Saturday, September 28, 2013

On the Come Up

By Hannah Weyer   Based on a true story, this author narrates
the life of a young girl she calls AnnMarie Walker. This thirteen year old girl lives on the edge of life. Raised in and out of foster care, a father she has never met and mother who is full of love but not always capable of parenting. With all the odds against her AnnMarie is brave, she is smart and she wants more. AnnMarie lives in a rough neighborhood with barely enough money or food stamps to get by, but she works it. She sells ice pops to make money for "back to school" and she has the singing voice of an angel. Pregnant and feeling alone AnnMarie finds an opportunity to audition for an indie film and it is this experience that takes her out of Far Rock for the first time. She is a hard worker with little support or guidance but finds love and friendship and even humor where its least expected. Told with compassion and honesty, this story is written in an urban vernacular that is so real the characters voices will remain in your heart long after the novel ends. Do not miss this glimpse into the life of a remarkable young woman faced with many obstacles and unending hope. Highly recommend this unique, outstanding first novel. BUY TODAY! On the Come Up: A Novel, Based on a True Story

Wednesday, September 25, 2013

The Yonahlossee Riding Camp for Girls

By Anton Disclafani    Magnificent writing, captivating characters
and a storyline that takes the reader on a journey back in time and deep in the heart of old Florida and the beautiful Blue Ridge Mountains. Thea and Sam have spent their entire childhoods on a huge orange grove in Florida. It is the 1930's and America is suffering from the Depression while women succumb to strict guidelines that are not to be forsaken. Thea, short for Theodora, is an avid and talented horsewoman while her twin Sam is a naturalist. The twins are home schooled by their physician father in the mornings while their afternoons explore the world outside. As Thea becomes a woman and natural curiosity surfaces, she is conflicted by her thoughts and desires and has had little, if any, interaction with other people aside from the occasional visit from her cousin Georgie whom she adores. After unexpected tragedy explodes over their quiet lives, Thea's parents send her away to boarding school. This adolescent awakening details her experience filled with mixed emotions of love and loss and new beginnings. I was not initially drawn to this title and have no knowledge whatsoever of horses but the minute I picked up this fabulous new novel, I could not put it down! Do not miss this incredible read! BUY TODAY!!  The Yonahlossee Riding Camp for Girls: A Novel

Saturday, September 21, 2013

Covet

By Tracey Garvis Graves    transitive verb: to wish for earnestly,
desire what belongs to another. After thoroughly loving NY Times bestselling On the Island, we waited with baited breath for Covet to arrive. The story of a few friends in a small Kansas suburb living a perfectly ordinary quiet life until - it is not. And the families living the American dream in these manicured homes filled with darling blonde haired blue eyed children, are not always what they appear to be. There is gambling addiction, alcoholism, infertility, infidelity and unemployment. Maybe this is why Covet is so easy to read (one long sitting) because although fairly predictable, it is real and more common than one might imagine. The writing is simple yet satisfying and the manner in which this author builds the story pulls the reader into their lives and their hearts. As the main couple Chris and Claire share their secrets for better and for worse, the reader can visualize the characters and the scenarios playing out scene by scene. Highly recommend this easy, enjoyable read, a glimpse into a marriage that will stay on your mind long after the book is over. BUY TODAY!!   Covet

Friday, September 20, 2013

The Affairs of Others

By Amy Grace Loyd  Intriguing novel focused on Celia Cassill,
landlord of a small building in Brooklyn, NY.  Celia, a widow, has already faced the loss of a lifetime at a very young age. She has encountered mixed emotions of anger, bitterness, fear, loneliness and just pure sadness. Retreating into a life of seclusion Celia purchases and renovates a small building carefully selecting her tenants based on a level of privacy. In a world where there are few secrets and little separateness Celia has successfully placed herself apart from everyone and everything until one day, George, a tenant heartbroken by a lover, moves to Paris and sublets his apartment to an intriguing woman named Hope. The building as Celia knows it begins to change at a rapid pace and as Celia fights the intrusion, she subconsciously welcomes it, this may be her path back to the world of the living. Excellent writing, highly recommend this unique story filled with quirky characters facing real life issues both large and small that we all share in this sometimes crazy world we call home. BUY TODAY!!
The Affairs of Others: A Novel

Sunday, September 15, 2013

Early Decision

By Lacy Crawford     Anne, a Princeton graduate and professional
college counselor spends her days and nights pampering highschool seniors through the hazards of college applications. Her services represent a luxury for the very wealthy parents that need a guiding/holding hand even with their alumni donations and board of trustee positions. Few exceptions, like the top student whose mother is not yet a US Citizen or the Harvard bound awesome teen whose abilities have so completely surpassed her parents they fear letting her down. This bizarre and humorous story displays the truly complex act of writing personal essays for the first time, the pressure and expectations over the top successful parents have placed on their children's heads since birth (actually shout "Do you really think this is about you?") and unpredictable process applicants experience that is a long road to an uncertain future. In addition, Anne has her own love life mishaps and 27 year old woes which include the magic question of "What do I want to do with the rest of my life?"  Entertaining, quick read to make you laugh at the characters and maybe at yourself :-)  If you or those you love are riding this crazy rollercoaster A MUST READ! BUY TODAY!!
Early Decision: Based on a True Frenzy

The Good Lord Bird

By James McBride   Captivating fictionalized retelling of the famous
John Brown raid on Harpers Ferry pre- Civil War told through the eyes of a child. Not your ordinary child. "Little Onion" as she is called is a 12 year old slave that finds herself freed and traveling with Old John Brown and his fellow abolitionists through Kansas after her father is killed in a barber shop shootout. But "she" is really a "he" called Henry, a mistake Old John Brown made early on that never found its way to the truth. This group of odd misfits, led by the Old Man and including many of his own grown sons, are searching for the perfect way to do the Lords work by ending slavery once and for all. Old Man avoids capture, bullets by a fraction of a hair and performs hour long sermons in the middle of the battlefield. The main characters in the novel are funny, smart and shockingly likable. The writing is superb and storyline interesting. But fellow readers, my one and only drawback. It is very very long. I felt like it could have had an incredible impact and been about 100 pages shorter to get the same effect. TO PURCHASE JUST CLICK
The Good Lord Bird: A Novel

Thursday, September 5, 2013

Where She Went

By Gayle Forman   The sequel to bestseller "If I Stay"
continues the saga and love story shared by Mia and Adam. Mia has gone off to Julliard to become the cellist she was meant to be, while Adams dreams come true and his rock band takes off to unexpected heights. Three years have passed and Mia and Adam have lost all contact while leading separate lives and following their dreams. But the past still haunts them both. The friendship and intimacy they shared cannot be forgotten and chances bring them together again in NYC. Adam has a delayed flight, Mia is performing at Carnegie Hall and their paths cross as the truth and the future lays out before them. This is a quick enjoyable read and great conclusion to If I Stay, which I adored. If characters tend to stay put in your mind long after the book ends, it is fun to read how things might have turned out.  If I Stay took the reader to unexpected places and Where She Went is much more predictable but I am glad I read them both!  BUY TODAY!!
Where She Went (If I Stay)

The Gravity of Birds

By Tracy Guzeman  Alice and Natalie, sisters growing
up in the 1960's, spend a month with their parents at a rented lake house. Next door lives a charismatic artist named Thomas Bayber, whom intrigues both the girls and their parents. Alice, an avid birdwatcher and only 13 yrs old, finds this handsome stranger an intellectual that she has instant chemistry with as Thomas listens to Alice and doesn't dismiss her thoughts as adolescent. Natalie, a 17 yr old manipulative beauty immediately begins her game of cat and mouse. And so begins an affair of sorts between two sisters and one man that changes all of their lives forever. 35 years later, a search begins for an infamous painting of the girls that Thomas has kept hidden. As the end of his life is drawing near Thomas must find the missing pieces and the missing girls. Tales of the heart, lies, deceit and cover ups have slowly eaten away at the love/hate relationship Natalie and Alice share. Professor Finch and an art expert Stephen Jameson step in to uncover the mystery that lies behind the painting, the artist and the subjects portrayed. This novel explores many different relationships and an artists life. Highly recommend this excellent writing, though keep in mind it is neither light nor quick.  BUY TODAY!!
The Gravity of Birds: A Novel