Book Reviews & Stories by Danielle
I’ve been loving the site Net Galley. I mentioned it in one of my early upcoming review posts. I started using the site mid August and already have a good amount of approved books on my shelf. Since I’m about half way done with the book I’m currently reading, I need your help to decide what I should read next. Take a vote using the poll below.
In honor of Labor Day weekend, the following novel is being added to my reading list as a Friday Find. You can also see the movie adaptation which was released in December 2013, starring Kate Winslet and Josh Brolin.
Labor Day by Joyce Maynard
Hope everyone enjoys the holiday weekend!
Book Review | Family Inheritance
Family Inheritance follows the lives of three sisters; Helene, Alice, and Suzanne. Their childhood was filled with anger, sadness, and poverty, contributing to the obstacles currently in front of them. They tucked the memories of their abusive alcoholic father and their cowardly mother away, until it was almost too late for them to face it.
When their mother slips into a coma, they find that they have to battle their inner demons and confront the past that haunts them. By confronting the past, they are able to change things in the present and make their lives better.
The sisters’ relationships grow and they find that having family can be a blessing, not a burden. They realize that keeping their feelings and family history hidden has hurt those they love and made them unhappy.
This book is about letting go of the past and looking towards a better brighter future. It’s about forgiving, but not necessarily forgetting. It’s about owning up to your mistakes and learning from them. Most importantly, it’s about strength, perseverance, and courage.
***
I really enjoyed this book and was reading it every chance I had. In my opinion, that’s how I know it’s a good book.
Coming from a childhood that was less than ideal, I know that you can be affected by it, but you either learn from it or end up hiding from it. The three sisters were all hiding from their past and they kept that part of them a secret from everyone. They kept things from each other and pushed each other away over the years.
Helene, Alice, and Suzanne had obstacles that seemed too hard for them to face. Helene had a lot of trouble in her marriage and her son was starting down a destructive path. One all too familiar to Helene.
Alice was in an abusive relationship that hurt her and her two children. She was struggling for the courage to fight for her children and to keep them safe.
Suzanne was an alcoholic trying to forget what her father had done to her as a child. Her alcoholism landed her in a big mess and instead of cleaning it up, she ran from it.
All three of them had major insecurities about themselves which kept them from facing their fears and working through their obstacles. They slowly realized that they were similar or were in similar circumstances as their father and mother.
I think the author did a great job telling each of their stories and the struggles they were going through. The transitions between them made it easy to read. She started each character at a low point then as the weeks and months passed you notice that Helene, Alice, and Suzanne are slowly putting their lives back together, with a few bumps along the way. This high and low cycle continues throughout the book until the end when everything seems right.
The book was primarily about the three sisters, but included the perspective of their mother. I really don’t think the mother’s perspective was necessary and I think she could have started off in a coma. I also think that Alice’s climax could have been better. I feel that with the situation she was in should have had a much more dramatic ending between her and her husband.
Overall, I think the book was good and I would recommend it as a must read.
Favorite Quotes
Her childhood was a part of helping her get to this point in life. Things were what they were, and if she couldn’t change it, she needed to learn to live with it in a positive way.
It’s today or never. I’ll either confront my past today, or it will devour me.
Overall Rating
Based on my review would you read this book?
Author Links: Website, Facebook, Twitter
Publishing Company: BQB Publishing
Release Date: October 1, 2014
I discovered at site called Net Galley thanks to one of my followers, Paris Baker. The site is for publishers to market books and for “professional readers” to read and review them. A reader will request books and the publisher will either approve or decline the request.
I was fortunate to be approved for Family Inheritance by Terri Ann Leidich. It was the first book I read from Net Galley and couldn’t put it down. Review coming soon.
This book is set to be released on October 1, 2014.
Thank you BQB Publishing for allowing me to read an advance copy.
Check out Terri Ann Leidich’s website for more information about this book and others she has written.
A few weeks ago my fiance and I took a long weekend trip. We called it our “Orange County Trip”. Here’s what we did:
DAY #1 | ARRIVED IN LAGUNA BEACH
On Thursday evening we headed out for our “Orange County Trip”. We packed the car and drove right into traffic. No surprise there though. It took us a couple of hours, but we finally made it to our first stop…Laguna Beach. We stayed at this cute hotel called Capri Laguna Inn on the Beach.
Since it was late and we were tired from the work day and the long drive we decided just to go to dinner. We got dressed up and walked right across the street to the Selanne Steak Tavern. This restaurant is owned by Teemu Selanne who was the Anaheim Ducks star player. Inside the restaurant, there’s a replica of the Stanley Cup and his Olympic Medals on display for everyone to see. It’s pretty cool.
Not only was the atmosphere and set up amazing, the food was amazing too! I had the Scarlet Beet Ravioli as a starter and the Chef’s ‘Signature’ Selanne’s Mac and Cheese. That Mac and Cheese was to die for! I highly recommend it if you ever try the place out.
DAY #2 | LAGUNA BEACH
The next day was great. Had breakfast, provided by the hotel, and went shopping in Downtown Laguna. We stopped at a few clothing shops and I treated myself to a cute tank top and a really cute dress. The Candy Baron was a must for me since I’m a sucker for all sorts of sweets. I got my favorite jelly beans (Dr. Pepper flavor), sour patch kids, and some raspberry candies. We had lunch at this great place called Watermarc. The duck burger I got was amazing!
Afterward, we headed down to the beach and our hotel provided us with towels and chairs. Score! After laying out, we headed back up to the terrace to grab some of the delicious (free) wine and cheese…and laid out some more.
But wait there’s more…
When we had our fill of free wine, we headed down the street to The Roof Top Lounge at the La Casa Del Camino Hotel for more drinks and to watch the sunset over the ocean. It was really pretty and romantic. Then we took the free shuttle to Downtown Laguna again and stopped at 230 Forest Avenue Restaurant to have a few of their signature cocktails.
Our last stop of the night was back at Watermarc again. At lunch we had such a hard time deciding what to eat because everything looked so good. So, we decided to have some late night snacks there. We had the Fried Goat Cheese and the New Zealand Greenlip Mussels. Did I mention that Watermarc has amazing food?
DAY #3 | SAN JUAN CAPISTRANO & ANAHEIM
On day three, we left Laguna Beach and headed to San Juan Capistrano to check out the Los Rios District which is one of the oldest neighborhoods in California. The forty homes that still stand were built in the late 1800s and early 1900s. Some are still private residences while others have been turned into small businesses. We had lunch at the Hummingbird House Cafe located in this area.
After about three hours of walking around and getting sunburned we headed to Anaheim. We visited the recently opened Anaheim Packing House. They converted the old Sunkist packing house into a huge food hall. It’s really amazing how many different businesses there are. There’s also live music playing while your there enjoying the food.
After having Indian food we had drinks at the (not so) secret speakeasy called The Blind Rabbit. You go through a secret entrance and leave through a bookcase within the bar. It’s so cool and the drinks are really good. I went with the bartenders choice, so they made me a drink based on the type of alcohol I like.
DAY #4 | ANAHEIM
The final day during our “Orange County Trip” was to go see our Angels play baseball. We love cheering on our team!
Let me know if you have any questions about the places we went to or have any stories of your own in these areas.
When I’m sitting on the train, heading to work, I look around and see people with either paperback books or e-books. So, I was curious about what my readers use. Let me know by taking this poll.
I’m going to start using e-books so if you could also let me know what you think are the best formats and devices to use and why.
Here are the books I found this week:
1. The Wedding Bees by Sarah-Kate Lynch (Found on Breaking The Binding)
2. If You Leave by Courtney Cole (Found on GenGen Book Blog)
3. If You Stay by Courtney Cole (Found on GenGen Book Blog, mentioned in a review of If You Leave)
“Two Kisses for Maddy” Book Review
If you’re looking for a tear jerker, Two Kisses for Maddy is the right book for you. It’s a memoir of a single dad trying to cope with the loss of his wife, while raising a newborn. Matthew Logelin writes about his wife and how they came to meet, fall in love, and what their marriage was like. It was clear that they really loved each other and that he adores her.
The sad truth is that bad things happen to good people and his wife died giving birth to their baby girl Madeline. Liz never got to hold her. The book then became about Logelin trying to survive and adapt to a world without his wife and to raising a baby.
***
I found this book when I was at Target looking for another good memoir to read. I’m no stranger to the book isles there and I’m sure the employees consider me a regular. If my fiance wasn’t with me I’m sure I would have stayed for hours just looking through the books and reading the back covers. I won’t even mention how long I end up staying in a Barnes & Noble store.
Now back to the book…
I think this book is better suited for those who can relate to it. I know that I related to it. Not that I’m a single father, but my youngest sister didn’t get to know our mother like I knew her. Our mother died when I was nineteen and my sister was four. I don’t think she will really remember her mother except by what I tell her. That’s the reason I connected to this book so much. While it tells the story of how a father is working through being a single dad and a widow, I have a feeling he will have to answer the same questions I did with my sister.
Where did mommy go? Why isn’t mommy here? What happened to mommy? These are a few of the questions my sister has asked when my mom first passed.
It also shows what having a great support system will do. Logelin had many friends and family members that helped him work through his loss and adjust to being a father. When my mom died, having my friends and family around kept my mind off of it and I was able to move forward. It still hurts when I think about her and I suspect it is for Logelin too, but each passing year gets easier.
This book is also a great example of how blogs can change someone’s life. Logelin started a blog meant for photos of his travels and a way to keep his family updated. After his wife died it became a way for him to deal with his loss. According to Logelin it was also becoming Madeline’s baby book.
You can visit his blog where his gives updates on what he and his daughter are up to (Matt, Liz and Madeline).
The only thing I would warn readers is that there’s a lot of foul language in it. I personally didn’t mind that it was there. I think it really added to the story and I could feel the emotions more, but if you get offended by that stuff you probably shouldn’t read it.
Favorite Quotes
“Yes, Maddy and I had made it through a year without Liz. But really, a year is nothing. It felt like such an arbitrary measure, especially when it was used to quantify the time since sadness had entered my life. Of course, it had also been a year since Madeline – and the happiness that only she could bring – had entered my life.”
“I quietly opened her door, and just like I’d done every night since the day she was born, I kissed the tips of my fingers twice and touched her forehead. One kiss from me, and one from your mother. One for what could have been, and one for what will be.”
Overall Rating
Let me know your thoughts by leaving a comment. If you’ve read the book already I would love to hear your opinions on it. Did you relate to it like I did?
Look out for my next book review on
“Never Let Me Go” by Kazuo Ishiguro
Stories Unfolded 