Title: Winter Garden
Author: Kristin Hannah
ISBN: 9780312364120
Pages: 400
Release Date: February 2, 2010
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Genre: Women’s Fiction
Source: Amazon Vine
Rating: 4 out of 5

Summary:

Meredith has always been the responsible daughter in the Whitson family.  She has lived near her parents, and even took over the family business from her dad, putting aside her own dreams.  Nina, on the other hand, is impulsive and always on the go.  As a photojournalist, she is on the run, rarely coming home to spend time with her family.

When Meredith and Nina’s beloved father sickens, however, everything comes to a crashing halt.  The girls have never been close to their mother Anya, a cold woman who has never shown them a mother’s love.  However, as the women come together to deal with their sadness, they must also contend with their own personal issues.

Review:

Kristin Hannah is always great for a tear-jerker of a women’s fiction novel, and Winter Garden is no exception.  This time she deals with the lack of a mother’s love and what it can do to two women.  Meredith is so closed off, though it’s easy to understand why.  She’s always been the dependable one, so she hasn’t really given her own needs a second thought.  It’s always been about what others want.  Therefore, when she takes some time in this book to really examine herself, it’s gratifying to see her indulge herself and begin to consider what she wants.

Nina, on the other hand, is self-indulgent to the extreme, but not in a way that make the reader dislike her.  Because her mother never seemed to love her, she’s always running away.  She doesn’t trust people enough to get close to them, so being on the move constantly works for her.  When she slows down, she is forced to deal with the repercussions of her actions and realize that it’s not a healthy way to live.

Anya was really difficult.  It’s clear from the beginning of the novel that there is something from her past, some dark reason that she is so cold to her daughters.  Often times, she is downright mean, leaving them searching for her love, only to be disappointed time and again.  It’s a difficult thing to excuse, and even after you hear her (admittedly horrifying) story, it’s hard to completely forgive her for being horrible to her daughters for so long.

Winter Garden was an interesting novel that’s a great read for a cold, snowy day.  Though the ending is tied up a little too easily and neatly, it’s the character development and introspection that really makes it worth reading.  Fans of women’s fiction novels should definitely consider picking this one up.

Well, this week was an extremely productive reading week, mostly because I was cooped up at home all of Friday and Saturday!  We got about 2 feet of snow this weekend, so I curled up in my reading chair and read, read, read.  It was amazingly relaxing and I had a great time doing it, plus I read some wonderful books that have been sitting on my shelf for a really long time!  I’m not going anywhere today (and possibly tomorrow, depending on the situation with the roads), so there will be more great reading to come!

Tuesday’s supposed to bring another snow storm, and they’re talking about up to 6 inches of snow.  I certainly hope next weekend is clear, as we will be traveling to see my husband’s parents and brother, and we don’t want to get stuck out of town!  While I won’t be around over the weekend, I have reviews scheduled to go up every day, as usual.

This week, LOST was back!  I posted my regular recap/review/discussion of the season premiere, LA X, Parts 1 and 2.  I also posted about a new online book club for which I am an official blogger, the SheKnows Book Club.  Finally, I posted my Monthly Review for January.

Books I’ve read this week:

Other reviews posted this week:

Title: The Gardner Heist: The True Story of the World's Largest Unsolved Art Theft
Author: Ulrich Boser
ISBN: 9780061451836
Pages: 272
Release Date: February 24, 2009
Publisher: Smithsonian
Genre: Non-Fiction
Source: Library
Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Summary:

On March 18, 1990, the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum in Boston was robbed.  The thieves got away with priceless artwork, including a Vermeer, three Rembrandts, a Manet, and five Degas sketches.  It is the largest unsolved art theft in history; the empty frames hanging in the Gardner museum are a constant reminder of what has been lost.  Intrigued by the crime, journalist Ulrich Boser explores the heist in order to determine whether a fresh pair of eyes can shed any light on what happened.

Review:

I knew next to nothing about the Gardner theft before picking up this book from the library.  I knew there had been some sort of art robbery, but that was pretty much where my knowledge ended.  However, I found the subject intriguing, so I decided to give this book a chance, and I’m so glad I did!  I found The Gardner Heist to be a well-researched and interesting book on a subject I have a feeling I will be reading a lot more about in the future.

Boser provides the reader with a lot of background in The Gardner Heist, which was very much appreciated.  He doesn’t assume the reader will know a lot going in, so he takes care to fill the reader in on the heist and the aftermath.  At the same time, he doesn’t spend too much time on it, so that if you are familiar with the details, you won’t find the book too elementary.  The details of the heist will simply be a refresher, before Boser forges ahead into new territory.

Often, non-fiction books such as this are dry, but Boser did an amazing job keeping the narrative lively and interesting.  I was really impressed at how hooked I was to this book – it wasn’t a chore to wade through his prose in order to get to the story I wanted to hear.  He’s a talented writer with a eye for bringing his tale to life for the reader.

I have to admit, Ulrich Boser has gotten me hooked on the Gardner theft.  I hate that it’s unsolved and it really makes me sad that the paintings may never be seen again.  It’s difficult to write on a case that hasn’t been closed yet because the reader is left without a sense of closure, without a neat and tidy ending.  Still, Boser does a wonderful job putting forward his theory on what happened, and it is very plausible.  This is a book that would be great for people who are hesitant about non-fiction, yet find the subject of an art theft intriguing.  I definitely recommend it!

Title: Possessed
Author: Kate Cann
ISBN: 9780545128124
Pages: 336
Release Date: February 1, 2010
Publisher: Point
Genre: Teen/YA, Mystery
Source: Amazon Vine
Rating: 4 out of 5

From Amazon.com:

Rayne can't wait to start her summer job at a remote country mansion, far from the crowded, noisy London she so desperately wants to escape. But the retreat soon turns into a nightmare -- the mansion is creepy, the legends of ghosts keep Rayne up at night, and she doesn't feel safe anywhere.

Can Rayne figure out why she's so freaked -- before she becomes a ghost story herself?

I didn’t know much about Possessed when I requested it from Amazon Vine.  I’ve been more and more interested in ghost stories lately, and this one really seemed to fit the bill.  I was pleasantly surprised at how entertaining Kate Cann made her novel, and definitely am glad I gave it a chance.

Rayne is a well-written character that’s easy to sympathize with.  She has her share of teenage angst in this novel, but it’s never annoying or over the top.  Additionally, it’s easy to see why she feels so alone – her relationship with her mother doesn’t seem to be the best, and it seems like she’s with Damian because she thinks she should be interested in him, not because she actually is.  I could completely understand why she wanted to get away, and why she chose a place as secluded as she did.

Kate Cann wrote a very creepy novel.  It’s never horribly scary, but it definitely will keep you up into the night, trying to figure out what’s going on.  I had some semblance of the truth figured out by the end of the novel, but it was still very satisfying.

I enjoyed Possessed and definitely recommend it if you are looking for a quick, spooky ghost story.  I look forward to seeing what Cann does next!

I’ve talked to a lot of people who want to find a great book club, but haven’t been able to connect with one where they live.  Well, there’s a great new online book club you should definitely check out – the SheKnows Book Club!

I’m thrilled to announce that I’m an official book blogger for the SheKnows Book Club.  That means that I’ll be reviewing their selections and providing links to discussions and other information about the book club.  Each book club will take place over two months, and will include message boards, a book giveaway on the SheKnows site, and a live chat, often with the author (and myself and the other SheKnows Book Club bloggers will be there as well!)

The February/March pick for the SheKnows book club is Pieces of Happily Ever After by Irene Zutell.  I’m really excited because this is a book I’ve been wanting to read!  Check out the discussion on the message boards and if you want to participate, make sure to enter to win 1 of 10 copies of Pieces of Happily Ever After!  I certainly hope you’ll give the SheKnows Book Club a try – I’m really excited to be a part of it!

Title: B. Smith Cooks Southern-Style
Author: Barbara Smith
ISBN: 9781416553540
Pages: 336
Release Date: November 3, 2009
Publisher: Scribner
Genre: Cookbook
Source: Publisher
Rating: 3.5 out of 5

I was excited when I received model Barbara Smith’s cookbook in the mail for review, though I was a bit hesitant.  I’ve made recipes from a model’s cookbook before (Padma Lakshmi’s Easy Exotic) and to put it mildly, the recipes were not very good.

However, I shouldn’t have worried – Barbara Smith really knows her stuff!  She clearly knows her way around the kitchen and is cognizant of what makes up great Southern food.  I’ve been wanting to find a good new Southern cookbook, so I was eager to give this a try.

I tried a few recipes out of this book, and they were pretty good.  I made 4 of her recipes before writing this review, and while they were all solid, only the Cajun Veal Stew was 5 star quality.  The cornbread tasted too oily, unfortunately, and the sauce for the filet recipe was very tasty, but just too salty (despite the fact that I used low sodium chicken broth when the recipe didn’t specifically call for it). 

There are a lot of recipes in this book, which is great, but my main problem with it is the sheer number of dishes with obscure ingredients.  I’m not planning on cooking with quail eggs, turtle, or chicken livers, and I’m not sure it’s even possible to find frog legs or alligator meat within 100 miles of where I live. I only cook for two, so I focus on main dishes, rather than sides/appetizers/desserts, so having so many dishes with obscure ingredients was a bit of a disappointment for me.  Still, there are plenty of other recipes to choose from.

I have to admit, though this is a solid cookbook, I’m not sure it’s going to be a staple in my kitchen.  The one recipe I loved, the Cajun Veal Stew, took a lot of work.  Still, the side dishes look incredible, so when I want to make cheese grits or sweet potato salad, I’ll definitely pull this one out!

Title: Requiem in Vienna: A Viennese Mystery
Author: J. Sydney Jones
ISBN: 9780312383909
Pages: 304
Release Date: February 2, 2010
Publisher: Minotaur Books
Genre: Mystery, Historical Fiction
Source: Publisher
Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Summary:

Lawyer-turned-private investigator Karl Werthen is back in this sequel to the execellent mystery novel The Empty Mirror.  It’s 1899 in Vienna, and the renowned composer Johann Strauss has just died.  The country is mourning his loss when a soprano singer practicing at the Court Opera is killed by a falling fire curtain.  Though her death is deemed an accident, Alma Schindler believes that it was murder, and that the target was famed composer Gustav Mahler.  She seeks out Werthen in order to determine who was behind the attack and to protect Mahler.

Review:

The Empty Mirror was an amazing historical mystery, so I was very excited when I heard it was going to be the first in a series.  In Requiem in Vienna, J. Sydney Jones once again takes us back to Vienna at the turn of the century.  His descriptions are vivid and incredibly detailed.  He does a wonderful job making the reader feel like they are in Vienna, with all the sights, smells, and sounds coming to life in the reader’s mind.

In Requiem in Vienna, some of Jones’ characters are real historical composers, and it’s simply fascinating to watch them spring to life.  They each have their own distinct personalities and quirks; Mahler, the most well-developed of the composers, is intriguing to behold.  Jones does a wonderful job making these characters bright and vivid – historical fiction at its finest.

The mystery in this book is interesting and keeps the reader guessing until the very end.  More than once, I thought I had figured out the conclusion, but Jones threw me for a loop every time.  The pacing is also very good; the story moves forward quickly enough to keep the reader hooked, yet Jones also balances that with successfully drawing out the suspense of Requiem in Vienna.

It was wonderful to revisit with Werthen, and I was delighted that Jones developed his character more and moved his personal story forward.  Often in mystery series, authors neglect the main character’s development after the first book in order to focus on plot; however, in Requiem in Vienna, Werthen’s own story moves along with the overarching mystery.

Requiem in Vienna was a thoroughly enjoyable book.  This is a series I definitely recommend.  Though you don’t have to read them in order, you would miss out on a lot of character development (not to mention an intriguing and well-written mystery) if you don’t read The Empty Mirror first.  I can’t wait to see what Werthen is up to next!

Number of book reviews posted: 35
Number of books read: 37
Number of pages read: 13,185

5 Star Review:  

Posts:

CHALLENGE: Amy Einhorn & O.A.T.E.S.

Reading and Blogging Goals for 2010

That’s How I Blog Show Reminder

The Book Studio

Top 20 Books of 2009

List of book reviews: (in alphabetical order by author’s last name)

Death By The Book – Lenny Bartulin

Alice I Have Been – Melanie Benjamin

Sand Daughter – Sarah Bryant

The Semantics of Murder – Aifric Campbell

Remarkable Creatures – Tracy Chevalier

Bought – Anna David

The Palace of Strange Girls – Sallie Day

The Palace of Illusions – Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

Booked to Die – John Dunning

Misquoting Jesus – Bart D. Ehrman

Going Home – Harriet Evans

The Kingdom of Ohio – Matthew Flaming

Before I Forget – Melissa Hill

Saving CeeCee Honeycutt – Beth Hoffman

The Unit – Ninni Holmqvist

Small Wars – Sadie Jones

The Brightest Star in the Sky – Marian Keyes

The Swan Thieves – Elizabeth Kostova

Liar – Justine Larbalestier

Her Mother’s Daughter – Julianne Lee

The Last Ember – Daniel Levin

The Glass Room – Simon Mawer

The Book of Love – Kathleen McGowan

The Passport – Herta Muller

The Secret of Everything – Barbara O’Neal

In the Shadow of Gotham – Stefanie Pintoff

The Doomsday Key – James Rollins

Serendipity – Louise Shaffer

When You Reach Me – Rebecca Stead

The Help – Kathryn Stockett

Some Girls Are – Courtney Summers

Battle Royale – Koushun Takami

Bombay Time – Thrity Umrigar

Memories of the Future, Vol. 1 – Wil Wheaton

Pieces of the Heart – Karen White

Books I’ve read this month: (in alphabetical order by author’s last name)

Speak – Laurie Halse Anderson

Aunt Dimity’s Death – Nancy Atherton

Death By The Book – Lenny Bartulin

The Gardner Heist – Ulrich Boser

The Fidelity Files – Jessica Brody

Hate List – Jennifer Brown

Keeping the Feast – Paula Butturini

Bought – Anna David

The Palace of Illusions – Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni

The Big Love – Sarah Dunn

Misquoting Jesus – Bart D. Ehrman

Secrets of the Tudor Court: The Pleasure Palace – Kate Emerson

The Unnamed – Joshua Ferris

The Kingdom of Ohio – Matthew Flaming

Beautiful Creatures – Kami Garcia & Margaret Stohl

Winter Garden – Kristin Hannah

The Stolen Crown – Susan Higginbotham

Requiem in Vienna – J. Sydney Jones

Small Wars – Sadie Jones

The Brightest Star in the Sky – Marian Keyes

Murder at Longbourn – Tracy Kiely

The Wife’s Tale – Lori Lansens

The Last Ember – Daniel Levin

Superfreakonomics – Steven Levitt

The Glass Room – Simon Mawer

Rich Again – Anna Maxted

The Opposite of Me – Sarah Pekkanen

Wench – Dolen Perkins-Valdez

The Three Weissmanns of Westport – Cathleen Schine

The Unwritten Rule – Elizabeth Scott

When You Reach Me – Rebecca Stead

Some Girls Are – Courtney Summers

Battle Royale – Koushun Takami

Very Valentine – Adriana Trigiani

Bombay Time – Thrity Umrigar

The Hollow – Jessica Verday

The Lady in the Tower – Alison Weir

Well, it’s back!  And back in full force, I might add – I loved the season premiere, though I had a lingering sadness throughout the episode that this was the last LOST season premiere I’d ever watch! 

Let’s start with Juliet.  I knew she was going to be dead because that was one of the few things that Darlton (the producers/head writers, Damon Lindelof and Carlton Cuse) would confirm about Season 6, but I have to admit, I still got my hopes up when they found her alive.  It was so crushing to watch her die again!  What do you think she meant by “It worked”?  Is she referring to the alternate reality we’ve been seeing?

Speaking of the alternate reality, what’s going on there?  The Island is under water and the plane never crashes.  I think this might continue, showing us what would have happened to everyone if they had never crashed; and in fact, I think it’ll end up demonstrating that their lives would not have been any better had they not crashed.  But what about the differences – Hurley being lucky, Desmond being on the plane, etc.? I have to say, though, it was great to see Boone and Charlie.

The Temple was interesting – we’ve been hearing about it for awhile now, so it’s good to finally see it.  I’m so, so glad that Sayid is alive.  It was difficult enough to deal with Juliet’s death without also having to handle Sayid’s.  I assume that’s also how they saved Ben, but my question is will Sayid now be missing his innocence (not that he really had any left, but at least he still had the capacity to be a nice guy!), like Ben?

It’s clear that we’re headed for a Jin/Sun reunion soon, which I’m very happy about. The producers have said that we’re never going to get a definitive answer as to why Sun didn’t jump backwards in time with everyone else, but that the fans would probably be able to figure it out – any theories? 

The comments that “Locke” made to Richard were interesting – I wonder when/why Richard was in chains?  Or was it metaphorical – maybe the “chains” were Richard’s long life and now that Jacob’s dead, he’s going to die?  I’m assuming that “Locke” is the smoke monster and he’s able to shape shift.  Where is home for him?  And why is he disappointed in the Others?  For following Jacob instead of him?

There was so much to discuss about this episode, but I’m going to stop there.  Thoughts, questions, concerns? 

Title: The Three Weissmanns of Westport
Author: Cathleen Schine
ISBN: 9780374299040
Pages: 304
Release Date: February 2, 2010
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Genre: Women’s Fiction
Source: Publisher
Rating: 4 out of 5

Summary:

Miranda is an incredibly successful literary agent, but she has recently had a string of failures that have left her bereft.  Meanwhile, her stepfather, Josie, is leaving her mother for another man.  Desperate, and short on money, Miranda, her sister Annie, and their mother Betty, move to a small cottage in Westport to start life over again.

Review:

The Three Weissmanns of Westport is a re-telling of Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility, which made me hesitant when I first picked it up.  There has been a lot written about Jane Austen lately, from mash-ups to rewrites, and I have been careful with what I read because I don’t want to get overwhelmed by Austen and thus get sick of hearing about her.  (Austen fatigue?)  However, I needn’t have worried – Cathleen Schine’s novel is subtle and well-written.

While it definitely is reminiscent of Sense and Sensibility, Schine does a great job updating this classic tale.  However, it’s not necessary to know the story of Sense and Sensibility to enjoy and appreciate this book.  Each of the three women are well-written and fleshed out into three dimensional characters.  The hope that each will find a happy ending is really what makes this book worth reading.

The Three Weissmans of Westport was an enjoyable women’s fiction novel that I recommend to anyone who’s looking for a light, fun read.  If you like Sense and Sensibility, this book is a must – Schine really does a genius job in updating this story and making it relevant for the modern reader.