Cook Yourself Thin

Cook Yourself Thin: Skinny Meals You Can Make in Minutes by Lifetime Television
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Cook Yourself Thin was a cookbook that I downloaded on my Nook for a steeply reduced price. I was very excited because I had seen it in Barnes and Noble, but did not go near it because the last thing I needed was another cookbook on my shelf. Since summer is now in session, I will have time to search for healthier ingredients and put time into preparing body-friendly meals.

Reading the philosophy section, I was surprised that they had a quiz for the reader to take about their eating habits. The results were being an “On-The-Run-Eater,” “Sugar Fiend.” “Yo-Yo Dieter,” and “Comfort Food Craver.” Being the latter, I read over the advice and was ultimately surprised. They mentioned that we have good ideas about nutrition and how to create a flavorful meal. That’s me! Then, they also mentioned the downside, portion control being the biggest. That’s me, too (and rolling my eyes).

Continuing on with the philosophy, keeping portion size in mind, I continued to read the philosophy. They discussed common myths about dieting, the flaws of diet programs, how to keep a food journal just to learn about eating habits, and what a calorie is. There were suggested food lists, directions on how to read better labels, and the many different names of sugars. Towards this part of the philosophy section, I began rolling my eyes. Those of us who have ever dieted know all of this information. I quickly began skimming this section and moved on to the recipes.

Looking over the recipes, I flagged about ten that I would actually cook in real life and not the dream world in my head. The Skinny Down-Home Chicken Pot Pie was one recipe that I liked and this was for two reasons. The first was that it included food substitutions that I already incorporate into my diet, like using ground turkey over ground beef. Secondly, it called for ingredients that I already have in my fridge or could have bought easily on a grocery run trip.

There were two major faults I found with the recipes from this book. The first was a preference thing. Some of the substitutions are ones that are unique to certain diets, such as using ricotta cheese for whipped cream as is frequently done on the South Beach Diet. I personally detest ricotta cheese unless it is in a lasagna. Ricotta does not belong on top of my french toast.

The second issue I had was that the recipes included minute amounts of lots of ingredients, many of which are difficult to find. If I was living near a city, then this would be less of a problem. However, in the country, my grocery store is 35 minutes away. I am not going to make a special trip to the store just because I need two tablespoons of rice flour.

Overall, I think that this book has a lot of value because they are encouraging people to make smarter choices about their cooking. They provide some useful ways to incorporate helpful decision tools for the uneducated individual. However, readers should not expect to have their lives changed by the book. I don’t regret buying this because I got a decent bargain. However, I would be extremely disappointed if I paid full price for it.


View all my reviews

Safe Haven

By Nicholas Sparks
My Rating: 4/5 stars

Goodreads Summary: When a mysterious young woman named Katie appears in the small North Carolina town of Southport, her sudden arrival raises questions about her past. Beautiful yet self-effacing, Katie seems determined to avoid forming personal ties until a series of events draws her into two reluctant relationships: one with Alex, a widowed store owner with a kind heart and two young children; and another with her plainspoken single neighbor, Jo. Despite her reservations, Katie slowly begins to let down her guard, putting down roots in the close-knit community and becoming increasingly attached to Alex and his family.

But even as Katie begins to fall in love, she struggles with the dark secret that still haunts and terrifies her . . . a past that set her on a fearful, shattering journey across the country, to the sheltered oasis of Southport. With Jo’s empathic and stubborn support, Katie eventually realizes that she must choose between a life of transient safety and one of riskier rewards . . . and that in the darkest hour, love is the only true safe haven.

My Summary: Erin is a girl who is not educated and doesn't have a driver's license to be able to drive around her town in Massachusetts. Kevin is her husband and she tries to take good care of him. She is sweet and kind-hearted, but has very few friends. The friends that she does have will one day save her life. 

Kevin is a police detective who appreciates a neat and clean house. He is also a delusional religious zealot who drinks too much. Vodka is his best friend. Pretending to belong to the perfect family, he controls Erin to look perfect to the eyes of outsiders. 

Katie is a strong woman who just moved to Southport, NC out of fear. She rents an old hunting cottage and turns it into a home. She makes new friends with the locals, waiting tables and the nearby restaurant. She then falls in love with Alex.

Alex is a widower with a gentle heart and two young children. He runs a general town in Southport and is well-loved in the community. He helps out Katie who intrigues him, and he falls in love with her.

I loved watching the love story develop between Katie and Alex and it made this novel worth a speedy read. I spent no time lagging in the page turns. For 250 page turns, I was in love with Katie and Alex, but I feared for the moment when Katie met Kevin.

I recommend this story for anyone who loves the romanticized version of a love story with a handsome and down to earth man and a story when the characters are magically fixed by falling in love.

Some Other Thoughts: I am glad that I read this before the movie came out. I enjoyed reading this story and was let perplexed by many things about it. While I was reading, this character named Jo continuously appeared throughout the book. I hated her up until the last twenty pages. The end of this book ties up the entire story line and adds so much more the plot. I would suggest that even if you are thinking about putting it down, keep going. The ending was worth it.

Every Day

By David Levithan
My Rating: 2/5 stars

Goodreads Synopsis: There’s never any warning about where it will be or who it will be. A has made peace with that, even established guidelines by which to live: Never get too attached. Avoid being noticed. Do not interfere.

It’s all fine until the morning that A wakes up in the body of Justin and meets Justin’s girlfriend, Rhiannon. From that moment, the rules by which A has been living no longer apply. Because finally A has found someone he wants to be with—day in, day out, day after day.

My Review: When I read that this story was about a person who woke up in a different body every day and was trying to stay with the girl it loved, I was so ready to read this book. I really wanted to like it because it seemed it was right up my alley. Unfortunately, this story turned out to be more about how to complicate and ruin a perfectly reasonably tortured love story. 

I love reading romantic stories, whether adult or young adult. I love when there are two souls who find each other and their whole worlds stops and shifts itself to center around that newly found person. If this story had centered on this principle, I would have loved it. Instead, it centered around the difficulties there were to be in a different body every day. The person may be a boy or girl, straight or gay, or rich or poor. They may be hungover, depressed, or crazy. I felt that this story was trying to hard to make different people seem the same as they are tied together by this one body invader. Instead, it was like an out of control train that makes stop after stop to crazy town. All of the stops took me farther away from the love story to the point where they just seemed like two really stupid teenagers that just needed to drink a cup of grow the hell up.

This story is not for people who like love stories. It is not for people who want to read about happy endings. It is a story for people who want to make political statements about the diversity of the American population.

The Round House

by Louise Erdrich

My Rating: 4/5 Stars

Goodreads Synopsis: One Sunday in the spring of 1988, a woman living on a reservation in North Dakota is attacked. The details of the crime are slow to surface as Geraldine Coutts is traumatized and reluctant to relive or reveal what happened, either to the police or to her husband, Bazil, and thirteen-year-old son, Joe. In one day, Joe's life is irrevocably transformed. He tries to heal his mother, but she will not leave her bed and slips into an abyss of solitude. Increasingly alone, Joe finds himself thrust prematurely into an adult world for which he is ill prepared.

While his father, who is a tribal judge, endeavors to wrest justice from a situation that defies his efforts, Joe becomes frustrated with the official investigation and sets out with his trusted friends, Cappy, Zack, and Angus, to get some answers of his own. Their quest takes them first to the Round House, a sacred space and place of worship for the Ojibwe. And this is only the beginning.

My Thoughts:This story starts off with a brutal rape and assault of a mother, tearing a family apart. The main character is the son of the mother, Joe, and the reader sees through his eyes how the assault affects his mother, his father, himself, and the community. He relies on various family members and friends to help him find peace with what was done to his family.

The complexity of the plot astounded me. First, there were so many characters, which normally confuses me. However, Erdrich developed each character within the first few sentences of their introduction that I knew who they were. Partially based on stereotypes with their own little quirks to make them understood and unique, each character had a definite presence in the novel. There was the ex-marine who decided to become a priest and the aunt who was an ex-stripper from a bad home. There was also the Uncle who relied on alcohol and hit his ex-stripper that was not his actual wife. There was the father who was a judge and always looking to the legal aspect of the situation with his quirky fountain pen. Each character had enough "stereotype" that I could understand them, but they had their own little quirks about them that made them unique. 

There was the group of good boys with a hooligan side that were my favorites. Watching Joe and his relationship with Cappy blossom was my favorite part of the novel. They act like such good adolescent boys who are trying to cope with learning to be an adult. I respected that their friendship was so strong and that they watched over each other until the very end of the debacle. It restored peace of mind that even though there were bad things going on in Joe's world, he also had some very special.

I also loved the complexity of the plot. This novel was tying in both so many educational aspects of reservation life for Americans who know very little about being a Native American. This stretches from social aspects, such as the drinking and the way they spoke (no th's!), to the low economic status they have. Joe expresses how excited he was to have a grocery store on his reservation. Erdrich also discusses Native American law and has a note in the back with more details. It was educational as well as entertainment.

To top it off, there is even mystery involved as Joe and his father attempt to learn what the entire situation of the mother's assault was. Was it a random attack? Someone they knew? As the the novel read on, there were so many branches of the plot that once I thought I had something figured out, another detail entered and I had to start over again.

Overall, I loved reading this. I recommend it to all adult readers and I will be looking forward to reading more by Louise Erdrich!

The House at Riverton

 By Kate Morton
My Rating: 4/5 Stars

Goodreads Synopsis:

Summer 1924

On the eve of a glittering society party, by the lake of a grand English country house, a young poet takes his life. The only witnesses, sisters Hannah and Emmeline Hartford, will never speak to each other again.

Winter 1999

Grace Bradley, ninety-eight, one-time housemaid of Riverton Manor, is visited by a young director making a film about the poet's suicide. Ghosts awaken and old memories - long consigned to the dark reaches of Grace's mind - begin to sneak back through the cracks. A shocking secret threatens to emerge, something history has forgotten but Grace never could.

Set as the war-shattered Edwardian summer surrenders to the decadent twenties, The House at Riverton is a thrilling mystery and a compelling love story.

My Thoughts: This is one book that I almost quite reading one hundred pages into it, and I am so happy that I sat through the beginning. It took me a long time to understand what was going on. The plot begins with a household maid, working at a young age for a wealthy English family. The plot continues from her perspective, but jumping in from the past to the present. At fist I had a difficult time jumping back and fourth out of time and then plunging back into it. However, once I became used to the awkward transitions, it was definitely worth the read.

This story has so many twists and turns. Every time I thought I had a prediction that was right, the story turned and I saw my prediction go down the drain. What kept me reading was that I wanted to know what happened to the characters. Each of the three children in the wealthy family had an interesting character and a place in the family. Hannah when from bossy and manipulative little sister to married woman not being in charge of her household. Sweet little Emmeline goes from an innocent child to a roaring 20's flapper. And when World War I hits, the entire family's role shifts due to the change in global politics. Watching those roles and characters shift and morph into new roles with new interests was addicting. The story was an epic tale of love, loss, and growth.

However, the last 150 pages were what sold this book for me. This book is sort of like the stories of Legends of the Fall and Gosford Park rolled into one. Then, change all the endings and when you think you have it figured out, you dump the idea down the drain and replace it with a more shattering idea. It was fabulous!

The Fault in Our Stars Review

The Fault in Our Stars
By John Green
My Rating: 2/5 Stars

Goodreads Summary: Diagnosed with Stage IV thyroid cancer at 13, Hazel was prepared to die until, at 14, a medical miracle shrunk the tumours in her lungs... for now. 

Two years post-miracle, sixteen-year-old Hazel is post-everything else, too; post-high school, post-friends and post-normalcy. And even though she could live for a long time (whatever that means), Hazel lives tethered to an oxygen tank, the tumours tenuously kept at bay with a constant chemical assault. 

Enter Augustus Waters. A match made at cancer kid support group, Augustus is gorgeous, in remission, and shockingly to her, interested in Hazel. Being with Augustus is both an unexpected destination and a long-needed journey, pushing Hazel to re-examine how sickness and health, life and death, will define her and the legacy that everyone leaves behind.


My Review: This is now my fourth version of this review. Each time I write it, it becomes far to personal for me to publish on the internet. I appreciated this book, but I didn't like it. 

The writing was a masterpiece. The characters are well developed. The philosophies are intricate and well formed. It is introspective and reflective about both very deep and serious issues, as well as everyday occurrences. 

However, the topic was depressing which goes against the reason I read. Currently, I read for escape. This is not a book that I wanted to escape into. I put the novel down three times because I was crying. 

I also feel that it was over melodramatic. It is great material for "emo" teenagers who write poetry and are just beginning to contemplate the meaning of life. I have surpassed that stage in my life and don't plan on revisiting it any time shortly. 

Although it is an excellent book, make sure you are comfortable with the topic before you begin it. By the time I realized how depressing it was, I was already too attached the characters and I felt like I was doing sick children around the world an injustice by not finishing it (yes, completely irrational I know).

Haunting Violet

By Alyxandra Harvey
My Rating: 5 of 5 Stars


Goodreads Synopsis
Violet Willoughby doesn't believe in ghosts. But they believe in her. After spending years participating in her mother's elaborate ruse as a fraudulent medium, Violet is about as skeptical as they come in all matters supernatural. Now that she is being visited by a very persistent ghost, one who suffered a violent death, Violet can no longer ignore her unique ability. She must figure out what this ghost is trying to communicate, and quickly because the killer is still on the loose.

Afraid of ruining her chance to escape her mother's scheming through an advantageous marriage, Violet must keep her ability secret. The only person who can help her is Colin, a friend she's known since childhood, and whom she has grown to love. He understands the true Violet, but helping her on this path means they might never be together. Can Violet find a way to help this ghost without ruining her own chance at a future free of lies?

My Review

When I pick up a book and sit down and begin to read it, I always want to love it. Haunting Violet by Alyxandra Harvey is one of those books that does not disappoint because I loved it the entire way through. It was a great book to be stuck at home with during Hurricane Sandy.

Haunting Violet is a story that is well written with all of the components I wish for in a book. It flawlessly blended mystery, historic fiction, young love, and paranormal elements into seamless page turner. Neither of these elements took over the story. It wasn't solely about ghosts or solving a mystery because the plot was so well fused it just seemed like an interesting story! I also loved the characters and found myself fond of or hating characters quickly with their short written developments. Towards the end, my opinions even shifted. I love it when books keep you on your toes!

The love elements of this book made me giggle. This is exactly the type of love story I would have wanted to read when I was a teenager. Something as simple a meaningful finger brush are so much more exciting than some of the erotic novels that are currently popular. It is nice to see an age appropriate romance that projects a little more reality and value in this day and age. I also loved that there was a small love triangle centered around Violet and that she chose well in the end based on sound reasons.

I loved this book and am looking forward to following Harvey to read some more of her work!

Ender's Game

by Orson Scott Card
My rating: 5/5

Goodreads Synopsis:

In order to develop a secure defense against a hostile alien race's next attack, government agencies breed child geniuses and train them as soldiers. A brilliant young boy, Andrew "Ender" Wiggin lives with his kind but distant parents, his sadistic brother Peter, and the person he loves more than anyone else, his sister Valentine. Peter and Valentine were candidates for the soldier-training program but didn't make the cut—young Ender is the Wiggin drafted to the orbiting Battle School for rigorous military training.

Ender's skills make him a leader in school and respected in the Battle Room, where children play at mock battles in zero gravity. Yet growing up in an artificial community of young soldiers Ender suffers greatly from isolation, rivalry from his peers, pressure from the adult teachers, and an unsettling fear of the alien invaders. His psychological battles include loneliness, fear that he is becoming like the cruel brother he remembers, and fanning the flames of devotion to his beloved sister. 

Is Ender the general Earth needs? But Ender is not the only result of the genetic experiments. The war with the Buggers has been raging for a hundred years, and the quest for the perfect general has been underway for almost as long. Ender's two older siblings are every bit as unusual as he is, but in very different ways. Between the three of them lie the abilities to remake a world. If, that is, the world survives. 
Ender's Game is the winner of the 1985 Nebula Award for Best Novel and the 1986 Hugo Award for Best Novel.



My Thoughts:

I received a copy of Ender's Game as one of someone's favorite books of all time from my book club. I was very excited to have had the opportunity to read it! A story about a child learning to fight aliens in a war was intriguing.

Ender Wiggins is a child who is handpicked to be trained a commander in the future's army against alien "buggers." He begins near the first grade and is chosen to go to battle school where he plays games. He quickly excels and begins beating preteens. The adults manipulate his situation to see what he can actually accomplish. 

The theory about using a child as a tool in war is something I have never thought about before. The adult reasoning was that a child could win a war if they could win a game because they have a different outlook than adults do. This theory led to a surprise ending for me. Honestly, it was worth reading the book just for the last forty pages!

I became very attached to Ender in the book. He had formed some very militaristic characteristics after going to battle school. He had hurt people as part of the game and he understood the nature of combat. Yet even though he was completing mature achievements, he was still a child. It was interesting viewing a war commander through a child's eyes. 

One example of this situation was the relationship with his friends. He had a large cohort of other "students" that he was in command of. He had to learn the value of their friendship, but also that sometimes friendship suffers under command. My favorite quote of the book was at the end of an actual battle. They were wondering what they would have to do after the battle. Ender's friend Petra says, "We're kids. They'll probably make us go to school. It's a law." The humor underlying that quote was deeply inlaid because you have think, What more can these kids learn from school that they haven't learned already?

I loved this book and I can see why it is known as a classic in certain sci fi circles. I would really recommend it to anyone who loves alternate realities or war games (like The Hunger Games).

Where She Went

Where She Went (If I Stay, #2)
by Gayle Forman
My Rating: 5/5 Stars

Goodreads Synopsis

It's been three years since the devastating accident . . . three years since Mia walked out of Adam's life forever.

Now living on opposite coasts, Mia is Juilliard's rising star and Adam is LA tabloid fodder, thanks to his new rock star status and celebrity girlfriend. When Adam gets stuck in New York by himself, chance brings the couple together again, for one last night. As they explore the city that has become Mia's home, Adam and Mia revisit the past and open their hearts to the future-and each other.

Told from Adam's point of view in the spare, lyrical prose that defined If I Stay, Where She Went explores the devastation of grief, the promise of new hope, and the flame of rekindled romance.

Watch a Video 


My Thoughts

I just wrote a review of this book on Goodreads. It was so deep and introspective that I had to erase it because it ended up being like a journal entry! I did not necessarily need all of those thoughts in the public arena. That being said, this book made me think a lot.

There sure is a lot of depth in this "young adult" novel. I find it interesting that my young adult self could relate to parts of this book. My "decade past young adult" self can also currently relate to this novel at an entire deeper level. Picking up pieces. Acceptance. Moving on. Forgiveness. 

I think that this book tells two different stories. The first is between Adam and Mia and their ability to overcome and continue their relationship. However, it is also speaking about how two people find themselves. It is both a love story and a personal journey of two separate people. I congratulate Forman for creating a work that has the potential to touch anyone that has been through a life altering change.

I loved this book.

The Fifth of March: A Story of the Boston Massacre

by Ann Rinaldi

My Rating: 4/5 Stars

Goodreads Summary

Rachel Marsh is a servant in the Boston household of John Adams. But her loyalty to the Adams family is tested by her friendship with Matthew Kilroy, a British private who leads his soldiers in firing upon a mob of Boston citizens.

My Review

The Fifth of March: A Story of the Boston Massacre is an excellently researched tale about the Boston Massacre. The main character, Rachel Marsh, was a nursemaid in John Adams' household for his many children. In this novel, she turns from a young teenager with a romanticized version of the world into a young woman with character and sense on her shoulders. She underwent this process by becoming friends with revolutionaries, such as Henry Knox, and British soldiers.

One aspect that I loved about this book was that Rinaldi captured different views people could hold about the situation in 1770's Boston. I loved the metamorphosis of characters' views as they pondered what liberty actually meant. Was it personal liberty? Political liberty? Liberty within a household? Friendship liberties? The definition of liberty was a clear theme throughout the book.

I also loved the views that she gave the soldiers in the novel. It shed some light on other feelings and viewpoints I had not yet considered. For example, the redcoats believed that they were supposed to be viewed as noble heroes because they were protecting their country. That was why a few had signed to be a party of the British army. In Boston they were not treated as such, and it turned out to be a grievous disappointment.

There were also some historical tidbits that I learned from reading the novel. I have a better understanding of how the relationship between the cousins of John and Sam Adams was characterized. I learned small facts about Abigail Adams' family, such as her grandfather was the found of a New England province. I also learned a touch more about Adams' defense of the soldiers after the Boston Massacre. Rinaldi picked out certain aspects and quotations to use that were appropriate and enlightening.

Overall, I would recommend this book to any American. It helps to illustrate the principles of what our country was founded upon. It also is an entertaining tale about how a girl becomes an educated woman. After putting the book down, I find myself yearning to find out what happens to Rebecca Marsh.

If I Stay

by Gayle Forman

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Goodreads Synopsis: 

In the blink of an eye everything changes. Seventeen ­year-old Mia has no memory of the accident; she can only recall what happened afterwards, watching her own damaged body being taken from the wreck. Little by little she struggles to put together the pieces- to figure out what she has lost, what she has left, and the very difficult choice she must make. Heartwrenchingly beautiful, Mia's story will stay with you for a long, long time.

My Thoughts:

This story is about a teenage girl, Mia, who is on the cusp of womanhood and looses her family in a car accident. She is trying to decide if she should stay... meaning choose to live or choose to die. There is a book reviewer who calls the book, "achingly beautiful." I agree 100%.

I love how Forman created the cello as an instrument the central focus of her likes in life. I feel connected to the cello after reading this book... even though I play piano and not the cello. It made me put in a Yo-Yo Ma CD after reading a few portions.

It pained me to read what happened to Mia's family. I want them to be my family, too. Even though there were only snippets of these other characters, their development was detailed and developed in a succinct manner. It was hard for me to read certain parts concerning the family. I felt like I had to plow through some of the scenes so I didn't get too sad.

Overall, I would recommend this book to a stable young adult with a well-developed maturity. Younger or unstable readers may be shaken by this story.

Faith of the Fallen

Faith of the Fallen (The Sword of Truth, Book Six)
By Terry Goodkind
My Rating: 4/5 stars

Goodreads Review:

Fantasy series fans may argue over the relative merits of Terry Goodkind's Sword of Truth, George R.R. Martin's Song of Ice and Fire, and Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time, but in a world of middle books that go nowhere and endless waits between episodes, Goodkind is certainly still serving up some of the best fantasy on today's menu.
The Seeker of Truth and his Mother Confessor sweetie are both looking a little worse for the wear after their chime-hunt in Soul of the Fire. To top that off, Lord Rahl finds himself a reluctant prophet with the vision that their cause, the fight for freedom against the Imperial Order, is essentially sunk. (Chalk that up to part of the Wizard's First Rule: people really are stupid.) The two lovers soon find themselves separated, Richard off to the Old World thanks to treacherous Sister of the Dark Nicci, and Kahlan left behind, forced to betray Richard and his prophecy by raising an army to fend off the approaching armies of Emperor Jagang.

Whether it's fair or not, Goodkind will likely get beaten up a bit for visiting the trough once too often, à la Jordan. But fear not: Faith of the Fallen does progress at a good clip, and its conclusion--while by no means a final payout--should satisfy. --Paul Hughes

My Thoughts:

I had read the first five books of this series back to back last summer. I really did not think I was going to read them any more. However, I had this one left on my shelf and I had made this decision to "get rid of it." Faith of the Fallen was a break in the monotonous politics of the Sisters of the Light/Dark. Although they were still present, this story line centered on taking your own life into control.

It was also an interesting read considering it is right before a major political election. There was so much abstract theory on how a government should control people and how people create a government. 

Here is a pretty straight forward example taken from p. 541:

"My wife isn't getting enough to eat. The workers group assesses most of my wages, since I am able to produce, and gives it to those who don't work. Because I can work, I've become a slave to those who can't, or who don't wish to. Their methods encourage people to find an excuse to let others take care of them."


Welfare in the county where I live much? ...

A Breath of Snow and Ashes
by Diana Gabaldon
My Rating: 5/5 


Summary from Goodreads: Eagerly anticipated by her legions of fans, this sixth novel in Diana Gabaldon’s bestselling Outlander saga is a masterpiece of historical fiction from one of the most popular authors of our time.


Since the initial publication of Outlander fifteen years ago, Diana Gabaldon’s New York Times bestselling saga has won the hearts of readers the world over — and sold more than twelve million books. Now, A Breath of Snow and Ashes continues the extraordinary story of 18th-century Scotsman Jamie Fraser and his 20th-century wife, Claire.


The year is 1772, and on the eve of the American Revolution, the long fuse of rebellion has already been lit. Men lie dead in the streets of Boston, and in the backwoods of North Carolina, isolated cabins burn in the forest.


With chaos brewing, the governor calls upon Jamie Fraser to unite the backcountry and safeguard the colony for King and Crown. But from his wife Jamie knows that three years hence the shot heard round the world will be fired, and the result will be independence — with those loyal to the King either dead or in exile. And there is also the matter of a tiny clipping from The Wilmington Gazette, dated 1776, which reports Jamie’s death, along with his kin. For once, he hopes, his time-traveling family may be wrong about the future.


My Review from Goodreads: Tragedy. Comedy. Revolution. Hidden Treasure. Slavery. Mystery. Prison. Sickness. Adultery. Lies. Kidnapping. Sex. Birth. Time Travel. Marriage. Escape. All of the above is glued together with the strength of love and faith, and that is just the plot.


Never have I read a series that is more complete. A Breath of Snow and Ashes is perhaps my favorite book in the series aside from the first. Gabaldon answers a lot of questions that I had about situations in this series, and also opens new doors.


Aside from the plot, Gabaldon infuses her exciting story line with so much factual historical information. She has so much information written within her text that it could suffice as a textbook if you knew what to separate from the fictionalized plot. She also writes all of this factual information without being boring, and sometimes I even overlook it and forget it is there. 


Gabaldon has woven the information within her text and fused it to her story line. She has recreated the historical era for her text and touches on essential historical environments. The text touches upon historical views on different religions, economics, cultural traditions, medicine, family structures, and gender relations. It does not stop there. She has built a platform for the role of linguistics and the environmental aspects of plants, animals, and geography, too. The fact that I am an early American History teacher and archaeologist and can learn information collected from these different disciplines through her book thrills me. It is clearly evident that even though she has a Ph.D. in ecology, she has done a great amount of research outside of the discipline. 


I am also in love with her characters. I feel that I know each of the the main characters personally. There is something that I can identify with in each and every one. I have developed a strong relationship to them and their story makes all 980 pages worth reading. 


I recommend this story to anyone who loves historical fiction. However, I caution that it is not a quick read. To get the most out of this series, reading it is a commitment. Skimming these books would be doing it an injustice. Read and savor slowly, my friends.

Call Me Irresistible Book Review

Call Me Irresistible (Wynette Texas #6) by Susan Elizabeth Phillips
My Rating: 4/5


Goodreads Summary: R.S.V.P. to the most riotous wedding of the year . . . 


Lucy Jorik is the daughter of a former president of the United States. 


Meg Koranda is the offspring of legends. 


One of them is about to marry Mr. Irresistible—Ted Beaudine—the favorite son of Wynette, Texas. The other is not happy about it and is determined to save her friend from a mess of heartache. 


But even though Meg knows that breaking up her best friend's wedding is the right thing to do, no one else seems to agree. Faster than Lucy can say "I don't," Meg becomes the most hated woman in town—a town she's stuck in with a dead car, an empty wallet, and a very angry bridegroom. Broke, stranded, and without her famous parents at her back, Meg is sure she can survive on her own wits. What's the worst that can happen? Lose her heart to the one and only Mr. Irresistible? Not likely. Not likely at all.


My Thoughts: This was the first book that I have read by Phillips. I picked it up in the Barnes and Noble discount section for about five dollars. I put it on my "cheap getaway" shelf for two reasons: 1. It was cheap (go figure). 2. It's a "getaway" from in depth literature (aka an easy read). I have been reading some things that really required me to concentrate and focus, so this book was intended to give me a break before I delve into my next 900 pager this summer.

I liked the continuity of this book. The plot was far-fetched and ridiculous, but I did not seem to mind it. Every time Phillips added a new twist or dimension to the story, it flowed very well. It reminded me of reading a Sophie Kinsella/ Madeleine Wickham. Although I could not really relate to the characters, it was still fun to watch. 

I did not realize when I picked it up that it was actually #6 in a series. At first I dreaded picking it up in the middle. However, as I read I realized it was a series on the town. It was not essential that I read the first five to get anything out of it. I think it is very telling about the series that I am now interested in picking up some of the earlier ones I have missed.

A Grown-Up Kind of Pretty book review

A Grown-Up Kind of Pretty by Joshilyn Jackson
My rating: 2/5 stars

Goodreads Summary: A GROWN-UP KIND OF PRETTY is a powerful saga of three generations of women, plagued by hardships and torn by a devastating secret, yet inextricably joined by the bonds of family. Fifteen-year-old Mosey Slocumb-spirited, sassy, and on the cusp of womanhood-is shaken when a small grave is unearthed in the backyard, and determined to figure out why it's there. Liza, her stroke-ravaged mother, is haunted by choices she made as a teenager. But it is Jenny, Mosey's strong and big-hearted grandmother, whose maternal love braids together the strands of the women's shared past--and who will stop at nothing to defend their future.


My Thoughts: I was a little disappointed with this novel. The idea of three generations and a huge secret totally enthralled me. As I read it though, it just did not sing. I spent the first forty pages figuring out who the characters were within the generations. "Big"... who was Big? Grandma? Ma? I might have missed a clue somewhere and did not figure it out until well into the book. Then, the time period switched a lot from the present to the past and was not always clear cut. For someone who was not always really into the book, this was rather difficult to surmise until after the first few paragraphs.


Overall, I felt that the plot was more of a white trash soap opera than a touching story, and the cover is not indicative of anything about the book. 

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Slayer

The neatest thing about this book was that I got my husband into it. He is very much into the zombie/ vampire/ monster slaying thing. In addition to this propensity for violence, he also is educated. So when I told him that there was a bit about Sir Walter Raleigh in the book, he said, "Well, I guess that's why there was a lost colony. He ate them." Ha! Please read on. 


Summary from Goodreads
Abraham Lincoln was just a boy when he learned that his mother's untimely death was actually the work of a vampire. From then on, he vowed to devote his intelligence, strength--and skill with an ax--to the elimination of the soulless creatures. It was a path of vengeance that would lead him all the way to the White House.


No one ever knew about Lincoln's valiant struggle against the undead... until author Seth Grahame-Smith laid eyes on Abe's secret journal--the first living person to do so in over 140 years. Putting a supernatural spin on revisionist history, Seth has reconstructed Lincoln's true life story--while revealing the role vampires played in the birth, growth and near-death of our nation.

My Review from Goodreads:

I picked up Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter so I could read it before watching the movie when it comes out. Having a fantasy and historical fiction love, I thought that this would be a funny and quick read. It was funny,yes... but not quick! This story intertwines humor, creativity, historical facts, and allegorical political commentary. WOW! It was a handful.

One of my favorite aspects of the novel was the journal entries. Written as though they were in the time period, I recognized historical events, lifestyles, and facts inside the pages. Seth Grahame-Smith stayed true to so much information about Lincoln's life. Other than the fact that vampires exist, the story coincided with the majority of the events and characteristics of his lifetime. 

I had a difficult time rating this novel because I have a deep appreciation of the historical facts blended with the creativity. However, it was slow getting through it. 4 stars is a blend of these two aspects.

My favorite quote in a book that I have read so far this year also occurred in this book. Lincoln arrives in Washington D.C. for the first time. He said it was "a few brilliant beacons in a fog of fools."

So true. So true.

One Day by David Nicholls Review

Summary: It’s 1988 and Dexter Mayhew and Emma Morley have only just met. But after only one day together, they cannot stop thinking about one another. Over twenty years, snapshots of that relationship are revealed on the same day—July 15th—of each year. Dex and Em face squabbles and fights, hopes and missed opportunities, laughter and tears. And as the true meaning of this one crucial day is revealed, they must come to grips with the nature of love and life itself.




My Thoughts in a Letter to David Nicholls 
I love your book. I hate your book. I saw myself in the characters. I saw other people in the characters. At times I wanted to hug the characters because I loved them so much. Other times, I wanted to beat their heads against the wall. It reminded me of parts of my past and made me fear my future. And then I pulled myself together. I will never pick it up again, but am happy that I read it... I think. 

From,
Sara, a distressed reader

... must see the movie next.

Eighth Grade Bites (Chronicles of Vladimir Tod, #1)

As a sixth grade teacher, I observe a lot of my students reading this particular series. I read it because I wanted to check it out. First off, I did not have a high expectation after having read other paranormal teenage books. However, it actually suprised me pleasantly.

What I liked about this story was that it had a lot of emotional depth revolving around Vlad's dead parents and his love for his aunt. The story also has a lot of intrigue and suspense. It introduces characters and snipets of Vampire culture, without fully explaining them. I found that I wanted to keep reading in order to find out what certain symbols mean... and why Otis Otis always wore a top hat (and yes, his first and last name is Otis). What I especially liked about the story was that it was intriguing and age appropriate. There is no intense sexual innuendo or desperately painful and over done teenage drama. 

Favorite Quotes:

"Because teachers, no matter how kind, no matter how friendly, are sadistic and evil to the core." (p.53)

"People fear what they can't understand and harm what they fear." (p. 114)(

The Lost Wife, by Alyson Richmon

This bittersweet story is takes place during the Holocaust, where two young lovers are torn apart because they are Jewish. It is a story of young romance, loss, and profound emotional horror. It was one of those stories where I was so attached to the characters and did not want to read another page because of the horror of what was happening to them; yet I was so addicted to this book that I could not put it down.

The story begins at the end, and as it progresses, the chapters jump around on the timeline. They alternate between the points of view of Josef and Lenka, the two main characters. At times, I thought it was creative, but sometimes difficult to jump between events in the chronology.
Richman does a fantastic job using language and romanticizing certain themes throughout the book. One theme that I enjoyed most and could identify with was the concept of young love. The characters wonder if it was a fantasy and wanted to keep it to themselves, like only they were invited to a secret world to be happy and safe. As the plot progresses this concept fades away into loneliness and loss. However, Richman still finds a way to beautify this concept. At points throughout the story, Josef explains the visions of people he has. He says when you dream, love ones come to visit, but the horrors come when you are awake. Richman found a way to make a situation so foreign to the reader seem familiar so they can identify with it.

The only disappointment that I found with this book was the ending. I believe that it stops at a crucial point in the story and I long to know what happens to them afterwards.

Favorite Quotes:

"A different Lenka was emerging, one that existed as two halves- one half wanted to feel alive, to feel happy, to saturate myself in the feelings of first love- but the other half was full of dread." (p. 78)  

"She always told us there were two types of women. Those who are lit from the outside and those who are lit from within. The first needs the shimmer of a diamond to make her sparkle, but for the other, her beauty is iluminated through the sheer light of her soul." (p. 37)

"I love my children like a tiger. I love my wife like a lamb." (p. 69)

Night by Elie Wiesel

Elie Wiesel came to my high school, probably around the year 1998. After listening to his speech with us, I made a silent vow to myself to read Night. It took me near fifteen years to work up the courage to read it. I feel that reviewing this memoir would be a disservice. Instead, all I would like to say is that this book made me thankful for all things, even the mundance, it made me cry, and it made me wish I had the courage to write something so profound... and thankful that I don't have anything as profound to write about.