Review: Life Sentences by Laura Lippman

Book Info:

Life Sentences by Laura Lippman

Hardcover: 352 pages
Publisher: William Morrow (March 10, 2009)
ISBN: 0061128899

Genre: Mystery/Thriller, Contemporary Fiction

Source: TLC Tours

Rating: 3/5 stars

Author Cassandra Fallows has achieved remarkable success by baring her life on the page. Her two widely popular memoirs continue to sell briskly, acclaimed for their brutal, unexpurgated candor about friends, family, lovers— -- and herself. But now, after a singularly unsuccessful stab at fiction, Cassandra believes she may have found the story that will enable her triumphant return to nonfiction.

Laura Lippman is an author that I have been meaning to read for quite some time. I've got a few books from her Tess Monaghan series and have heard great things about What the Dead Know. When the opportunity came up to review Life Sentences I jumped at the chance.

I had a hard time keeping the characters straight in the beginning, but I blame this more on being a sleep deprived new mom than on Lippman's writing. My favorite aspect of the book was the the focus on how different people will perceive the same situation.

Callie was a bit of an enigma. She was the character everyone was trying to understand, and yet even by the end of the book she was still a mystery to me. Her actions were explained, but I was expecting something else, something bigger.

I think was expecting a bit more mystery in the book. Lippman seemed to be going for some suspense, without actually turning the book into a 'whodunit' type book. There was a big buildup near the end of the book, but I didn't find that the ending supported all the hype.

I didn't fall in love with Life Sentences, but will still be checking out Lippman's other books, especially What The Dead Know. 3 stars

Review: Tears of Pearl by Tasha Alexander

Book Info:

Tears of Pearl by Tasha Alexander

Hardcover: 320 pages
Publisher: Minotaur Books (September 1, 2009)
ISBN-13: 9780312383701

Genre: Historical Fiction, Historical Mystery

Source: For Review from LibraryThing

Rating:3/5

Looking forward to the joys of connubial bliss, newlyweds Lady Emily and Colin Hargreaves set out toward Turkey for an exotic honeymoon. But on their first night in the city, a harem girl is found murdered -- strangled in the courtyard of the Sultan’s lavish Topkapi Palace. Sir Richard St. Clare, an Englishman who works at the embassy in Constantinople, is present and recognizes the girl as his own daughter who was kidnapped twenty years earlier.

Tears of Pearl is the fourth book in the Lady Emily series. Usually I don't start series in the middle, but this one came for review from LT, and while it looked interesting I didn't feel compelled to read all the books. Tears of Pearl is a historical mystery with a cozy feel. I prefer my mysteries a little more hard core, so I'm glad I didn't start the series at the beginning.

Lady Emily is an amateur sleuth. She is independent and determined, but beyond that, I can't actually say much about her. Maybe if I'd read the series from the beginning I'd know more about her, but even starting the series in the middle I still expect to know a little more about the main character once I've finished a book.

The biggest failing for me in the this book though was that it didn't have the feeling I was looking for. When I read historical fiction I want to be transported to a time and place that I cannot visit, and I never got that feeling with Tears of Pearl. There wasn't anything specific that made this book feel modern, but I had to keep reminding myself that it was set in the 1800's. Maybe it was the fact that the women in the harem were so outspoken that threw off the feeling of the book.

I think this series might be a little better suited to readers who enjoy cozies and historical fiction. It was a decent book, but this is one series I won't be continuing with. 3 stars

The Bottom Line, #5

The Bottom Line is a feature to designed to give quick and dirty reviews of books I've read, but I either don't have the time or the inspiration to write full reviews on them.

Just Take My Heart by Mary Higgins Clark
Hardcover: 336 pages
Publisher: Simon & Schuster (April 7, 2009)
ISBN-13: 9781416570868
Genre: Mystery/Thriller
Source: My Shelves
Rating: 2/5

I first discovered Mary Higgins Clark in middle school and I devoured all of her back list. And while I remember loving her older books, Just Take My Heart didn't measure up. I found the story to be completely predictable and the book as a whole was forgettable.


Good Harbor by Anita Diamant
Paperback: 256 pages
Publisher: Scribner (September 17, 2002)
ISBN-13: 9780743225724
Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Women's Fiction
Source: My Shelves
Rating:3.5/5

I loved Diamant's Red Tent, and while Good Harbor is a very different kind of book I really enjoyed it as well. The characters were vibrant, and while they were older than me, the story of their friendship was one that most women will understand and be drawn to.


Perfection: A Memoir of Betrayal and Renewal by Julie Metz
Hardcover: 352 pages
Publisher: Voice (June 9, 2009)
ISBN-13: 9781401322557
Genre: Non-Fiction
Source: Publisher
Rating: 3/5

I expected to like this book much more than I actually did. I read it this summer while on vacation and maybe it just didn't fit with my mood at the time. Perfection was very well written, and while I sympathized with Metz and understood her need to learn everything she could about her husband's affairs, I just wasn't pulled into the story.

Review: Dragon House by John Shors

Book Info:

Dragon House by John Shors

Paperback: 384 pages

Publisher: NAL Trade (September 1, 2009)

ISBN-13: 9780451227850

Genre: Multicultural Fiction, Contemporary Fiction

Source: For review

Rating: 3/5

Set in modern-day Vietnam, Dragon House tells the tale of Iris and Noah—two Americans who, as a way of healing their own painful pasts, open a center to house and educate Vietnamese street children.

Iris and Noah find themselves reborn in an exotic land filled with corruption and chaos, sacrifice and beauty. Inspired by the street children she meets, Iris walks in the footsteps of her father, a man whom Vietnam both shattered and saved. Meanwhile, Noah slowly rediscovers himself through the eyes of an unexpected companion.

I first heard John Shors name mentioned by other historical fiction lovers at Paperback Swap. They all gave rave reviews to Beneath a Marble Sky and some even named it as their favorite book last year. With these glowing recommendations for Shors I expected to love Dragon House, but I ended up being a little disappointed.

My favorite part of Dragon House was the setting. I love to travel and since I don't get the opportunity much, I have to settle for traveling through my books. Shors love of Vietnam and it's residents comes through loud and clear. The descriptions of the children and their time on the streets rings true.

What didn't work for me quite as well were the characters. I found them to be a little underdeveloped. At the end of the book I really didn't feel like I knew any of them very well. Their actions seemed a little predictable and there wasn't much to set them apart for me. The message of the book, healing through helping others, is a good one, but it also felt a little heavy handed at times.

While I didn't fall in love with Dragon House I am still really looking forward to reading Beneath a Marble Sky. 3 stars

Review: The Associate by John Grisham

Book Info:
The Associate by John Grisham
Hardcover: 384 pages
Publisher: Doubleday (January 27, 2009)
ISBN-13: 978-0385517836
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 3/5

Kyle McAvoy grew up in his father’s small-town law office in York, Pennsylvania. He excelled in college, was elected editor-in-chief of The Yale Law Journal, and his future has limitless potential. But Kyle has a secret, a dark one, an episode from college that he has tried to forget.

The secret, though, falls into the hands of the wrong people, and Kyle is forced to take a job he doesn’t want -- even though it’'s a job most law students can only dream about. Three months after leaving Yale, Kyle becomes an associate at the largest law firm in the world, where, in addition to practicing law, he is expected to lie, steal, and take part in a scheme that could send him to prison, if not get him killed.

I haven't read much Grisham lately. His books are ones that I remember loving when they first came out, but his new stuff hasn't impressed me nearly as much. When The Associate arrived on audio at the library I decided to give it a try.

Was it amazing? No, but it was enjoyable. The story was well paced with lots of action to keep me interested, but it was pretty standard. There wasn't a character I loved, or a twist that had me at the edge of my seat. It was a suspenseful read, but not one that will stay with me.

One thing I do want to mention, if you prefer your endings to be neatly wrapped up with all the questions answered, this one might not be for you. About halfway through disk 6 the story was still going strong. When I noticed the book was 8 disks long, I was a little worried the ending was going to be terribly rushed. It didn't really come across that way, but there were a lot of loose ends. This doesn't bother me, but I think the ending could be a little disappointing to some. 3 stars

Review: Sleep Toward Heaven by Amanda Eyre Ward

Book Info:
Sleep Toward Heaven by Amanda Eyre Ward

Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: Harper Perennial (February 17, 2004)
ISBN-13: 9780060582296
Genre: Contemporary Fiction

Rating: 3/5

In Gatestown, Texas, twenty-nine-year-old Karen Lowens awaits her execution with a host of convicted serial killers on death row. In Manhattan, Dr. Franny Wren, also twenty-nine, tends to a young cancer patient, and resists the urge to run from her fiancé and her carefully crafted life. In Austin, Texas, brassy Celia Mills, a once-vibrant librarian, mourns her murdered husband.

Over the course of the summer, fate pushes these eerily recognizable women together, culminating in a revelation of the possibility of faith, the responsibility of friendship, and the value of life. Sleep Toward Heaven is a luminous story of murder and desire, solitude and grace -- a rare literary page-turner where redemption seems perpetually within arm's reach.

Sleep Toward Heaven is the second book of Ward's that I've read, and while I liked this one better than Forgive Me (review), it fell firmly into the category of good, but not great. It was a fast read, but I just didn't really feel any real connection to any of the characters.

The three connected story lines were an effective way to tell the story, and I liked the shift in perspective. It was easy to feel all the characters drawing together and that helped build suspense. I liked the suspense in the story line. This wasn't a book where I was expecting that element, so I was pleasantly surprised by it.

I really liked the ending to the story. It wrapped things up a little neater than I would normally like, but I thought the ending was fitting. After reading two of Ward's books and feeling just so-so about both of them, I'm starting to think her style just isn't a good fit for me. 3 stars

Review: My Antonia by Willa Cather

Book Info:
My Antonia by Willa Cather
Format: Audio CD
Publisher: Brilliance Audio (June 25, 2005)
ISBN-13: 9781597371391

Widely recognized as Willa Cather's greatest novel, My Ántonia is a soulful and rich portrait of a pioneer woman's simple yet heroic life. The spirited daughter of Bohemian immigrants, Ántonia must adapt to a hard existence on the desolate prairies of the Midwest. Enduring childhood poverty, teenage seduction, and family tragedy, she eventually becomes a wife and mother on a Nebraska farm. A fictional record of how women helped forge the communities that formed a nation, My Ántonia is also a hauntingly eloquent celebration of the strength, courage, and spirit of America's early pioneers.

I think I had to read some Willa Cather in school, but I couldn't tell you which one. If I did, it didn't really stick with me. My Ántonia started out very interesting. I loved the descriptions of the early pioneer life. The primitive houses and the hardships of farming really came alive for me. Near the middle of the book my interest fizzled a little. Once the Burden family moved to town the book didn't hold the same appeal.

I really liked the narrator of this audio version. He had a rich, smooth voice and I loved the Bohemian accents. They really helped bring some of the characters to life.

My Ántonia is a good example of how strong women helped shape the pioneer, but for me, the book lacked focus. It was an enjoyable listen, but it seemed to ramble at times and veer off to give updates of the different characters. It was good, but nothing amazing.

Review: Bloom by Elizabeth Scott

Book Info:
Bloom by Elizabeth Scott

Paperback: 240 pages
Publisher: Simon Pulse (April 24, 2007)
ISBN-13: 9781416926832

Genre: Young Adult

Rating: 4/5

There's a difference between falling and letting go.

Lauren has a good life: decent grades, great friends, and a boyfriend every girl lusts after. So why is she so unhappy?

It takes the arrival of Evan Kirkland for Lauren to figure out the answer: She's been holding back. She's been denying herself a bunch of things (like sex) because staying with her loyal and gorgeous boyfriend, Dave, is the "right" thing to do. After all, who would give up the perfect boyfriend?

But as Dave starts talking more and more about their life together, planning a future Lauren simply can't see herself in -- and as Lauren's craving for Evan, and moreover, who she is with Evan becomes all the more fierce -- Lauren realizes she needs to make a choice...before one is made for her.



I've heard great things about Elizabeth Scott's book Living Dead Girl (which I still haven't read). I was excited to read Bloom because it sounded so different from Living Dead Girl. There were lots of things I liked about Bloom, but I didn't think it was amazing.

Lauren is a completely realistic character, and I can see a lot of me in her. She feels like she has to do the "right" thing whether or not that is what she wants. She is torn, and because of this makes some decisions that I didn't particularly like. While I may not have always liked Lauren actions, they were completely understandable and honest.

Dave, Lauren's boyfriend, is supposed to be the perfect guy. Handsome, popular, perfect...and incredibly boring. I found him to be very flat, one dimensional and completely uninteresting. Apparently his kind perfection just isn't for me. Evan was a much more interesting character as he had a bit of an edge.

I found all of the characters relationships with their parents interesting. Some parents were super involved and others basically non-existent. Bloom also shows that the side of your friends you see at school may not give you a good picture of what goes on at home. Overall, a good book, but nothing amazing. 3 stars

Review: True Colors by Kristin Hannah

Book Info:
True Colors by Kristin Hannah

Hardcover: 400 pages
Publisher: St. Martin's Press (February 3, 2009)
ISBN-13: 9780312364106

Genre: Contemporary Fiction

Rating: 3/5

The Grey sisters have always been close. After their mother’s death, the girls banded together, becoming best friends. Their stern, disapproving father cares less about his children than about his reputation. To Henry Grey, appearances are everything, and years later, he still demands that his daughters reflect his standing in the community.

Winona, the oldest, needs her father’s approval most of all. An overweight bookworm who never felt at home on the sprawling horse ranch that has been in her family for three generations, she knows that she doesn’t have the qualities her father values. But as the best lawyer in town, she’s determined to someday find a way to prove her worth to him.

Aurora, the middle sister, is the family peacemaker. She brokers every dispute and tries to keep them all happy, even as she hides her own secret pain.

Vivi Ann is the undisputed star of the family. A stunningly beautiful dreamer with a heart as big as the ocean in front of her house, she is adored by all who know her. Everything comes easily for Vivi Ann, until a stranger comes to town.

In a matter of moments, everything will change. The Grey sisters will be pitted against one another in ways that none could have imagined. Loyalties will be tested and secrets revealed, and a terrible, shocking crime will shatter both their family and their beloved town.

I loved Kristin Hannah's Firefly Lane (review). I listened to it on audio and fell in love with the characters and the story. I had high expectations for True Colors, and unfortunately, it didn't quite measure up.

I expected to love the characters and was disappointed when I didn't. I found Winona whiny and inflexible at times. She got so caught up in herself that she didn't seem to consider anyone else's feelings. Vivi Ann is the golden girl, the sister who everything goes perfect for. Her perfection at the beginning of the book put me off. I much prefer flawed characters. Aurora, the middle sister was the most interesting, the most real, but she played a minor role and we didn't see too much of her.

As the story went on the characters grew on me a little, but I never loved any of them. Then came the ending of the book...and I didn't like it at all. Everything was wrapped up a little too neatly and conveniently. I also had a hard time believing that Noah, Vivi Ann's son, would be as open and accepting of the changes in his life. While True Colors didn't match up to Firefly Lane I will still be reading more from Kristin Hannah. 3 stars

The Bottom Line, #1

The Bottom Line is a feature to designed to give quick and dirty reviews of books I've read, but I either don't have the time or the inspiration to write full reviews on them.


13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson
Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: HarperTeen (September 26, 2006)
ISBN-13: 9780060541439
Genre: YA
Rating: 3.5/5

I enjoyed this fun finding yourself story. I am insanely jealous of the trip Ginny took in the book, but thought she was a little too rigid in following her aunts instructions. I think she missed out on experiencing the great places she got to go because she was so set on completing the next task. Still a fun book though.


Resistance by Anita Shreve
Paperback: 222 pages
Publisher: Back Bay Books; (January 1, 1997)
ISBN-13: 9780316789844
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Rating: 3/5

I usually really enjoy Shreve's books but this one fell a little flat for me. I found myself more angry than sympathetic with the characters. I also wanted to know more about the Resistance movement and less about the forbidden relationship.



Defending Angels by Mary Stanton
Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: Berkley (December 2, 2008)
ISBN-13: 9780425224984
Genre: Cozy Mystery
Rating: 3.5/5

This book is a complete departure from what I usually read, but I found a fun change of pace. The characters are zany and very entertaining, and this is a great start to a new series. Check back tomorrow for my full review of the second book in the series, Angel's Advocate, and a giveaway!

Review: Breakneck by Erica Spindler

Book Info:
Breakneck by Erica Spindler

Hardcover: 352 pages
Publisher: St. Martin's Press; 1 edition (January 20, 2009)
ISBN-13: 9780312363901

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Rating: 3/5

Hot on the heels of their last case, partners Mary Catherine (M.C.) Riggio and Kitt Lundgren, detectives in the police department's Violent Crimes Bureau in industrial, blue-collar Rockford, Illinois, are called out to a college student’s apartment where a young man with no criminal record, not even a noise complaint from his neighbors, appears to have been murdered in his sleep.

The trail seems cold, until another victim turns up, and then another… each one striking closer to home for M.C. The growing list of seemingly emotionless kills leaves M.C. and Kitt little to follow—like the first victim, all the targets are young adults, kid-next-door types who’ve never taken a step outside the law. Meanwhile, the case starts to take its toll on M.C.’s personal life, setting her on edge with her partner and putting their hard-earned friendship in jeopardy. As M.C. and Kitt hunt a faceless killer, they are led deep into the cyberuniverse, where no one is who he seems and you never know who's watching. At the heart of this mesmerizing thriller is the relationship between two headstrong women as they struggle to balance their dual roles, to learn to trust, and to walk the fine line between upholding the law—and taking it into their own hands.

Mysteries are the hardest genre for me to review. Unless there is a crazy twist, or characters I love, they tend to run together for me. Most mysteries contain such similar elements that it takes something special to set it apart from the pack. Breakneck didn't have that.

Breakneck is enjoyable, and it's a fast read with short, exciting chapters, but there wasn't anything amazing about it. Maybe if I was more invested in the characters, as the are part of a series, I would have liked it better. Some of the victims are close to one of the detectives and this helped me get a better feel for her as you see her emotional response to the killings. But, overall it was a pretty standard mystery. 3 stars

Erica Spindler's Website

Thank you LibraryThing for my review copy

Review: A Countess Below Stairs by Eva Ibbotson

Book Info:
A Countess Below Stairs by Eva Ibbotson
Paperback: 400 pages
Publisher: Puffin (May 10, 2007)
ISBN-13: 9780142408650

Genre: Young Adult

Rating: 3/5

After the Russian revolution turns her world topsy-turvy, Anna, a young Russian countess, has no choice but to flee to England. Penniless, Anna hides her aristocratic background and takes a job as servant in the household of the esteemed Westerholme family, armed only with an outdated housekeeping manual and sheer determination.

Desperate to keep her past a secret, Anna is nearly overwhelmed by her new duties—not to mention her instant attraction to Rupert, the handsome Earl of Westerholme. To make matters worse, Rupert appears to be falling for her as well. As their attraction grows stronger, Anna finds it more and more difficult to keep her most dearly held secrets from unraveling. And then there’s the small matter of Rupert’s beautiful and nasty fiancee. . . .

A Countess Below Stairs has a fairly typical fairy-tale plot and while I should have been expecting this, I wasn't. I don't often read the backs of books. I like to know just enough about them before I read them to interest me, but I still like to be surprised. If I had read the back of this one I may have skipped it. It wasn't bad, and I enjoyed it, but the fairy-tale, happily ever after stories aren't my favorite.

While the plot was predictable, there were some fun characters to help keep things interesting. Anna, our heroine, is feisty and outspoken. She added a bit of sunshine to otherwise mundane days in the household. Muriel, Rupert's fiancee, was wonderfully nasty. She is one of those great characters who I love to hate. Her nastiness was a nice balance to Anna's sweetness.

I'm a bit past my happily ever after stage, and think I would have enjoyed this one much more in my younger days. (That makes me sound old, doesn't it?) It's an ok story, but didn't have the extra something to make it stand out. 3 stars

Review: Siam Nights by by J.F. Gump & Giveaway

Book Info:

Siam Nights: A Love Story by J.F. Gump
Paperback: 296 pages
Publisher: Sabai Books (November 9, 2008)
ISBN-13: 9780971485525

Genre: Contemporary Fiction

Rating: 3/5

Bad Luck Lady...She calls herself that sometimes. Tippawan is her given name but everyone knows her as Math. She doesn't know where her nickname came from, she just accepts it without question as a proper Thai lady should.

Math is a beautiful young woman in a mad dash to find herself. Her search takes her from the resort town of Pattaya on the Gulf of Siam to the beautiful city of Chiang Mai in the north. From the bed of her American lover to the arms of her dying father, she lives each day as if it might be her last. Join Math as she passes through one year of her incredible life.

I loved this book's setting in Thailand. Thailand isn't a country I know too much about, and what I have heard is mostly rave reviews for the beautiful beaches. Siam Nights introduces you to a different side of Thailand, one that most tourists don't see as it is populated with locals and their customs. I found this authentic view of Thailand fascinating.

Math is a complex character. In some ways she is the demure, contrite, proper Thai woman, but in other situations she is outspoken and brave. I found the difference interesting and honest. I think a lot of people behave one way around their families and sometimes very differently around their friends.

I found the flow of the writing a little halting at times. I think most of this was meant to portray Math's competency, but not proficiency, with English, but sometimes it was a little distracting. One thing I loved with regards to the language was in the inclusion of Thai phrases. They added another realistic layer to the book as I think some phrases would flow better in your native tongue than a secondary language.

Math is an entertaining and memorable character, and if you enjoy books set in far-off locales this is one for you. 3 stars

The Giveaway:

Mr Gump has graciously provided an autographed copy of Siam Nights: A Love Story to be given away to one lucky reader. This giveaway is open to the residents of the US and Canada. Sorry, but my postage budget only allows for international giveaways occasionally.

Now onto the rules:
--Leave a comment here for one entry
--Blog about the giveaway and link back here for a second entry
--Follow me or add me to your Google Reader for a third entry. Current subscribers are eligible for this too.

**Please leave a separate comment for each entry as I will be using the numbered comments to pick my winner. If you leave more than one entry in a comment, it won't be counted.

Please make sure you have a email address listed in your comment or on your profile. If I can't reach you, your entry won't count.

This contest will run until midnight April 29 and the winner will be chosen by random and posted on April 30.

Review: Waiting to Surface by Emily Listfield

It takes just one phone call to change your life...

On a steamy August morning, Sarah Larkin drops her six-year-old daughter, Eliza, off at camp and heads to her office, where she works as an editor of a women's magazine. Sitting at her desk testing a $450 face cream, she is just rubbing it into her forearm when the phone rings.

Detective Ronald Brook, speaking softly and deliberately, tells Sarah that her husband has vanished. A keening sound escapes from Sarah's throat as the detective lays out the few facts he knows.

A noted sculptor, Todd Larkin went swimming at midnight off the coast of Florida and hasn't returned. He was staying with a woman. He was drinking. He left behind his keys, wallet, cell phone, and his return airline ticket. They also found two drawings and pieces of a sculpture. But there is no trace of him or his body. The coast guard has been scouring the shoreline, but no one has seen a thing.

Has Todd run off to start a new life or is he dead? Could it have been an accident, suicide, or homicide? Immediately, Sarah's life spins into a world of uncertainty, hope, and fear as she grapples with the mystery of his disappearance.

I had high hopes for this book, and it didn't quite live up to my expectations. It wasn't bad by any means, but it also didn't grab my attention like I'd hoped it would.

I never found Sarah to be very engaging. I know she was going through a lot and was juggling her job, her daughter and her sorrow, but as a whole she fell flat for me. I actually found the parts about her job as a magazine executive much more interesting than her struggle over her missing husband.

Maybe this book just didn't fit in with my mood at the time I read it...I have heard good things about Ms Listfield's other books, especially Acts of Love, so if you have read other books by her I would be interested in hearing your thoughts. 3 stars

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Review: The Jewel of Medina by Sherry Jones

Born A'isha bint Abi Bakr in seventh century Arabia, she would become the favorite wife of the Prophet Muhammad, and one of the most revered women in the Muslim faith. Married at the age of nine, The Jewel of Medina illuminates the difficult path A'isha confronted, from her youthful dreams of becoming a Bedouin warrior, to her life as the beloved wife and confident of the founder of Islam.

Extensively researched and elegantly crafted, The Jewel of Medina presents the beauty and harsh realities of life in an age long past, during a time of war, enlightenment, and upheaval. At once a love story, a history lesson, and a coming-of-age tale, The Jewel of Medina provides humanizing glimpses into the origins of the Islamic faith, and the nature of love, through the eyes of a truly unforgettable heroine.

Shortly before The Jewel of Medina was scheduled to be published with Random House they issued a statement that the book wouldn't be published due to possible threats. While they should be concerned with security, I thought their reaction was excessive. Jones was able to secure another publisher, and The Jewel of Medina hit stores in October 2008.

I enjoy historical fiction, but haven't made much time for it lately. I received this book through LibraryThing's Early Reviewer Program, and was excited to read it after all the controversy.

A'isha was a fairly likeable heroine. She was strong willed and quick witted, and this was both a blessing and a curse. Her sharp tongue often caused her problems with her sister-wives and her husband. Her immaturity also came through, as it should, as she was quite young when she married Muhammad.

One critic of the book called it "soft-core pornography", and I found that to be grossly exaggerated. The writing was a bit flowery for my taste, but not even remotely explicit. I believe that the criticism of the book was based on the fact that Muhammad was not always written in the most flattering light. For example, there are a couple of scenarios in the book where A'isha thought Muhammad's love of power was greater than his love of God.

My favorite part of the book was the interaction between the sister-wives. This gave a sense of the times they lived in and also highlighted how most women were treated. Muhammad was an exception in that he seemed to listen to and value the opinion of his wives.

For me, good historical fiction makes you want to read and learn more about the time period the book was set in. The Jewel of Medina introduced me to an interesting time, and I would like to learn more. 3 stars

The book's official website is here and a couple of newspaper reviews of the book can be found here and here.

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Review: The Gifted Gabaldon Sisters by Lorraine Lopez

Having lost their mother in early childhood, the Gabaldon sisters consider Fermina, their elderly Pueblo housekeeper, their surrogate Grandmother. The mysterious Fermina love the girls as if they are her own, and promises to endow each with a "special gift" to be received upon her death.

Mindful of the old woman's mystical ways, the sisters believe Fermina's gifts, bestowed based on their natural talents, magically enhance their lives. The oldest sister, Bette Davis Gabaldon, always teased for telling tales, believes her gift is the power to persuade anyone, no matter how outlandish her story. Loretta Young, who often prefers pets to people, assumes her gift is the ability to heal animals. Tough-talking tomboy, Rita Hayworth believes her gift is the ability to curse her enemies. And finally, Sophia Loren, the baby of the family, is sure her ability to make people laugh is her legacy.

As the four girls grow into women they discover that Fermina's gifts come with complicated strings, and what once seemed simple can confuse over time. Together they learn the truth about their mysterious caretaker, her legacy, and the family secret that was nearly lost forever in the New Mexican desert.

In The Gifted Gabaldon Sisters the sister's stories are told from each of their points of view, with the chapters alternating between them. The chapters also jump forward in time so that you get glimpses of each of the sisters as they grow up.

I usually like stories told from different perspectives, but this one was a little hard to follow at first. There are four sisters and two of their stories are told in first person, one in third person and one in second person. I found the story in second person a little clumsy feeling. I thought it was also a little confusing, at first, to remember who was speaking with the first person chapters, even though they are labeled.

Even with this, I enjoyed this book. I found the characters lively, and their different personalities really came though. I enjoyed reading about them as they grew into adults and friends. 3 stars

Special thanks to Hachette Books for providing my review copy.

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Review: Losing Everything by David Lozell Martin

In Losing Everything, his first book of nonfiction, acclaimed novelist David Lozell Martin tells his wildest, most outlandish story yet -- his own.

One evening in the mountainous forest of his isolated West Virginia farmhouse, Martin became disoriented when searching for a horse who had wandered off the property. Wading through the dark and guiding his horse with a belt around its neck, Martin felt as though every step was taking him deeper into the mountains. Instead, he unknowingly spent the night walking in a wide circle that brought him back to where he started. This quickly became a metaphor for Martin's life. "The more lost I get, the closer to home I come."

After growing up with a violent father who nearly killed Martin's clinically insane mother, Martin pursued a writer's life with a vengeance, becoming vulnerable to struggles with alcohol, financial ruin, and legal feuds. Then, after a betrayal by his soul mate, Martin's sanity was in as much jeopardy as his mother's had ever been -- a state of mind that in his case led to gunfire, divorce, and at least one trip to the emergency room.

But Losing Everything is less about getting lost and more about finding your way home again. In his pursuit of stability, Martin uncovered lessons that might help others who have encountered loss: take pleasure in something as small as an ampersand, keep a list of people you know who have died, meet your own death like a warrior, and be glad you don't own a monkey.

Deeply personal yet surprisingly universal, Martin's story is for anyone who has wandered astray. If not a road map, his journey is a guide, providing hard-earned wisdom to illuminate the path home.

This was the second book that I read and reviewed for Elle Magazine. Again, this wasn't something I would have purchased, but I did enjoy it more than the first book I read for the program.

Martin had a rough childhood and problems as an adult. But unlike so many writers these days, he took responsibility for his actions. While the recognition of his destructive behavior may have been slow in coming, he did make changes in his life. I think this makes this book relevant in most people's lives. It's not about feeling sorry for yourself. It's about picking yourself up from the hard times and making this best of what is still to come.

There are a couple parts in the book that lost my attention some, but overall, I enjoyed Martin's journey to the bottom and back up. 3 stars

Review: One More Year by Sana Krasikov

Many of the characters who populate Krasikov's stories are mostly women, some are new to America; some still live in the former Soviet Union, in Georgia or Russia; and some have returned to Russia to find a country they barely recognize and people they no longer understand. Mothers leave children behind; children abandon their parents. Almost all of them look to love to repair their lives, and when love isn't really there, they attempt to make do with relationships that substitute for love. One More Year is made up of stories of people who hold out hope, despite the odds, that life will be kind to them.

I really wanted to fall in love with this book, and while I liked some of the stories, it didn't do as much for me overall as I had hoped.

As it says above from the book flap most of the characters in the stories are in some kind of transition or upheaval in their lives. Some of these stories, like Better Half, really worked for me. You could sense the characters uncertainty and understand their actions. To get all this across in the few pages of a short story is impressive.

Some others, like Companion, didn't work quite as well. I felt like I didn't know the characters at all, and their actions and loyalties didn't make much sense to me.

The author is at work on her first novel, and while I wasn't blown away with the short stories, I will keep an eye out for the novel. 3 stars

Order One More Year: Stories by Sana Krasikov

Sail by James Patterson

Only an hour out of port, the Dunne family's summer getaway to paradise is already turning into the trip from hell. Carrie, the eldest, has thrown herself off the side of the boat in a bid for attention. Sixteen-year-old Mark is getting high belowdecks. And Ernie, their ten-year-old brother, is nearly catatonic. It's shaping up to be the worst vacation ever.

Katherine Dunne had hoped this trip would bring back the togetherness they'd lost when her husband died four years earlier. Maybe if her new husband, a high-powered Manhattan attorney, had been able to postpone his trial and join them it would all have been okay....

Suddenly, a disaster hits–and it's perfect. Faced with real danger, the Dunnes rediscover the meaning of family and pull together in a way they haven't in a long time. But this catastrophe is just a tiny taste of the danger that lurks ahead: someone wants to make sure that the Dunne family never makes it out of paradise alive.

James Patterson's books are those I pick up when I just need a break. I have been reading a lot of non-fiction lately and needed something lighter. Patterson's books are always quick, light reads.

Sail is predictable, but I would expect it to be. Patterson always has semi-interesting characters, but most of the book is based on quick action. This works well if you are looking for a mindless, beach-y type read.

I have always wondered what the actual length of a Patterson book would be if he actually wrote chapters of a normal length...3 stars

Shoot Him If He Runs by Stuart Woods

Stone Barrington and Holly Barker team up once again in Woods' newest offering, this time to hunt ex-CIA-agent-turned-assassin Teddy Fay at the behest of the director of the CIA, Kate Rule Lee, who also happens to be the wife of President William Lee. Stone and Holly, along with Dino Bacchetti, are dispatched to luxurious St. Marks island, where they spend as much time frolicking in the ocean as they do tracking Teddy. Stone and Holly manage to strike up an acquaintance with Irene Foster, a former CIA employee who was reputed to have had a relationship with Teddy, and her current lover, Harry Pitts. But Stone and Holly soon find themselves caught up in the corrupt local politics, which stand in stark contrast to the balmy paradise the island appears to be. After the chief of police on the island is gunned down, Stone and Holly realize Teddy might be back in business, and the hunt to find him becomes even more urgent.

This has been one of my favorite series for quite a while, but this book just didn't really do it for me. It's been a long time since I read the early books in the series, but I remember them being solid mysteries. After a bit the mysteries weren't as tight, but the characters were so much fun that I still loved them. This one, however, left me feeling like all of the characters were bumbling idiots. They mystery was loose, at best, many things just left me shaking my head.

I will continue with this series though. It is still a fun, quick read as long as you don't expect too much mystery. There are times when this is just what I need. 3 stars