MAYBE IN ANOTHER LIFE by Taylor Jenkins Reid

November 9, 2015
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I didn’t realize how much I missed reading chick lit until I read this. Now it’s probably called women’s fiction since chick lit appears to have disappeared from book vernacular, but however it is being characterized, it’s a fun read, and an interesting one.

I love those books that ponder the road not taken; one of my favorites is What Alice Forgot by Liane Moriarity (2011.) That book looked at woman who forgets the previous ten years of her life. This book looks at the future instead of the past, and it’s just as intriguing.

Hannah Martin is twenty-nine years old and still searching for…something. Her parents and sister moved to London while she was in high school, leaving Hannah to live with her best friend Gabby back in Los Angeles. She graduates from college and starts drifting from city to city, job to job, boyfriend to boyfriend – her last being Michael, a married man with two children, but never forgetting her first love, Ethan. They broke up during college but both still harbor the feeling of unfinished business.

Hannah decides to move home to L.A., and Gabby offers up her guestroom. Gabby is married to Mark, who Hannah likes well enough, and they all get along. Shortly after arriving, they go out to a club where Hannah runs into Ethan. Later that night, Gabby tells her she needs to get home and Hannah needs to decide whether to go home early with Gabby, or hang out with Ethan for a while longer.

The book then moves forward in two storylines; one in which she goes with Gabby, the other with Ethan. Told in alternating chapters, Hannah is living two different lives, a sort of choose-your-own-adventure with amazingly different results.

This was an engrossing story and a real page turner. I was torn between which life I thought she should be living, up until the very last page of the book. Reading this is like going on a roller coaster through Hannah and Gabby’s lives, and these characters were so well developed and likeable that I didn’t want the ride to end.

11/15 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

MAYBE IN ANOTHER LIFE by Taylor Jenkins Reid. Washington Square Press (July 7, 2015).  ISBN 978-1476776880. 352p.

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CHRISTMAS BELLS by Jennifer Chiaverini

November 7, 2015
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I figured if I keep reading Christmas novels, eventually I’ll find one I can rave about…and here it is!

This book is a twofer – two stories told in alternating chapters that are set over a hundred years apart. The obvious inspiration of the historical story neatly focuses the modern day one, and I loved them both.

“Christmas Bells” is a Henry Wordsworth Longfellow poem (see below) that was turned into a Christmas carol, “I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day.” Chiaverini tells the story of how the poem came to be written, which is a mostly a biography of Longfellow, and she does a terrific job. Starting at the beginning of the Civil War, right before the first shots are fired, we learn how Longfellow lived, the tragedies that befell him and his family, and about his home and its historical significance in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

The alternating stories are about St. Margaret’s, a Catholic church in the nearby town of Watertown. Sophia is a music teacher whose job is threatened by budget issues. She also is the children’s choir director at the church. Her accompanist is in love with her, but it is an unrequited love due to various factors. Stories also are spun about two of the children in the choir, Charlotte and her younger brother, whose father is serving in Afghanistan.

One of the most memorable characters in the modern day story is Sister Winifred, a nun who has the rather unnerving habit of talking to herself. But she also has the uncanny ability to ferret out truths about her parishioners and the priest that seem other-worldly, or perhaps divine?

This is heartwarming, of course, but also fascinating and beautifully written. This will be the Christmas book I”ll be recommending this season.

11/15 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

CHRISTMAS BELLS by Jennifer Chiaverini. Dutton (October 27, 2015).  ISBN 978-0525955245. 336p.

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I HEARD the bells on Christmas Day
 Their old, familiar carols play,
 And wild and sweet
 The words repeat
 Of peace on earth, good-will to men!
 And thought how, as the day had come,
 The belfries of all Christendom
 Had rolled along
 The unbroken song
 Of peace on earth, good-will to men!
 Till ringing, singing on its way,
 The world revolved from night to day,
 A voice, a chime,
 A chant sublime
 Of peace on earth, good-will to men!
 Then from each black, accursed mouth
 The cannon thundered in the South,
 And with the sound
 The carols drowned
 Of peace on earth, good-will to men!
 It was as if an earthquake rent
 The hearth-stones of a continent,
 And made forlorn
 The households born
 Of peace on earth, good-will to men!
 And in despair I bowed my head;
 “There is no peace on earth,” I said;
 “For hate is strong,
 And mocks the song
 Of peace on earth, good-will to men!”
 Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
 “God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;
 The Wrong shall fail,
 The Right prevail,
 With peace on earth, good-will to men.”

 

 

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THE DRESS SHOP OF DREAMS by Menna van Praag

October 31, 2015
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This is a fabulist, wondrous story about a girl, the guy whose been in love with her for most of their lives, and her grandmother.

Scientist Cora Sparks lost her parents in a house fire when she was a young child. Her grandmother, Etta, raised her, and they are very close. Etta owns a very special dress shop, where the dresses pick the customers, Etta adds a few special stitches and the customers find their lives changed – a bit fantastical yet somehow believable in van Praag’s fine hands.

In the book shop down the street, Walt, the owner, has been in love with Cora since the first time he laid eyes on her when he was just ten years old. Walt has another job besides the bookstore; he reads books aloud on the local radio station each evening, and women are falling in love with him because of his voice. But he has no interest in any of them.

Unbeknownst to Walt, his boss at the radio station is answering all his fan mail, and eventually strikes up a correspondence with Milly, a young widow. Despairing of ever winning Cora’s heart, Walt meets Milly and they form a relationship, but he doesn’t know about “their” letter correspondence.

Meanwhile, Etta is determined to get her granddaughter’s mind out of just her work and to get her to realize that Walt has feelings for her. Etta’s magic starts a lot more than she expected – Cora decides to try and find out how her parents died. The fire was ruled an accident, but Etta tells her she was never convinced of that.

There are several storylines here that flow seamlessly together and make the pages fly by. This truly is one of my favorite reads this year, and were it in my power, I would make everyone who reads this review go read this book! It reminded me a bit of The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern but not quite as complicated, or maybe more like The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey  – it has that fairytale quality to it.

I loved this magical read, and just might read it again – which is high praise indeed.

10/15 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

THE DRESS SHOP OF DREAMS by Menna van Praag. Ballantine Books (December 30, 2014). ISBN 978-0804178983. 336p.

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FOOD WHORE by Jessica Tom

October 29, 2015
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A Novel of Dining and Deceit

I do love me some foodie fiction so I was very excited to hear about this debut novel. Jessica Tom is a food blogger from Brooklyn, NY who blogs about dining in New York and also posts her own recipes. I poked around her site and found out the original title was “Bad Taste” which I have to say I much prefer. Food Whore will be a turnoff for some people and I wasn’t particularly enamored of it. But the publisher was, so there you go.

The book centers around Yale graduate Tia Monroe who has been accepted into a graduate food studies program at NYU. She moves to NYC as does her boyfriend, a botanist, who lands the job of his dreams. Tia has applied for an internship with her idol, Helen Lansky (think Ruth Reichl) and brings a gift of cookies for her. She is waylaid by Michael Saltz, the uber powerful NY Times restaurant critic, who tosses the cookies and keeps her from Helen.

Saltz is enamored of her palate and facility with language and offers her a deal she can’t refuse. His palate has gone awry; he has lost all sense of taste. He offers her an unlimited budget and access to a personal shopper at Bergdorfs, lunches and dinners at the best and hottest restaurants in NY in exchange for her writing his reviews (that he revises at will) and she is sucked in. He dangles the internship with Helen as she struggles to resolve the internship she’s been assigned at one of New York’s finest restaurants – in the coat room.

This tangled web eventually closes in on Tia, but not before she ruins several relationships along the way. The publisher is promoting this as “The Devil Wears Prada meets Kitchen Confidential,” which certainly got me to read it, but it is more about the evils of ambition then what really goes on…where? In a restaurant? At the New York Times? At the graduate school of New York University? Really none of those, so that was a bit disappointing. Nonetheless this was a good story, it drew me in even though I really didn’t like any of the characters. I know I was supposed to forgive Tia, even understand why she did what she did, but maybe I’m not the most forgiving person because I couldn’t.

10/15 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

FOOD WHORE by Jessica Tom. William Morrow Paperbacks (October 27, 2015).  ISBN 978-0062387004. 352p.

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ANYONE BUT YOU by Jennifer Crusie

October 23, 2015
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Jennifer Crusie writes great contemporary romances, and I wish she’d write a new one. This book is from 1996, released as an eBook a few years ago. But it’s a great story and a quick read.

Nina Askew just turned 40. Newly divorced after she realized she hated being married to a high powered lawyer who wanted her to be his socialite. She didn’t hate the guy, just the marriage and is happily working for a small nonfiction press as an editor.

She gets herself a birthday present, the dog she always wanted and her husband wouldn’t let her have, and she decides to teach Fred how to climb out the window and down the fire escape into the fenced in yard to do his business. But he ends up in the 2nd floor apartment below hers, and Alex brings the dog back.

Alex just turned thirty. He’s an emergency room doctor from a family of doctors, all with high paying, high stress specialties, and they think he is hopeless. Alex and Nina form a friendship, watching old movies and playing with Fred. Nina is very drawn to him but is not comfortable with her 40 year old body and can’t imagine that Alex would be interested. Alex is very interested, but afraid of scaring Nina off.

Eventually they get together, with a lot of laughter and some great sex along the way. Terrific characters, lots of laughs, hot sex and a good story line are Crusie’s hallmarks, and this one is no exception. She hasn’t had a new book for a few years, and I miss her.

10/15 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

ANYONE BUT YOU by Jennifer Crusie. Harlequin HQN (October 15, 2012). ASIN: B0098ISVMY. 288p.

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DASHING THROUGH THE SNOW by Debbie Macomber

October 19, 2015
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A Christmas Novel

 

I know Macomber is beloved for her sweet stories filled with charming locations, strong friendships and romantic love, and Christmas novels in general are over the top, which I don’t mind, but this book just bordered on the wrong side of silly for me.

Ashley Davidson is a graduate student in California who unexpectedly gets Christmas week off. Determined to go home to Seattle to visit her widowed mother, she is frantic when the airlines tell her they can’t sell her a ticket.

The guy behind her in line is Dash Sutherland, former military, now heading for Seattle for a job interview. He is offered a stand by ticket, but this interview is too important to count on luck.

They both end up at the car rental counter, but there is only one car left in the lot. They end up sharing the car and the ride to Seattle turns into the road trip of a lifetime. Dash and Ashley deal with mistaken identity, puppies dumped by a rest stop, teenage thieves, a motorcycle gang and a crazed FBI agent, yet somehow they find themselves falling in love on the way home. Chaste love, may I add.

Macomber fans will undoubtedly love it but I guess I was looking for a little more substance in my Christmas read. This is an original Hallmark movie, airing on Sunday, 12/13/15 at 9:00 pm.

10/15 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

DASHING THROUGH THE SNOW by Debbie Macomber. Ballantine Books (October 6, 2015). ISBN 978-0553391695. 256p.

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ROSE HARBOR IN BLOOM by Debbie Macomber

October 16, 2015
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Narrated by Lorelei King

Jo Marie Rose lost her husband to a helicopter crash in Afghanistan and his body was never recovered. The army arranges for the insurance to be paid out anyway, and Jo Marie uses the money to buy a small inn in Cedar Cove, Washington, which names the Rose Harbor Inn. She feels it will be a place of healing, for herself and her guests, and she is right.

This story centers around a few of the guests plus Jo Marie’s relationship with her handyman Mark, a querulous man who nonetheless becomes her friend. A few of the guests are in town for Kent & Julie’s 50th anniversary celebration.  Their granddaughter, a party planner named Annie, has arranged a big party for all their family and friends.

Annie is outraged when her grandparents arrive with Oliver, their next door neighbor who is good friends with Annie’s brother. Oliver was Annie’s first kiss, and their relationship became one of relentless teasing by Oliver and her brother. Annie hasn’t gotten over her humiliation but eventually Oliver worms his way back into her heart, where he’s always wanted to be.

Another guest at the inn is Mary, who is obviously suffering from cancer. She tracks down ‘the one who got away,’ her only true love, George, who she hasn’t seen for almost 20 years. Theirs is a tumultuous reunion, with lots of secrets slowly unveiled.

This is a warm, sweet story that Macomber fans will love. I haven’t read any of the Cedar Cove books, but I watch the series (that is based on the books) on the Hallmark Channel – I love Andie Macdowell and the series is pure escapism. Macomber has written several series and this is the second book in the Rose Harbor series, which is set in Cedar Cove so has some crossover. All of her books have similar themes of friendship, redemption and love.

I listened to the audio book, and the reader is terrific, adding another layer to the story. It is also available in paperback and ebook formats.

10/15 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

ROSE HARBOR IN BLOOM by Debbie Macomber. Random House Audio; Unabridged edition (August 13, 2013).  ISBN 978-0307939289. 9 hours.

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ALL THE STARS IN THE HEAVENS by Adriana Trigiani

October 13, 2015
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In a bit of a departure from her usual big Italian family sagas, All the Stars in the Heavens takes a look back at the glamorous Hollywood of the 1930s. The story centers around Loretta Young, Spencer Tracey and Clark Gable and the fascinating lifestyles of these rich and famous.

Of course, there is a touch of Italy – Sister Alda Ducci is asked to leave the convent and sent to work as a secretary to Loretta Young. They form a bond that spans decades, and eventually take a trip to Italy.

Much of the story is set around the filming of “The Call of the Wild,” one of the first movies filmed on location. That was where Loretta Young and Clark Gable began a long friendship and more.

Trigiani is just a magnificent story teller and I couldn’t put this book down. The story was mesmerizing and I was so intrigued about it I went and did a little research on my own. While this is fiction, it is a fictionalized account of some true events and real people, which made it all the more interesting. The golden age of Hollywood shines brightly here.

If you haven’t read Trigiani, this is a terrific place to start and if you’re already a fan, you won’t want to miss this one. I loved it.

10/15 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

ALL THE STARS IN THE HEAVENS by Adriana Trigiani. Harper (October 13, 2015).  ISBN 978-0062319197. 464 p.

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A WINDOW OPENS by Elisabeth Egan

September 30, 2015
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If you love charming, quirky novels, you have come to the right place! This book is being compared with Where’d You Go, Bernadette and The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry, two of my favorites, and as far as I’m concerned, I’m happy to say it ranks right up there with them.

Alice Pearse is happily married with three young children. She is the part time books editor at the fictional woman’s magazine, You. She is an avid reader and a true book lover, which I could totally relate to.

Alice’s husband Nicholas is a lawyer who comes home one day and tells her he’s not making partner, had a hissy fit at work and is opening his own office. And by the way, would she mind getting a full time job until he gets his business going?

Alice finds what she thinks will be the perfect job as “arbiter of taste” for a new start up, a book/reading salon that sounds too good to be true – and of course it is. While she struggles to get with the technology and fit in with all the nerds at work, she also has to deal with her father, who suffers a serious setback in his fight against throat cancer.

Nicholas steps up to do more with the kids, the cooking and the housework. Babysitter Jessie puts in more hours but Alice’s best friend owns a traditional, small bookstore and considers Alice as having made a deal with the devil, straining their friendship.

Alice soldiers on as best as she can, and we can’t help rooting for her in this delightful debut novel. The techie nightmare she finds herself in is uncannily like the recent NY Times story about what it’s like to work at Amazon.com (while this book was written more than a year before that article appeared along with its subsequent publicity.) The characters are wonderfully drawn and we can’t help but care about them. It is a fast read and frankly, I couldn’t put it down. Book clubs will love it as much as I did.

9/15 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™

A WINDOW OPENS by Elisabeth Egan. Simon & Schuster (August 25, 2015).  ISBN 978-1501105432. 384p.

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AFTER YOU by JoJo Moyes

September 29, 2015
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The sequel to the hugely popular Me Before You

Like millions of other readers, I loved Me Before You, so I was excited to hear there was a sequel. If you want the thirty second review, I liked it but not nearly as much as its predecessor.

The author has asked that reviewers not give away anything in reviewing the second book, so the major plot point is kept secret. I have wrestled with how to do that as I would like to honor that request. So I’m not going to give a synopsis.

Instead I will tell you that the story is about Louise Clark, the protagonist of MBY. This is her story, and the people that are in her life and those that come into her life. It starts out one way, which I thought was going to be a sentimental ripoff, but instead veers in an unexpected direction which I much preferred. Love is the predominating factor, but it is more a story about family than romantic love, but no fear, there is still romance here.

I did enjoy the book; the characters were engaging and I cared about what happened to them. If you like dysfunctional family stories, there is much to like here.  If you are looking for a great romance and all that implies, keep looking.

That’s the best I can do under these restraints.

9/15 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch

AFTER YOU by Jojo Moyes. Pamela Dorman Books (September 29, 2015).  ISBN 978-0525426592. 368p.

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