All That Glitters by Alisa Valdes

All That Glitters by Alisa Valdes

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Goodreads Synopsis:

New York Times bestselling author Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez has done it again, this time bringing us the tale of a young Latina professional cheerleader in Houston, who dreams of being a photojournalist and finds a mentor in a powerful older African American woman sports agent. As their friendship grows, each woman ends up mentoring the other as they each seek to balance love, life and career. Satisfying romances for both women, with men you come to love. Poignant tale of friendship and family.

My Review:

I love the writing of Alisa Valdes. The women are empowering, or become empowering as the story goes. These women may have issues with men in the beginning, but they always learn that to be truly happy they have to be true and live for themselves. A man doesn't define you, they are just another color on the palate at which to paint your life. Her stories show you don't have to settle for a man just because, you can take a chance and meet a great guy who respects you for you.

Living in New Mexico, I love the strong Hispanic heroines, a breath of fresh air. I will definitely be reading more from her.

Favorite Quotes:

"You have to be with someone who will be just as interested in respecting and admiring you as you are interested in respecting and admiring him. You can’t be with a man because you admire him. You have to be with a man because he respects you and you respect him and it’s fair"

"Values don’t suddenly show up when a man reaches a certain age. They’re built into his character by his parents and his upbringing"

"Sometimes you have to lose something to realize you were actually meant to have something else"

Read from August 22 to 28, 2013

Top 5 Genres*: Women's Fiction/Chick Lit

*According to Goodreads
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My ratings system:
5 stars - I absolutely loved it
4 stars - Good book and would recommend
3 stars - Decent book, but wasn't spectacular
2 stars - Not good, but was able to finish it
1 stars - Did not finish (DNF) and I don't usually rate a book I haven't finished (just to be fair to the author)

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The Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick

The Silver Linings Playbook by Matthew Quick

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Goodreads Synopsis:

Pat Peoples knows that life doesn’t always go according to plan, but he’s determined to get his back on track. After a stint in a psychiatric hospital, Pat is staying with his parents and trying to live according to his new philosophy: get fit, be nice and always look for the silver lining. Most importantly, Pat is determined to be reconciled with his wife Nikki. Pat’s parents just want to protect him so he can get back on his feet, but when Pat befriends the mysterious Tiffany, the secrets they’ve been keeping from him threaten to come out . . .

My Review:

This was a simple read with so much emotion packed into it's pages, that I was somewhat surprised at how much I loved this book. I knew I would like it after I first started reading it, but the more I read it, the more I fell in love with the raw honesty of it.

With that said, I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would, and most likely will, recommend this book.

Favorite Quote:

"life is random and fucked-up and arbitrary, until you find someone who can make sense of it all for you— if only temporarily"

Read from May 16 to 20, 2013

Top 5 Genres*: Fiction, Contemporary, Romance, Adult, Book Club

*According to Goodreads
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My ratings system:
5 stars - I absolutely loved it
4 stars - Good book and would recommend
3 stars - Decent book, but wasn't spectacular
2 stars - Not good, but was able to finish it
1 stars - Did not finish (DNF) and I don't usually rate a book I haven't finished (just to be fair to the author)

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The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Goodreads Synopsis:

A special Halloween edition of Erin Morgenstern's bestselling novel. Longlisted for the Orange Prize for Fiction 2012 and selected for the Richard and Judy Book Club, The Night Circus is a feast for the senses, a fantasia of magic, mischief and love, an extraordinary blend of fantasy and reality that will dazzle readers young and old.

The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not.

The black sign, painted in white letters that hangs upon the gates, reads:
Opens at Nightfall
Closes at Dawn

As the sun disappears beyond the horizon, all over the tents small lights begin to flicker, as though the entirety of the circus is covered in particularly bright fireflies. When the tents are all aglow, sparkling against the night sky, the sign appears.

Le Cirque des Rêves
The Circus of Dreams.
Now the circus is open.
Now you may enter.

My Review:

I loved this book. It was a superb story filled with mystery, magic, love, and heartbreak. The story was emotionally gripping, but also left enough mystery to fill in the blanks with your own beliefs.

It was beautifully written, although the constant jump between past and present dates did get me a little confused at times, but was quickly solved with refreshing my memory of that particular chapters date.

It did start off a little slow, in the sense that I was aching for the two "challengers" to meet already. They finally did about 50% of the way through the book, and it was electrifying. At about 75%, you could tell things had a possibility of going terribly wrong. When I'm reading a book that I enjoy the way the storyline is going and there is a potential for disruption, I start to read a little more slowly, trying to put off the inevitable. Although there was a slight hiccup at the end, the ending was beautiful. A little dark, but happy none the less.

Read from August 30 to September 11, 2013

Top 5 Genres*: Fantasy, Fiction, Book Club, Romance, Historical Fiction
*According to Goodreads
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My ratings system
5 stars - I absolutely loved it
4 stars - Good book and would recommend
3 stars - Decent book, but wasn't spectacular
2 stars - Not good, but was able to finish it
1 stars - Did not finish (DNF) and I don't usually rate a book I haven't finished (just to be fair to the author)

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The Seven Steps to Closure by Donna Joy Usher

The Seven Steps to Closure by Donna Joy Usher

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Goodreads Synopsis:

Tara Babcock awakes the morning after her 30th birthday with a hangover that could kill an elephant - and the knowledge she is still no closer to achieving closure on her marriage breakup. Things go from bad to worse when she discovers that, not only is her ex-husband engaged to her cousin - Tash, the woman he left her for - but that Jake is also running for Lord Mayor of Sydney.
Desperate to leave the destructive relationship behind and with nothing to lose, she decides- with encouragement from her three best friends - to follow the dubious advice from a magazine article, Closure in Seven Easy Steps.

The Seven Steps to Closure follows Tara on her sometimes disastrous- always hilarious - path to achieve the seemingly impossible.

My Review:

This was a cute story. I'd have to say that although Tara (the main character) had great supporting friends, there were too many to always keep them straight. With her very supportive sister and mother, I think we could have done with only one or two best friends.

Also, the story was just ok and somewhat funny, until Tara went to India. That's when the story really picked up and I couldn't put it down. This book had a happy ending, but not everything was wrapped up in a nice neat little bow, but left open-ended, which I enjoyed this time.

I chose to read this book at this particular time because I was supposed to choose a book about forgiveness for a book club challenge, and I'm sad to say this fell a little short. Yes, she learned to not blame herself, and yes he did get over what her ex-husband did to her, but that's just it. I'm not sure she forgave him, she just got closure - either way, I still enjoyed the storyline.

Read from August 28 to September 15, 2013

Top 5 Genres*: Women's Fiction/Chick Lit, Romance, Contemporary, Humor, Romance/Contemporary Romance
*According to Goodreads
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My ratings system
5 stars - I absolutely loved it
4 stars - Good book and would recommend
3 stars - Decent book, but wasn't spectacular
2 stars - Not good, but was able to finish it
1 stars - Did not finish (DNF) and I don't usually rate a book I haven't finished (just to be fair to the author)

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Accidents Make the Heart Grow Fonder by Tara Mills

Accidents Make the Heart Grow Fonder by Tara Mills

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Goodreads Synopsis:

Sabrina Eckhart is losing it. Oasis, the restaurant she manages, is getting battered by a trendy newcomer, and with everyone looking to her for ideas, you could say she's under a little pressure. But wait, that's not all. Her evil landlady has given her until the end of the month to vacate her crummy apartment. And her thirtieth birthday is looming, reminding her of the milestones she's missed. No wonder she's distracted and driving off the rails...down the sidewalk, and nearly running over the man with amazing glutes.

Jackson Murphy is an avid jogger, and the local television station's scrumptious news director--if he can keep the job. Unfortunately, he has one year to resuscitate their wheezing news department or the owners are going to pull the plug. His hands are already full even without Sabrina dropping into them. The last thing he needs is to be involved with a publicity stunt.

The road to love is bumpy. It'll take all of Cupid's arrows, and a lot of interference from friends, for these two to win the Dating Game.

My Review:

Cute story.

Book started off with excitement right off the bat and continued to be a disastrously fantastic romance. At one point I thought I could have guessed how the story was going to turn but I turned out oh so wrong. There were some serious moments too, which balanced everything out nicely.

The lead female in the story was a complete spaz in front of her "crush" but it was cute, and when they finally got together, she didn't hang on him every second of the day. Although she thought he could do better, and had her moments of doubt, she did her own thing, which was extremely commendable. I definitely recommend this if you are interested in a rom-com.

Read in October, 2013

Top 5 Genres*: Romance, Women's Fiction/Chick Lit, Romance/Contemporary Romance, Contemporary, Humor
*According to Goodreads
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My ratings system
5 stars - I absolutely loved it
4 stars - Good book and would recommend
3 stars - Decent book, but wasn't spectacular
2 stars - Not good, but was able to finish it
1 stars - Did not finish (DNF) and I don't usually rate a book I haven't finished (just to be fair to the author)

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Orange Is the New Black: My Time in a Women's Prison by Piper Kerman

Orange Is the New Black: My Time in a Women's Prison by Piper Kerman

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Goodreads Synopsis:

With her career, live-in boyfriend and loving family, Piper Kerman barely resembles the rebellious young woman who got mixed up with drug runners and delivered a suitcase of drug money to Europe over a decade ago. But when she least expects it, her reckless past catches up with her; convicted and sentenced to fifteen months at an infamous women's prison in Connecticut, Piper becomes inmate #11187-424. From her first strip search to her final release, she learns to navigate this strange world with its arbitrary rules and codes, its unpredictable, even dangerous relationships. She meets women from all walks of life, who surprise her with tokens of generosity, hard truths and simple acts of acceptance.

My Review:

I somewhat enjoyed this book. I didn't dislike it, but there were times where I just wasn't interested in reading it at the time (so it took longer to get through than originally anticipated). With that being said, the story flowed well, and was written well. I do wish we had more of a wrap up in the end of some of the bigger supporting characters, however, I suppose I understand why there wasn't. I found myself appalled in several instances at the state of the BOP, etc., and although I couldn't relate to the story and didn't feel as if I was transported into incarceration with Piper, I definitely felt like I had done time with her the second she was released.

I now plan on watching the series in order to put some faces to these prison characters.

Read from November 24 to December 09, 2013

Top 5 Genres*: Non Fiction, Book Club, Autobiography/Memoir, Biography, Adult
*According to Goodreads
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My ratings system
5 stars - I absolutely loved it
4 stars - Good book and would recommend
3 stars - Decent book, but wasn't spectacular
2 stars - Not good, but was able to finish it
1 stars - Did not finish (DNF) and I don't usually rate a book I haven't finished (just to be fair to the author)

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The Book Thief by Mark Zusak

The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Goodreads Synopsis:

The extraordinary #1 New York Times bestseller that is now a major motion picture, Markus Zusak's unforgettable story is about the ability of books to feed the soul.

It is 1939. Nazi Germany. The country is holding its breath. Death has never been busier, and will become busier still.

Liesel Meminger is a foster girl living outside of Munich, who scratches out a meager existence for herself by stealing when she encounters something she can’t resist–books. With the help of her accordion-playing foster father, she learns to read and shares her stolen books with her neighbors during bombing raids as well as with the Jewish man hidden in her basement.

In superbly crafted writing that burns with intensity, award-winning author Markus Zusak, author of I Am the Messenger, has given us one of the most enduring stories of our time.

My Review:



**Spoiler Alert** I have to admit I started this book and I love the narration. I'm instantly drawn to the characters and immediately fall for Rudy's charm. I'm about halfway through it and then my grandmother wanted to see the movie (who am I to deny her?). So I go and see this movie and it is great. I'm not a big crier, and believe me, I had to try really hard to swallow down the lumps in my throat at the end of the movie.

Now, I'm not sure how I'm supposed to finish the book knowing what I know about the ending, and knowing that books are usually 10 times more intense. I finish the book anyways (who am I to deny a good book?) and it is 10 times more intense and heartfelt, and I'm even more distraught. I loved this story and feel it is a book worth rereading, and worth recommending.

Read from December 20, 2013 to January 07, 2014

Top 5 Genres*: Historical Fiction, Young Adult, Fiction, Book Club, Historical
*According to Goodreads
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My ratings system
5 stars - I absolutely loved it
4 stars - Good book and would recommend
3 stars - Decent book, but wasn't spectacular
2 stars - Not good, but was able to finish it
1 stars - Did not finish (DNF) and I don't usually rate a book I haven't finished (just to be fair to the author)

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