Ladies' Night, by Mary Kay Andrews

This was such a "fun" book!  So fun, I had got to use it for a party theme! I received 10 free copies of Ladies' Night as part of a promotion I was selected for through houseparty.com (I am neither employed by nor compensated by them for this review in any way).  I was selected to host a book premiere party for Save the Date, Mary Kay Andrews' newest book, which will hit the shelves on June 3rd. I agreed to distribute the 10 copies of Ladies' Night to friends and host a "book club style" party to discuss both Ladies' Night and Save the Date.  I had never done anything like this for a publisher, but thought it was worth a try. The result was a fun time with friends, and the chance to read two excellent books, for free!

Ladies' Night begins with a married blogger (she blogs about food and style, not books, but I still felt the connection) who catches her husband cheating with her assistant, so she impulsively drives his sports car to the bottom of their swimming pool.  I love this scene so much, I chose to host my House Party poolside at our neighborhood pool.  As a result of this treacherous night, Grace Stanton must deal with the loss of her marriage, as well as her business and reputation.  During the legal proceedings for divorce, Grace is sentenced to a type of divorce group therapy, with other enraged or damaged spouses.  This group forms a bond that no only is entertaining, and endearing, but also conniving and determined to get revenge.  The book is filled with "laugh out loud" moments, as well as twists, turns, and a little romance.  In other words, it is a great summer reading material; or it works for any time you need to escape into a good book and just enjoy some fun reading.  For me, I got the added bonus of laughing with friends about the book's great one-liners and crafty ideas.  

Overall score: 85

Bottom Line:  Fun, enjoyable, and touching...make sure you pack it in your pool bag this summer!

e Art of Arranging Flowers

What a beautiful bouquet of fiction! I received an advanced copy of this book through First Reads. It looked like a "light" story, and I thought it may be enjoyable. I have to admit that when I first started reading, I thought it was going to be a variation of The Language of Flowers. It was a story about a florist, the meaning of flowers, and one being lonely with her flowers. However, I was pleasantly surprised that this was a different take on the magic of flowers; it wasn't so much about their "meanings", but the effects of flowers on different people, and the ways that a florist, who brings much happiness to others, has to find her own happiness. 

The story begins with Ruby, a lonely florist in a small town, who devotes her life to making sure others are happy. She takes special care to make sure life is "perfect" for all of her friends and clients, but doesn't always look out for her own needs, due to her wounded spirit from a difficult upbringing. A special boy with a past of his own starts hanging around, and Ruby's loving nature is just what he needs. Ruby's self-esteem and sense of self-worth begin to grow as she strengthens those around her. The Art of Arranging Flowers is an appropriate title for one who is trying to arrange her own life. Your value and significance, as well as your own beauty, is greater when you surround yourself with beautiful (inside and out) people.

Rating: 84
Bottom Line: A nice, smooth work of fiction. A good escape from some of the "intense"  books I tend to read.

The Husband's Secret, by Liane Moriarty

Wow.  Just WOW!  This book was on my "to read" list since December.  When I first read the synopsis, I knew it wasn't a book to miss.  I finally downloaded it to my Nook, to "check it out".  I started reading and couldn't stop.  The story is good.  Really good.  But the writing is even better than the story.  Moriarty took a really good story and wove it into a masterpiece.  If I'm starting to sound as if I'm enamored with this book, it's true.  If I enjoy a book, I often leave it on the shelf to read again someday.  But as soon as I read The Husband's Secret, I seriously considered reading it again right that very minute.

The novel, set in Australia, opens with Cecilia finding a sealed envelope in her attic, addressed to her by her husband "to open only in the event of my death".  She asks her husband about it without opening it, and he immediately brushes it off and tells her it's "nothing" and he meant to throw it away. He then asks her to throw it away, but I'll leave it to any woman to decide whether or not she does.  The story weaves the lives of three different families together, in a story captivates the reader from page one.  I admit I had a little trouble deciding how all three families would connect until at the very beginning, but it soon became clear.  And just when you think the story has reached an early resolution, it's only the beginning..  There are twists and turns that seem surprising at first, but as the author takes us deeper into the characters, they start to seem to follow the natural order of things.  I found myself questioning my own life throughout this book as I thought "What would I do?" many times as I connected with the characters.

My best advice, besides to READ THIS BOOK, is to make sure you don't read ahead.  I know some readers that like to "cheat" or "peek" to move things along faster, but DO NOT do that with this book.  If you read the ending or the Epilogue early, it will ruin (and I mean RUIN) the entire book for you.  I loved the ending, but I loved the Epilogue even more.  If you want to be taken on a true literary journey, take it slowly, savor it, and enjoy the ending and the way your mind will work when it's done.  Of course, you won't really go too slowly because the writing is so good that you can't put it down.  You'll devour every page until you're done!

Rating: 98 

Bottom Line:  A great work of fiction, one you'll be talking about for years to come.

  

Carolina Reckoning, by Lisa Carter

     Carolina Reckoning is a "Christian Mystery", set in present-day North Carolina.  The story opens with Alison, the protagonist, finding a picture of her husband, Frank,  and another woman taken during one of his trips out of town; he is a pilot who travels extensively and is commonly regarded as an adulterer, but she had never had the actual proof of his liaisons.  While she waits on the couch so she can confront him immediately upon his return, she falls asleep only to be awakened by local police informing her that Frank has been murdered.  The plot takes Alison on a journey to seek the truth about her husband and his murder, which becomes a journey into her own self and what she wants for her family.

    I received a free copy of this book through Goodreads First Reads, in exchange for an honest review.   After reading the first 100 pages or so, I have to admit that I was a little afraid of what this review would look like.  The novel started out with a "bang" (literally), but immediately began throwing in character transformations, even before we got to know the characters.  I found the beginning a little "disjointed" and unbelievable; I'll spare details to prevent spoilers.  I am so glad I kept reading, however, because the pace of the book suddenly picked up, and quickly became a "page turner".  I started getting invested in the characters, the intriguing mystery, and where this story may be leading.  In the end, I was quite satisfied.  Not only did I get a great mystery, but a great story about the journey into oneself and what it takes to find your own strength, independent of others.  I look forward to reading Lisa Carter's next book, Beneath a Navajo Moon.

Rating:  80

Bottom Line:  Not a literary masterpiece, but a good, clean mystery with a great story!  A great summer read!

The Myth of America's Decline: Politics, Economics, and a Half Century of False Prophecies by Josef Joffe

This was a very good book on economic policy of the United States, and world politics in general. Joffe is clearly a genius of both economics and politics. I received a free copy of this book as a "first read" from Goodreads, and was not disappointed. I expected it to be a bunch of biased babbling about the current state of the economy. What I found was a history of economic policy in the U.S. and throughout the world, and how each "tide" of the economy guided politics and then led to chances in the economic future. I love the way the author traced the "gloom and doom" mentality all the way to Daniel in the Bible, and showed not only the way politicians have used this philosophy since that time, but the flaw in the perspective that the economy is headed for a big crash. Joffe illustrates how economic decline is part of a cycle, and how strong countries such as the U.S. will always have a means to change the cycle. 

The Bottom Line:  Every registered voter should read this book.

Rating:  90

Touch and Go, by Lisa Gardner

      About two years ago, I read my first novel by Lisa Gardner.  It was a Nook "Free Fridays" selection.  I was not familiar with her work, but it looked interesting enough to me.  To be quite honest, I can't even remember which book it was.  As soon as I completed that book, I decided I had to read everything I could by this author.  My favorite genre is mystery/suspense, and I got so carried away by her writing that I knew I would like more of her books.  So I continued to read them and have felt the same about each one so I can't even remember which one it was I liked so much that I fell for this author.  But whichever one it was, I'm glad it was free, or I would have missed out on a great writer.  It really is true....the best things is life (sometimes) are free!

     Touch and Go was not a disappointment.  Once again, I was caught up in a mystery that kept my captivated for days until I finally completed the novel.  This story begins with a married couple walking into their home after a "date night" to be attacked and abducted, along with their 15-year-old daughter.  Tessa Leoni, private investigator, is hired by the husband/father's company to find the family.  Gardner gives us a look into the intimate lives of an affluent family, and shows how some secrets can damage everything in a moment's notice.  And just when you think you understand everything and know what happened, hold old, because another twist is coming!

The Bottom Line:  Suspenseful, insightful, and just a good solid mystery.

Rating: 88

Orphan Train

     I just finished Orphan Train, by Christina Baker Kline.  I have to start by saying this book was good.  Really good.  But it wasn't as good as I expected it to be.  I had read numerous reviews and accolades about how it was one of the best books of 2013, so I couldn't wait to read it.  I'm not sure that it lived up to all of the hype, but it was a really good read, and a "feel good" story.



     Orphan Train  is a story told from two perspectives, 80 years apart.  Niamh is an Irish-American orphan who goes west on an Orphan Train in 1929, hoping for a family to take her in as a daughter or as a household helper. Molly is a foster child living in Maine, who has seen her share of troubles. Due to a brush with the criminal system, she is required to do 50 hours of community service.  She lands a job helping Vivian Daly, a 90 year old woman who has a story of her own.

The way the two narrators connect is beautiful.  The way Vivian and Molly relate is very unlikely, yet truly believable.  The story (or stories) in this book illustrate the real-world dilemmas that confront children in our foster care system, and the fact that these struggles have not changed much over time, despite changes to the way these cases are managed.  The author gives us deeply intimate insight into the lives of those who much of the world see as "unwanted" children.  We see how these children are much like us, but how their circumstances have shaped their attitudes and behavior.


      The only problem I have with this book is that I wish some parts were developed a little better. Often, significant events just happen, and there is not a lot of substance surrounding those events.  I would have been fine with 350 pages instead of 278, if the author had developed some of the situations more.  I don't want to give specific examples in this review, because it would include spoilers, but there were several times I became excited about a particular story development, and then it just moved on.  Also, Kline did a fantastic job of weaving Niamh's heritage in the storyline and its effect on her relationship with others.  Molly's Native American heritage was mentioned, but it was not explored in depth and didn't lend much to her identity.


    


Rating: 85/100
Bottom line: Overall, this was a great book with a great story.  If you like historical fiction and comforting stories, this is a book you shouldn't miss.