Sunday, August 31, 2014

Three Wishes by Liane Moriarty

 Liane Moriarty is officially my new favorite author, seriously, anyone whose debut book features triplets is a winner (not to mention that I have absolutely loved her other books...The Husband's Secret and Big Little Lies.)  Next on my list is What Alice Forgot...I have a feeling I won't be disappointed.

From Publishers Weekly

Three chick-lit heroines are better than one in Moriarty's witty debut starring Sydney-based triplets Cat, Gemma and Lyn Kettle. Borrowing a convention from mystery novels, Moriarty opens with a prologue whose events must be explained through subsequent chapters: in this case, what led one sis to imbed a fondue fork in another sis's pregnant belly at their 34th birthday celebration dinner? Moriarty gleefully describes the triplets' turbulent previous year, which forces them to abandon the roles they've played since childhood. Sarcastic and abrasive marketing executive Cat must grapple with her husband Dan's affair, a miscarriage and a drinking problem, while flighty Gemma, a full-time house sitter, probes her fears of commitment when she meets charming locksmith Charlie. Lyn, a successful entrepreneur, wife and mother, has perfected the art of time management ("Sex with husband. Check"), but she's quietly seized by bouts of panic. Despite such unoriginal problems, Moriarty's novel is a winning combination of smart-alecky fun and feel-good mush (mostly the former). Her writing is smart and playful ("Death was the hot bath you promised yourself while you endured small talk and uncomfortable shoes"), her characters are quirky and lovable and her clever plot turns—like the rekindled love between the triplets' divorced parents—are fun. Convenient coincidences and a general predictability don't distract too much from the sassy pleasures.

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Wednesday, August 20, 2014

Say What You Will by Cammie McGovern

I don't think I can adequately convey in words how much I loved this book...so I will steal the quote from below, "John Green's The Fault in Our Stars meets Rainbow Rowell's Eleanor & Park in this beautifully written, incredibly honest, and emotionally poignant novel."  YES, exactly!!!  I became one of those obsessive people, shushing and shooing my children away because I had to see what happened with Amy and Matthew, I was so emotionally invested in their story.  A perfect book, a must read.

Book Description via Amazon.com

John Green's The Fault in Our Stars meets Rainbow Rowell's Eleanor & Park in this beautifully written, incredibly honest, and emotionally poignant novel. Cammie McGovern's insightful young adult debut is a heartfelt and heartbreaking story about how we can all feel lost until we find someone who loves us because of our faults, not in spite of them.
Born with cerebral palsy, Amy can't walk without a walker, talk without a voice box, or even fully control her facial expressions. Plagued by obsessive-compulsive disorder, Matthew is consumed with repeated thoughts, neurotic rituals, and crippling fear. Both in desperate need of someone to help them reach out to the world, Amy and Matthew are more alike than either ever realized.
When Amy decides to hire student aides to help her in her senior year at Coral Hills High School, these two teens are thrust into each other's lives. As they begin to spend time with each other, what started as a blossoming friendship eventually grows into something neither expected.


Monday, August 18, 2014

Love Letters by Debbie Macomber

This is the latest installment in Debbie Macomber's Rose Harbor series.  I really enjoy Debbie Macomber, especially when I want something light with a guaranteed happy ending...sometimes you just need the happy ending, regardless of how improbable it may be.


From Booklist
The third entry in Macomber’s best-selling Rose Harbor series finds innkeeper Jo Marie repeatedly telling her friends and neighbors that Mark is merely the inn’s handyman, and she’s not interested in him outside of how quickly he can put up a new gazebo. But she ends up thinking more and more about the reclusive man and eventually starts poking around in his past. Tensions rise when Mark discovers Jo Marie’s probing and doesn’t like it one bit. Meanwhile, new guests arrive at the inn, bringing their own troubled pasts along with them. Ellie is there to meet a man she only knows via Facebook, while Maggie and Roy have booked a weekend as a last-ditch effort to save their failing marriage. Loads of secrets abound, families are brought together while others are torn apart, and, of course, love conquers all in the end. As per usual, Macomber’s fans will be lining up to see what happens in this gentle and heartwarming read, and they won’t be disappointed. --Rebecca Vnuk

Wednesday, August 13, 2014

The Maze Runner by James Dashner with movie trailer








I am a little late to join the band wagon on this one...but as the saying goes, better late than never.  Admittedly I only read this because a) my tween book club is discussing this in September and b) the movie is coming out in September.  But reasons aside, I really liked this one, and I already have requested the sequel.  I love that the majority of the characters are boys and there is a *very* light romance element, which all adds up to a great "boy" read.   Being the mother of one of those teenage boy creatures, who is *extremely* picky in what he reads, I am always on the look out for a good guy read.  Definitely check this book out before the September premier of the movie.


From School Library Journal

Grade 6–10—Thomas wakes up in an elevator, remembering nothing but his own name. He emerges into a world of about 60 teen boys who have learned to survive in a completely enclosed environment, subsisting on their own agriculture and supplies from below. A new boy arrives every 30 days. The original group has been in "the glade" for two years, trying to find a way to escape through a maze that surrounds their living space. They have begun to give up hope. Then a comatose girl arrives with a strange note, and their world begins to change. There are some great, fast-paced action scenes, particularly those involving the nightmarish Grievers who plague the boys. Thomas is a likable protagonist who uses the information available to him and his relationships (including his ties to the girl, Teresa) to lead the Gladers. Unfortunately, the question of whether the teens will escape the maze is answered 30 pages before the book ends, and the intervening chapter loses momentum. The epilogue, which would be deliciously creepy coming immediately after the plot resolves, fails to pack a punch as a result. That said, The Maze Runner has a great hook, and fans of dystopian literature, particularly older fans of Jeanne DuPrau's The City of Ember (Random, 2003), will likely enjoy this title and ask for the inevitable sequel.—Kristin Anderson, Columbus Metropolitan Library System, OH END --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Friday, August 8, 2014

Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarity

This is definitely one of my favorites of the year!  It amazes me that things like mommy wars are so universal...I felt like I was reading something that could happen in my town.  I laughed through half of this book and I was guessing at the "whodunit" till the very end.  It has already been optioned for a movie...it is really *that* good...an absolutely perfect beach read.

Amazon.com Review

An Amazon Best Book of the Month, July 2014: What is it about Liane Moriarty’s books that makes them so irresistible? They’re just classic “domestic” novels about marriage, motherhood, and modern upper-middle-class family life, after all. And despite the fact that Big Little Lies is Moriarty’s sixth adult novel (and it comes decades after the grandmother of this kind of thing, Bridget Jones’ Diary), it is remarkably new and fresh and winning Set in an Australian suburb, Big Little Lies focuses on three women, all of whom have children at the same preschool. One is a great beauty married to a fabulously rich businessman; they have a “perfect” set of twins. One is the can-do mom who can put together a mean pre-school art project but can’t prevent her teenage daughter from preferring her divorced dad. The third is a withdrawn, single mother who doesn’t quite fit in. Right from the start--thanks to a modern “Greek chorus” that narrates the action--we know that someone is going to end up dead. The questions are who and how. Miraculously, Moriarty keeps this high concept plot aloft, largely because she infuses it with such wit and heart. She also knows not to overplay the message she’s sending: that we all tell lies--to each other and, more importantly, to ourselves. --Sara Nelson