Review: Rainshadow Road

Title: Rainshadow Road
Author: Lisa Kleypas
Length: 308 pages
Publisher: St. Martin's Griffen
Genre: Fiction, Romance, Chick-Lit
Source: Goodreads Giveaway
My Rating:
Synopsis (from Goodreads): Lucy Marinn is a glass artist living in mystical, beautiful, Friday Harbor, Washington, with a boyfriend, Kevin, who she believes is her soul mate. She has always had a magical side - a gift that finds its way into the breathtaking glasswork she creates - and she struggles to keep it contained. But when Lucy is blindsided by the most bitter kind of betrayal, she questions many of her choices. Her boyfriend leaves her and his new lover is none other than Lucy's own sister. Lucy's bitterness over this devastation is multiplied buy the fact that she has constantly made the wrong choices in her romantic life.

Meanwhile, facing the severe disapproval of Lucy's family, Kevin asks his friend Sam Nolan, a local vineyard owner on the San Juan Island, to "romance" Lucy so that she can more easily move on. But when Sam and Lucy begin to feel real sparks between them, Lucy must ask herself if she can easily risk her heart again.

As Lucy questions her beliefs about love, loyalty, and old patterns, mistakes, and new beginnings, she explores the possibility that some things in life - even after are being broken - can be re-made into something beautiful. And that is the only by discovering who you really are that you can find the one who truly deserves you.

My Thoughts: This was a fun book! An easy read, beautiful setting, a little magic, a heart-melting hero, and a happy ending. What more do you need? The backgrounds of both main characters were a little extreme but not necessarily implausible, though they did make the characters a little hard to relate to at times. There were a lot of quirky side characters and you could pick out the budding romance for the second book in this trilogy, which I will happily read! The one thing I would have really liked to see more of was the magic. I do not feel like this aspect was fully developed.


If your looking for a nice summer read, go ahead and add Rainshadow Road to your list!

Review: Calling Invisible Women

Title: Calling Invisible Women
Author: Jeanne Ray
Length: 256 pages
Publisher: Crown
Genre: Fiction
Source: Goodreads Giveaway
My Rating:
Synopsis (from Goodreads):  A mom in her early fifties, Clover knows she no longer turns heads the way she used to, and she's only really missed when dinner isn't on the table on time. Then Clover wakes up one morning to discover she's invisible--truly invisible. She panics, but when her husband and son sit down to dinner, nothing is amiss. Even though she's been with her husband, Arthur, since college, her condition goes unnoticed. Her friend Gilda immediately observes that Clover is invisible, which relieves Clover immensely--she's not losing her mind after all!--but she is crushed by the realization that neither her husband nor her children ever truly look at her.  She was invisible even before she knew she was invisible.
   Clover discovers that there are other women like her, women of a certain age who seem to have disappeared.  As she uses her invisibility to get to know her family and her town better, Clover leads the way in helping invisible women become recognized and appreciated no matter what their role. 


My Thoughts: What a novel! It brought forward so many points to ponder in such an open way. It was such a quick easy read that I finished it in one day! I will be thinking about it for many more.


You must go into this novel being able to give a little suspension of disbelief. Some things, no matter how you look at them just don't fit, are hard to picture. However, for me, this took nothing major away from the rest of the story. What is the definition of invisible? Is it not being seen, not being able to be seen? What can cause one to be invisible? What does one do when one is invisible? Where does a person's worth stand? In them or in the fact of their visibility? All questions brought to light in the fairly unassuming character of Clover, who could actually be many of us. This is story for any woman.


Ray even manages to bring in the subject of big pharmaceutical companies and their ethics without being overbearing. Does the end justify the means? Are there such things as acceptable casualties? Can "Invisible" people make a difference? 


This is an incredibly engrossing and thought provoking read! I highly recommend that you pick it up, read it, and take a look in the mirror! Enjoy!

Mailbox Monday #5

Mailbox Monday is hosted by Martha from reviews from Martha's Bookshelf this month. This meme allows bloggers to showcase the new books they have received over the last week. Warning: this meme can definitely lead to book envy!

This week I have also decided to participate in two new memes. The first is Stacking The Shelves hosted by Tynga at Tynga's Reviews and the second is The Sunday Post hosted by Kimba the Caffeinated Book Reviewer. Stop by and take a look!

Won

On Celestial Music by Rick Moody

Calico Joe by John Grisham

Storms Of My Grandchildren by James Hansen

 

For Review

True Believers by Kurt Anderson - Thank you Random House

The Cranes Dance by Meg Howry - Thank you LibraryThing and Vintage

Shelter by Frances Greenslade - Thank you Free Press

The Solitary House by Lynn Shepherd - Thank you Random House

Temptation by Douglas Kennedy - Thank you Atria

The Moment by Douglas Kennedy - Thank you Atria

Calling Invisible Women by Jeanne Ray - Thank you Goodreads and Crown

The Uninvited Guests by Sadie Jones - Thank you Goodreads and Harper

IF by Jena Rausch (not pictured)

Purchased

Love Always by Harriet Evans

Insurgent by Veronica Roth

What goodies did your mailbox bring you this week?

Review: Cloudland

Title: Cloudland
Author: Joseph Olshan
Length: 304 pages
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Genre: Mystery, Fiction, Thriller
Source: Goodreads Giveaway
My Rating:
Synopsis (from Goodreads):

A stunning literary thriller set in rural Vermont from the much praised author of Nightswimmer and Clara's Heart

Catherine Winslow, taking a walk during an early spring thaw, discovers the body of a woman leaning against an apple tree near her house in the Upper Valley of Vermont. From the corpse’s pink parka, Winslow recognizes it as the latest victim of a serial killer, a woman reported missing weeks before during a January blizzard. Once a major reporter for a national newspaper, now a household hints columnist, Catherine is disturbed and galvanized by her discovery and with the help of her neighbor, a forensic psychiatrist, as well as a local detective, starts to research the River Valley murders.

At the same time, her younger lover from an excruciating, failed love affair resurfaces after two years, trying to manuever his way back into her affections. As she delves into the murders, she realizes that certain friends and acquaintances may actually be suspects or even worse.

My Review: I'm not normally a huge fan of mysteries or thrillers. Occasionally one will come along that I really enjoy so I give them a try every now and then.  This one sounded interesting on Goodreads, I entered to win it and......I did!  When it arrived I settled down to read it.

Within the first few pages I began to wonder if this was going to be a book I had to force myself to read.  There was something about the writing style which was putting me off.  Luckily whatever it was either resolved itself soon after or I became too involved in the story to notice. After getting over that first hurdle I continued to have the problem that I just didn't like Catherine, the main character. She was inconsistent, and I often felt annoyed by her during her assessments of the investigation and of the other characters. Unfortunately a lot of the other characters weren't developed enough for me to put a lot of stock into their part in the story. The third problem was that the ending seemed a bit abrupt to me.

So after all that you may wonder why I gave it an "OK" or one smiley instead the unhappy face.  It was because at the end, no matter how I felt about the rest of the story I was on the edge of my seat, I was tense and anticipatory. The author obviously accomplished the lead-up well and the writing was enough to have me involved. I wouldn't read it again but I do not feel that my time was wasted with this book.

Review: Sara's Laughter

Title: Sara's Laughter
Author: Tom Milton
Length: 196 pages
Publisher: Nepperhan Press LLC
Genre: Fiction, Religious fiction
Source: Goodreads Giveaway
My Rating:  
Synopsis (from Goodreads): Sara, a woman in her mid-thirties, is trying unsuccessfully to get pregnant. Her hope is kept alive by a dream in which she hears God tell her husband that she will have a baby. When something unexpected happens it looks as if her dream will come true, but when her plan is thwarted Sara discovers a side of her nature she never imagined.

My Review:  I received this book as an ARC from Goodreads. I really wanted to like this book but I just couldn't. I will start by saying that I am not a Catholic and this book relies heavily on the basis of Catholic faith. I am also very aware of and active in the adoptive community which is also a subject depicted in this book, not in the best of lights. The two previously stated facts mean that I might not be the best person to review this book.

However with that said, I did not find this book an enjoyable read. This book hit on many serious topics none of which were properly fleshed out. The characters were two dimensional and very stereotypical. I found myself actively disliking all of the characters. The story jumped around in time in a way that was not logical to me. The writing also caused me to need to re-read many sentences because the author would put a comment in quotations as part of a conversation and then follow it with "but I didn't say that". I was very ready for this story to end and end it did in a very tidy, pretty little package that was very unfulfilling and unrealistic.

Review: Stiletto 911

Title: Stiletto 911: The Makeover Manifesto of a Career Woman
Authors: Vivian Valtas Schmidt, Sue Publicover
Length: 269 pages
Publisher: Glamour Press House
Genre: Self-help, Chick-lit, Fiction
Source: Goodreads Giveaway
My Rating:
Synopsis (from Goodreads): “No matter how bad you’re feeling, you perk up when you have something to strut about — and in. But, while shoes are fun, stilettos represent a challenge. You can’t possibly slip on a pair of four-plus-inch stilettos for the first time and walk the walk without wobbling. Everyone starts in flats, because there’s no challenge to walking around in them — nor do you enjoy the feel of red-hot femininity and admiring glances. You have to work your way up, and the same is true in business: Inch by inch, we get taller. Our confidence rises. We will undoubtedly stumble —that’s called 'experience' — but we will never give up.”

Morgan Demarest is a twenty-three year old fashion diva who has a passion for shopping, stilettos, and indulgence. But her spree-filled life takes a life-altering turn when her fiery artist lover tosses Morgan and her precious designer wardrobe out of his Chicago loft. Having been raised by well-meaning parents who swooped in and saved the day on countless occasions, Morgan is distraught to find that safety net is now gone. As her self-centered world crumbles, Morgan is forced to take a hard look at her past, present, and future. She begins a surprising journey of self-discovery on the road to a new life — in the company of a 21st century Fairy Godmother who has her own set of rules.

This fable for today’s woman also features a series of 'footnotes' with advice, ideas, exercises, and the occasional kick in the big girl panties.

My Review:  This book sounded like it would be a fun read. I must admit that it was an easy read and it had some amusing moments and some of your typical self-help advice which everyone could use a reminder of now and then.

However the Fairy Godmother really irritated me. I don't think that there was any point where I liked her, which decidedly took away from the story. I also found that the timeline was a little hard to follow, i.e. had just one day past of a couple of months, and a few characters who commanded attention and weren't followed through with properly as the story progressed. Some of the advice given occasionally seemed to contradict, or be at odds with, other advice and the general intention of the book. Possibly a small or petty issue I had was some proof-reading errors and sentences that started with "and" and "but". These would not normally be a breaking point but along with the other issues I had they were noticeable.  In the end the story was summarily and tritely ended.

I hope that some people get some needed advice from this book and that I eventually get back into my stilettos. Unfortunately I would not recommend this book to my friends.

Review: Prague Fatale (Bernard Gunther #8)

Title: Prague Fatale (Bernard Gunther #8)
Author: Philip Kerr
Length: 416 pages
Publisher: A Marian Wood Book/Putnam
Genre: Historical fiction, Mystery, Political thriller
Source: ARC from Goodreads Giveaway
My Rating:
Synopsis (from Goodreads): September 1941: Reinhard Heydrich is hosting a gathering to celebrate his appointment as Reichsprotector of Czechoslovakia. He has chosen his guests with care. All are high-ranking Party members and each is a suspect in a crime as yet to be committed: the murder of Heydrich himself.
     Indeed, a murder does occur, but the victim is a young adjutant on Heydrich’s staff, found dead in his room, the door and windows bolted from the inside. Anticipating foul play, Heydrich had already ordered Bernie Gunther to Prague. After more than a decade in Berlin's Kripo, Bernie had jumped ship as the Nazis came to power, setting himself up as a private detective. But Heydrich, who managed to subsume Kripo into his own SS operations, has forced Bernie back to police work. Now, searching for the killer, Gunther must pick through the lives of some of the Reich’s most odious officials.
     A perfect locked-room mystery. But because Philip Kerr is a master of the sleight of hand, Prague Fatale is also a tense political thriller: a complex tale of spies, partisan terrorists, vicious infighting, and a turncoat traitor situated in the upper reaches of the Third Reich.

My Review: I'll start off by saying that I enjoyed this book. If possible I would actually give it 2.5 instead of 2. I have not read any previous Bernie Gunther novels but did not feel as if I had to to read this book. There was obviously some history I was missing between Heydrich and Gunther, but it did not really detract from the story. 

The mystery was an interesting one with some good twists and turns.  There is also a side romance involving Gunther and a woman named Arianne.  However that is all it was, a side story.  I didn't feel that it added much to the story though it did serve as a means to help tie up some loose ends.


This story kept me interested but not "on the edge of my chair" interested. I also felt that the story was a little uneven in it's pace. With that said I would definitely say that this book was worth my time and I would be willing to try reading something else by Philip Kerr. 

Review: Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey: The Lost Legacy of Highclere Castle

Title: Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey: The Lost Legacy of Highclere Castle
Author: The Countess of Carnarvon
Length: 320 pages
Publisher: Crown Publishing Group
Genre: Historical non-fiction, Biography
Source: Goodreads Giveaway
My Rating:
Synopsis (from Goodreads): Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey tells the story behind Highclere Castle, the real-life inspiration for the hit PBS show Downton Abbey, and the life of one of its most famous inhabitants, Lady Almina, the 5th Countess of Carnarvon and the basis of the fictional character Lady Cora Crawley.  Drawing on a rich store of materials from the archives of Highclere Castle, including diaries, letters, and photographs, the current Lady Carnarvon has written a transporting story of this fabled home on the brink of war.

Much like her Masterpiece Classic counterpart, Lady Almina was the daughter of a wealthy industrialist, Alfred de Rothschild, who married his daughter off at a young age, her dowry serving as the crucial link in the effort to preserve the Earl of Carnarvon's ancestral home.  Throwing open the doors of Highclere Castle to tend to the wounded of World War I, Lady Almina distinguished herself as a brave and remarkable woman.

This rich tale contrasts the splendor of Edwardian life in a great house against the backdrop of the First World War and offers an inspiring and revealing picture of the woman at the center of the history of Highclere Castle.

My Review: If you are looking for Downton Abbey in book form than this is not the book for you. I had a hard time with that at first. I was looking for the same feel of the Downton Abbey television series.  I wanted the stories of both those living in the castle and those whose job it is to keep it running smoothly.  There is obviously some of that in this book but as it is not a fictional story written for drama, it can not be the same.

It's well written and a good history. There are lots of interesting pieces of information and connections. I found both Lady Almina and her husband, the 5th Count of Carnarvon, very compelling subjects. The Count in particular played a large part in a wonderful, historical find of that time period.  This story is not solely about Lady Almina and Highclere castle which I felt actually added something to the book. 
  
However, I think I frequently got side tracked by the many names thrown out there not pertinent to the story. Names that were obviously important names in that time in English history, but since they were often not more than a mention it did as much, if not more, to distract from the book than it did to add to it. If you are interested in this time in English history I am sure you will enjoy this book.