Review: All These Things I've Done (Birthright #1) by Gabrielle Zevin

  

An impossible romance, 

a family living 

outside the law, 

and the ties that 

forever bind us. 

In 2083, chocolate and coffee are illegal, paper is hard to find, water is carefully rationed, and New York City is rife with crime and poverty. And yet, for Anya Balanchine, the sixteen-year-old daughter of the city's most notorious (and dead) crime boss, life is fairly routine. It consists of going to school, taking care of her siblings and her dying grandmother, trying to avoid falling in love with the new assistant D.A.'s son, and avoiding her loser ex-boyfriend. That is until her ex is accidentally poisoned by the chocolate her family manufactures and the police think she's to blame. Suddenly, Anya finds herself thrust unwillingly into the spotlight--at school, in the news, and most importantly, within her mafia family. 

Review: 
I really enjoyed Zevin's past book Elsewhere so I was looking forward to this one. I wasn't sure if the mafia topic would interest me but I was pleasantly surprised. The author seems to make any topic interesting and has mixed together an unusual and original combination. Her writing style is so good that the story easily flows. While it is a dystopian novel it is more believable than some books. Society has changed but it is still recognizable from our time. 

The characters are flawed but human. No one is all good or all bad and relationships change in a realistic fashion. Although Anya is only sixteen her circumstances have matured her quickly but again it's believable. She has developed into this person and wasn't instantly transformed. She was taught many lessons, especially from her father and grandmother, to prepare her for this life and it's challenges. Now she has many responsibilities, including the care of her brother and sister, and she will do what she must to protect them at the expense of her own life. Although she attempts to enjoy a few normal teen activities they don't always go as planned. As heavy as Anya's burdens already are it feels like there may soon be more to come from her mafia family. I will be reading the next book in this trilogy to find out.

Thank you to Macmillan for an ARC of this book in exchange for my review. 

macteenbooks.com
author site
book site 

Publisher: Farrar, Strauss and Giroux
Release date: 9/27/11
Pages: 368
Price/format: $16.99/hardcover
Type: young adult

Mailbox Monday

Mailbox Monday (started at The Printed Page and now a traveling meme) is at Savvy Verse and Wit this month and is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house last week (checked out library books don’t count, eBooks & audio books do). Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists.

I haven't caught up with my mailbox in a couple of weeks but it has slowed to trickle lately anyway. I'm trying to catch up but we all know that's never going to happen!

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern
Won from Diary of an Eccentric

"Opens at Nightfall; Closes at Dawn." The Le Cirque des Rêves is a circus unlike any other, just as this magical debut novel is equally unique. At the center of The Night Circus spectacle are two specially gifted young magicians, Celia and Marco, pitted against each other in professional competition, drawn towards one another in love. Erin Morgenstern's literary fantasy has already drawn raves for its captivating evocativeness: "A world of almost unbearable beauty.... A love story on a grand scale: it creates, it destroys, it ultimately transcends." "A novel so magical that there is no escaping its spell... If you choose to read just one novel this year, this is it."

Tempest (Tempest #1) ARC by Julie Cross
For review from LibraryThing Early Reviewer  


The year is 2009.  Nineteen-year-old Jackson Meyer is a normal guy… he’s in college, has a girlfriend… and he can travel back through time. But it’s not like the movies – nothing changes in the present after his jumps, there’s no space-time continuum issues or broken flux capacitors – it’s just harmless fun.
That is… until the day strangers burst in on Jackson and his girlfriend, Holly, and during a struggle with Jackson, Holly is fatally shot. In his panic, Jackson jumps back two years to 2007, but this is not like his previous time jumps. Now he’s stuck in 2007 and can’t get back to the future.
Desperate to somehow return to 2009 to save Holly but unable to return to his rightful year, Jackson settles into 2007 and learns what he can about his abilities.
But it’s not long before the people who shot Holly in 2009 come looking for Jackson in the past, and these “Enemies of Time” will stop at nothing to recruit this powerful young time-traveler.  Recruit… or kill him.
Piecing together the clues about his father, the Enemies of Time, and himself, Jackson must decide how far he’s willing to go to save Holly… and possibly the entire world.

Vampire Vacation (The V V Inn #1) ebook by C.J. Ellisson
Won from Tyra's Book Addiction

Meet Vivian. She's a 580-year-old vampire who exudes sex, has a talent for drama, and is passionate about two things: her human husband, Rafe, and their resort for the undead. Her ability to project physical illusions has created the perfect vacation spot -- a dark, isolated Alaskan hideaway where visitors can have their wildest fantasies come true.
Vivian knows the best performance requires perfect timing, but the powerful vamp is put to the test when she discovers a corpse in a locked guestroom minutes before the next arrivals. Always cool-headed, Rafe hides the body, convinced that he and Vivian can find the culprit without disturbing their guests.
Juggling the increasingly outrageous demands of their customers while tracking a killer isn't easy. Will their poking and prodding give them the answers they need, or will it uncover secrets that Vivian would kill to protect?

The Hunt (V V Inn #2) ebook by C.J. Ellisson

Won from Tyra's Book Addiction

Vivian thinks she can control every aspect of a deadly game with her usual manipulations… but what if she can’t? Journey along, in this next installment of The V V Inn series, for a wild ride as the tale is told through the eyes of all her new seethe members.
Seven vampires and seven werewolves pay to hunt a supernatural criminal across the cold, vast grounds of an Alaskan resort. The one to catch her, and live through the encounter, will increase their power by feasting on hers.
The tiny vampire they track is more than she appears, however. To escape a fate of ten years in silver chains, she'll do anything to survive the week long excursion. This time, the darkness holds more than just the stinging bite of the Arctic—it holds death.

It's a sad, sad day

The time has come. It is with a heavy heart that I face my annual responsibility and put away my hammock until spring. Oh sorry, did you think I had some horrible disaster? Yep, that was sneaky but this is very traumatic for me every fall! I feel like there should be a brief ceremony and a bugle playing nearby. We have such a brief summer and our spring and autumn sometimes speed by in the blink of an eye. I love to be outside and the sunshine makes me happy. The green trees, blossoming flowers and freshly mown grass are a balm to my soul. I love to lounge in my hammock, barefoot with a good book. It calms me and makes me happy.

The change of seasons here is beautiful and there's plenty to do in those long (and I mean long!) winter months. The crisp weather brings a wonderful harvest and gorgeous colors along with the need to dig out the cozy sweaters, pretty scarves and fuzzy socks. But the older I get the more I long for summer. I certainly understand now why we have so many snowbirds (people who live here for the warm seasons than migrate south for the cold seasons). If I could afford two households I would do it too. I adapted to the Florida weather very quickly when we were on our recent vacation. Of course we were being pampered at a resort and it wasn't the middle of a sweltering July so we did have optimal conditions. Still, I think I could live in a hut on the beach just fine. Barefoot and with a book, of course.

Until then, my hammock is down and will be stowed away for several months. Luckily I have a cozy fireplace and a comfy couch (along with the requisite golden retriever) that are the perfect place to snuggle up and read. And I'm already wearing my fuzzy socks. How many months until spring?

(Yep, those are my tootsies in the Florida sand!)

I did it!

I finally took the plunge and got a Nook Color!! Woo hoo! Of course nothing beats the whole experience of reading a "real" book - the weight of it in my hands, the texture of the pages, the smell of a new (or not so new) edition, the fascinating cover, the fun bookmarks (the nice ones were gifts of course otherwise I would be  using my grocery list) *sigh* books are so wonderful... But with more and more selections going digital and having such a large choice of advance editions for review, I decided to give it a try.

I had been considering an e reader for some time now but the choices can be overwhelming. I'm so grateful I have this community to turn to for advice because it was a big help. Almost immediately I seemed to gravitate toward the Nook. The abilities to borrow from my local library and share with my Nook friends were probably the biggest factors in my decision. I also liked the extra features the Nook Color offered, especially with our trip coming up. I liked that I could check my email, play games and surf the web. That has been especially handy when in the car and on the plane. I was even able to reserve seats on our return flight plane while sitting by the hotel pool!

I bought the refurbished model because it was considerably cheaper and was so happy with it my brothers and I bought the new Nook Simple Touch for my mom's birthday. (She never would have bought one for herself) It's black and white but has a touch screen, is so lightweight and easy to use. She's still getting used to it but really likes it, especially the adjustable font.

 

I'm also grateful for all the links people have provided to great deals and helpful tidbits for e readers. I'm amazed at how much there is out there and I'm finding more every day! Thank you to all, I really appreciate it. Now I just need to get to it and read more. It sure makes those piles of books to be read a lot smaller!

I'm back!

My visits here have been scarce the  last few months. I purposely cut back in the summer because we were busy with my youngest son's graduation, the parties, preparing for college, fall baseball and I also wanted to spend more time outside instead of inside at the computer. We have enough cold months here in western NY state when I can work on my blog plenty. I still enjoyed reading just as often and of course I spent as much time in my hammock as possible!

I was also busy preparing for a trip my hubby won from Kmart. Last November he bought $10 worth of odds and ends, presented his Kmart rewards card at the register for an added discount, and when the cashier handed him his receipt she told him he won a prize. When he got home he read the receipt closely and although it didn't say what he had won it did say that it must be claimed by November 30th. It was November 30th. He drove back to the store and the nice lady at the desk looked it up for him and told him he won a trip! He didn't really believe it at first (and neither did I) but eventually we got the paperwork for a 4 day/3 night stay at Universal Resort in Orlando, Florida including airfare, 3 day passes to the parks, a room at the Hard Rock Hotel, transportation to hotel and airport, and $500 spending money!!! Since it was for 4 people and there are 5 of us we used the money to buy an extra plane ticket,  park passes and shuttle pass.

We had a year to use the trip so we went this week - left Monday morning and returned very late Thursday night. I have to say that I've never been much of a traveler and didn't take many vacations as a kid or as an adult. It was the first time all 5 of us had traveled together by plane. Let me just say that I could get to used to it real fast! It was wonderful! The weather was perfect, the accommodations and entertainment were amazing, everyone was so kind and the crowds and lines weren't bad. The huge pool with sandy beach, 2 hot tubs, beach volleyball court, club house, fountains, palm trees, rock music, etc., etc. was my very favorite place to be. Of course we ventured out on the winding walking paths or by water taxi to the parks and restaurants every day and night. We experienced as much as possible while we were there and had such fun. Alas, it had to come to an end and now we are back to our rainy, chilly weather with our trees almost bare. But our dogs were very happy to see us and it's always good to be home. I might not be sitting in the sand with a good book but I do have my cozy fireplace to read near.

Thank you, dear hubby, for using your card at Kmart that day! It was the trip of a lifetime and we all loved it. Since we just celebrated our 25th wedding anniversary I'm hoping that maybe you can win us another trip for our next big one. Maybe our 26th??

Paradise! This is the pool as you step out of the hotel, and what a pool it was.

From the beach club at the far end of the pool facing back towards the hotel.

Universal Studios theme parks (view from our water taxi)

Hogwarts!

Good-bye summer

Review: Night Road by Kristen Hannah

 

For a mother, life comes down to a series of choices.
To hold on…
To let go..
To forget…
To forgive…
Which road will you take? 

  
 

For eighteen years, Jude Farraday has put her children’s needs above her own, and it shows—her twins, Mia and Zach—are bright and happy teenagers. When Lexi Baill moves into their small, close knit community, no one is more welcoming than Jude. Lexi, a former foster child with a dark past, quickly becomes Mia’s best friend. Then Zach falls in love with Lexi and the three become inseparable.

Jude does everything to keep her kids safe and on track for college. It has always been easy-- until senior year of high school. Suddenly she is at a loss. Nothing feels safe anymore; every time her kids leave the house, she worries about them.

On a hot summer’s night her worst fears come true. One decision will change the course of their lives. In the blink of an eye, the Farraday family will be torn apart and Lexi will lose everything. In the years that follow, each must face the consequences of that single night and find a way to forget…or the courage to forgive.

NIGHT ROAD is vivid, emotionally complex novel that raises profound questions about motherhood, identity, love, and forgiveness. It is a luminous, heartbreaking novel that captures both the exquisite pain of loss and the stunning power of hope. This is Kristin Hannah at her very best, telling an unforgettable story about the longing for family, the resilience of the human heart, and the courage it takes to forgive the people we love
~~~~~~~~~~~~
Review

It took me some time to read this book. The subject matter was too real and too scary. I have three sons and my youngest just left for his first year of college. Although they are great kids and we have tried to instill good values in our children, they are young and sometimes fearless. We lost our seventeen year-old nephew in a drunk driving accident several years ago and we live in fear that something like that could happen again.


Night Road is the story of a similar tragedy. One bad decision, one moment in time, changes the lives of many people. The emotions are real and raw. My heart broke for this family and I could especially feel the mother's pain. Kristen Hannah's writing is gripping and keeps you reading. 

I didn't care for the characters much in the first part of the story. They weren't bad people and I liked that they were flawed but they were self absorbed and predictable. Some of their actions and reactions seemed off. After the accident the emotions took over and hooked me for the rest of the book. The characters become more flexible and tolerant which made the reading more interesting. I became invested in their journey and was glad I followed it through.

This is a story of survival and redemption. I found it to be a good summer read for the hammock. Fans of Hannah will have a hard time resisting this one!


Thank you to LibraryThing Early Reviewers for an ARC of this book to review.

Author
Publisher


Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Release date: 3/22/11
Pages: 385
Price/format: $27.99/hardcover
Type: contemporary fiction