tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-42246391829382829642024-03-13T10:12:32.584-04:00Kristen's Book Nook"A home without books is a body without soul." - Marcus Tullius CiceroKristenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11616941043064124492noreply@blogger.comBlogger588125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4224639182938282964.post-5832402173080664212013-05-25T09:00:00.000-04:002013-05-25T09:00:09.247-04:00Audiobook Review: The Perfect Hope by Nora Roberts<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SAvnBXr1ggE/UYe1puqqWXI/AAAAAAAAGCY/sA0VstlhzlQ/s1600/12951824.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-SAvnBXr1ggE/UYe1puqqWXI/AAAAAAAAGCY/sA0VstlhzlQ/s320/12951824.jpg" width="193" /></a></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>The Perfect Hope</i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>Author:</b> Nora Roberts</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>Narrator:</b> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">MacLeod Andrews</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>Published:</b> November 6, 2012</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>Genre:</b> chick lit</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>Audiobook:</b> 9 discs (approx. 11 hours)</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;"><b>Source:</b> borrowed from the library</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;"><u style="font-weight: bold;">My Rating:</u> 3 stars</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 16px;"><u style="font-weight: bold;">Synopsis (from GoodReads):</u> </span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>Ryder is the hardest Montgomery brother to figure out—with a tough-as-nails outside and possibly nothing too soft underneath. He’s surly and unsociable, but when he straps on a tool belt, no woman can resist his sexy swagger. Except apparently Hope Beaumont, the innkeeper of his own Inn BoonsBoro…</i></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">As the former manager of a D.C. hotel, Hope is used to excitement and glamour, but that doesn’t mean she can’t appreciate the joys of small-town living. She’s where she wants to be—except for in her love life. Her only interaction with the opposite sex has been sparring with the infuriating Ryder, who always seems to get under her skin. Still, no one can deny the electricity that crackles between them…a spark that ignited with a New Year’s Eve kiss.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">While the Inn is running smoothly, thanks to Hope’s experience and unerring instincts, her big-city past is about to make an unwelcome—and embarrassing—appearance. Seeing Hope vulnerable stirs up Ryder’s emotions and makes him realize that while Hope may not be perfect, she just might be perfect for him…</span></i></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><u style="font-weight: bold;">My Thoughts:</u> This is the last book in the BoonsBoro trilogy and I was sad for it to have ended so quickly. I really enjoyed the small town setting for this book and some of the characters are enjoyable to read about, so having it come to an end after three books seems like a bit of a let down. Like the previous two books, this book focuses on one of the Montgomery brothers (this time it's Ryder), and a female that he obviously will fall in love with and want to marry (which is Hope). This is a Nora Roberts book, so it's pretty formulaic in what you are getting. That's why I don't think it's a spoiler to tell you that Ryder and Hope fall in love ... you know it will happen when you read the description, and if you've read the other two books in this series, then you know that it's definitely going to happen! That's one of the blessings and curses about a Roberts novel ... you know exactly what you are getting.</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">The characters in this novel are the same ones that we've seen throughout the series, so not much changes there. No one really changes or grows, they all just keep on living their small-town lives in bliss. For me, the thing that prevented me from really enjoying this book is the ghost factor. I like the fact that there is a ghost that inhabits the inn, but the fact that they can see her and they talk back and forth like she is an actual person at times ... it was just a little too weird. And the weirdest part of all? Not on character freaked out at the fact that they were seeing a ghost! Call me crazy, but I feel like in a room full of people, at least one person should have had a reaction to seeing a ghost.</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">Am I sad to have this familiar group of characters wrap up their stories and end the series? A bit ... but it just means that I'm off to explore some non-Roberts audiobooks in hte future. She is a go-to for me in audiobooks, but I feel like it's time that I listen to some other books, something that isn't as predictable and easy-going.</span></span></div>
Kristenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11616941043064124492noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4224639182938282964.post-89213257551410254032013-05-23T13:17:00.001-04:002013-05-23T13:17:28.400-04:00Ending a Chapter (or some other cheesy title)<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Well, it's taken me awhile to come to this decision, and even longer to sit down and write it out, but I have decided to stop blogging for the time being.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Since the beginning of the year, blogging has been feeling like this awful chore that I have to do instead of something that I want to do. I no longer look forward to writing reviews or participating in weekly memes. I would finish a book and think, "Oh God, now I have to write a review about it." That's a feeling that I don't ever want to feel in terms of books and reading, and this is the main reason why I feel like I need to step away from blogging right now.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I don't know if this is a forever break or just a temporary one, but I know that this what I need to do right now. I still enjoy reading and getting lost in a good book, but the blogging end of things has really just gotten me down lately, so I feel it is best to step away and focus on what does make me happy.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I continue to read book blogs and read other's reviews, so it's not like I'm disengaging from the blogging community entirely. I have learned so much from bloggers and I've been introduced to so many wonderful books because of bloggers. I'm grateful to have been a part of this wonderful community and to have interacted with so many of you. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">For anyone who has taken the time to visit my blog, to read one of my reviews, or to leave a comment on one of my posts, I just want to thank you for taking the time to stop into my small corner of the Internet and read my thoughts. I look forward to reading more great book reviews and reading great books, even if I will no longer post about them.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">So, for now, this is good-bye!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">-Kristen</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">PS - I still have a few reviews that I've already written that are schedule to go up, so if you see one of those pop up, just know that it was written some time ago.</span>Kristenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11616941043064124492noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4224639182938282964.post-68187412101478623922013-05-20T09:00:00.000-04:002013-05-20T09:00:02.516-04:00Reivew: Mrs. Queen Takes the Train by William Kuhn<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FkUE6AA97lE/UYJtr3HLVSI/AAAAAAAAGAo/onWMMjZFNXc/s1600/MrsQueen_hc_c_(2)_high_res-330.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-FkUE6AA97lE/UYJtr3HLVSI/AAAAAAAAGAo/onWMMjZFNXc/s320/MrsQueen_hc_c_(2)_high_res-330.jpg" width="209" /></a></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>Mrs. Queen Takes the Train</i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>Author:</b> William Kuhn</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>Published:</b> October 16, 2012</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>Genre:</b> contemporary fiction</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>Hardcover:</b> 374 pages</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>Source:</b> borrowed from the library</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><u style="font-weight: bold;">My Rating:</u> 3.5 stars</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><u style="font-weight: bold;">Synopsis (from GoodReads):</u> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>After decades of service and years of watching her family's troubles splashed across the tabloids, Britain's Queen is beginning to feel her age. She needs some proper cheering up. An unexpected opportunity offers her relief: an impromptu visit to a place that holds happy memories--the former royal yacht, Britannia, now moored near Edinburgh. Hidden beneath a skull-emblazoned hoodie, the limber Elizabeth (thank goodness for yoga) walks out of Buckingham Palace into the freedom of a rainy London day and heads for King's Cross to catch a train to Scotland. But a characterful cast of royal attendants has discovered her missing. In uneasy alliance a lady-in-waiting, a butler, an equerry, a girl from the stables, a dresser, and a clerk from the shop that supplies Her Majesty's cheese set out to find her and bring her back before her absence becomes a national scandal.</i></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">Mrs Queen Takes the Train is a clever novel, offering a fresh look at a woman who wonders if she, like Britannia herself, has, too, become a relic of the past. William Kuhn paints a charming yet biting portrait of British social, political, and generational rivalries--between upstairs and downstairs, the monarchy and the government, the old and the young. Comic and poignant, fast paced and clever, this delightful debut tweaks the pomp of the monarchy, going beneath its rigid formality to reveal the human heart of the woman at its center.</span></i></span><div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><u style="font-weight: bold;">My Thoughts:</u> I am a royal watcher. There, I said it and I have no shame in admitting it. There is something about the British royal family that is so intriguing and interesting, especially since as an American, we don't have a family like that which we can look up to (the first family changes every four to eight years). And at the head of that family is the Queen, a private woman who does her duty wonderfully. William Kuhn explores what would happen if the Queen just decided to leave one day. I'm sure it's something that everyone has wondered about ("Do royals wish they were us?" and questions like that), so he went ahead and wrote a novel focused on the Queen leaving Buckingham Palace one day and journeying to Scotland. Now, the only royal who makes an appearance in this novel is the Queen, so if you were expecting some interaction among the royal family, then you are out of luck. But there is quite the cast of characters, mostly comprised of the household staff. So, if you are a fan of Downton Abbey, then this is a book that you would probably love because it reminded me so much of that show.</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">Kuhn is a nonfiction writer and this is his first foray into the world of fiction. I think that his topic for his first novel was a great one and something that he was able to write knowledgably about. He knows quite a bit about the royal family, and that comes across in his writing. It's also great how he structures the Queen's staff. There is a cast of people working for the Queen and in the palace, but he selects just a few to join the story, ensuring that you are never overwhelmed with the amount of people moving around or their relationship to the Queen. I do think that his writing was a bit stiff, which is a reflection of his background. I hope that if he continues with fiction in the future that the stiffness will lessen, but who knows?!</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">If you enjoy Downton Abbey, then you will definitely like this book. If you were a fan of <i><a href="http://kristens-booknook.blogspot.com/2012/03/review-major-pettigrews-last-stand-by.html">Major Pettigrew's Last Stand</a></i>, then you will probably like this book. It's a cute and simple read and one that really engaged my imagination. It's not too rushed, never overwhelming, and a very cute story to get wrapped up in.</span></span></div>
Kristenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11616941043064124492noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4224639182938282964.post-23312936500233398432013-05-18T09:00:00.000-04:002013-05-18T09:00:02.545-04:00Audiobook Review: The Last Boyfriend by Nora Roberts<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--qn6v6WQRrc/UXqNj8CdbAI/AAAAAAAAGAA/VOwiTox6PN0/s1600/12387493.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/--qn6v6WQRrc/UXqNj8CdbAI/AAAAAAAAGAA/VOwiTox6PN0/s320/12387493.jpg" width="216" /></a></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>The Last Boyfriend</i> (Inn BoonsBoro #2)</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>Author:</b> Nora Roberts</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>Narrator:</b> MacLeod Andrews</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>Published:</b> January 1, 2012</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>Genre:</b> chick lit</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>Audiobook:</b> 9 discs (approx. 10.5 hours)</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>Source:</b> borrowed from the library</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><u style="font-weight: bold;">My Rating:</u> 3 stars</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><u style="font-weight: bold;">Synopsis (from GoodReads):</u> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>Owen is the organizer of the Montgomery clan, running the family's construction business with an iron fist - and an even less flexible spreadsheet. And though his brothers bust on his compulsive list-making, the Inn BoonsBoro is about to open right on schedule. The only thing Owen didn't plan for was Avery McTavish</i></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">Avery's popular pizza place is right across the street from the inn, giving her a first-hand look at its amazing renovation - and a newfound appreciation for Owen. Since he was her first boyfriend when they were kids, Owen has never been far from Avery's thoughts. But the attraction she's feeling for him now is far from innocent.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">As Avery and Owen cautiously take their relationship to another level, the opening of the inn gives the whole town of Boonsboro a reason to celebrate. But Owen's hard work has only begun. Getting Avery to let down her guard is going to take longer than he expected - and so will getting her to realize that her first boyfriend is going to be her last...</span></i></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><u style="font-weight: bold;">My Thoughts:</u> After reading the first book in this trilogy last summer, I figure that it was time I come back around to it and finish it off. However, I decided to listen to it rather than read it, and I hoped that it would be as good in audiobook form as it is printed. This is narrated by a man, so it was a little weird having him narrate for some of the female voices (call me biased, but I don't think men can mimic women's voices as well as women do men's.) But since the majority of the story is told from Owen's point of view, it works well (for the most part ... some of the female voices were a bit too shrill). This is a typical Nora Roberts novel, with two people falling in love with one another in this romantic setting. I choose to listen to her books because I know what I am getting, so it can be easier to listen to them than to another book, where I really have to keep track of what is going on in the story.</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">Owen might be the most likeable brother of the Montgomery clan because he's the one who is most down to earth. Not to say that the other boys are way out there, but Ryder is a playboy (or I guess he is supposed to be, which must be difficult to do in a small town), and Beckett was lusting after the same girl for years, which leaves Owen, over there running the business and taking care of his family. He is methodical, which Roberts repeatedly drives home throughout the story. There is his love interest, Avery, who is a little zany and out there, so of course, she falls in love with the man who is super organized. For me, Roberts was pushing a little too hard when it came to creating Avery's personality. She really wanted you to get that she's out there, but she just tried to hard to make that come across. Also, I work in the restaurant industry as a manager, and I love reading books that are set in a restaurant because it's so unrealisitic! Sorry, but if this woman owns her own restaurant, she's not getting days off and the time to run around and help them set up in the inn. Also, something that really irks me is when authors comment on the cute shoes that people wear in a kitchen, which Roberts does by constantly mentioning the Converse that Avery wears to work. Once again, sorry! Those aren't slip proof and wouldn't hold up all day. Next time you are in a restaurant, look at the server/bartender/manager's shoes .... do they look cute? No, but they are highly functional and they never fall or slip once during their shift (there is water/oil/food everywhere in a restaurant ... believe, the chance to slipping everyday is really high!) Sorry, that was my random rant that I just had to take out on this poor book.</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">Overall, it was an easy, predictable read and something that I was able to enjoy on my commutes to and from work. If you are interested in starting to listen to audiobooks, I would recommend that you start with someone like Nora Roberts. They are easy to follow along and usually a good way to get lost for a little while.</span></span></div>
Kristenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11616941043064124492noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4224639182938282964.post-33657768291774191702013-05-15T08:00:00.000-04:002013-05-15T08:00:15.822-04:00Waiting on Wednesday (5-15-13)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at <a href="http://breakingthespine.blogspot.com/" style="text-decoration: none;">Breaking the Spine</a>. Each week, you highlight an upcoming release that you are eagerly anticipating. This week, I'm looking forward to <i>Memories of a Marriage </i>by Louis Begley </span></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">(release date: July 9, 2013).</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><u style="font-weight: bold;">Synopsis (from Amazon):</u> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>In the unforgiving class system of the 1950s, Lucy de Bourgh, daughter of one of Rhode Island's first families and beneficiary of an ample trust fund, was married to Thomas Snow, son of a Newport garage owner and his bookkeeper wife. It hardly mattered that Thomas was a graduate of Harvard Business School, or that he went to work for a great Wall Street firm and succeeded beyond expectations. In Lucy's eyes, he remained irremediably a "townie." Decades later, a chance meeting brings Lucy together with Philip, our narrator. They'd known each other earlier, and he remembers her as a ravishing, funny, ready-for-anything hellion with a well-earned reputation for generosity with sexual favors. He also remembers Thomas, killed in a freak accident years after his and Lucy's divorce, and is shocked to hear Lucy refer to Thomas insistently as "that monster." How is he to reconcile that unexpected and overflowing reservoir of bitterness and resentments with his own memories? Almost against his will, Philip sets out on a quest that soon becomes an obsession to discover who exactly these friends were whom he had understood so incompletely, and what happened in their marriage. Through Philip's patient probing, a brilliant portrait emerges of Begley's heroine: infinitely complex, irresistible as well as insufferable, capable of extremes of arrogance and submission, and driven by sexual appetites she cannot control. Lucy de Bourgh is without doubt one of Begley's strongest and most outrageous creations.</i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">So, what are you waiting on this Wednesday?</span></div>
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<br />Kristenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11616941043064124492noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4224639182938282964.post-60386477220885935422013-05-14T08:00:00.000-04:002013-05-14T08:00:00.197-04:00Top Ten Tuesday (5-14-13)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by <a href="http://brokeandbookish.blogspot.com/" style="text-decoration: none;">The Broke and The Bookish</a>. Each week, </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple; font-size: large;"><b>Books Dealing With Tough Subjects</b></span></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">1) <i><a href="http://kristens-booknook.blogspot.com/2012/01/review-alice-bliss-by-laura-harrington.html">Alice Bliss</a></i> by Laura Harrington - a coming-of-age novel where a teenage girl must deal with the deployment of her father to Iraq. I tend to shy away from coming-of-age novels, but this one was fantasticly written.</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">2) <i><a href="http://kristens-booknook.blogspot.com/2011/06/firefly-lane-by-kristin-hannah.html">Firefly Lane</a></i> by Kristin Hannah - this was such a well-written novel and it touches on a variety of tough subjects. The one that really hit home for me was the death of Tully's grandmother.</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">3) <i><a href="http://kristens-booknook.blogspot.com/2013/04/review-middlesteins-by-jami-attenberg.html">The Middlesteins</a></i> by Jami Attenberg - this novel touches on how personal choices not only affect us as individuals, but also those closest to us. Focusing on how Edie's obesity affects the whole family is a harrowing tale not only of personal choices, but the obesity epidemic here in America.</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">4) <i><a href="http://kristens-booknook.blogspot.com/2011/08/help-by-kathryn-stockett.html">The Help</a></i> by Kathryn Stockett - I loved this novel for so many reasons, but the chapters told from Aibileen's perspective are so moving. Definitely a fresh take on the civil rights movement.</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">5) <i><a href="http://kristens-booknook.blogspot.com/2011/03/unbearable-lightness-by-portia-de-rossi.html">Unbearable Lightness</a></i> by Portia de Rossi - her personal memoir detailing her struggle with anorexia and bulemia, de Rossi takes you inside her illness to see what it's like for someone struggling with these issues. This was a tough book to read, and while I'm glad that I did, it's something that really stuck with me.</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">6) <i><a href="http://kristens-booknook.blogspot.com/2011/05/to-kill-mockingbird-by-harper-lee.html">To Kill a Mockingbird</a></i> by Harper Lee - a fantastic piece of literature that tackles prejudice and how it affects people. I could talk for hours on this book, but I'll leave it alone and just say that if you haven't read it, you must.</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">7) <i>Night</i> by Elie Wiesel - I read this book in high school and it has stuck with me since then (I read it over 10 years ago!) Wiesel recounts his experience in a Nazi concentration camp. While difficult to read, I think it's necessary for everyone to do so and gain some understanding of thise awful event.</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">8) <i><a href="http://kristens-booknook.blogspot.com/2012/06/review-pact-by-jodi-picoult.html">The Pact</a></i> by Jodi Picoult - dealing with teenage suicide (in a Romeo and Juliet way), Picoult details how the death can affect everyone differntly, from the boyfriend to the neighbors to the parents.</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">9) <i><a href="http://kristens-booknook.blogspot.com/2011/07/faith-novel-by-jennifer-haigh.html">Faith</a></i> by Jennifer Haigh - this novel tackles the tough subject of child molestation, using the Catholic church sex scandals that were occurring in the 2000s. This was a great study in how far people will go when they are pushed.</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">I can only think of nine, but I know that there are so many books that handle tough subjects. These are the ones that popped in my mind first. So, which books made your list? Let me know!</span></span></div>
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<br />Kristenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11616941043064124492noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4224639182938282964.post-62088139921394765972013-05-13T09:00:00.000-04:002013-05-13T09:00:00.439-04:00Review: Invisible by Carla Buckley<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>Invisible</i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>Author:</b> Carla Buckley</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>Published:</b> September 25, 2012</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>Genre: </b>contemporary fiction</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>eBook:</b> approx. 400 pages</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>Source:</b> borrowed from the library</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><u style="font-weight: bold;">My Rating:</u> 3 stars</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><u style="font-weight: bold;">Synopsis (from GoodReads):</u> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>Growing up, Dana Carlson and her older sister, Julie, are inseparable—Dana the impulsive one, Julie calmer and more nurturing. But then a devastating secret compels Dana to flee from home, not to see or speak to her sister for sixteen years.</i></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">When she receives the news that Julie is seriously ill, Dana knows that she must return to their hometown of Black Bear, Minnesota, to try and save her sister. Yet she arrives too late, only to discover that Black Bear has changed, and so have the people in it. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">Julie has left behind a shattered teenage daughter, Peyton, and a mystery—what killed Julie may be killing others, too. Why is no one talking about it? Dana struggles to uncover the truth, but no one wants to hear it, including Peyton, who can’t forgive her aunt’s years-long absence. Dana had left to protect her own secrets, but Black Bear has a secret of its own—one that could tear apart Dana’s life, her family, and the whole town.</span></i></span><div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><u style="font-weight: bold;">My Thoughts:</u> The description of this novel is what really pulled me in (the cover does nothing for me) and I thought that it would be a really good thriller to read. Afterall, doesn't it intrigue you as to why Dana left and what is this secret that could tear apart the whole town? Carla Buckley explores what happens to a woman who returns home after being away for years and years, only to discover that not only have people changed, but something is changing people. There is a higher occurence of kidney failure in this area that is thought to be normal. Julie has just passed because of renal failure, and while she started to investigate, it's now up to her sister Dana to figure out what is hurting the town. The chapters alternate between Dana, who returns home to find that her sister has died and left behind a husband and teenage daughter; and Peyton, Julie's daughter and someone who is now motherless and dealing with an aunt who she just met a few days ago.</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">I really liked the character of Dana and thought that the chapters told from her persepctive were the best. As an outsider in the town, she does see things differently than the people that never left, and she does find it odd that there is such a high occurence of kidney-related diseases in the area, even when the doctors don't seem to be concerned. Peyton's chapters were sometimes boring and I think it was because she wasn't contributing to solving the mystery of what is affecting this town. I loved her little ocean-facts at the beginning of each chapter, because they definitely played out with humans and it was interesting to see the connections between the way of life in the ocean and that on land.</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">My biggest problem with this book was that it sounded like it would be more of a thriller than it actually was. Except for about five pages, it wasn't all that gripping. Sure, there was a mystery going on, but it played second fiddle to the return of Dana to Black Bear and all the stress that she must deal with. I just wish that there had been more of a thriller aspect to it, because then I think that this book could have been phenomenal. On that note, I would like to read more of Carla Buckey's work in the future because this was an interesting read, especially with her research into environmental issues. </span></span></div>
Kristenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11616941043064124492noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4224639182938282964.post-45142354153433391932013-05-11T09:00:00.000-04:002013-05-11T09:00:00.566-04:00Review: The Burgess Boys by Elizabeth Strout<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>The Burgess Boys</i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>Author:</b> Elizabeth Strout</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>Published:</b> March 26, 2013</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>Genre:</b> fiction</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>Hardcover:</b> 336 pages</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>Source:</b> borrowed from the library</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><u style="font-weight: bold;">My Rating:</u> 3 stars</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><u style="font-weight: bold;">Synopsis (from GoodReads):</u> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>Haunted by the freak accident that killed their father when they were children, Jim and Bob Burgess escaped from their Maine hometown of Shirley Falls for New York City as soon as they possibly could. Jim, a sleek, successful corporate lawyer, has belittled his bighearted brother their whole lives, and Bob, a Legal Aid attorney who idolizes Jim, has always taken it in stride. But their long-standing dynamic is upended when their sister, Susan—the Burgess sibling who stayed behind—urgently calls them home. Her lonely teenage son, Zach, has gotten himself into a world of trouble, and Susan desperately needs their help. And so the Burgess brothers return to the landscape of their childhood, where the long-buried tensions that have shaped and shadowed their relationship begin to surface in unexpected ways that will change them forever.</i></span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><u style="font-weight: bold;">My Thoughts:</u> I have hears so many people rave about Elizabeth Strout's work that when I heard that this book was being released, I decided that I would have to give her a try. The description of the book intrigued me and had me pulled in before I even read the first chapter. The book is a study in the relationship of siblings and how events that occur during childhood shapes each sibling differently. There is Jim, the oldest and most outspoken of the bunch, definitely the leader of the group. Then there are the twins, Bob and Susan. Bob has followed his older brother in the field of law, although working far below his potential (at least as Jim sees it) by working at Legal Aid. Then there is Susan, who has remained in their hometown of Shirley Falls raising her son, Zach, after her husband divorced her and moved to Sweden. There are a host of issues that the siblings deal with (I won't get into here), but when Zach commits a hate crime, all of the siblings are brought together in Shirley Falls to help and reconnect for the first time in years.</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Each character in this book is a unique individual and Strout really takes the time to craft each one. Each has a distinct personality and you feel like you understand each one over the course of the book, which is hard for any author to do. Jim is definitely the bossiest and the leader, but I think that he is the one who is explored the least. There is a shocking revelation from him about two-thirds of the way through the book, but you still don't entirely understand him or his motivations. He is mean and rude to his brother Bob, who has loved him since childhood and always looked up to him. You can understand why Susan turned into the person that she did when you learn about her interactions with her mother, and Bob is pretty easy to get from the get-go of the story. But each grows as the novel continues and Strout always keeps it interesting.</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">For me, this was a bit of a letdown, but it wasn't a bad novel. Strout is a great writer and an excellent crafter of characters, but this novel was just a bit of a drag for me. I felt like there was more that could be done, but Strout held back just a little too much. I will look into her other works in the future, but if you haven't read her work before, then this might not be the novel to start with.</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span>Kristenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11616941043064124492noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4224639182938282964.post-61757908381271482492013-05-08T08:00:00.000-04:002013-05-08T08:00:10.271-04:00Waiting on Wednesday (5-8-13)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at <a href="http://breakingthespine.blogspot.com/" style="text-decoration: none;">Breaking the Spine</a>. Each week, you highlight an upcoming release that you are eagerly anticipating. This week, I'm looking forward to <i>The Violet Hour </i>by Katherine Hill</span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"> (release date: July 16, 2013).</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><u style="font-weight: bold;">Synopsis (from Amazon):</u> </span></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>Life hasn't always been perfect, but for Abe and Cassandra Green, an afternoon on the San Francisco Bay might be as good as it gets. He's a rheumatologist, piloting his coveted new sailboat. She's a sculptor, finally gaining modest attention for her art. Their beautiful daughter Elizabeth is heading to Harvard in the fall. Somehow, they've made life work. But then, out of nowhere, they plunge into a terrible fight. Cassandra has been unfaithful. In a fit of fury, Abe throws himself off the boat.</i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><div style="font-style: italic;">
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A love story that begins with the end of a marriage, The Violet Hour follows a modern family through past and present, from the San Francisco public health clinic where Abe first sees Cassandra to the funeral home in the Washington suburbs where Cassandra and her siblings grew up. As Cassandra, Abe, and Elizabeth navigate the passage of time—the expectations of youth, the concessions of middle age, the headiness of desire, the bitterness of loss—they must come to terms with the fragility of their intimacy, the strange legacies they inherit from their parents, and the kind of people they themselves want to be. Exquisitely written, The Violet Hour is the deeply moving story of a family suddenly ripped apart, but then possibly—just possibly—reborn.</div>
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This sounds like an intriguing read and something that I might enjoy later in the summer. So, what are you waiting on this Wednesday?</div>
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Kristenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11616941043064124492noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4224639182938282964.post-38815802832755677932013-05-07T07:25:00.000-04:002013-05-07T07:25:19.479-04:00Top Ten Tuesday (5-7-13)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by <a href="http://brokeandbookish.blogspot.com/" style="text-decoration: none;">The Broke and The Bookish</a>. Each week, </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">they post a different topic, and you get to create your own top ten list. So, this week's </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple; font-size: large;"><b>Books When You Need Something Light and Fun</b></span></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">1) <i><a href="http://kristens-booknook.blogspot.com/2012/06/audiobook-review-undomestic-goddess-by.html">The Undomestic Goddess</a></i> by Sophie Kinsella - this is one of the funniest books that I've ever read (well, listened to). I was laughing throughout the novel and it was the perfect light and airy book to listen to while driving in my car.</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">2) <i><a href="http://kristens-booknook.blogspot.com/2011/12/review-call-me-irresistible-by-susan.html">Call Me Irresistible</a></i> by Susan Elizabeth Phillips - Phillips is a romance writer, but this is a great novel because it's so easy to pick up and put down, but just as easy to get lost in. Very light, fun, and perfect for summer!</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">3) <i><a href="http://kristens-booknook.blogspot.com/2012/06/audiobook-review-is-everyone-hanging.html">Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns)</a></i> by Mindy Kaling - a humorous memoir of Kaling's childhood and getting into show business. I was cracking up laughing during this one! Not too heavy, definitely worth the read!</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">4) <i><a href="http://kristens-booknook.blogspot.com/2011/12/audiobook-review-always-something-there.html">Always Something There to Remind Me</a></i> by Beth Harbison - I read this one after reading a rave review from another blogger, and I am so glad that I did! All about a woman contemplating her first love, and what woman hasn't been there?!?</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">5) <i><a href="http://kristens-booknook.blogspot.com/2012/12/review-holidays-on-ice-by-david-sedaris.html">Holidays on Ice</a></i> by David Sedaris - I love Sedaris because his writing is so silly and irreverent that you can't help but be in a good mood when you read it! Also, how can you make a light and fun list without including him?!?</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">6) <i><a href="http://kristens-booknook.blogspot.com/2012/01/review-if-you-were-here-by-jen.html">If You Were Here</a></i> by Jen Lancaster - this was Lancaster's first foray into fiction and it was a hilarious gamble that paid off for her! I was laughing out loud at so many points during this book that I just had to read it in the privacy of my own home, when no one else was around (it's just weird if you keep on cracking up while reading).</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">7) <i><a href="http://kristens-booknook.blogspot.com/2011/06/devil-wears-prada-by-lauren-weisberger.html">The Devil Wears Prada</a></i> by Lauren Weisberger - this was a great novel, one that was pure chick lit, which makes it the perfect light and fun book to read! And who doesn't love reading about someone who is worse than their own boss? Makes you realize how easy you have it!</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">8) <i><a href="http://kristens-booknook.blogspot.com/2013/02/review-girl-who-chased-moon-by-sarah.html">The Girl Who Chased the Moon</a></i> by Sarah Addison Allen - I don't know if I would classify this as fun, but this was a sweet, moving little story about a small town in the south. Nice and light, an easy read.</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">9) <i><a href="http://kristens-booknook.blogspot.com/2012/01/audiobook-review-twenties-girl-by.html">Twenties Girl</a></i> by Sophie Kinsella - another Kinsella novel! She is the queen of light and fun and this was one of the best audiobooks that I've ever listened to! Seriously, if you are looking for something light and fun, then this is the perfect book for you!</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">I could only think of nine this week! So, what books made your top ten? Let me know!</span></span></div>
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<br />Kristenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11616941043064124492noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4224639182938282964.post-81394372805046504352013-05-06T09:00:00.000-04:002013-05-06T09:00:05.724-04:00Audiobook Review: Hope In a Jar by Beth Harbison<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-grgaoCkmHpM/UW6ljWn6fXI/AAAAAAAAF90/ZcVQk7pcwWo/s1600/6056765.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://2.bp.blogspot.com/-grgaoCkmHpM/UW6ljWn6fXI/AAAAAAAAF90/ZcVQk7pcwWo/s320/6056765.jpg" width="211" /></a></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>Hope In a Jar</i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>Author:</b> Beth Harbison</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>Narrator: </b>Orlagh Cassidy</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>Published:</b> July 7, 2009</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>Genre:</b> chick lit</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>Audiobook:</b> 8 discs (approx. 9 hours)</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>Source:</b> borrowed from the library</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><u style="font-weight: bold;">My Rating:</u> 3 stars</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><u style="font-weight: bold;">Synopsis (from GoodReads):</u> <i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">Twenty years ago, Allie Denty was</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">the pretty one </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">and her best friend Olivia Pelham was</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">the smart one</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">. Throughout high school, they were inseparable…until a vicious rumor about Olivia— a rumor too close to the truth—ended their friendship. </span></i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; line-height: 19px;"><i>Now, on the eve of their twentieth high school reunion, Allie, a temp worker, finds herself suddenly single, a little chubby, and feeling old. Olivia, a cool and successful magazine beauty editor in New York, realizes she’s lonely, and is finally ready to face her demons.</i></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>Sometimes hope lives in the future; sometimes it comes from the past; and sometimes, when every stupid thing goes wrong, it comes from a prettily packaged jar filled with scented cream and promises.</i></span></span><div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><u style="font-weight: bold;">My Thoughts:</u> I was wary to try another Beth Harbison novel after her last one was so disastrous for me, but I decided to give her another shot, and I am glad that I did. Following two women who were best friends in high school but had a falling out, Harbison shows you where the women are twenty years later at their high school reunion. The novel starts by showing you the women in the present, which is nice because you can't judge their adolescent selves for anything stupid that they might say or do (which I always do in flashbacks). The chapters alternate between the past and the present, showing you how close the two were before the "incident" occurred and how they are becoming close again, twenty years after the fact.</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">For me, there was just something slightly off about this novel. The big incident that destroyed Ally and Olivia's friendship back in high school is made to be a bit trivial, but you are wondering what would destroy the bond between two girls who are so close. And when it's finally revealed what happened, Harbison makes it a bit of a throw-away moment, giving no importance to what was just revealed. I was shocked by what had happened (don't worry, I'm not giving anything away!), but Harbison treats it as if there was a minor storm that just rolled through quickly. It was frustrating for me because I wanted to know what had driven these two best friends apart, but she treated it with little fanfare or importance.</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">The good news is that the novel is engaging and funny. I looked forward to getting in my car and listening to it, and, since it's a shorter novel, it went by pretty quickly (I prefer short audiobooks to really long ones). This is your basic chick lit novel, so there's nothing really groundbreaking that occurs when you listen, but it's nice to just get swept up in the story for a little while. The friendship that Ally and Olivia share is great, and it's wonderful to see it rekindled after so much time has passed. I would have enjoyed it more if the story was a bit more complete (as mentioned above), but it was an overall easy listening experience. I will continue to listen to Harbison in audiobook form because they are the perfect book to just get lost in and enjoy the long commute to and from work.</span></span></div>
Kristenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11616941043064124492noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4224639182938282964.post-74863433862439115252013-05-04T09:00:00.000-04:002013-05-04T09:00:11.191-04:00Review: The Stuff That Never Happened by Maddie Dawson<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-E5-LYczGM4I/UWq8bgUXcvI/AAAAAAAAF9k/Xw6ppGKlhuk/s1600/7914380.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-E5-LYczGM4I/UWq8bgUXcvI/AAAAAAAAF9k/Xw6ppGKlhuk/s320/7914380.jpg" width="210" /></a></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>The Stuff That Never Happened</i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>Author:</b> Maddie Dawson</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>Published:</b> July 28, 2010</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>Genre:</b> chick lit</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>eBook:</b> approx. 368 pages</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>Source:</b> borrowed from the library</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><u style="font-weight: bold;">My Rating:</u> 3 stars</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><u style="font-weight: bold;">Synopsis (from GoodReads):</u> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>Annabelle McKay knows she shouldn’t have any complaints. She’s been in a stable marriage that’s lasted almost three decades and has provided her with two wonderful children, thousands of family dinners around a sturdy oak table, and a husband so devoted that he schedules lovemaking into his calendar every Wednesday morning. Other wives envy the fact that Grant is not the type of man who would ever cheat on her or leave her for a younger woman. The trouble is Annabelle isn’t sure she wants to be married to Grant anymore. The trouble is she’s still in love with someone else.</i></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">In the early tumultuous years of her marriage, Annabelle carried on a clandestine affair with the one person whose betrayal would hurt her husband the most. When it ended, she and Grant found their way back together and made a pact that they would never speak of that time again. But now years later, with her children grown and gone, and an ominous distance opening between them, she can’t help but remember those glorious, passionate days and wonder if she chose the right man. </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">Then, when called to New York City to help care for her pregnant daughter, Annabelle bumps into her old lover. Offered a second chance at an unforgettable love, she must decide between the man who possesses her heart and the husband who has stood squarely by her side.</span></i></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><u style="font-weight: bold;">My Thoughts:</u> For quite sometime, I've been walking through my library and seen this book on display and the cover, for some inexplicable reason, just drew me towards it. Unfortunately, I usually had quite a few books already selected so I would put it back down and decide to check it out another day. Then, when it popped up on my library's OverDrive console as available, I jumped on it. Following a woman who cheated on her husband many decades ago but stuck with him after the affair ended, Maddie Dawson tells a story that spans decades and generations, and leaves you wondering when it is okay to cheat on someone and how many people you are capable of loving at once.</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">Annabelle is the narrator for this story and she has a very strong, clear voice. While I didn't always agree with her actions, I understood her reasoning behind them and why she was making the decision that she was making at the time. There were times when she appealled directly to the reader, but it wasn't frequently enough to make you comfortable with it. All of a sudden, two-thirds of the way through the book, she would ask you, the reader, a question directly, and it was a little off-putting because it was a bit out of place with what was going on in the novel. The other characters in the novel are secondary to Annabelle, and although they contribute to her story, it's her thoughts and actions that move the story along.</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">Overall, this was a nice little read. The cover doesn't necessarily describe the book, but it does fit with what happens with Annabelle (at least in the beginning of the novel). It does start out a bit slowly and you have to give it about 50 pages before it really pulls you in. Dawson alternates the chapters between the past and the present, so that you are able to fully understand Annabelle's affair and her actions and thoughts at the time. I would be interested in reading more of Dawson's work in the future and hope that she is able to continue writing with that clear voice that she gave Annabelle.</span></span></div>
Kristenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11616941043064124492noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4224639182938282964.post-79150864269209409892013-05-03T09:11:00.001-04:002013-05-03T09:11:50.710-04:00Book Blog Hop and Follow Friday (5-3-13)<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Happy Friday everyone! Can you believe that May is here already?!? I'm still thinking that it should be March ... this year is just flying by too quickly! I have a big weekend ahead of me and I couldn't be more excited for it ... I'm running my first 5K tomorrow! I know, it's not very long or an incredible test of endurance, but I'm excited to go and run my first real event. Well, let's get onto the Friday fun ...</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><a href="http://coffeeaddictedwriter.com/">Coffee Addicted Writer</a> asks:</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 21px;"><b>What was the last book you read that was recommended by someone else?</b></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 21px;">Great question! The last book recommended by someone is actually the one that I am reading right now, <i>Chocolate Chip Murder</i> by Joanne Fluke. Someone mentioned how easy they were to read and yet really enjoyable, so I decided to give it a try. I'll let you know what I think of it after I finish!</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><a href="http://parajunkee.com/">Parajunkee</a> asks:</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Give us a sneak! What are you reading? Tell us about a fun or fail scene in your current read.</span></h2>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Well, continuing with my answer from above (haha!), I'm reading <i>Chocolate Chip Murder</i> right now. I'm only about 30 pages into it, so I guess the fun scene that I've encountered is what Hannah goes digging in the trash for a coffee cup that might be a piece of evidence in a murder investigation. She's a baker, not a detective, so it's a little odd, but still cool!</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">So, what's the last book recommendation you've received that you went ahead and read? What are you reading right now? Let me know and have a great weekend!</span></div>
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Kristenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11616941043064124492noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4224639182938282964.post-80914397633984148562013-05-02T15:00:00.000-04:002013-05-02T15:00:03.632-04:00Monthly Wrap-Up: April 2013<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Well, another month has flown by! Seriously, where did April go?!? I feel like the month just started but then it was time to flip the calenders for May. I don't feel like April was my best reading month, and this whole year feels like I am constantly behind in my reading. I don't feel like I'm in a slump, but I'm definitely reading slower than I normally do. Hopefully, with summer right around the corner, I can pick up the pace and enjoy sitting outside and reading some more. Well, let's look at my month:</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><u style="font-weight: bold;">Number of Books Read This Month:</u> 8</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>Sister</i> by Rosamund Lupton</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>The Villa</i> by Nora Roberts (audiobook)</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>The Stuff That Never Happened</i> by Maddie Dawson</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>Hope In a Jar</i> by Beth Harbison (audiobook)</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>The Burgess Boys</i> by Elizabeth Strout</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>Invisible</i> by Carla Buckley</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>The Last Boyfriend</i> by Nora Roberts (audiobook)</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>Mrs. Queen Takes the Train</i> by William Kuhn</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><u style="font-weight: bold;">Favorite Book Read This Month:</u> <i>Sister</i> by Rosamund Lupton</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><u style="font-weight: bold;">Least Favorite Book Read This Month:</u> <i>The Villa</i> by Nora Roberts</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">It was a varied reading month for me, but no nonfiction. I need to change that ASAP. Anyone have any good biographies or memoirs that they have read lately?</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Well, I hope that everyone had a great April, and here's looking forward to an even better May!</span></div>
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<br />Kristenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11616941043064124492noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4224639182938282964.post-1094828448499581442013-05-01T08:00:00.000-04:002013-05-01T08:00:00.734-04:00Waiting on Wednesday (5-1-13)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-36eHSoDnKP0/UWAuF90ClLI/AAAAAAAAF7w/ppmnI61-3Mk/s1600/New+WoW.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-36eHSoDnKP0/UWAuF90ClLI/AAAAAAAAF7w/ppmnI61-3Mk/s1600/New+WoW.JPG" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at <a href="http://breakingthespine.blogspot.com/" style="text-decoration: none;">Breaking the Spine</a>. Each week, you highlight an upcoming release that you are eagerly anticipating. This week, I'm looking forward to <i>Revenge Wears Prada </i>by Lauren Weisberger</span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"> (release date: June 4, 2013).</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><u style="font-weight: bold;">Synopsis (from Amazon):</u> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>Eight years have passed since Andrea “Andy” Sachs quit the job “a million girls would die for” working for Miranda Priestly at Runway Magazine—a dream that turned out to be a nightmare. Now Andy’s on the top of the world: she’s writing and reporting to her heart’s content; running The Plunge, her wildly successful high fashion bridal magazine with Miranda’s other ex-assistant, Emily; and most importantly, getting married to the scion of a storied media family and the love of her life.</i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>But the night before her wedding, Andy can’t sleep. As happy as she is—as happy as she should be—she’s still haunted by the specter of her former boss. Maybe it’s survivor syndrome? Or maybe it’s justifiable, self-inflicted, paranoia. From the start, Andy and Emily have felt entitled to use their rolodex of contacts—Miranda’s contacts—from Runway as they make their way in the magazine world. As The Plunge succeeds, Andy and Emily realize they’ll soon come face to face with their former tormenter at industry functions, award ceremonies, and even weddings. Still, Andy can hardly anticipate the horrifying reality that’s approaching—a reversal so profound that she will be squarely in Miranda’s crosshairs once more.</i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>Karma’s a bitch. And Andy’s efforts to build a bright new life have led her directly to the one she fled—and into the path of the Devil herself.</i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I cannot wait for this book to come out! I loved the first one so much and I hope that this one is just as good. And hopefully, they will also make this one into a movie with Meryl Streep reprising her role as Miranda Priestly (I think this is one of the book-to-movie adapations that was good). So, what are you waiting on this Wednesday?</span></div>
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<br />Kristenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11616941043064124492noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4224639182938282964.post-43670121789819781902013-04-30T07:13:00.000-04:002013-04-30T07:13:57.419-04:00Top Ten Tuesday (4-30-13)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by <a href="http://brokeandbookish.blogspot.com/" style="text-decoration: none;">The Broke and The Bookish</a>. Each week, </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">they post a different topic, and you get to create your own top ten list. So, this week's </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple; font-size: large;"><b>Words/Topics That Instantly Make Me Pick Up a Book</b></span></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">1) World War II - I love novels set during this time period! If it has anything to do with WWII, you can bet that I will pick it up!</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">2) New York City - I love this town and how diverse it is. You never know what can happen here!</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">3) Shoes - I am obsessed with shoes! If the word shoes is in the title, then you can bet that I will read it!</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">4) Art - I don't know why I am pulled towards books dealing with art/the art world, but I am. I might pick the book up, but the odds that I will actually read it are small.</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">5) Weight - I am on a journey to living a healthier lifestyle, so reading books that deal with characters who are also facing similar issues really resonates with me.</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">6) Any form of technology - I love with authors embrace technology and make it a part of their books. I feel like it adds another dimension to the story when they use something like blogging or Twitter to enhance the story (and it also makes it more realistic).</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">7) Travel - I love traveling so if a book has anything to do with getting away from it all, then I need to read it!</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">8) Paris - I am obsessed with Paris! I have never been but if I see anything related to Paris on that cover, then I have to pick it up and read it!</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">9) London - I don't love London as much as a do Paris (at least in terms of book settings), but books set here are just something that I gravitate towards.</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">I could only think of nine things this week! It was hard to pinpoint what exactly draws me towards a book! So, what pulls you in? Let me know!</span></span></div>
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<br />Kristenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11616941043064124492noreply@blogger.com8tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4224639182938282964.post-28974618304228798792013-04-29T09:00:00.000-04:002013-04-29T09:00:12.481-04:00Audiobook Review: The Villa by Nora Roberts<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>The Villa</i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>Author: </b>Nora Roberts</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>Narrator:</b> Laural Merlington</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>Published:</b> January 5, 2002</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>Genre:</b> chick lit</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>Audiobook</b>: 14 discs (approx. 15.5 hours)</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>Source:</b> borrowed from the library</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><u style="font-weight: bold;">My Rating:</u> 2.5 stars</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><u style="font-weight: bold;">Synopsis (from GoodReads):</u> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>Sophia Giambelli has never worried about competition. For three generations, the Giambelli wines have been renowned for their quality-- from Napa Valley to Italy, and throughout the world. The pride of the Giambelli family and a top PR executive, Sophia loves her job-- and excels at it. But things are about to change at Villa Giambelli. Tereza, the matriarch, has announced a merger with the MacMillan family's winery-- and Sophia will be assuming a new role. As a savvy businesswoman, she knows she must be prepared for anything . . . but she isn't prepared for Tyler MacMillan. They've been ordered to work together very closely, to facilitate the merger. Sophia must teach Ty the finer points of marketing-- and Ty, in turn, shows her how to get down and dirty, to use the sun, rain, and earth to coax the sweetest grapes from the vineyard.</i></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">As they toil together, both in and out of the fields, Sophia is torn between a powerful attraction and a professional rivalry. At the end of the season, the course of the company's future-- and the legacy of the villa-- may take an entirely new direction. And when acts of sabotage threaten both the family business and the family itself, Sophia's quest will be not only for dominance, but also for survival.</span></i></span><div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><u style="font-weight: bold;">My Thoughts:</u> I tend to enjoy listening to Nora Roberts in audiobook form because they are something light and easy that I can have playing in the car while I drive around. So, I read the description for this one and thought, "That sounds intriguing, I'll give it a try." But this was not a typical Roberts for me. This novel just dragged on and on and felt like it might never end! Usually, the relationships between the characters is what pulls you in, and while there were some great relationships in the book, Roberts didn't focus enough on those. Instead of focusing on the relationship between the three Giambellli women, he focused on the relationship that (literally) came out of nowhere between Sophia and Tyler. It was a very confusing novel, one that had me mostly shaking my head because it was so tedious to get through.</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">The beginning of the book was hard to get into and I thought about turning it off and returning it for another book, but I wanted to stick it out. It did get better by the end, but it wasn't enough to make up for the lackluster beginning. There were so many characters introduced all at once, which can be hard to keep track of when you are listening to a book. And there wasn't a since of family immediately, and since this is a book about family, you expect to have a sense of it from the characters. But they all seemed to be living seperate lives from one another and they didn't mesh entirely. Overall, this was a lousy audiobook listen, but it maybe one of those things that better in the printed form than CD form. While it wasn't my favorite Roberts novel, I will still be listening to her books in the future.</span></span></div>
Kristenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11616941043064124492noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4224639182938282964.post-9616206808802477672013-04-27T09:00:00.000-04:002013-04-27T09:00:03.209-04:00Review: Sister by Rosamund Lupton<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>Sister</i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>Author:</b> Rosamund Lupton</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>Published:</b> June 7, 2011</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>Genre:</b> mystery, thriller</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>eBook:</b> approx. 368 pages</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>Source:</b> borrowed from the library</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><u style="font-weight: bold;">My Rating:</u> 4.5 stars</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><u style="font-weight: bold;">Synopsis (from GoodReads):</u> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>When her mom calls to tell her that Tess, her younger sister, is missing, Bee returns home to London on the first flight. She expects to find Tess and give her the usual lecture, the bossy big sister scolding her flighty baby sister for taking off without letting anyone know her plans. Tess has always been a free spirit, an artist who takes risks, while conservative Bee couldn’t be more different. Bee is used to watching out for her wayward sibling and is fiercely protective of Tess (and has always been a little stern about her antics). But then Tess is found dead, apparently by her own hand.</i></span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">Bee is certain that Tess didn’t commit suicide. Their family and the police accept the sad reality, but Bee feels sure that Tess has been murdered. Single-minded in her search for a killer, Bee moves into Tess's apartment and throws herself headlong into her sister's life--and all its secrets.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><br /></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">Though her family and the police see a grieving sister in denial, unwilling to accept the facts, Bee uncovers the affair Tess was having with a married man and the pregnancy that resulted, and her difficultly with a stalker who may have crossed the line when Tess refused his advances. Tess was also participating in an experimental medical trial that might have gone very wrong. As a determined Bee gives her statement to the lead investigator, her story reveals a predator who got away with murder--and an obsession that may cost Bee her own life.</span></i></span><div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><u style="font-weight: bold;">My Thoughts:</u> Wow. Let me start this review with that one word: <i>wow.</i> This book is probably one of the best that I will read this year (I'm willing to make that statement pretty early on in the year!) and something that I will be talking about to everybody that I know. Beatrice has just lost her sister and nephew (who was stillborn), so she returns to London to deal with the funeral and burial. When she arrives and learns the circumstances around her sisters death, Beatrice realizes that her sister was murdered, although everyone else believes that she committed suicide following the death of her baby. Beatrice decides to solve this crime on her own since everyone believes that Tess was not murdered but just a girl going through a very hard time. </span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">Beatrice is the narrator for this story and she tells it in the most interesting way. She is talking to a prosecutor, telling him how she went about solving the mystery and talking to her dead sister at the sametime. It's the most interesting viewpoint that I've ever seen used to write a book and it was so engaging! When she talks to the prosecutor, you are driven to anxiousness because she has already solved the crime! You are on the edge of your seat, wanting it to go faster! When she's talking to Tess, telling her how she figures everything out and uses the language that is common to sisters, you learn more about Beatrice and Tess, both as individuals and as siblings.</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">Rosamund Lupton is a gifted writer and it shows when she is talking about the sisters. As an older sister myself, I could totally identify with Beatrice and her madness to solve this crime. Afterall, we may not always get along with our sisters, but we know each other better than anyone else. That's what happens when you grow up together and share those common experiences that shape your personality and who you are a person. You forge a bond with one another that cannot be severed. And you also have an innate understanding of each other, which can never be broken. Lupton explores the relationship between sisters so wonderfully and it made me better understand my own sisters and the relationships that we have together. </span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;">The plot is gripping and engaging and the end of the novel (don't worry, I won't give anything away) had me (literally!) on the edge of my seat, wondering if this was how the novel was going to end. I did think that it ended a little abruptly, which is why I gave this 4.5 stars. But at the end of the day, I walk away having read a fantastic book written by a gifted writer, one who I'm sure will be around for quite sometime. If you like mysteries or thrillers, or if you have a sister, then you must read this book. I promise you, you will not be disappointed!</span></span></div>
Kristenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11616941043064124492noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4224639182938282964.post-67602748313439693662013-04-26T09:47:00.002-04:002013-04-26T09:47:39.047-04:00Book Blog Hop and Follow Friday (4-26-13)<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Happy Friday everyone! Are you ready for the weekend? I know I am .... Unfortunately, I had a mini-vacation from work this week, so I don't get to have the weekend off. Oh well, that just means that I get to look forward to next weekend, when I am off and running in my first 5k! I am anxious for next weekend to finally roll around, so here's hope that this weekend flies by (and that the nice weather stays around!) Let's get onto the Friday fun ...</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><a href="http://coffeeaddictedwriter.com/">Coffee Addicted Writer</a> asks:</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 21px;"><b>What was the last book you read that made you laugh out loud?</b></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 21px;"><i><a href="http://kristens-booknook.blogspot.com/2012/06/audiobook-review-is-everyone-hanging.html">Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? (And Other Concerns)</a></i> by Mindy Kaling. I listened to this one on a six hour car ride and was busting up laughing the whole time. If you haven't read it, then hurry up and get your hands on a copy! Kaling does not disappoint!</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><a href="http://parajunkee.com/">Parajunkee</a> asks:</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Is there a song that reminds you of a book? Or vice versa? What is the song & the book?</span></h2>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I can't say that there is! My brain doesn't typically think like that, in terms of combining two things that I don't associate with one another. But a good question! I will be thinking about it while reading this week!</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">So what's the last book that made you laugh out loud? Do you think of songs that go with books? Let me know and have a great weekend!</span></div>
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Kristenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11616941043064124492noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4224639182938282964.post-61821069419768554672013-04-24T08:00:00.000-04:002013-04-24T08:00:04.797-04:00Waiting on Wednesday (4-24-13)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-36eHSoDnKP0/UWAuF90ClLI/AAAAAAAAF7w/ppmnI61-3Mk/s1600/New+WoW.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-36eHSoDnKP0/UWAuF90ClLI/AAAAAAAAF7w/ppmnI61-3Mk/s1600/New+WoW.JPG" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at <a href="http://breakingthespine.blogspot.com/" style="text-decoration: none;">Breaking the Spine</a>. Each week, you highlight an upcoming release that you are eagerly anticipating. This week, I'm looking forward to <i>Ladies' Night </i>by Mary Kay Andrews</span></span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"> (release date: June 4, 2013).</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><u style="font-weight: bold;">Synopsis (from Amazon):</u> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>Grace Stanton’s life as a rising media star and beloved lifestyle blogger takes a surprising turn when she catches her husband cheating and torpedoes his pricey sports car straight into the family swimming pool. Grace suddenly finds herself locked out of her palatial home, checking account, and even the blog she has worked so hard to develop in her signature style. Moving in with her widowed mother, who owns and lives above a rundown beach bar called The Sandbox, is less than ideal. So is attending court-mandated weekly "divorce recovery" therapy sessions with three other women and one man for whom betrayal seems to be the only commonality. When their “divorce coach” starts to act suspiciously, they decide to start having their own Wednesday "Ladies' Night" sessions at The Sandbox, and the unanticipated bonds that develop lead the members of the group to try and find closure in ways they never imagined. Can Grace figure out a new way home and discover how strong she needs to be to get there?</i></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I love Andrews' novels because they are so nice to read during a sunny summer afternoon! So, what are you waiting on this Wednesday?</span></div>
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<br />Kristenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11616941043064124492noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4224639182938282964.post-85787741861118251042013-04-23T08:00:00.000-04:002013-04-23T08:00:17.126-04:00Top Ten Tuesday (4-23-13)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by <a href="http://brokeandbookish.blogspot.com/" style="text-decoration: none;">The Broke and The Bookish</a>. Each week, </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">they post a different topic, and you get to create your own top ten list. So, this week's </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">1) <i><a href="http://kristens-booknook.blogspot.com/2012/03/review-art-of-fielding-by-chad-harbach.html">The Art of Fielding</a></i> - this one totally caught me off guard and I wasn't expecting it! I read it because I read so many rave reviews and figured I would give it a chance, totally not expecting it to blow me away like it did!</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">2) <i><a href="http://kristens-booknook.blogspot.com/2011/10/review-night-circus-by-erin-morgenstern.html">The Night Circus</a></i> - I'm not a huge fan of the fantasy genre, but this book is a wonderful work of fiction. It's so realistic that it doesn't seem like a fantasy world at times, and it's so easy to get sucked into and forget what time it is.</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">3) <i><a href="http://kristens-booknook.blogspot.com/2011/03/jane-eyre-by-charlotte-bronte.html">Jane Eyre</a></i> - I didn't think I would like this one as much because it was a darker novel, but I fell in love with Jane and she is now one of my favorite heroines!</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">4) <i><a href="http://kristens-booknook.blogspot.com/2012/11/review-dearie-remarkable-life-story-of.html">Dearie: The Remarkable Life of Julia Childs</a></i> - I didn't think I would learn to love Julia Childs so much and what she did not only for women, but for food in America! She truly revolutionized how American cook and prepare food and this novel gave me a newfound apprciation for her.</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">5) <i><a href="http://kristens-booknook.blogspot.com/2012/08/review-more-than-you-know-by-penny.html">More Than You Know</a></i> - I picked this book up at the library, not quite sure what to expect, but the more I read of this book, the more I was blown away by Penny Vincenzi's gift as a writer to write about relationships and the bonds that people share.</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">6) <i><a href="http://kristens-booknook.blogspot.com/2012/06/review-good-american-by-alex-george.html">A Good American</a></i> - another book that I stumbled upon the library that knocked my socks off. A great piece of writing that chronicles one family's pursuit of the American dream.</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">7) <i><a href="http://kristens-booknook.blogspot.com/2012/02/review-good-girls-guide-to-getting-lost.html">The Good Girl's Guide to Getting Lost</a></i> - I love a travelogue but this one resonated on a different level from others that I've read. If you are a woman in your 20s, then you need to read this book!</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">8) <i><a href="http://kristens-booknook.blogspot.com/2012/01/audiobook-review-twenties-girl-by.html">Twenties Girl</a></i> - I thought this was going to be another piece of chick lit fluff, but it wasn't that at all! It was a great novel about a young woman, wanting to make her way into the world, but needing a little help to make it all happen. The fact that a romance doesn't factor into this story is even better!</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">9) <i><a href="http://kristens-booknook.blogspot.com/2011/06/firefly-lane-by-kristin-hannah.html">Firefly Lane</a></i> - another one that I thought was going to be an easy piece of fluff, this novel blew me away with it's relationships and the span of the novel. A great work that had me laughing and crying.</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">10) <i><a href="http://kristens-booknook.blogspot.com/2011/03/shes-come-undone-by-wally-lamb.html">She's Come Undone</a></i> - the depth with which Wally Lamb writes is phenomenal and blows me away everytime I read one of his books. This one was no different, but it was a departure from his other books that I've read, so it was a bit unexpected.</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">Don't you just love that feeling when you weren't expecting to love a book as much as you do? Let me know which books really blew you away, unexpectedly!</span></span></div>
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<br />Kristenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11616941043064124492noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4224639182938282964.post-69517679145184984382013-04-19T07:52:00.001-04:002013-04-19T07:52:45.891-04:00Book Blog Hop and Follow Friday (4-19-13)<div style="text-align: center;">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Happy Friday everyone! Enjoying April so far? It's hard to believe that it's almost May ... the time is just flying by this month! Hopefully it slows down a little so that we can enjoy the summer weather, but I doubt that it will. Well, let's get onto the Friday fun ...</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><a href="http://coffeeaddictedwriter.com/">Coffee Addicted Writer</a> asks:</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 21px;"><b><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple; font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; font-size: large;">What was last book you read that made you cry?</span></b></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 21px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i><a href="http://kristens-booknook.blogspot.com/2011/06/firefly-lane-by-kristin-hannah.html">Firefly Lane</a></i> by Kristin Hannah. (I read it awhile ago, but it takes a lot for a book to make me cry).</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><a href="http://alisoncanread.com/">Alison Can Read</a> asks:</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">That's a toughie! There are so many authors that I would love to meet, but I don't know if hanging out is the right word for just wanting to meet and ask a few questions! If I had to choose someone, I would say Kristin Hannah (I guess it's her week!) because she has homes in Seattle (which I've been wanting to visit for sometime now) and Hawaii, so we could just chill at her places and relax. I'm pretty boring, as you can tell!</span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">So, which was the last book that made you cry? Which author would hang out with? Let me know and have a great weekend!</span></div>
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Kristenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11616941043064124492noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4224639182938282964.post-83055341727862938272013-04-17T08:00:00.000-04:002013-04-17T08:00:06.229-04:00Waiting On Wednesday (4-17-13)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-36eHSoDnKP0/UWAuF90ClLI/AAAAAAAAF7w/ppmnI61-3Mk/s1600/New+WoW.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="http://3.bp.blogspot.com/-36eHSoDnKP0/UWAuF90ClLI/AAAAAAAAF7w/ppmnI61-3Mk/s1600/New+WoW.JPG" /></a></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; line-height: 18px;">Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Jill at <a href="http://breakingthespine.blogspot.com/" style="text-decoration: none;">Breaking the Spine</a>. Each week, you highlight an upcoming release that you are eagerly anticipating. This week, I'm looking forward to <i>The Time Between </i>by Karen White</span></span></span></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif; line-height: 18px;"> (release date: June 4, 2013).</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><u style="font-weight: bold;">Synopsis (from Amazon):</u> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>Eleanor Murray will always remember her childhood on Edisto Island, where her late father, a local shrimper, shared her passion for music. Now her memories of him are all that tempers the guilt she feels over the accident that put her sister in a wheelchair—and the feelings she harbors for her sister’s husband.</i></span></div>
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</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>To help support her sister, Eleanor works at a Charleston investment firm during the day, but she escapes into her music, playing piano at a neighborhood bar. Until the night her enigmatic boss walks in and offers her a part-time job caring for his elderly aunt, Helena, back on Edisto. For Eleanor, it’s a chance to revisit the place where she was her happiest—and to share her love of music with grieving Helena, whose sister recently died under mysterious circumstances.</i></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>An island lush with sweetgrass and salt marshes, Edisto has been a peaceful refuge for Helena, who escaped with her sister from war-torn Hungary in 1944. The sisters were well-known on the island, where they volunteered in their church and community. But now Eleanor will finally learn the truth about their past: secrets that will help heal her relationship with her own sister—and set Eleanor free....</i></span><div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">So, what are you waiting on this Wednesday?</span></div>
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Kristenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11616941043064124492noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4224639182938282964.post-17390663140955128292013-04-16T07:36:00.000-04:002013-04-16T07:36:09.698-04:00Top Ten Tuesday (4-16-13)<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by <a href="http://brokeandbookish.blogspot.com/" style="text-decoration: none;">The Broke and The Bookish</a>. Each week, </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">they post a different topic, and you get to create your own top ten list. So, this week's </span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: purple; font-size: large;"><b>Books I Thought I'd Like MORE Than I Did</b></span></span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">1) <i><a href="http://kristens-booknook.blogspot.com/2011/10/audiobook-review-new-yorkers-by.html">The New Yorkers</a></i> - I love NYC and love books that are set here because there is so much that can happen. But this book was awful. I kept on listening because so many people on GoodReads raved about it, but it never got any better. I wish I had listened to my gut and stopped listening to it!</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">2) <i><a href="http://kristens-booknook.blogspot.com/2012/01/audiobook-review-shoe-addicts.html">Shoe Addicts Anonymous</a> - </i>another book that I listened to. For this one, I had just finished another Beth Harbison audiobook and really liked it, so I decided to try another one of her books. This was one of the strangest books that I've ever read and it was so awkward (and not in a funny way!)</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">3) <i>The Unfinished Work of Elizabeth D. - </i>I read this after hearing so many bloggers write rave reviews of this book, but it just didn't click for me. I was really disappointed that I didn't like it more.</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 18px;">4) <i><a href="http://kristens-booknook.blogspot.com/2012/08/review-summer-breeze-by-nancy-thayer.html">Summer Breeze</a></i> - I feel like I should like Nancy Thayer's work, but I just don't like her writing. This was the second book of hers that I read and I was so upset with myself by the end of it because it was just like the first book, but the characters names had changed.</span></span></div>
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">5) <i><a href="http://kristens-booknook.blogspot.com/2012/05/review-150-pounds-by-kate-rockland.html">150 Pounds</a></i> - I thought that I would really like this novel because it focuses on two bloggers living very different lifestyles. But it was too preachy for me and it felt like Kate Rockland was trying to push a message home.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">6) <i><a href="http://kristens-booknook.blogspot.com/2012/04/review-midnight-in-austenland-by.html">Midnight in Austenland</a></i> - I love Jane Austen. I love England. So this should be something that I would love, right? Wrong! I didn't like it one bit!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">7) <i><a href="http://kristens-booknook.blogspot.com/2011/12/review-lantern-by-deborah-lawrenson.html">The Lantern</a></i> - with everyone comparing this book to <i>Rebecca</i>, I hurried to get myself a copy. But this novel is nowhere like <i>Rebecca</i> and I was left feeling bitter and disappointed that I read a book that wasn't at all what I would like.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">8) <i><a href="http://kristens-booknook.blogspot.com/2011/08/in-her-shoes-by-jennifer-weiner.html">In Her Shoes</a></i> - I enjoy Jennifer Weiner's work and figured that I should try out some of her earlier books, but I was so disappointed with this one. I'm glad that I didn't read this book first because I might not have read any of her others books!</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">9) <i><a href="http://kristens-booknook.blogspot.com/2011/05/joy-for-beginners-by-erica-bauermeister.html">Joy for Beginners</a></i> - the premise of this book is great but the writing and follow-through were awful. It was also very formulaic, and I always hate that in novels.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">10) <i><a href="http://kristens-booknook.blogspot.com/2012/08/audiobook-review-big-stone-gap-by.html">Big Stone Gap</a></i> - I had read a few Adriana Trigiani novels so far and people raved about this one, her first book. So, I checked out the audiobook from the library but had a hard time connecting to it. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">I'm always disappointed when a book doesn't live up the expectations that I had for it. So, what topic did you rewind to this week? Let me know!</span></div>
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><br /></span>Kristenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11616941043064124492noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4224639182938282964.post-91731908816008158072013-04-15T09:00:00.000-04:002013-04-15T09:00:15.432-04:00Review: The Memory Thief by Emily Colin<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>The Memory Thief</i></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>Author:</b> Emily Colin</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>Published:</b> August 21, 2012</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>Genre:</b> contemporary fiction</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>eBook:</b> approx. 432 pages</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><b>Source:</b> borrowed from the library</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><u style="font-weight: bold;">My Rating:</u> 3 stars</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><u style="font-weight: bold;">Synopsis (from GoodReads):</u> </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><i>When Madeleine Kimble’s husband Aiden dies in a mountain climbing accident, Maddie can only think of his earnest promise to return to her and their young son. Aiden’s best friend J.C. feels great remorse over his inability to save him, but J.C.’s grief is also seasoned with the guilt of loving Maddie through the years. Meanwhile, across the country another young man wakes up in a hospital and finds that his memories have been wiped clean, and replaced with haunting dreams of a beautiful woman and a five year old boy whom he feels driven to find. What Nicholas Sullivan discovers upon his journey is utterly unexpected—and it will change all of their lives, especially Maddie’s.</i></span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;"><u style="font-weight: bold;">My Thoughts:</u> I was really intrigued by the description of this novel and when comparisons were made between Emily Colin's novel and the work of Kristin Hannah, I decided to give it a try since I love Hannah's work so much. Colin writes a story of loss and grieving, between a husband and wife, father and child, two best friends, and a complete stranger. It's a really good story but something that is hard to describe (this is proving a hard review for me to write because I feel like summarizing the book would give everything away!) The chapters are told from three characters' points of view, alternating between them so that you are able to fully understand what is happening. There is Aidan, the mountain climber who tragically falls to death during an avalanche. There is Maddie, his wife who didn't want to him to go on the trip because she had a feeling that something bad might happen. Then there is Nicholas, a man who lives in North Carolina, has no idea who Aidan or Maddie are, yet has all of Aidan's memories following a horrible motorcycle accident (you keeping up yet?)</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">There is a lot going on, but Colin doesn't make it seem that way. It would be easy to become bogged down with the details of what is happening, how Nicholas can see Aidan's memories and communicate with him in this weird way. But Colin doesn't let that happen, and instead let's everything unfold naturally. If there is a complaint with this novel, it's that following Aidan's death, everything seems rushed between Maddie and JC. Their relationship goes from 0 to 60 in about three seconds, and all of a sudden, Colin has you focusing on their relationship instead of the loss of Aidan. I didn't like how it played out, but it didn't take away from the novel too much.</span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="line-height: 19px;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: 'Trebuchet MS', sans-serif;">Overall, this was a great first novel from a writer and I understand why Colin drew comparisons to Hannah. Both are great writers who understand females and the connections that they form with other people. The relationships were the basis of this novel, not the coming-back-from-the-dead stuff, which is a huge feat for a first time novelist. I cannot wait to read more of Colin's work in the future and see where she goes as a writer.</span></span>Kristenhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11616941043064124492noreply@blogger.com0