I've Got Sand in All The Wrong Places by Lisa Scottoline & Francesca Serritella

Title: I've Got Sand in All The Wrong Places
Author: Lisa Scottoline & Francesca Serritella
Reviewer: Karen
Genre: Non-Fiction Humorist
Rating: Fabulous
Alerts/Warnings: Mild Language
Premise: "Lisa and Francesca are back with another collection of warm and witty stories that will strike a chord with every woman. This six book series is among the best reviewed humor books published today and has been compared to the late greats, Erma Bombeck and Nora Ephron. Delia Ephron said of the fifth book in the series, Have a Nice Guilt Trip, "Lisa and Francesca, mother and daughter, bring you the laughter of their lives once again and better than ever. You will identify with these tales of guilt and fall in love with them and fierce (grand) Mother Mary." This seventh volume will not disappoint as it hits the humorous and poignant note that fans have come to expect from the beloved mother-daughter duo" (goodreads.com)
Opinions: Apparently I am late to the game on this dynamic mother/daughter writing duo. I've Got Sand in all the Wrong Places is the sixth book in the series, but the first one I've read/listened to. My husband and I listened enamored as we escaped our kids for our 15th anniversary for our first ever stay-cation (I know, we live life large). Their humorous take on events in their lives was brilliant, realistic, and hilarious. They didn't sugarcoat the rough parts, but tugged at our heart strings as they were honest about trials, muggings, their opinions on Spanx, Francesca losing her mother in the streets of New York, EXes, and so much more. We were both laughing, shaking our heads, and even teared up at several tender moments. And the quality of their writing was flushed with anecdotes, hidden gems, and beautiful flow. I especially recommend getting the audio version of their books, as the authors read their own work, which adds a brilliant Italian-American flare to their story that might have been missing otherwise.

Legion by Brandon Sanderson

Title: Legion
Author: Brandon Sanderson
Reviewer: Karen
Genre: Adult Fiction
Rating: LOVE
Alerts/Warnings: Moderate Violence, Mild Language
Premise: "Stephen Leeds, AKA 'Legion,' is a man whose unique mental condition allows him to generate a multitude of personae: hallucinatory entities with a wide variety of personal characteristics and a vast array of highly specialized skills. As the story begins, Leeds and his 'aspects' are drawn into the search for the missing Balubal Razon, inventor of a camera whose astonishing properties could alter our understanding of human history and change the very structure of society"--From publisher description.
Opinions: This short story is stinkin' BRILLIANT!!!!! Stephen Leeds may suffer from a variety of mental conditions, but he owns it, and lets it become his strength. The creativity of having arguments with your own hallucinations, as well as ensuring they have their own rooms in your mansion is outstanding. Throw in the feel of Sherlock Holmes, an international thriller/mystery, and assassins, and talk about mind flip. Legion is Brandon Sanderson at his best. The humor and creative are outstanding.  I only gave this a love rating instead of fabulous due to the content that might be too much for some teen readers. As such, I recommend parents read this story first, then be open to a discussion with their kids.

Nefertiti by Michelle Moran

 


Title: Nefertiti
Author: Michelle Moran
Reviewer: Karen
Genre: Adult Historical Fiction
Rating: Liked
Alerts/Warnings: Plague, Murder, Forced Abortion, etc
Premise: "Raised far from the Egyptian court with her sister, Mutnodjmet, the beautiful and ambitious Nefertiti becomes the wife of the radical new pharaoh, Amunhotep, encouraging his plans to overturn Egypt's state religion and making powerful enemies in the process.

Raised far from the Egyptian court with her sister, Mutnodjmet, the beautiful and ambitious Nefertiti becomes the wife of the radical new pharaoh, Amunhotep, encouraging his plans to overturn Egypt's state religion and making powerful enemies in the process. - See more at: http://kcls.bibliocommons.com/item/show/1010114082_nefertiti#sthash.EGQaIuXy.dpuf

Opinions: I found this novel fascinating. It wasn't told from Nefertiti's point of view, but from her sister's, Mutnodjmet. Mutnodjmet's story made me cry, and there were many times I would have loved to just smack Nefertiti in her behalf. But that just shows how intriguing this book is. I became so involved in the story, and some of the choices made that affected a nation, that I struggled to put the book down for the last two days.

This book does take a look at some of the possible difficulties that people faced in Egypt at that time, but also shows the strengths they had and their beliefs. Even though I may disagree with some of their lifestyle decisions, I am completely fascinated by the lives they lived. And Mutnodjmet is now one of my favorite characters of all time, for her loyalty to family, but her strength in learning to stand for what she believed in, in her own way.

Speaking From Among the Bones by Alan Bradley

Sorry for the lack of posts last month. Between the holidays, kids going back to school, and some family trials, life just got in the way making it hard for me to read a book.

But today I just finished reading my first book in months and I loved it. So here you go:

To read my reviews of other books in this series, click here: The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, The Weed That Strings the Hangman's Bag, A Red Herring Without Mustard, and I am Half-Sick of Shadows.



Title: Speaking from the Bones (Flavia de Luce series #5)
Author: Alan Bradley
Reviewer: Karen
Genre: Adult Mystery
Rating: LOVE
Alerts/Warnings: Mild Swearing, Some scientific descriptions of death associated with murder mysteries
Premise: "Eleven-year-old amateur detective and ardent chemist Flavia de Luce is used to digging up clues, whether they're found among the potions in her laboratory or between the pages of her sisters' diaries. What she is not accustomed to is digging up bodies. Upon the 500th anniversary of St. Tancred's death, the English hamlet of Bishop's Lacey is busily preparing to open its patron saint's tomb. Nobody is more excited to peek inside the crypt than Flavia, yet what she finds will halt the proceedings dead in their tracks: the body of Mr. Collicutt, the church organist, his face grotesquely and inexplicably masked. Who held a vendetta against Mr. Collicutt, and why would they hide him in such a sacred resting place?" (King County Library System).
Opinions: If you love murder mysteries, you will love the Flavia de Luce series. I LOVE this series. Lets face it, chemistry is not my strong suit, and this series revolves around the chemical aspects and breakdowns revolving around murders. And yet I can not get enough of reading these books. I love how strong of a character Flavia is. She is a beautiful mix of brilliant chemistry genius and eleven year old girl. And she is able to use both facets of her personality to get the job done. I love her tenacity, but the thing I loved most about this book is how much she grows as an individual while her family is going through some grave financial times.

Her life at Bucksaw, her ancestral home, is frail and her relationships with her family are changing as she is forced to grow. I loved that she found a threat of continuity in the mysterious death of Mr. Collicutt to hold on to while everything remains uncertain at home.  Also, with each book I read, I love Dogger, Flavia's father's man, more and more. He is a fascinating, mysterious, in-depth character who teaches and watches over Flavia while taking care of her whole family in his quiet ways. Most of all, the ending had me floored. I instantly had to go to my library website to see if I could check out the next book.  It apparently it just came out last month.  I'm 6th in line.  UGH!!!!

Christy by Catherine Marshall

Title: Christy
Author: Catherine Marshall
Reviewer: Karen
Genre: Adult Historical Fiction
Rating: Adore
Alerts/Warnings: Some violence and death
Premise: "Young Christy Huddleston begins a new life in the mountain hamlet of Cutter Gap as a teacher at a mission school where she comes to know and care for the wild highland people." (Pleasant Grove Library System)
Opinions: I read this book as part of book club and was hesitant about reading it at first. The descriptiveness can be overwhelming at times, but the story completely endearing. Christy is an intriguing character, full of her own preconceived notions about life when she leaves her privileged upbringing to help those less fortunate than herself as she goes to work as a teacher. She soon finds herself being taught instead and growing greatly from her time with the wonderfully vivid mountain folk. The trials that she and the other characters endure are at times heart wrenching and called for lots of Kleenex on my part. Then there is the love story aspect where Christy must decide between two incredibly different men. Overall, I found this story a completely engaging read and was grateful that my book club suggested we read it.

The President's Lady by Irving Stone

Title: The President's Lady: a novel about Rachel and Andrew Jackson
Author: Irving Stone
Reviewer: Karen
Genre: Adult Historical Fiction
Rating: Fabulous
Alerts/Warnings: None
Premise: A biographical sketch of the romance between Rachel and Andrew Jackson.
Opinions: I first learned about Andrew Jackson's romance with his wife Rachel through another book that I read and couldn't wait to learn more. Even though this story is biographical fiction it was meticulously researched and brings to life their incredible love story. The struggles this couple faced were incredible, including downstream effects of a previous marriage on Rachel's end that led to many duel's as Andrew fought for the honor of his wife. It also describes Jackson's struggle as he becomes President just when his wife passes away. I highly recommend this for everyone to read.

Can You Keep a Secret? by Sophie Kinsella

The following is a review from a guest reviewer:

Title: Can you keep a secret?
Author: Sophie Kinsella
Reviewer: Kristen
Genre: Pure chick-lit
Rating: Love – would be “worship” if not for the following:
Alerts/Warnings: Lots of language and sexual references and one graphic sex scene
Premise: "Emma Corrigan's young, sweet, and has a long list of secrets--the kind of innocent secrets everyone has--one of which is that she is afraid of flying. Coming back from a thoroughly ruinous sales trip to Glasgow, she is seized by mortal terror when the plane she is on encounters some air turbulence, and ends up spilling her guts to the handsome American sitting next to her. He gets to hear that she sleeps beneath a Barbie bedspread, that she fibbed to get her current job, and that she has never been able to satisfactorily find her G-spot. Then, the plane lands... and rather than disappearing into anonymity, the American turns up in her life again. He's the CEO of her company, and remembers her quite well." (King County Library System)
Opinions: This is my favorite fluff book of all time. I don’t think I’ve ever laughed out loud as much as I did while reading this book. Emma is a very charming main character and I loved Jack’s dry sense of humor. I’m just not a fan of the language and sex (that is why I prefer to read young adult books).