It's Monday, What are you Reading?

A fun holiday week that didn't leave much time for reading!  We hosted some of our family for Thanksgiving so cleaning and cooking and such took the time.  I made my way out on black Friday to enjoy the crowds, but didn't fight them!  I got a bit of reading done this weekend, but not as much as I had hoped for.

A meme hosted by Sheila at BookJourney. 

Finished this past week:

Let it Snow by Assorted Authors
Silver Bay by Jojo Moyes
A Place at the Table by Susan Rebecca White
Save Me by Kristyn Kusek Lewis

Currently Reading:

The Undertaking of Tess by Lesley Kagen

Next on the TBR pile:

The Resurrection of Tess Blessing by Lesley Kagen

Author Interview: Dana Bate

With her second book published, I was excited to read and review AND interview the author - Dana Bate, here are her answers:

1.  What do you find yourself rambling about?

Food - though my friends and family might say "everything" is a more appropriate answer.  I am, admittedly, quite the talker.  But I could talk about food all day and night and never tire of it.  Writing about food in my novels has been a great release for all of that rambling!

2.  If you could put your book into one person's hands, who would that be?

Before she passed, I would have said Nora Ephron.  She was the queen of romantic comedy (and a foodie to boot).  But now . . . maybe Ruth Reichl, the superb food writer and former editor of Gourmet.  I feel like she would understand Sydney.  

3.  Is there any part of your personality in Sydney?

A bit.  We both love food - eating it, cooking it, writing about it.  But otherwise we are very different.  Sydney is hamstrung by insecurity and emotional baggage in a way I've never been, so even though I can relate to her struggles, they aren't ones I've experienced myself.

4.  What part of the writing process do you love the most?

I love when the story takes an unexpected turn, as if the characters have become real people and have taken control of the plot.  It's exhilarating to watch characters I've created come to life.  The further I get into the story, the more real they become.

5.  What books do you like to read?

I have pretty eclectic taste.  I read everything from women's fiction and chick lit to thrillers and narrative nonfiction.  I just love a good story, well told, and I'll read that in any form it comes.

6.  What is your next plate?

I recently turned in the revisions to my third book, Too Many Cooks, which comes out in the US in November 2015 (and in June 2015 in the UK!).  I think it may be my favorite book yet, so I cannot wait to share it with the world!


Thank you to Dana Bate and Jane Nutter from Kensington Books for answering and coordinating!  It is always fun to ask authors questions!

Review: A Second Bite at the Apple by Dana Bate

A Second Bite at the Apple

by Dana Bate

Publisher: Kensington

Pages: 336

Format: ARC

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  Sydney Strauss is obsessed with food. Not with eating it--though she does that too--but with writing about the wonders of the gastronomic world, from obscure fruit hybrids to organic farming techniques. Since food journalism jobs are more coveted than Cronuts®, Sydney pays her bills working for one of TV's biggest egomaniacs--until she's left scrambling for shifts at a local farmers' market. 

Stacking muffins for the Wild Yeast Bakery isn't going to win her any James Beard awards. But soon Sydney is writing the market's weekly newsletter, and her quirky stories gain attention from a prominent food columnist. After years of putting her love life into deep freeze, she's even dating again. And then Sydney gets a shot at the story, one that could either make her career or burn it to a crisp--along with her relationship and her reputation...


Kritters Thoughts:  Sydney has always been a food funkie and dreamed of being a food writer where she can connect food and people.  She took a job in television as a back up plan and stopped pursuing her dream.  Through a series of events she is now pushed into really finding her dreams and going after them.  

A perfect combo of family drama and love drama - this book really presented Sydney as a whole person who was having relationship issues, family issues and professional issues.  I loved that the author really represented all of the aspects of one's life and that they can all explode at the same time or at different times and you still have to deal with them all. 

The part of the storyline that hit home with me was her sister relationship and although it was presented at the beginning and took a back burner to her relationship and professional drama - it came out blazing in the end and I loved it.  I am the older daughter like Sydney and found very similar traits, so I can't wait to share this book with not only my mom but my sister.

The second novel by Dana Bate and I can honestly say I absolutely loved them both.  I am officially a fan and will read anything she writes.  I hope she has many more books to come!


Rating: absolutely loved it and want a sequel

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Happy Thanksgiving!

source

Spending the day giving thanks for the people places and things in my life!

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!

Review: Waking Up Joy by Tina Ann Forkner

Waking Up Joy

by Tina Ann Forkner

Pages: 336

Format: eARC

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  Behind every lost dream lies a second chance…

When adored town spinster Joy Talley ends up in a coma after a peculiar accident, she is surprised and incensed to hear what is being said in her hospital room, including plans for her funeral. When she finally wakes, her well-meaning, but bossy, brothers and sisters dismiss her claims, thinking her accident has knocked her off her rocker, but Joy has never felt better, and is determined to set the past right.

Now Joy must face her darkest secret and risk reopening wounds caused by an old flame who rejected her more than twenty years ago. But taking risks brings change, as well as a new, younger man into Joy’s life, making her feel like a teenager again. Suddenly Joy’s once humdrum life is anything but boring and routine and the future beckons, exhilarating and bright. 


Kritters Thoughts:  Joy is well into her adulthood and never settled down with a partner and after a mishap at her home, she ends up in a coma, but can still hear her family and all the things they are saying about her.  Joy is only in her coma for a bit of the book and once she wakes up the rest of the drama revolves around the doctor that saved her and a high school crush that went downhill for some reason.

My biggest problem with the book was the very long wait that the reader has to get to the secret that is hinted at throughout the entire book.  I wish the secret had been revealed a little earlier to allow for the characters to have more time to react and resolve the repercussions.  I also think that if we had received a few flashback chapters we would have felt even more connected to the sibling's parents, I felt detached because I felt like I didn't get to meet them myself.

The love triangle was entertaining.  I loved that I couldn't decide myself and completely flip flopped along with the main character.  Even as she had made her decision I was still debating myself!  

If you have a little more patience about secrets being kept from a reader, then try this one.  If you love a sweet love triangle that reminds you of the Dawson's Creek days - then this one would be right up your alley!


Rating: enjoyable, but didn't leave me wanting more


Ebook 2014 Challenge: 66 out of 100

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from BookSparks PR.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Review: While Beauty Slept by Elizabeth Blackwell

While Beauty Slept

by Elizabeth Blackwell

Publisher: Putnam Adult

Pages: 432

Format: book

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  The Truth is No Fairy Tale.

I am not the sort of person about whom stories are told. Those of humble birth suffer their heartbreaks and celebrate their triumphs unnoticed by the bards, leaving no trace in the fables of their time....

And so begins Elise Dalriss's story

When she hears her great-granddaughter recount a tale about a beautiful princess awakened by a handsome prince, it pushes open a door to the past, a door Elise has long kept locked. For Elise was the companion to the real princess who slumbered - and she is the only one left who knows the truth of what happened so many years ago.

As the memories start to unfold, Elise is plunged back in to the magnificent world behind the opulent palace walls. Fleeing a hardscrabble existence and personal tragedy, she builds a new life for herself as a servant to the royal family and quickly rises within the castle hierarchy. As Elise proves herself a loyal confidante, she is drawn into the lives of an extraordinary cast of women: a beautiful queen who wakes each morning with tears on her pillow, an elderly spinster who in heartache shuts herself away, a princess who yearns to be free, and the ambitious and frightening sister who cannot accept the fact that she will never rule. Elise has guarded their secrets - and her own - for a lifetime.

Kritters Thoughts:  Told from an interesting perspective - a woman who spent many years in service in a castle and knows the truth behind the sleeping beauty story and is ready to share the truth.  Elise loses her entire family and returns to her mother's home town and previous place in the castle.  She quickly rises to a great position within the castle and has quite some interesting experiences while trying to mix and mingle amongst the elite.

First, I loved how the story was presented - as a story told from a great grandmother to her great granddaughter I loved it.  It allowed for Elise to just tell the story from beginning to end and to give her story purpose and reason.  I also loved the amount of time that her story spanned and although it is set up that she definitely ends up with a family, it doesn't ruin who the family is started with.  Although it didn't end up being quite the Sleeping Beauty fairytale, I loved it just the same.

If you have read fairytale retellings before, then this one is for you.  If you have a love for historical fiction, then try this one on for size.  I grew up reading the fairytales and am a huge fan of historical fiction, so I loved having both genres wrapped into this one book.


Rating: definitely a good read, but can't read two in a row

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from Berkley NAL.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.

It's Monday, What are you Reading?

A few more preThanksgiving house projects took priority but still a great week/weekend of reading!
A meme hosted by Sheila at BookJourney. 

Finished this past week:

The Devil's Breath by Emily Kimelman
Inviting Fire by Emily Kimelman
A Leg to Stand On by Colleen Haggerty
Winter Street by Elin Hilderbrand
The Ship of Brides by Jojo Moyes

Currently Reading:
Let it Snow by Maureen Johnson, John Green and Lauren Myracle

Next on the TBR pile:

Save Me by Kristyn Kusek Lewis

Review: Stillwater Rising by Steena Holmes

Stillwater Rising

by Steena Holmes

Publisher: Lake Union Publishing

Pages: 253

Format: ARC

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  After losing her son in an elementary school shooting that devastates the tight-knit community of Stillwater Bay, Jennifer Crowne finds herself unable to settle back into her role of perfect stay-at-home mom and committee organizer. Meanwhile, her best friend, Mayor Charlotte Stone, struggles to keep the town together, and Charlotte s husband, the school principal, may not be the hero everyone thinks him to be.

As they try to heal from this irrevocable trauma, Jenn and Charlotte find themselves at a crossroads within the town and within their friendship. For Jenn, broken and grieving, there is no going back, and she demands that the school be closed so that she can bury the past. Yet Charlotte is equally desperate to hold the town together, fighting the school closure and helping the shooter s mother regain her place in the community. Jenn and Charlotte s relationship is put to the ultimate test as each weighs her own interests against the bonds of their friendship."


Kritters Thoughts:  FIRST before you go any further, read the novella that I comes before this first book in the series.  I reviewed it yesterday and it provides so much good foundation for this book.

Now to review this book.  A school shooting takes this small town by surprise and Steena Holmes smartly gives the reader all sorts of perspectives on how this tragedy affects everyone differently in the community.  From mothers who had children who were killed, to the mother of the killer and women in the community who have prominent roles but no children in the school system.  Getting to read all of these different perspectives was amazing - a few had their views change throughout the book while they were processing their grief and some couldn't find hope.  

After seeing this story play out on the news, I loved reading a piece of fiction that brought it close to home and made it feel real.  I don't know how Steena Holmes did it, but I felt for each person that was affected by the tragedy and understood the exact spot where they come from and found empathy with each.  I am dying for the next book in this series!

Steena Holmes has become a must read author for me, so if this your first time hearing of her, go check out her Finding Emma series and Decadent Events series - such a great author!


Rating: absolutely loved it and want a sequel (and one is coming!)


Ebook 2014 Challenge: 64 out of 100

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from BookSparks PR.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Review: Before the Storm by Steena Holmes

Before the Storm

by Steena Holmes

Pages: 125

Format: ebook

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  Before the first shots are fired within the walls of Stillwater Elementary School, life went on as normal for five women who were close friends. Their monthly girls' night was coming up and they couldn't wait to get together. They all needed this night to run away and be carefree - from their husbands, their children, their church - with no expectations, no responsibilities, where they weren't mothers or wives. 

No one expected their lives to be torn apart, their friendships tested in one short minute when their town is rocked by a danger lurking in their tight-knit community. 


Kritters Thoughts:  A prequel novella that sets the stage for the first book - Stillwater Rising (which I am reviewing tomorrow).  This little book packs quite the punch while introducing the HUGE cast of characters and setting the scene for the full novel.

Told through many points of view from the town, the most prominent voice is the mayor Charlotte Stone who is married to the school principal and while doesn't have kids is greatly impacted by the school shooting that occurs.  I am glad the book opened at the public memorial for all the victims, so there was no doubt as to the subject of the novella and the book that would follow.  I also loved how a few women from the town took turns telling of their mornings that happened right before the tragedy hit the small town.  

I am so glad I knew that this novella was out and loved reading it before I started reading the full novel, it perfectly set the stage.


Rating: absolutely loved it and want a sequel 
     SPOILER - the "sequel" will be reviewed tomorrow!

Ebook 2014 Challenge: 63 out of 100

Review: The Paris Winter by Imogen Robertson

The Paris Winter

by Imogen Robertson

Publisher: St. Martin's Press

Pages: 368

Format: book

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  Maud Heighton came to Lafond's famous Academie to paint, and to flee the constraints of her small English town. It took all her courage to escape, but Paris eats money. While her fellow students enjoy the dazzling joys of the Belle epoque, Maud slips into poverty. Quietly starving, and dreading another cold Paris winter, Maud takes a job as companion to young, beautiful Sylvie Morel. But Sylvie has a secret: an addiction to opium. As Maud is drawn into the Morels' world of elegant luxury, their secrets become hers. Before the New Year arrives, a greater deception will plunge her into the darkness that waits beneath this glittering city of light. 


Kritters Thoughts:  Told over the course of one season, a winter in Paris, Maud is struggling to make ends meet while pursuing her love of painting.  Through a fantastic chance, she is paired with a "couple" who are in need of a companion and life looks like it may be on the up and up - so she thinks!  Divided into two parts, the first part centering around her time with this interesting couple and the second part is after a major event occurs.  

First, let me say that the first few times I picked up this book to read I only had a moment or two to read and once Part Two came around, I had some really good chunks of time and was able to really get in and read it.  On that note, the first part read a little slow to me and I flew through the second, there was also quite a bit more action in the second part which I loved.  Without the second part picking up, I am not sure I would have liked this book as much.

I absolutely loved the inclusion of the Paris floods and it was fun to have the action of the story intertwined with the historical event.  I love when fiction meets fact and can inform each other.  That is beauty of historical fiction, the reader is immersed in the truth, but isn't bored by the facts.  If you already have a love for Paris, I think this one is right up your alley, but beware of the slow pace of the first half.

Rating: definitely a good read, but can't read two in a row

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from St. Martin's Press.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Author Interview: Imogen Robertson

Tomorrow I will review her novel The Paris Winter, today I get to share the answers I received from Imogen Robertson.

1.  What do you find yourself rambling about?

Normally about my research, so when I was writing Paris Winter I couldn't stop talking about women artists in Paris during the Belle Epoque - particularly Suzanne Valadon who appears in the novel and is one of the most brilliant and fascinating characters of the period.  She fed her drawings which she didn't think were good enough to her pet goat.

2.  If you could put your book into on person's hands, who would that be?

Great question!  I'd love Jennifer Lawrence to read it and decide that she wants to star in the film version.  I'm sure she could do an English accent.  Emma Thompson might not be the right age for Maud, but I bet she'd adapt the novel brilliantly.  She could direct and I'll could have a walk on part, stumbling about in the Paris floods.

3.  Is there any part of your personality in Maud?

There is a bit of me in all my characters, I think.  When you start writing though, the characters take on a life of their own and become themselves.  Maud initial reserve is probably mine.  She'd also quietly stubborn, which my husband tells me I am too!

4.  What part of the writing process do you love the most?

The good days where you disappear into your writing and it feels as if you are living the story rather than just writing it.  The other great time is during the research as the novel is taking shape in your mind and seems both perfect and within reach.

5.  What books do you like to read?

Everything.  I read a lot of non-fiction - social history and biography, but I'm also a magpie reader.  Station Eleven by Emily St John Mandel is a current favorite and I can't wait for the next Ben Aaronovitch Rivers of London novel.  I've just finished The Paying Guests by Sarah Waters too.  She is such an amazing writer.

6.  What is next on your plate?

I'm writing at the moment, but it's at the secret thinking stage so I daren't tell anyone about it.


Thank you to St. Martin's Press and Imogen Robertson for allowing me the time to get some questions answered.

It's Monday, What are you Reading?

Another average week of reading with a few home projects that took some time away from reading.

A meme hosted by Sheila at BookJourney. 

Finished this past week:

Waking Up Joy by Tina Ann Forkner
The Thursday Night Club by Steven Manchester
Outrageous Optimist by Lyne Noella
Heart of a Dove by Abbie Williams
My True Love Gave to Me by an assortment of authors

Currently Reading:

The Devil's Breath by Emily Kimelman

Next on the TBR pile:

Inviting Fire by Emily Kimelman

Review: Return to Oakpine by Ron Carlson

Return to Oakpine

by Ron Carlson

Publisher: Viking Adult

Pages: 272

Format: book

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  In high school, these men were in a band. One of them, Jimmy, left Oakpine for New York City after the tragic death of his brother. A successful novelist, he has returned thirty years later, in 1999—because he is dying.

With Carlson’s characteristic grace, we learn what has become of these friends and the different directions of their lives. Craig and Frank never left; Mason, a top lawyer in Denver, is back in town to fix up and sell his parents’ house. Now that they are reunited, getting the band back together might be the most important thing they can do.


Kritters Thoughts:  I read very few books that center around male characters, so when I was offered this book I jumped at the chance to read something outside of my normal reading.  A group of four boys formed a band in high school and had quite the senior year, but after graduation, one leaves to not return in 30 years, two stay and one has returned a few times, but is back for good now.  As they all come back to their small hometown, the memories from the past are creeping up, but they are also learning about what happened in the in between.

It took a moment to learn each of the personalities of each of the men, but once I made a quick chart, I had it down and loved reading about their interactions.  It was interesting to read about how their group formed and then to see them reconnect and see how their lives apart had changed each of them.  The other part that really had me connect with these characters and fall in love with them was seeing the next generation emerge.  I would love to read a sequel that focuses on this up and coming generation in the small town.   

Rating: definitely a good read, but can't read two in a row

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from Viking/Penguin Books.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Review: One Step Too Far by Tina Seskis

One Step Too Far

by Tina Seskis

Publisher: William Morrow

Pages: 352

Format: eARC

Buy the Book: Amazon

Goodreads:  No one has ever guessed Emily's secret.

Will you?

A happy marriage. A beautiful family. A lovely home. So what makes Emily Coleman get up one morning and walk right out of her life--to start again as someone new?

Now, Emily has become Cat, working at a hip advertising agency in London and living on the edge with her inseparable new friend, Angel. Cat's buried any trace of her old self so well, no one knows how to find her. But she can't bury the past--or her own memories.

And soon, she'll have to face the truth of what she's done--a shocking revelation that may push her one step too far. . . 

Kritters Thoughts:  Emily leaves behind her husband and family with no warning and leaves no information behind as to where she is going.  She starts a whole new life, job and wants to start over.  At the same time, the reader is finding out about her past and the crazy childhood that may have helped lead her to this decision.  

Emily was an interesting character and even after the book is complete, I am not sure if I ever really liked her or understood her - but I am ok with that!  I felt detached from her because I was slowly learning about her backstory and I couldn't understand why she had made the big life change that she did.  

The one thing I would wish for is for the reader to be given her reasoning earlier in the book.  Once I found out her reason for leaving I felt like it was too close to the end to enjoy it - the build up was too long.  

I enjoyed this one and was glad to hear how her childhood affected her life as an adult, that made the book for me.  The other thing that I wished would have been a little more of the story told from her husband's point of view, I loved the few moments that we heard from him.


Rating: definitely a good read, but can't read two in a row

Ebook 2014 Challenge: 62 out of 100

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received one copy of this book free of charge from Edelweisss.  I was not required to write a positive review in exchange for receipt of the book; rather, the opinions expressed in this review are my own.