The Storyteller

The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Bravo! Bravo! PIcoult integrated and intertwined the characters lives in only a way that she can. Completely and utterly incredible. The stories from the Holocaust serve as a reminder of the brutality and the cruelty of genocide. It's an absolutely heart breaking and warming book.

View all my reviews Book Description Release date: February 26, 2013 Some stories live forever . . . Sage Singer is a baker. She works through the night, preparing the day’s breads and pastries, trying to escape a reality of loneliness, bad memories, and the shadow of her mother’s death. When Josef Weber, an elderly man in Sage’s grief support group, begins stopping by the bakery, they strike up an unlikely friendship. Despite their differences, they see in each other the hidden scars that others can’t, and they become companions. Everything changes on the day that Josef confesses a long-buried and shameful secret—one that nobody else in town would ever suspect—and asks Sage for an extraordinary favor. If she says yes, she faces not only moral repercussions, but potentially legal ones as well. With her own identity suddenly challenged, and the integrity of the closest friend she’s ever had clouded, Sage begins to question the assumptions and expectations she’s made about her life and her family. When does a moral choice become a moral imperative? And where does one draw the line between punishment and justice, forgiveness and mercy?

32 Candles

32 Candles by Ernessa T. Carter
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I read this in one day - one sitting. Grant it - it was Saturday football. So the house is still and the boys are preoccupied, but it was absolutely delicious. Really funny, quirky, and romantic. I didn't always agree with Davie, but I found myself voting for her the whole time.

View all my reviews Book Description Release date: June 22, 2010 32 Candles is the slightly twisted, utterly romantic, and deftly wry story of Davie Jones, who, if she doesn’t stand in her own way, just might get the man of her dreams. Davie—an ugly duckling growing up in small-town Mississippi—is positive her life couldn’t be any worse. She has the meanest mother in the South, possibly the world, and on top of that, she’s pretty sure she’s ugly. Just when she’s resigned herself to her fate, she sees a movie that will change her life—Sixteen Candles. But in her case, life doesn’t imitate art. Tormented endlessly in school with the nickname "Monkey Night," and hopelessly in unrequited love with a handsome football player, James Farrell, Davie finds that it is bittersweet to dream of Molly Ringwald endings. When a cruel school prank goes too far, Davie leaves the life she knows and reinvents herself in the glittery world of Hollywood—as a beautiful and successful lounge singer in a swanky nightclub.

Book twenty-eight, 29, thirty, 31... Reading on Christmas.

I didn't get my 35 books this year. Wish I could include student work in my list - fo'sho.

I didn't get to White Teeth...or get through it. I should say.

But I did read - teen fiction.

"Shiloh"

"Things Hoped For"

Jennifer, Hecate, Macbeth, William McKinley, and Me, Elizabeth

Then Again, Maybe I Won't

Quick book reviews coming for these books in 2013. I am going to try to finish one more "pleasure" read in the next five days - I will add the book review soon :) 

Merry Christmas! 

 

My Forced Read: White Teeth

I am such a distant fan of Zadie Smith. I love reading articles that she is in - I love her style and the idea of her. That said, I have  no read one of her pieces of work. It's time that I jump in. For the past few years - possible over five - I have picked up her novel, I put it down. Something in the description doesn't pull me in. But during this book challenge - I also want to challenge myself to read different things. I have not been good at straying from my old faithfuls. But today, I will start. Here goes nothing. Pray for me Saints. I am about to read "White Teeth."

Book Description:  

Zadie Smith’s dazzling debut caught critics grasping for comparisons and deciding on everyone from Charles Dickens to Salman Rushdie to John Irving and Martin Amis. But the truth is that Zadie Smith’s voice is remarkably, fluently, and altogether wonderfully her own.

At the center of this invigorating novel are two unlikely friends, Archie Jones and Samad Iqbal. Hapless veterans of World War II, Archie and Samad and their families become agents of England’s irrevocable transformation. A second marriage to Clara Bowden, a beautiful, albeit tooth-challenged, Jamaican half his age, quite literally gives Archie a second lease on life, and produces Irie, a knowing child whose personality doesn’t quite match her name (Jamaican for “no problem”). Samad’s late-in-life arranged marriage (he had to wait for his bride to be born), produces twin sons whose separate paths confound Iqbal’s every effort to direct them, and a renewed, if selective, submission to his Islamic faith. Set against London’s racial and cultural tapestry, venturing across the former empire and into the past as it barrels toward the future, White Teeth revels in the ecstatic hodgepodge of modern life, flirting with disaster, confounding expectations, and embracing the comedy of daily existence.

Recommended Read: Slave.

I read this in college and cannot forget it.

Book Description:
Mende Nazer lost her childhood at age twelve, when she was sold into slavery. It all began one horrific night in 1993, when Arab raiders swept through her Nuba village, murdering the adults and rounding up thirty-one children, including Mende.

Mende was sold to a wealthy Arab family who lived in Sudan's capital city, Khartoum. So began her dark years of enslavement. Her Arab owners called her "Yebit," or "black slave." She called them "master." She was subjected to appalling physical, sexual, and mental abuse. She slept in a shed and ate the family leftovers like a dog. She had no rights, no freedom, and no life of her own.

Normally, Mende's story never would have come to light. But seven years after she was seized and sold into slavery, she was sent to work for another master—a diplomat working in the United Kingdom. In London, she managed to make contact with other Sudanese, who took pity on her. In September 2000, she made a dramatic break for freedom.

Slave is a story almost beyond belief. It depicts the strength and dignity of the Nuba tribe. It recounts the savage way in which the Nuba and their ancient culture are being destroyed by a secret modern-day trade in slaves. Most of all, it is a remarkable testimony to one young woman's unbreakable spirit and tremendous courage.

Book 27: Sold

Incredible. Absolutely Incredible. This book is broadcast as a teen book - it's already won so many literature awards. I read it in one sitting - it was incredible. I know that I have said "incredible" three - technically four times - but I cannot help it. This book kept me in it's tight grasp the entire time that I read it.  I literally could not put it down. It reminded me slightly of The House on Mango Street. A book that dealt with such strong subjects, but sent through a child's eyes and through a child's perspective. There were moments where I literally held my breath. I didn't know that I was holding my breath until - I felt myself start reading. I literally read it on the subway station while I went from bourough to bourough to visit my girlfriends. All this to say, I couldn't stop reading this book. I found myself in a place where I literally didn't want it to be over. I kept trying to think of ways that I could savor the book, but I couldn't sit for two seconds on the train without needing to open the book and find out what is happening to the ladies, the ordinary boy, the tea boy, and the American.

Book Description

Lakshmi is a thirteen-year-old girl who lives with her family in a small hut on a mountain in Nepal. Though she is desperately poor, her life is full of simple pleasures, like playing hopscotch with her best friend from school, and having her mother brush her hair by the light of an oil lamp. But when the harsh Himalayan monsoons wash away all that remains of the family’s crops, Lakshmi’s stepfather says she must leave home and take a job to support her family.

He introduces her to a glamorous stranger who tells her she will find her a job as a maid in the city. Glad to be able to help, Lakshmi journeys to India and arrives at “Happiness House” full of hope. But she soon learns the unthinkable truth: she has been sold into prostitution. An old woman named Mumtaz rules the brothel with cruelty and cunning. She tells Lakshmi that she is trapped there until she can pay off her family’s debt—then cheats Lakshmi of her meager earnings so that she can never leave. Lakshmi’s life becomes a nightmare from which she cannot escape.

Still, she lives by her mother’s words—Simply to endure is to triumph—and gradually, she forms friendships with the other girls that enable her to survive in this terrifying new world. Then the day comes when she must make a decision—will she risk everything for a chance to reclaim her life? Written in spare and evocative vignettes, this powerful novel renders a world that is as unimaginable as it is real, and a girl who not only survives but triumphs.

Book Twenty-Six: Home Again

Home Again is written by Kristin Hannah - the same writer that wrote Firefly Lane! I loved Firefly Lane. So, this book was good - just too similar to Firefly Lane. My advice - both books are good-  read one or the other.  You will get an incredibly interesting read either way.  So, I don't really feel like writing - so I'm going to keep it at this. I am going to tell my self that I will edit this...eventually. But I probably won't - as much as I love reading. I've realized through this project - I don't love writing about the books that I read. I do however like sharing the books that I've read. I have to figure out a a better way of posting the books with my opinions. I think, I may just say "good" or "bad" - not sure....

Either way, this is a good book. Hope you enjoy!

Reminds me of one of my favorite songs right now by Michael Kiwanuka.... it's a great song for Hurricane reading...


Overview: At the center of Home Again is Madelaine, a brilliant cardiologist, a loving mother, a tender friend, a woman full of self-doubt. It is the story of her daughter, Lina, a confused and angry rebel and of the two very different men Madelaine loves: Francis, a priest searching for his faith, and Angel, a talented, but cynical man. When tragedy brings them together again, they must learn to forgive the betrayals of the past and find the courage to love again. Touching and inspiring, it is also a story of modern-day miracles, medical, and, perhaps, those not of this world.

Twenty-two (23,twenty-four), 25

Tears of A Tiger (teen fiction) - Set in Cincinnati - it's for teens. Definitely heavy - a good read. I read it fast and was intrigued the whole time. Really tough subject matter and at times made me skirm. I definitely would suggest reading it with a teen - it helps address some major life issues: death, racism, guilt, family, and suicide. There is a lot there - no wonder Sharon Draper is an award winning author (and Cincinnati teacher).

When Gerald was a child he was fascinated by fire. But fire is dangerous and powerful, and tragedy strikes. His substance-addicted mother is taken from him. Then he loses the loving generosity of a favorite aunt. A brutal stepfather with a flaming temper and an evil secret makes his life miserable. The one bright light in Gerald's life is his little half sister, Angel, whom he struggles to protect from her father, Jordan Sparks, who abuses her, and from their mother, whose irresponsible behavior forces Gerald to work hard to keep the family together.

As a teenager, Gerald finds success as a member of the Hazelwood Tigers basketball team, while Angel develops her talents as a dancer. Trouble still haunts them, however, and Gerald learns, painfully, that young friends can die and old enemies must be faced. In the end he must stand up to his stepfather alone in a blazing confrontation.

Sharon M. Draper has interwoven characters and events from her previous novel, Tears of a Tiger, in this unflinchingly realistic portrayal of poverty and child abuse. It is an inspiring story of a young man who rises above the tragic circumstances of his life by drawing on the love and strength of family and friends.

The death of high school basketball star Rob Washington in an automobile accident affects the lives of his close friend Andy, who was driving the car, and many others in the school.

I also read (quickly): The two other Sharon Draper books in this series Forged by Fire and Darkness before Dawn... they were both out of this world. Great books - awesome conversation starters and good books to enjoy with a teenager. I am definitely going to have my nephew read this series - they are written on a seventh grade reading level - but the issues are big and are important for everyone to discuss. My students loved all the books in this series - their favorite (as a whole) was Forged by Fire.

A Thousand Splendid Suns- AMAZING. AMAZING. AMAZING. MUST READ. MUST.READ. But only when you are emotionally ready. It takes you to that place deep down in side. To be honest, I think that I am missing about two books in between this book and Tears of a Tiger, but after reading A Thousand Splendid Suns, I literally cannot remember anything else....incredible.

After 103 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list and with four million copies of The Kite Runner shipped, Khaled Hosseini returns with a beautiful, riveting, and haunting novel that confirms his place as one of the most important literary writers today.

Propelled by the same superb instinct for storytelling that made The Kite Runner a beloved classic, A Thousand Splendid Suns is at once an incredible chronicle of thirty years of Afghan history and a deeply moving story of family, friendship, faith, and the salvation to be found in love.

Born a generation apart and with very different ideas about love and family, Mariam and Laila are two women brought jarringly together by war, by loss and by fate. As they endure the ever escalating dangers around them-in their home as well as in the streets of Kabul-they come to form a bond that makes them both sisters and mother-daughter to each other, and that will ultimately alter the course not just of their own lives but of the next generation. With heart-wrenching power and suspense, Hosseini shows how a woman's love for her family can move her to shocking and heroic acts of self-sacrifice, and that in the end it is love, or even the memory of love, that is often the key to survival.

A stunning accomplishment, A Thousand Splendid Suns is a haunting, heartbreaking, compelling story of an unforgiving time, an unlikely friendship, and an indestructible love.

Lazy Review: Books 19, twenty, 21

Color Me Beautiful - Incredible. Sad. Heart Wrenching. Definitely "must-read" status - but be ready for tremendous heart break. All in one paragraph - there is tremendous hope and hopelessness.


Summary:
Inspired by a true story, Color Me Butterfly follows four generations of mothers and daughters—haunted by a common specter of domestic abuse—as they discover the strength, hope, and courage to survive.

The last thing Eloise Bingham wanted was to leave the comforts of her South Carolina home and family. But at the end of World War II, the young wife follows her husband, Isaac, to Philadelphia—only to experience his sinister and violent temper. Eloise’s children—and their children and grandchildren—will face their own trials over the next sixty years: Mattie, who has lived in her mother Eloise’s shadow, finds it takes a life-changing tragedy to help her break free; Lydia, Mattie’s strong-willed daughter, summons the resolve to rise above the cycle of abuse; and finally, Treasure, Lydia’s lively daughter, has the chance to be the first to escape her family’s destructive legacy.

It will take unconditional love, old-fashioned family values, faith, and fearless determination—already embedded in each woman’s DNA—to triumph over a life plagued with unspeakable pain.

Yes, Chef - LOVED THIS (nonfiction/memoir) of Chef Marcus Samuelson. Now everytime I go into Macy's I have a bright spot in my heart - I know his hustle and his struggle. There is death, trials, triumphs, and soooooo much culture. It's a realistic look into the world of food. I definitely recommend this book!

Summary:
It begins with a simple ritual: Every Saturday afternoon, a boy who loves to cook walks to his grandmother’s house and helps her prepare a roast chicken for dinner. The grandmother is Swedish, a retired domestic. The boy is Ethiopian and adopted, and he will grow up to become the world-renowned chef Marcus Samuelsson. This book is his love letter to food and family in all its manifestations.
Marcus Samuelsson was only three years old when he, his mother, and his sister—all battling tuberculosis—walked seventy-five miles to a hospital in the Ethiopian capital city of Addis Adaba. Tragically, his mother succumbed to the disease shortly after she arrived, but Marcus and his sister recovered, and one year later they were welcomed into a loving middle-class white family in Göteborg, Sweden. It was there that Marcus’s new grandmother, Helga, sparked in him a lifelong passion for food and cooking with her pan-fried herring, her freshly baked bread, and her signature roast chicken. From a very early age, there was little question what Marcus was going to be when he grew up.

Yes, Chef chronicles Marcus Samuelsson’s remarkable journey from Helga’s humble kitchen to some of the most demanding and cutthroat restaurants in Switzerland and France, from his grueling stints on cruise ships to his arrival in New York City, where his outsize talent and ambition finally come together at Aquavit, earning him a coveted New York Times three-star rating at the age of twenty-four. But Samuelsson’s career of “chasing flavors,” as he calls it, had only just begun—in the intervening years, there have been White House state dinners, career crises, reality show triumphs and, most important, the opening of the beloved Red Rooster in Harlem. At Red Rooster, Samuelsson has fufilled his dream of creating a truly diverse, multiracial dining room—a place where presidents and prime ministers rub elbows with jazz musicians, aspiring artists, bus drivers, and nurses. It is a place where an orphan from Ethiopia, raised in Sweden, living in America, can feel at home.

With disarming honesty and intimacy, Samuelsson also opens up about his failures—the price of ambition, in human terms—and recounts his emotional journey, as a grown man, to meet the father he never knew. Yes, Chef is a tale of personal discovery, unshakable determination, and the passionate, playful pursuit of flavors—one man’s struggle to find a place for himself in the kitchen, and in the world.

The Shape of Mercy - Not a must read. Intersting and entertaining, but very frustrating. I wasn't able to connect with any of the characters in this book. Although one character was nice - the other ones just didn't quite touch me - heck, they did nothing for me.

Summary:
Leaving a life of privilege to strike out on her own, Lauren Durough breaks with convention and her family’s expectations by choosing a state college over Stanford and earning her own income over accepting her ample monthly allowance. She takes a part-time job from 83-year-old librarian Abigail Boyles, who asks Lauren to transcribe the journal entries of her ancestor Mercy Hayworth, a victim of the Salem witch trials.

Almost immediately, Lauren finds herself drawn to this girl who lived and died four centuries ago. As the fervor around the witch accusations increases, Mercy becomes trapped in the worldview of the day, unable to fight the overwhelming influence of snap judgments and superstition, and Lauren realizes that the secrets of Mercy’s story extend beyond the pages of her diary, living on in the mysterious, embittered Abigail.

The strength of her affinity with Mercy forces Lauren to take a startling new look at her own life, including her relationships with Abigail, her college roommate, and a young man named Raul. But on the way to the truth, will Lauren find herself playing the helpless defendant or the misguided judge? Can she break free from her own perceptions and see who she really is?

CSBL - Books 19, twenty, 21, twenty-two, 23

CSBL - Coming Soon Book List...

Here are the books that are on my "MUST READ" list.

My mom recommended Color Me Butterfly and A Thousand Splendid Suns (a highly recommended book that I've been putting off)...

Look forward to their reviews. 

Pray for me Saints. 

P.S Thank you so much for all the book recommendations - keep them coming!

Not on track...

AAAUUUUUUGGGGGGGGHHHHHHH....I should be on book 20... according to my calculations. Yikes.

Books 17 and Eighteen

17. Broken: When Special Agent Will Trent arrives in Grant County, he finds a police department determined to protect its own and far too many unanswered questions about a prisoner’s death. He doesn’t understand why Officer Lena Adams is hiding secrets from him. He doesn’t understand her role in the death of Grant County’s popular police chief. He doesn’t understand why that man’s widow, Dr. Sara Linton, needs him now more than ever to help her crack this case.

While the police force investigates the murder of a young woman pulled from a frigid lake, Trent investigates the police force, putting pressure on Adams just when she’s already about to crack. Caught between two complicated and determined women, trying to understand Linton’s passionate distrust of Adams, the facts surrounding Chief Tolliver’s death, and the complexities of this insular town, Trent will unleash a case filled with explosive secrets—and encounter a thin blue line that could be murderous if crossed.

Review: Whew. The police force is quite CROCKED in this book. The reason for the killing doesn't quite add up to the brutality of the murders. But I found myself more interested in Sara and Will and Tommy than our two murder victims. All in all, get ready for some twisted mess if you read this book. I definitely recommend it.  

18. Work Hard.Be Nice: When Mike Feinberg and Dave Levin signed up for Teach for America right after college and found themselves utter failures in the classroom, they vowed to remake themselves into superior educators. They did that—and more. In their early twenties, by sheer force of talent and determination never to take no for an answer, they created a wildly successful fifth-grade experience that would grow into the Knowledge Is Power Program (KIPP), which today includes sixty-six schools in nineteen states and the District of Columbia.

KIPP schools incorporate what Feinberg and Levin learned from America's best, most charismatic teachers: lessons need to be lively; school days need to be longer (the KIPP day is nine and a half hours); the completion of homework has to be sacrosanct (KIPP teachers are available by telephone day and night). Chants, songs, and slogans such as "Work hard, be nice" energize the program. Illuminating the ups and downs of the KIPP founders and their students, Mathews gives us something quite rare: a hopeful book about education.

Review: KIPP school's beginnings. Inspirational. A quick read. Definitely worth the read - especially if you are interested in the educational system.

Books Fourteen, 15, Sixteen

14. Giada's Everyday Italian: In her hit Food Network show Everyday Italian, Giada De Laurentiis shows you how to cook delicious, beautiful food in a flash. And here, in her long-awaited first book, she does the same—helps you put a fabulous dinner on the table tonight, for friends or just for the kids, with a minimum of fuss and a maximum of flavor. She makes it all look easy, because it is. Everyday Italian is true to its title: the fresh, simple recipes are incredibly quick and accessible, and also utterly mouth-watering—perfect for everyday cooking. And the book is focused on the real-life considerations of what you actually have in your refrigerator and pantry (no mail-order ingredients here) and what you’re in the mood for—whether a simply sauced pasta or a hearty family-friendly roast, these great recipes cover every contingency. So, for example, you’ll find dishes that you can make solely from pantry ingredients, or those that transform lowly leftovers into exquisite entrées (including brilliant ideas for leftover pasta), and those that satisfy your yearning to have something sweet baking in the oven. There are 7 ways to make red sauce more interesting, 6 different preparations of the classic cutlet, 5 perfect pestos, 4 creative uses for prosciutto, 3 variations on basic polenta, 2 great steaks, and 1 sublime chocolate tiramisù—plus 100 other recipes that turn everyday ingredients into speedy but special dinners.

What’s more, Everyday Italian is organized according to what type of food you want tonight—whether a soul-warming stew for Sunday supper, a quick sauté for a weeknight, or a baked pasta for potluck. These categories will help you figure out what to cook in an instant, with such choices as fresh-from-the-pantry appetizers, sauceless pastas, everyday roasts, and stuffed vegetables—whatever you’re in the mood for, you’ll be able to find a simple, delicious recipe for it here. That’s the beauty of Italian home cooking, and that’s what Giada De Laurentiis offers here—the essential recipes to make a great Italian dinner. Tonight.

Review: It has amazing reviews for a reason. Simple, delicious, and full of incredible tips. If you enjoy Italian - get this cook book immediately.

15. Happiness Project: Gretchen Rubin had an epiphany one rainy afternoon in the unlikeliest of places: a city bus. "The days are long, but the years are short," she realized. "Time is passing, and I'm not focusing enough on the things that really matter." In that moment, she decided to dedicate a year to her happiness project. 

In this lively and compelling account, Rubin chronicles her adventures during the twelve months she spent test-driving the wisdom of the ages, current scientific research, and lessons from popular culture about how to be happier. Among other things, she found that novelty and challenge are powerful sources of happiness; that money can help buy happiness, when spent wisely; that outer order contributes to inner calm; and that the very smallest of changes can make the biggest difference.

Review: This was the book that surprised me the most. It's outstanding. Not self-helpy or preachy - just simple. Makes me think - what can I do to make myself happier?

16. Silver Sparrow: With the opening line of Silver Sparrow, “My father, James Witherspoon, is a bigamist,” author Tayari Jones unveils a breathtaking story about a man’s deception, a family’s complicity, and two teenage girls caught in the middle. 

Set in a middle-class neighborhood in Atlanta in the 1980s, the novel revolves around James Witherspoon’s two families—the public one and the secret one. When the daughters from each family meet and form a friendship, only one of them knows they are sisters. It is a relationship destined to explode when secrets are revealed and illusions shattered. As Jones explores the backstories of her rich yet flawed characters—the father, the two mothers, the grandmother, and the uncle—she also reveals the joy, as well as the destruction, they brought to one another’s lives. 

At the heart of it all are the two lives at stake, and like the best writers—think Toni Morrison with The Bluest Eye—Jones portrays the fragility of these young girls with raw authenticity as they seek love, demand attention, and try to imagine themselves as women, just not as their mothers.

Review: I read this in one sitting. It's incredible. MY FAVORITE SUMMER READ SO FAR. Get it now.

Books 11, Twelve, 13

All book descriptions are from Amazon. 
11. French Women For All Seasons: From the author of French Women Don't Get Fat, the #1 National Bestseller, comes an essential guide to the art of joyful living—in moderation, in season, and, above all, with pleasure.

Together with a bounty of new dining ideas and menus, Mireille Guiliano offers us fresh, cunning tips on style, grooming, and entertaining. Here are four seasons' worth of strategies for shopping, cooking, and exercising, as well as some pointers for looking effortlessly chic. Taking us from her childhood in Alsace-Lorraine to her summers in Provence and her busy life in New York and Paris, this wise and witty book shows how anyone anywhere can develop a healthy, holistic lifestyle.

Review: I read the first book, French Women Don't Get Fat. I loved it - but by the second installment - I'm over it. I think the difference between the books is that when I read the first book, I'd never been to France. By the second book, I had been to Paris. It is a beautiful place, but a lot of smoking, a lot of VERY thin women, and...not quite as "fanciful" as I expected... I think I'll take some of the advice, but if there is another book that comes out - I will skip it. Read the first book...it's far better.


12. Lemon Meringue Pie Murder: Hannah Swensen, owner of The Cookie Jar and Lake Eden, Minnesota's own amateur sleuth extraordinaire, returns in "Lemon Meringue Pie Murder" to track down the killer of a neighbor with a sweet tooth.It's summer in Lake Eden and Hannah's younger sister Michelle is coming home for a visit. But before the family reunion can get under way, Hannah discovers the body of a local resident in the woman's basement. The only clue is one of Hannah's luscious lemon meringue pies on the kitchen counter with only one slice missing...even though from the looks of the victim's kitchen, she was planning an intimate dinner for two.Includes nine original cookie and dessert recipes for you to try!

Review: Same story as French Women - read the first one. I'm over it. The series reminds me of the Ladies Detective Agency series. Although I liked the LDA series better, both series have simple and sweet lead detectives and the crimes are not brutal and dark. Think Monk television series. The only thing with these series, esp. Lemon Meringue, is that it gets old. I want more from the main character and the people around her. I want to go deeper. All in all, I'm taking a break. It's definitely not a series where I can read the books back to back...


13. Sunday Brunch Club: Meet Capri, an attorney at a top Houston firm. She seems to have it all together all the time until a seductive client topples her self-control. Then there’s Jermane, a devout Catholic who met her husband in law school and has never been with another man. But now her workaholic marriage is threatened by temptation.

Angel, on the other hand, sees men merely as a means to sex. Her scorn for love of all kinds—godly or otherwise—is challenged by a serious health scare. Meanwhile, Jewel bases her dating choices on the size of a man’s bank account until she meets a new flame who causes her to reconsider her requirements.

Finally, there’s Lexi, the link between the ladies, who provides sage advice while praying for Mr. Right. But what happens when depression hits hard?

Through conversation and consolation, these dynamic characters provide one another with divine inspiration—encouraging readers to root for them along the way.

Review: This book was great. You will find yourself frustrated with each one of  the characters at different times in the book. Some compare it to Waiting to Exhale - I haven't read it. But will say that it's definitely better (to me) than Getting To Happy.

Book Ten: The Food You Crave: Luscious Recipes for a Healthy Life

amazon.com:  Do you think that healthy food couldn't possibly taste good? Does the idea of "eating healthy" conjure up images of roughage and steamed vegetables? Author Ellie Krieger, host of Food Network's Healthy Appetite, will change all that. A registered dietitian, Ellie is also a lover and proponent of good, fresh food, simply but deliciously prepared. And she's not about denial--no nonfat foods here, because when you take the fat out of natural foods, in go the chemicals. Don't deny yourself butter--use a pat of it, but put it front and center on those mashed potatoes, so you can revel in it with all your senses. The Food You Crave is all you'll need to change the way you eat and change the way you feel. It contains 200 recipes that cover every meal of the day and every craving you might have. Every recipe contains a complete nutritional breakdown, as well as tips on ingredients and techniques that will keep you eating smart and eating well.

Review: Yes, this is a cookbook. Yes, this is a revisited book. I thought I should include it though, because I read through this as a book. There is so much helpful information in this book about healthy eating. The important FIVE: whole grain, fruits/veggies, lean meats, fish, beans/nuts/legumes. If you are a cook and find yourself reaching for the same recipes, boxes of food, or snacks - pick up this book! It has amazing reviews, recipes, and information!

Book 9: Garlic and Sapphires

This is the third book, I've read from rr. It was probably my least favorite - but I think I find food critic work less interesting than in the kitchen work. The first two novels were about her love of food - the development, her food heros, communal living, etc. Her other books were filled with terrific food, hippies, completely crazy but genuine people, california living, love and passion. This book included far too many pretentious people - chefs, waiters, and nytimes writers. I didn't like the people and I didn't like who ruth was becoming. I definitely recommend the book for those that have read her series, for those that find rc work interesting, or those that just want a good story. I'm sure the characters won't bother every one the way that they bothered me. Her book just highlighted the people, for me, the make food yucky. But then again, I'm totally a hippie slash 50's housewife when it comes to my food - I like it created out of love.

 Book Review:
Ruth Reichl, world-renowned food critic and editor in chief of Gourmet magazine, knows a thing or two about food. She also knows that as the most important food critic in the country, you need to be anonymous when reviewing some of the most high-profile establishments in the biggest restaurant town in the world—a charge she took very seriously, taking on the guise of a series of eccentric personalities. In Garlic and Sapphires, Reichl reveals the comic absurdity, artifice, and excellence to be found in the sumptuously appointed stages of the epicurean world and gives us—along with some of her favorite recipes and reviews—her remarkable reflections on how one’s outer appearance can influence one’s inner character, expectations, and appetites, not to mention the quality of service one receives. http://www.amazon.com/Garlic-Sapphires-Secret-Critic-Disguise/dp/0143036610/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1334594826&sr=1-1

Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (172 customer reviews)

Book Eight: Devil's Food Cake Murder

This is a cute series, it reminds me of the lady detective series in a way that the mystery is there but it is very soft. What shines through this book, like tld, is the strong community culture, the lady leads character, and the food. This book was an absolute pleasure. I can't wait to cut into the next book. Only thing that annoyed me (about this library pick) was that I couldn't easily tell the order of the series. Therefore, I'm not reading the books in order which is slightly annoying.

Book Summary
Hannah Swensen has to admit life is pretty sweet. Things are going well in the romance department and her bakery's delectable confections are selling as fast as she can bake them. Even her good friend Claire is head over heels with her new husband, Reverend Bob Knudson. If only they could find time to take their honeymoon! When Bob's childhood friend, Matthew Walters, comes to town, it seems like divine intervention. Matthew, like Bob, is a Lutheran minister with a stubborn sweet tooth. Since he's on sabbatical, Matthew is happy to fill in for Bob while he and Claire take that long-awaited honeymoon. It sounds like the perfect plan - until Hannah finds Matthew face-down in a plateful of Devil's Food Cake, a single bullet in his head. It will take some sleuthing to sift out the killer, but Hannah is sure of one thing: even the most half-baked murder plot can be oh so deadly...  
http://www.amazon.com/Devils-Murder-Hannah-Swensen-Mysteries/dp/0758234929/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1334594606&sr=1-1
 
Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (75 customer reviews)
 

Book 7: Getting to Happy

Really Terri Mcmillian? Are you kidding me? I was so disappointed by these characters. As Nana put it, the story felt like she rushed to get it out there. Everything in this book felt rushed, fake, and so far away from "reality" I didn't believe this for one moment and I didn't feel close to the characters that  I fell for so many years back with waiting to exhale. To be honest, I felt like the characters were lost. I think terri should have taken some advice from Drake and taken her time with this book. Make sure it was on point. I would not recommend this book if you are looking for reconnecting to the Waiting To Exhale characters.

http://www.amazon.com/Getting-Happy-Terry-McMillan/dp/0451233344/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1334594438&sr=1-1

From Publishers Weekly

Fifteen years after Waiting to Exhale, McMillan brings back Savannah, Gloria, Bernadine, and Robin--now in their 50s--for a disappointing and uninspired outing. As the story opens, Gloria is very happy, Savannah believes she might be happy, Bernadine is fighting addiction and losing ground, and single mother Robin is trying to resign herself to being alone while things at her job begin to unravel. Within the first few chapters, Gloria and Savannah are struck by disaster, and things go rapidly downhill from there for everyone. Most of the misery has to do with men who lie, steal, cheat, or disappear, or with adult children who face similar problems. Unfortunately, the beloved cast isn't given a story worthy of them; instead, this reunion reads like a catalogue of personal catastrophes annotated with very long, rambling discussions, with more emphasis on simple drama than character.

203 Reviews

5 star:		(58)
4 star:		(37)
3 star:		(38)
2 star:		(47)
1 star:		(23)

 

Book Six: Sugar

Incredible! Its been over a month since I read this book and the characters are still with me. There were so many unbelievable turns, twist, and tear worthy moments. My goodness, this book is so well written - the picture is so vivid - even during moments that you wish it weren't. This was a great read - I definitely recommend it. Just know that it is extremely heavy.

Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Sugar-Novel-Bernice-L-McFadden/dp/0452282209/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1334594152&sr=1-2

From Publishers Weekly

With her eponymous anti-heroine, debut novelist McFadden breaks the mold of a venerable stereotype. Here, the hooker with a heart of gold is instead a hooker with a past so tarnished no amount of polishing can change her fate. As a baby, Sugar is abandoned by her mother and raised by a trio of prostitutes who run an Arkansas bordello. Turning tricks at age 12, and leaving town four years later to try her luck in St. Louis and then Detroit, brings more degradation, along with an ever-hardening heart. Upon her mother's death in 1955, Sugar is willed a modest home in Bigelow, Ark., but when she moves into town, and supports herself the only way she knows, the female population rises in wrath against her. All except Pearl, Sugar's next-door neighbor, who more than a decade ago lost her beloved daughter, Jude, to a vicious rapist/murderer. Pearl is struck by Sugar's uncanny likeness to Jude, and is determined to become Sugar's friend in spite of vocal disapproval. Although the two women are opposites in nearly every way, they bring out the best in each other: Sugar convinces Pearl to loosen up and accompany her to a Saturday night juke joint, and Sugar promises to go to church for two months of Sundays. Hypocritical gossip spreads among the townsfolk and tension grows when it turns out that nearly every married man in Bigelow pays a visit to Sugar, leaving the apparently frigid wives planning to run Sugar out of town. Pearl gives it her best shot to transform Sugar, but both women's painful pasts come back to haunt them in a crescendo of violent reenactments, betrayals and surprising revelations leading to a poignant, bittersweet ending. While hampered by a forced and compressed backstory, a surfeit of maudlin moments and some overwriting that is inadvertently funny, this ambitious first novel will appeal to readers who can appreciate Sugar's determination to come to terms with her past and fashion a viable future. Agent, James Vines. (Feb.)
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Customer Reviews

195 Reviews 5 star:  (148) 4 star:  (31) 3 star:  (10) 2 star:  (3) 1 star:  (3)

Average Customer Review 4.6 out of 5 stars (195 customer reviews)

Oppss....Slippin'

Just like in the summers with my mom and in grade school - I read the books, but always dreaded the reports. Now, I don't know why I will sit around and write whatever floods my mind, but when it's time to add some structure into my life - I choke. I procrastinate. I don't do it. So, in order to get the books that I read out there and to extend a little empathy to myself - I've decided to give short descriptions and my review on the books. I will also include the amazon page for each book.