Review: The Littlest Angel

Title: The Littlest Angel

Author: Heidi Chandler

Series: N/A

Publisher: Self Published

Published: March 27, 2012

Format: Print Copy

Pages: 174

Dates Read: July 29-30 2017

Source: Received from the author in
exchange for an honest review

Add on Goodreads

My Rating: 4 Stars

Synopsis: 

Four years ago I had the perfect life. I had a great career, a doting husband, and a loving family. Life couldn’t get any better, so my husband and I decided, after four years of carefree marital bliss and a great deal of hesitation, it was finally time to start a family.
My pregnancy happened quickly and mirrored my life - happy, healthy, and full of love, even dubbed “perfect” by one of my doctors. That all changed when my water broke two weeks before my due date, and I was blindsided by the ugly reality that perfect doesn’t exist.
What followed was a tortuous hospital stay, where I learned my daughter’s umbilical cord had wrapped tightly around her neck, causing her to die in my womb. I had a grueling delivery that scarred me emotionally and physically. I tried desperately to move past the shock, understand what went wrong, and say goodbye to my only child.
I spent months blaming myself, relentlessly searching for the why and how, cursing God and trying to comprehend what I had done to deserve such pain. I was a recluse filled with guilt and self-hatred. I carried my daughter’s ashes everywhere I went. I became obsessed with having another baby, certain that the only way life would get better was if I could replace my daughter.
Reluctantly forced to return to work and the real world, I struggled to find normal. Yet over time, through the kindness of strangers and friends, I realized that there is a method to the madness of life, and I began to find peace. I became pregnant again, and, though I longed for a girl, now have two little boys that taught me that life moves on and it’s possible to love again.

Melissa's Musings

First let me preface this review by saying that I have had this book on my shelf waiting to be read for far longer than I care to admit. Also, let me preface this by saying that I have never been pregnant, nor have I experienced the loss of a child.

This might leave some of you wondering, "Well, why would you read a book like this if you can't really relate to it?"

Simple. I've always been interested in people's stories, people's lives. And this is quite the story.

This is a story of intense loss, and grief. But also a story of the pains and joys of picking up life to move forward and onward, but not away from what happened. 

This is told in a raw, real, down to earth way. The author has a writing style that is relatable, and not stiffed or forced. In some of the most intense moments in the book, I found myself laughing out loud, not because something was funny, but just from the fact that the author was so candid in  her responses to such intense situations. 

I liked that the author chose to show the whole gamut of her emotions, from awkwardness to panic, to fear, to grief, and all that run in between, rather than hiding behind the "appropriate responses" that other people expected her to display. Is it "normal" to carry around your daughter's ashes with you as you go about your daily life? No, probably not, but it was an honest and true need of the author. And the fact that she let herself do that probably helped her to heal in a way that she may not have had she not allowed herself to do something like that for fear of it being strange or odd.

Though the author does a good job of including bits and pieces of her husband's experience I think the book would have been that much more powerful if we had heard a bit of his perpective in his own words, perhaps if he had his own chapter. Losses like those of stillbirth are often limited to the woman's experience, and it would have been interesting to see this from both parent's perspectives directly.

This is an intense, quick read that's well worth the time.

David's Song Blog Tour Stop: Review and Giveaway

Hello Fellow readers!

Welcome to my stop on the book tour for David's Song hosted by, I Am A Reader, Not A Writer. Read on to see my review of the book and also to enter to win $25.00 in Paypal cash or an Amazon gift card.

Tour Schedule

Title:  David's Song
Author: A.R. Talley
Series: David's Song Trilogy #1
Publisher: Author House
Published: November 23, 2010
Pages: 320
Format: PDF

Synopsis:

 Annie only ever really loved two men in her life. One broke her heart, the other married her. Four children and fifteen years later, Annie’s marriage is in jeopardy. Money is tight and her husband questions the very foundation of their relationship. When Annie is unexpectedly given the opportunity to see the young man who broke her heart — a man who is now a megastar in the music industry — Annie is faced with choices. Choices that will determine what is of more value — a second chance at lost love and unfulfilled dreams or commitment, trust, and love built on years of experience. A psychologically subtle, yet compelling tale about how the instinct and need for love overcomes self-doubt and personal inadequacy.  

Amazon * Barnes & Noble

   

Author A.R. Talley April R Talley was born and raised in the Rubber City, Akron, Ohio in 1959. She is the youngest of six children. She attended Brigham Young University for a time, but withdrew to work fulltime for Osmond Productions in Orem, Utah as a member of The Osmond production staff. After a brief stint working in television, she returned to Akron to finish her education. She graduated with a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Mass Media Communications in 1981. April later worked as vice president and part owner of a dance and sportswear boutique. Married in 1982, she is the proud mother of seven children and is deeply involved in volunteer work for her church. April spends her time working on future projects, caring for home and family, and traveling. David’s Song is her debut novel and the first of a trilogy.

Twitter * Facebook * Blog * Goodreads

  Praise from reviews on Goodreads.com "Not just your typical romance novel" - Tracy Williams "David's Song is great read that leaves you thinking about the story and pondering your own relationships". - Anna Pavkov "Sucked me in from the 1st page" - Jill Walker "Loved this book . . . could not put it down!" - Dana Vieira

Melissa's Musings:

My Rating: 4 Stars

Source: Received for the purpose of this blog tour in exchange for my honest review

Right from the very first page you are immediately pulled in to this story. You can see right away that Annie and Jeremy's marriage is in some serious trouble. So Jeremy sends Annie off on a girl's week for spring break so that she can recharge her batteries, and come back refreshed. But, is that really all there is to it? In addition to recharging her batteries, might she rekindle an old love connection?

There is the perfect amount of tension between all of the primary characters in this story. It is told from Annie's perspective, and I felt that it was a really nice touch that the story starts immediately in the present, but then drifts into sort of a flashback mode as Annie recalls old memories and weaves it's way through past and present. This was a really nice touch for readers like me who enjoy a lot of backstory.

Annie's character starts out really timid, in both the past and present elements of the story, and it's nice to watch her change, become more bold, take chances and stick up for herself. She's on her way through the journey from ugly duckling to the beautiful swan, in both instances.

There is a bit of a love triangle element to the story, with both David and Jeremy fighting for Annie's attention. This is very well executed, and while love triangles often bother me in stories, this one did not.
 It's clear during their college days that David is Annie's first choice. And I could definitely see why, being that it felt like Jeremy wasn't even really fighting for her (Annie ends up saying as much at one point in the story)

 And while I tried not to be on one side or the other, I really liked the chemistry and playfulness between David and Annie's characters, so I have to admit that I was (and still am) rooting more for David.

David's character is the quintessential rock star. Charming, charasmatic, a persona as a bit of a ladies man. But underneath there is a very sensitive, caring, real person waiting to shine. I have to admit in the first part of the book I didn't like David very much, because of the way he ended things with Annie, but as I read further, he grew on me, and won me over. Probably that charm of his translating off of the page and into my mind, I'd bet. For some reason, I kept seeing David's character as a young Rod Stewart, as I was reading. I cannot for the life of me figure out why, but that's who he seemed like to me.

Jeremy's character is more of wait and see kind of character. He doesn't really do much to fight for Annie, just sort of expects things to work out in a sort of "wherever the chips may fall" kind of way. I started to dislike him somewhat toward the end of the story for some of the things that he did in regards to the situation between himself and Annie, but I don't want to ruin anything so I won't explain any further.

In addition to the romance, there is are powerful plot lines of a marriage in trouble, difficult choices, and whether or not you should listen to your head or your heart. This story works very well as a stand alone story, but I'm thrilled that it is going to be part of a trilogy because I really fell in love with these characters and I want to see where they'll go next.

    Blog Tour Giveaway $25 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash Ends 5/15/13   a Rafflecopter giveaway  

Blog Tour Stop: Review: The Eighth Wonder

Hello Fellow Readers!

 Today I'm happy to be bringing you my review of The Eighth Wonder by Kimberly S. Young

Title: The Eighth Wonder

Author: Kimberly S. Young

Publisher: AuthorHouse

Published: February 2, 2012

Source: Received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review

Synopsis:

Nicole Benson is a self-made woman. She put herself through school, sacrificing marriage and children for her career. In the summer of 1997, at the age of 35, she finally graduated with a Ph.D. from NYU, but her life is thrust into chaos when her father, the only person she's ever leaned on emotionally, is diagnosed with terminal cancer. After fifteen years in New York City, Nicole leaves everything and everyone she knows to teach for a year in Bradford, Pennsylvania to be close to her father in nearby Buffalo. Now, trapped in tiny Bradford, she has never felt more alone in her life. . . until she meets Tom Ryan. At 44, Tom represents what Nicole longs to be: settled, secure, and clear about his purpose and direction in life. Emotionally scarred, he and his wife of 23 years survived the death of their daughter to leukemia. Tom and Nicole's story begins as a journey of self-discovery for both of them but turns to bittersweet tragedy when their friendship becomes love. Nicole risks offering what she has never given before, her heart; and Tom has never felt happier or more conflicted when he falls in love for the second time in his life. Their lives become intertwined and changed forever when they both must face the most difficult decision of their lives.

My Rating: 4 Stars

Melissa's Musings:

I was immediately pulled in to the story from the first line, curious to know who "he"is. The relationship between Tom and Nicole is slow, gradual, and just right. 

Nicole is a bit of a drifter, afraid of committment, unsure of what she really wants to do with herself. I think part of this is due to the fact that her mother left their family when she  was a teenager. That's a blow to any child, no matter how old you are. And I can definitely see why she would be afraid of committment if one of the people who was supposed to be there for you, no matter what, up and left.

Tom is married, but he and his wife have drifted apart since their daughter Lisa, died of Leukemia. One thing that was a little grating about his character was the way he was constantly repeating things and questioning why he was cheating on his wife. It wasn't the fact that he was questioning it, that was actually nice to see, it was just the manner in which he was doing it. More the language than anything. I don't know if I was misreading the voice, or if this was done intentionally, but it felt like Tom's dialogue was a lot more stiff than Nicole's.  Nicole's had rough edges too, at times, but Tom's seemed a bit more formal than hers.

As I mentioned, the romance between Tom and Nicole is very sweet, and not rushed. It's a bit of a secret, as they live in a small town. The one thing I particularly like is that the author went in another direction with this in regards to the affair itself. Usually, there's some big blow up where the wife finds out and is extremely angry, and the lover is scorned.

In this case, that doesn't happen. You do get so involved in Tom and Nicole's relationship though that you wonder why they did it if they knew it would just cause them to hurt when it was all over. But, as I mentioned, it is just right.  I won't say what happens but I will say this story certainly doesn't have a typical fairytale ending. The ending does serve it's purpose though, even though you may be rooting for something different

I was invested enough in the book and the relationship that I even shed a few tears at the end of the story, so this may be perfect for someone who needs a little cry.

Nicole's character grows a lot throughout the book and it's nice to see her be comfortable in her own skin. There are also some great secondary characters in the story as well. Quite the mix of a New York socialit (of sorts) Carol, an eccentric professor from England, and others along the way.

There are also a lot of beautiful encounters with and descriptions of nature within the book. It really made me feel as if I were in the story with the characters.

I'd recommend this to anyone who likes a simple romance story that will stop and make you ponder just how each decision you make will affect your life.

Behind the Blog 39: It's The Little Things That Matter

Behind The Blog is a meme to help bloggers connect their life and interests to the content showcased on their blog. The co-hosts Faye Kathe and Melissa will provide a different topic, idea, or question every week that bloggers can relate to themselves and the books, films, or media they find interesting!

Gestures of Love:

With it being Valentine's Day this week, we wanted to ask about gestures of love. Do you appreciate grand gestures, ie, being lavished with gifts, and chocolates, romantic getaways etc. Or do you appreciate the smaller things, like your bf/gf doing something for you without being asked, a homecooked meal, etc. If you'd like, you can share what you did/will do to celebrate Valentine's Day.

In relation to books and media:

What are some gestures of love, grand or small that have stuck out to you in books or movies? 

I'm definitely a small gestures kind of girl. I'm pretty simple and it doesn't take much to make me happy. A few of my best valentine's days have been spent with pizza, wine,  and a movie. 

That's not to say that more grand gestures aren't nice, they definitely are, and they do have their place, but I'm more about quality over quantity. I'm honestly just happy with a card on Valentine's day. I don't care for flowers, and chocolate is always good, but I can never manage to eat it all, no matter how good it is.  I'm much happier with a homecooked meal, and a night in, snuggled on the couch than I ever would be at a fancy restaurant.

And I'm more about the simple gestures all year round, not just on Valentine's day. The idea behind Valentine's Day is nice, don't get me wrong, but I really don't think that we need a specific day of the year to tell a significant other that we love them. We should be telling them that every day, not just when society (and Hallmark) says we should. And I'm not just saying that because I'm slightly bitter about the fact that I won't get to spend Valentine's day with my boyfriend, either. 

Since I don't have any plans to share with you guys of what I'm doing for this Valentine's Day, I'll share a little mishap I had with a Valentine's Day from a couple of years ago. Since it was the first one that Dearran and I got to spend together, I wanted to do something special for him. If you've been a long time reader of the blog, you'll know that I love to bake.

So, on this particular Valentine's Day, I decided to make him cherry cheesecake. Simple enough, right? Well, it would have been, had we had an easier to use can opener. At the time (although I've since made him buy another one,) Dearran only had what I would call an old fashioned can opener. These can openers are definitely not user friendly, at least not for me. They have to be placed on the lid just so, and they can be hard to grip and turn. When I was trying to open the can of cherry pie filling, it kept slipping off, so the can wouldn't open smoothly. I tried for almost an hour to get the can open, wasting precious prep time, and not having the cheesecake ready in time. I had to beg Dearran to stay late at the office to give me more time to get things ready. 

Eventually, I got the can open enough to get the filling out, got the cheesecake finished and managed to do a spectacularly bad makeup job on myself (I don't wear makeup that often so I'm not good at applying it.) 

And in the end, everything turned out all right. Dearran appreciated the cheesecake, and laughed with me when I told him how much effort went into it. And it's times like these that matter to me the most. Because in the end, it's not about the lavish gifts, or flowers, or chocolate, those are all things that don't really last. But  it is about the memories and the laughter. So it really is all about the little things.

In relation to books and media:

The only gesture of love (and I'm not eve sure this counts as a gesture of love...) that's coming to mind at the moment is the scene in The Breakfast Club where they're getting picked up at the end of the movie. It's the scene where Claire gives Bender one of her earrings, and he puts it in his ear. That's a simple gesture, but it really has significant meaning after the conclusions they've come to about each other over the course of the day.

What about you, are you more of a grand or a small gesture type of person?

Please share your thoughts!

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-Keeping Score: A Guide to Love and Relationships Review + Giveaway

Title: Keeping Score: A Guide to Love and Relationships 

Author: Marc Brackett

Genre: Non-Fiction

Publisher: Self-Published

Published: July 1, 2012

Format: Paperback

Pages: 128

Source: Received from the author in

exchange for an honest review

Read: December 7, 2012

In A Few Words: Has good analogies

My Rating: 4 Stars

Goodreads: Add to Your TBR Shelf

Goodreads Synopsis:

It's a relationship book even a man will read.

Keeping Score provides a relationship evaluation quiz followed by a common sense guide for relationship improvement, all with a humorous twist. You can determine if your relationship has the qualities it takes for a successful marriage and lasting love affair.

If you're single- read this book to see how well your potential life partner measures up. If you're married- read this book to reduce conflict and increase your happiness.

Take control and shape your union into a relationship that will stand the trials of life and go the distance

Melissa's Musings:

This book is very straightforward and to the point. The basic idea behind the book, at least my understanding of what the author is trying to present is that it's easy to score the compatibility of two people based on a number of different factors, which there are several questions to in each section. It then gives the reader some suggestions on how to work on certain areas where you and your partner may be less than ideally matched. 

I really appreciated that the author realized that some issues in a relationship, like trust, are subjective, and there is no "one size fits all" answer to issues in these types of areas of a relationship. The author gives general suggestions in this area and leaves the rest of working through these issues to the couple.

One thing that I found a little disappointing was that some of the questions were only yes/no, one option or the other, without a middle option, when the question could have benefited from that. One of the questions that was like this was a question on religious beliefs. The question is : 

Have you and your partner resolved in what faith any children you may have will be raised?" Then it's a straight yes or no answer, with no middle ground for people who may not participate in religion at all.

I understand why these are closed ended, yes/no questions. It makes them easier to score. The desire for middle ground answers is more a personal preference than a flaw in the book itself.

I also find it very interesting that this book is written by a male author. This is just a general observation, but most of these types of books, or at least all the ones I've read have been authored by women. It's refreshing to see these issues from a male perspective for a change.

I do agree with the claim that the synopsis makes, that this is a book that even a man will read. I know my boyfriend would walk through this is I asked him to.  The analogies are personable, easy to relate to, and make good sense. The issues that come up in relationships are addressed from both the male and female perspective.

One little change that I would have made to the book would be to have tried to change the scenarios/situations up at least slightly from the male and female sides. The questions and situations are copied word for word for each. I understand the reasoning behind it, it just got to be a bit boring reading it all the way through. I think it would be a little more engaging to see the material presented in a slightly different light for both sides, or at least the questions asked in a different way for each.

Overall, this is an excellent book that hits on many of the key elements that need to be addressed and worked on in a relationship and this gives the reader the system to help you figure out which areas might need work. The charts are easy to use and there are example individuals in the back of the book to help you figure out how to analyze your scores.

Giveaway Time!

When Marc contacted me about doing a review, he very generously offered and sent along two additional  paperback copies of Keeping Score: A Guide to Love and Relationships when he sent my review copy so that I could do a giveaway for my readers. Thanks Marc!

Giveaway Rules:

The giveaway will be limited to US ONLY as I'm sending the books myself 

You do NOT have to be a follower of this blog to enter. Anyone who chooses to follow is appreciated.

This giveaway will follow the guidelines outlined in my Review Policy located at the top of the blog.
Winners will be notified by email and will have 48 hours to respond before alternate winners are chosen.
This giveaway will run from December 19 2012 to January 3, 2013 at 12:00 am Pacific Time
There are NO Mandatory entries, do as many as you like

Enter Below:

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Cupid's Christmas

Title: Cupid's Christmas

Author: Bette Lee Crosby

Publisher:  Bent Pine Publishing

Published: September 13, 2012

Format: Kindle

Pages: 181

Source: Downloaded when it

was free on Amazon

Read: December 8-9, 2012

In A Few Words: Sweet story

My Rating: 4 Stars

Goodreads: Add This To Your TBR Shelf

Goodreads Synopsis:

CUPID’S CHRISTMAS…A love story for both the young and the young at heart. In a spot somewhere between Heaven and Earth, Cupid is trying to overcome the forces of lust, jealousy and the events brought on by his nemeses—Life Management.

Cupid matched John and Eleanor thirty years ago, but Life Management stepped in and fouled things up. Now they are both single and back together again, but before Cupid can give them the happiness they deserve, he’s got to come up with some magic, a few miracles and a dog for John’s daughter
'

Melissa's Musings:

The narrator in this story, Cupid, is just snarky enough to be likeable, but also realistic. You can tell that he (or at least I'm pretty sure it's a he) feels for his matches, and that he wants to see things work out for them. Especially Lindsay, who keeps walking away from love, and making all the wrong choices in that department.

I enjoyed watching Lindsay grow as a character. At first she is a bit hard to like, because she's so self involved. She doesn't seem to care about anyone else's happiness but her own. Then, she loses her boyfriend, her job, her apartment. That turns her around a bit.

It doesn't keep her from being downright rude to her dads' new girlfriend. I felt bad during these initial exchanges between Eleanor and Lindsay. Bad for Eleanor that is. Eleanor's character is great at making nice with Lindsay, trying to ease her way into being Lindsay's friend, but Lindsay is having none of it at first. Finally, when Lindsay realizes that her father is actually happy, she starts to open up more to Eleanor and they develop a great relationship.

If you read this and you feel bad for Eleanor during her initial exchanges with Lindsay, then I'll warn you that you'll probably feel even worse for her during her conversations with her son Ray about her new relationship. Ray says things that are just plain mean.

The romance in this book is really nice. It's well done, with just the right amount of flirtation, worry over the relationship on Lindsay's part, easy comfort and sweetness. Lindsay and Matthew fit very well together.

I really enjoyed the explanation of how Lindsay turned her love of this one particular dog into a career path. I  wish that I could do something like that with one of my hobbies, and it's always interesting to see a character be able to do that. It gives the reader that little glimmer of hope that they may be able to, too. (If they haven't already)

Have any of you read this? What did you think?

Last Chance Christmas by Hope Ramsay

Title: Last Chance Christmas

Author: Hope Ramsay

Publisher: Forever

Published: September 25 2012

Format: Paperback

Pages: 352 

Source: Won from a Facebook contest

Read: November 28-30 2012

In A  Few Words: Sweet, a comfort read

My Rating: 4 Stars

Goodreads: Add This to Your TBR Shelf

Goodreads Synopsis:
I've been wishing for a miracle for my oldest boy, Stone, and this Christmas my prayers might just be answered!

Her name is Lark, and she's here in Last Chance, looking into her father's past-and stirring up a whole mess of trouble without meaning to. As the chief of police, Stone sure has his hands full trying to keep up with her. Ever since his wife died, Stone's put everything into raising his daughters and dodging the Christ Church Ladies' Auxiliary matchmakers. And it's clear Lark has been through some trouble and could use a place to finally call home. I only hope Stone can let go of the past soon enough to keep her . . .Goodness, I need to stop talking and finish up Jane's highlights so we can make the town tree-lighting. You come back by because the Cut 'n' Curl's got hot rollers, free coffee, fresh-baked Christmas cookies-and the best gossip in town.

See you real soon,
Ruby Rhodes

Melissa's Musings:

About 6 months ago, I read and reviewed Last Chance Beauty Queen by Hope Ramsay. You can check out that review Here.

Last Chance Christmas picks up in a similar place. Only this time, the focus is on Stone Rhodes. He is the sheriff in Last Chance. He's also a widow, with two young daughters, one of whom sees angels. This story follows his unexpected journey to loving again, it promotes acceptance on many levels. 

The really great thing about these books is that although they are all part of a series, they work extremely well as stand alone books so you can just jump right in and not feel like you're missing something. It's easy to get to know the characters, and they're so well developed that you immediately feel like you know them. It's very easy to put yourself right into Last Chance, because you can see all the events so clearly through the characters' eyes.

I have to say that I love the names that this author has given to the main family that the books focus on. In Last Chance Beauty Queen, the book focused on "Rocky" Rhodes, the matriarch of the family is Ruby Rhodes, and then in this book we have Stonewall "Stone" Rhodes. The little play on words is nice. Also Stones' love interest is named Lark. I love when authors change things up with names that are a little more unique.

This just goes to show how much the characters have grown on me in this book, as when I read Last Chance Beauty Queen, I thought the names were too much of a pun to be realistic. After reading Last Chance Christmas, the names have grown on me, and pun like or not, they really do fit the characters.

There are two current romances in this book, the one between Stone and Lark, and the one between Stones' daughter Lizzy and David. Lizzy and Davids' romance is sweet and easy, as they are young. Stone and Larks' romance is a bit more complicated as they both have a lot of personal baggage that they have to work through to finally figure out that they want to be together. Lark is a war correspondent who has seen horrible things in all the trips she's made and she's dealing with the after effects of the events of her last assignment. Stone is a Marine who's also had some bad experiences, who also has lost his wife and is reluctant to love again. The romance between them is tentative at times, but it's also electric and easy to see that they both want to be with each other.

I'd recommend this to anyone who's looking for a quick, easy, comfort read. 

Have any of you read this? Or any of the other books in this series?

Echoes From the Infantry by Frank Nappi is Powerful and Poignant

Title: Echoes  From The Infantry

Author: Frank Nappi

Publisher:  St. Martin's Press

Published: November 1, 2005

Format: Kindle/E-book

Pages: 256

Source: Downloaded when it was 

free on Amazon.com

Read: September 19-21, 2012

In A Few Words: Powerful and poignant

My Rating: 5 stars

Goodreads: Add This to Your TBR Shelf

Goodreads Synopsis:

Frank Nappi is a school teacher on Long Island who, over the last several years, befriended aging World War II veterans in his community. As he heard their reminiscences he became absorbed in their stories of simple heroism--and of trying to recapture what they'd left behind when they returned home. They are the stories of men who never asked for recognition or adulation, only a place in the free and prosperous society they'd built with their own blood, sweat and tears--men who could never entirely leave behind the horrors of the battlefield, or explain them to their own children . . .
Now, Nappi has synthesized those reminiscences and crafted them into a heartwarming and at times harrowing novel: Echoes from the Infantry. It is the fictionalized tale of one Long Island veteran, the misery of combat, and the powerful emotional bond that connected him to his fiancée back home and that allowed him to survive the war with his soul battered but intact.
It is about a father and a son, and their ultimately redeeming struggle to understand the worlds that shaped each one--one a world at war, the other a world shaped by its veterans

Melissa's Musings:

A few months ago, I read and reviewed The Legend of Mickey Tussler, and Sophomore Campaign, both by Frank Nappi. You can read both of those reviews HERE So when I was emailing his publisher to thank them for letting me review the books and hold that giveaway, she asked me if I'd be interested in reviewing Echoes from the Infantry. When I said yes, she let me know that it just happened to be free to download on Amazon that day, so I went and downloaded it right away. And I'm so glad I did. Just like the first two books I read by Frank Nappi, this one is powerful and meaningful.

The story weaves itself throughout the present and the past as it goes along. In the present, James Mcleary has lost his wife, and is depressed, and his sons are trying to figure out what to do about him.  In the past, we see small glimpses of James' life before the war, happy, carefree with Madeline. Then we live through what it was like for him in Germany, fighting the war, losing friends, the constant risk of losing his life. Then there's his life after the war. The war has taken its toll, physically and emotionally. He withdraws from life, he feels like he doesn't fit in, he can't process all the things he's done and seen. 

Of course he moves on to a point, he still has a life to live, but it's almost as if he's not really there, a ghost of his former self. James is a creature of habit. He likes things regimented, and his way, mainly, he likes the control of that. And his kids do suffer for it, John most of all. John spends his childhood wishing for his fathers' approval and growing tired of his mother making excuses all the time. 

The relationship between John and James is strained, at best, and Madeleine's death only makes it harder. John is the one who's left with the responsibility of cleaning out the house and it's while he's cleaning that he finds the letters his father sent to his mother during the war and gets to see a different side of his father. 

The letters were one of my favorite things about this book. They are full of love, even hope in such desperate situations. They are a sharp contrast to the stoic, rocky, seemingly impassive character we are first presented with. And I think these letters are really what make the book so powerful. As you read them you have the same wondering thoughts that John does. "Who is this man and why have I never seen this side of him.?" At first the letters made me sad for John, because it's clear that it was this type of father that he's been looking for all this time, and the letters are a confusing juxtaposition to the man he's always known. 

All throughout the book I found myself hoping that there would be some sort of redemption, some sort of peace that would come through it all. I won't spoil it, but I'm happy to say that it does happen, and John helps to bring it about.

In addition to the great writing, and the story itself, there is also excellent imagery. You can really feel the emotions of the characters as you read, see yourself in their situations. I love the scenes where the guys in James' platoon all talk about food to try and keep themselves warm with the thought of it in the cold winter nights. 

This is an extremely powerful book about war, and the long lasting effect it can have on those who went through it and their families.

Crank by Ellen Hopkins

Title: Crank (Crank #1)

Author: Ellen Hopkins

Publisher:  Margaret K. McElderry Books

Published: October  5 2004
Format: Paperback

Pages: 537

Source:   Library

Read: August 20-21 2012

In A Few Words: Intense, different

My Rating: 4 Stars

Goodreads:Add to your TBR pile

Goodreads Synopsis:

In Crank, Ellen Hopkins chronicles the turbulent and often disturbing relationship between Kristina, a character based on her own daughter, and the "monster," the highly addictive drug crystal meth, or "crank." Kristina is introduced to the drug while visiting her largely absent and ne'er-do-well father. While under the influence of the monster, Kristina discovers her sexy alter-ego, Bree: "there is no perfect daughter, / no gifted high school junior, / no Kristina Georgia Snow. / There is only Bree." Bree will do all the things good girl Kristina won't, including attracting the attention of dangerous boys who can provide her with a steady flow of crank. 

Soon, her grades plummet, her relationships with family and friends deteriorate, and she needs more and more of the monster just to get through the day. Kristina hits her lowest point when she is raped by one of her drug dealers and becomes pregnant as a result. Her decision to keep the baby slows her drug use, but doesn't stop it, and the author leaves the reader with the distinct impression that Kristina/Bree may never be free from her addiction. 

Melissa's Musings:

I've never read anything by Hopkins before, so this was very different for me. It's an intense read.

I have to admit, it took me a while to get used to the fact that it's written in verse, but I really grew to like it. I liked the way that writing it in verse allowed Hopkins to play with the words and their arrangements on the page, like the formation of V's when Kristina is talking about her virginity, or the cascading slopes when she describes her descent into madness. I also liked how in some of the pages, the words are spaced in such a way that you can get two different meanings out of them. If you read them all together, as part of the story, it can mean one thing, but then when you read the separated words on their own in a line it can mean something completely different. Writing the story this way really makes you think.

I did feel bad for Kristina at one point, because it seemed like her family was kind of dysfunctional, and they really didn't pay all that much attention to her. I also felt for her when she got raped, because that's just wrong. But in the end, she put herself in her situation with the choices she made and she's the only one who can help herself out of the drug addicted haze, so I felt, I don't know, indifferent to her in that regard I guess.

I have to admit that I was disappointed right of the bat at the very first page at one thing in particular. I suppose I'm the only one to blame for this since had I read the synopsis first I would have known already. But, everyone raves about Ellen Hopkins so I didn't even think to read the synopsis before starting this. Since it's in the synopsis anyway, I don't really think I'm spoiling things by saying that I was disappointed to read about "the baby" in the book on the very first page prior to even beginning the story. I think putting that out there on the first page wasn't really necessary. It spoils a major plot point right in the beginning. You could have let the story build up to that without announcing it beforehand. It would have been more effective if there had just been a note added at the end.  But, I suppose it doesn't really matter either way, it was just a little annoying as a spoiler when I first read it.

Overall, I really enjoyed the story and am looking forward to reading more of Hopkins' work. I'd recommend this to anyone looking to try reading a new and unique way of writing a story.

My Love by Joanne Clancy

Title: My Love

Author: Joanne Clancy

Publisher: Cupid's Arrow Publishing

Published:February 12, 2012

Format: Kindle/e-book

Pages: 95

Source: Received from author in exchange

for an honest review

Read: August 18 2012

In A Few Words: Nice concepts, slightly repetitive
My  Rating:  2 Stars

Goodreads: Add this book to your TBR list

Goodreads Synopsis:

 Is there such a thing as love at first sight? Can love be measured?

My Love by Joanne Clancy is a collection of essays about life, love and dating. 

The book discusses different definitions of love, from coming to terms with the reality of love to the importance of giving and generosity and thoughts on the death of a loved one.

The book has ideas on how to woo a woman and how to make a man fall in love. The importance of humour in a dating relationship and how to work on a happy balance while dating is also discussed. 

There is a section on first date tips and internet dating. 

The last part of the book deals with how to realise when a relationship is over and when it is time to move on with your life. There are some helpful tips on how to start over and how to prepare for dating by dating yourself.

My Love is a beautiful collection of love and life experiences

Melissa's Musings:

The overall concept of this book is really nice. It's full of tips for internet dating, first dates, relationships, etc. I see what the author was trying to do with this book, it just didn't work well for me. 

One of the major issues of this book for me was the sequencing. I felt that a lot of the essays were out of place, they just didn't flow together well. I know that essays are generally supposed to be treated as separate entities, but with the subject matter, a lot of the essays seemed to overlap, but they didn't do so in a way that was really cohesive. With a little bit of swapping, I feel that the flow could be improved, which would really enhance the book overall.

In one particular essay, titled "Giving and Generosity" there was a lot of scripture and quotes from the Bible. I found nothing wrong with the content or the quotes themselves, just the frequency of them. In this particular essay scripture was quoted every one or two paragraphs, and as someone who doesn't have that much experience with them this was a little off-putting. I also felt that the frequency of these quotes detracted from the underlying message of this essay.

I did enjoy the fact that this is full of nice ideas for how to improve your relationship, as well few particularly poignant poems that remind the reader that they shouldn't take love for granted. It's passages like these that I wish there were more of because they really stop to make you think.

A lot of the content in this book is common sense, but it is nice to have the reminder of these activities and ideas. 

Along with the thought of a lot of the ideas in the book being common sense, there was an element of repetition that bothered me as I was reading. There were a lot of ideas that were repeated throughout the essays, in exactly the same wording. One in particular stands out because it was mentioned no less than 5 times:

"I''ve had one or two first dates in my time..." or some slight variation thereof.

By the last time of seeing this line I was saying out loud "We know that already! So have most of those of us who are reading this book!"

One great section that I really liked was towards the end where the author is describing potential places for a date in London. She notes several restaurants whose cuisine sounds delicious. And she also makes note of a lot of other places to go go for dates such as some of Britain's public gardens and other more well known attractions.

I had also hoped that there would be more of the author's personal experiences mixed in. I find it easier to connect with books like this if there are personal anecdotes and I feel that may be part of the reason that this book didn't work as well for me.

Overall,  this is a nice book that with a bit of polishing could really be wonderful. I'd recommend it to someone looking for some basic tips on first dates.

Sweet Evil by Wendy Higgins: A Little Too Sweet For Me

Title: Sweet Evil (The Sweet Trilogy #1)

Author: Wendy Higgins

Publisher: HarperTeen

Published: May 1 2012

Format: Paperback

Pages: 450

Source: Won in a Goodreads Giveaway

Read: August 12-15 2012

In A Few Words: Sweet, a bit sappy

Goodreads:Add to your TBR pile

Goodreads Synopsis:  Embrace the Forbidden

What if there were teens whose lives literally depended on being bad influences?

This is the reality for sons and daughters of fallen angels.

Tenderhearted Southern girl Anna Whitt was born with the sixth sense to see and feel emotions of other people. She’s aware of a struggle within herself, an inexplicable pull toward danger, but Anna, the ultimate good girl, has always had the advantage of her angel side to balance the darkness within. It isn’t until she turns sixteen and meets the alluring Kaidan Rowe that she discovers her terrifying heritage and her willpower is put to the test. He’s the boy your daddy warned you about. If only someone had warned Anna.

Forced to face her destiny, will Anna embrace her halo or her horns?

Melissa's Musings:

There are a lot of good things about this book. And then there are some that aren't so great.  I have mixed feelings about this book. I did like it, but it wasn't absolutely the most amazing book I've ever read. 

I really enjoyed how the supernatural elements/abilities are presented in this book. Higgins did a nice job of integrating them naturally. They weren't necessarily "introduced" so to speak as they can be in other stories. They were just a normal part of Anna's life, (for Anna anyway.) She wasn't awkward when she was describing them. The choice of powers is nice too. Being able to see the colors of a person's aura isn't something I've read in a lot of stories as of late so that was refreshing. 

For as much  simplicity that Anna talks about her powers with, she is oversensitive about everything else. The major drawback of this book is that Anna cries so much. She cries. And cries.  All.The.Time. I understand that it's part of her struggle to come to terms with what she is and what she has to go through, but it just got old fast. Even Anna knows that she cries too much. I forgot to mark down the page number where this is said, but Anna says, "For once, my eyes stayed dry." When even the character knows she cries too much, you know you have a problem.

I also didn't see enough growth from Anna to be really satisfied with her as a  character.She's just too sweet, too vulnerable, too innocent, especially to be thrown into the world of sins, temptations and demons. In addition to her constant crying, she's just whiny and mopey when it comes to Kaidan, always wanting to sneak him phone calls and pining after him. I was hoping that her having to change her look and personality a bit for her training might help her to realize that she doesn't have to be so reliant on him to feel good. Unfortunately that didn't happen.

The romance in the book is sweet. There is a love triangle, which seems to be typical of so many YA books these days. If I absolutely have to choose a team, I'm team Kaidan. I honestly don't even see a need for the triangle though, because the dynamic between Kaidan and Anna is complicated enough, since Neph are forbidden from falling in love and risk being killed if they are found out. 

There are a lot of serious social issues in this book. It's crammed full of them actually. It's not overdone though, just surprising to see the range of issues that are dealt with. The main issue is religion, seeing as there's lots of talk about temptation, sins, hell, etc. I liked how this is talked about in a simplified way that's not overly "preachy"

In addition to the aspect of religion, this also touches on adoption, drugs, date rape, abortion, prostitution, and involuntary sterilization to name just a few. They aren't mentioned in great detail or anything, but that's a lot of issues to even just mention in one book.

Overall, I did enjoy the book. It's unfortunate that the second book in the series hasn't been picked up because I'm really curious to see what happens. I'd recommend this to anyone who wants a fast read with a likeable main couple.

Have you read this book? What are your thoughts on it?

*Please note I won this title in a giveaway from the Goodreads First Reads program.

Review: The Five Lives of Our Cat Zook by Joanne Rocklin

Title: The Five Lives  Of Our Cat Zook

Author:  Joanne Rocklin

Publisher: Harry N. Abrams

Published:  April 1, 2012

Format: Hardcover

Pages:  240

Source: Won in a Goodreads  Giveaway

Read:  July 31 2012

In a Few Words: A sweet, colorful, fun story

My Rating: 5 wonderful stars

Goodreads: Add it to your to-read shelf

Goodreads Synopsis: 

n this warmhearted middle-grade novel, Oona and her brother, Fred, love their cat Zook (short for Zucchini), but Zook is sick. As they conspire to break him out of the vet’s office, convinced he can only get better at home with them, Oona tells Fred the story of Zook’s previous lives, ranging in style from fairy tale to grand epic to slice of life. Each of Zook’s lives has echoes in Oona’s own family life, which is going through a transition she’s not yet ready to face. Her father died two years ago, and her mother has started a relationship with a man named Dylan—whom Oona secretly calls “the villain.” The truth about Dylan, and about Zook’s medical condition, drives the drama in this loving family story.

Praise for The Five Lives of Our Cat Zook

“Oona’s character is a combination of Harriet the Spy in curiosity and Anastasia in spunk. Another emotionally satisfying outing from Rocklin; hanky recommended.”

—Kirkus Reviews

Melissa's Musings:

I loved this book. The characters are loveable, the wordplay is fun, there are tons of interesting theories told only the way a child would tell them. I loved it for the variety in perspective. It was such a nice change from all the YA and Adult fiction that I normally read. 

In this story we meet Freddy and Oona, brother and sister who are being raised by their mother after their father's death. They have a cat, named Zook, who has become a beloved member of their family. When Zook suddenly gets sick, it brings back memories for Oona of the time when her father is sick too, so she has to deal with all of those memories and emotions that she's kept hidden for so long.

This book is full of stories within stories. It's told from Oona's perspective, and man is she one smart kiddo. She has very creative and inventive theories. One is the Big Whopper theory, where all the lies people tell are color coded for the kind of lie that they are. Black Whoppers are meant to hurt someone, White Whoppers are meant to make someone feel better. 

Or, there's the name theory, in which Oona declares that everyone's name is perfect for them, no matter  what. Here's a quote to explain the theory: 

"Gramma Dee's name is easy Dee RW (rhymes with) bee=honey=sweet like candy. Gramma Dee likes to make Russian taffy, which she learned from her Russian grandmother, who was born in Russia." (pg. 49)

I think what she's trying to say is that people grow into their name, or the meaning of it. They personify that meaning. I think to some extent that becomes true after a while.

I love the wordplay in this book. The play on words with Zook (the cat's) name. Then there's the fact that the kids get paid in fried Zuchinni and pizza is great, and so are the cute word games that Oona plays with Freddy to teach him to read. I love when authors take the time to add these small but important touches to their stories because it helps you become that more attached to the characters.

Oona also has a lot of responsibility for such a little girl. She picks her brother up from school, she's teaching him to read, (with rhyming games and pictures, which I loved) and she even has an after school job. She gets paid in food, but still. For someone so young, that's a lot to handle, but Oona handles most of what comes her way pretty well. She isn't too fond of her mother's new boyfriend, but for a girl whose beloved father passed away that's not a surprise.

Among  all these inventive theories and stories about cats who have 9 lives there are a lot of real life observations and lessons which are told in only the way a child can see them. Children have such a different view of the world than adults. There's such innocence, and yet such depth, as well as insight. It's easy to forget how much insight kids have until you read a story like this. And when you do, boy can it pack a punch.

 I feel a bit silly admitting this, but I found myself tearing up at the end of this novel, not because of what happens to the characters, but because of the depth and richness of the lessons that Oona learns and the changes that she goes through throughout the course of the book. Now, it takes a lot for me to cry at a book. I have to be really invested in the story, and this was definitely a story that I was invested in. It's got a little bit of everything. It's a sweet story about family, love, loss, friendships, and growing up. I'd recommend it to anyone who enjoys heartfelt stories.

What about you, do you have any interesting theories that you'd like to share?