Review: The Solitary House

Title: The Solitary House
Author: Lynn Shepherd
Length: 340 pages
Publisher: Delacorte Press
Genre: Historical Fiction, Mystery, Suspense
Source: Publisher as part of Early Bird Reads
My Rating:
Synopsis (from Goodreads): London, 1850. Charles Maddox had been an up-and-coming officer for the Metropolitan police until a charge of insubordination abruptly ended his career. Now he works alone, struggling to eke out a living by tracking down criminals. Whenever he needs it, he has the help of his great-uncle Maddox, a legendary “thief taker,” a detective as brilliant and intuitive as they come.

On Charles’s latest case, he’ll need all the assistance he can get.

To his shock, Charles has been approached by Edward Tulkinghorn, the shadowy and feared attorney, who offers him a handsome price to do some sleuthing for a client. Powerful financier Sir Julius Cremorne has been receiving threatening letters, and Tulkinghorn wants Charles to—discreetly—find and stop whoever is responsible.

But what starts as a simple, open-and-shut case swiftly escalates into something bigger and much darker. As he cascades toward a collision with an unspeakable truth, Charles can only be aided so far by Maddox. The old man shows signs of forgetfulness and anger, symptoms of an age-related ailment that has yet to be named.

Intricately plotted and intellectually ambitious, The Solitary House is an ingenious novel that does more than spin an enthralling tale: it plumbs the mysteries of the human mind.

My Review: The Solitary House was a gripping, if somewhat confusing, novel of suspense. Lynn Shepherd did an excellent job of making her reader feel as if they were a part of 1850's London. While reading this book I felt transported which always makes for a better read. As dreary a place as London in the 1850's could be, I enjoyed being there, feeling it, smelling it.


I found Charles to to be a bit naive/brash on occasions which caused me to feel a little upset with him at times. This, however, only took away slightly from the overall feel of the book. I loved how Shepherd used perspective in her writing. Writing as if we were an audience watching the story with her. The feeling that we were "in the know". I don't think I've ever read a book from that perspective before.I also must admit that Inspector Bucket became quite  favorite at the end!


The sub-plot was introduced and played out in a very intriguing way. The ending was a surprise to me and I felt as if there were a few loose ends that weren't tied up. That being said, I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested in suspense, mysteries, historical London, and an overall good story.  I am looking forward to reading Ms. Shepherd's first book, Murder at Mansfield Park!

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!

Review: The Man Who Changed The Way We Eat

Title: The Man Who Changed The Way We Eat: Craig Claiborne And The American Food Renaissance
Author: Thomas McNamee
Length: 320 pages
Publisher: Free Press
Genre: Non-fiction, Biography
Source: Publisher
My Rating:
Synopsis (from Goodreads): From his first day on the job as the New York Times food critic, Craig Claiborne excited readers by introducing them to food worlds unknown, from initiating them in the standards of the finest French cuisine and the tantalizing joys of the then mostly unknown foods of India, China, Mexico, Spain, to extolling the pleasures of “exotic” ingredients like arugula, and praising “newfangled” tools like the Cuisinart, which once he’d given his stamp of approval became wildly popular. A good review of a restaurant guaranteed a full house for weeks, while a bad review might close a kitchen down.      Based on unprecedented access to Claiborne’s personal papers and interviews with a host of food world royalty, including Jacques Pepin, Gael Greene, and Alice Waters, Tom McNamee offers a lively and vivid account of Claiborne’s extraordinary adventure in food, from his own awakening in the bistros of Paris, to his legendary wine-soaked dinner parties, to his travels to colorful locals from Morocco to Saigon, and the infamous $4,000 dinner he shared in Paris with French chef Pierre Franey that made front-page news. More than an engrossing biography, this is the story of the country’s transition from enchantment with frozen TV dinners to a new consciousness of truly good cooking.

My Thoughts: This was a fascinating book. My friends consider me a "foodie", though I don't agree. I love to eat at nice restaurants, try new dishes, and experiment with my cooking club. None of those things however make me a true "foodie". I am just not that knowledgeable. Craig Claiborne was a "foodie", perhaps the first in our country, and he brought a desire for that knowledge to a large percentage of people just like me. I never read one of Claiborne's columns but had I, I would have been one of his devoted followers. Learning about the life and career of such a man was a wonderful discovery for me.


McNamee makes Claiborne come alive. As I was reading the book I found myself making the journey with Claiborne and wishing that I was more than just a voyeur. I wanted to be a part of the lavish dinner parties, on the trips to Europe to explore the newest restaurants, and to have written some of the amazing cookbooks which carry the Claiborn byline.

However, as is true with anyone, Claiborne was not just his public persona. He had an unseen, and for that time period, scandalous personal life. He lived with the same demons a lot of us do and had the same character flaws too. This does not distract from the persona of Claiborne but serves to make him someone that more of us can relate to.

If you are interested in food at all I think that this biography is definitely worth the time to read. I not only learned a lot about the food revolution in America but I was left with a respect for what it took to make it come about, not to mention a compelling need to go out and buy The New York Times Cookbook.

Review: The Underside of Joy + A Giveaway

Title: The Underside of Joy
Author: Sere Prince Halverson
Length: 307 pages
Publisher: Dutton Adult
Genre: Fiction
Source: Purchased
My Rating:
Synopsis (from Goodreads): Against the backdrop of redwood forests and shimmering vineyards, Seré Prince Halverson's compelling debut tells the story of two women, bound by an unspeakable loss, who each claims to be the mother of the same two children.

To Ella Beene, happiness means living in the northern California river town of Elbow with her husband, Joe, and his two young children. Yet one summer day Joe breaks his own rule--never turn your back on the ocean--and a sleeper wave strikes him down, drowning not only the man but his many secrets.

For three years, Ella has been the only mother the kids have known and has believed that their biological mother, Paige, abandoned them. But when Paige shows up at the funeral, intent on reclaiming the children, Ella soon realizes there may be more to Paige and Joe's story. "Ella's the best thing that's happened to this family," say her Italian-American in-laws, for generations the proprietors of a local market. But their devotion quickly falters when the custody fight between mother and stepmother urgently and powerfully collides with Ella's quest for truth.

The Underside of Joy is not a fairy-tale version of stepmotherhood pitting good Ella against evil Paige, but an exploration of the complex relationship of two mothers. Their conflict uncovers a map of scars--both physical and emotional--to the families' deeply buried tragedies, including Italian internment camps during World War II and postpartum psychosis.

Weaving a rich fictional tapestry abundantly alive with the natural beauty of the novel's setting, Halverson is a captivating guide through the flora and fauna of human emotions.


My Thoughts: I really, really enjoyed this book! It was well written and an easy read. The subject matter was not easy but the writing pulled you in and made this book extremely readable. I loved Ella. She was real. I could see myself doing a lot of the things that she does which made me relate to her even though I have not had the same experiences. 


This is a story about family in it's many forms, about loss, about not being perfect, and about forgiveness. Do yourself a favor and read this book! I don't think you'll be disappointed!


Giveaway!!!

This is my first giveaway!! Yay!! I purchased this book through Amazon to read for the Manic Mommies Book Club, hosted by Bookworm with a View and then I received a copy in the mail from a giveaway I'd forgotten I'd entered. Thank you Manic Mommies! I would like to pass this second copy along so that someone else can experience this lovely book! Please use the Rafflecopter below and I will announce the winner on Monday, May 14th!  Good Luck!
 Edited to state that this giveaway is for the US only

Review: Little Bee

Title: Little Bee
Author: Chris Cleave
Length: 267 pages
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
Genre: Fiction
Source: Purchased
My Rating:
Synopsis (from Goodreads): WE DON'T WANT TO TELL YOU TOO MUCH ABOUT THIS BOOK.

It is a truly special story and we don't want to spoil it.
Nevertheless, you need to know something, so we will just say this:
This is the story of two women: Their lives collide one fateful day, and one of them has to make a terrible choice, the kind of choice we hope you never have to face. Two years later, they meet again-- the story starts there...

Once you have read it, you'll want to tell your friends about it. When you do, please don't tell them what happens. The magic is in how the story unfolds.

My Thoughts:This was a very interesting story.  I'm not going to say anything relating to the plot as I wish to respect the author's wishes. I loved hearing from Little Bee. Her character and point of view were compelling and well written. I felt as if she was speaking directly to me. She managed to make me feel empathy for her and slightly ashamed of "Us" as a population at the same time. This book will make you question your own beliefs as well as tell you the story of a world few of us think to consider. Are you curious? If so it is worth your time to see what the fuss is about.

Review: Secret Daughter

Title: Secret Daughter
Author: Shilpi Somaya Gowda
Length: 368 pages
Publisher: William Morrow
Genre: Fiction
Source: Purchased
My Rating:
Synopsis (from Goodreads): On the eve of the monsoons, in a remote Indian village, Kavita gives birth to a baby girl. But in a culture that favors sons, the only way for Kavita to save her newborn daughter's life is to give her away. It is a decision that will haunt her and her husband for the rest of their lives, even after the arrival of their cherished son.

Halfway around the globe, Somer, an American doctor, decides to adopt a child after making the wrenching discovery that she will never have one of her own. When she and her husband, Krishnan, see a photo of the baby with the gold-flecked eyes from a Mumbai orphanage, they are overwhelmed with emotion. Somer knows life will change with the adoption but is convinced that the love they already feel will overcome all obstacles.

Interweaving the stories of Kavita, Somer, and the child that binds both of their destinies, Secret Daughter poignantly explores the emotional terrain of motherhood, loss, identity, and love, as witnessed through the lives of two families—one Indian, one American—and the child that indelibly connects them.

My Thoughts: Gowda provides one of the most thought provoking books I've read in a while. The story is not only a page turner but one that will have you thinking about the characters, locales, and issues long after you've stopped turning the pages. She takes us on a journey into a world that many of us have never even really considered, let alone been part of. 

Gowda brings very compelling issues into mainstream thought through an engrossing story. Issues that, but for this story, would remain unknown for a large portion of it's readers. We are presented with the reality of arranged marriage, gender preference leading to infanticide, the brutal truths of life lived in a shanty town in India, infertility, the challenge of raising a child of inter-cultural adoption, the identity issues which arise for an adoptee, and the meaning of family. The beauty of Gowda's writing is that even with all this it is still an incredibly accessible book.

The writing in this book is incredibly descriptive and engrossing. Gowda made India come alive for me. I became so immersed in Gowda's India that I had ended up with such a craving to go out one night and experience some of the wonderful food I was reading about.  I have now tasted Bengan bhartha, which is delicious! 

This is an amazing debut book by Shilpi Somaya Gowda and I highly recommend it!

Review: The Bungalow

Title: The Bungalow
Author: Sarah Jio
Length: 290 pages
Publisher: Plume
Genre: Fiction, Historical Fiction
Source: Purchased
My Rating:
Synopsis (from Goodreads): A sweeping World War II saga of thwarted love, murder, and a long-lost painting.
In the summer of 1942, twenty-one-year-old Anne Calloway, newly engaged, sets off to serve in the Army Nurse Corps on the Pacific island of Bora-Bora. More exhilarated by the adventure of a lifetime than she ever was by her predictable fiancé, she is drawn to a mysterious soldier named Westry, and their friendship soon blossoms into hues as deep as the hibiscus flowers native to the island. Under the thatched roof of an abandoned beach bungalow, the two share a private world-until they witness a gruesome crime, Westry is suddenly redeployed, and the idyll vanishes into the winds of war.
A timeless story of enduring passion, The Bungalow chronicles Anne's determination to discover the truth about the twin losses-of life, and of love-that have haunted her for seventy years.

My Review: I was very hesitant to pick this book up. Sarah Jio's first book had come very highly recommended and I hate to say it but I really didn't like it. The secondary story held me enthralled for most of it but it ended up falling flat for me. I won't go into why, as this is not a review of The Violets of March. Now a new Sarah Jio book was being talked up, The Bungalow. Well if you knew me you would know that I would not be able to automatically pass by a book with a cover as beautiful as The Bungalow's. That cover is where I want to be! This book was literally "love at first sight". I think that it could have been about anything and I would not have been able to resist! Luckily the storyline also sounded very interesting.


I started reading this book while I was also reading two other books. I switched back and forth for about the first half of the book. I found myself always waiting anxiously until it was time to return to The Bungalow. Anne, Westry, and the beauty of Bora Bora, which you couldn't help but feel transported to, had captured me. I wanted to be in the bungalow and part of the mystery and romance. Once I got to the halfway point I just couldn't put it down anymore! I finished it in one sitting! The beauty, romance, loss, tension, and yearning that was The Bungalow stayed with me long after I closed the book and put it down.


This book is what Sarah Jio started to show me she could do in The Violets of March. I highly recommend The Bungalow! If you've read it I'd love to hear your opinions!

Review: A Night to Remember

Title: A Night to Remember
Author: Walter Lord
Length: 208 pages
Publisher: Open Road Media
Genre: Non-fiction, History
Source: Purchased
My Rating:
Synopsis (from Goodreads): James Cameron's 1997 Titanic movie is a smash hit, but Walter Lord's 1955 classic remains in some ways unsurpassed. Lord interviewed scores of Titanic passengers, fashioning a gripping you-are-there account of the ship's sinking that you can read in half the time it takes to see the film. The book boasts many perfect movie moments not found in Cameron's film. When the ship hits the berg, passengers see "tiny splinters of ice in the air, fine as dust, that give off myriads of bright colors whenever caught in the glow of the deck lights." Survivors saw dawn reflected off other icebergs in a rainbow of shades, depending on their angle toward the sun: pink, mauve, white, deep blue--a landscape so eerie, a little boy tells his mom, "Oh, Muddie, look at the beautiful North Pole with no Santa Claus on it." A Titanic funnel falls, almost hitting a lifeboat--and consequently washing it 30 yards away from the wreck, saving all lives aboard. One man calmly rides the vertical boat down as it sinks, steps into the sea, and doesn't even get his head wet while waiting to be successfully rescued. On one side of the boat, almost no males are permitted in the lifeboats; on the other, even a male Pekingese dog gets a seat. Lord includes a crucial, tragically ironic drama Cameron couldn't fit into the film: the failure of the nearby ship Californian to save all those aboard the sinking vessel because distress lights were misread as random flickering and the telegraph was an early wind-up model that no one wound.

Lord's account is also smarter about the horrifying class structure of the disaster, which Cameron reduces to hollow Hollywood formula. No children died in the First and Second Class decks; 53 out of 76 children in steerage died. According to the press, which regarded the lower-class passengers as a small loss to society, "The night was a magnificent confirmation of women and children first, yet somehow the loss rate was higher for Third Class children than First Class men." As the ship sank, writes Lord, "the poop deck, normally Third Class space ... was suddenly becoming attractive to all kinds of people." Lord's logic is as cold as the Atlantic, and his bitter wit is quite dry.

My Review: I picked this book up for the Kindle on 4/13/12 during the Kindle Daily Deal. I had never read a book about the Titanic before and as this had gotten great reviews and it was the 100th anniversary of the Titanic sinking I thought that it was a good time to change that.

I found this book engaging, engrossing, gripping and simply fascinating! It was a well written and, from what I could tell, thorough account of that night. I felt connected to the passengers and crew that were on the Titanic during this horrific time. One of the things I liked best about this book is that there weren't liberties taken, drama wasn't added to make the book more exciting. This was simply the story of the Titanic's last night. I felt that Lord also did a good job of discussing the social expectations at play when the Titanic sunk and how they were changed as a result of that tragedy.

I would not hesitate to recommend this book to anyone interested in the story of the Titanic.

Review: Radioactive: Marie and Pierre Curie, A Tale of Love and Fallout

Title: Radioactive: Marie and Pierre Curie, A Tale of Love and Fallout
Author: Lauren Redniss
Length: 208 pages
Publisher: !T Books
Genre: Historical non-fiction, Biography
Source: Purchased
My Rating:
Synopsis (from Goodreads):
In 1891, 24 year old Marie, nEe Marya Sklodowska, moved from Warsaw to Paris, where she found work in the laboratory of Pierre Curie, a scientist engaged in research on heat and magnetism. They fell in love. They took their honeymoon on bicycles. They expanded the periodic table, discovering two new elements with startling properties, radium and polonium. They recognized radioactivity as an atomic property, heralding the dawn of a new scientific era. They won the Nobel Prize. Newspapers mythologized the couple's romance, beginning articles on the Curies with "Once upon a time . . . " Then, in 1906, Pierre was killed in a freak accident. Marie continued their work alone. She won a second Nobel Prize in 1911, and fell in love again, this time with the married physicist Paul Langevin. Scandal ensued. Duels were fought.
In the century since the Curies began their work, we've struggled with nuclear weapons proliferation, debated the role of radiation in medical treatment, and pondered nuclear energy as a solution to climate change. In "Radioactive," Lauren Redniss links these contentious questions to a love story in 19th Century Paris.
"Radioactive" draws on Redniss's original reporting in Asia, Europe and the United States, her interviews with scientists, engineers, weapons specialists, atomic bomb survivors, and Marie and Pierre Curie's own granddaughter.
Whether young or old, scientific novice or expert, no one will fail to be moved by Lauren Redniss's eerie and wondrous evocation of one of history's most intriguing figures.

My Review: I really enjoyed this book.  It is a true feast for the eyes, a work of art. Every page has a different layout, different font, different colors.  You have two choices with this book, you can read the story by either the words or the illustrations.

Besides the obvious visual interest the book provides it also gives you an introduction to Madame and Pierre Curie and the history of the discovery of radioactivity. I found this just an introduction which left me with a curiosity to learn more. I would be really interested in reading a longer biography on the Curies and a more in-depth history of radioactivity. In this aspect I found the book a little bit lacking. I was not satisfied at the end. However the fact that it sparked my interest enough for me to want to seek out further information is to it's credit.

I believe that this book is worth a look if only for the visual feast it is. If you are interested in Marie and Pierre Curie or the discovery of radioactivity you will definitely find this book to be something special!

Review: The Book Thief

Title: The Book Thief
Author: Markus Zusak
Length: 552
Publisher: Alfred A. Knopf
Genre: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Young Adult
Source: Purchased
My Rating:
Synopsis: (from Goodreads): It’s just a small story really, about among other things: a girl, some words, an accordionist, some fanatical Germans, a Jewish fist-fighter, and quite a lot of thievery....

Set during World War II in Germany, Markus Zusak’s groundbreaking new novel is the story of Liesel Meminger, a foster girl living outside of Munich. Liesel scratches out a meager existence for herself by stealing when she encounters something she can’t resist–books. With the help of her accordion-playing foster father, she learns to read and shares her stolen books with her neighbors during bombing raids as well as with the Jewish man hidden in her basement before he is marched to Dachau.

This is an unforgettable story about the ability of books to feed the soul.

My Review:  This was a very interesting book.  It took me awhile to really appreciate it. I started reading and thought "It's good, but I don't really understand all the hype." I'm not sure exactly when I began to really appreciate this book but appreciate it I did.  

This book is unique in a few different ways. First, it is the only book I've read where the main character was a non-Jewish German child.   This does not mean that the war didn't change her life drastically but it was not your typical story of the persecuted Jew. There is a character that fits that description in this book but I don't feel that his story was stereotypical either.  Second, the narrator is Death or the Grim Reaper, whichever you prefer. He, once again, is not what you might expect. He feels almost benevolent while adding a global view to a story centered around one young girl.  Through him you see not only her story but are able to feel the horrible impact of the war on a larger scale while not being intimately acquainted with it. Death's imagery, his voice, is comforting and haunting all at the same time. Third, it is a story told through a procession of books, through a love of books.

I found this to be a story of childhood, friendship, rebellion, bravery, loss, books, words, and most of all love in the midst of WWII Germany. This is a beautifully written story. A book that is worth your time to get to know.