{Review} GOOD FAITH by Liz Crowe

ISBN #: 978-0989306980

Page Count: 522

Copyright: November 14, 2013

Publisher: Tri Destiny Publishing

Description:

(Taken from back cover)

Strong personalities—volatile marriages—stressful careers—conflicting goals—difficult children.

Contemporary challenges facing close-knit families form the crucible that forges a new generation.

Brandis, Gabriel, Blair and Lillian emerge from the entanglement of their parents’ longstanding emotional connections, but one’s star will burn brighter – and hotter – than the others.

With a personality that consumes everyone and everything in its path, Brandis Gordon struggles to maintain control as he ricochets between wild success and miserable failure. His life proves how even the strongest relationships can be strangled by the ties that bind.

Brandis and Gabe Frietag are as close as any brothers, bound by both loyalty and fierce rivalry. The strength of their ultimate alliance is tested time and again by Brandis’ choices.

Companions from birth, Blair Frietag and Lillian Robinson share loner tendencies, but come to rely on each other through adolescence. As they mature, both are forced to confront their feelings for the men they knew as boys.

Somewhere between the tangle of good memories and bad, independence and addiction, optimism and despair, the intertwined destinies of the new generation finally collide, leaving some stronger, others broken, but none unscathed.

As a chronicle of three families navigating the minefields of teen years into the turbulence of young adulthood, Good Faith holds up a literary mirror to contemporary life with joys and temptations unflinchingly reflected. Its fresh, real-life voice portrays the sheer volatility of human nature, complete with the hopes, dreams, and unexpected setbacks of marriage, parenthood and "coming of age."

Charlene's Review:

The seventh in the Stewart Realty Saga (of which I was unaware of but am know itching to read) this is a story of three intertwined families facing the demons of the past, and the struggles of the present. This book focuses mainly on the storyline of Brandis, young and wild, and addicted. As his life unravels, each family feels the shockwave and lives are possibly changed forever.

A formidable read at 507 pages, it took me longer to finish because of interruptions beyond my control. However, I found it deeply emotional and it pulled me to finish. Covering about every dysfunction you can imagine, Ms. Crowe probes deep into the human psyche and relates to her readers in a frank, humbling way. I was totally invested in these families triumphs and disappointments from the very beginning.

Ms. Crowe borrowed a lot of the background details from the loves of her own life, such as brewing, soccer, and real estate, which makes the details even more believable. I found nothing that didn’t seem "real" within this story. My only caveat would be that there is extensive sexual interactions throughout the story. If this is an issue, I would highly suggest you avoid this book. Otherwise, I cannot express enough how captivating the characters are and watching them grow and survive was an honor.

5 out of 5 stars!!


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

{Book Spotlight} RE JANE by Patricia Park

ISBN #: 978-0525427407

Page Count: 352

Release Date: May 5, 2015

Publisher: Pamela Dorman Books

Book Description:

Journeying from Queens to Brooklyn to Seoul, and back, this is a fresh, contemporary retelling of Jane Eyre and a poignant Korean American debut

For Jane Re, half-Korean, half-American orphan, Flushing, Queens, is the place she’s been trying to escape from her whole life. Sardonic yet vulnerable, Jane toils, unappreciated, in her strict uncle’s grocery store and politely observes the traditional principle of nunchi (a combination of good manners, hierarchy, and obligation). Desperate for a new life, she’s thrilled to become the au pair for the Mazer-Farleys, two Brooklyn English professors and their adopted Chinese daughter. Inducted into the world of organic food co-ops, and nineteenth–century novels, Jane is the recipient of Beth Mazer’s feminist lectures and Ed Farley’s very male attention. But when a family death interrupts Jane and Ed’s blossoming affair, she flies off to Seoul, leaving New York far behind.

Reconnecting with family, and struggling to learn the ways of modern-day Korea, Jane begins to wonder if Ed Farley is really the man for her. Jane returns to Queens, where she must find a balance between two cultures and accept who she really is. Re Jane is a bright, comic story of falling in love, finding strength, and living not just out of obligation to others, but for one’s self.

*     *     *     *     *     *

Publishers Weekly says that “Park’s debut is a cheeky, clever homage to Jane Eyre, interwoven with touching meditations on Korean-American identity…. Park’s clever one-liners make the story memorable, and her riffs on cultural identity will resonate with any reader who’s felt out of place.”

Kirkus Reviews calls Patricia Park as “a fine writer with an eye for the effects of class and ethnic identity, a sense of humor, and a compassionate view of human weakness who nevertheless doesn't make the rookie error of letting her characters off easy.”

About the Author:

(Taken from author's Amazon page)

Patricia Park was born and raised in New York City and is a graduate of the Bronx High School of Science. She received her BA in English Literature from Swarthmore College and her MFA in Fiction from Boston University, where she studied with Ha Jin and Allegra Goodman. Her work has appeared in The Guardian, The New York Times, Slice Magazine, and others.

In 2009 she received a Fulbright grant to South Korea to research RE JANE. She has also received writing fellowships with The Center for Fiction and The American Association of University Women. She has taught writing at Boston University, Ewha Woman's University in Seoul, and CUNY Queens College. RE JANE is her first book.

{Review} WALKING BETWEEN WORLDS; BOOK I: DEMONS & ANGELS by J. K. Norry

ASIN #: B00PF1S1Z0

File Size: 399 KB

Page Count: 267

Copyright: December 2, 2014

Publisher: Sudden Insight Publishing

Book Description:

(Taken from Amazon)

Meet the unsung heroes of the supernatural, those who walk between worlds to help humans battle their demons. This is the spellbinding tale of a special group of people whose lives were changed forever. Watch the ordinary collide with the extraordinary to test the mettle of their souls and the power of their love.

The first book in an exciting new series, Walking Between Worlds; Book I: Demons & Angels introduces us to a new way of looking at both the natural and the supernatural worlds. Join Paul Stone and Kris Reed as they walk between worlds in search of answers and themselves.

Mandy's Review:

One of my literary weaknesses are books depicting battles between angels and demons. The timeless battle of good versus evil is one of my favorite things to read. My own guilty pleasure, if you will. By agreeing to read and review Walking Between Worlds, I was excited to be adding to my collection. Too bad I was disappointed.

I've read the few reviews that are out there concerning this book. Those that have read it so far have seemed to enjoy it, especially the characters. I found the characters lacking. Granted, this is the first book of the series and a precursor to future events so there may be things developing in these characters that isn't evident in this book. The characters just seemed to be one-dimensional. I didn't relate to any of them. I wasn't interested in getting to know more about any of them. Apparently, all the main guys in this book have hot girlfriends who enjoy a little forcefulness in the sexual arena (i.e. hair pulling, biting). Not all females are the same and I got a little tired of the sex scenes in what is supposed to be a book about demons and angels.

Speaking of demons and angels ... there is definitely a different thought-process at work in this book. I commend the author for creating a series based on an age-old battle and giving it a philosophical twist. I'm sure there's an audience out there for this type of series, but it's not me. I feel as if the book took too long to get its point across and I became a little bored with it. What the author did make me realize, though, was that I'm a classical kind of girl.

Sorry, Mr. Norry, but I didn't care for your work.


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

{Review} TEXTS FROM JANE EYRE (AND OTHER CONVERSATIONS WITH YOUR FAVORITE LITERARY CHARACTERS) by Mallory Ortberg

ISBN #: 978-1627791830

Page Count: 240

Copyright: November 4, 2014

Publisher: Henry Holt and Co.; First Edition

Book Summary:

(Taken from Goodreads)

Hilariously imagined text conversations—the passive aggressive, the clever, and the strange—from classic and modern literary figures, from Scarlett O’Hara to Jessica Wakefield.

Mallory Ortberg, the co-creator of the cult-favorite website The Toast, presents this whimsical collection of hysterical text conversations from your favorite literary characters. Everyone knows that if Scarlett O’Hara had an unlimited text-and-data plan, she’d constantly try to tempt Ashley away from Melanie with suggestive messages. If Mr. Rochester could text Jane Eyre, his ardent missives would obviously be in all-caps. And Daisy Buchanan would not only text while driving, she’d text you to pick her up after she totaled her car. Based on the popular web-feature, Texts from Jane Eyre is a witty, irreverent mashup that brings the characters from your favorite books into the twenty-first century.

Kathy's Review:

If our favorite literary characters, or authors, could text, what would they say? The author imagines these conversations throughout the history of literature, beginning with Greek mythology and ending with Katniss and Peeta in “The Hunger Games.” Extremely funny, and spot-on with keeping with the particular character’s quirks or infamous scenes from the books in which they live, Texts is smartly imagined.

Admittedly, I didn’t know a LOT of the literary references in the book. They were still funny, but I think some of the nuance went over my head. There were several jokes relating to Daisy Miller that I didn’t get because I had never heard of this character, but I could still tell that it was stuffy British lit from back in the day and that Daisy had some haters who thought she was a tramp.

The philosophical stuff was funny – basically, some of the crazy-yet-brilliant thoughts of some of the past writers were reimagined into texts and came off as you’d imagine.

Some of my favorites were Miss Havisham’s texts (Great Expectations) reminding all that she was jilted at the altar; Emily Dickinson texting from inside her bedroom to someone on the outside of the door; and Peter Pan as the ultimate druggie, texting Wendy and asking her to come party with him. Surprisingly, some of the more modern literary references were my least favorite. Babysitters Club came along after I was too old to be reading that stuff, so I skipped right over that one. Even Sweet Valley High, of which I was an ardent fan, wasn’t one of my favorites.

This will take you just about an hour to get through, and I’m sure that if you enjoy reading, you’ll be amused at this inventive way to retell their stories.


*A physical copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

{Review} A GHOSTLY UNDERTAKING by Tonya Kappes

ISBN #: 978-0062374646

Page Count: 304

Copyright: February 24, 2015

Publisher: Witness; Reissue Edition

Series: Ghostly Southern Mysteries (Book 1)

Book Description:

(Taken from Amazon)

A funeral, a ghost, a murder . . . It's all in a day's work for emma lee raines . . .

Bopped on the head from a falling plastic Santa, local undertaker Emma Lee Raines is told she's suffering from “funeral trauma.”   It's trauma all right, because the not-so-dearly departed keep talking to her. Take Ruthie Sue Payne—innkeeper, gossip queen, and arch-nemesis of Emma Lee's granny—she's adamant that she didn't just fall down those stairs. She was pushed.

Ruthie has no idea who wanted her pushing up daisies. All she knows is that she can't cross over until the matter is laid to eternal rest. In the land of the living, Emma Lee's high-school crush, Sheriff Jack Henry Ross, isn't ready to rule out foul play. Granny Raines, the widow of Ruthie's ex-husband and co-owner of the Sleepy Hollow Inn, is the prime suspect. Now Emma Lee is stuck playing detective or risk being haunted forever.

Mandy's Review:

I'm always up for a good mystery involving murder, ghosts, and surprises. Sometimes it's nice to just read a book for enjoyment instead of trying to figure out what the author's trying to convey.

Emma is in an unusual situation. Her sister, Charlotte, and she run one of the local funeral homes. It was previously managed by their parents, but their parents have decided to move away, travel, and leave the funeral home in the hands of their daughters. All goes well until Emma has her incident with the plastic Santa Claus.

It's this konk on the head that allows Emma to see the ghosts of the recently departed. Ruthie being the most recent, Emma thinks she's starting to have episodes of the "funeral trauma" again until Ruthie convinces Emma she was murdered. Emma, now intrigued, decides to help investigate Ruthie's death ... especially when the local law enforcement office, Jack, subpoenas Emma requesting she not bury Ruthie until the official investigation is over.

Sticking your nose in where it doesn't belong can get you into trouble, as it does with Emma. There's someone in town that's not happy with Emma playing junior detective. Will Emma be able to help Jack solve Ruthie's murder before someone close to Emma goes to jail?

There were parts of the story that moved just a bit too fast for me and I feel like some important elements may have been left out but overall I did enjoy this novel. I have a lot going on in my life right now and reading something just for the pure enjoyment of it was refreshing. It helped me to escape my head for a while, which is something I was sorely needing. If you're looking to escape and visit a new place for purely recreational purposes, then I would recommend beginning this series.


*A physical copy was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.