Book Review: A Table by the Window

Katie May 26, 2014 0 Comments

A Table By The Window is about Juliette who is a food writer at a local newspaper. Her entire family is in the restaurant business and she tried culinary school but couldn’t cut it.  When her brother says he is looking to open a new restaurant and asks for her help in getting it up and running.  She is hesitant because the last time they worked together she ended up dating the sous chef and when they broke up he left town. Soon after the restaurant had to close.  Except that she kept her relationship a secret so her brother has no idea.

Juliette seems to be getting all sorts of things piled on her plate (no pun intended?).  After telling a co-worker what to make for a party, her editor wants her to do a new column about planning menus for parties.  When that becomes a hit, she wants her to be on TV as well.  Juliette doesn’t want to be on TV but figures she will do it just this once.  Of course, once turns into twice.  Then of course she has the decision about her brother’s restaurant to make.  Should she help him out? It may mean needing to leave her job at the paper.  Her grandmother has just died as well and she is having trouble sleeping after her death.  And to top it off – even though she thought she deleted her online dating profile, she gets a message from a doctor in Memphis. (Juliette is in Portland!)

There really is so much going on in this book you can’t help to feel a bit overwhelmed – like Juliette – but she does a great job of dealing with everything – including her nosy French/Italian family.  Oh wait – I didn’t mention the family secret she may have discovered too!  When going through a cook book of her grandmother’s while gearing up to write a column at the paper about her, she finds a photo inside.  It’s not her grandfather, but the man looks an awful lot like her brother Nico.  Is he a relative? Who is he?

A Table By The Window is the first book in a series – which became painfully evident when I got near the end and not all of these loose ends with Juliette were tied up.  I felt like the book had a good ending – but I am dying to see what happens with the family secret and her maybe long-term relationship with Dr. Neil.

Included throughout the book are a bunch of recipes that go along with the food that is mentioned in the story.

Certainly a great read. Looking forward to reading “A Table for Two” to find out what happens!

I received this book for free from Blogging for Books for this review. I was not otherwise compensated. All opinions are my own.

About the Book

Heirloom recipes, family secrets…and a chance for love
 
The youngest heir to a French-Italian restaurant dynasty, food writer Juliette D’Alisa has spent her life negotiating her skill with words and her restaurant aspirations. When her brother Nico offers her a chance to open a restaurant together, she feels torn—does she really have what it takes? Should she risk leaving her journalism career?

After the death of her grandmother, Juliette discovers an antique photograph of a man who looks strikingly like her brother. As the truth behind the picture reveals romance and dark secrets, Juliette struggles to keep the mystery away from her nosy family until she can uncover the whole story.

Inspired by her grandmother’s evolving story, Juliette resolves to explore the world of online dating. To her surprise, she finds a kindred spirit in Neil McLaren, a handsome immunologist based in Memphis, Tennessee. With a long-distance relationship simmering, Juliette faces life-shifting decisions. How can she possibly choose between a promising culinary life and Neil, a man a world away in more ways than one? And is it possible her Grandmother’s story can help show the way? – See more at: http://waterbrookmultnomah.com/catalog.php?isbn=9780307731753#sthash.wOYd4nCv.dpuf

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Book Review: Never Google Heartbreak

Katie May 23, 2014 0 Comments

Never Google Heartbreak falls into the category of “Chick Lit”, which I guess is something I enjoy, but even if not, I sure did enjoy this book.  The book begins with us learning about Viv’s relationship with Rob.  It started off looking like it was going to be a whirlwind romance.  He proposed 3 months after she slept with him.  They stayed together for 5 years with Rob calling off the wedding THREE times.  Finally she has had enough and moves out.  She expects that he will come back to her, but when he doesn’t she starts to try and deal with it and move on.  And move on she does – with her best friend Max.

Each chapter starts off with content that would be on a website about relationships – quizzes, checklists, talking with others about relationships, etc.  After Viv realizes that it may be Max that she is in love with – who should decide to come back? Of course, Rob. (Even though the two had met up at a wedding earlier and Rob was engaged to someone else!)  Then Max ends up disappearing and Viv goes on an quest by posting a blog to him every day to try and get him back.  She ends up printing up T-Shirts, going on the radio and getting thousands of “fans” on Facebook who are rooting for her to find Max.

But how does the story end? With Heartbreak yet again?  You’ll just have to read Never Google Heartbreak to find out!

A quick an easy read that you won’t want to put down because you’ll want to know what happens with Viv and her love life.  Things get so confusing and messed up but you can’t help but root for Viv and maybe even relate to her a bit as well.

I received a free e-copy of this book in order to write this review. I was not otherwise compensated.

About the Book

Never has heartbreak been so amusing… a refreshingly honest, achingly funny read for fans of Sophie Kinsella, Helen Fielding and Paige Toon.

When Viv’s ex-fiancé, Rob, proposed to her three months after she slept with him she thought it was one of those whirlwind romances you read about in magazines. Five years later, after Rob calling off the wedding for the third time, she has finally moved out.

As Viv passes through the three essential stages of grief (denial, vodka, disastrous haircut), she becomes determined that it’s not too late to try and get Rob back. One drunken declaration of love at an extremely inappropriate moment later, and Viv’s scruffy, tequila-swilling best friend Max is there to pick up the pieces.

Just when Viv’s starting to realise that maybe the real thing has been under her nose all along, she makes what might be the biggest mistake of her life…

Can love sneak up on us unexpected? What’s the answer to heartbreak? And what’s a girl to do when even the Internet doesn’t have the answer?

Book Review: Unbridled: A Memoir

Katie May 23, 2014 0 Comments

Unbridled is a memoir by Barbara McNally.  While it may have appeared that Barbara had it all, she strayed and next think was divorcing from her husband.  She ends up taking a few trips to try and find herself – first to Ireland where her luggage gets lost for the beginning of her trip and then to a nude resort in Jamaica.  I’m not sure if Barbara even knew exactly what she was looking for when she went on these trips, but I think she ended up finding out more about herself than she knew she would.

I enjoyed this book and the story of Barbara and her travels.  Her description of the places she was on her travels were great – it almost felt like I was in back in Jamaica again. It did take me a while to get into the book initially, but once we got to about mid-way through her Ireland trip, things seemed to click and it was smooth sailing from then on.

I received a free copy of this book in order to write this review. I was not otherwise compensated.

About the Book

Everyone believed Barbara was living the American Dream. She married her college sweetheart, sustained him on his rise to success, and seemed to have the perfect marriage, the perfect family, the perfect home. But when she strayed and her matrimonial cookie crumbled, Barbara realized that to be more than a just a wife… she’d have to get a life.

Following the lead of her adventurous late grandmother, she set off to overcome her fears and find her independence. While exploring Ireland, the land of her ancestors, she danced with horsemen and communed with priestesses.

Somewhere along the way, she discovered parts of herself that had been missing from her life. Something she’d longed for without knowing it. She tasted freedom and wanted more

Book Review: Screaming Divas

Katie May 23, 2014 0 Comments

When I first started reading this book, I had my doubts.  Two chapters in and I was ready to call it quits.  I knew that the book had 4 girls who ended up in a band, and after 2 chapters I had met 2 of them. I figured that the next 2 chapters would be me meeting the other 2 so I decided to meet all 4 characters – Trudy, Cassie, Harumi and Esther and go from there.

I am glad that I did end up picking the book back up after the first two chapters.  While the intros to the characters were a bit drawn out, it was needed for the reader to really get to know them.

Once all 4 of their lives intertwined and they formed the band I was hooked.  It was an emotional roller coaster ride, as I’m sure any group of 4 girls are.  The 4 became their own family, as some of the girls really had no real family to turn to. Even though they all are a bit different and at different places in their lives, they all had that common bond in the band.

I have to say, even though I think I knew it was coming, I was a bit shocked with what had happened at the end. (I won’t say too much in case you want to read the book!)  I thought that this book was well written and by the end you felt like you knew these girls and they were your sisters too. Very glad that I didn’t go with my first instinct and stuck the book out.  (Very rarely do I end up not picking a book back up, anyway!)

I received a free e-copy of this book in order to write this review. I was not otherwise compensated.

About the Book

Screaming Divas takes four talented girls through the dizzy, dangerous world of rock music, where their friendship breaks up and makes up amid the temptations and triumphs of love, rivalry, success, and rejection. They couldn’t be more different from each other, but all of them are talented musicians. Trudy, Cassie, Harumi, and Esther form Screaming Divas, a rock band that unites the girls in sisterhood, even as their relationships, differences, and desires threaten to tear them apart. A measure of early success is about to change their lives. But what comes next? Is the tradeoff for the dream worth the price the girls will have to pay, and what might happen to them as a result?

About the Author
Back in the day, Suzanne Kamata spent a lot of time hanging out in a club in Columbia, South Carolina, much like the one in Screaming Divas. (The beat goes on . . .) She later wrote about musicians for The State newspaper, The Japan Times, and other publications. Now, she mostly writes novels. In her free time, she enjoys searching for the perfect fake fur leopard-print coat and listening to the Japanese all-girl band Chatmonchy.

Book Review: Crazy, Stupid Sex

Katie May 23, 2014 0 Comments

As you can probably tell, I am totally in love with these Cosmo Harlequin Red Hot Reads. I was drawn to this story because the main character decides to program and app to try and land a guy. Considering I will be starting up some new programming classes and am teaching myself all sorts of new things to better my skills, I figured I might have a bit in common with her.

Evie James is programming the app for Flirt magazine and decides to go to the bar to try it out.  After striking out several times, one of the guys in the bar who had been watching her approaches her. Caleb is all about one night stands and after he brings her home and proves that the app does work – he can’t get him off of her mind.

He ends up figuring out a way to get closer to Evie and tries to get her to go out with him again.  When it seems like things are going well and he lets her stay the night – he ends up throwing her out the next morning. Evie is hurt but realizes that Caleb is doing this for deeper reasons.

Can she find out what it is that is bothering Caleb and help him get through it to be with her?

The main reason I love these books is because they are so short and get right to the point – if you know what I mean. They are quick and easy to read and have a lot of action. But these are definitely for more mature readers.

I received a free e-copy of this book in order to write this review. I was not otherwise compensated.

About the Book

How to Land the Hot Guy 1.0

A multimillionaire by the age of 27, app developer Evie James is clueless when it comes to hooking up. So she does what any self-respecting geek-girl looking to get laid would do: she programs her own app for landing a hot guy. After a few failed attempts at making contact, beta testing leads her to Caleb Anderson.

Caleb is used to female attention, but finds himself attracted to Evie because of her unique brand of awkward. A master of one-night stands, he’s more than happy to show her what she’s been missing in the bedroom. But he quickly discovers that one night with a woman like Evie will never be enough for him…

Book Review: Felting

Katie May 18, 2014 0 Comments

As you may know, starting this month I started my “Try it Tuesday” which sometimes will involve some sort of crafty new project I am trying to do.  One of the projects I bought was needle felting.  I’m not sure how I am liking it so far, but I am hoping that I’ll eventually finish a project that you’ll end up seeing some day.  When I saw that there was a book on Felting I figured I should check it out because maybe it would give me some tips.  The instructions I got with my kit are less than stellar and even the youtube tutorials I’ve been watching haven’t really explained things.  This book offers insight on the great range of possibilities that felt has to offer – and that is exactly what I am looking for.

The book contains a lot of photos which is always appreciated.  Some of the photos show the history of felt while others show techniques – and yes, needle felting is featured as a “dry felting” technique in chapter 3! I think my main problem is that I took on a project perhaps to big for a first project and you need patience.  The tutorial was similar to that of which I have found on Youtube – they made a cool green cactus (I’m currently trying to make a monkey).  In addition to dry felting techniques the book also talks about wet felting techniques which for my project is not going to work, but there are other projects where wet would be more suitable over dry.

There are certainly a lot more project ideas in this book than I ever imagined, so maybe there will be some more felting in a Try It Tuesday post in the future as well.  Although, maybe I should stick to trying to needle felt this monkey first and then go from there… too many half finished projects going on already!

About the Book

Basic felt techniques are thoroughly explained and illustrated with over 550 step-by-step photographs. Twenty-eight original projects presented use both industrial felt and felted wool. As a fabric, felt comes from wool and is set apart from other woolen fabrics in that it is not woven. This book explains in simple, easily followed, illustrated instructions the techniques for making felt from wool and working with it, both wet and dry, to create felt flowers, balls, and cords,how to use felting with molds, and more. Projects for children, home decoration, and clothing accessories are all provided, including finger puppets, table runners, sunflower bowls, rings, and purses. Enjoy these techniques, originally discovered thousands of years ago by Asian nomadic tribes and passed down from generation to generation. In the modern day, there are artisans in every corner of the world who work with felt in art. This extensive book is complemented by a gallery of work by international felt artists, showing variations that will inspire the imagination.

Book Review: Subway Love

Katie May 16, 2014 0 Comments

Subway Love is a young adult love story.  The two main characters are Jonas and Laura.  Jonas is a budding photographer and carries his film camera around with him just about everywhere.  When he spots a girl on the other side of the subway platform he takes her photo and then can’t stop thinking of her.  He ends up showing up at the subway station over and over in hopes of finding her  again.  When they finally meet, he gets her Dad’s number from her – she doesn’t have a cell phone and she seems a bit confused as to what Facebook was.  At first I wasn’t sure what year the book was set in – but Jonas seems to be all about technology (despite the film camera) and Facebook and emails, etc.  Laura doesn’t seem to have a clue as to what he is talking about and even if she wasn’t allowed to have such things she should at least know what they are, right?  Well, if you check the book out you’ll figure out just why Laura is clueless.

When I finished the book, I wasn’t sure quite what to make of it.  It was a nice love story, different, but still an enjoyable one to read about with characters that you were rooting for (for the most part.  Laura’s mom’s boyfriend Bruce we could all probably do without – but he is also an important piece to the story at the same time, even if he is an ass.)  This book should have been a quick read but it took me 2 days to get into the first 1/4 of the book.  Once things got moving though I read the next 1/2 in an evening and only stopped because I fell asleep.  The last 1/4 I finished quickly the next morning to see how things would wrap up.

I also liked the concept of soul mates or “beshert” as explained in the book.  It basically says that when you are born the trauma of birth makes you forget everything you knew about your soul mate but then you spend your life looking for them and once you find them, you know it is them.

I received a free e-copy of this book in order to write this review. I was not otherwise compensated.

About the Book

What if destiny leads you to your soul mate, but the laws of time conspire to keep you apart? 

If her parents had never divorced, Laura wouldn’t have to live in the shadow of Bruce, her mom’s unpredictable boyfriend. Her mom wouldn’t say things like “Be groovy,” and Laura wouldn’t panic every weekend on the way to Dad’s Manhattan apartment. But when Laura spots a boy on a facing platform, lifting a camera to his face, looking right at her, Laura feels anything but afraid, and she can’t forget him. Jonas, meanwhile, thinks nonstop about the pretty hippie girl he glimpsed on the platform — trying to comprehend how she vanished, but mostly wondering whether he will see her again in a city of millions — and whether if he searches, he would have any chance of finding her. In a lyrical meditation on love, Nora Raleigh Baskin explores the soul’s ability to connect, and heal, outside the bounds of time and reason.

Book Review: Song of the Sound

Katie May 16, 2014 0 Comments

Song of the Sound tells the story of Libby and Bree – a mother and daughter, who end up moving from France to New Zealand.  Libby is an expert on dolphin communication and so because of her job the two travel a lot.  Bree is about to be thirteen and Libby is a single mom.  One of the other major players in the story is John-Cody Gibbs. John-Cody is living in New Zealand and having trouble letting go and properly grieving the death of his wife, Mahina.

The book is a bit on the long side, almost 400 pages and I felt like it dragged the story on a bit in parts, there were several flashbacks and while I guess they helped round out the story, I could have done without them.  A couple of times I was just reading along and was just waiting for romance (Libby and John-Cody HAVE to both like each other – why is neither acting on it?!) or some action.  I am happy to report that I got both of my wishes by the end of the book, but I won’t expand upon it too much more.

Overall, I enjoyed the story and I absolutely of course loved that it had some dolphins in the mix, I just wished it was a bit shorter because I felt like it took me forever to read.  (Which in my world is about 4 different reading sessions .)  There were a couple of times when I thought I would put the book down and never pick it up again – but I am very happy that I stuck it out and didn’t listen with my gut, so to speak.

I received a free e-copy of this book in order to write this review. I was not otherwise compensated.

About the Book

Love blossoms in one of the world’s most pristine—and tragic—locations

Libby Bass works as an expert in whale and dolphin communication in the coastal waters surrounding the Milford Sound in New Zealand, known to be one of the most beautiful places in the world. It’s the ideal situation for Libby: She can practice what she loves while her daughter grows up in one of the lushest locations imaginable.

When Libby meets the haunted and handsome John-Cody Gibbs, she’s taken aback by his inherent understanding of the natural world. But despite his picturesque surroundings, John-Cody is trapped by his depression over the death of his wife, Mahina. As he and Libby grow closer, a long-buried secret from John-Cody’s past resurfaces and threatens to tear them apart forever.

Book Review: The Dylanologists

Katie May 16, 2014 0 Comments

I found the book The Dylanologists to be very interesting.  A lot of the “obsessive” Bob Dylan followers reminded me a lot of some of the Hanson fans. And yes, I’ll admit it, there are a couple in the book that remind me a bit of myself. (Though I’m not sure I’d call myself “obsessive”, I’m sure there are others that would!)  It is always nice to see that this love of music brings everyone together – no matter who the artist.  There was one woman who was talking about camping out for front row for Dylan shows and honestly everything she was saying I have heard other Hanson fans say or have heard myself.  Sam shit, different band.

It was also interesting on how this book told the story of Bob Dylan and his career, but moreso from the fan’s perspective.  How the fans are looking for unreleased recordings or collect really obscure things that have some sort of a connection to Dylan.  The other interesting part is how Dylan doesn’t really want to be known – the book starts out with a fan saying to him “You don’t know who I am, but I know who you are” and Dylan responded “Let’s keep it that way.”  The more Dylan tried to be unfound the more it seemed his fans wanted to find him.

This was certainly an interesting approach to a book but one that I am very glad that I read as I found it to be quite fascinating.

I received a free e-copy of this book in order to write this review. I was not otherwise compensated.

About the Book

Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist David Kinney enters into the world of obsessive Bob Dylan followers (aka the “Dylanologists”) to deliver an immersive work on the artist’s singular impact on American culture.

Bob Dylan was the most influential songwriter of his time. Half a century later, he continues to be a touchstone, a fascination, and an enigma. From the very beginning, he attracted an intensely fanatical cult following, and inThe Dylanologists, Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist David Kinney ventures deep into this eccentric subculture to answer the question: What can Dylan’s grip on his most enthusiastic listeners tell us about his towering place in American culture?

In exuberant prose, Kinney introduces us to a vibrant underground: diggers searching for unheard tapes and lost manuscripts, researchers obsessing over the facts of Dylan’s life and career, writers working to decode the unyieldingly mysterious songs, collectors snapping up prized artifacts for posterity, travelers caravanning from concert to concert. It’s an affectionate mania, but as far as Dylan is concerned, a mania nonetheless. Over the years, he has been frightened, annoyed, and perplexed by fans who try to peel back his layers. Intensely private and fiercely combative, Dylan makes one thing plain: He does not wish to be known.

Intelligent, entertaining, and insightful, The Dylanologists is a richly detailed work of narrative journalism in the tradition of Confederates in the Attic and an absorbing story about the tension between zealous fans and their beloved idol.

Book Review: Nailed

Katie May 16, 2014 0 Comments

Nailed is another one of my favorite COSMO Red-Hot Reads.  This book is just shy of 100 pages and seems to pack a whole heck of a lot of story into those few pages.  The book follows Sophia Holbrook, who has gotten a job hosting a new TV show on a design / home improvement network.  She is going to be renovating and decorating a building – a building where she and her mother lived when she was growing up to help them get back on her feet.  Because of this connection, Sophia really wants to do a wonderful job and won’t let anyone doubting her get in the way of that.  Her co-host is a hot contractor named Fynn and their chemistry seems to be heating up – both on screen and off.

At first things are a little awkward because Sophia isn’t sure if Fynn wants nothing to do with her or not.  Of course, one night when they are the only ones staying late at the renovation site, things heat up and Sophia realizes maybe there is a mutual attraction there after all.  That is, until Fynn seems to be ignoring her the next day. Their relationship is a bit of a rollercoaster ride.

The sub plot is that the renovation budget was done incorrectly and they are now short $50,000!  The producer of the show decides that he will hold a benefit and wants Sophia to tell her story – including about her father.  Sophia wants nothing to do with it.  This was probably the best part of the story (line), though it came at the end.

A quick, cute read, and taking it for what it is, I enjoyed it.

I received a free e-copy in order to write this review. I was not otherwise compensated.

About the Book

Warning: This show contains scenes of sexual tension.

Hosting a new TV show is a fantasy-turned-reality for diva decorator Sophia Holbrook. But concentrating on colour swatches is hard when all she can think of is her studly co-host, contractor Fynn Babineau. These two may clash over blueprints and budgets on-screen, but with the lust palpable between them, rumour has it they have been putting more than just their heads together behind the scenes….

What secrets will the cameras expose? Tune in tonight to find out.

Viewer discretion advised. Mature audiences only.