The Book Was Better

  Color me impressed! While Jane Austen was the narrator of my early adulthood, Claudia Gray was a new author for me.  Ms. Gray picked up where Ms. Austen left off, with the Watson family. Youngest daughter, Ada has returned to her family after being raised since age six by her aunt and uncle. The family dynamics are realistic and very Austen-esque, with each daughter looking to secure a good marriage and save their family from financial ruin. Where matters of the heart are concerned, both Austen and Gray stick to their belief in love-matches -- though Ada must fight a harrowing battle against herself and her society if she hopes to secure her own.  Ada represents another strong heroine in the Austen collection and might be perhaps the most outspoken of the lot. The siblings were everything one could hope for in a classic tale, each markedly different, flawed, and delightful. While there were moments of semi-modernity that crept in, I was most impressed that there was no ...

  This book popped up as a recommendation based on my reading history and I'm a sucker for a cozy mystery, so I thought I'd give it a shot. I wanted to like it. The premise is intriguing enough -- set during WWII, undercover agents being picked off one by one. But... I know that it is common practice to set the scene for a series during the first book. But, when that first book just shows what's unlikeable about the characters until a tiny bit of growth at the end, it makes for a really tough read. The characterization was so flat that not only did I not really feel like I knew them, I also didn't care about them. I could see the potential in the last couple of chapters, and I'm guessing that Dixon will show both personal and relationship transformations in upcoming books, but the result was a rather lackluster opening that didn't really make me want to keep reading. (Unless it's about Benson. He seems like an interesting chap.)  Additionally, I didn't r...

 It's been a minute. 14 years to be exact, since I last penned a book review. Goodreads tells me I've read over 1000 books since then; probably more. I thought it about time to revive the conversation -- not just consume the books, but share and talk about them.  First up...one of my favorite new cozy mystery series: The Homefront Sleuths.  From the dynamic father-daughter duo that brought us the Sherlock and Lucy series, this WWII countryside set is like a warm blanket on a cold day. It has just enough intrigue to keep you guessing, a smattering of romance, and vibrant, budding friendships.  So far, I have read up through The Valentine Cipher , which was one of my favorites. Romance is in the air, but so is espionage.  Evie, Nigel, Harry, and the crew always seem to have different pieces to the same puzzle. Part of the magic of this series is the way those pieces eventually fall into place in a non-forced, collaborative way. Every member of the team brings thei...

 Last night, my daughter was practicing some skills she’s been learning in kindergarten: same and different, sorting, patterns. She held up two dolls and said, “Mommy, what’s different about these two girls?” just like she was a little teacher. I glanced over from where I’d been sitting next to her, reading The Help and noticed she was holding up a Caucasian doll and an African-American doll. Here we go , I thought, our first discussion about race relations . “Well, they have on different colored shirts,” I noted. “What do you see that’s different?” “Very good, Mommy,” pronounced my little instructor. “What’s different is, one girl has ponies in her hair and the other has a barrette.” I simply looked at her for a moment, stunned and proud. “But they’re both little girls, right?” I asked. “Yes, that’s why they’re the same.” Growing up in the south, race is something that has always been a sensitive subject for me. Fortunately, my mom felt very strongly that her chi...

I can count on one hand the number of books that I have disliked so intently that I stopped reading. No matter how disengaged or insulted, I just can’t leave a book incomplete, but I usually come away with one of two reactions: 1) Wow, I can’t believe I just wasted part of my life on that; or 2) I’m glad I stuck with that; it was worth it. Unfortunately, Frank Delaney book was mostly the former. Sure, my World War II-buff heart pitter-pattered occasionally at the intriguing new perspective of the well-known events, but the characters bordered on unlikeable, their motivation was unclear, and the foreshadowing was so overdone that it hindered the plot’s progression. I was sorely disappointed that such an eloquently written tale could be so lacking in substance.  Book Chick Rating: Y Y

Sara Gruen’s tale is raw, detailed, and disappointingly lacking in chemistry and emotion. The storyline itself, though occasionally predictable, is compelling and the descriptions of a Depression-era circus so thorough, you feel like you could have been along for the ride. Gruen magnificently captures the displacement and lack of identity of an elderly Jacob, bringing life to both past and present perspective. It is unfortunate that the relationship between the two main characters is not more developed. This lapse hinders the illusion of belief necessary for real enjoyment and casts doubt upon the final outcome of the story.  Book Chick Rating: Y Y Y

Kate Morton’s weaving of generational perspective developed an intriguing, if sometimes repetitive, plot. While the mystery at the heart of the tale was not particularly arduous, the intricacies of the characters and the need to feel them succeed generated an emotional attachment and a pressing need to read more. Morton’s narrative illustrated a clear scene of both a past and present English seaside community and a family dynamic polluted with selfishness and resentment. Yet, it is Cassandra’s journey to cope with loss and accept friendship that cements the charm locked both within the plot and the garden of the title. Book Chick Rating : Y Y Y Y