The Proper Care and Maintenance of Friendship ~ Lisa Verge Higgins

Friends Sarah, Bobbie Jo, "Jo", and Kate are shocked to their core when Rachel, the most daring and vivacious of the group, suddenly dies of cancer. After her passing, each woman receives an unexpected letter from Rachel. In her letters, Rachel requests something of each woman: to experience life outside of her comfort zone.

For Kate, that means sky-diving. Kate was spontaneous and care-free before she become a married mom of three. Somewhere along the way her marriage to Paul become routine and stale.

Jo is a high-powered business woman aiming for the vice presidency at her company, a position that is so close, she can see the name plate on her office door. Rachel's request for her is to become her daughter's legal guardian. And Jo knows absolutely nothing about being anyone's mother.

Rachel's request of Sarah is to reconnect wtih her one true love. Either Sarah makes it work with him or find closure so she can move on and find love again.

The Proper Care and Maintenance of Friendship is a book about taking risks. Leaving what's comfortable in order to discover the treasures life has to offer. As each woman fulfills Rachel's requests, she learns valuable lessons about the woman she once was and the woman she has now become. Rachel's presence is very much felt throughout the book, making her a significant character. I enjoyed how the author used her letters and flashbacks to tell her story. I could vividly picture Rachel as I was reading.

I've been looking forward to The Proper Care and Maintenance of Friendship since I first heard about it last summer. I'm very pleased to say it was worth the wait. Highly recommended.

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Book details:
Genre: Women's Fiction
Pub. Date: January 26, 2011
Pages: 352

My copy of The Proper Care and Maintenance of Friendship was provided by the publisher for my honest review.

Waiting on Wednesday

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill of Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Here's what I'm looking forward to:

Title: Sing You Home
Author: Jodi Picoult
Release Date: March 1

From Amazon.com

Every life has a soundtrack. All you have to do is listen.

Music has set the tone for most of Zoe Baxter’s life. There’s the melody that reminds her of the summer she spent rubbing baby oil on her stomach in pursuit of the perfect tan. A dance beat that makes her think of using a fake ID to slip into a nightclub. A dirge that marked the years she spent trying to get pregnant.

For better or for worse, music is the language of memory. It is also the language of love.

In the aftermath of a series of personal tragedies, Zoe throws herself into her career as a music therapist. When an unexpected friendship slowly blossoms into love, she makes plans for a new life, but to her shock and inevitable rage, some people—even those she loves and trusts most—don’t want that to happen.

Sing You Home is about identity, love, marriage, and parenthood. It’s about people wanting to do the right thing for the greater good, even as they work to fulfill their own personal desires and dreams. And it’s about what happens when the outside world brutally calls into question the very thing closest to our hearts: family.

Sing You Home is on my "must read" list for 2011.

Anna and the French Kiss ~ Stephanie Perkins

It's Anna's senior year and she's not happy. Her dad (without consulting her) decided she needed a good learning experience and living in Paris would accomplish that. Just like that, Anna is whisked away to the School of America in Paris. Of course that summer, things were finally starting to happen with her crush Toph. Anna is almost certain they would become a couple. Now thanks to her father, she'll have to wait until holiday break to see if her hunch is correct.

Her first night in Paris, she meets her neighbor Meredith. And St. Clair. St. Clair is the gorgeous guy every girl has a crush on, but he's currently dating Ellie.

As Anna settles into her new school and begins to make friends, she finds herself gradually falling for St. Clair. Could the beautiful St. Clair also be falling for her too?

Anna and the French Kiss is a story the reader can easily get lost in. I read most of it on a Sunday afternoon and could not wait to pick it up again Monday after work. I found myself interested in Anna and her budding friendship (and romance) with St. Clair. Although I thought Anna's holiday break was very predictable, it didn't take away from the story. In fact, I think it helped with Anna's character growth.

There's a lot of buzz about this book. So much so, I almost did not want to read it. I wondered if the book would live up to its hype. But after I finished the book, I'm so glad I did. Anna and the French Kiss is a wonderful addition to the young adult genre. What's even better? Perkins has two companion novels in the works: Lola and the Boy Next Door and Isla and the Happily Ever After to be published in September 2011 and 2012 respectively.

Adult fans of young adult fiction will not be embarrassed to be caught reading this book in public. It's a heartwarming love story. Highly recommended.
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Book details:
Genre: Young Adult Fiction
Pub. Date: December 2, 2010
Pages: 372
Source: Library

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

Sheila, of One Persons Journey Through a World of Books, is the host of It's Monday! What Are You Reading? This is a weekly event to share what we read last week, what we are currently reading and what books we plan to read this week.

Recently read:

• Anna and the French Kiss - Stephanie Perkins
  Summary: Anna falls in love during her senior year in Paris.
• Shadowland - Meg Cabot
  Summary: Suze can see and talk to ghosts. (Think of her as a teenage ghost whisper.) In the first book of The Mediator series, Heather was the popular girl in school and returns to seek revenge on her former boyfriend. (Audiobook)
  
• The Proper Care and Maintenance of Friendship - Lisa Verge Higgins
  Summary: Three women receive letters from their friend after she dies. Each letter asks the women to confront her fear.
  

I'm reading:

• There's Future in My Future - Kim Gruenenfelder
  

Reading soon:

• Here Lies Bridget - Paige Harbison
  
• Left Neglected - Lisa Genova
  

What are you reading this week?

The Transformation of Things ~ Jillian Cantor

Jen Levenworth is at the hair salon when she sees the breaking news story. Her husband Will, the youngest judge in Deerfield County, has been indicted on bribery charges. Shocked and embarrassed, Jen flies out of her chair with damp hair and races home to find Will.

Will is home when she arrives and looks beaten and distraught. A look that is uncharacteristic for him as he is always put together and everything is its place when he's around. Seeing Will this way frightens Jen and she begins to wonder about his innocence. And her marriage.

The Transformation of Things is a story about seeing things for what they are versus what we want them to be. Which we all now is very, very hard (and scary) to do. Early in their marriage, Jen and Will lived a great life in the city. Being newly married and having great careers allowed them to be young and carefree. After making Partner at his law firm, Will set his sights on becoming a judge. This decision uprooted them from city life to suburbia. Jen's job at the magazine became a distant memory as she attempted to settle in as being country club housewife.

This transition did not come easily for Jen. No matter how close she was with her friends, she thought she was still kept at arm's length in their immediate circle. This was evident when the news story about Will's arrest broke and her friends started to pull away from Jen. Slowly Jen and Will are trying to pick up the pieces after being ostracized from the country club. As Will begins a new job, Jen also finds herself freelancing at her former magazine. Will's change in behavior is at first uncomfortable for Jen, but soon she cautiously welcomes it as she ponders the future of her marriage.

And then the dreams begin. Jen has vivid dreams about those close to her: her sister Kelly, Will, Kat, a former co-worker and friend at the magazine, and Lisa, another country club member. Jen had preconceived notions about each, but after her dreams, she begins to question how well she truly knows them.

There's an unexpected twist at the end that I really can't say more about without ruining the book. I'm not sure how I feel about it to be quite honest. It took away from the book just a bit for me. Having said that, I still recommend The Transformation of Things to fans of women's fiction.

____________
Book details:
Genre: Women's Fiction
Pub. Date: November 2, 2o1o
Pages: 270
Source: Library

Waiting on Wednesday

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill of Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Here's what I'm looking forward to:

Title: Tick Tock
Author: James Patterson & Michael Ledwidge
Release Date: January 24

From Patterson's website:

NYC's #1 detective, Michael Bennett, has a huge problem—the Son of Sam, the Werewolf of Wisteria and the Mad Bomber are all back. The city has never been more terrified!

Tick—a killer's countdown begins, but...
A rash of horrifying crimes tears through the city, throwing it into complete chaos and terrorizing everyone living there. Immediately, it becomes clear that they are not the work of an amateur, but of a calculating, efficient, and deadly mastermind.

Tick—can Michael Bennett catch him before...
The city calls on Detective Michael Bennett, pulling him away from a seaside retreat with his ten adopted children, his grandfather, and their beloved nanny, Mary Catherine. Not only does it tear apart their first vacation since Michael's wife Maeve died—it leaves the entire family open to attack.

Tock—your time is up.
Bennett enlists the help of a former colleague, FBI Agent Emily Parker. As his affection for Emily grows into something stronger, his relationship with Mary Catherine takes an unexpected turn. All too soon, another appalling crime leads Bennett to a shocking discovery that exposes the killer's pattern and the earth-shattering enormity of his plan. From the creator of the #1 New York detective series comes the most volatile and most explosive Michael Bennett novel ever.

Heist Society - Ally Carter

Title: Heist Society
Author: Ally Carter
Narrator: Angela Dawe

About the book: When Katarina Bishop was three, her parents took her to the Louvre...to case it. For her seventh birthday, Katarina and her Uncle Eddie traveled to Austria...to steal the crown jewels. When Kat turned fifteen, she planned a con of her own--scamming her way into the best boarding school in the country, determined to leave the family business behind. Unfortunately, leaving "the life" for a normal life proves harder than she'd expected.

Soon, Kat's friend and former co-conspirator, Hale, appears out of nowhere to bring her back into the world she tried so hard to escape. But he has good reason: a powerful mobster's art collection has been stolen, and he wants it returned. Only a master thief could have pulled this job, and Kat’s father isn’t just on the suspect list, he is the list. Caught between Interpol and a far more deadly enemy, Kat’s dad needs her help.

For Kat there is only one solution: track down the paintings and steal them back. So what if it’s a spectacularly impossible job? She’s got two weeks, a teenage crew, and hopefully just enough talent to pull off the biggest heist in her family’s (very crooked) history--and, with any luck, steal her life back along the way. (Taken from the inside cover)

Review: Heist Society is a fantastic read about teenage art thieves. It's a fun story that can easily be pictured as a movie. Dawe narrates the story flawlessly as each character can be distinctly recognized without an introduction. Carter spins a great plot and created a likable main character with Kat. She's trying hard to be a typical teenage girl, but when her father finds himself in trouble, she has no choice but to return to the family business in order to save him.

The relationship between Kat and Hale is endearing. The reader can tell the direction their friendship is headed, but it's not forced in any way. Carter's pace along with Kat and Hale's back and forth banter makes the anticipation worth it.

Although Heist Society is young adult fiction, adult fans of The Italian Job or Ocean's Eleven will also enjoy this book. I'm definitely looking forward to book two, Uncommon Criminals, in June.

Length: 6 hrs, 10 min

Source: Library

This review can also be found at Audiobook Jukebox.


It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

Sheila, of One Persons Journey Through a World of Books, is the host of It's Monday! What Are You Reading? This is a weekly event to share what we read last week, what we are currently reading and what books we plan to read this week.

Recently read:

• The Transformation of Things - Jillian Cantor
  Summary: Jen's husband Will, a judge, is indicted on bribery charges. Feeling stressed and worried about the state of her marriage, she starts to have vivid dreams about those close to her.
  

I'm reading:

• Anna and the French Kiss - Stephanie Perkins
  

I'm listening to:

• Shadowland (Mediator #1) - Meg Cabot
  

Reading soon:

• The Proper Care and Maintenance of Friendship - Lisa Verge Higgins
• The DUFF: Designated Ugly Fat Friend - Kody Keplinger

What are you reading this week?

Waiting on Wednesday

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Jill of Breaking the Spine, that spotlights upcoming releases that we're eagerly anticipating.

Here's what I'm looking forward to:

Title: Skipping a Beat
Author: Sarah Pekkanen
Release Date: February 22

From the author's website:

What would you do if your husband wanted to rewrite the rules of your relationship?

Julia Dunhill, a thirty-something party planner, seems to have it all: Married to her high school sweetheart and living in a gorgeous home in Washington D.C., she imagines her future unfolding very much as it has for the past few years, since she and her husband Michael successfully launched their companies. There will be dinner parties to attend, operas to dress up for, and weddings and benefits to organize for her growing list of clients. There will be shopping sprees with her best friend, Isabelle, and inevitably those last five pounds to shed. In her darker moments, she worries that her marriage has dissolved from a true partnership into a façade, but she convinces herself it’s due to the intensity of their careers and fast-paced lifestyle.

So as she arranges the molten chocolate cupcakes for the annual Opera benefit, how can she know that her carefully-constructed world is about to fall apart? That her husband will stand up from the head of the table in his company’s boardroom, open his mouth to speak, and crash to the carpeted floor… all in the amount of time it will take her to walk across a ballroom floor just a few miles away. Four minutes and eight seconds after his cardiac arrest, a portable defibrillator jump-starts Michael’s heart. But in those lost minutes he becomes a different man, with an altered perspective on the rarified life they’ve been living and a determination to regain the true intimacy they once shared. Now it is up to Julia to decide — is it worth upending her comfortable world to try to find her way back to the husband she once adored, or should she walk away from this new Michael, who truthfully became a stranger to her long before his change of heart?


Skipping a Beat is one of my anticipated reads in 2011.

Never Look Away - Linwood Barclay

What began as an innocent family outing, turned into David Harwood’s worst nightmare. His wife, Jan, purchased tickets to the Five Mountains amusement park. David leaves Ethan with Jan to buy ice cream. When he returns Jan informs him someone has taken Ethan. Both go in opposite directions to find their son. Luckily Ethan is found minutes later unharmed. The only problem is Jan is now missing.

So begins Barclay’s Never Look Away. When the police become involved in Jan’s case, there’s only one person of interest (read suspect) on their list: David. In order to clear his name, David must dig deep into his wife’s past. As her past starts to unravel, he begins to wonder how well did he know his wife. When he learns the shocking truth, will their marriage survive?

Barclay has been repeatedly recommended to me solely based on my love for Harlan Coben. I’ve constantly heard, “if you like Coben, then you will definitely like Barclay.” I would have to agree with this statement as I did enjoy Never Look Away and I plan to read more of his books.

While reading mysteries, I try to figure it out, piece it together as much as I can. However, with Never Look Away, I found this to be quite difficult. There are obvious things that happened that I think Barclay wanted the reader to know ahead of David to set the pace for the story. At the same time, there are twist and turns that the reader will not see coming. The pace is fast and at times I just could not put the book down. And when I did, I often thought about when I could pick it up again.

Never Look Away is the perfect read for these cold, wintry days. Just know when you start, you will not want to put it down.

____________
Book details:
Genre: Mystery/Suspense, Thriller
Pub. Date: March 9, 2010
Pages: 432
Source: Library eBook

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

Sheila, of One Persons Journey Through a World of Books, is the host of It's Monday! What Are You Reading? This is a weekly event to share what we read last week, what we are currently reading and what books we plan to read this week.

Recently read:

• The Atlas of Love - Laurie Frankel
  Summary: Three friends decide to move in together when one learns she is pregnant. (review)
  
• Heist Society - Ally Carter
  Summary: Katrina is pulled back into the family business after her father is accused of stealing valuable paintings.
  
• Never Look Away - Linwood Barclay
  Summary: David Harwood is accused of murdering his wife after she disappears.
  

I'm reading:

• The Transformation of Things - Jillian Cantor
  

I'm listening to:

I haven't decided which audio book to start this week. I'm not quite sure what I'm in the mood for.

Reading soon:

• The Proper Care and Maintenance of Friendship - Lisa Verge Higgins
• Bundle of Trouble - Diana Orgain
• Anna and the French Kiss - Stephanie Perkins
• Fall for Anything - Courtney Summers
  

What are you reading this week?

The Atlas of Love ~ Laurie Frankel

What makes us a family? Sharing the same mother and father? Our siblings or grandparents? What about the close family friend who, as long as you can remember, you called Uncle So and So even though he is not your mother's brother or your father's. And your best friend. . . is she family? She may not be your sister, but you certainly feel as though she is. In The Atlas of Love, the debut novel by Laurie Frankel, this question is pushed to its limits.

No matter how we plan our lives, right down to the smallest detail, our lives often take an unexpected turn. For Jill, this occurs when she learns she's pregnant and her boyfriend isn't thrilled to become a father. As he fades from her life, best friends Janey and Katie step in and offer to co-parent. The three friends are also graduate students and devise a plan that will allow each to attend and teach class, study and take care of Jill's baby. After Jill gives birth, neither woman is prepared for what comes next.

The Atlas of Love is told in Janey's voice. Janey is the peacemaker of the group. She definitely takes care of everyone (she cooks all the meals) and puts her friends' needs in front of her own. Katie is the romantic. She is looking to marry and have children. Each time she dates a new guy, she looks at him as being The One. And then there's Jill. She's the hardest one for me to describe. At times she can be kind and sweet, while at other times she's downright selfish and entitled.

Despite their planning, this new living arrangement begins to spin out of control. A medical emergency will cause each woman to evaluate her life as well as their friendship. As each woman begins her own journey, the meaning of family will begin to take shape. How each defines family will be different, however necessary as all three women begin a new chapter in their lives.

The Atlas of Love is a novel that should not be missed. Frankel is a talented author. I am looking forward to reading her future works.
____________
Book details:
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Pub. Date: August 17, 2010
Pages: 336
Source: Personal copy

The Lying Game - Sara Shepard

Life hasn't been good to Emma. Her mother abandons her at a young age causing her to be bounced around from foster home to foster home for most of her life. As graduation is around the corner, Emma finds herself living with Clarice and her slimy son Travis. When Clarice accuses her of stealing money (which she didn't steal, of course) she finds herself out of a home, but also learns of her long-lost twin sister Sutton. So begins Shepard's newest series The Lying Games.

Emma connects with Sutton via Facebook and arranges a face-to-face meeting. Feeling both nervous and excited to meet her twin, Emma sets out to Arizona. Quickly things turn out to not be as she imagined when Sutton is late to arrive. Things take an even weirder turn when Sutton's friends "kidnap" Emma, mistaking her for Sutton.

When Emma receives a threatening note saying Sutton has been murdered and she needs to be Sutton or else she's next, Emma is aware this family reunion has turned into a dangerous affair.

Having read the Pretty Little Liars series and absolutely loving it, I was excited to hear Shepard was working on a new series. I told myself to go into the story without comparing it to PLL, but after reading the first few chapters, I found this hard to do. (I don't want to explain further so as not to ruin the PLL series for anyone.)

I admit it took several chapters for me to finally settle in and get hooked by the story. Shepard does a great job by not confusing the reader with Emma's perception and Sutton's thoughts and memories. The more I read, I found myself getting swept into Sutton's life and trying to figure out who killed Sutton and why.

The reader slowly learns about Sutton's life and friends when Emma slips into her life. As Emma discovers more about Sutton (this girl is NOT nice), the potential suspects list continues to grow. By the end of the book, I was no closer to figuring out who killed Sutton. Shepard worked her magic by keeping the reader guessing with all the twists and turns the story took before reaching the last page.

Despite its slow start (for me, anyway), I'm definitely looking forward to the next book in the series Never Have I Ever. Fans of PLL will enjoy book one of this new series. Even if you haven't read PLL, pick it up anyway. Shepard is a young adult author not to be missed.

____________
Book details:
Genre: YA Mystery
Series: The Lying Game #1
Pub. Date: December 7, 2010
Pages: 307
Source: Library

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

Sheila, of One Persons Journey Through a World of Books, is the host of It's Monday! What Are You Reading? This is a weekly event to share what we read last week, what we are currently reading and what books we plan to read this week.

Recently read:

• The Lying Game - Sara Shepard
  Summary: First in a new series, The Lying Game begins with Emma learning she has a twin sister, Sutton.
  
• Call Me Mrs. Miracle - Debbie Macomber
  Summary: Mrs. Miracles helps two families to have their best Christmas yet.
• Promise Me - Richard Paul Evans
  Summary: Beth Cardell meets a mysterious man during the holiday season.
  

I'm reading:

• The Atlas of Love - Laurie Frankel
  

I'm listening to:

• Heist Society - Ally Carter
  

Reading soon:

• The Proper Care and Maintenance of Friendship - Lisa Verge Higgins
• Bundle of Trouble - Diana Orgain
• The Transformation of Things - Jillian Cantor
  

What are you reading this week?

Sunday Salon

Happy 2011! A new year is here and it's a nice welcome. Not saying that 2010 was a horrible year. Yes, it had its share of ups and downs and I faced many challenges, but I have to say for the first time in years, I wasn't in a hurry to see a year end.

I am happy to see 2011 because I am expecting God to do great things in my life. I went to church this morning knowing my pastor would preach a great sermon about the start of a new year. And I was not disappointed. His sermon only validated what I know to be true.

I'm also happy for the arrival of 2011 because it will be the year I read whatever I want, whenever I want! I've only signed up for two challenges: What's in a Name 4 and 2011 eBook Reading Challenge. There are several that are so very tempting, but I've decided to read one or two books that will fit these challenges and not sign up for them.

I want to read more from my shelves. In order for me to reach this goal, I definitely have to limit my library checkouts. Which is so hard to do. I'm still thinking about how to do this so I don't set myself up to fail. To start, I'm not going to place any titles on hold until March 1. (The holds I placed in 2010 are allowed.)

Staying true to my goal, my first book for the year is The Atlas of Love, the debut novel from Laurie Frankel. It's about a grad student who learns she's pregnant and her two friends decide to help her raise the baby. I can't remember where I first saw this book, but I do remember my immediate thought was to add it to my wish list. It was one of the first books I purchased on my Kindle, however I did not read it in 2010. It was always on my mind to read, so I decided to begin the year with this one. So far, it's a great pick to begin a new year of reading.

What's the first book you plan to read in 2011? Do you think the first book will set the tone for your reading in 2011? Best wishes for a great 2011 everyone!