Category Archives: The Ultimate Supreme Cupcake:

5/5 Rating with Special Recognition=Every once in awhile, I come across a book that is not only amazing, but it deserves special recognition. This book is the cream of the crop, undoubtedly one of my top favorites, and a must read for anyone!

May8

Review: Chocolates for Breakfast by Pamela Moore

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Original book cover, 1956.

Original book cover, 1956.

Product Details

  • ISBN-13: 9780062246912
  • Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
  • Publication date: 6/25/2013
  • Pages: 304
  • Genre: Contemporary Literature

Overview:

Courtney Farrell is a disaffected, sexually precocious fifteen-year-old. She splits her time between Manhattan, where her father works in publishing, and Los Angeles, where her mother is a still-beautiful Hollywood actress. After a boarding-school crush on a female teacher ends badly, Courtney sets out to learn everything fast. Her first drink is a very dry martini, and her first kiss the beginning of a full-blown love affair with an older man.

A riveting coming-of-age story, Chocolates for Breakfast became an international sensation upon its initial publication in 1956, and it still stands out as a shocking and moving account of the way teenagers collide, often disastrously, against love and sex for the first time.

New Book Cover, 2013.

My Review:

There are books that have stayed with me for years, causing a shift in my thinking, making me see things a little differently, and taking me into a world that I want to leave, but I’m somehow drawn to stay and linger for a while. This book is reminiscent of , The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath, Valley of the Dolls by Jacqueline Susann, and Go Ask Alice by Beatrice Sparks. It’s such a great book, and deserves to be republished again!

What I love about Pamela Moore‘s writing is how easy her writing flows. She was only 18, when she wrote this brave and harrowing tale of a young teen that is on the brink of finding her own identity and independence, while also exploring her sexuality and living quite alone in Hollywood and later in New York. Back in 1956, women, much less teens, weren’t talking about cutting, uninhibited sex, and drinking. Certainly not opening the curtains into their own daily lives and giving a front row seat to the emotionally and sexually charged youthfulness that girls, like Courtney experienced. This book, being written by a teen, for teens, has crossed over generations to show that it still holds relevance to today-for all genders and ages.

Based on a semi-autobiographical history of Pamela’s youth, I couldn’t help but wonder if somehow Pamela was trying to regain some normalcy by writing and stowing away those dark reminders of her past. Much like the analogy Anthony gives of losing his shadow, I wonder if Pamela was trying to lose hers, too. Unlike books of today, Pamela’s book writes about her cutting, her curiosity about being “queer”, and the drinking parties, which are not told in such graphic and minute detail, but does lend itself to further interpretation by the reader. Pamela Moore’s writing is done with ease and a blazay attitude, that actually causes the reader to want to know more.

Author, Pamela Moore.

Author, Pamela Moore.

As I read this book, I couldn’t help but picture certain actors/artists in different roles being these characters. I kept seeing the young Drew Barrymore as Courtney and think that Drew could relate to Courtney’s character as they did have similarities. I also kept picturing a young pretty boy as Barry Cabot, like Jennifer Lopez’s young boyfriend (Casper Smart). I couldn’t help but see some similarities with Anthony as a young Andy Warhol, and Courtney being a bit Edie-esque in their last scene together. I could picture Cat Marnell playing Janet, as they both have issues with their respective fathers and unstable mothers. I also could see a bit of the neurotic and narcisstic personality in Courtney’s mom as actress Joan Crawford, without the wire hangers! So, that is a very rough draft of the characters I pictured in my mind, as I read this book.

One quote that seemed to be the central point of Courtney’s being was:

“they just want to bleed me white, and leave me battered by the roadside”. (p.88)

Courtney really did feel used, felt she could never love and didn’t want to be loved back. However, there were moments she felt “safe”. It was interesting how she wouldn’t allow herself to be loved, yet it was the one thing she truly did crave. Perhaps it was because she didn’t openly receive that from her parents and by denying others that opportunity, she could then validate that the reason her parents didn’t love her was because they weren’t allowed to…not because they in fact were incapable of giving it. It was her way of having some control over her destiny.

What was rather interesting, and disturbing, was that Courtney slept with 2 men who had bedded her two most important people in her life: her mom and her best friend. Al, her mother’s publicist, and Charles, a young man she meets, were her voices of reason throughout the book. They gave her that realistic side of what was happening, although she never fully opens herself up to them, either. It’s not until her best friend kills herself that Courtney feels she has a purpose in her life-to do what Janet couldn’t, which was to have a normal life and be married. While the story ends before finding out exactly what Courtney decides to do, her conversation with Anthony is rather poignant. Anthony tells her:

” ‘It isn’t a tragedy, angel. People like you, and me, and Janet-we’re not capable of tragedy. This was no epic play, with heroic characters and vast emotions. This was not a tragedy. It was a child’s game that came to an end. You haven’t any choice, darling. You’ve outgrown this. I can’t, you see. I can’t go on, anymore than Janet could. But you can.” (p.184,185).

There is so much more I can go on about in this book, such as the dead leaves that haunt Courtney, the lack of chocolate in the book, and the little boy who loses his shadow and his enchantment. However, it will lose its magic for you. While this book has been on many book lists for Lesbian fiction, this is a book that would make for a great book club pick, a book to be studied in Psychology or Sociology, and perhaps be that little book hiding under a stack of bills, that you secretly are reading. It’s a great book, one that will stay with you, and afterwards, please do have Chocolates for Breakfast, along with something fun in the sun! Otherwise, you are likely to spiral further down the rabbit hole!

*This book was provided through Edelweiss, in exchange for an honest review.

 

Apr13

Instant Mom…Instant Love! My Review of Nia Vardalos’ Book.

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Synopsis:

In Instant Mom, Nia Vardalos, writer and star of My Big Fat Greek Wedding, tells her hilarious and poignant road-to-parenting story that eventually leads to her daughter and prompts her to become a major advocate for adoption.

Moments after Nia Vardalos finds out she has been nominated for an Oscar for the screenplay for My Big Fat Greek Wedding, she is alone and en route to a fertility clinic, trying yet again for a chance at motherhood.

Vardalos chronicles her attempts to have a baby, and how she tries everything—from drinking jugs of green mud tea, to acupuncture, to working with two surrogates. Finally, she and her husband, actor Ian Gomez, decide to try adoption and discover a free service: Foster Family Agencies. Then one day, the social workers “match” her with an almost-three-year-old girl, who she knows, instantly, is her daughter.

With her signature wit and candor, Nia Vardalos reveals what really came next—the truth of how she and her husband transitioned a preschooler into their home. Vardalos opens up about the bawling-tears and belly-laughter that all make up what it means to be…a parent.

My Review:

If you are a mom of a foster child, have ever contemplated adoption, or have friends that have adopted, then YOU need to read this book!! If you are a mom, want to be a mom, are a woman…then you will want to read this book, too!  This book is hilarious, and is filled with moments where you will cry, and you will be highlighting and taking notes, and wanting to try some of the zany things she does for her daughter.

I love the ease of writing, how the stories just flowed, and the way Nia was able to write about her journey as a mom without exploiting her daughter, or revealing too many personal identifying factors about her.  As a mom of a foster child, I value the way she managed that delicate balance.  I loved that she agreed, being a mom isn’t about being pregnant…it’s when you actually take the time to love, nurture, and spend quality time with your child.  While I was a mom of 2 sons, we completed our family when she arrived!

Nia adopted her little girl at 3 years old and brings up great points: how can we love an abused and abandoned animal that we adopt, but feel that a child is less of value and is damaged goods???  Granted, not every person is called to adopt, but every child deserves a forever home.  Nia shares her journey with unsuccessful fertility treatments and how emotionally overwhelming it all was.  After so many years of trying to have a biological child, she decided to venture into the world of adoption.  She chronicles her journey of looking at the various types of adoption: international, private, and foster care adoption.  She gives a staggering number of children available in the U.S., who are available for adoption and who are in foster homes waiting for their forever homes.

If you’ve personally adopted or know of someone who has, you will have heard the same story: the moment you and your child first see each other, the world stops still and your heart expands more than you knew capable.  It’s not much different to when a mom has a natural birth and after she delivers, she and her baby make eye contact for the first time.  It’s a special moment, one that I remember for each of my children (bio and adopted) and it is a surreal, forever imprinted memory in a mom’s mind.

Nia describes the bonding process, developing attachment with her little girl, and describes the way she and her husband became a family the day her daughter entered their lives.  I loved some of the funny moments Nia shares, too!!  I also loved that she shared her personal experiences with creating a bedtime ritual, having family time when out and about the community (paparazzi stories), and adjusting to preschool.  Nia creates this funny game to develop bonding (baking, anyone?), and just their crazy, fun way of playing at home.  I also loved the story Nia tells her daughter about how she prayed and wanted a little girl and how they became a family.

When we were going through the adoption process, it would have been great to have read this book!! I love the very easy, simple to use ideas that she did and shares with her readers, and I love the resources she gives at the end of the book.  Overall, this was an excellent read and I hope that Nia will consider writing more!!

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Mar8

Review: Market Street by Anita Hughes

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Product Details

  • Print Length: 302 pages
  • Page Numbers Source ISBN: 0312643330
  • Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin (March 26, 2013)

Synopsis:

Cassie Blake seems to lead a charmed life as the heiress to Fenton’s, San Francisco’s most exclusive department store. But when she discovers her husband, Aidan, a handsome UC Berkeley professor, has had an affair with a student, she flees to the comfort of her best friend Alexis’s Presidio Heights mansion, where she wonders if she should give their marriage one more chance.

Whether or not she can forgive Aidan is not the only choice Cassie has to make. Cassie’s mother is eager to have her oversee the opening of Fenton’s new Food Emporium, which Fenton’s hopes will become San Francisco’s hottest gourmet shopping destination. Cassie’s true passion has always been food, not fashion, and Cassie suspects her mother might be trying to lure her into the Fenton’s fold by entrusting her with such an exciting opportunity. And then there is James, the architect designing the Emporium, who is quietly falling in love with her…

My Review:

First of all, the book cover does not do the book justice!!  I would have loved to have seen a red box or “princess” bag from Fenton’s because of the vivid detail Anita Hughes describes the bags and boxes at Fenton’s, a department store that becomes a focal point in the storyline.

Aside from the cover, I absolutely loved the book!  I connected with the characters, loved the plot, and enjoyed following the twists and turns throughout the book.  While I am not a fashionista by any means, I found myself mesmerized with the detail of Fenton’s (a department store), the fashion styles described in the book, and the trendy, wealthy customers that passed through Fenton’s each day.  There was such detail to the art, organic food co-op and emporium, that it made me feel that I was there.  Despite the detail, the storyline did not get bogged down with so much information.  Rather, it enhanced the reading experience and made me feel like I was a fly on a wall.

Cassie has some life decisions to make that will certainly alter her future.  Cassie processes her feelings and thoughts about her marriage, her career choices, and the demands of her mother (owner of Fenton’s).  Cassie’s best friend, Alexis helps Cassie through this difficult time as she helps Cassie figure out what to do next.  While the relationship between Cassie and her mother isn’t a primary focus in this book, it certainly affects Cassie in certain business decisions she makes.  I loved Cassie and Alexis’ relationship and how they remained close despite being so different.

While this book will certainly be a favorite among those who love the chick-lit genre, this book certainly crosses over genres that will attract a larger audience of adults.  Market Street will become a book club favorite among women, and a great read for anyone that loves fashion and gourmet food.  Sprinkle in husband/wife issues, mother/daughter issues, and a fork in the road with a career choice, and it is a recipe for a must read!

I hope Anita Hughes will consider a follow-up to this book as I would certainly read that in a minute!!  Buy this book, grab a cup of chai tea, and find a comfortable chair…you will love this book!

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*This book was provided by St. Martin’s Press, in exchange for an honest review.

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Feb27

Review: She Makes It Look Easy by Marybeth Whalen

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Synopsis:

Ariel Baxter has just moved into the neighborhood of her dreams. The chaos of domestic life and the loneliness of motherhood, however, moved with her. Then she meets her neighbor, Justine Miller. Justine ushers Ariel into a world of clutter-free houses, fresh-baked bread, homemade crafts, neighborhood playdates, and organization techniques designed to make marriage better and parenting manageable.
Soon Ariel realizes there is hope for peace, friendship, and clean kitchen counters. But when rumors start to circulate about Justine’s real home life, Ariel must choose whether to believe the best about the friend she admires or consider the possibility that “perfection” isn’t always what it seems to be.
A novel for every woman who has looked at another woman’s life and said, “I want what she has,” She Makes It Look Easy reminds us of the danger of pedestals and the beauty of authentic friendship.
My Review:
Everyone knows someone who seems like she has it all together, is always dressed so nicely, make-up on, hair done, Bible in hand or scriptures ready to share, a clean house, baked break or cookies in the oven, and a seemingly perfect life.  At least, I can think of a few people in my own life that seem that way to me.  Now, that is not to say that they are probably a Justine…with skeletons in their closet and secretly unhappy.  However, I have often wondered, “what’s it really like?”.
If you know someone like that and feel complete opposite, then you will certainly resonate with this book. If you don’t know someone like that, or perhaps you are a Justine-strong A type personality then you will certainly enjoy this book, too.  Overall, this is a story that takes us behind closed doors, where church members don’t have access, where the process to do everything perfectly isn’t always shared…only the end results-perfection!
I loved this book and could relate to Ariel as she tries to keep up with the Joneses, so to speak, in a spiritual and Godly way.  Her dream is to move into this posh neighborhood, Essex Falls, and she begins working as a freelance photographer to help save money for the move.  Her husband, ever so frugal, really doesn’t want to move because it will mean that he will need to take another higher paying job and be away from the family more.   However, Ariel soon gets her wish and moves into the neighborhood of her dreams where children play and parents have neighborhood parties.  Living behind the main neighbor in charge of these soiree’s, Ariel soon begins to feel inadequate as she tries to maintain a clean home, bake bread and cookies, and manage her children, all with a gorgeous smile and crisp clothes.  Justine invites her to a church meeting, where Justine discusses Godly orderliness and Ariel finds herself trying to emulate Justine at home and in the neighborhood.  However, nothing is ever as it truly seems.
While Justine is painting this perfect picture of a Godly household, inside, she is hurt and angry, feels empty in her marriage, and soon seeks solace in the arms of an old flame.  Marybeth gets so deep into the minds and thoughts of the characters, that the scenarios and actions of each character seem so real and authentic.  Both Justine and Ariel have decisions they have to make and decide where their loyalties lie, and determine the fate of their friendship and of their marriages.  This is an excellent story and gives great discussion opportunities for a church reading group and book club.  I loved this book and would highly recommend it to anyone that enjoys Christian fiction.
5 plus more
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Feb4

TLC Book Tours-Review & Giveaway: Into the Darkest Corner by Elizabeth Haynes

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About Into the Darkest Corner

• Paperback: 432 pages

• Publisher: Harper Paperbacks (January 2, 2013)

 

When young, pretty Catherine Bailey meets Lee Brightman, she can’t believe her luck. Gorgeous, charismatic, and a bit mysterious, Lee seems almost too perfect to be true.

But what begins as flattering attention and spontaneous, passionate sex transforms into raging jealousy, and Catherine soon discovers that Lee’s dazzling blue eyes and blond good looks hide a dark, violent nature. Disturbed by his increasingly erratic, controlling behavior, she tries to break it off; turning to her friends for support, she’s stunned to find they don’t believe her. Increasingly isolated and driven into the darkest corner of her world, a desperate Catherine plans a meticulous escape.

Four years later, Lee is behind bars and Catherine—now Cathy—is trying to build a new life in a new city. Though her body has healed, the trauma of the past still haunts her. Then Stuart Richardson, her attractive new neighbor, moves in. Encouraging her to confront her fears, he sparks unexpected hope and the possibility of love and a normal life.

Until the day the phone rings . . .

My Review:

This is a psychological thriller that will keep the reader engrossed in the novel until the very end.  It starts with a bang and ends with chills running down your body.  It’s that good!  The story begins with a court hearing, then moves to a murder scene. After that, each chapter alternates with flashbacks from the past and the present.  Eventually, the past catches up with her present and the story stays in the present.  While it was a bit confusing at first, once the story fell into place, it wasn’t difficult to make the mental shift.

Catherine (the past) is a vibrant, confident, who loves to go partying with her girlfriends.  One night, she meets Lee and they quickly develop an intimate relationship.  While Catherine loves everything about Lee, with time, she starts to see a darker side to him that keeps her on her toes.  Coming home to find that he’s been there, seeing small insignifcant items moved, feeling that she’s being followed, and having to tell him everything she does so that he won’t freak out on her begins to take its toll on her mental well-being.  She becomes jumpy and scared that she will provoke him to hit her or become sexually violent with her.

Lee is a charmer and not only seduces her, but begins to tell her friends things that aren’t true about Catherine, to make excuses for her bruises, scratches, and somber attitude.  Soon, her friends begin to believe him and she is isolated from her social circle and feels alone and unable to escape from him.  Because of his charisma and line of work (special units police officer), he begins to play mind games with her and she soon realizes that her only way of escaping is leaving the country.  Because of Lee’s abuse of power, Catherine is kidnapped, raped, mutiliated, and is slowly dying.  However, a neighbor notices something and saves Catherine from any further torment….or so she thinks.

Present time Cathy (Catherine) is suffering from PTSD, OCD, and becomes so paranoid that she isolates herself from anyone and limits her time away from her apartment.  Because of her past, Cathy doesn’t trust anyone in authority, doesn’t trust her own instincts, and is always on high alert that Lee is watching her even though he is in jail.  Living in a flat with 2 other neighbors, she meets Stuart, a psychologist.  He is recovering from a failed engagement, she is recovering from the trauma and abuse she endured with Lee.  Both begin a very “safe” and slow relationship,with Stuart encouraging Cathy to seek treatment for her OCD.  While in outpatient therapy, Cathy  begins to address the trauma, learns coping skills, and slowly begins to reclaim her life.  I loved the Cognitive-Behavioral techniques addressed in the book.

While this book isn’t a self-help book, it does address in detail the ways Cathy was taught to overcome her anxiety and no longer fear the unknown or the illusion of Lee.  This helps Cathy handle Lee differently and the situations she finds herself in, as she reconnects with an old friend and soon has to confront her fears.  This is a creepy, psychological thriller that readers may identify with.  We’ve all had “bad” relationships, hopefully not near as bad as Catherine’s….but enough to make the reader sympathize with her.  Lee was a charmer and the more he scared Catherine, the more turned on he becomes, which in turn equates to the level of violence he demonstrates.  Abuse of power and his charasmatic attitude means that he will do anything to keep Catherine under his thumb, isolated from friends, and dependent on him.  Having Stuart in her life, Cathy learns what it’s like to have a healthy relationship, slowly learns to let her defenses down around him, and begins to face her anxiety and fears.

I loved this book and read it in one day! This hasn’t happened in a very long time, but I just had to keep reading to find out what happens next.  The ending was chilling and sinister because it leaves the reader wondering if Lee’s letter and “gift” is really trying to show how he is ready to take responsibility or if it’s a threat to what will happen to her when he gets out.  Cathy only shows the first part of the letter to the detective and wants to hold on to the ending for herself, until she sees his “gift”.  I wondered why she wanted to keep it, but it is obvious that she will always feel connected to him in some way.  After mutilating her body, in my opinion, it’s the later, going along the lines, “if I can’t have you, no one else can”.  In Lee’s mind, Catherine is his and only time will tell what he means by that….I look forward to hearing your thoughts about the book, once you read it!

5 plus more

**********

Book Giveaway Details:

Along with your email address, please leave a comment answering this question:

“What interests you about this book?”

1 random winner will be selected.  The winner must live in the U.S. for this book giveaway.

Giveaway ends: March 1, 20133.

*************

About Elizabeth Haynes      

ELIZABETH HAYNES is a police intelligence analyst. She started writing fiction in 2006 with the annual challenge of National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo) and the encouragement of the creative writing courses at West Dean College. She lives in a village near Maidstone, Kent, with her husband and son.

Visit her at elizabeth-haynes.com, connect with her on Facebook, and follow her on Twitter.

tlc book tours

Elizabeth’s Tour Stops

Wednesday, January 2nd: Mockingbird Hill Cottage

Thursday, January 3rd: Booked on a Feeling

Monday, January 7th: Peppermint PhD

Tuesday, January 8th: Drey’s Library

Thursday, January 10th: The Blog of Lit Wits

Thursday, January 17th: Sara’s Organized Chaos

Monday, January 21st: All Grown Up?

Tuesday, January 22nd: Kristina’s Favorites

Wednesday, January 23rd: Seaside Book Corner

Thursday, January 24th: Bookworm Meets Bookworm

Monday, January 28th: Kelly’s [Former] France Blog

Tuesday, January 29th: Proud Book Nerd

Wednesday, January 30th: Literary Feline

Thursday, January 31st: It’s a Crazy, Beautiful Life

Monday, February 4th: Books in the Burbs

Tuesday, February 5th: Book Journey

Wednesday, February 6th: Tina’s Book Reviews

Jan12

Review: Accelerated by Bronwen Hruska

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Synopsis:

In a striking debut novel, a single father and his son discover what lies beneath the gilded façade of a tony Upper East Side private school: an endemic of over-medicated children.

Every afternoon Sean Benning picks up his son, Toby, on the marble steps that lead into the prestigious Bradley School. Everything at Bradley is accelerated—3rd graders read at the 6th grade level, they have labs and facilities to rival most universities, and the chess champions are the bullies. A single dad and struggling artist, Sean sticks out like a sore thumb amongst the power-soccer-mom cliques and ladies-who-lunch that congregate on the steps every afternoon. But at least Toby is thriving and getting the best education money can buy. Or is he?
When Sean starts getting pressure from the school to put Toby on medication for ADD, something smells fishy, and it isn’t the caviar that was served at last week’s PTA meeting. Toby’s “issues” in school seem, to Sean, to be nothing more than normal behavior for an eight-year-old boy. But maybe Sean just isn’t seeing things clearly, which has been harder and harder to do since Toby’s new teacher, Jess, started at Bradley. And the school has Toby’s best interests at heart, right? But what happens when the pressure to not just keep up, but to exceed, takes hold? When things take a tragic turn, Sean realizes that the price of this accelerated life is higher than he could have ever imagined.
My Review:
Let me be the first to admit-the book cover does not do the book justice! It is a little bland looking and doesn’t scream, “read me!”. I’ve had this book on my review list and I wasn’t rushing to read it because it just wasn’t enticing.  Well, this is one of those books that holds the saying true, “don’t just a book by it’s cover”.
This book covers so many issues that are relevant to today’s times with families and children.  Once I started reading the book, I couldn’t stop. It was fast paced and asks parents the question, “is this really in the best interest of my child?”.  Sean is a single dad and helps Toby adjust to the fact that his mom just leaves them one day.  Trying to bring some normalcy to the home, Sean works two jobs while being as present a father he can be.  However, he is faced with the issue of being told by the school psychologist that Toby is exhibiting ADD tendencies.  With secrets that go far beyond the walls of the Bradley School, Sean is thrust into a situation that can mean life/death for his son Toby.  Uncovering these secrets can bring problems for Toby and Sean, and Sean has to decide what is truly best for his son.  In addition to all of that, Sean is also having to deal with the issues of being a single parent, helping his son adjust to an absent mother, and help his son deal with the loss of a friend.
The book raises issues surrounding the generation of overmedicated children, over diagnosed children, and  wanting our children to be successful.  The rat race of finding the best schools, having our children in the best programs, setting them up for the best colleges….all of that can get overwhelming and very competitive…which this book addresses and the downside of what can happen.  It’s a book that I wish I could have other parents read, simply because our children are so stressed and pressured to succeed that parents can lose out on precious bonding moments with their children.
The author does a remarkable job of covering so many real life issues in a compact book. Overall, this is an excellent read and I have added this to my favorites list!
5 plus more*This book was provided through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. No forms of compensation was given.
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Aug21

Review: Solo: A Memoir of Hope by Hope Solo

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Product Details

  • File Size: 1566 KB
  • Print Length: 304 pages
  • Publisher: Harper (August 14, 2012)
  • Sold by: HarperCollins Publishers
  • ASIN: B007BCG9N2
  • Genre:  Memoir

Synopsis:

“My family doesn’t do happy endings. We do sad endings or frustrating endings or no endings at all. We are hardwired to expect the next interruption or disappearance or broken promise.”

Hope Solo is the face of the modern female athlete. She is fearless, outspoken, and the best in the world at what she does: protecting the goal of the U.S. women’s soccer team. Her outsized talent has led her to the pinnacle of her sport—the Olympics and the World Cup—and made her into an international celebrity who is just as likely to appear on ABC’s Dancing with the Stars as she is on the covers of Sports Illustrated, ESPN The Magazine, and Vogue. But her journey—which began in Richland, Washington, where she was raised by her strong-willed mother on the scorched earth of defunct nuclear testing sites—is similarly haunted by the fallout of her family history. Her father, a philanderer and con man, was convicted of embezzlement when Solo was an infant. She lost touch with him as he drifted out of prison and into homelessness. By the time they reunited, years later, in the parking lot of a grocery store, she was an All-American goalkeeper at the University of Washington and already a budding prospect for the U.S. national team. He was living in the woods.

Despite harboring serious doubts even about the provenance of her father’s last name (and her own), Solo embraces him as fiercely as she pursues her dreams of being a world-class soccer player. When those dreams are threatened by her standing within the national team, as when she was famously benched in the semifinals of the 2007 World Cup after four shutouts and spoke her piece publicly, we see a woman of uncompromising independence and hard-won perseverance navigate the petty backlash against her. For the first time, she tells her version of that controversial episode, and offers with it a full understanding of her hard-scrabble life.

Moving, sometimes shocking, Solo is a portrait of an athlete finding redemption. This is the Hope Solo whom few have ever glimpsed.

My Review:

This is a book that shares very intimate details of the struggles Hope experiences from childhood through adulthood.  I must admit that not being an avid soccer fan, I had never heard of Hope Solo before Dancing with the Stars.  When I saw how Hope was portrayed on the show as very defensive to criticism, it just seemed in stark contrast to the jovial look I saw on her face when the soccer team for TEAM USA won gold.  This is why I purchased her memoir. I wanted to know what was underneath all the costumes, whether soccer or dance, and learn more about her.

Hope Solo’s memoir bares it all on the floor for you to see. She shares every triumph, challenge, and personal journey through it all.  As I was reading the book, I not only learned more about her, but also about the sport of soccer.  It was amazing to see the hurdles she had to literally jump, the criticism she had to take from the national team under Greg Ryan‘s leadership, and how a woman must still break barriers to be successful.

Contrary to the media and all the hype her book has received for “throwing ‘so-and-so’ under the bus”, this is about Hope’s journey…nothing else.  There is no hidden agenda in this book, she isn’t trying to make anyone out to be the “bad guy”, nor is she trying to justify her own actions.  She is who she is and she gives it all to her readers….take it or leave it, you will walk away with a better understanding of the person behind the accomplishments and criticisms that come with it.

I walked away from this book with so much respect and admiration for a young woman who defied what critics had said, what statistics said based on her family issues and where she lived, and what others in her sport had expected her to be.  Hope is not a “solo” act. She depended on her family for emotional strength and on her body for physical strength.  She depended on her team to do their job and wanted them to know they could depend on her.  Hope lives in a man’s world of sports, but through her sport and experience, she has allowed other young dreamers to follow in her place.  The goalie position, known as the unpopular place soccer players want to be….Hope made it the place that demanded respect and deserved it.

She may come across as tough, uncaring, and she is when she needs to be.  However, she is also very sensitive and loves to laugh, be with those who enjoy life, and who know that she is more than a soccer player…she is a woman with heart and passion.  This is a book I highly recommend for anyone who wants to be inspired, who has been told “no” one to many times, and who obviously loves soccer.  However, more than that, this is book that deserves to be read because it’s got pure heart and she holds nothing back.

Meaningful quotes that I loved:

” ‘Hope is, by definition, defiant.  It is only when everything is hopeless that hope begins to be a strength.’ ” (p. 31)

“….my goalkeeper coach, Amy, handed me a note that said, ‘A goalkeeper cannot win a game.  A goalkeeper saves it.’ “  (p. 95)

“Only a daughter cries like that for her father.’ ” (p.124)

“Out on the field, I put my right hand over my heart for the national anthem and held my left glove carefully by my side.  When I walked into the goal, I made the sign of the cross, kissed my closed fist, then opened my glove and let the ashes drop, saying a little prayer to myself.” (p.141)

“I was far beyond caring who judged how I celebrated something I had worked for my entire life.  Never again would I worry about what others thought.”  (p.184)

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Jun19

Review: Off Balance by Dominique Moceanu

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Product Details

  • File Size: 4394 KB
  • Print Length: 256 pages
  • Publisher: Touchstone (June 12, 2012)
  • Sold by: Simon and Schuster Digital Sales Inc
  • Language: English
  • ASIN: B0061Q13V2
  • Genre:  Memoir

Synopsis:

AT FOURTEEN YEARS OLD, Dominique Moceanu was the youngest member of the 1996 U.S. Women’s Olympic Gymnastics team, the first and only American women’s team to take gold at the Olympics. Her pixyish appearance and ferocious competitive drive quickly earned her the status of media darling. But behind the fame, the flawless floor routines, and the million-dollar smile, her life was a series of challenges and hardships.

Off Balance vividly delineates each of the dominating characters who contributed to Moceanu’s rise to the top, from her stubborn father and long-suffering mother to her mercurial coach, Bela Karolyi. Here, Moceanu finally shares the haunting stories of competition, her years of hiding injuries and pain out of fear of retribution from her coaches, and how she hit rock bottom after a public battle with her parents.

But medals, murder plots, drugs, and daring escapes aside (all of which figure into Moceanu’s incredible journey), the most unique aspect of her life is the family secret that Moceanu discovers, opening a new and unexpected chapter in her adult life. A mysterious letter from a stranger reveals that she has a second sister—born with a physical disability and given away at birth—who has nonetheless followed in Moceanu’s footsteps in an astonishing way.

A multilayered memoir that transcends the world of sports, Off Balance will touch anyone who has ever dared to dream of a better life.

My Review:

I absolutely loved this memoir!! Everyone remembers the petite size gymnast bringing the house down with her floor exercises at the 1996 Olympics, dancing to “Devil Went Down to Georgia”.  However, to read about the dark secrets and her struggles that went behind closed doors is so daunting and traumatic for any child to experience.  We’ve all seen the news reports and watched the interviews about her long lost sister, Jennifer, which certainly added another whole element to the book.  However, you haven’t seen it or heard it all from those medial outlets, so you have to read this book!

In her memoir, Dominique really pours her innermost thoughts, fears, and questions about discovering she has a sister and what that meant for her (lost dreams of having a big family, family secrets, acceptance).  She also writes very openly about the traditional Romanian family she lived in and how that also added to some of the abuse she experienced while training as a gymnast.

While there have been gymnasts trying to dismiss some of Dominique’s claims to the darkness and lack of support that goes on behind closed gymnasium doors, no one can take away from her own experiences.  As a licensed marriage and family therapist, it is quite common for family members to express different opinions and have completely different experiences to the same situation.

So, no one can dismiss Dominique as she paints a very real and vivid picture into the struggles she endured, how she overcame them, and what she is doing now to help future gymnasts.  This is her story, her voice, her struggles and triumphs, and I truly appreciated her authenticity and genuineness in writing this memoir.

I highly recommend this book for anyone that enjoys reading memoirs, enjoys the sport of the gymnastics and the Olympics, as well as those who like reading about family structures and roles within each family.

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May8

Review: Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys

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Product Details

  • Print Length: 355 pages
  • Page Numbers Source ISBN: 0399254129
  • Publisher: Speak; 1 edition (March 22, 2011)
  • Sold by: Penguin Publishing
  • Language: English
  • ASIN: B004H4XCTQ
  • Genre:  Young Adult, Historical

Synopsis:

Have you ever wondered what a human life is worth? That morning, my brother's was worth a pocket watch.

In 1941, fifteen-year-old Lina is preparing for art school, first dates, and all that summer has to offer. But one night, the Soviet secret police barge violently into her home, deporting her along with her mother and younger brother. They are being sent to Siberia. Lina’s father has been separated from the family and sentenced to death in a prison camp. All is lost.

Lina fights for her life, fearless, vowing that if she survives she will honor her family, and the thousands like hers, by documenting their experience in her art and writing. She risks everything to use her art as messages, hoping they will make their way to her father’s prison camp to let him know they are still alive.

It is a long and harrowing journey, and it is only their incredible strength, love, and hope that pull Lina and her family through each day. But will love be enough to keep them alive?

Between Shades of Gray is a riveting novel that steals your breath, captures your heart, and reveals the miraculous nature of the human spirit.

My Review:

I remember being in 8th grade and going to my school library.  I was immediately drawn to the book, “The Diary of Anne Frank” because I thought it was fascinating how a diary could be  made into a book.  Yes, I knew absolutely nothing about the book nor Anne Frank and was immediately drawn into the life and struggles of Anne’s life.  This book, “Between Shades of Gray” is this generations “The Diary of Anne Frank”.

One word.  Unforgettable.  This is a story that I read in 2 days.  Some of the scenes are forever etched in my heart and mind.  Seriously.  There are very few books that leave that huge of an impact on my life and “Shade of Gray” is one of them.  While this is a YA book, as an adult I could appreciate the details and really connected with Lina, a brave and beautiful soul that draws what she sees and feels.  Trying to stay strong for her mother and brother, her sole focus is to reunite with her father, who is at a concentration camp away from their work camp.

As the Soviet’s NKVD came into homes to take away families and separate families, kill them, resume their identities and homes, the world was transfixed on the evil Hitler was doing.  Under Stalin’s regime, mass genocide was happening to the Baltic people.  Ruta brings the issues and shares the horror these families faced.  I was absolutely captivated and there were many moments I just had to put the book down and grieve.  I cried, I laughed, and my heart ached for Lina and the others who meet Lina along the way.

Through Lina’s bravery and perseverance, she documents what she witnesses and experiences as a testament to what they experienced.  While Lina and those around her struggle to survive, this book shows that the heart and spirit of someone cannot be imprisoned.

As a parent, there are many wonderful teaching opportunities for our children.  It is a book that adults and children alike can read and learn about war, stereotypes/discrimination, socialism, and the human spirit.  Above all, it is a book that needs to be read as a reminder of what can happen and to give voice to the millions who died during Stalin’s regime.

I highly recommend this book and is a personal favorite of mine!  Everyone should read this book…that is how great it is written and the message is something we all need to hear and learn from.

Memorable Quotes:

“Have you ever wondered what a human life is worth? That morning, my brother’s was worth a pocket watch.”

“We’d been trying to touch the sky from the bottom of the ocean.  I realized that if we boosted one another, maybe we’d get a little closer.”

“Mother told me to feel sorry for the person, that they had been pushed over the edge of their identity.”

“I scanned the group. Faces spoke to their future. I saw courage, anger, fear, and confusion. Others were hopeless. They had already given up. Which was I?”

*These are just a few…there are so many!! I just don’t want to give too much away and take from your reading experience.  I just hope with reading some of these quotes that it will stir your heart to read this book.

About the Author:

Born and raised in Michigan, Ruta Sepetys is the daughter of a Lithuanian refugee. The nations of Lithuania, Latvia, and Estonia disappeared from maps in 1941 and did not reappear until 1990. As this is a story seldom told, Ruta wanted to give a voice to the hundreds of thousands of people who lost their lives during Stalin’s cleansing of the Baltic region. Ruta lives with her family in Tennessee. Between Shades of Gray is her first novel.

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**Confusing one book for another, something quite wonderful has happened!!  People are buying this book and learning and loving “Between Shades of Gray”!  Click here for the article.

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Mar29

Review: The Book Club Cookbook by Judy Gelman and Vicki Levy Krupp

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Product Details

  • Reading level: Ages 18 and up
  • Paperback: 512 pages
  • Publisher: Tarcher; 2 Rev Upd edition (March 1, 2012)
  • ISBN-10: 1585429244
  • Click to Purchase  (regularly $21.95, on sale for $13.98)

Synopsis:

Whether it’s Roman Punch for The Age of Innocence, or Sabzi Challow (spinach and rice) with Lamb for The Kite Runner, or Swedish Meatballs and Glögg for The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, nothing spices up a book club meeting like great eats. Featuring recipes and discussion ideas from bestselling authors and book clubs across the country, this fully revised and updated edition of the classic book guides readers in selecting and preparing culinary masterpieces that blend perfectly with the literary masterpieces their club is reading. This edition features new contributions from a host of today’s bestselling authors including:

  • Kathryn Stockett, The Help (Demetrie’s Chocolate Pie and Caramel Cake)
  • Sara Gruen, Water for Elephants (Oyster Brie Soup)
  • Jodi Picoult, My Sister’s Keeper (Brian Fitzgerald’s Firehouse Marinara Sauce)
  • Abraham Verghese, Cutting for Stone (Almaz’s Ethiopian Doro Wot and Sister Mary Joseph Praise’s Cari de Dal)
  • Annie Barrows, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society (Annie Barrows’s Potato Peel Pie and Non-Occupied Potato Peel Pie)
  • Lisa See, Snow Flower and the Secret Fan (Lisa See’s Deep-Fried Sugared Taro)

The Book Club Cookbook will add real flavor to your book club meetings!

My Review:

It is with great pride and privilege to introduce to you this book: The Book Club Cookbook by Judy Gelman and Vicki Levy Krupp.  Bay Area Book Club (the book club I organize) is featured in this book, along with many other book clubs across the United States.  I was absolutely honored that author, Judy Gelman, reached out to my book club and wanted to know about the first book meet I organized.  The first book I ever organized was Little Bee by Chris Cleave, and there was quite a bit of discussion over this story.  Some of the questions we asked ourselves were, “what was the right thing at that moment?  In the end, would we have been an Andrew or a Sarah?” (p. 238).    Aside from the commentary I provided, both authors included a synopsis of Little Bee, a dish that was symbolic to the book (along with directions on how to bake it),  and some additional thoughts from a couple of other book clubs.

What I love about this book:

1.  This book is so easy to use!  Every book club organizer and hostess should own The Book Club Cookbook because of the variety of books and correlating dishes included within this cookbook.  The book not only includes a table of contents with each book title and menu item, but there is also a food index.  However, Judy and Vicki don’t stop there!  They also have included an index that includes the author and book title under subsections based by genre, themes, and winning titles (Nobel Prize, Booker Prize, etc).  This makes the book very user friendly and allows for quick glances, has delicious recipes that are easy to make (and I’m not a cook!), as well as great commentary from book clubs.

2. Great ideas for book club meetings! As a book club organizer, it gives me great ideas for book titles to suggest at book meets, menu items to make and/or themed restaurants we can attend (as I am not creative!), and I love reading what other book clubs are doing to keep their meetings fresh, entertaining, and exciting!

3.  Large variety of book titles:  There are book titles for every book club to enjoy.  It is not limited to those who only like chick-lit and contemporary literature.  There are titles for those classic lovers, non-fiction, memoirs, and the list goes on!  There really is such a large variety of book titles that book readers alone will love having this as a guide for what to read next.

4.  Menu Items:  From appetizers, to drinks, to a full meal, there are menu items for any type of hostess.  Because I don’t like to cook, I tend to go for basic menu items that are easy to make and don’t take too much of time.  Well, there are plenty of those that really help keep me focused on what is most exciting: talking books!  However, don’t fret…there are menu items there for the baker in mind, too.

5.  Practical:  This is a cookbook designed for book clubs!!  I remember when I first joined Bay Area Book Club, it was the only book club in my area.  Now, there are so many book clubs in my area with specific tastes and members.  I love that there are so many people using their free time to READ.  When I first took over as Organizer, I really didn’t know what books to choose, how to choose, what to cook, where to meet, etc.  This book would have been invaluable for those starting a book club, for those wanting to re-energize their group, and for those who simply want to have a list of books that were recommended and read by other book clubs.  I love this book and know you will, too!

Normally, I love to read books on my Nook.  However this is not a book that you will want to download.  It is just too beautiful and is a book that you will want to have an actual copy of.

Click to Purchase  (regularly $21.95, on sale for $13.98)

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