Just Another Girl and her Books: March 2016

Thursday, March 31, 2016

Review Something Great by M.Clarke

Genre: New Adult/Romance

Published: December 5, 2013

Pages: 317

Synopsis

* This is a New Adult romance novel recommended for ages 18+ due to sexual content and mature subject matter.

She didn’t know what she was missing…until he found her.

Maxwell Knight was positively trouble, dangerously good-looking, and seductively charming. He was everything Jeanella didn’t need in her life. Only Maxwell didn’t see it that way. His pursuit was relentless, making her even more determined to push him away.

Fresh out of college, life was simple and plain for Jeanella Mefferd. Every part of her life was smooth sailing; her friends, her job, and even the guy she’d started dating. Then one night, while at dinner, she spotted someone who made her feel things she’d never felt before—dangerous, heart pounding and breathless heat. Thinking she would never see him again, she brushed it off, but when she started to run into him unexpectedly, all she could think of was how he made her feel with his sweet flirtations. Everything about Maxwell Knight screamed trouble, especially when she found out he was her new boss’s son. Now, heading to a New York fashion show, would she be able to focus on her career instead of Maxwell, who had been scheduled to attend with her? As much as she tried to forget their encounters, his good looks, smooth words and determination to win her over gravitated her toward him. The next thing she knew, her mind was utterly consumed by him. Would she be willing to ignore all the dangerous signs and jump into his arms? Or would she miss out on the chance of finding something great?

Review

I was hired to provide post-publication proofreading for this book. The author was not and is not aware that I am writing this review, and it was not part of our agreement. If you feel that my connection to the book makes my review untrustworthy, so be it, but this is my honest review.

If you like your rich guys on the sweet side, then you'll love Maxwell Knight. Although I had misgivings about starting a relationship with the boss, he quickly won me over. Did I mention that this story is told in first person from Jenna's perspective and I was very solidly in her shoes. When she was happy, I was happy; when she was sad, I was sad, and when she wanted to claw that *bleeps* eyes out, well, you get the idea. (Some details may have been embellished beyond the story.)

In spite of my feelings for Max, the romance in this story was a slow burn and I love that in a romance, especially a sweeter romance like this one. I appreciate when a relationship is allowed to develop before the characters say "I love you," even if they knew from the moment they met that they wanted to marry each other.

Overall I give Something Great 4 out of 5 stars because it sucked me in and made me feel everything Jenna felt. - Katie

Buy the Book

Amazon

About the Author

International Bestselling, Award Winning, Author Mary Ting/M. Clarke resides in Southern California with her husband and two children. She enjoys oil painting and making jewelry. Writing her first novel, Crossroads Saga, happened by chance. It was a way to grieve the death of her beloved grandmother, and inspired by a dream she once had as a young girl. When she started reading new adult novels, she fell in love with the genre. It was the reason she had to write one-Something Great. Why the pen name, M Clarke? She tours with Magic Johnson Foundation to promote literacy and her children's chapter book-No Bullies Allowed.

Ways to keep in touch with the author:

Newsletter Updates: http://eepurl.com/YMyCn

Website: www.authormaryting.com
Facebook https://www.facebook.com/AuthorMaryTing?
Tweeter @maryting
Goodreads http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11283685-crossroads
Blog http://www.marytingbooks.blogspot.com/
Instagram: http://instagram.com/authormaryting

Review Magic Words by Edward Field

Genre: Children's Illustrated

Published: September 1, 2013

Pages: 32

Ages: 4-8

Synopsis

Magic Words is a modern translation (1965) of a very old Inuit creation story by nationally known poet Edward Field. As a poem it captures beautifully the intimate relationship this Arctic people have with their natural world.

Magic Words describes a world where humans and animals share bodies and languages, where the world of the imagination mixes easily with the physical. It began as a story that told how the Inuit people came to be and became a legend passed from generation to generation. In translation it grew from myth to poem. The text comes from expedition notes recorded by Danish explorer Knud Rasmussen in 1921. Edward Field got a copy from the Harvard Library and translated it into English.

Review

I received a copy of this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I loved the illustrations. They are colorful and reminiscent of what I understand at least some Native American art looks like. The story itself was just a little weird. I don't know if some of that is just things getting lost in translation or what, but it didn't really do much for me.

My 4 year old liked the part of the book where there were animals, but didn't like the part where there were people (I'm not sure if she realizes that the animals could become people and vice versa). And she really liked the picture with several animals in a boat.

Overall I give this book 4 out of 5 stars because my 4 year old enjoyed it and I thought the illustrations were excellent. - Katie

Buy the Book

Amazon

Review A Tale of Two Daddies by Vanita Oelschlager

Genre: Children's Illustrated/LGBTQIA

Published: October 22, 2013

Pages: 42

Ages: 4-8

Synopsis

A Tale of Two Daddies is a playground conversation between two children. The boy says he heard that the girl has two dads. The girl says that is right--she has Daddy and Poppa. True to a child’s curiosity, practical questions follow: "Which dad helps when your team needs a coach? / Which dad cooks you eggs and toast?” To which she answers: "Daddy is my soccer coach. / Poppa cooks me eggs and toast.”

Intended for 4- to 8-year-olds, this book introduces a type of family increasingly visible in modern society. Neither favoring nor condemning, it reflects a child’s practical and innocent look at the adults who nurture and love her. It becomes clear that the family bond is unburdened by any cultural discomforts.

Review

I received a copy of this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This is a cute story with fairly simple but colorful illustrations to help children understand that children of same sex partners don't really have a vastly different home life than children of opposite sex partners do. It shows that a child will essentially still get everything that they need from their parents, like help with math or bandaids for a hurt knee, regardless of whether the parents are a mommy and daddy or two daddies.

I read this story to my 4 year old and she said it was good. Her favorite part is that the girl had two daddies. She even thinks we need two daddies now, but she wants to keep her mommy too. She didn't like it when the girl had a skinned knee, but says it was good that one of her daddies put a bandaid on it.

Overall I give this book 5 out of 5 stars because it's easy for children to understand and the illustrations were well done. - Katie

Buy the Book

Amazon

About the Author

Vanita Oelschlager is a wife, mother, grandmother, philanthropist, former teacher, current caregiver, author and poet. She is a graduate of Mt. Union College in Alliance, Ohio, where she currently serves as a Trustee. Vanita is also Writer in Residence for the Literacy Program at The University of Akron.

About the Illustrator

Kristin Blackwood is an experienced illustrator. Some of her other books include My Grampy Can’t Walk; Let Me Bee; Big Blue; Made In China; What Pet Will I Get?; Ivy in Bloom and Ivan’s Great Fall. She uses a linoleum reduction technique for creating the illustrations for this story. Kristin lives in Lakewood, Ohio, with her two daughters.

Tuesday, March 29, 2016

Review A Friend for Mole by Nancy Armo

Genre: Children's Illustrated

Published: March 1, 2016

Pages: 32

Ages: 4-9

Synopsis

An accidental encounter throws Mole and Wolf together. One is afraid of the light, the other is afraid of the dark. Together they learn that friends are all they need to conquer their fears.

Review

I received a copy of this book through the Goodreads First Reads giveaway program in the hopes that I would leave an honest review.

This is a cute little story about two animals that learn to help each other in spite of their differences. I had my 7 year old son read this book to me the day it arrived. He's a weak reader at the moment, but only stumbled over a few words; surprisingly overwhelming wasn't one of them.

The illustrations were clear and reasonably realistic. Simple so as not to be too distracting, but still appealing.

My 7 year olds assessment is that it's a good book and he liked all of it. (One of these days I'm going to get him to be more verbose in his book reviews.)

Overall I give it 5 out of 5 stars. - Katie

Buy the Book

Amazon

Monday, March 14, 2016

Deja Revu #4

Déjà Revu is a weekly review round-up that is open to all book review blogs.

$25 Gift Card - Ends March 15, 2016
Paperback of Immurement by Norma Hinkens - Ends: March 20, 2016
Mystery Prize - Ends: March 26, 2016

Contemporary

Love Me Never by Sara Wolf - Lenoreo @Celebrity Readers

Dystopian

Meritropolis by Joel Ohman - J. Hooligan @Platypire Reviews

General

Paranormal

Dystopian

The Scattered and the Dead by Tim McBain and L.T. Vargus - Papervida @Platypire Reviews

Paranormal

The Healer's Gift by Barbara Cutrera - Empress DJ @Books and Bindings

Romance

Us by Sarina Bowen and Elle Kennedy - Lenoreo @Celebrity Readers

Horror

Doctor Sleep by Stephen King - Kristina @The Bohemian Housewife

Mystery

The Green Remains by Marni Graff - Felita @Lilac Reviews

Paranormal

Religious

Same Kind of Different As Me by Ron Hall & Denver Moore - Jenny Bynum @Black Words-White Pages

Romance

Suspense/Thriller

Fatal Impulse - Felita @Lilac Reviews

Woman's Fiction

Romance

Science Fiction

Discovered by Em Taylor - Zara @The Bohemian Housewife

Friday, March 11, 2016

Review The Angel Knights by Mary Ting

Photo Credit: Goodreads

Genre: YA/Paranormal

Published: March 4, 2016

Pages: 56

Setting: Crossroads (Not Earth)

Synopsis

Michael and Claudia’s decision to move back to Crossroads was to keep their children safe, but they can’t escape who they are. Their children, Zachary and Lucia, were destined to be demon hunters—Venators. From the age they were able to hold a sword, they were trained to become the best and to ensure they would become leaders one day.

Review

I was hired to proofread this book. The author was not and is not aware that I'm posting this review. As you should know by now (if you follow my blog), I review every book I read. If you feel that my connection to the story makes my review untrustworthy, so be it, but this is my honest review.

This is a spin-off novella for a series that I haven't read, so I missed out on the world building. I feel like I'm probably missing out on some pertinent backstory info as well because of this, but things still mostly made sense anyway.

There were a couple of things that didn't make sense to me from a scientific/genetic standpoint. It's possible that these issues were explained in the original series, but they were still something that stood out to me as an issue.

The descriptions included in this story made me feel like I was present. I could picture the angel wings and the celestial weapons, as well as everything else fairly easily.

Overall I give The Angel Knights 4 out of 5 stars because it was interesting, but there were a few minor issues for me. I would personally recommend starting with the Crossroads saga before reading this, since I believe it likely contains pertinent information not provided in this book (if you're a detail oriented person at least.) - Katie

Buy the Book

Amazon

About the Author

International Bestselling Author Mary Ting/M. Clarke resides in Southern California with her husband and two children. She enjoys oil painting and making jewelry. Writing her first novel, Crossroads Saga, happened by chance. It was a way to grieve the death of her beloved grandmother, and inspired by a dream she once had as a young girl. When she started reading new adult novels, she fell in love with the genre. It was the reason she had to write one-Something Great. Why the pen name, M Clarke? She tours with Magic Johnson Foundation to promote literacy and her children's chapter book-No Bullies Allowed.

Ways to keep in touch with the author:

Newsletter Updates: http://eepurl.com/YMyCn

Website: www.authormaryting.com
Facebook http://www.facebook.com/authormaryting
Facebook http://www.facebook.com/CrossroadsBook
Twit @maryting
Goodreads http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/11283685-crossroads
Blog http://www.marytingbooks.blogspot.com/
Instagram: http://instagram.com/authormaryting

Discussion Questions The Two-Family House by Lynda Cohen Loigman SPOILERS

I have spent a few years in a couple of different book clubs now, and I've led my fair share of discussions (so every time it was my turn in the rotation to pick a book basically, although I've been slacking a little in my current book club). I can't tell you how many times I've finished a book that I'd chosen for our meeting, only to realize that I couldn't think of a single question to ask (and I'd forgotten to consider that while reading). In those instances I would run to the interwebs to search for discussion questions, just hoping that someone else had been kind enough to think of questions and share them with the world. I had about a 50% success rate with that.

Because The Two-Family House by Lynda Cohen Loigman left me with several hypothetical situation questions (and those have always resulted in the best discussions in my book clubs), I figured I'd jot them down and share them with the world. If you have not read the book yet, stop reading now, because the questions absolutely involve spoilers for the story.

Photo Credit: Goodreads

1. Who did you relate to more, Helen or Rose? Were there other characters that you also related to?

2. Do you think you could ever do what Helen and Rose did?

3. Do you think Helen would have made the switch if she'd known how things would turn out?

4. What would you do if you were in Helen's shoes, seeing your biological child being neglected?

5. Do you think Rose would have "broken" if she had actually given birth to Teddy?

6. Do you think Rose would have "broken" if she and Helen hadn't made the switch?

7. Do you think Natalie would have been as vivacious if the switch hadn't been made?

8. Do you think Aunt Faye would have left Rose everything when she died if Rose's family hadn't started going to her apartment for holidays after Teddy's birth?

9. Do you think Rose would have resented Helen's help if they'd never made the switch?

10. When did you know for sure that Helen and Rose had switched babies?

11. Do you think Helen should have told Mort about the switch after she told Natalie?

12. Do you think Natalie and Jane ever figure out that they both know they're biologically sisters?

Those are the questions that I have been pondering, all alone because I don't know anyone else that has read this book yet (that's like the only downfall to receiving ARCs.) If you've read the book are there any other questions you would ask? (And if you share a question, do you mind if I add it to the list?) I hope you will find these questions helpful if you find yourself in a bind before your book club meeting to discuss this wonderful book. - Katie

Tuesday, March 8, 2016

Review The Two-Family House by Lynda Cohen Loigman

Photo Credit: Goodreads

Genre: Historical Fiction/Jewish

Published: March 8, 2016

Pages: 301

Setting: Brooklyn

Synopsis

Brooklyn, 1947: in the midst of a blizzard, in a two-family brownstone, two babies are born minutes apart to two women. They are sisters by marriage with an impenetrable bond forged before and during that dramatic night; but as the years progress, small cracks start to appear and their once deep friendship begins to unravel. No one knows why, and no one can stop it. One misguided choice; one moment of tragedy. Heartbreak wars with happiness and almost but not quite wins.

From debut novelist Lynda Cohen Loigman comes The Two-Family House, a moving family saga filled with heart, emotion, longing, love, and mystery.

Review

I received a copy of this book through the Goodreads First Reads giveaway program in the hopes that I would leave an honest review.

This book is told from multiple POVs, giving us a broad experience of the events while making them all feel personal. Books written like this usually lead to me empathizing with all of the characters to an extent, but there were a couple of characters that I just could not empathize with in The Two-Family House. I understand their perspectives, but they are just really not nice people.

There were a few times when this book forced my eyes to leak, particularly towards the end. You will probably want to have a few tissues handy just in case.

The book spans a couple of decades and deals with some rather intense subjects. I think it would make an excellent selection for a book club discussion. There are a lot of things from the book that I would love to discuss with my book club or any book club. I just want to talk about them with someone. This is a book that needs to be discussed.

Overall I give The Two-Family House 5 out of 5 stars because it kept me engaged and has me desperately wanting to talk about it with someone. I highly recommend it. - Katie

Buy the Book

Amazon

About the Author

Lynda Cohen Loigman grew up in Longmeadow, MA. She received a B.A. in English and American Literature from Harvard College and a J.D. from Columbia Law School. She is now a student of the Writing Institute at Sarah Lawrence College, and lives with her husband and two children in Chappaqua, NY. The Two-Family House is her first novel.

Monday, March 7, 2016

Deja Revu #3

Déjà Revu is a weekly review round-up that is open to all book review blogs.

A Union Jack tea towel/oven mitt/a McLaren-themed gel mousepad - Ends: March 9, 2016
Paperback of Immurement by Norma Hinkens - Ends: March 20, 2016
Mystery Prize - Ends: March 26, 2016

Contemporary

Dystopian

Fantasy

General

Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell - J. Hooligan @Platypire Reviews

Mystery

Paranormal

Romance

The Playmaker by Jordan Ford - Lenoreo @Celebrity Readers

Science Fiction

Digital Horizons by Sherry Ficklin - J. Hooligan @Platypire Reviews

Dystopian

Pale and Crimson by Kayti Nika Raet - Alisha @The Bohemian Housewife

Fantasy

Wind Warrior by Jon Messenger - Sofia @Platypire Reviews

Paranormal

Romance

Suspense/Thriller

Smash Into You by Shelly Crane - Lenoreo @Celebrity Readers

Anthology

Trigger Warning Short Fictions and Disturbances by Neil Gaiman - Sofia @Platypire Reviews

General

Eight Hundred Grapes by Laura Dave - Sofia @Platypire Reviews

Historical

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr - Katie @Just Another Girl and Her Books

Paranormal

Romance

Science Fiction

The Fold by Peter Clines - Alisha @The Bohemian Housewife

Suspense/Thriller

Woman's Fiction

Romance

Tangled Hearts by Sarah O'Rourke - Empress DJ @Books and Bindings

Saturday, March 5, 2016

Review All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

Photo Credit: Goodreads

Genre: Historical Fiction/WWII

Published: May 6, 2014

Pages: 545

Setting: Saint-Malo, France

Synopsis

WINNER OF THE PULITZER PRIZE
From the highly acclaimed, multiple award-winning Anthony Doerr, the beautiful, stunningly ambitious instant New York Times bestseller about a blind French girl and a German boy whose paths collide in occupied France as both try to survive the devastation of World War II.

Marie-Laure lives with her father in Paris near the Museum of Natural History, where he works as the master of its thousands of locks. When she is six, Marie-Laure goes blind and her father builds a perfect miniature of their neighborhood so she can memorize it by touch and navigate her way home. When she is twelve, the Nazis occupy Paris and father and daughter flee to the walled citadel of Saint-Malo, where Marie-Laure’s reclusive great-uncle lives in a tall house by the sea. With them they carry what might be the museum’s most valuable and dangerous jewel.

In a mining town in Germany, the orphan Werner grows up with his younger sister, enchanted by a crude radio they find. Werner becomes an expert at building and fixing these crucial new instruments, a talent that wins him a place at a brutal academy for Hitler Youth, then a special assignment to track the resistance. More and more aware of the human cost of his intelligence, Werner travels through the heart of the war and, finally, into Saint-Malo, where his story and Marie-Laure’s converge.

Review

This was my book club's selection for our meeting in February and I actually managed to finish it in time (barely). One of these months I might actually not put off reading our book club book until the last minute, but probably not.

One of the things I really liked about this book was how it gave us several different perspectives of the war, but it really focused on just two of them more than the others; one from each side of the conflict. If you learned anything about WWII in history, and really who didn't, you know that the Nazis were the bad guys. Read this book made it really hard to believe that all the soldiers fighting for Germany were bad guys though. There were a couple of them that I was really rooting for, in fact.

Another high point of the story for me is that I was firmly implanted in the shoes of whoever I was following at any point in time (which is probably part of why I was rooting for a couple of the Germans.) The descriptions were excellent and I really empathized with most of the characters.

The story alternates between being told in "present" time (1944) and past (the time leading up to that point). The only time that confused me was when the past was really close to the present, and then I had to pay close attention to the specific dates.

Overall I give this book 5 out of 5 stars because it made me empathize with the enemy and the good guys all at the same time and kept me interested in the story until the end. - Katie

Buy the Book

Amazon

About the Author

Anthony Doerr is the author of five books, The Shell Collector , About Grace , Memory Wall , Four Seasons in Rome and All the Light We Cannot See . Doerr’s fiction has won four O. Henry Prizes and has been anthologized in The Best American Short Stories, The Anchor Book of New American Short Stories, and The Scribner Anthology of Contemporary Fiction. He has won the Barnes & Noble Discover Prize, the Rome Prize, the Story Prize, the New York Public Library’s Young Lions Fiction Award, a Guggenheim Fellowship, the Sunday Times EFG Private Bank Award, and the Ohioana Book Award three times. Doerr lives in Boise, Idaho. Become a fan on Facebook and stay up-to-date on his latest publications.