Review: Someday, Someday, Maybe by Lauren Graham

Someday, Someday, Maybe by Lauren Graham
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I love Lauren Graham's work so I was really excited to find out she'd written a novel and couldn't wait to read it! And I am so glad that I did! What a nice little book!

I found the story to be very engaging and I enjoyed the characters. The relationships in the book, particularly the friendships, were really well done! I thought the story was well paced and was ultimately more than a romance. It had elements of romance, of course, but it was more than that which was something that I appreciated.

I enjoyed getting to see some of what aspiring actors go through ... wow, so glad acting is not my passion! It can be a brutal business! I really liked the main character in this book - flaws and all! She was certainly a well rounded character which isn't always the case in these sorts of novels.

I was so happy to see that Lauren Graham can write! Although there were some flaws (many of which are common first novel flaws), I really enjoyed the time I spent reading this book. I already knew that Lauren Graham is witty, clever and charming ... but it is nice to see how well that translated into a really good novel! I found it charming and sweet! This is one that I definitely recommend!

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2 Mini Reviews & BEA Announcement

I have been struggling recently with being in a reading funk. Nothing is grabbing my attention, nothing is really WOW'ing me. I keep reading a few pages, putting it down, starting a new one - and the cycle goes on and on. So, to try and break the rut, I picked up a few books in some of the series that I enjoy, hoping they will grab me and keep me interested. These two helped me get through the funk so I wanted to write up a couple of small reviews ... Also, I am going to be attending Book Expo America later this month in NYC as a Power Reader. I have the best mom ever ... she's taking me for my birthday & we'll be spending a few days in NYC before BEA! Very exciting! So, much of my time lately has been spent planning for my trip and being nervous about attending BEA for the first time! I'll definitely post here about the trip for those interested in how it goes! Okay, on to the reviews ...

Lover At Last by J.R. Ward
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

OK, I struggled with rating this one for a few reasons ... although I loved the fact that we FINALLY get the Quinn & Blay book and I think she handled their relationship very well, I am tired of having there be a series of other story lines going on which have no connection to the story being told. The books used to be primarily about the unfolding of a couple's story and the brotherhood. But, now there are all of these other extra things going on which I think ultimately muddy up the overall impact of each book. Although I understand that she needs to start creating additional story lines to keep the series moving, I felt that the other stories dominated a bit too much in this novel. I like the Xcor and Assail characters and I am interested in seeing more at some point but I felt the amount of content on them in this Quinn/Blay novel was overkill. And then there was this whole other Trez story line that started up in this one. I like where she's taking all of those pieces but I think she spent way more time on them in this novel than was effective for the overall novel. I get that she's setting up future books but it felt a little heavy handed to me. Anyway, that is my big beef with this novel. The only other thing that came to mind was that I may be getting tired of some of the language that Ward uses in the book ... the made up words (especially the verbs) in particular. But, that won't keep me from continuing with the series. All in all, I enjoy the escape from reality and can overlook the small things that annoy me. If you enjoy the series, you'll probably enjoy this one.

A Perfect Blood by Kim Harrison
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Enjoyed this one ... solid continuation of this series. I continue to enjoy the world and characters that Harrison has created here! I've been in a bit of a book funk and this was a great book to keep me interested! Can't wait to read the 11th book in the series! (I enjoyed #9 a bit more than this one but this one was still really good).

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Review: Lean In: Women, Work and the Will to Lead by Sheryl Sandberg

Lean In: Women, Work, and the Will to Lead by Sheryl Sandberg
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

As someone who works full time in corporate America while also juggling my responsibilities as a wife and mom, I found this book really interesting. There was a lot in this one that made me think about things in a new way. There are things that didn't resonate with me but much of the book did. There is quite a bit of food for thought here, things that I've never thought of as well as things that I've never thought of within a larger context. This book is very readable and interesting. I was never bored or felt it was moving too slowly which can happen with these sorts of books.

I will acknowledge that there isn't a lot here for single parents or for those without economic resources - much of the content makes assumptions about socioeconomics that just aren't an option for some women. I understand many of the criticisms that I've read about this book. However, I didn't experience it in the way many of the critics did. I found quite a bit in the book that has helped me begin to re-think how I behave at work and how I might not be helping myself in the workplace. That alone makes this book work for me.

I think this is a book that might resonate if you're a woman navigating the corporate ladder and would like to successfully move into leadership positions at some point in your career. And perhaps that is why I enjoyed it more than some - I saw this book as Sandberg educating the reader on her own successful career while providing helpful advice around how to do the same. If nothing else, I think this book begins a conversation that needs to happen about women and work.

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Review: Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Wow! What a fantastic little book! This one packs quite a large emotional punch! I was so taken with the story that I found myself sobbing at several points in the book - and not bad sobbing but GOOD sobbing! The kind of sobbing you do when something really touches you, when an author makes you FEEL something genuine!

Although this book could be characterized as a romance, I think it's so much more than that. It definitely does romance well but it also tackles a number of subjects that you wouldn't ordinarily find in a romance. It has a level of depth that I don't typically associate with the romance genre. I was taken by the characters and the world that Moyes builds in this novel. I loved getting to know them and coming to care about them.

Jojo Moyes does a phenomenal job at keeping the reading experience light and easy without making it into a fluffy romance. This isn't in any way a difficult read but it is so much more than fluff! I think what resonated with me most was how emotionally attached I became to this story and the characters that Moyes creates in this novel. I was honestly sad to finish the book!

I highly recommend this one! Please don't be off put by the fact that it appears to be a romance because I promise that its so much more than that! This is a moving and thought provoking novel that I think most readers would really enjoy!

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Review: Looking for Alaska by John Green

Looking for Alaska by John Green
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

What a fantastic book! I think this seals the deal for me ... I am an avid John Green fan! What a fantastic and thoughtful story! This is YA at its best! If you are a YA genre fan, this is one you definitely want to pick up. But, it's so much more than what one might assume a YA novel would be. Well written with excellent characters! I am so glad that I stumbled upon The Fault in Our Stars which ultimately led me to this one. I intend to read all of the John Green that I can get my hands on! I highly recommend this one!

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Review: The Bells by Richard Harvell

The Bells by Richard Harvell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a fantastic book that I wholeheartedly recommend! In fact, I'm asking myself why I waited so long to actually read it! It's beautifully written and well executed. I'm not sure what I was expecting but it was such a wonderful story about love - all kinds of love. Harvell writes about music and sound in a way that is unbelievable - some of the passages just took my breath away! There is something here for everyone - beautiful writing, an adventure tale, a love story, historical fiction at it's best ... and so much more. I can't adequately describe this book in any meaningful way but I can definitely recommend it. It's worth picking up and enjoying! If you enjoy books with a gothic feel and characters that leap off the page, this is one you should definitely pick up!

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Review: The Dinner by Herman Koch

The Dinner by Herman Koch
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This one just didn't do it for me. Perhaps it was the comparisons to Gone Girl that did it, perhaps its just that the novel never truly grabbed my attention. I'm not sure. It was just OK. I can't say I liked it at all - the characters were not in any way engaging but that is kind of the point of the novel, honestly. I think the premise had a lot of potential but it just never lived up to that potential. The writing was choppy for me, I just didn't find the pacing to be well done. I almost put it down as a 'do not finish' book at least 3 times but stuck with it because I kept hearing these Gone Girl comparisons and was worried I'd miss the thing that made it great if I put it down. Um, no need to worry. It never got better. It never came close to Gone Girl's punch.

If you get nothing else from this review, here is my message: DO NOT BUY INTO THE COMPARISONS TO GONE GIRL!!! This novel has none of the inventiveness or fun that Gone Girl brought to the table. Although we have some of the same ingredients (unreliable narrator, secretive plot points, sociopath behavior, etc.), the resulting novel is completely different. I'm frankly BAFFLED by all of the positive reviews. I just cannot understand it. It didn't work out for me and, unfortunately, I cannot recommend it. If you want to read something dark & twisty, with dark characters, etc., just grab Gone Girl which does all of that so much better.

I'm really bummed about my experience of this book because I was hoping this one would resonated with me and wow me in the way that Gone Girl did! I rarely say truly negative things about a book that I've read but this one was certainly a disappointment and has me honestly baffled. I just don't get the hype around this one. If you decide to read it, I hope your experience is better. For me, this one was as dud.

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Review: Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed

Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Let me start by saying that I strongly recommend that you read Tiny Beautiful Things: Advice on Love and Life from Dear Sugar BEFORE you read this one ... a friends suggested that to me and she was spot on! If you enjoy Cheryl's voice in Tiny Beautiful Things, then Wild is likely to really resonate with you.

So, a book that centers around hiking really didn't seem like a memoir that I'd have any interest in reading. I read it primarily because I loved Tiny Beautiful Things: Advice on Love and Life from Dear Sugar and thought even Cheryl Strayed could probably make hiking interesting to me. And was I right! This is a beautifully written memoir that is about so much more than hiking. It's worth every moment to experience this book!

Cheryl's voice isn't for everyone - she's a very complicated, flawed woman but I just love her voice. It speaks to me, resonates with me. I wish that I had an in real life friend like her. She has insight and a view of life that I really find compelling. I know that others have complained of the use of the f-word but that doesn't bother me a bit. In fact, it's a word that I believe is the best word for certain situations so I was fine with that aspect of the book. Is she self-indulgent? Perhaps but, honestly, most of us are. And I appreciate her honesty about even the ugliest aspects of her life and experiences. She doesn't shirk from the truth regardless of how it might make her 'look' to others. I respect that and think the world might be a better place if more of us lived authentically and didn't lie to ourselves about what we've done or what we want.

There is so much here that goes beyond hiking - the mother/daughter relationship, family dynamics, love, friendship, divorce, finding yourself, and owning your mistakes. I found all of it to be inspiring and honest and at times difficult to read. But, in the end, I feel like I'm a better person for having read this memoir ... and I am so glad that she was willing to show the world her true self - her mistakes, her monumentally flawed thinking (at times), her growth, and her journey to find herself and the life she wants. I found that inspiring, particularly since I'm in a place in my life where I'm doing some personal growth work.

Anyway, this is definitely a memoir that I recommend but know that it's not going to resonate with everyone. And, again, I recommend that you read Tiny Beautiful Things: Advice on Love and Life from Dear Sugar before you read this one. If her voice speaks to you in that one, then this just might be a book you'll appreciate as much as I did!

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Two Mini Reviews

Bank 3.0: Why Banking Is No Longer Somewhere You Go But Something You Do by Brett King
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I read this with my team at work. Given that we work in the banking industry, it was interesting to think through the future of banking and how we, in our day to day work, can help shape the future of the bank we support. But, it's not a very enjoyable read although it's not difficult. A lot of the stats are used over and over which became a bit monotonous. But, all in all, it was OK. Worth a read if you're passionate about banking or if you are particularly interested in how banks are changing.

Lover Reborn by J.R. Ward
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

These books are my favorite guilty pleasure books! And this one was fantastic! Although not my favorite of the series, I enjoyed this one better than the book prior. I do think JR Ward did good by Tohr which I was worried about. Looking forward to #11 ...

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Review: The Monsters of Templeton by Lauren Groff

The Monsters Of Templeton by Lauren Groff
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

As I am sitting here to write this review, I'm finding this book to be a really difficult book to explain. I really liked it quite a bit but I'm not entirely sure that I can capture in words the why. I found the story and the characters to be engrossing. The story kind of meandered all over the place but I never found that difficult or off putting. The weaving of the past and the present was actually really well done. I enjoyed trying to pull all of the pieces together as I read. It's not a difficult novel but it does require the reader to pay attention in order to really see the various pieces come together. I found myself going back to earlier sections as I read, needing to remind myself of this or that to keep the pieces and parts together.

It seems that many other readers cite a lack of characterization or weak narrative in their reviews but I didn't find either of those to be an issue in my reading of the novel. I found the themes around motherhood as well as the mother/daughter dynamic to be really compelling. I also really enjoyed the monster piece of the storyline - I think it was a nice addition to the overall story.

Although I really enjoyed this novel, I'm fairly certain that this isn't a novel that will work for everyone. It's a bit meandering and at times offbeat. It's definitely not for everyone. But, for me, it was a really engrossing read and makes me look forward to reading more of Lauren Groff's work!

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Review: The Drawing of the Three by Stephen King

The Drawing of the Three by Stephen King
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Why in the world did I wait so long to read this series???? I could kick myself ... but I am so glad that I've found it now! It's just fantastic! I loved this one even more than the first in the series. I did not want to put it down! Despite the fact that I still have a bunch of questions, I feel like I'm getting a better hold on the world that Stephen King is creating here and I love the characters that we're introduced to in this novel. WOW! Just fantastic ... the pacing is fantastic, the creativity in the story is amazing and the entire thing just comes together so well!

Although I got some answers to questions that I had in the first book, I have a dozen more which makes me so excited to get to the next novel in the series! I cannot wait to see where Stephen King will take me next!

I really am beginning to understand why so many people are so passionate about this series ... I definitely recommend it to King fans and those who aren't fans of his horror fiction. This is something entirely different. I think it might be the best of King! Can't wait for the next one!

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Review: The Improper Life of Bezellia Grove by Susan Gregg Gilmore

The Improper Life of Bezellia Grove by Susan Gregg Gilmore
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Although I liked this one much more than her first novel, it still didn't wow me as much as I'd hoped & expected. But, it was a really nice, quick read. I loved the characters in this novel. That is one of the biggest strengths of this novel - the characters. They were well written and came alive on the page for me. Even the characters that I didn't love so much were fantastic!

I think the story was nice but nothing incredibly memorable or unique. I think that is part of why this was a bit of a disappointment for me. I was hoping that this novel would offer something new and something interesting to the realm of southern literature! And so, in the end, I was slightly disappointed because although it was a fine novel it wasn't quite what I'd hoped. If you love southern fiction, then you might want to check it out but know ahead of time that it doesn't offer anything new and different to what is already out there!


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Mini Review: Looking for Salvation at the Dairy Queen by Susan Gregg Gilmore

Looking for Salvation at the Dairy Queen by Susan Gregg Gilmore
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Although this was a quick, easy read, it wasn't quite as good as I'd hoped. I don't think there is anything particularly outstanding here although it was ok. I'm not sure this one is going to stick with me over time but I did enjoy the reading of it. This one is very sweet and pleasant but I'm not sure that it will blow you away. If you enjoy southern fiction, this is a good one to check out. It's not the best of southern fiction but its worth a read! I'm eager to read her second novel as I've heard good things!

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Review: Carry the One by Carol Anshaw

Carry the One by Carol Anshaw
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I really struggled with rating this one. Although I was never bored, I also wasn't ever really engaged. There was something about it that just didn't work for me but I can't completely put my finger on what it is. The writing was fine, nothing fabulous, but fine. The characters were deliciously flawed but never really came alive to me. Maybe my expectations were too high based on the attention it's been getting but I just don't think this one quite lives up to the hype.

This novel has a subtlety to it that I wanted to love but just didn't work for me. However, I can completely understand why some have loved it. I just didn't feel quite as engaged as I would have liked. I loved the idea of this book but I think the execution fell slightly short. I think my primary issue with the novel might be around how Anshaw handled the evolution of each character. The premise tells the reader that their evolution will be based on this event that changes all of their lives but I found little relation between the two. Well, it was there but it wasn't very solid. It felt disjointed in some way for me.

I'm not sure that I can wholeheartedly recommend this one but if the premise sounds interesting, it would be worth a try. Otherwise, you might want to consider skipping this one.


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Review: Tiny Beautiful Things by Cheryl Strayed

Tiny Beautiful Things: Advice on Love and Life from Dear Sugar by Cheryl Strayed
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Wow. That is the best way to characterize how I felt about this one! I was pleasantly surprised by this one - it's essentially a collection of advice columns. But, WOW, are they some of the best advice I've ever read. Cheryl Strayed has a way with words and a way of putting things together in such a brilliant way!

I think this is one that I'll buy for my at home book collection. It's something that I would love to be able to go back to over time, dipping in as I needed to.

The advice is sensible, piercing, truthful and compassionate. I was literally brought to tears by a few of these. They just resonated in ways that I would never have imagined.

Here is just a taste of what awaits you in this book -

"Don't surrender all your joy for an idea you used to have about yourself that isn't true anymore.”

“I'll never know, and neither will you of the life you don't choose. We'll only know that whatever that sister life was, it was important and beautiful and not ours. It was the ghost ship that didn't carry us. There's nothing to do but salute it from the shore.”

“Most things will be okay eventually, but not everything will be. Sometimes you'll put up a good fight and lose. Sometimes you'll hold on really hard and realize there is no choice but to let go. Acceptance is a small, quiet room.”

“Whatever happens to you belongs to you. Make it yours. Feed it to yourself even if it feels impossible to swallow. Let it nurture you, because it will.”

“You don’t have a right to the cards you believe you should have been dealt with. You have an obligation to play the hell out of the ones you’re holding and my dear one, you and I have been granted a mighty generous one.”

"But as the mother of two children, I can tell you what most moms will: that mothering is absurdly hard and profoundly sweet. Like the best thing you ever did. Like if you think you want to have a baby, you probably should.

I say this in spite of the fact that children are giant endless suck machines. They don’t give a whit if you need to sleep or eat or pee or get your work done or go out to a party naked and oiled up in a homemade Alice B. Toklas mask. They take everything. They will bring you the furthest edge of your personality and abso-fucking-lutely to your knees.

They will also give you everything back. Not just all they take, but many of the things you lost before they came along as well.”

Okay, that's enough. I could literally add almost all of of the book here. That's how much I loved it. It resonated. It tore me apart. It made me think and re-think. It moved me.

I love the way Strayed writes - she has a 'pull no punches' way about her. I think this is a book most everyone should take a look at. It really is that good.

Okay, enough gushing. Just go read this one. Trust me.

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