Book Review: Summer Kitchen

The Summer Kitchen by Karen Weinreb

Description: Nora Banks had it all. A great house, a loving husband, children, and she wasn’t afraid to spend whatever she had to continue to keep everything going smoothly. But for her it wasn’t all about the money. Then one day she finds out that everything is gone. Her husband is going to jail and she and the children have nothing. What can she do? She no longer fits into the community that she has been making herself a part of. She has no marketable skills any more. That is where her summer kitchen comes in. She had built it as a historical piece that gave her the space to do what she loved to do – cook.

The summer kitchen and all that has happened to her, allows Nora to discover what it is that she wants. What the difference is between living and living to make yourself happy. It may be a lot of work but there is a certain amount of satisfaction involved as well.

Thoughts: This was a nice summer read. It has a lot to do with how women interact, how we feel we fulfill ourselves and how sometimes our children, families and possessions make us feel like all is well when really we are forgetting the most important thing – ourselves.

I think it ends appropriately where you don’t know if Nora belongs with someone or on her own – but that is a decision for herself to make. But either way she has finally found what makes her most happy.

What genre would you consider this?
Family Dynamics

Overall:

Book Review: Best Friends Forever

Best Friends Forever by Jennifer Weiner

Description:Since they were 9 years old Addie and Valerie were best friends. Neither truly understood what it was like being the other – but they stayed together throughout it all. Then their final year of high school an incident happened that tore them apart. It made Addie’s life a living hell and meant the end of their friendship.

Now it is their high school reunion and Valerie shows up on Addie’s doorstep asking for help. They were best friends- right – so Addie does whatever she can to help her out. It will lead the two women on an adventure that they couldn’t predict.

Thoughts: This book was hard for me. I know that the weight made Addie self-conscious and not aware of what she meant to the world. She lost it but it still means a lot of hard work getting over the emotional implications of those things (as much as the physical). But if some person who did me so wrong ended up on my doorstep asking for help the last thing I would do is put myself out there the way that she does. It could mean jail for her! I spent most of the book going Addie don’t be so stupid – she is just using you. And part of me still thinks the same thing. I understand that Valerie had a horrible life with her mother and that part of her always hated Addie for the love that she got from her parents. But really – she hurt Addie – she made other’s hurt Addie. She generally is a selfish and full of herself person based on even her actions currently. She doesn’t deserve the best friend’s moniker. Maybe after she does something to prove it.

What genre would you consider this?
Summer Read

Overall:

Book Review: Miranda's Big Mistake

Miranda's Big Mistake By Jill Mansell


Description: Miranda is a girl who only wants love. But she can't seem to find the right man for her. When she finds Greg - she thinks finally a man that is perfect for me. But instead what she finds is a man who just left his newly pregnant wife - and doesn't even tell Miranda about it. This is just the first in a variety of experiences with men that could leave any woman heartbroken.

Thoughts: It took me a little to get into this book. From the beginning I wanted Miranda to get together with Danny. But it was just mistake after mistake between them. And then with the whole Miranda/Greg/Chloe triangle - I wanted Miranda to find out so badly. But once she did the whole book started to move so much faster.

I love some books that are written in London and some I find to be hard to love because there are some differences in the cultures. But this book wasn't one of those books. This is a book about a woman who makes the wrong choices in relationships and when she isn't making the wrong choices fate steps in and does something unthinkable. Add to that everyone's propensity for miscommunication and you have someone who is just like us in that it takes a lot to find the right person for you.

What genre would you consider this?
Summer Read

Overall:

Barefoot

Barefoot by Elin Hilderbrand

What was this book about?
Three women connected by blood and friendship decide to leave their normal lives in the city and head off to a cabin in Nantucket. Life has dealt each of them a raw deal – though in some cases partially by their own design. So they decide to get away from it all and focus on themselves by leaving to the beach. In tow are two children who need their own assurances on what life is going to bring them.

Vicki is the mother of the two boys. She was recently diagnosed with lung cancer – she is ready to fight the disease but doesn’t know what it means. Her relationship with her husband is strained as neither can deal with the thought of her possible death. The cancer has changed everything and she just doesn’t know what to do.

Brenda, Vicki’s sister, had a great career as a professor. But a bad decision to have an affair with one of her older students has destroyed her reputation. Add to that the possibility of a legal struggle with her university as a byproduct of the actions she took – and she needs money and she needs it quickly. She agreed to come to get away from it all and help take care of her nephews because Vicki needs help. What does it mean if her sister dies? What about the problems in her life? Can she focus on this screenplay that she is trying to write?

Melanie had a wonderful husband (or so she thought) and a great friendship with Vicki. When the relationship with her husband falls apart when she finds out that he is having an affair with a co-worker she turns to Vicki for help. She joins her on this impromptu “vacation” knowing that while the many fertility treatments that she tried didn’t work, instead she became pregnant the old fashioned way. And she only figures it out after the affair comes to light. Is Melanie ready to go back to her husband? Will he take her back? What does this future child mean to the whole situation?

Josh is a college student who is drawn to the three women and the children. When the opportunity comes up for him to baby-sit for them he can’t say no. Josh has his own traumatic past and these women represent a lot to him. Can they be for him what he needs? What about him being the one thing they need?

What did you think about the book?

I definitely liked the idea of this story. And it was well written and very interesting premise. Three women whose lives have recently fallen apart go away together for a quiet summer.

I loved that the women were flawed – as we all are. None were perfect and knew the correct path that their lives should follow. I think the only reason this wasn’t in my top lists was I just didn’t have enough time with each of the characters to get to know them in a personal way. I didn’t understand why they did the things that they did. I started to and then it ended. When you have flawed people it takes a little while to “like” them. While we are all flawed we don’t want to admit it and it is easier to like characters that only have surface problems.

Things I liked about it: I loved the children – they were fun and playful as all 4 year olds are. I like the exploration of a mother with an illness that could take her away from her family – everyone experiences self-doubt in a situation like this and to expose yourself to that when you have small children is very, very scary.

What genre would you consider this?
Family Dynamics/Relationship Dynamics

Overall:

Question for You!
If you needed to get away from life – where would you go? Would you take anyone with you?

Last Kiss

Last Kiss by Luane Rice

What was this book about?

Teenager Charlie Rice goes to New York for school and never returns. Instead he is killed by what seems to be a random mugging. He leaves so many behind that are morning him and that are unable to move on with the feelings of randomness associated with his unexpected murder. Those he leaves behind are desperate to find out what really happened and why.

There is his single mother Sheridan. Who was a famous singer and songwriter – but now that her son has died her heart is just not in it. She has been burned by several romances and the one thing she had been living for was the joy her son brought her.

Charlie’s girlfriend – the love of his life – Nell Kilvert. They grew up together and she knew they would always be together. His absence has broken her heart and she just can’t understand why she is being punished like this. Her (almost) step-mother Stevie has seen both grow up and feels like they were her children. How can she help Nell deal with the grief?

Gavin Dawson has been invited by Nell to investigate what really happened to Charlie. But he has his own connection to Hubbard’s Point, Connecticut. He once was the sould mate of Sheridan. But youth and their own pain drove them apart. Can he get another chance at this love?

What did you think about the book?

Where there is heartache and pain there can also be love and happiness. Losing someone is never easy – whether it is a husband or wife, boyfriend or girlfriend, best friend, or child there is pain for everyone. You fight a battle daily with how you wish things had been, how you wish they were there.

Time passes and your feelings begin to change – get a little less sharp – but never go away. But for all this pain the fact that you can feel also opens you up for life’s little happinesses. The joy of friendship. The joy of finding a love. The joy of having a child. The joy of sharing your gift (painting, singing, writing).

To me that was what this book was about. It was about how life is full of joy and happiness, guilt, pain and misery. Life isn’t perfect. But even the most painful things can have a silver lining.

If you are looking for something that will make you feel upbeat. I do not know if this is a book that will do it. But there is a light at the end of the tunnel and it definitely shows it to you.

What genre would you consider this?
Summer Read

Overall:

Return to Summerhouse

Return to Summerhouse by Jude Deveraux

What was this book about?

Madame Zoya and her traveling back in time has returned. This time her three women are – Amy – who has been despondent since she suffered a miscarriage a few months before, Faith – a widow who was aged by the care of her invalid husband and always wondered what happened to the other boy she has always loved, and Zoe – who was in a car accident and doesn’t know why it seems that everyone hates her in her town.

The trio is sent back to fulfill something Amy needs to do in the distant past (the 1800s) and then sent on their own missions to change the things in their lives they always wished had been changed.

What did you think about the book?

In some ways I liked this book more then the first book “Summerhouse” and in other ways I found it more confusing. The parts I enjoyed were that there wasn’t a whole 2/3rds of the book talking about how sucky the people in its lives were. They had mysteries to solve and things to do.

Things I didn’t like was the time travel part. While it was interesting I just don’t see how it works. Was Amy alive in both times for the whole lifetime? If she was meant to be with him why didn’t they “be together”. I mean I appreciate that she loves her husband and her children – but I feel bad for the guy. He loves her. She has been in his life forever. She loves him.. It was all just a bit weird.

What genre would you consider this?

Summer Read

Overall:

The Summerhouse

The Summerhouse by Jude Deveraux

What was this book about?

Three women meet as if by fate when they are 21 years old. They are young and beautiful, and have their whole lives in the palms of their hands. Now on their 40th birthday they meet again and tell each other what happened in their lives. Now instead of being happy, they have been beaten down by the lives that they have lived.

On this vacation to the Summerhouse they meet a mysterious woman – Madam Zoya, who tells them she will send them back in time. They get to pick the time – they live there for 3 weeks (with the knowledge of what happened to them). Then they will return to this time. They can choose whether to keep the life they had, or the life that they have made for themselves by going back.

What did you think about the book?

The first half was depressing – I started to wonder what the book was about because there just didn’t seem to be any way that it could get better for these characters. Then we meet Madame Zoya and it all becomes clear. I predicted a bit who would chose what but it was an interesting story and you were glad to see things work out for three people who were genuinely good people even if their life didn’t turn out that way.

What genre would you consider this?
Summer Read

Overall:

Sweet Love

Sweet Love by Sarah Strohmeyer

What was this book about?

Julie Mueller has lived her life well. She has a reasonable successful job, a teenage daughter who loves her, and is single. She never has gotten past the “one who got away” – the boy she has had a crush on since she was a little girl. Fate (and her brother and mother) kept them from ever getting together.

Things are always a little more complicated then they should be. She finally sees Michael in a cooking class that her mother gets her for mother’s day. She wants to move past the pain that they have each caused each other and see if they can at least be friends. Meanwhile she is juggling changes in her career, her mother’s health issues, and her own.

What did you think about the book?

I enjoyed this book as it is more then just a novel of revisiting a romance that was never to be. It is about the relationship of a woman with her mother. It is about the choices that we make in life – to follow a career, follow a relationship, move to being our own person – and how that can affect everything else there is. It is about how an illness can change your perspective on life – what is important and what maybe isn’t as important as you thought it was.

Throw in a little bit of a dessert junkie and you have “Sweet Love”. I have to admit this book made me hungry for the sweets – cheesecake, cupcakes, you name it I wanted it while reading this.

What genre would you consider this?
Summer Read

Overall:

LoveHampton

LoveHampton by Tess Gerritsen


What was this book about?

Tori Miller has been dumped by her long time boyfriend and is in a rut. She has a great job, owns a company that is doing quite well, and has friends that love her. They decide they will help her get out and meet someone. She gets a makeover and becomes – Miller – housemate in a share house in the Hamptons.

The Hampton’s experience is one of both a small town and college life. Everyone knows everyone and everyone shows up at the same places. But Miller finds a way to fit in and become what she always wanted. But at what price?

What did you think about the book?

Tori is a genuine person who had a down time in her life and wants to do something to pick it up. Of course when this happens, many times it is a life of extremes. You were once behaving at one extreme and it is hard to not go to far in the opposite direction. This exploration of that and her desire to become someone new is interesting. Becoming someone new can also be difficult as the old you is always lurking in the corner and will come out at the most inopportune times.

What genre would you consider this?
Summer Read

Overall:

A Summer Affair

A Summer Affair by Elin Hilderbrand

What was this book about?

Claire Danner Crispin has a loving (although dictoral) husband, loving children, and a teenage love who is now world famous. She is an artist who has a wonderful career creating art that is world renowned. And yet she feels like something is missing.

When multimillionaire Lockhard Dixon asks her to be the chair of the annual benefit his charity runs she can’t say no – even though she knows she should. She is instantly attracted to him. She has a fear of him – as she is somehow connected to his wife’s instability after a drunk driving accident. She does it no matter what.

What follows is an affair that both seem addicted to – and cannot stop. But what does it mean for their futures – independently or together. Add to that the complication of creating an event for the wealthy and a visit from Claire’s rocker teenage love and she really must figure out what is most important in her life.

What did you think about the book?

I liked Claire and the book. You can’t help but identify with her feelings. Her husband isn’t bad – just not great. Her life is good but she is missing things since she quit her art. She feels guilt for things that are beyond her control. And somehow all of this seems to be relegated to the background when she meets Lock. Her attraction takes all the pain out of so many things.. Whether it should or not.

What genre would you consider this?
Summer Read

Overall:

Spoilers: The only thing that stopped it from getting 4 stars was the ending. It wasn’t that it was bad – it just wasn’t sufficient. I think it is hard for me to see people just floating back together after something like this happens. The story of the telling, the working it out (or not) is an important piece. I also believe it isn’t right to go back to a relationship with this secret still between you. Someday, somehow this secret will haunt you.

Vampyres of Hollywood

Vampyres of Hollywood by Adrienne Barbeau and Michael Scott

What was this book about?

Ever wonder how the actors and actresses of Hollywood look so good? Many of them are vampires. They have helped create the myth of vampires – they can go out in the sun, they can go to churches, they are just like humans, just on another evolutionary tree branch.

Ovsanna Moore is a renowned actress, writer, and studio queen. She is known as the “scream queen”. She is also a vampire. When her people – either changlings or staff – have been marked for death and show up murdered she realizes there is something odd going on and she must solve the case.

In pops Beverly Hills detective Peter King. He knows he must stop these murders before more of Hollywood ends up dead, and more people panic. He can tell that Ovsanna and her assistant Maral MacKenzie have something to hide. He also knows they want to stop the murders. Can they do it in time?

What did you like/dislike about the book?

For me this was a fun and unusual (but in a good way) mystery. The book slowly reveals the characters secrets while still progressing to figure out who is causing all the chaos.

The view of Hollywood is something that will attract anyone who likes to find out what actors and actresses do. While (of course) the stars of Hollywood are not really vampires, many of the cold-blooded behavior, the favorites getting roles because of romantic entanglements, and many other touches are, I am sure, true.

If you like the paranormal and you like mysteries this would be a must read for you.

What genre would you consider this?
Paranormal Mystery

Overall: – It was a surprise to me that I would like this book as much as I did. I truly hope this isn’t the last we see of Ovsanna and Peter

Moose: A Memoir of Fat Camp

Moose: A Memoir of Fat Camp by Stephanie Klein

What was this book about?

Stephanie Klein is told by her doctor that the twins she is carrying require her to gain 50 lbs. What the doctor doesn’t know is that Stephanie has a history of weight problems and the thought of gaining all that weight sends her into a tailspin.

It requires her to reevaluate her past – what brought on the poor self confidence and weight problems. How did she overcome it? Did she truly overcome it? She tells her story of the battle of the bulge while living in a society that only persecutes you for being overweight.

What did you like/dislike about the book?

This book is written in the same style that Stephenie’s blog is written (Greek Tragedy). You can’t help but cringe when people do cruel things to her, cry when she cries, and laugh when she laughs. She just brings that out in you. She poors our her heart and her story – opening herself up for critiques and you just can’t help but identify with some part of her story. Every woman has felt inferior about something and she opens up about one of her greatest struggles.

While at times it was a little difficult for me to follow along (since she has combined many years of her own experiences into one year). I genuinely enjoyed it and will continue to read her books and her blog for many years to come.

What genre would you consider this?
Memoir

Overall: