold as she enters the world of higher education.

Allen is probably one of the youngest faculty members at the junior college where she has been hired.  She lets her love of literature lead the way for her life in teaching and even thinks of ways that she could excel in this department.  Considering that she isn't much older than some of her students, she finds it easier to build friendships with them rather than her fellow peers.  Later in the novel, these friendships will make Allen the subject of an academic witch hunt, giving her the opportunity to re-evaluate her priorities.

As Allen dodges academic failure, she easily falls into a pattern and lifestyle that would benefit anyone striving for a successful teaching career.  But will these temporary goals deter her from her true dreams of becoming a writer herself?  How can she fulfill her own desires as she struggles through life trying to do something she doesn't truly love?

I enjoyed this novel that also had a nervous edge to it as the U.S. is getting ready to enter World War II.  I found the writing beautiful and almost poetic at times, and with themes of war, love, friendship, and dreams, you may want to pick this book up yourself.  I don't hesitate in recommending this novel.

My Rating:  4/5

Disclosure:  This e-book was provided to me by the publisher through the Netgalley program in exchange for an honest review.

Blog Tour: Clair de Lune by Jetta Carleton

I am thankful to Trish once again from TLC Book Tours for inviting me to be a part of this tour.  I feel horrible for not being able to complete my review by today, but I am not quite done with this book yet!  At the end of this post I will give you some of my basic thoughts about this novel and post my complete review next week.

Here is a summary of the book from the Harper Collins website:
An unexpected treasure: A long-lost novel of innocence threatened, by the author of the beloved classic The Moonflower Vine
 
The time: 1941, at the cusp of America's entry into World War II. 

The place: southwest Missouri, on the edge of the Ozark Mountains. A young single woman named Allen Liles has taken a job as a junior college teacher in a small town, although she dreams of living in New York City, of dancing at recitals, of absorbing the bohemian delights of the Village. Then she encounters two young men: George, a lanky, carefree spirit, and Toby, a dark-haired, searching soul with a wary look in his eyes. Soon the three strike up an after-school friendship, bantering and debating over letters, ethics, and philosophy—innocently at first, but soon in giddy flirtation—until Allen and one of the young men push things too far, and the quiet happiness she has struggled so hard to discover is thrown into jeopardy.

My thoughts so far:
So I have only read about three-quarters of this book, but I can tell you that if I didn't have a shopping trip planned with some friends of mine last weekend, I would have already finished it.

Allen reluctantly became a college English Professor after her mother's continual push for her to become a teacher as she had years ago.  Allen doesn't have any better ideas herself, and debts need to be paid so she takes her mother's advice and start her teaching career?

Allen is a young woman, not much older than some of her students, so it really shouldn't be a surprise that she enjoys the company of some of her students more than her fellow faculty members.  This book would definitely make a great discussion as you look at all aspects of the teacher/student relationships.  Discussing the morals and feelings involved could last for hours!

I worked in higher education myself for about fourteen years so I found the human element of this novel very interesting.  I am enjoying the book so far, but please be sure to check back next week to read my complete review!

Disclosure:  This ebook was provided to me by the publisher through the Netgalley program in exchange for an honest review.

Review: The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

Here is a summary of book from the author's website:


The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within the black-and-white striped canvas tents is an utterly unique experience full of breathtaking amazements. It is called Le Cirque des Rêves, and it is only open at night.

But behind the scenes, a fierce competition is underway—a duel between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood expressly for this purpose by their mercurial instructors. Unbeknownst to them, this is a game in which only one can be left standing, and the circus is but the stage for a remarkable battle of imagination and will. Despite themselves, however, Celia and Marco tumble headfirst into love—a deep, magical love that makes the lights flicker and the room grow warm whenever they so much as brush hands.

True love or not, the game must play out, and the fates of everyone involved, from the cast of extraordinary circus per­formers to the patrons, hang in the balance, suspended as precariously as the daring acrobats overhead.

My Review:
This book is unlike any other book I have read.  The beauty, magic, and mystery will keep you entranced as you find the circus at a new location.  No advertisements will let you know when the circus is coming.  It will just be there one day and the anticipation grows as you wait for the sun to set so you can experience the circus that evening.

At the heart of this novel is a challenge that Marco and Celia find themselves as the main participants.  By the time that they realize that they are opponents in this magical game, they can no longer deny their love for one another.   Their feelings for each other conflict with the purpose of the game, so how can one of them possibly win this challenge but yet remain in this relationship.

Both Marco's and Celia's magic is special, and it seems that the circus itself feeds off of them as they draw strength from the circus.  But besides these magicians, all of the circus performers are extraordinary with what they have to offer.  Their gifts are exceptional and when it is apparent that the circus itself is in jeopardy, a plan must be devised in order for it to continue.

As I said earlier, this was a special and magical novel.  Morgenstern's writing was beautiful and believable, as sometimes when I read books with magical elements they become a bit too far-fetched for me.  I enjoyed this book and I'm sure many of you will also!

My Rating:  4/5

Disclosure:  I borrowed this ebook from my library to read for my own entertainment.

2012 E-book Challenge

I really enjoyed this challenge in 2011 as it gave me more of an opportunity to read my Kindle books!  This year the challenge is being hosted by Workaday Reads and you can view all the rules and sign up here if you are interested.

I am going to sign up for the CD level, which means that I need to read at least 10 ebooks.  I will list the books as I read them below.
1.  The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern--Completed 2/5/12
2.  Clair de Lune by Jaretta Carleton--Completed 3/21/12
3.  The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne--Completed 5/1/12
4.  Heart of the Matter by Emily Giffin--Completed 5/28/12
5.  The Winters in Bloom by Lisa Tucker--Completed 6/6/12
6. The World Without You by Joshua Henkin--Completed 7/22/12
7. Cutting For Stone by Abraham Verghese--Completed 9/5/12
8. Half Broke Horses by Jeannette Walls--Completed 9/30/12
9. A Hundred Flowers by Gail Tsukiyama--Completed 10/24/12
10. Peace Like a River by Leif Enger--Completed 11/06/12
11. Looking for Salvation at the Dairy Queen by Susan Gregg Gilmore--Completed 12/4/12