Category Archives: Chick Lit

The Mystery of Mercy Close – Marian Keyes

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marian keyesI employ this thing called The Shovel List.’
‘A shovel . . . ?’
‘No. A Shovel List. It’s more of a conceptual thing. It’s a list of all the people and things I hate so much that I want to hit them in the face with a shovel.’

Meet Helen – youngest of the Walsh sisters and a law unto herself. She’s easily bored, has an inability to filter her thoughts and was fired from every job she ever had before she found her true calling as a private investigator. But times are tough for PIs and Helen’s had no choice but to take on the search for AWOL boyband has-been Wayne Diffney – The Wacky One.

It’s not all bad this game of Where’s Wayne. It may have brought her charming crook of an ex Jay Parker back into her life, but it’s giving her an excuse to avoid the usual Walsh family dramas and the intense looks from her gorgeous boyfriend Artie that make her heart beat wildly with lust and panic in equal measure. But most of all it’s an excellent distraction from the huge swarm of black vultures gathering over her head. If she hides out in her target’s empty house on Mercy Close for long enough maybe they’ll go away . . .

But as Helen begins to unravel the mysteries secreted on Mercy Close she discovers a kindred spirit in a man unwilling to be found. Could someone be telling her to look a little closer to home . . . ? – Publishers Website

I’m divided on this particular book, for a few reasons.  The earlier books(s) I have read by Marian have been really fun reads.  This one I wasn’t so keen on.  I didn’t enjoy Helen’s demeanor, it was too hyper, too much double guessing herself.  In other terms too fidigety.  She second guesses everything or just about everything she does as a private investigator – what she has done for years.  The background on the book is well thought out, it’s just her main character or that could be the reason she is the way she is because of the plot lines in the book, but this wasn’t a great book for me.  I have thought about it probably more than I needed to and waited as long as I could without giving a scathing review about something that didn’t mesh with what I remember from her other novels, I just didn’t like this one as much as the earlier books I have read by Marian.

I do have to say though, she has a rocking twitter account!  I noticed that she has locked herself out more than once because of her tweeting….too much, too fast LOL

Marian’s Website – Facebook – Twitter – Goodreads

 

Forgotten – Catherine McKenzie

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Congratulations to Catherine!!, who just this week had this book published in the USA.   This is a re-posting of the review I had done for it’s Canadian Release. It is available through William Morrow in the USA.

When everyone thinks you’re dead, how do you start your life over again?

Emma Tupper, a young lawyer with a bright future, sets out on a journey after her mother’s death: to Africa, a place her mother always wanted to visit. But her mother’s dying gift has unexpected consequences. Emma falls ill during the trip and is just recovering when a massive earthquake hits, turning her one-month vacation into a six-month ordeal.

When Emma returns home, she’s shocked to find that her friends and colleagues believed she was dead, that her apartment has been rented to a stranger and that her life has gone on without her. Can Emma pick up where she left off? Should she? As Emma struggles to recreate her old life, everyone around her thinks she should change – her job, her relationships, and even herself. But does she really want to sacrifice everything she’s working so hard to gain? – Publishers Website

I really truly believe that this is Catherine’s best novel yet !  It had a soul that you couldn’t walk away from, that one thing that keeps you reading page after page, until the last one wanting there to be more in the story.  What would you do if this happened to you?!?  Would you scream and cry or pick up where you left off to start your life all over again or would you just throw in the towel and say to hell with it? Myself, since I have started over again when my marriage failed so miserably I didn’t really have a choice to just sit and cry, I had to get up and prove to people I was the person that I was saying I was, and not the one other people were portraying me to be.  So, I can identify with Emma, know what she was going through in a sense.  Your whole world is somewhat turned upside down.  You, yourself are the only one that can turn it back upright; and fight for what you believe in.  Even if that means falling in love with the one person who you didn’t think possible. My reviews of Catherine’s other books can be found here by clicking the links – Arranged – SPIN.  Here are 2 Q and A’s I have also done with Catherine – Q and A #1 – Q and A #2

Catherine’s Website – Browse Inside – Twitter – Facebook – US Publisher – William Morrow

Dance, Gladys, Dance – Cassie Stocks

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27-year-old Frieda Zweig is at an impasse. Behind her is a string of failed relationships and half-forgotten ambitions of being a painter; in front of her lies the dreary task of finding a real job and figuring out what “normal” people do with their lives. Then, a classified ad in the local paper introduces Frieda to Gladys, an elderly woman who long ago gave up on her dreams of being a dancer.

The catch? Gladys is a ghost.

In Dance, Gladys, Dance, Cassie Stocks tells the uplifting story of a woman whose uncanny connection with a kindred spirit causes her to see her life in a new way —as anything but ordinary. – Publishers Website

I have to say, what a quirky, funny, interesting read ! Not so much classic chic-lit in any way; it is certainly a book that makes you think about the instances that Frieda encounters throughout the book.  Is Frieda’s life really such a mess?!?  Is she really alone and untalented as she thinks she is?!?  Does Frieda believe in herself?!? Why do others think of herself much more than she does? It seems to me she is going through some sort of crisis she brings upon herself; those negative messages she starts to believe from what other people have told her.

Don’t we all at one time or another fall into that trap.  Depending on whether we are having a bad day, or just feeling down upon ourselves, Frieda finally through the help of Gladys, who is a ghost who is chasing her own mistakes she has made in life, while attempting to help from beyond the grave.

We, as women, or even men for that matter need to stop the negative back talk and regrets in our own lives or in other for that matter and start to believe in ourselves.  This book is laugh out funny, deeply inspirational, and with characters’ quirkiness which, will have you glued to the pages wondering what will happen next.  We need to stand up for one another as the characters did midway to the end of the book for what we believe in, maybe not as drastic as some of the members did with going with all out nudity, but we can make our presence known in other ways.

As part of this blog tour, please stop by these other blogs that are participating.  Although, I don’t offer book giveaways, these other blogs may be holding one if you want to try your luck and try to win a copy.  If you aren’t lucky, please support the author by going to your indie bookstore or chapters/indigo/kobo and buy your copy !

Tomorrow, I have the Q and A where I had a chance to ask Cassie some questions, stay tuned !

Dance, Gladys, Dance Blog Tour

June 26th and 27th: The Indextrious Reader

July 2nd and 3rd: Lavender Lines

July 13th and 19th: Koala Bear Writer

July 16th and 17th: The Book Chic Blog

July 19th and 20th: Serendipitous Readings - HERE

August 7th and 8th: Peeking Between the Pages

Unknown date – The Book Drunkard

Cassies Blog – Goodreads – Twitter – Download an Excerpt – Listen to a Podcast

Thank You for Flying Air Zoe – Erik Atwell – REVIEW and Q & A

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Old enough to know better, young enough to do it anyway

Ladies and Gentlemen, the Fasten Seat Belt sign has been turned on, but feel free to ignore it, because sometimes life is best lived on its dizzy edges. Your cruising altitude today will be sky-high, and you will be flying at staggering speeds as you travel alongside Zoe Tisdale, former Valley Girl and rock star turned bored butter saleswoman.

On the heels of a brush with mortality, Zoe concludes that she’s been letting time pass her by. Realizing she needs to awaken her life’s tired refrains, Zoe vows to recapture the one chapter of her life that truly mattered to her – her days as drummer for The Flip-Flops, a spirited, sassy all-girl garage band that almost hit the big time back in 1987. But reuniting the band won’t be easy. The girls who were once the whiz kid guitarist, the prom queen bass player, and the hippie lead singer grew up and became women who are now a reclusive dog trainer, a wealthy socialite, and a sociopathic environmentalist. Will Zoe bring the band back together and give The Flip-Flops a second chance at stardom? Is it possible to fully reclaim the urgent energy of youth?

As you follow this wild flight path, please know that your destination could be anywhere at all, complimentary oxygen is provided upon request, and baggage flies free. We hope you enjoy the ride, and Thank You For Flying Air Zoe. – Publishers Website

I wasn’t really into this book until I got about a third through it for some strange reason.  It is one of those books where at least for me, it has to grow a bit and spread its wings before I devour it like I have been lately.  The even more strange thing about it, is it’s a male, yes, a male writing a female chic lit book!

Sadly the last one that I had read, was a disaster.  Didn’t like it one bit.  This one is a complete 180 in comparison.  Light, funny, exactly what you want in one of those type books.  It was a light airy read, that I found myself chuckling to along the way albeit, a few of the classical themes.  Sometimes predictable, but like I stated before, light airy, I have said a lot about that….

Don’t believe me?  Pick it up for yourself and let me know how you liked it.

Below is the Q and A I recently did with Erik, I hope you enjoy the questions I posed and I really liked his answers back! Engaging and well-informed !

How much of yourself is in your novel?

You mean was I ever in an all-girl garage band? ;-)

Kidding, of course. Despite obvious gender differences, I think Zoe and I have a common core in the importance we place on maintaining a sense of youthful spirit. I am a firm believer that it’s never too late to chase after something you’ve always wanted, even if time is seemingly against such a crusade. Dream large, take chances, and never subject yourself to regret.

What is the reason behind you writing chic-lit instead of another genre?

The truth is, I didn’t actively set out to write a chick lit novel. I just wrote what I thought was a fun, heartfelt story, and the chick lit community, much to my delight, completely embraced it. As for why I wrote a novel told from a female P.O.V., that’s the real mystery. Ever since college, I’ve enjoyed the writing process more when I’m focusing on a woman’s story. Not sure why that’s been the case, but so long as it’s yielding positive feedback, I’ll probably run with it! It’s a great challenge to write outside one’s gender, one that I both relish and respect greatly.

What would be your idea of perfect happiness?

Isn’t any sort of happiness perfect in and of itself? As I see it, if I’m in the middle of a happy moment, no matter how long or short its ultimate duration, life right then and there is pure and perfect bliss.

What is the one talent(s) you would like to have besides writing?

Singing, simply because I’ve mangled one too many songs on various Karaoke stages across the country.

To be sure, I am not your next American Idol.

If you died and had the chance to come back as anything you wanted, what would it be and why?

Would it be too narcissistic of me to say that I want to come back as myself? In the past, I might have had a more creative answer, but the thing is, my wife and I welcomed our first child just about a year ago. He is a charming and curious marvel of a little man, and I absolutely don’t want to miss a single second of his growth.

So yeah, I’m coming back as myself. I wanna see what this awesome little guy becomes. :)

Did you or have you borrowed real life things that have happened in your own life to be able to craft the characters in this novel, or other stories?

If I borrow anything for my writing, it’s probably only places and settings. Many say that the best writing comes from experience, but sometimes I feel too close to my experiences to accurately write about them. I wouldn’t be able to bring pure objectivity to the source material. Lately, however, I’ve started toying with a project that would completely toss this notion aside. Maybe I actually can write from a place closer to the source material.

Do you have any new projects that you are doing now? If you are, when can we expect them?

My family and I have recently just completed a cross-country move, so we’re only now starting to make the leap from scattered to settled. I have two projects at the proverbial tip of my pen, but I’m not quite sure which one will get the call. There’s an Air Zoe sequel brewing, but if the sales figures aren’t quite up to justifying such a project when the time comes to write, I will possibly have to shift gears and take on the other project — a super top-secret project I’m too superstitious to discuss.

But I’m pretty sure it’ll be totally fun to write.

Do you have any favorite heroes in fiction? Who are they and why?

Wow, I’m actually surprising myself here, but I actually can’t think of a character who straightaway comes to mind. I’ve certainly been a fan of some literary greats — Mockingbird’s Scout Finch, Jimmy Rabbitte from The Commitments, and now that I’m a new Dad, Seuss’s Cat in the Hat! But these are more characters who’ve entertained me more than characters I see as heroes. I think I tend to be more in awe of the writers who created them — Harper Lee, Roddy Doyle, Dr. Seuss… I’m not sure I can be actively moved by a fictional character as much as by the author who pens their story.

Are there any qualities in other people who you most admire? If so, what are they?

I’m sure I admire far too many virtues to list them all, but one in particular that registers highly in my book — and correlates to the characters in my novel — is loyalty. I come from a town where my childhood friends are still some of my best friends, and in many ways, I believe that an individual is in part defined by the relationships they cultivate.

What phrase(s) do you most overuse?

It’s not actually a phrase, per se, but I think I actually use the word actually too often in my prose, actually.

But I’m actually working hard on that. ;)

Thank you so much for the questions and for giving THANK YOU FOR FLYING AIR ZOE some space on your blog!

Thank you Erik for allowing me to ask you questions and allowing me to read your nice piece of writing !

Other Tour Dates and Blogs

Thursday, June 21st:  Chick Lit is not Dead

Thursday, June 28th:  Girls Just Reading

Monday, July 2nd:  A Musing Reviews

Tuesday, July 3rd:  Luxury Reading

Thursday, July 5th:  Shoe-girl.com

Monday, July 9th:  Chick Lit Central

Tuesday, July 10th:  Seaside Book Nook

Wednesday, July 11th:  Peeking Between the Pages

Wednesday, July 11th:  Life in Review

Thursday, July 12th:  A Chick Who Reads

Monday, July 16th:  girlichef

Monday, July 16th:  From the Heart of a Bookworm

Tuesday, July 17th:  Mom in Love with Fiction

Wednesday, July 18th:  Serendipitous Readings – That’s me !

Thursday, July 19th:  Sara’s Organized Chaos

Friday, July 20th:  The Book Chick

Monday, July 23rd:  Sweet Southern Home

Tuesday, July 24th:  Acting Balanced

Erik’s Twitter – Facebook – Blog/Website

Much thanks to Lisa at TLC Book Tours, even with her broken arm/elbow, she’s still got it and what I like in choices of books…or maybe she just guessing because of the pain meds LOL ;-)

Quickie Q and A with Catherine McKenzie

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Where or what gave you the idea for the main premise in Arranged? – A lot of ideas that were floating around in my head collasced at once. I knew a few men who’d had “traditional” arranged marriages. The Bachelor and similar shows were everywhere. One day I asked myself  – “if an arranged marriage service existed in North America, who would use it?” -  and then I got excited.

Was there something about arranged marriages that made you want to include it in your latest novel? – I think it’s a logical extension of what we see as entertainment these days – people letting others choose their mates for them. I wanted to explore why so many people are willing to do this, and how far they’d go if they thought it would bring them happiness.

What is it about chick lit that made you want to write 2 already, will you continue to write more in this genre, or will you change gears and write another genre? – I write the stories that come to me. I never intended to specifically write chick lit (not that there’s anything wrong with that!) – not in the traditional sense of say, The Devil Wears Prada. What I want to do is write the best books I can and make them as entertaining as I can.

With the advent of more and more people going online to find the loves of their life, do you think arranged marriages or a similar type of introduction services will make a comeback from being a mostly old custom for certain countries, or even larger than it was or is? – I think it is entirely possible. At the very least, I expect a reality television series based on this idea to pop up any minute now.

Do you think that attitudes have changed since the time arranged marriages have been a way of life in some cultures? – I think it depends on what culture you’re talking about. If you mean North America, then definitely, though the idea of marrying for love goes much further back than some people think, depending on the social sphere in which you lived. I think most people in our culture expect to marry for love, and a lot of people expect that love to be the love-of-their-love-soul-mate kind. Which is setting the bar pretty high.

Thanks so much Catherine for you time and the book !

If you would like to win a copy of the book stay tuned after this post to learn how you can.

If you would like to read my review of Spin, it is located here

Here is my previous Q and A I did with Catherine, when her first book SPIN came out.  SPIN just came out re released as a P.S. edition, go and check it out.

 


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#5 – Arranged – Catherine McKenzie

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Anne Blythe is lucky. She’s got a brand new book contract, a great newspaper job and a steadfast best friend, and she can land just about any man she sets her sights on — and the ones that appeal are typically tall, dark and handsome.

Problem is, the men she chooses never last. Shortly after yet another relationship goes down in flames, Anne comes across a card for what she believes is a dating service, and pockets it just in case. If she’s so unlucky in love, maybe she could use a little assistance. Then her best friend announces she’s engaged, and envy gets the better of Anne. Now’s the time, she decides, to give the service a try — and she is shocked to discover that what the company specializes in are exclusive, and pricey, arranged marriages. After learning of the company’s success rate, however, she overcomes her reluctance and signs on. After all, arranged marriages are the norm for millions of women around the world, and she’s not done so well selecting a mate on her own. So why not use a professional service that claims it can produce the perfect match?

Some time later, Anne is travelling to a Mexican resort, where in one short weekend she will meet and marry Jack, the man they have chosen for her. And against all odds, it seems to be working out, until Anne learns that Jack and the company who arranged their marriage are not what they seem at all. - Publisher’s Website

This was a good book.  Between the writing which is always great, wonderfully plotted, and gives you a good entertainment value.  It is a good and interesting aspect nowadays with everyone either online or trying new and different things to find a partner.  Arranged marriages are primarily in some cultures, where you don’t have a choice.  It is your parents or family members who make the decision for you.  Now, my question to you is, would you go through this process?  Are you just so inundated with all of these online dating sites that you are tired of the same old thing, just a different day type of thing? Or are you willing to go out on a limb?

I will be posting a giveaway as well as a Q and A I recently have done with Catherine, so stay tuned for more information!

HarperCollins

Reading Group Guide

Catherine’s Website



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How Did You Get This Number? – Sloane Crosley

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In Sloane’s 2nd foray into the publishing world, she not only gives us food for thought, amongst a few laugh out loud moments in between the chaos that is her life.

From the klepto/anorexic roommate, to the stock guy at the furnishing store that she can’t definitely afford, to her adventures around the world Paris, Portugal (in the off-season) and what does she encounter but a bear – UM HELLO?!? not to mention Alaska for a wedding ( might I add, where she is SO out of the elements!)

Her optimism, boundless charm, yes, personal triumphs and failures, wait? did I forget the boyfriend that’s already had a girlfriend for like NINE YRS ?!?

I mean how can someone, anyone, be so funny, smart, intellectual and still sane after all of that – maybe crazy is in these days.

I loved her sense of fun in the midst of the situations she has encountered, being the person screaming or loudly thinking “Tell him what you REALLY think, but, as a grown up person would – walked away (secretly I wished she would have gone ape on him…)

I could wholeheartedly agree with a lot she had written, thought about, about certain situations that she was dealing with, nodding my head up and down or just plain laughing out loud ( which you absolutely must do in certain situations)

Penguin

Promises To Keep – Jane Green

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Steffi and Callie are sisters. One older than the other, they have taken different paths is life.  Callie is happily married and has 2 adorable children while Steffi ( the younger one) hasn’t really settled down and figured what she wants to do with her life.  Always going from one thing to another, that also is true for her taste in boyfriends as well.  She’s the happy-go-lucky sister.

Exact opposites right?

Their parents are divorced, both totally different from one another – Their father has been remarried more than once, and his last wife was so much more than what she seemed at first.  Their mother re-married as well, her husband passing away about a year or more ago.  Their parents are so un-amicable toward each other ( their dad more so) cannot even stand to be in the same room with one another and just act to get along with one another.

Promises to Keep is one of those novels that will keep you reading, commiserating, laughing, and absolutely crying that you have shrugged off that you have been meaning to have.

It is about the decisions we make, willingly or not against our better judgement, learning from our mistakes and moving on, being a child long after you have grown up, and most importantly how families and friends love one another during those devastating times and what it means to everyone personally.

I was surprised with Jane’s most recent work.  I had previously read Dune Road and it wasn’t one that converted me to be a new fan.  This one however, has made me that fan.

Penguin / Viking

Jane’s Website

Stolen – Lesley Pearse

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Lotte, a 20 something year old is found half-drowned on a Sussex beach by a gentleman who was walking along the shore.  Once at the hospital and stabilized, she is found to have amnesia.  Absolutely no memory of who she is or how she become to be on the beach.

When her picture is published in the local newspapers, one of the people she had befriended in the past recognizes her – they had worked together on a cruise ship and were bunk mates for a year.  As they travelled the seas of South America, they become close friends and vowed to keep their friendship alive.

This not only marks a reunion of sorts, her friend had wondered why Lotte had literally disappeared and not kept contact like they both said they would.  She did try to text, but, no response.

There is a deep, dark story behind Lotte’s disappearance.  Just before the girls went their separate ways, Lotte was viciously raped at one of the ships ports in South America.  The questions are many, but the most important ones were – Where has she been? What happened to her that she was found on the beach? Why can’t she remember what happened? When will her memory return?

I really enjoyed this novel.  The bond that friendship endures, what lengths people will go to when getting what they want, as Lotte’s past friends rally around her as she comes to terms what did happen, the revelations or nothing short of shocking once the whole story is told is nothing short of a miracle that she has survived.  It is relevant to today’s news as well.  The stories that are in newspapers, on the radio, and so forth make this novel genuine, and like I had said relevent.

Penguin – Michael Joseph

Lesley’s Website

Follow Lesley on Twitter

Waking Up In The Land of Glitter – Kathy Cano-Murillo

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Star is one of those people who does things impulsively.  She has gone to school to study art, then returned home was her plan to become a famous artist.

Well, that dream is still waiting to be realized.  She works as the manager at her parent’s restaurant/gallery, has a man of her dreams even though she says they are just best friends.  One night while getting ready to go out on a date with him she spies wedding pamphlets on his living room table.  Scared, thinking he is going to ask her to marry him, she runs off and gets drunk with her cousin.  What happens next, well, starts everything off that seems to go wrong in her life….But does it all go wrong?

After all of  the arguments, breaking up with her boyfriend, she is determined to make her dreams reality.  That includes making 250 centerpieces for the upcoming national craft competition.  Along with her colourful friends and a local TV personality, they set off in this hilarious, yet serious take at friends, parents, personal goals, and the outcome is one that no one had expected.

This is a great book for those who are crafty inclined, as well as someone who needs a light-hearted Saturday read to get their mind off those everyday occurences, yet, may bring some clarity to some of their personal relationships.

Laugh out loud funny at times, it is the story of a girl who finally finds her niche, will finally able to be honest with herself and others around her.  The trials and tribulations that every relationship experience from time to time that we can all relate to.

Hachette / Grand Central

Read an excerpt

Q and A with the author

Reading Group Guide

Seeing Stars – Diane Hammond

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Mother and Daughter leave their quiet existence in the Pacific Northwest for Hollywood.  Ruth believes with conviction that her daughter Berthy has talent.  So they leave and move temporarily to Hollywood to see if her dreams can be visualized.  But what they come up against is one of determination, many rejections, questioning their decisions.  Will they decide to stay and tough it out, or will they pack up, go home, least to say they gave it a try.

Hollywood for children is one of those crazy existences.  From the time they arrive, it is nothing but rehearsals, classes,auditions, call backs, as well as coaching and a whole different type of people.  When in Hollywood, if you aren’t strong you will be eaten alive, and not given a second thought.  Does Bethy have the skills? Will she become famous.  Is she doing this for herself or for her mother that has given up her peaceful life up so that her daughter can.

During the storyline, you will meet the manager, the agent, the other actors/actresses that Bethy befriends, or at least she thinks she does.  Behind those facades it is a deep and dark.  One is a closet cutter who is living with the manager because her parents don’t want her at home.  The male teenager who is coming to terms if he is gay or not.  The others who can just turn on the charm and acting abilities at the flick of a switch.  When the switch is off, well, that is a different story of doubt, low self-esteem, jealousy, and quite often depression.

I liked Diane’s writing.  I have read her previous novel Hannah’s Dream and fell in love.  This is quite the opposite from Hannah’s for sure.  The writing was impeccable as always, it was such a different topic for sure.  Hollywood being one of those make or break places, where you are judged quite quickly on your talent.  No muss, no fuss.  But then again I guess they have to be that way mainly because there are so many people who are trying to enter the world of entertainment and become famous.

It was a good book to get an idea about how it would be if you wanted to enter your child into the entertainment business.  I also liked the decision that Bethy made near the end of the novel, showed that she had real maturity and grace.  I hope you will too.

I can’t say this is a favorite book, but Diane is still a favorite writer.

HarperCollins


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The Temptation of The Night Jasmine – Lauren Willig

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In this 5th installment of the Pink Carnation series, The Duke of Dovedale has returned from India unexpectedly.  He doesn’t want to be back, however, the main reason he is back is to avenge the murder of his mentor.  He has a feeling who it is, but he needs to track him down, found out where he is hiding, and get business done.

Before he left for India many years ago, Charlotte was a young, precocious young girl, who is one of those girls where her daydreams are more real then her life is.  Mostly ignored by her relatives when she is brought to the Dovedale estate, the now Duke took a liking to her, engaged her when no one else did.

Now, that Charlotte is all grown so to speak, her feelings when the Duke arrives haven’t abated, just stuck in the back of her mind of when they were younger.  The Duke sets off treating her as he did in the past, but his feelings for her have changed, making her something he wants to protect at all costs from the other men who would want to court her.  Charlotte is confused – at one instance the Duke is flattering her with his attention, the next he is cold and distant. Making her feel unsure of herself and the feelings she possess for him.

As the Duke is on the trail of the killer, him and Charlotte meet at one point where they both had tried to hide what they were looking for when the two meet up.  The person’s identity leads them into the cold streets of town, to an acquintances cold outdoor maze which leads to a cave beyond the maze.

With the bits of thrill, suspense, as well as bits of intrigue as well as the chick lit (how could you ever forget about the chick lit) as well as the setting of historical england will have you turning the pages wanting to know what happens next, how everything turns out.  Will the Duke and Charlotte finally admit their true feelings for one another?

With the authentic detailing – houses, court, scenes, language, makes this a most beliveable as well as intriguing novel.  The characters who are all interesting, except for maybe the eccentric and dry sounding grandmother was a delightful change who are caught up in espionage.

I enjoyed it very much.

Penguin – New American Library

Lauren’s Website

Reading Group Guide

Love Struck – Chantel Simmons

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Is there such a thing as a perfect marriage?

It seems as though Poppy thinks she has found it in her husband.  Until one day, she is sitting in the salon having her nails done when she overhears another woman talking about her friend’s affair with a man where she works.  As it sounds more and more familiar to Poppy, she gets bold and asks the woman who the man is.  She is shocked to find out it is her husband.

Without time to react, she receives a phone call from a hospital emergency room.  Her husband has been struck by lightning.

From here, things go from bad to worse.  When he is conscious, it seems as though he has amnesia.  So, instead of sussing him out, Poppy decides to wait and see what happens.  Then his lover comes into his room when she is in the bathroom hiding.  She is shocked by what she hears.

The woman he is having an affair with is the total opposite of her – long red fingernails, long hair, dresses to intrigue so you might say.

Poppy has this crazy notion that starts to come to reality.  If her husband likes that type of person, then she will become that person.  So, she starts her transformation.

As her husband is home, taking time off from the hectic workload as a financial advisor, she begins to transform herself.  Her friends, and people she knows cannot believe what she is doing albeit, how dramatic she is taking this.

As things progress, her husband is turning into the opposite of what he once was.  He wants to have children, wants to get away from the hustle and bustle of city life, take things slower.  Poppy is angry with not only herself, but her husband who when they met had this undeniable connection, now it is just like everything has turned upside down.  Her life, their marriage.  As more and more confusion, anger, and resentments set in, it seems as though her whole life is about to blow up in front of her.

Will she be able to save her once perfect marriage, or lose the man of her dreams forever?

With the hilarity of what Poppy does to be able to save her marriage, I was laughing out loud just trying to imagine what she looked like before and after her transformation.  That and the fact her fake nails keep ending up in food or other places that just make you want to get grossed out or shaking your head laughing wildly.

There are some great issues that are included in this novel.  Would you do what Poppy has done to save the relationship you are currently in?  Would you defer confronting the person until you had more evidence to be able to back it up?  Does jealousy factor in every relationship that we are involved with?

Does loving a person and finding out something about them want us to do crazy things to be able to keep it, or is it even worth it?  Should we just come clean, be honest and just confront it head on and try to work it out?

Chantel’s Website

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Key Porter Books

The Postmistress – Sarah Blake

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“Those who carry the truth sometimes bear a terrible weight”

It is the early 1940’s, war is raging in Europe.  Frankie Bard is there covering the war for American Radio with Edward R. Murrow.

As the bombs drop down into the dark night sky in London, Emma and her new husband have been just reunited in the small town of Franklin, Massachusetts, where he is a doctor.  This small town has it quirks and eccentricities as do all small towns; Harry is one of them – he climbs the steps to the tower on the town hall every night to search the waters for u boats, he is adamant that will arrive on their shores.

The Postmistress Iris does her job to the letter every single day keeping the town’s secrets while delivering the mail.  Until one day, she slips a letter into her pocket.  Afterwards, she reads the letter; then decides not to deliver it.

As Frankie delivers the news from Europe, she is asked in the middle of it to travel the rails to get as many stories as she can from the people who are travelling to other parts of Europe; in search of their stories, their feelings, parts of their lives recorded on a new voice recorder.  She has wanted to do this before; to travel to France where she has heard snippets of information about the Germans that are putting all the Jewish people in camps.  The people in the US don’t think the war will touch them and live as though it won’t.

As the people tell their stories to Frankie, she is changed.  Once the tough woman going to Europe to be a correspondent, she is moved by these people’s stories; as well as the guards that take each and every Jewish person off the trains at different stops; not knowing that they will be probably be dead within hours.

Two seemingly different places in the world that is just as separate as they are in miles away.  A simple letter is the only thing that will bring the two together, along with the three women, the loss of innocence, what things happen to the cherished moments, when those moments are gone forever when the news is broken from far away, and up close.

I was mesmerized and immediately taken away when I started reading the first few pages of the book.  Caught up in the 1940’s between small town America, where life for the moment was normal, and Europe during the WWII as it raged on, bombs dropping from the sky night after night.

The manner in which the author had woven the intricate worlds of both to encapsulate the reader was like poetry.  The way that the incidents, how we experienced the events as it continued its way until the end where it will change us forever.  I absolutely loved this book.  I hope that it will capture you as it did me.

Reading Group Guides

Penguin / Amy Einhorn

Spin – Catherine McKenzie

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Kate Sanford is a writer.  Doing freelance work for small publications isn’t really paying the bills.  For her, her dream job would be working for a music magazine called The Line.  After checking her email one day she is shocked, they are actually looking for a writer, so when she applies and goes through all the testing and writing they ask her to do she lands the interview.  Her interview of a lifetime.

The day before the interview however, is Kate’s birthday.  She has promised herself that she will only celebrate after her interview, but once her friend gets her out to their favorite bar.  No home early, No just a few drinks.  As her roommate wakes her up 15 minutes before her interview, Kate is still quite drunk when she arrives at her interview – not remembering any of the interviewer’s names, being unprofessional, then ends up running from the room to throw up.  Not exactly the picture you want to present to a potential employer right?

After not getting her dream job, she ends up getting a call from one of the people interviewing her – they want her to go undercover and befriend Amber Shepard, Hollywood’s new IT girl, who is going into rehab.  If she pulls off this assignment, she will receive her dream job.  Easy, right?

Not exactly so easy…

I really enjoyed this book.  Written with solid knowledge of the addiction / recovery process, with what one goes through, I was throughly surprised.

Intelligently written, it was if the author had some inside knowledge or intimate knowledge of how a 30′s something would feel and experience not only the addiction standpoint, but the world of being in a big city trying to do everything that she wants out of life.  At first going about it the wrong way, then another way with friends / family support she does spectacularly.

I really liked all the characters – the honesty Kate knew in herself but dismissed it at first made her a genuine character that you could relate to, to be able to come to terms that she really may have an addiction.  Being able to acknowledge that in herself, doing the work that is required was the greatest aha moment of the book, while being able to be true to herself as well as her friends old and new.  I really want to tell you how it all ends, but you will have to just read the book and find out for yourself.

HarperCollins

Reading Guide for SPIN

Catherine’s Website


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Remarkable Creatures – Tracy Chevalier

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Mary Anning was struck by lightning when she was a baby.  Since then it’s been said she was touched with greatness.

She hunts fossils on the beaches by her home in Lyme, England.  Elizabeth Philpot and her sisters have recently moved from London to Lyme.  Elizabeth meets Mary when visiting her father’s cabinet shop wanting a cabinet to fill with the fossils she finds on the beaches.  She gets to know Mary by going with her and learning about the fossils they find and Mary sells to help her family.  Mary’s family is poor and need every bit of money.

You can always find the spinster and the young child on the beaches hunting fossils when they come across one quite larger than the small ones they usually find.  One that somewhat resembles a crocodile.

The small town is shaken with this discovery, as some think it is evil and shouldn’t be talked about.  Some want it for their own collections; where they claim they were the ones that find it as their own, when it was Mary and Elizabeth.

This relationship that Mary and Elizabeth have is mutual admiration, loyalty, and supressed envy that the 2 share.  As Mary begins to become famous for her finds, Elizabeth is left on the wayside; the geological society leaves both of them behind, since there are only men allowed into the society, men that have been published with finds and theories.

I am on the fence with this book.  At first, it didn’t really evoke any sort of feelings for any of the characters.  It just seemed to run flat for me.  The discoveries were and are very much real, later on to be finally published in books with the names of Mary since she was the original person who found them to begin with I think was a huge victory for women in that time who wanted to be finally accepted into the world as men always had been.

Remarkable Creatures will be available to purchase on January 5th, 2010.

Tracy’s Website

Penguin Books / Dutton

Roses – Leila Meacham

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This book has been sitting on my bookshelf for months now taunting me,  now that I have finally read it in less than 24 hours, It left me wanting more; you all know how that happens when you are reading a book and you feel as if you were in the middle of the story as a fly on the wall, wanting more, until the end when you feel like you have at least lived a part of their lives while reading, then at the end you feel jilted like a lover because it is over.  That is exactly how I felt after finishing this book – jilted and thrown away.

Like those mini series that used to be on television years ago that follows a family from the beginning, this is similar – Following the families that started to develop a small town in Texas in the early 20th century to present-day – with all of the background of their struggles, triumphs, hard-working folk, their personal lives, and the secrets they kept to themselves that would cast them in a different light. Until the past creeps up to the present living characters, wondering why it was such a deep dark secret, until now.

There was the cotton tycoon ( the Tolivers) the lumber tycoon ( The Warwick’s) who had founded the small town, on values and morals that to this day are threaded through the families and the town as times have changed.

Mary Toliver the matriarch of the Toliver family, has shed blood sweat and more than just tears into the family cotton business.  Bequeathed the family farm and the responsibility of it when she was a small child after her father dying; She has seen to the family legacy ever since.  Above all else, the love she and Percy Warwick have shared since seeing each other in their crib’s, it was a partner ship that everyone had accepted and knew would happen, but never did because of Mary’s devotion and somewhat obsession to the farm and the legacy.

When Mary ( in present-day visits her lawyers office to sign the codicil that will accompany her will) no ones knows she has cancer, the lawyer is upset that she has changed her will, the thoughts it will do to the family once she is gone.  Mary is trying to avert disaster – the so-called curse that she is sure of that changed her life and Percy’s all that time ago.  Tomorrow, she will fly to her niece’s home to explain everything, but before that she must get to the attic of the house to get something.  As she is lounging on the porch from a long hot day in the sun sipping champagne, she has a heart attack and dies before she has a chance to explain.  This sets in motion the anger and resentment she was determined to avoid by explaining herself.

Threaded with scenes from the past and present, it is reminiscent of like I had mentioned of those tv mini series such as the Thorn Birds and North and South.

This book will be available to purchase on January 6th, 2010.

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Knit The Season – Kate Jacobs

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This is the third installment in the Friday Night Knitting Club series where we see a lot of the past characters not only knitting, but sharing their lives as well – going off in different directions, new professions, new countries, marriages,  wondering where and when they will be all together again.

As they all get ready for Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, Christmas and New Years all of the characters you have come to know and love are back with some major changes in their lives, as well as a trip to Scotland to celebrate one last Christmas with family.

I am not familiar with the series,  this is the first I have read of Kate’s work, but for me it was a good read for those who want to continue or even as a stand apart book.

The coming together of women from many generations who not only share their love for knitting and of course each other – the trials and tribulations of life itself make the coming together of these women all the more important.  I felt the cohesiveness of the group even though they all had their disagreements with one another,  sharing their closely knit lives as they all go and do their own individual needs as they grow and experience life.

The winners have been picked for the mitten giveaway that I held in honour of this book coming out, so the ones that have won, your packages have been mailed out, and I hope that they reach you before the coming holidays ! So, congratulations.

Penguin / Putnam

Kate’s Website

Lord Wraybourne’s Betrothed – Jo Beverly

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Jane has just been betrothed to one of England’s most eligible bachelor Earl Wraybourne.  Both being from Rich families (Jane’s is more wealthy) she had lived a very sheltered life away from court and society in general.

When she is making the trip to London to be formally introduced to society and to her new life away from her family,  being able to spend more time with her fiance as well as the people in society.  She wonders if she is feeling more than she should, are her feelings more than she suspects? But, then again he is asking himself the same questions as he admires her in the midst of getting information about a suspect terrorizing women in the community know as “The Whisperer”.

The whisperer, has been accosting the young, single women of the area for a time now, when he approaches Jane it is an entirely different matter.  When the Earl is asked to investigate she doesn’t want to come across as being helpless, but, eventually it is known to the Earl that it very well could be a person in their circle that is doing this awful acts, but whom?

Who it is, will certainly surprise you…

As the Earl is speaking to a woman who was attacked and able to get away, Jane notices this which sends  second thoughts and feelings that she is experiencing for the Earl;  until of course when all of the facts have been revealed.

I enjoyed this book, the storyline for me had something to be able to get into and go along with the plot. I liked the fact that the characters had very interesting plotlines instead of the usual fluff and empty characterization that is found in these genre’s of books.  The other facets of thriller, romance, jealousy, and when the final act was revealed, it would be and is a perfect read.

Penguin Books

Nanny Returns – Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus

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Nanny is back !

After marrying “Harvard Hottie” and jet setting around the world, working and enjoying the good life for the last 12 years, they have moved back to civilization – New York and bought a brownstone that needs more than a bit of TLC.

Nan is starting up her consulting business while attempting to get the house in shape for when Ryan come home from working around the world. Until, someone who in her wildest dreams she would have never thought she would have ever seen again – Grayer.

Now 16, he arrives at her door drunk and in the middle of the night.  Once again, the X’s life is in turmoil, but then again when isn’t it? and Nan feeling that she left without explaining the reason why she left to Grayer, and still after all of these years feels guilty.  But the predicament she is forced into partially by her own accord is far crazier and chaotic then it once was.  But then again, it is the X’s.. you remember them and all the outlandish things they used to do and say right? How could you not?

Mr X is always working at his own consulting / money-making firm

Mrs. X is feigning some sort of major illness, and cannot possibly attend to her younger sons private school appointment in their home.

As with the first book, filled with the antics of the X’s and the wild adventures that have them going all over the Hampton’s, all over the City, and the impossibility of Ryan wanting children, Nan is sucked into the X’s vortex again to make her think about how her life is going, does she really want children, and her own future with Ryan; and was that house buying really such a great idea? Right now she is thinking not so much.

For all of the outrageousness of the X’s, the real life questions, answers, as well as the dilemmas that Ryan and Nan are going through outweigh the negatives in my opinion.  This novel gives you thought and laughter when those times of needing “brain candy” with a glass of wine are needed.

Simon and Schuster

The Recipe Club – Andrea Isreal and Nancy Garfunkle

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Lilly and Val have been best friends since childhood.  As a way of being better friends and combining their love of cooking they came up with The Recipe Club.

As there are only 2 members, they would send letters back and forth to one another with recipes sometimes because of how the other was feeling and to lift their spirits, and to add to the mix of what was going on their lives at the time.

Once adults, a situation happened that threw them apart, then the letters and recipes stopped.  After the death of Val’s mother, the emails started again, as well as arguments from the past have come back into focus – Lilly’s father paying for Val’s education, the way he paid more attention to her then Lilly; the unknown history that both sets of parent’s had that have now come to the surface, with new and old feelings that haven’t been dealt with.

As the years went by, the girls eventually went their separate ways Val becomes a doctor, Lilly wanted to become a singer and performer, but eventually becoming a caterer.  When they start to communicate once again it is like a long-lost part of them has been stitched back together.  They love and admiration for one another back as it was before.  As they are older now, they come to the things that have spilt them apart in the first place.  With neither wanting to talk about it, it does get solved and both eventually realize that they are the ones that were somewhat taken advantage of, and with that and dealing with it; they become even better friends for the long-term.

With the recipes that are included in the book, they are quite interesting.  You can use the recipes in your own home.  For me it showed the real basis for making and keeping a friendship.  It was also the ability to reclaim the friendship that was once abandoned long ago.   The family dynamics was quite interesting, yet unorthodox as well.

The Recipe Club

The Recipe Club on ABC’s Good Morning America

This book is also being published by HarperCollins in a new edition.

 

 

 

The Brightest Star in the Sky – Marian Keyes

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This is the first book that I have read by Marian and I have to say, I am sitting on the fence.

Marian writes about a 4 plex townhouse at 66 star street, where there are some very eclectic characters in the mix.  The differences almost immediately discernable, yet they all come together in the end by a force that is in the stars so to speak.

Kate is the one that owns the top flat, who works as a PR representing rocks bands that are making their comebacks to the spotlight, who is turning 40 and has never been married.

There are 2 Polish men that share a flat with Lydia who are cab drivers.  Yes they share a flat, but what else will they share? Only time will tell.

Jessica is the octogenarian in the building.  She is the brains behind the whole building.  She brings into the mix her foster son who is starring in his own TV gardening show that is being recorded.  Did I mention she is also a pay per talk psychic as well?

Then there is Meave and Matt who have been married for a few years, and are happy the way they are, or at least it looks and feels that way until you dig a bit deeper into their lives.

Then there is this force of sorts that is the buildings guardian angel so to speak, who oversees everything, good and bad, feels what they feel and think in quiet ways.  St first the residents do come across this “being” that is looking over them, which makes some think they are being watched, but nothing comes of it, until the last day of the 60 that this “being” is there for and needs to make a huge decision about who and when.

I liked the way that Marian tackles some of the really tough issues of today – older parents aging and getting ill, violent acts that may take hold of a person after the fact, instead of keeping it all buried and not dealt with.

I think that if it could have been laid out differently than  adding a fantasy twist to it, but it was ok.

Penguin / Michael Joseph

The Twisted Heart – Rebecca Gowers

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Kit, who is a graduate student in literature Twisted Heart is literally obsessed with her work is about to have a change.

She decides on a whim to go across town to go to some dancing classes she came across.  She meets Joe as she is leaving halfway through the first lesson.  She dismisses him and thinks nothing of it, but when she returns the next week she isn’t so sure, but decides to see where it goes.

Once they are more comfortable with themselves, things from their lives start to emerge.  Joe’s life is more complicated then he first admits to;  A brother who is flawed and mentally incapable of sorts, while Kit comes across an intriguing part of her research – she is researching about Dickens which will or would change her thesis.

The complications in this novel, as well as the early writings of Dickens were as if they were taken from a modern day life.  The complexities of their lives in the present, with the lives of those in the past collide to give questions and answers some have been answered and some not, how the past collides with those of the present  who are or at least Kit is questioning whether it is the right fit or not.

The real question is, are we all like this until we have hit or stride, or it is the nuance of keeping on until we get something that we think is right for us individually, and then be able to let go?

Are there always twists and turns such as the ones that Kit and Joe experience in all of our relationships that we have to navigate through.  Will it be smooth sailing to speak when we first meet and start dating a new person? or will it be complicated and the real question is the person worth it?

HarperCollins


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Suddenly – Bonnie Burnard

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suddenlyHave you ever had those types of women group type relationships that have gone on for 20-30 years where you have shared everything?  This book is one of those types of books.

Three women friends have been best friends for the last 30 years, along with their husbands who just followed the status quo.

Dinner dates out together, summers on the beach at the cottage.  Going through all of life’s events as they come and go with time; – children, affairs, the differences of opinion along the way.  You and your girlfriends share everything even a catastrophic illness.

Through the entire book, which recounts many of the past and thoughts as she lay in her hospital bed dying through her journals she has kept over the many years are cathartic in a way.  She wonders if any of her children will read them and understand; or if more questions will be asked.

Through the entire book, as she recounts the many memories and the history of their relationships, what she did wrong, what happened the good times and bad, wanted me to be in the group as well.

It is or was for me a glimpse into a strong woman’s life, her friends, their spouses, and the trials and tribulations that came along with sharing, cajoling, and laughing their way through the years.

Will they survive after she is gone? Will they be able to move past their grief and begin to live again without her? Will her best friends want to read the journals before or after her children has taken the chance to read them?

I really liked this book.  With the autonomy, but yet the togetherness of the set of characters is one aspect that sets it apart.  The grief, the coming to terms with, the illness itself, that one overcame and beat but makes her succumb from all of the characters made them all take a look back on themselves and the events they all were together for, which sometimes wasn’t all great, but gave you time of thought and personal reflection that is not only relevant, but also worthy of discussion.

The author Bonnie Burnard was the Scotiabank Giller Prize winner for her bestselling book The Good House in 1999, and has won many other awards for her work.

HarperCollins


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The Truth About Love – Josephine Hart

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Truth About LoveHave you ever given your heart to someone and then have it broken so it seemed at the time, to be broken into a million pieces or if it was ripped out from your chest still beating on the ground, or at least it felt like that at the time?; Bearing the suffering in the aftermath of its being gone?

What would you do? Would you be able to go on? Live life as if nothing happened? Get over it as fast as you fell in love with that person?

To be totally honest, this review has taken me a while to be able to do.  With the content and the subject matter, I honestly wanted to make sure I was solid in what I needed to write about, before I wrote about it.  With all of the thoughts and feelings coming from the characters, it was much more than just reading a book.

Situated in Ireland in the 1960’s, an accidental death, the devastating blow to this family, the wounds not yet closed over from the previous death of the youngest child, rips the family over the edge once again.  The mother inconsolable, the father doing everything he can to save her and the daughter that gives up her dreams to help the family through the grief, the anger, and back to love.

No emotion is left unscathed, it is one of those books that will have you twisted up inside, even as it sat on my shelf awaiting to be read, and then once it was finished, I felt as though I had lived through their lives, their utter depression of the mother who already is grieving and tossed into an even deeper depression, at times, nearly not making it out.

The husband, who thought if he just loved his wife just a bit more then what he already did, would give her the courage to get out of the rut she is in, and snap her out of it.

The Daughter who stayed and lived their dreams, took care of them, as she was getting ready to go off to University, to start her own life just as many have her before have done.

The German neighbour, who ran away from his native Germany, only to be confronted with his grief that happened years ago, untouched, un dealt with until he moved to Ireland, what he and others fears that will happen sooner or later whether surprised or intervention given.

Stunning, Powerful, Unforgetful, Dangerous.

HarperCollins


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