What a Thriller!

I received an advanced reader's copy of Sophie McKenzie's Close My Eyes.  The book will be published on July 9, 2013 and I say pre-order it now!

I read this book in almost 1 sitting, it was that good!  Just when i thought I'd figured out, I was wrong.  This isn't a book where the reader awaits and waits for something to happen.  No, things are happening at every turn of the page.  Without giving anything away, the ending is chilling.  This book keeps you hanging on until the last page.

I would highly recommend this book.  The characters are all so flawed and suspicious, giving the reader much fodder for thought.

A new book drops today!

Amy Hatvany has become one of my favorite writers. After reading Best Kept Secret, I knew she was going to make my list of favorites. Today, her newest book Heart Like Mine drops and  I want to tell you to run, not walk to Amazon, your local bookstore or wherever you buy your books and get this one! I am confident it will be so good, that I am blogging about it before even reading it.

Hopefully, after reading Heart Like Mine, you will be inspired to read her other books.  I can tell you that her other books are all so good.  I hope you enjoy her writing as much as I do!

Wow!

I happened to pick up Indiscretion by Charles Dubow.  I had seen it written up and the reviews were good so I decided to dig in and read it.  I had no idea what I was in for.

Indiscretion is about a group of friends.  At the core of the group is Harry Winslow, a best-selling author, his wife Maddy, Maddy's best friend Walter (who narrates the story) and Claire, a young woman the friends meet one summer.

It is when they meet Claire that their lives will be forever changed.  It is a gripping story and you don't want to put it down.  The story is based in the Hamptons, New York City, Paris and Rome.

I don't want to give away the story but the end is so good that I was reading on the treadmill and felt my knees buckle.  I had goosebumps all over my body.

If you are looking for a good book with lots of great characters, this is it.  This a bookclub book for sure.  The characters are all multi-dimensional and the conversations would be very interesting.

The List-Skip it!

I was looking for something to read that wasn't too intense and had seen The List mentioned in one of the newsletters I subscribe to.  I decided to pick it up.  It is about a young woman (Adrienne Brown) that leaves her position as a writer for Town & Country's style section in New York, to return to her childhood home in Virginia and work for a political magazine in DC.

While the story was funny at times, I couldn't get into the characters.  There really wasn't one I can say I truly liked.  Adrienne annoyed me.  I found her to be a bit pathetic and needy.  I was very turned off by her desire for a married man.  I don't want to give too much away, in case you do want to read it, but I would strongly urge you to find another book.  This one was a real waste of time (and money).

The Aviator's Wife

I recently finished reading Melanie Benjamin's The Aviator's Wife  The book, while a novel, is based on Anne and Charles Lindbergh's lives.  While reading, I was thinking about having read The Paris Wife and Loving Frank.  These are also books based on real people but are fictional.  The later being my favorite of the three.

The Aviator's Wife tells the story from Anne Morrow Lindbergh's point of view.  The book begins with them meeting for the first time and ends when Charles dies.  What comes in between is quite interesting.  These people led a very public life, not by choice, but public nonetheless.  The similarities to their challenges with the media and paparazzi, rivals today's stars.  When their firstborn is kidnapped, their lives lives and their relationship changes forever.

While I liked this book, I couldn't stand Charles Lindbergh!  I thought he was a selfish man and really wonder how much is actually fiction and how much is true.  I now find myself wanting to research more about both Charles and Anne.

Couldn't put it down!

I was trying to find a new book and had some samples on my Kindle.  I wanted something good to read that would keep me interested.  I never imagined when I started reading in the morning, that I would pick the book up again in the early evening and continue to read it until I finished at 1:30am!  Needless to say, it was a good book and I was exhausted the next day!

I am taking about Me Before You by Jojo Moyes.  The book description intrigued me.  The story is about Louisa, who has just lost her job and is searching for a new one.  She is from a working class family and her family depends on her income.  After many attempts to find employment, she interviews for a job working as a caregiver to a man that is a quadriplegic.

Will was in an accident which left him unable to move from the neck down.  He is young, angry and not the friendliest.   Louis is challenged and without giving anything away, she finds out exactly why she was hired, which changes her life in so many ways.

This is a great book.  So many terrific characters and issues to discuss.  This would be a wonderful book club selection.   I couldn't wait to see what happened next.

Chick-lit at its best!

Jennifer Weiner, bestselling author and one of my favorite chick-lit authors, recommended a book by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus, authors of The Nanny Diaries.  I loved The Nanny Diaries so I couldn't wait to read this one.

Between You and Me is the story of Logan Wade and her very famous, pop-star cousin, Kelsey.  When Logan is called out of the blue, flown out to Los Angeles, and asked to work for Kelsey, who she hasn't had contact with in years, as her personal assistant, a while new world opens up to Logan and you go on a real ride with her as she navigates a personal life, professional life and family life in this new tabloid-filled world.

If you have ever wondered what being a personal assistant to a famous person would be like, you will get your answer.  It's not all it is made up to be and with Logan's family issues, it makes it even harder.  Without giving away too much, you know Logan and Kelsey were very close as children and were then torn away by their parents.  There is a bit of a mystery as to why this happened and as the story goes on, you learn more about what really separated them as children.

This is a fun book that will open your eyes to the world of stardom and make you really think about what it might be like to be famous.  From people watching your every move, to tabloid journalists doing anything to get a story and even having your relationships questioned in the media.  This is a great little story and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

The Promise of Stardust

I was one of the lucky early readers on ReadingGroupGuides.com to receive Priscille Sibley's The Promise of Stardust This book is so good!  The story is of a husband and wife who have tried for years to get pregnant.  Finally, the wife is pregnant, has an accident and is now on life support.  Her husband is faced with the decision to end her life support or keep it on until the baby can be safely born.  Sound interesting?  Just wait because it gets better.  Everyone turns on the husband when he makes his decision and a lawsuit begins.

One of the main themes to the story becomes (without the husband meaning it or wanting it to) the controversy of life and choice.  This book will have you feeling differently with each turn of the page.  This book has everything.  There is the medical drama, the lawsuit. court proceedings and emotions that will have you riveted.  You can't help but feel for everyone involved.

I highly recommend this one.  You will love it, I promise!  If you don't, let me know because we need to talk.

***This book will be published on February 5th.  You can pre-order it on Amazon now.

   

Proof of Heaven: A Different Kind of Near Death Experince

Someone told me to read Proof of Heaven.  It is a book about a near death experience.  What makes this book different is that it is written by a neurosurgeon and is based is on his own experience.

Some of you know my mom went through a very difficult procedure in the hospital last year.  It ended up she needed emergency brain surgery (craniotomy) and watching her come out of it and wondering if she would be the same, was a horrible ordeal.  Being on a neuro ICU unit for 4 weeks, I was so curious as to what she was going through.  She would talk once in her sleep, she wasn't in a coma, she was heavily sedated.  Did she have a near death experience?  No.  But I was so curious and this book sounded right up my alley. She did have "ICU Psychosis" which is theme described in the book and really helped me understand what she was going through at that point.  Her dreams were so real to her, she really believed these tings were happening.

Being a neurosurgeon and understanding the brain is one thing.  To be a scientist that always brushed off these stories of near death experiences, and having your own, is all together different.  This book is a  very quick read.  It doesn't drag, it takes you on a ride and is so interesting.  Here is scientist that questioned his faith and is now having a NDE that was so real.

For anyone interested and especially for people that wonder about these things, this is a book for you.  What a great book club read it would be.  There are so many discussions here to be had.  I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

 

The Light Between Oceans

For my first blog post back, I have selected The Light Between Oceans by ML Stedman.  This is the story of Tom and Isabel, a couple that lives at the furthest point of Western Australia, tending a lighthouse, with no one around for miles.

After trying to carry a baby to full term for years, Isabella and Tom's lives change forever when a boat carrying a dead man and a very alive baby wash up to shore.  It is a day that will change their lives forever and a decision that will have consequences for everyone for the rest of their lives.

This book sounded like it could be boring at the beginning.  I mean, a couple on a remote island, cut off from everyone for 6 months at a time could drag on.  Not the case!  The writing is beautiful and keeps the reader engaged.  It was hard to put the book down, wondering what would happen next.

Be prepared to really think about how your decisions impact your life and those around you for years to come.  This is a great, thought provoking book.

I'm Back!

Well, after working for a bit and life in general, I am back!  This blog is on the get-go now!  There are many books on my wishlist and I am ready to read and blog.  Thanks for sticking in there with me!

Here is to all the good books to come!

-Jules