Review: Mary Jane

Mary Jane by Jessica Anya Blau
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I don't know if I have an advantage by never watching "Almost Famous" or reading Daisy Jones and the Six. I went into this book with no preconceived notions.    I was 17 during the summer of 1975, so maybe I can relate to this story more than most readers. 

Was this a coming-of-age novel? Not for Mary Jane. For her, it was more of a story about realizing that there are different worlds out there. And at  14, you have a lot more years left to make up your mind, to "come of age," and that is the age of our protagonist Mary Jane. (clever name, eh? Not. You'll see what I mean if you choose to read this book) It's more a book about the lives of the 'hippies.' And perhaps it is a coming-of-age novel about the adults in Mary Jane's life.

Mary Jane comes from a pretty typical '70s upper-middle-class family. And she decides to be a nanny to a family that is so far left from what she is used to that she doesn't know up from down.  Hippies, as some would label them. The  Cones. A psychiatrist and his wife. They have a 5-year-old daughter Izzy. Mr. Cone is taking a patient (a drug and sex addict) and his wife into his home for the summer.  It seems that the patient and his wife might have been based on the real-life Sonny and Cher.  Interesting right? No, it was not. It was painful, and maybe that is precisely what this author wanted.  To make us as uncomfortable as she possibly could.

 

I can say that there is a new generation that is exactly like the Hippie generation of yore. Is that a good thing?  I don't know, but it seems to happen about every thirty years or so, LOL!

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SYNOPSIS: ""I LOVED this novel....If you have ever sung along to a hit on the radio, in any decade, then you will devour Mary Jane at 45 rpm." —Nick Hornby

Almost Famous meets Daisy Jones and the Six in this funny, wise, and tender novel about a fourteen-year-old girl’s coming of age in 1970s Baltimore, caught between her straight-laced family and the progressive family she nannies for—who happen to be secretly hiding a famous rock star and his movie star wife for the summer.

In 1970s Baltimore, fourteen-year-old Mary Jane loves cooking with her mother, singing in her church choir, and enjoying her family’s subscription to the Broadway Showtunes of the Month record club. Shy, quiet, and bookish, she’s glad when she lands a summer job as a nanny for the daughter of a local doctor. A respectable job, Mary Jane’s mother says. In a respectable house.

The house may look respectable on the outside, but inside it’s a literal and figurative mess: clutter on every surface, Impeachment: Now More Than Ever bumper stickers on the doors, cereal and takeout for dinner. And even more troublesome (were Mary Jane’s mother to know, which she does not): the doctor is a psychiatrist who has cleared his summer for one important job—helping a famous rock star dry out. A week after Mary Jane starts, the rock star and his movie star wife move in.

Over the course of the summer, Mary Jane introduces her new household to crisply ironed clothes and a family dinner schedule, and has a front-row seat to a liberal world of sex, drugs, and rock and roll (not to mention group therapy). Caught between the lifestyle she’s always known and the future she’s only just realized is possible, Mary Jane will arrive at September with a new idea about what she wants out of life, and what kind of person she’s going to be."

Review: Lost in Paris

Lost in Paris by Elizabeth Thompson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

What I loved the most about this book were the diary entries made in the late 1920's by Hannah Bonds great grandmother. These entries felt... I don't know how to explain this, somehow truer and more realistic to me than the book's main part.

The main part of the book deals with Hannah and her mother Marla and the discovery of a Parisian apartment that they have inherited. The apartment has been closed since 1940, so 80 years! I was surprised to read that anything in this apartment had survived. Realistically nothing should have, but there you go.

Yes, I had some issues with this book, but it was written so that it would suck me into the story, both the past and the present stories.

ARC supplied by the publisher, the author, and ATTL/Edelweiss.

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SYNOPSIS: "

Hannah Bond has always been a bookworm, which is why she fled Florida—and her unstable, alcoholic mother—for a quiet life leading Jane Austen-themed tours through the British countryside. But on New Year’s Eve, everything comes crashing down when she arrives back at her London flat to find her mother, Marla, waiting for her.

Marla’s brought two things with her: a black eye from her ex-boyfriend and an envelope. Its contents? The deed to an apartment in Paris, an old key, and newspaper clippings about the death of a famous writer named Andres Armand. Hannah, wary of her mother’s motives, reluctantly agrees to accompany her to Paris, where against all odds, they discover great-grandma Ivy’s apartment frozen in 1940 and covered in dust.

Inside the apartment, Hannah and Marla discover mysterious clues about Ivy’s life—including a diary detailing evenings of drinking and dancing with Hemingway, the Fitzgeralds, and other iconic expats. Outside, they retrace her steps through the city in an attempt to understand why she went to such great lengths to hide her Paris identity from future generations.

A heartwarming and charming saga set in the City of Lights, Lost in Paris is an unforgettable celebration of family and the love between a mother and a daughter."

Review: Before I Saw You

Before I Saw You by Emily Houghton
My rating: 2 of 5 stars
This book's synopsis really drew me in, and I'm sorry I didn't look at the reviews before I chose to read this. I didn't expect a 'lite' read, but I didn't expect this. I am afraid that if I tell you of this couple's injuries, it will keep you away from this book. Suffice to say that the injuries were life-threatening and disfiguring.

Both characters can be unlikeable - Alfie for his ultra-bright and uber happy out-look on everything (so he doesn't fall to pieces), Alice for her selfishness and need to control.

I admit I found it a little disconcerting to find that in London, different sexes inhabit the rooms in which long-term care is held, and that therapy is extremely minimal---unless this was just the authors' imagination and way to push the narrative?

I recommend this book to anyone who likes difficult relationships, deep discussions between main characters and can suspend their disbelief.

*ARC supplied by the publisher, author, and Edelweiss/ATTL.


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SYNOPSIS: "For fans of Close Enough to Touch and Me Before You comes a poignant and moving novel about two patients who fall in love as they recover from traumatic injuries in the same hospital ward…all without seeing each other.

Alice Gunnersley and Alfie Mack sleep just a few feet apart from one another. They talk for hours every day. And they’ve never seen each other face-to-face.

After being in terrible accidents, the two now share the same ward as long-term residents of St. Francis’s Hospital. Although they don’t get off to the best start, the close quarters (and Alfie’s persistence to befriend everyone he meets) brings them closer together. Pretty soon no one can make Alice laugh as hard as Alfie does, and Alfie feels like he’s finally found a true confidante in Alice. Between their late night talks and inside jokes, something more than friendship begins to slowly blossom between them.

But as their conditions improve and the end of their stay draws closer, Alfie and Alice are forced to decide whether it’s worth continuing a relationship with someone who’s seen all of the worst parts of you, but never seen your actual face.

A tender novel of healing and hope, Before I Saw You reminds us that connections can be found even in the most unexpected of places—and that love is almost always blind."

Review: The Secret Bridesmaid

The Secret Bridesmaid by Katy Birchall
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

4.5 Stars

I was about a third of the way through this book, and I was having my doubts about it. I like strong female lead characters, and Sophie just didn't seem to cut it. She was almost too good to be true. The protagonist Cordelia was a hair above the Kardashians in my mind, and I just wanted to slap her silly!

However, I persevered and kept reading. And I am so glad I did. There was so much character growth from both parties that I was actually unhappy that the book ended. I wanted to see what the secret bridesmaid would do with her possible next royal bride!

This was definitely a great read, a perfect read for the beach or a mini-at home vacation. I highly recommend this book to those who loved Miranda Priestlys' character in "The Devil Wears Prada," or any other good vs. misunderstood evil!

*ARC supplied by the publisher, the author, and NetGalley.

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SYNOPSIS: "Matrimony meets mayhem in a modern British romcom about a young woman charged with pulling off the biggest aristocratic wedding of the year––and the misadventures that ensue.

Sophie Breeze is a brilliant bridesmaid. So brilliant, in fact, that she’s made it her full-time job.

As a professional bridesmaid, Sophie is hired by London brides to be their right-hand woman, posing as a friend but working behind the scenes to help plan the perfect wedding and ensure their big day goes off without a hitch. When she’s hired by Lady Victoria Swann––a former model and “It Girl" of 1970’s London; now the Marchioness of Meade––for the society wedding of the year, it should be a chance for Sophie to prove just how talented she is.

Of course, it’s not ideal that the bride, Lady Victoria’s daughter, Cordelia, is an absolute diva and determined to make Sophie’s life a nightmare. It’s also a bit inconvenient that Sophie finds herself drawn to Cordelia’s posh older brother, who is absolutely off limits. But when a rival society wedding is announced for the very same day, things start to get…well, complicated.

Can Sophie pull off the biggest challenge of her career––execute a high-profile gala for four hundred and fifty guests in record time, win over a reluctant bride, and catch the eye of handsome Lord Swann––all while keeping her true identity a secret, and her dignity intact?

Heartwarming and hilarious, The Secret Bridesmaid celebrates the joys (and foibles) of weddings, the nuances of female friendship, and the redeeming power of love in its many unexpected forms."

Review: King and Maxwell

King and Maxwell by David Baldacci
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I've read almost this whole series through my local library. I never should have done one book after another. But, at any rate--- I would have loved this book if it had been shorter and less repetitive. Mr. Baldalcci finds good tropes and sticks to them, but they can get a little annoying if you do the whole series in a sitting.

But I did find this a great book even though I did skip over some of the more boring passages. I would have liked to see this series continue.


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Review: The Bookstore on the Beach: A Novel

The Bookstore on the Beach: A Novel by Brenda Novak
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

I read for so many different reasons, but lately, I am reading books that will let me escape the horror that life has become. This book sounded like it would be right up my alley ---until I actually started reading. This is NOT a light beach read. Yes, the bookshop is set near the beach-yes the characters make use of the beach and that is where the 'beach read' ends.

All of this anguish just left me depressed.



SPOILER-ISH:

Grandmother (Mary)- when a child was kidnapped and held for years being abused. She had a child by the abuser. Now the abusers' wife is out of jail and the daughter of the abuser wants to get in touch with Mary about money.

Grandmother's daughter (Autumn)- husband goes on a mission and has been missing for nearly 2 years. She is now contemplating having a sex life with an old 'friend.

Daughters'friend' Quinn - his mother is dying from cancer and is very nearly stalking Autumn (the daughter!) He was stabbed several times by his ex-wife!

Daughter (Taylor)-17 years old is now pregnant and is now questioning her sexuality.

Son (Caden)- at the 50% mark he seems to have no issues.

I just couldn't do it. I could not make myself care enough about the people in this book to keep going. Maybe someday my curiosity will kick in and will finish this book. Maybe the ending will be worth it. Maybe.

*ARC supplied by the publisher.



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SYNOPSIS: ""A page-turner with a deep heart."—Nancy Thayer, New York Times bestselling author of Girls of Summer

How do you start a new chapter of your life when you haven’t closed the book on the previous one?

Eighteen months ago, Autumn Divac’s husband went missing. Her desperate search has yielded no answers, and she can’t imagine moving forward without him. But for the sake of their two teenage children, she has to try.

Autumn takes her kids home for the summer to the charming beachside town where she was raised. She seeks comfort working alongside her mother and aunt at their bookshop, only to learn that her daughter is facing a huge life change and her mother has been hiding a terrible secret for years. And when she runs into the boy who stole her heart in high school, old feelings start to bubble up again. Is she free to love him, or should she hold out hope for her husband’s return? She can only trust her heart…and hope it won’t lead her astray.

"A heart-tugging romance. Readers are sure to be sucked in.”—Publishers Weekly, starred review "

Review: Fallen

Fallen by Linda Castillo
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Intense

Exceptional

Eye Opening

Fabulous

I'm sure I can come up with more words to describe what I felt about this book, but why bother? This was a fabulous addition to the Kate Burkholder series, and I can't recommend it enough, especially if you have been following this series.

I can recommend this book to those who haven't been reading this series since there is enough back story to make this a comfortable read for you. Not enough back story to bore long-time readers, though.

This was a single-day read for me and would be perfect for those looking for something to read over a rainy weekend! 

The mystery seems to be an easy one to figure out, but the author keeps you just discombobulated enough, so you are never absolutely sure of who-dun-it.

 I loved this book and will be re-reading it over the weekend -maybe I will re-read the whole series while I'm at it. I adore seeing how everyone has grown, how relationships have changed, and learning about the Amish and their various religious off-shoots.

ARC provided by the publisher, the author, and NetGalley.

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SYNOPSIS: "In New York Times bestselling author Linda Castillo’s new thriller, a rebellious Amish woman leaves the Plain life, but the secrets she takes with her will lead Chief of Police Kate Burkholder down a dark path to danger and death.

When a young woman is found murdered in a Painters Mill motel, Chief of Police Kate Burkholder is shocked to discover she once knew the victim. Rachael Schwartz was a charming but troubled Amish girl who left the fold years ago and fled Painters Mill. Why was she back in town? And who would kill her so brutally?

Kate remembers Rachael as the only girl who was as bad at being Amish as Kate was—and those parallels dog her. But the more Kate learns about Rachael's life, the more she's convinced that her dubious reputation was deserved. As a child, Rachael was a rowdy rulebreaker whose decision to leave devastated her parents and best friend. As an adult, she was charismatic and beautiful, a rabble-rouser with a keen eye for opportunity no matter who got in her way. Her no-holds-barred lifestyle earned her a lot of love and enemies aplenty—both English and Amish.

As the case heats to a fever pitch and long-buried secrets resurface, a killer haunts Painters Mill. Someone doesn’t want Rachael’s past—or the mysteries she took with her to the grave—coming to light. As Kate digs deeper, violence strikes again, this time hitting close to home. Will Kate uncover the truth and bring a murderer to justice? Or will a killer bent on protecting a terrible past stop her once and for all—and let the fallen be forgotten? "

Review: Wild Sign

Wild Sign by Patricia Briggs
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Rounded up from 3.5 ( will you guys please, please, please get half stars like LibraryThing!!! We beg you!!!)

This was not a bad book and did manage to answer a few questions while opening up the way for many different questions. Parts of this book were boring, but for the most part, it kept me absorbed in Anna and Charles's world.

I didn't particularly appreciate that Ms. Briggs used too many ideas from previous books and both series.

Does anyone remember Mercy's ordeal in "Iron Kissed"? Well, it's used again but with a different creature and NOT Anna.

Good, very good, but not great.

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SYNOPSIS: "In the wilds of the Northern California mountains, all the inhabitants of a small town have gone missing. It's as if the people picked up and left everything they owned behind. Fearing something supernatural might be going on, the FBI taps a source they've consulted in the past: the werewolves Charles Cornick and Anna Latham. But Charles and Anna soon find a deserted town is the least of the mysteries they face.

Death sings in the forest, and when it calls, Charles and Anna must answer. Something has awakened in the heart of the California mountains, something old and dangerous — and it has met werewolves before.

Review: A Good Day for Chardonnay

A Good Day for Chardonnay by Darynda Jones
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

OMG! I totally hated this book...NOT!!! I loved it, but I did hate the fact that we have to wait more than a year (I hope only that long) to find out the cliff-hanger!

There was so much going on in this book that sometimes I wondered just how everything would get resolved. But never fear, most of the storylines did get resolved, although I can see where some of this resolution will be used in future books.

I'm not even going to hint or try to recap the story for fear that I will give away something important. But rest assured that there will be deaths (bad guys---mostly), blood, heroism, and an 'apple that hasn't fallen far from the tree'!

ARC supplied by the publisher, the author, and NetGalley.

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SYNOPSIS: "Running a small-town police force in the mountains of New Mexico should be a smooth, carefree kind of job. Sadly, full-time Sheriff--and even fuller-time coffee guzzler--Sunshine Vicram, didn't get that memo.

All Sunshine really wants is one easy-going day. You know, the kind that starts with coffee and a donut (or three) and ends with take-out pizza and a glass of chardonnay (or seven). Turns out, that's about as easy as switching to decaf. (What kind of people do that? And who hurt them?)

Before she can say iced mocha latte, Sunny's got a bar fight gone bad, a teenage daughter hunting a serial killer and, oh yes, the still unresolved mystery of her own abduction years prior. All evidence points to a local distiller, a dangerous bad boy named Levi Ravinder, but Sun knows he's not the villain of her story. Still, perhaps beneath it all, he possesses the keys to her disappearance. At the very least, beneath it all, he possesses a serious set of abs. She's seen it. Once. Accidentally.

Between policing a town her hunky chief deputy calls four cents short of a nickel, that pesky crush she has on Levi which seems to grow exponentially every day, and an irascible raccoon that just doesn't know when to quit, Sunny's life is about to rocket to a whole new level of crazy.

Yep, definitely a good day for chardonnay."

Review: In a Book Club Far Away

In a Book Club Far Away by Tif Marcelo
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is a difficult book to rate and review.

The gist of the story was a bit on the annoying side. It was about three female friends who live revolved around their husbands and the military. It was also about the ten years that had lapsed after one of the friends lied. All of a sudden, the three friends, who have mostly been estranged, need to get back together to help one with health issues. The reunion is difficult with two of the friends not speaking to each other. Yes, there is a surprise ending. Unfortunately, I did not find this part of the book to be sufficiently compelling and, toward the end, started skimming some of these parts.

What this book does have going for it is letting us, civilians, learn what it is like to be a military wife, the hardships they have to deal with, and what it really means to be a military wife. For this alone, I will recommend this book highly to the women I know who are in this situation.


*ARC supplied by the publisher, author, and Edelweiss/ATTL.

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SYNOPSIS: "From the author of Once Upon a Sunset and The Key to Happily Ever After comes a heartwarming and moving novel following three Army wives—estranged friends—who must overcome their differences when one of them is desperate for help.

Regina Castro, Adelaide Wilson-Chang, and Sophie Walden used to be best friends. As Army wives at Fort East, they bonded during their book club and soon became inseparable. But when an unimaginable betrayal happened amongst the group, the friendship abruptly ended, and they haven’t spoken since.

That’s why, eight years later, Regina and Sophie are shocked when they get a call for help from Adelaide. Adelaide’s husband is stationed abroad, and without any friends or family near her new home of Alexandria, Virginia, she has no one to help take care of her young daughter when she has to undergo emergency surgery. For the sake of an innocent child, Regina and Sophie reluctantly put their differences aside to help an old friend.

As the three women reunite, they must overcome past hurts and see if there’s any future for their friendship. Featuring Tif Marcelo’s signature “enchanting prose” (Amy E. Reichert, author of The Coincidence of Coconut Cake) and the books that brought them together in the first place, In a Book Club Far Away honors the immense power of female friendship and how love can defy time, distance, and all old wounds."

Review: Convenience Store Woman

Convenience Store Woman by Sayaka Murata
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I probably shouldn't give this book such a low rating just because I didn't fully 'get' it. I am not quite sure just what this was supposed to be about. Was it a book about someone who is autistic? Did she have a psychosis? In my mind, she probably had both. Violent as a child, as an adult has to mimic others to appear 'human', can only connect to this world while working in a convenience store, the list goes on.

For such a short novel (novella) we get a lot of repetition. When a male enters Keikos world things start getting even odder. And he is a truly detestable male. I don't know why the author made him so; if he too was supposed to be autistic/psychotic. either way, he was a true pig.

One thing that did make me happy about this book is that Keiko knew what her flaws were and what she had to do to be happy and that was to continue to be a convenience store employee and the best one there was!

Would I recommend this book? Actually, if it goes on sale again or you can get it from the library, I would, just so you can feel the confusion and gut-clenching that I did! You may be able to figure this book out and then you can explain it to me in simple language. LOL!

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SYNOPSIS: "Keiko Furukura had always been considered a strange child, and her parents always worried how she would get on in the real world, so when she takes on a job in a convenience store while at university, they are delighted for her. For her part, in the convenience store she finds a predictable world mandated by the store manual, which dictates how the workers should act and what they should say, and she copies her coworkers’ style of dress and speech patterns so that she can play the part of a normal person. However, eighteen years later, at age 36, she is still in the same job, has never had a boyfriend, and has only few friends. She feels comfortable in her life, but is aware that she is not living up to society’s expectations and causing her family to worry about her. When a similarly alienated but cynical and bitter young man comes to work in the store, he will upset Keiko’s contented stasis—but will it be for the better?

Sayaka Murata brilliantly captures the atmosphere of the familiar convenience store that is so much part of life in Japan. With some laugh-out-loud moments prompted by the disconnect between Keiko’s thoughts and those of the people around her, she provides a sharp look at Japanese society and the pressure to conform, as well as penetrating insights into the female mind. Convenience Store Woman is a fresh, charming portrait of an unforgettable heroine that recalls Banana Yoshimoto, Han Kang, and Amélie."