The US has lost more than 1.4 million soldiers throughout our history. Here's only a small sampling of that:
World War 1 - 116,516
World War 2 - 405,399
Korean War - 54,246
Vietnam War - 58,209
War in Afghanistan - 2,216
Iraq War - 4,497
~Meg~
Monday, May 28, 2018
Memorial Day 2018
The US has lost more than 1.4 million soldiers throughout our history. Here's only a small sampling of that:
World War 1 - 116,516
World War 2 - 405,399
Korean War - 54,246
Vietnam War - 58,209
War in Afghanistan - 2,216
Iraq War - 4,497
~Meg~
Saturday, May 26, 2018
Pause to Rewind (Aimee Alexander) Book Review
2017 Reading Challenge
31. Pause to Rewind by Aimee Alexander
Prompt: book by an author who uses a pen name
Synopsis:
Jenny Dempsey has exchanged life in the fast lane for freelance journalism and being a mum. She doesn't look back. Why would she? A broken engagement to her fiancé, Dave. A falling-out with her parents. And a night in a hotel room best forgotten. Life is simple now. Jenny's little boy, Charlie, is starting school, beginning to build a life independent from her. She needs to get her own back.
Life, though, has other plans. When Charlie's diagnosed with leukemia, Jenny is forced to confront her past and all that she has turned from. But she will do anything for Charlie.
31. Pause to Rewind by Aimee Alexander
Prompt: book by an author who uses a pen name
Jenny Dempsey has exchanged life in the fast lane for freelance journalism and being a mum. She doesn't look back. Why would she? A broken engagement to her fiancé, Dave. A falling-out with her parents. And a night in a hotel room best forgotten. Life is simple now. Jenny's little boy, Charlie, is starting school, beginning to build a life independent from her. She needs to get her own back.
Life, though, has other plans. When Charlie's diagnosed with leukemia, Jenny is forced to confront her past and all that she has turned from. But she will do anything for Charlie.
My Review:
This is the story of a little boy's journey with cancer. It is told well in first person from the perspective of his mother. No one wants their child to have cancer and Jenny is no different. Through Charlie's journey, Jenny has no choice but to ask for help from people from her past that she cut off in her life as she comes to terms with his diagnosis. She comes to realize just how strong she is, the importance of family, and who her friends are.
The thing that I appreciated was that Aimee didn't shy away from the dreaded word of cancer. She provided just enough medical information about Charlie's leukemia that gave some insight to what he was going through, but didn't slow the book down. That's something you really don't see in a lot books. Some authors won't really get into the information part of cancer treatment and how it effects people, both the patient and family. Aimee did a great job at that, especially the process and way that Jenny came to terms with the cancer.
Happy Reading and Keep on Writing!
~Meg~
The thing that I appreciated was that Aimee didn't shy away from the dreaded word of cancer. She provided just enough medical information about Charlie's leukemia that gave some insight to what he was going through, but didn't slow the book down. That's something you really don't see in a lot books. Some authors won't really get into the information part of cancer treatment and how it effects people, both the patient and family. Aimee did a great job at that, especially the process and way that Jenny came to terms with the cancer.
Happy Reading and Keep on Writing!
~Meg~
Wednesday, May 23, 2018
The Inn at Eagle Point (Sherryl Woods) Book Review
2017 Reading Challenge
30. The Inn at Eagle Point by Sheryl Woods
Prompt: first book in a series you haven't read before
Synopsis:
It's been years since Abby O'Brien Winters set foot in Chesapeake Shores. The Maryland town her father built has too many sad memories and Abby too few spare moments, thanks to her demanding Wall Street career, the crumbling of her marriage and energetic twin daughters. Then one panicked phone call from her youngest sister brings her racing back home to protect Jess's dream of renovating the charming Inn at Eagle Point.
But saving the inn from foreclosure means dealing not only with her own fractured family, but also with Trace Riley, the man Abby left ten years ago. Trace can be a roadblock to her plans...or proof that second chances happen in the most unexpected ways.
30. The Inn at Eagle Point by Sheryl Woods
Prompt: first book in a series you haven't read before
It's been years since Abby O'Brien Winters set foot in Chesapeake Shores. The Maryland town her father built has too many sad memories and Abby too few spare moments, thanks to her demanding Wall Street career, the crumbling of her marriage and energetic twin daughters. Then one panicked phone call from her youngest sister brings her racing back home to protect Jess's dream of renovating the charming Inn at Eagle Point.
But saving the inn from foreclosure means dealing not only with her own fractured family, but also with Trace Riley, the man Abby left ten years ago. Trace can be a roadblock to her plans...or proof that second chances happen in the most unexpected ways.
My Review:
I decided to start reading this series because of the TV show, Chesapeake Shores, on the Hallmark Channel. The show is based on this book series by Sherryl Woods.
When Jess O'Brien runs into trouble trying to renovate the Inn at Eagle Point, her sister Abby comes to the rescue by returning back home. Abby is in for more than she realizes as she not only has to deal with problems at the inn and her dysfunctional family, but an old flame as well. When Abby left or essentially walked out on Trace years before, she never expected that he would be the one who can destroy Jess's plans (and Abby's measures to rescue the inn) to revitalize the inn. Will the inn be saved? Will Jess mess up yet again? Will Trace and Abby get back together?
All these questions will be answered. I appreciated the backstory as it helped to explain why the O'Brien family was the way it was: dysfunctional and kind of broken. While I did say that, I want to take the time to point out that no family is perfect. Every family has its secrets or things that you necessarily don't want everyone to know about. Abby's mom left the family when Abby was around 11 if I remember correctly. As the oldest of five, Abby took on the role of mother and nurturer to her younger siblings. This is especially true as their father travelled for work a lot and they were left in the hands of their grandmother. Jess, as the youngest, was and has been known as the wild child who doesn't seem to take things seriously and has made lots of mistakes. In the midst of it all, Jess only wanted love, respect, and acceptance of her father. Her father had a tendency to only look at her faults and mistakes and not pay attention to her good qualities; she did/does have a good heart, but just struggled with the family's situation.
While the story was good in itself, I liked the supporting characters better than the three main characters of Abby, Jess, and Trace. All three managed to annoy me at times. I really enjoyed Trace's interactions with Abby's twins. My favorite person throughout the entire book was Nell, Abby's grandmother. Nell was the one who everyone could talk to and she would hold no judgment. She offered her advice, explained things in a calming and different way, but wasn't afraid to give some tough love at times either. Nell is a role model type of character and held the family together, even if members didn't speak to each other or whatever type of situation was going on.
I found myself comparing this to Debbie Macomber's Cedar Cove series, which also became a TV series for three seasons on Hallmark. Both of these series' are about similar things, but they do differ a bit. And when it comes down to it, I enjoyed Cedar Cove better. There was a better connection to the characters and the story just flowed better. With the first book of the Chesapeake Shores series, I couldn't get through it as easily, as it did drag a little. It was harder to pay attention to the characters, as some weren't as fully developed as I would have liked. I do plan to continuing the Chesapeake Shores series, though, as this book was still good; it was just a little underwhelming compared to Cedar Cove.
~Meg~
While the story was good in itself, I liked the supporting characters better than the three main characters of Abby, Jess, and Trace. All three managed to annoy me at times. I really enjoyed Trace's interactions with Abby's twins. My favorite person throughout the entire book was Nell, Abby's grandmother. Nell was the one who everyone could talk to and she would hold no judgment. She offered her advice, explained things in a calming and different way, but wasn't afraid to give some tough love at times either. Nell is a role model type of character and held the family together, even if members didn't speak to each other or whatever type of situation was going on.
I found myself comparing this to Debbie Macomber's Cedar Cove series, which also became a TV series for three seasons on Hallmark. Both of these series' are about similar things, but they do differ a bit. And when it comes down to it, I enjoyed Cedar Cove better. There was a better connection to the characters and the story just flowed better. With the first book of the Chesapeake Shores series, I couldn't get through it as easily, as it did drag a little. It was harder to pay attention to the characters, as some weren't as fully developed as I would have liked. I do plan to continuing the Chesapeake Shores series, though, as this book was still good; it was just a little underwhelming compared to Cedar Cove.
~Meg~
Friday, May 18, 2018
Thursdays at Coconuts (Beth Carter) Book Review
2017 Reading Challenge
29. Thursdays at Coconuts by Beth Carter
Prompt: book with a month or day of the week in the title
Synopsis:As the go-to wedding planner, Suzy can’t find her own wedded bliss and has one shocker of a wedding day. It doesn’t help that she’s still pining for her high school sweetheart, the one who got away. Handling neurotic brides is the best part of Suzy’s day until her son brings home a bombshell from Europe.
Alexandra, a beautiful marketer with a “touch” of OCD, falls for a bad-boy cop who's married and possibly stalking her. But he sure is sexy. Alex tries to stay at arm’s length after she puts her job—and life—on the line for the officer who isn’t always a gentleman.
Hope hates her name, looks, and frizzy hair. As a high school counselor, she dishes out sage advice to students, yet can’t see she’s enabling her deadbeat, stuck-in-the-seventies hippie parents. After tragedy strikes, she reexamines their relationship and discovers a secret that almost went to the grave.
Friends since high school, the thirty-something women meet every Thursday at Coconuts for their own form of friendapy.
29. Thursdays at Coconuts by Beth Carter
Prompt: book with a month or day of the week in the title
Alexandra, a beautiful marketer with a “touch” of OCD, falls for a bad-boy cop who's married and possibly stalking her. But he sure is sexy. Alex tries to stay at arm’s length after she puts her job—and life—on the line for the officer who isn’t always a gentleman.
Hope hates her name, looks, and frizzy hair. As a high school counselor, she dishes out sage advice to students, yet can’t see she’s enabling her deadbeat, stuck-in-the-seventies hippie parents. After tragedy strikes, she reexamines their relationship and discovers a secret that almost went to the grave.
Friends since high school, the thirty-something women meet every Thursday at Coconuts for their own form of friendapy.
My Review:
One of the best books I read in 2017.
Three friends get together every Thursday at a bar/restaurant for "friendapy." They share the ups and downs of their lives, all the while dishing out advice and endless support for each other. This book is the perfect definition of friendship goals. The characters and their circumstances were well developed, even if it was a bit clichéd at time. Suzy, Alexandra, and Hope are all successful in their careers, but not necessarily successful in the romance category. There were funny times, crazy times, happy times, and sad times, but they were by each other through thick and thin. I appreciated how Beth decided to write from the perspective of all three, as I think it definitely aided in adding dimension to the story development. It also featured interesting side plots in the midst of the main theme involving the three friends.
I only have two more book reviews to post before doing my 2018 Book Awards.
Happy Reading and Keep on Writing!
~Meg~
Three friends get together every Thursday at a bar/restaurant for "friendapy." They share the ups and downs of their lives, all the while dishing out advice and endless support for each other. This book is the perfect definition of friendship goals. The characters and their circumstances were well developed, even if it was a bit clichéd at time. Suzy, Alexandra, and Hope are all successful in their careers, but not necessarily successful in the romance category. There were funny times, crazy times, happy times, and sad times, but they were by each other through thick and thin. I appreciated how Beth decided to write from the perspective of all three, as I think it definitely aided in adding dimension to the story development. It also featured interesting side plots in the midst of the main theme involving the three friends.
I only have two more book reviews to post before doing my 2018 Book Awards.
Happy Reading and Keep on Writing!
~Meg~
Friday, May 4, 2018
Gone Girl (Gillian Flynn) Book Review
2017 Reading Challenge
28. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
Prompt: book with an unreliable narrator
Note: I am almost finished with the book reviews for the books that I read in 2017. I believe I only have three or four more to go before I do my 2018 Book Awards for all the books I read last year and before I start posting the book reviews for this year.
28. Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn
Prompt: book with an unreliable narrator
Synopsis:
On a warm summer morning in North Carthage, Missouri, it is Nick and Amy Dunne’s fifth wedding anniversary. Presents are being wrapped and reservations are being made when Nick’s clever and beautiful wife disappears. Husband-of-the-Year Nick isn’t doing himself any favors with cringe-worthy daydreams about the slope and shape of his wife’s head, but passages from Amy's diary reveal the alpha-girl perfectionist could have put anyone dangerously on edge. Under mounting pressure from the police and the media—as well as Amy’s fiercely doting parents—the town golden boy parades an endless series of lies, deceits, and inappropriate behavior. Nick is oddly evasive, and he’s definitely bitter—but is he really a killer?
My Review:
I saw the movie version of this a couple years ago and of course, I wanted to read the book. Yes, I'm one of those who believes that the book is always better than the movie. There are some rare exceptions, though. I ended up being disappointed and underwhelmed with both. Originally, I was interested in Gone Girl because of all the hype about it, but I didn't feel that it lived up to the expectations in either version. I will say however that the book was slightly better than the movie.
I did like the aspect of reading from the perspectives of both Nick and Amy. I thought that was a clever idea of Gillian Flynn to incorporate. If it had only been Nick's point of view, it probably would have sufficed. Amy's diary entries were indeed interesting to know what was going on inside her head. It also led me to believe that there was something wrong with her. Could she have had a mental disorder? Maybe so, maybe not. It does take a lot of cleverness and cunning skills to devise your own disappearance and murder, in addition to the clues she left framing Nick. Even though Nick wasn't innocent in all that went on since he started fabricating lies as well, I found myself on his side for the most part. And if there's one thing I learned, it would be not to be evasive or lie to the police or detectives, making you look even more suspicious, like Nick did.
I liked the concept of the scavenger hunt. You don't usually find a lot of books like that and I thought it was different. Scavenger hunts can be fun while you're figuring out the clues that lead to a great surprise or prize at the end. It obviously wasn't like that in this story since there was a little twist involved.
Note: I am almost finished with the book reviews for the books that I read in 2017. I believe I only have three or four more to go before I do my 2018 Book Awards for all the books I read last year and before I start posting the book reviews for this year.
Happy Reading and Keep on Writing!
~Meg~
~Meg~
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)