{2014 TBR Pile Challenge} ALWAYS LOOKING UP: THE ADVENTURES OF AN INCURABLE OPTIMIST by Michael J. Fox

ISBN #: 978-1401310165

Page Count: 288

Copyright: March 30, 2010

Publisher: Hachette Books; Reprint Edition

Book Summary:

(Taken from Goodreads)

There are many words to describe Michael J. Fox: Actor. Husband. Father. Activist. But readers of Always Looking Up will soon add another to the list: Optimist. Michael writes about the hard-won perspective that helped him see challenges as opportunities. Instead of building walls around himself, he developed a personal policy of engagement and discovery: an emotional, psychological, intellectual, and spiritual outlook that has served him throughout his struggle with Parkinson's disease. Michael's exit from a very demanding, very public arena offered him the time-and the inspiration-to open up new doors leading to unexpected places. One door even led him to the center of his own family, the greatest destination of all.

The last ten years, which is really the stuff of this book, began with such a loss: my retirement from Spin City. I found myself struggling with a strange new dynamic: the shifting of public and private personas. I had been Mike the actor, then Mike the actor with PD. Now was I just Mike with PD Parkinson's had consumed my career and, in a sense, had become my career. But where did all of this leave Me? I had to build a new life when I was already pretty happy with the old one. .

Always Looking Up is a memoir of this last decade, told through the critical themes of Michael's life: work, politics, faith, and family. The book is a journey of self-discovery and reinvention, and a testament to the consolations that protect him from the ravages of Parkinson's.

With the humor and wit that captivated fans of his first book, Lucky Man, Michael describes how he became a happier, more satisfied person by recognizing the gifts of everyday life.

Kathy's Review:

(Reprinted with her permission from her personal blog, Grown Up Book Reports)

When I was six years old, before I knew what a crush was, I had a crush on Alex P. Keaton. Family Ties was my favorite television show growing up, and to this day, if see it on Nick at Nite, I’ll feel a swell of nostalgia as the pencil-drawn canvas of the Keaton family is painted in with colorful brush strokes and becomes a photograph. “What’ll we do baby… without us … sha-na-na-na.”

Michael J. Fox could do no wrong in my book. He starred as Marty McFly in the Back to the Future trilogy, another beloved piece of my childhood. I’ve seen the first movie dozens of times, the other two sparingly, as they don’t live up to the original in my estimation. But still, those films define the 80’s and my formative years.

His posters adorned my bedroom walls in my tween and pre-teen years. My tastes in my teens may have matured (or immatured) to boy band members and bad boy actors like Kiefer Sutherland, but Michael J. Fox always held a special place in my heart.

In Always Looking Up, Fox chronicles some of his triumphs in the past ten years, all of which involve his efforts to battle Parkinson’s disease, of which the actor suffers. A memoir of sorts, Always Looking Up strives to show how positivity and strong family values has helped him through the tough times. Fox jumps around in time, using anecdotes from his family life, political and religious beliefs to illustrate his concepts. Slightly tongue in cheek at times, and using an impressive vocabulary, I enjoyed hearing Fox’s point of view and glimpse into his personal life.

This is one of my heroes, and the fact that he is bravely facing down a disease and trying to help secure stem cell research to help countless others, only serves to raise the pedestal upon which he has stood my entire life. Though he is no longer a pin-up, he is a role model and an inspiration.

*Read for the 2014 TBR Pile Reading Challenge

{Meme} First Line Friday

First lines of novels can capture your attention, give you a clue to the character's past or present, set the stage for the entire novel, or more. First lines are extremely important and have a great responsibility. With that in mind, we'd like to introduce a new meme: First Line Friday.

When sharing the first line of the novel you're currently reading, please be sure to let us know the title and author. If you want to notate your thoughts and/or questions about the first line of your novel, please do!

As a side note: This used to be a regular meme on Rampant Reads last year. The blog could not be found online by Literary R&R. If this meme is already active via another blog, please let us know. We don't want to step on anyone's toes. Thanks all!

Here are our first lines for this week:

Sulie let out a huge yawn as she watched the apartment window from her parked car.

Not the most exciting start to a novel. I mean, even the character is bored. One does wonder, though, why she's watching an apartment window from her car. Is she waiting for someone? Is she on a stakeout? Guess we'll find out.

Drowning seemed like the best option or, for that matter, the only option.

So ... what's the first line of the novel you're reading this week? Share your link below!

{Review} UNITED SERVICE (The Colony, Book 2) by Regina Morris

ASIN #: B00EXRFJ2K

File Size: 516 KB

Page Count: 371

Copyright: March 17, 2014

Publisher: Silkhaven Publishing, LLC; 1st Edition

Book Summary:

(Taken from Amazon)

A group of sexy vampires protect the President of the United States in this humorous paranormal series.

Vampires exist among us. They can be our neighbor, best friend, our child's teacher ...

They alter their aged appearance based upon the amount of blood they consume. They move to a new area, drink a lot of blood, and appear young. Slowly they limit their intake of blood and age, right in front of our unsuspecting eyes. After decades, they fake their death, move, and do it over and over again.

Most live quiet lives in an effort to blend in. Some however want power and control. The Colony is an elite group of vampires sworn to protect the President of the United States from these rogue vampires.

Sterling, a half-breed vampire, is the weakest link in the chain for his team, and he knows it.

He has a unique ability to glean information from inanimate objects, and his life is like CSI meets the West Wing, where key positions are held by vampires. Vampires can alter their age based on the amount of blood they consume, which should allow Sterling to blend into human society. However, his ability has painful side effects that cause him to live a lonely life down in the evidence room at FBI headquarters. He's a lonely bad-boy looking for love in all the wrong places.

His current case involves the kidnapping of vampire children by a religious cult who is trying to save them. Sterling snatches the opportunity to do some field work by teaming up with a purebred vampire, Kate, who is the nanny of one of the missing children. Sterling's world is turned upside down by Kate. She is everything Sterling could hope for in a mate and he wonders if she'd ever consider loving a half-breed.

Kate is beautiful, intelligent, charming and sophisticated. Kate has led a sheltered life and is considered handicapped by vampire standards. Could she possibly trust Sterling enough to share her dark personal secret with him?

Together, can they save the kidnapped children and find true love for themselves?

Mandy's Review:

I knew when I finished reading Regina Morris' ETERNAL SERVICE that this book would be about Sterling, Raymond's half-breed son. The book's summary is slightly misleading in that Sterling hasn't really been looking for love because he never thought himself worthy enough for love. He never believed in a one, true love ... until he met Kate.

Kate is the exact opposite of any vampire Sterling has encountered. She's clumsy, unable to compel, doesn't have an aura, and cannot seem to fight her way out of a paper sack. Sterling, however, finds her undeniably irresistible.

The more time they spend together, Sterling and Kate find they have something in common. Their afflictions are relieved only by the other's touch. They surely cannot stay glued together for the rest of their lives, so they need to come up with a plan to help each other.

UNITED SERVICE seemed to focus more on Sterling and Kate's relationship than the fact that there are missing children they need to work together to find. There wasn't as much action in this novel and, what action there was, seemed to be more of a filler than part of the main plot. So, if you're looking for an action-filled romance you won't really find it here. However, if you're looking for another unique vampiric romance novel this would likely be up your alley.


*An ecopy of this novel was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.

{Review} FLEETING CHANCE by Sherban Young

ISBN #: 978-1500656676

Page Count: 242

Copyright: August 28, 2014

Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform

Description:

(Taken from book flap)

The world's most celebrated semiretired detective is back, this time for some cards, cruising and criminal investigation. In his fourth adventure, Enescu Fleet encounters treachery on and off the high seas. Along the way, he raises the stakes with a little hidden treasure, and goes all in on a mystery that will plumb the depths of his past.

The puzzle pieces keep piling up, and so do the corpses. Does the best in the game have what it takes - or could he end up a sunken Fleet?

Charlene's Review:

Enescu Fleet and John Hathaway are together again. This time, invited onto a yacht to play an innocent game of poker. Of course, nothing is ever simple with Enescu Fleet. With shouts of "man overboard!" Johnny and Enescu are, once again, in a fight for their lives as they follow the clues and race for a treasure.

I have reviewed several of Mr. Young’s books, 4 in the Enescu Fleet series, and I have to say, it doesn’t get old, or repetitive. Mr. Young’s writing is droll and charming, and the flippant observations made by Johnny during times of duress mimic a humorous ADD sufferer.

Enescu is always gentlemanly, and careful in planning, oftentimes, waiting to the last chapter to wrap up the story, which leaves plenty of possibilities for the reader to mull over. The way in which multiple murders are kept as almost a side to the story of the characters is a testament to the many layers to Mr. Young’s story.

This is not your typical mystery series. This is a series of stories about eccentric, likable characters that happens to have a mystery contained inside. I will, once more, applaud Mr. Sherban Young for an intelligent, entertaining story. I highly recommend this series to all. 5 out of 5 stars!


*A physical copy of this book was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.

{Review} SHATTERED by Shelby K. Morrison

ASIN #: B00K2ME7RS

File Size: 3311 KB

Page Count: 373

Copyright: May 1, 2014

Book Summary:

(Taken from Goodreads)

What would you sacrifice to learn the truth? When a deadly act of self defense brings college student Alex Bowen suspicious admiration, only a fit of rage can sooth her anger. But when her shattered mirror reveals a hidden room, she never suspects the two incidents could be linked.

Determined to discover the truth behind her spies, Alex finds herself cut off from family and friends and forced to make allies wherever she can find them, all while evading the people who've been spying. It isn't long before Alex questions everything she knows and what she thought coincidence, may be anything but.

Now with her life and sanity on the line, Alex must resist her enemy's mind games if she wants to expose every dark secret. To succumb would result in her true identity being lost forever and countless others suffering the same fate. But to succeed, would shatter everything she knows.

Kathy's Review:

This book hooks you from the beginning with its wild premise. From there, its non-stop action will keep you engaged. The author does a nice job of giving up information little by little, so that when the pieces come together, it’s well thought out and there aren’t many loopholes. With a story like this, where you’re dealing with conspiracy theories and human experiments, it makes you wonder if something like this could really happen. The author makes it seem plausible, although there are a couple of places in the book where I thought, really?

Alex is a great heroine and you want to find out her story. William, her “bodyguard” for most of the story, is an intriguing character, as well. And finally, Ian, the conspiracy theorist who has been working to find out what is going on on the island where Alex had been kept, kind of ties it all together.

It’s also refreshing that, at the end of this novel, it seemed like all the loose ends were tied up. I feel like so many of the books I read for review these days are part of a series, that it is nice to just have one cohesive story from start to finish, contained in one book.

I applaud the author on this adventurous and fast-paced novel; this one is definitely worth checking out.


*An ecopy of this novel was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.