Book Club April 2016

This month’s book club pick was My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry. I picked this book because I had heard a lot about it last year, as well as saw it on the end of the year Goodreads list. 
 

By: Fredrik Backman
Published Year: 2015
Publisher: Atria Books
Pages: 372

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Summary (Provided by Goodreads): From the author of the internationally bestselling 'A Man Called Ove', a novel about a young girl whose grandmother dies and leaves behind a series of letters, sending her on a journey that brings to life the world of her grandmother's fairy tales.

Elsa is seven years old and different. Her grandmother is seventy-seven years old and crazy, standing-on-the-balcony-firing-paintball-guns-at-men-who-want-to-talk-about-Jesus-crazy. She is also Elsa's best, and only, friend. At night Elsa takes refuge in her grandmother's stories, in the Land of Almost-Awake and the Kingdom of Miamas where everybody is different and nobody needs to be normal.

When Elsa's grandmother dies and leaves behind a series of letters apologizing to people she has wronged, Elsa's greatest adventure begins. Her grandmother's letters lead her to an apartment building full of drunks, monsters, attack dogs, and totally ordinary old crones, but also to the truth about fairytales and kingdoms and a grandmother like no other.

                                                             What I thought

This book was not at all what I expected it to be but it was so good! Definitely one of the strongest written books I’ve read in a while.

Elsa is seven, almost eight, and has recently lost her Granny who is also her friend. Her Granny introduced her to the Land-of-Almost-Awake which is a fairy tale land made up of multiple kingdoms. Each kingdom has its own stories and characters which Elsa visits when she is about to drift off to sleep (hence the almost awake part). When her Granny dies, Elsa finds a letter from her to pass on to one of the residents of her house. This letter tells the reader that her Granny is sorry which then leads Elsa on a treasure hunt to deliver the other letters. Little does Elsa know at the time the treasure hunt begins, but the stories her Granny told her about the Land-of-Almost-Awake will be the greatest asset on this grand adventure.

Elsa is such a great character. I don’t know if she’s entirely realistic, but she is so much fun to have as a narrator. She is seven years old, and is super smart which makes her different from her peers. This causes a lot of other differences and is the reason her Granny tells her all these stories. Elsa is also a huge Harry Potter fan which I personally loved. Backman, overall, just has some fabulous character development. I loved each and every character in this book and would gladly read their own stories. They each had their own quirks and the surprises about each of their story lines were great. It reminded me that no everything is what it seems and that you can’t always judge a person on your first impression or on what someone tells you about them.

When I said that this book wasn’t what I expected, it’s because it had a sort of Love Actually element to it. There were some connections between characters in the books that were completely unexpected, even though they all lived in the same house. I found myself unable to put the book down because I wanted to know how the strings were going to end up being knotted together. Granny’s morals of her fairy tales were also so thought provoking. It’s not often that as an adult you read a story that has morals that can touch you, but I think since this story is told by an almost eight year old, it really works.

                                                   What Book Club Thought

The general consensus was that while the book was hard to get into at first, once he story got going it was really great. The hardest thing that we discussed was the fact that this book was translated.  Someone had brought up that they felt like the writing style at first was a bit off and once I explained that the book was originally written in Swedish, we decided that was probably the reason. We also discussed that some of the conversation or phrases also seemed a little odd, but could have bene contributed to the fact that this was not originally written in English. Everyone also loved Elsa and the fact that the story was told from her perspective. We again agreed that this might have been part of what made getting into the book a little difficult, but ended up being a part of what made this story enjoyable. Another interesting point that came up during our discussion was whether or not some of the twists and connections were obvious to the reader and not to Elsa because she was seven years old. I thought this was interesting because I hadn’t thought about it that way, but considering she’s the narrator, it makes sense that someone of her age wouldn’t make a lot of connections that adults would.

The final thing that we discussed was our favorite Elsa quotes. As our book club is comprised of not only book lovers (obviously), but Harry Potter fans, we had a lot of favorite quotes. We also discussed Elsa’s personality and her differences, as this is a trait that is brought up constantly through the book. I would definitely recommend this book for a book club as we had a lot to discuss without having to reach for much.

Poignant Questions

Which connection surprised you the most?

What did you think of Britt-Marie throughout the story?

What do you think of the parenting skills of the adults around Elsa?

Next Book Club Book

The Improbability of Love By: Hannah Mary Rothschild
Amazon

Book Club Date: May 7th 2016
 

Lost Among the Living

By: Simone St James
Published Year: 2016
Publisher: NAL
Pages: 336

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I received this book in exchange for an honest review. This in no way shape or form influenced my opinion.

Summary (Provided by Goodreads): England, 1921. Three years after her husband, Alex, disappeared, shot down over Germany, Jo Manders still mourns his loss. Working as a paid companion to Alex's wealthy, condescending aunt, Dottie Forsyth, Jo travels to the family’s estate in the Sussex countryside. But there is much she never knew about her husband’s origins…and the revelation of a mysterious death in the Forsyths’ past is just the beginning…

All is not well at Wych Elm House. Dottie's husband is distant, and her son was grievously injured in the war. Footsteps follow Jo down empty halls, and items in her bedroom are eerily rearranged. The locals say the family is cursed, and that a ghost in the woods has never rested. And when Jo discovers her husband’s darkest secrets, she wonders if she ever really knew him. Isolated in a place of deception and grief, she must find the truth or lose herself forever.

And then a familiar stranger arrives at Wych Elm House…

                                                           First Impressions

When I first read the summary for this book I wasn’t very interested. Then I saw the cover and it was so beautiful I couldn’t turn it down. That means that what it boils down to, is I chose to read this book based on the cover.
                     
                                                            What I thought

Lost Among the Living takes place in 1920s England shortly after World War 1. Jo Manders lost her husband three years prior to the beginning of the story and his Aunt Dottie has taken Jo in as her personal companion. Dottie is not the most pleasant woman, but Jo needs a way to support herself as her husband went MIA and therefore she has no other means. When she goes back to Dottie’s house, where she meets Dottie’s husband and son, she soon realizes that everything at the house may not be as it seems. Shortly after her arrival, she starts to see things that aren’t really there.

I don’t know quite exactly how I felt about this book. There were moments where I really got into the story and couldn’t put it down, but other moments where I didn’t fully feel connected to the story.

Starting with some of the characters, I did like Jo but she’s just not the type of character that I usually connect with. Her mental journey was interesting in that she started to think maybe she was going mad with what she was seeing, but at the same time she really believed in what she was seeing. I think Dottie might have been my favorite. I liked that she was fighting for things that she believed in and what she felt her family needed. I also thought that Martin was interesting and wished that we could’ve learned more about him.

I think that based on the description of the book I expected a bit more paranormal elements than the book actually contained. I thought there were going to be a lot of spooky elements and things happening that no one could explain. In reality, Jo sees Frances a few times and there are a few items that show up in her bedroom. I almost wish there had been a little more on that side of the story. I just felt like if the author was going to go there, she really needed to go there whereas this seemed a bit halfway.

I did like the elements of being a young woman with a husband who didn’t come home from war in the 1920s. It was fascinating to see how Jo had to get by and the way that people treated her. I wish there had been a bit more of her struggle in being a war widow, because I really enjoyed that side of the story.

I know I didn’t talk much about the story, but this was a hard review to write. I don’t want to spoil things and I also just don’t know how I felt about the book. The writing was enjoyable and some of the characters were interesting, but it never drew me in completely. I liked it and I think if this is your type of book that you would really enjoy it. I haven’t ever read anything similar so I can’t quite give a comparison. If another synopsis of a book by St. James catches my eye, I would gladly pick it up. However, I don’t know if I’m going to actively seek out more of her writing. 
 

Library Hiatus Update- March

Early in February, I decided I needed to take a break from the library. I had gotten into the bad habit of requesting insane amounts of books, and then reading those and ignoring all of the books I had recently purchased. I updated you on last month’s progress and decided to update you guys on this month’s!

This is my second month completing my library hiatus, so I am providing a look at how I did this month as well as how I did compared to last month. This month only 2/9 of the books that I read were library books! With the exception of the book club book, I did not check out any new books during the month of March!

I am so proud of the fact that I made it through 7 non-library books this month. Below you will see a graph of the types of books I read this month.

I did still end up adding a few books to my collection through reviews that weren’t initially on my list of books I wanted to get through when I started this hiatus, but I’m still proud that 4 of the books that I read this month were ones I owned prior to starting my hiatus! That’s especially awesome when I compare to last month where I only got through one.
 

The most interesting thing that I’ve found is that since blogging, my reading habits have changed a little bit. I went from picking up book that looked interesting to me no matter how old they were to immediately wanting to read the newest thing as soon as it came out. Every time I would hear about a new book coming out I would immediately put it on hold so that I was one of the first 3 people on the list to receive it. As awesome as that is, there are some books that I don’t need to read immediately. It’s ok to wait a little bit and read something else first.

Because I was able to make I through so many non-library, non-review books these past two months, I think I can end my hiatus. I’m hoping that this break from the library has taught me some better requesting habits, but we shall see. I know that I have a few books on hold (that I’ve had on hold for a while) that are due to release in April so I’ll end up with a stack for sure!

Now, if I get back in the habit of having 7 library books out at once I might have to start the hiatus again, but hopefully I have this addiction under control!

One Hundred Names

By: Cecilia Ahern
Published Year: 2014
Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks
Pages: 496

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Summary (Provided by Goodreads): Scandal has derailed journalist Kitty Logan's career, a setback that is soon compounded by an even more devastating loss. Constance, the woman who taught Kitty everything she knew, is dying. At her mentor's bedside, Kitty asks her, "What is the one story you always wanted to write?"

The answer lies in a single sheet of paper buried in Constance's office—a list of one hundred names—with no notes or explanation. But before Kitty can ask her friend, it is too late.

Determined to unlock the mystery and rebuild her own shaky confidence, Kitty throws herself into the investigation, tracking down each of the names on the list and uncovering their connection. Meeting these ordinary people and learning their stories, Kitty begins to piece together an unexpected portrait of Constance's life . . . and starts to understand her own.

                                                           First Impressions
   
Yay! Another new Cecilia Ahern book! I read a bunch of her books shortly after I first read P.S I Love You and then forgot about her for a little bit. Earlier this year I read Time of My Life (and loved it) and it renewed my love for her books. I was really intrigued by this summary, but not as much by the cover. I definitely would not have picked it up based on the cover alone. Case and point, while looking on the New Books shelves at my library, I passed it up even though I was trying to keep my eye out for it.

                                                          What I thought
               
This book was very interesting and unique. I really enjoyed it and it was a nice refresher from a lot of the heavier books I’ve read. It’s not one of my favorites by Ahern. I would definitely recommend a few of her other books before I recommend this one, but if I don’t judge it against her other books, I think it would get a higher rating.

As I mentioned above, the concept behind the book is very interesting and unique. I really loved the idea of an author trying to write a story without knowing what she was really writing about. I do feel like the book moved a little bit slow and it can be a bit frustrating. Both Kitty and the reader do not figure out what the story is meant to be about until the end of the book. I found this made the book a little bit boring at times because it wasn’t even something that had enough clues that you could figure out what the story was supposed to be about on your own. I think because of this, it was hard for me to connect with the main character. I was more concerned with the other characters in the book and finding out what was going to connect all of them and didn’t feel much of a connection with Kitty.

I really enjoyed getting to know all of the characters in the book and all of their stories. I wish that Kitty could have met more people on the list so that we could have met more of them. Ahern came up with some very unique story lines and even though we didn’t see much of the characters, I felt a connection with them very quickly.

The one thing that seemed odd to me was the timeline. It seemed like a lot happened over a VERY short period of time. I think the book was meant to span about 2 weeks and it just seemed like there was a lot going on. It was an odd combination with the slow movement of the book. Overall, the book just had a slow pace and because of that, I never found myself dying to pick the book back up or unable to put it down. I really enjoyed the story and would never have put the book down without finishing it, but it was definitely a slower read for me. 
 

I would easily recommend this book. It isn’t a light, quick read, but if you’re looking for something with a bit of substance that isn’t heavy, this would be the book for you. The story line is intriguing, as well as some of the secondary characters. It’s not one of my favorites from Ahern, but I really enjoyed it and am glad that I picked it up. I look forward to more from her.
 

True Stories of False Confessions

By: Rob Warden & Steven A. Drizin
Published Year: 2009
Publisher: Northwestern University Press
Pages: 529

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Summary (Provided by Goodreads): Editors Rob Warden and Steven Drizin—leaders in the field of wrongful convictions—have gathered articles about some of the most critical accounts of false confessions in the U.S. justice system from more than forty authors, including Sydney H. Schanberg, Christine Ellen Young, Alex Kotlowitz, and John Grisham. Many of the pieces originally appeared in leading magazines and newspapers, including the New York Times, The Nation, the New Yorker, and the Los Angeles Times.

By grouping the cases into categories—including brainwashing, fabrication, mental fragility, police force, and unrequited innocence—the editors demonstrate similarities between cases, thereby refuting the perception that false confessions represent individual tragedies rather than a systemic flaw in the justice system. These incidents are not isolated; they are, in fact, related, and more shocking for it. But the authors of the articles excerpted, adapted, and reprinted in this collection want more for their subjects than outrage; they want to fuel change in the practices and standards that illicit false confessions in the first place. To this end, Warden and Drizin include an illuminating introduction to each category and recommendations for policy changes that would reduce false confessions. They also include a postscript for each case, providing legal updates and additional information.

                                                                First Impressions

Shortly after finishing my binge watch of Making a Murderer, I saw a list (can’t remember where) of books to read if you enjoyed watching Making a Murderer. Of course I was interested and added about 5 of them to my list. This was one of the top ones I wanted to read, so I was really excited to read this.

                                                                 What I thought

One of my goals this year, was to read more books outside of my comfort zone. This was one of those books and it was fascinating and upsetting all at the same time, almost exactly like Making a Murderer. True Stories is composed of articles from throughout the years of false confessions. It is divided by different types of interrogations or reasons that cause false confessions, such as mental impairment or child abuse.

Full disclosure- I did not read this book cover to cover. I read the first bunch of sections all the way through, and then I started picking and choosing. There were definitely sections that I found more interesting than others, so those were the ones I spent the most amount of time on. I don’t think this is a book that you have to read from beginning to end in order to enjoy it. It was absolutely fascinating and unlike anything I had read before.

The toughest part about this book was seeing how corrupt the justice system can be. I think a lot of the time we think that these errors and false confessions come from a long time ago, but a lot of these stories were within the past 10-20 years. Each story that was told was pulled from an article that was written either while the case was occurring, shortly after it occurred, or when the wrongly accused had been brought back into the public eye. I felt like this was such an interesting way to read about the stories, because you felt as if you were learning about it as it happened. The authors then included an epilogue after the article to inform the reader of what happened after the initial article was published. Unfortunately, not all of these cases received a happy ending.

This book was really interesting. I would agree with the list on which I found it by saying if you enjoyed Making a Murderer, you will enjoy this book. I’m glad that I picked a book in this style, because it was different and I enjoyed it, but I can’t see myself picking it up again. If you are interested in the justice system and in true stories, than this book would be for you. 
 

Fresh Lotus Youth Preserve Face Cream

Last summer I had finished up a face cream and was looking for a replacement. While I did like the one I had just finished, I was curious if I could find something just as good but maybe a little less expensive. I also love trying new products. While staying at my friend’s house, she told me that she loved the Fresh Lotus Youth Preserve Face Cream ($45) and she let me try it for the weekend. I loved it! However, it didn’t have an SPF included. Because of that (and because I was a little strapped for cash at the time), I purchased the Boots No 7 Beautiful Skin Face Cream (which I ended up loving).

Fast forward 8 months later and I’m still thinking about the Fresh Face cream and wanting to buy it! I decided to find a separate SPF and purchase the face cream to use. 

Since I’ve mentioned it a few times already, I will start off by saying the biggest downside of this lotion is that it doesn’t have an SPF included in it. As a relatively lazy beauty enthusiast, I prefer my products to be multi-purpose. This produce then has caused me to add an extra step to my morning routine, but it’s not the end of the world.

The no SPF is honestly the only issue that I’ve found with this product so far!

The packaging is beyond beautiful. It’s a heavy frosted glass that just feels like luxury when you use it. Considering the product is $45, I appreciate that the packaging matches (if not exceeds) the price. However, I’m sure the packaging is part of the reason that this product is as expensive as it is. If it was in plastic it would most likely be less expensive, but the superficial part of my personality just loves the glass.

The scent is very nice as well. It’s so light it’s almost undetectable which is wonderful for face products. The scent, as you would expect, is a very light floral scent. When I open the jar I just smell something that makes my brain go “hmm… that smells pretty” but it’s so subtle that my brain doesn’t even seem to register exactly what it is. I really enjoy it.

The texture is very light and almost a cross between a cream and a serum. It’s not as thick as a cream, but isn’t watery. It massages into the skin quickly and it doesn’t leave any kid of residue. Unlike some of the other creams I’ve tried, it also doesn’t pill when you combine it with other products. Another positive about this product is that makeup applies very smoothly on top of it. I haven’t had any issues after using this cream. I will warn that you don’t need a lot of the product, so don’t apply liberally. A little bit goes a long way, which (hopefully) means the product will last a long time.

Most importantly, my skin feels hydrated throughout the day. After using it, I don’t feel any remaining tightness in my skin. It feels soft and helps even my toughest dry patches. I can’t weigh in on any of the anti-aging claims, lotus is claimed to condition the skin, hydrate a moisturize, increase skin elasticity, erase fine lines and brown spots, balance oily skin, and prevent acne and breakouts.

While I’ve only had this product for about a week, I would definitely recommend it if you’re looking for a small splurge. It’s by no means as expensive as a lot of other products, but is on the pricier side. 

Book Club March 2016

By: Sarah J. Maas
Published Year: 2015
Publisher: Bloomsbury Children's
Pages: 416

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Summary (Provided by Goodreads): When nineteen-year-old huntress Feyre kills a wolf in the woods, a beast-like creature arrives to demand retribution for it. Dragged to a treacherous magical land she only knows about from legends, Feyre discovers that her captor is not an animal, but Tamlin—one of the lethal, immortal faeries who once ruled their world.

As she dwells on his estate, her feelings for Tamlin transform from icy hostility into a fiery passion that burns through every lie and warning she's been told about the beautiful, dangerous world of the Fae. But an ancient, wicked shadow grows over the faerie lands, and Feyre must find a way to stop it... or doom Tamlin—and his world—forever.

This month’s book club pick was made by Meghan and she picked A Court of Thorns and Roses. I have heard a lot of hype about this book and I do like the cover, but I was never drawn to the story. While I love Beauty and the Beast, I don’t tend to like fantasy stories with fairies.

                                                              What I thought

I think I enjoyed this book just as much as I thought I would. Unfortunately, this book had the happenstance of being the first book I read after re-reading the first Harry Potter, so I think it was at a bit of a disadvantage. I was still under a bit of a Harry Potter hangover when I started this, so I think it may have colored my opinion a little bit.

A Court of Thorns and Roses follows Ferye (pronounced fay-ruh) after she kills a fairie who was disguised as a wolf. The world is divided into two parts by a magic wall. One part is the world of the fairies, and the other part is the world of the humans as a result of a treaty from a war over 500 years ago. Feyre’s family is poor and while she was out on a hunt, she spotted the fairie and killed him unprovoked. Little did she know, this broke a rule of the treaty and caused another fairie to find Feyre. He tells Feyre that he can either kill her now in repayment or she can come to live with him forever in the land of the fairies. Her family encourages/begs her to live with him so off she goes.

I feel a little on the fence about this book. While I did enjoy a lot of aspects of it, it never quite captured my attention. Like I said, I read this right after re-reading Harry Potter, so I think that worked against the story. Even though it was my 6th or 7th re-read, I still found myself drawn into the world completely and unable to put it down. I never quite felt that way with this story. I was definitely more interested in it than I thought I would be, but it took me until about 75-80% through the book before I felt like I couldn’t put it down and needed to know how it ended.

I really enjoyed the characters. I think that Ferye is a nice strong female character and I really liked Tamlin and Lucien. Each character is unique and brings something special to the story. Sometimes it feels like there are too many characters, but it’s the first book in a series so there is a lot of world building that has to happen.

I did see some of the parallels between this story and Beauty and the Beast at the beginning of the story, but I think it becomes something completely independent by the end. I am definitely curious enough and interested enough that I want to read the next book, but I didn’t love it. I know a lot of people who have raved about it, but I think this genre isn’t my cup of tea. If you love fantasy, I think you will love this book.

                                                  What Book Club Thought


Everyone that read it really enjoyed it. There were some minor issues that we had but overall everyone liked it and is excited about the next book. I think during the discussion, I was probably the one who liked it the least. There wasn't a lot of deep discussion with this book, so I don't have a lot to report on from book club. The only big thing we all agreed on was that her family was absolutely horrible and we wondered how necessary they were to the story. I also brought up the fact that the way she takes her promise to her dead mother so seriously irritated me and everyone agreed.

Book Club for April
My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry By: Fredrik Backman
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Book Club Date: April 10th

One Step Too Far

By: Tina Seskis
Published Year: US-2015 UK-2013
Publisher: William Morrow
Pages: 304

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Summary (Provided by Goodreads): An apparently happy marriage. A beautiful son. A lovely home. So what makes Emily Coleman get up one morning and walk right out of her life to start all over again? Has she had a breakdown? Was it to escape her dysfunctional family - especially her flawed twin sister Caroline who always seemed to hate her? And what is the date that looms, threatening to force her to confront her past? No-one has ever guessed her secret. Will you?




                                                                    First Impressions

The cover caught my eye and the summary intrigued me even more. I think I found this on a list of books to read if you enjoyed Gone Girl (which I loved), so I was excited about it! I was a little skeptical about the fact that it emphasized a twist so much, but I was still really excited.

                                                             What I thought

Le sigh. This book was so blah to me. And the fact that the front cover says “No one has ever guessed Emily’s secret. Will You?” just super irritated me. I was able to figure out half of her secret pretty early on in the book. The other half that I didn’t figure out wasn’t part of the secret, but a purposeful misinformation through the writing of the author. It is something that no one would ever be able to guess because the author writes her words in a way that is meant to trick you. It was honestly really frustrating.

One Step Too Far is Seskis’s debut novel. I think that it’s a little obvious in the way that the story plays out and some of the writing. A lot of the characters are underdeveloped and it seemed like she had a lot of ideas and just tried to get them all put into one book.

This story is about Emily, who experiences a traumatic event and decides to run away and start a new life as Cat (her full name is Catherine Emily). Miraculously, she never changed her name on her passport, even though she’s been married at least 3 years, so she is able to use her maiden name to start her new life. The story follows Emily/Cat as she starts her new life, but also checks in with her family. One Step Too Far is told in alternating points of view. The first point of view is Emily/Cat and is in the first person. The alternating chapters are told from the point of either past Emily, her husband Ben, her mom, her dad, her twin, or her friends. It’s all a little bit confusing. The other thing is that there are definitely some of these chapters that are totally unnecessary. Her new friend’s backstory? Did not need an entire chapter. Mom’s trip to climb a mountain? Useless.

The beginning of this story definitely caught my attention, and I also enjoyed the end, but the middle did not keep my interest. This book moved so slowly and I really wanted to know the “twist”. I have definitely decided that I do not like books that sell themselves with their twist. I end up reading the whole book thinking “is that the twist? Maybe it’s this?” It really takes me out of the book and starts making me wish it was moving quicker. I actually got so frustrated halfway through that I peeked and read the big twist. There was a smaller (unnecessary) twist that I didn’t peek at, but it honestly wasn’t a big deal.

The ending was nice, because everything was wrapped up in the end. You found out about each of the many characters that you were introduced to, so that was nice. But other than that, I can’t find many positives about this story.
 

If you see this book, I would say pass. It’s nothing like Gone Girl, and the twist is definitely predictable. The characters are blah and also irritating and the writing is nothing special. I would not re-read, recommend, or purchase this book.