Review: A Whisper to a Scream by Karen Wojcik Berner

Published: June 2011 by CreateSpace
Format: E-book
Source: Amazon

Ovulation detectors.  Hormone surges.  Anxiety-ridden dreams.  This is the world in which Annie Jacobs is thrust when she and her husband John receive a diagnosis of unexplained infertility.  A 37-year old PR executive, Annie has wanted to be a mother since she first cuddled her Baby Tenderlove at age five.  She is dreading another Christmas of relatives asking when they will be hearing the pitter patter of little feet, and Uncle Joe slapping John on the back, telling him to relax and take a cruise.  Lots of people get pregnant on vacation, you know.  

Across town, stay-at-home mom of two, Sarah Anderson, attempts grocery shopping with a toddler intent on hurling items from the cart at passersby.  She notices a box of rice heading straight for a gray-haired head.  Leaping across the aisle, Sarah grabs it, saving the woman from certain doom, or at least a minor head injury.  Little Alex screams at being thwarted.  The unknowing octogenarian shakes her head and admonishes Sarah for not knowing how to keep her child quiet in public.  

"A Whisper to a Scream" is the story of two women on opposite ends of the child-bearing spectrum who come to realize the grass is not necessarily greener on the other side of the fence.  A vivid portrayal of contemporary marriage and its problems, the novel speaks to a longing in all of us, a yearning that might start as a vague notion, but eventually grows into an unbearable, vociferous cry.

First Sentences

"At 35 years old, Sarah Anderson discovered something quite shocking.  She had Attention Deficit Disorder - she didn't get any."

My Thoughts

Sarah and Annie are experiencing exactly the opposite when it comes to babies.  Annie has been focused on her career and is just now getting around to starting a family, while Sarah has two small boys and doesn't have a career going for her.  While Annie and Sarah might be at opposite ends of the child bearing spectrum, you can see that the way it affects the family, marriage, etc is very similar.  Annie and John found out they have unexplained infertility and are undergoing treatment to up their chances of having a child.  The stress that is placed on them as a couple as well as the family is not something I really ever thought about.  Not to say that I thought hormone treatments, IVF, blood test after blood test and millions of doctors appointments were easy...but Berner does a great job playing the scenario out so I could get a grasp on the struggles/pains that Annie and John went through.  While reading, each time the phone would ring at Annie and John's I would almost hold my breath waiting to see what the results were.  Unfortunately Annie became obsessed with wanting a child and it severely impacted her performance at work and her relationship with John.  It is so important that couples have open lines of communication and I almost feel as though if John and Annie would just talk more they would have been able to make it through.  

Sarah and Tom's relationship is on the fritz because Tom is never home.  Sarah is left to do everything at home and is overwhelmed when Tom is never around.  Again, I think this goes to show how important communication is -- there wasn't a lot of that in either one of these relationships.  

I don't want to spoil anything, so the last thing I will say is -- what happens to Annie????  I can't stand when I'm left to my own devices when it comes to the ending of a book!  My mind is spinning and I've come up with several different scenarios, but dang...

My Ratings

Cover: 5/5

Characters: 5/5

Writing Style: 5/5

Plot: 5/5

Ending: 5/5

Overall: 5/5

Happy Reading!

Review: Party Crashers by Stephanie Bond

Published: November 6, 2011 by NeedtoRead Books
Format: E-book
Source:  Amazon

Jolie Goodman is a perennial good girl - which is how she wound up selling shoes at Neiman Marcus during the holiday season: She walked out on her brokerage job because her boss asked her to do something unethical.  Now she's trying to start her own brokerage firm in Atlanta at the worst possible time.  Also pressing on her mind is the fact that her boyfriend of the last few months is missing...along with her car.  With problems piling on, she manages to make a new friend at work, but too late she realizes her gal pal Carlotta Wren is a serial party crasher - which is fun...at first.  But no one's laughing when a body turns up at an upscale party they've crashed and they're the only people who weren't suppose to be there!  Jolie vows she'll never crash another party...if she gets out of this mess alive.

First Sentence

"It's like, I can't decide between the Kate Spade sliders and the Via Spiga T-straps, you know?"

My Thoughts

As soon as I saw this was set in Atlanta I was pumped!  A book about my hometown -- bring it! A murder mystery/romance to boot - SOLD!  

I absolutely love Jolie - she's a well rounded character that I could totally relate to.  She's just quit her job working for Realtor Barbie (HAH) as she was asked to do something that she just morally couldn't do.  While working on building up her own brokerage company she gets a job selling shoes at Neiman's.  Selling shoes has to be easier than selling houses...right??  The first sentence cracked me up -- make that, the first entire scene cracked me up.  Gosh, I'd love to know what it'd be like to just buy three pairs of thousand dollar shoes, just because.  A girl can dream!

Jolie has filed a missing persons report on her boyfriend Gary.  She hasn't seen or heard from him, but finds out that his car was found at the bottom of the 'Hooch...with a woman's body inside.  Jolie has not been dating Gary for very long, so she's not really 100% sure what is going on...but is determined to get to the bottom of it.  

At work, she meets Carlotta who invites her to an exclusive party that night.  Jolie doesn't know, but Carlotta wasn't exactly invited to this shindig...she crashes local events for fun with her friend Hannah.  Once Jolie realizes what she's doing she instantly feels bad, but is getting somewhere in her investigation and doesn't want to give up yet.

The twists and turns in this book kept me hooked.  I couldn't put the book down because I just had to know what was going to happen next.  Go, get it -- NOW!

Favorite Quotes

"Focusing on mundane details allowed her to get through difficult times because they were reminders that life went on."

"...the 'Buckhead Bubble' - a magic bubble, he said, that surrounded he country-club set that lived in he ritziest part of Atlanta." 

"It's the South and most people don't really care who they are as long as they wipe their feet."

"Loneliness had a comfortable, insular quality that could lull a person into feeling secure in a distorted kind of way...secure in the knowledge that she'd never have to expose herself to another person's feelings.  If she didn't trust, she'd never be betrayed, and if she didn't love, she'd never be rejected."

"...being rich was as much a state of mind as it was a state of bank account."

"Jolie suspected the animal rights activists subscribed to the belief that everyone south of the Mason-Dixon Line was armed and anyone who flung red paint on a Southern woman's coat might get themselves shot."

"To recognize someone, you had to first know them."

"...white was a prestigious color with the implication that one had to have money to maintain anything white."

"There are times in every person's life when they find out what they're made of."

"...the only thing that went away faster if a person ignored it was time."

My Ratings

Cover: 5/5

Characters: 5/5

Writing Style: 5/5

Plot: 5/5

Ending: 5/5

Overall: 5/5

Happy Reading!

Teaser Tuesday (21)

Teaser Tuesday is a weekly event held by MizB at Should Be Reading.  I love this event and love giving you a little teaser into what I'm reading!  This can either suck you in, and you will enjoy reading the book, or it can make you realize that this just isn't the book for you!

The rules are simple:

- Grab your current read

- Open to a random page

- Share two "teaser" sentences from somewhere on the page

- Please do not include spoilers!!!!! (Please be sure that what you post doesn't give too much away -- we want this to be fun for those who haven't read the book as well!)

- Make sure you share TITLE and AUTHOR so that other TT followers can add the book to their TBR pile.

- Always be sure to check out the host's blog and leave your Teaser Tuesday link!

My Teaser

"According to the postcard, the attire was sleepwear, the guest list was exclusive, and invitations had to be presented at the door.  Apparently Sammy had moved through the crowd tonight, picking and choosing her guests."

Review: Orphan Flu by A. D. Bolivar

Published: October 11, 2012 by A. D. Bolivar Books
Format: E-Book
Source: Received a complimentary copy of this book from Bookrooster in exchange for my review.

When all of the adults start dying around the world from a unique strain of influenza, Sara's family is prepared.  Her Dad is a survivalist computer geek who built a bunker of a house in the Philadelphia suburbs completely off grid.  He taught his kids to hunt and gave them lessons on how to survive in the wilderness.  With society collapsing under the strain of so much death, violence starts erupting around the country.  All of their training isn't enough to keep them safe as strangers swarm the property and they find themselves under attack.  

 Dad's instructions swirl in Sara's head as she leaves her family home with her younger sister Eve.  They always promised him they would go right to his friend Mr. John's house in Denver if they ever had to evacuate.  Sara just wants to make one small stop in Washington, DC to see if it's true that the government and all the authority that goes along with it is dead too.  When she arrives she finds herself in the middle of a battle she doesn't want to fight, kidnapped by soldiers and living in the White House.  

 Forced to work in the new army, Sara ends up making friends and right when she thinks she may have found a home, they give her a mission she's not sure she can complete.  At this point, Sara isn't worried about getting lost.  She's just wondering if she's going to survive.  

First Sentence

"Two roads diverged in a mall and her Dad took the one only traveled by geeky older men."

My Thoughts

The first sentence had me...hook, line and sinker.  I love the Robert Frost poem this is a play on and I thought it was super cute!  I could feel the characters embarrassment and couldn't help but laugh out loud at the reference.  Oh to be a teenager again...

This book was extremely well written and a page turner.  I didn't want to put it down, even when I knew I had to.  This book is action packed and left me constantly wondering what was going to happen next! 

 The flu is definitely harder on the elderly, and it isn't uncommon for someone elderly to pass from the flu.  That being said, the plot is not far fetched and the more you think about it --- kinda freaky!  Can you really imagine what the world would be like if a widespread epidemic wiped out anyone over the age of 30??????  

Sara is an incredibly strong character that I fell in love with instantly.  She has a geeky dad and an older brother that is just as geeky.  While she may be slightly embarrassed of how geeky they are...it definitely pays off in the end.  Sara has been taught all of the necessary tools to be able to survive any and every possible thing.  

While Sara's family is prepared, there is no way to stop the progression and spread of the disease.  It takes both her mother and father early on and leaves her, her brother Adam and her sister Eve to fend for themselves.  With the society crumbling, looters are everywhere and will do anything to get what they need to survive.  The cabin is well equipped and looters end up ransacking and taking over the house.  

Sara knows that she has to make it to Denver to be with Mr. John, her father's best friend, and his family.  Before she heads to Denver she needs to see for herself what is going on in Washington, DC.  When she gets there, she is in for a big surprise.  Sara will do anything to protect her family...but will she make it to Denver?

I really don't want to give too much away, as the book is fantastic and I don't want to ruin it!  I highly recommend this book!  Go, read it now!

My Ratings

Cover: 5/5

Characters: 5/5

Writing Style: 5/5

Plot: 5/5

Ending: 5/5

Overall: 5/5

Happy Reading!

Review: Elephant Girl: A Human Story by Jane Devin

Published: August 11, 2011 by Createspace
Format: E-book
Source:  Purchased from Amazon, recommended by Lendle

Written in three distinct voices - child, teen and adult - Jane Devin takes readers on an intimate, imaginative and often harrowing life journey.  Born unwanted and raised without love, the child-author invents a rich inner life to see her through years of trauma.  Leaving home at 16, the teen-author struggles to find happiness and a sense of place in a world that feels confusing and unfamiliar.  Then, years after stumbling into an adulthood mired in tragedy and broken dreams, the woman-author finds herself at a crossroads.  The choice she ultimately makes is as stunning as it is brave.  Told in unflinching and often lyrical prose, Elephant Girl goes beyond a singular life story to speak of powerful, universal truths and the ability of the human spirit to redeem itself. 

First Sentence

"In Thailand, the practice of breaking an elephant's spirit is called phajaan, also known as "The Breaking Ceremony." 

My Thoughts

Wow.

I don't even know where to begin.

To be honest, when I first started the book, I wasn't 100% sure I was going to like it.  The intro seemed strange, and just didn't sound like something I would be interested in reading...

BUT I WAS SO WRONG!

This intricate tale is one that I completely felt like I was a part of.  I could see it all playing out in my head.  There were parts that made me laugh, parts that made me tear up, and parts that I just didn't know if I would be able to get through.  

Jane is an incredible woman that has been through hell and back.  I wouldn't wish half of the horrid things that happened to her on my worst enemy.  But, through all of it, she kept pushing and kept pushing.

I would highly recommend this book to EVERYONE.  If you've read She's Come Undone by Wally Lamb, and you enjoyed it- you will enjoy this. 

It is a long read, but it is WELL worth it!

KUDOS Jane Devin, KUDOS!

Favorite Quotes

A quick disclaimer:  I found myself highlighting A LOT throughout this story.  :)

"When it comes to my family, sometimes I don't know what's a lie and what's the truth, but I used to believe a whole lot of things that I don't believe anymore."

"She was the mother of three, not four, and that's just the way it's always been no matter what my birth certificate says."

"I think sometimes if a person thinks about too many sad things at once it's like getting buried alive.  Everything comes rushing down like a heavy pile of dirt and rocks, and it takes a long time to get unburied and feel normal again."

"Maybe this is it, though, I thought - perhaps everyone spends their lives trying on one role after another until something fits.  Maybe they never stop playing a role.  Maybe, even if they never say it out loud or otherwise show it, everyone lives in their own fantasies, where they see themselves as wise, brave, good, or whatever else they need to be in order to carry on."

"You are your thoughts.  You become what you think about.  Nobody can hold you back except yourself."

"When you can tell each other everything and anything, even your worst secrets and fears, and there's no judgement - when you can just be you and they can be them, and all the imperfections somehow feel perfect - that's when you know.  It's when the other person's happiness is as important to you as your own, and you'll do whatever it takes to help them make their dreams come true.  It's like that with Calvin and me, Imperfectly perfect."

"I have so many dreams and secrets that sometimes it feels like I'm a reservoir on the verge of busting open.  Like I could fill a thousand spiral notebooks and it still wouldn't be enough to drain the words, thoughts, and feelings inside of me."

"Everything seems so precarious and based on chance, and a whole life can change with one wrong or right turn, even if a person doesn't know what's wrong or right at the time."

"How could anybody know what their life would be if only they'd made a different decision?"

"How does anybody really know anything about another person when all we have are words and actions, either of which can be misunderstood?"

"People shouldn't have children they don't want or can't love.  It just makes life harder for everyone..."

"There are a thousand forks in the rod and every one of them is capable of changing something for the worse or the better."

"Sometimes I think if there is a God, it's not a he or a she, but something just like this - a breathing gift that comes to provide what's needed at the time, even if you didn't know you needed it."

"Maybe the truest danger doesn't come from human nature at all, but from all the bricks and rules we pile on top of it in order to feel like we're making advances."

"...and I often wondered if this was it - if there was really little else to life than the cycle of going to work, paying bills, doing chores and an occasional outing on the weekends."

"Experiences leave their marks, and sometimes all the wishes in the world cannot undo what has been done."

"Love means you never give up, no matter how hard or impossible things seem to be."

"Poverty isn't just a state of being poor, or going without - it's an imminent threat that requires constant vigilance."

"Love brings up everything unlike itself."

"Jacques Costeau said 'From birth, man carries the weight of gravity on his shoulders.  He is bolted to earth. But man has only to sink beneath the surface and he is free.'"

My Ratings

Cover: 5/5

Characters: 5/5

Writing Style: 5/5

Plot: 5/5

Ending: 5/5

Overall: 5/5

Happy Reading!

Review: Maternal Harbor by Marie F. Martin

Published: September 7, 2012
Format: E-book
Source: Purchased on Amazon

Pregnant and alone, Teagan O'Riley befriends three expectant mothers at an OBGYN clinic.  Now, two of them are dead and the third is close on Teagan's heels, intent on eliminating the last obstacle in a monstrous plot.  She cannot risk entrusting the police.  Her finger prints are all over one crime scene and her foot print smeared into blood at another.  Surely, the authorities would remove the babies from her care and place them with child protective services, making them easy targets.  Teagan flees with the babies to the only refuge she can think of - the wilderness cabin belonging to the grandmother of her lost love.  But is even this remote location safe?

First Sentences

"The dash clock bullied.  Teagan O'Riley accelerated from Fishermen's Terminal, sped through an intersection on yellow and merged onto a street which shot straight to a busy Seattle OB/GYN clinic."

My Thoughts

The story line is a great one, however I am a little disappointed in the delivery.  Nothing irks me more than grammatical errors and I noticed more than my fair share.  Typically that completely turns me away from a book, but I had to find out how it ended.

Teagan's character is somewhat bland, but you know that no matter what, she will do whatever it takes to protect her baby.  I really liked Pai - she was quite and reserved and a little off, but probably my favorite!  I didn't get a lot from Doretta, and felt like she was flat and just all around boring.  I didn't feel the passion or anything from her like I did from the other characters.  Erica is a COMPLETE whack job.

The four women meet in an OB/GYN office and find out that they are all having boys around the same time. They form a bond as they are all single mothers and promise to stay in touch and care for the babies if anything were to ever happen to them.

Pai is the first to have her baby, and the first to start getting paranoid.  She knows something isn't right, but just doesn't know what it is.  Shortly thereafter Doretta and Teagan have their baby boys.

Erica has been acting strange ... and trust me -- it gets even more strange...

I honestly felt bad for her at times.  Is that weird?  I mean she had a troubled past and I'm not saying that I condone her behavior, but as we say in the south "bless her heart".

Anyway, while I enjoyed the story line I did feel like it could have sped up some.  There were many times I just kept thinking "okay, get to the good stuff!"  But don't worry, the good stuff came.  I have to admit that the ending was a great one, and I'm glad I didn't completely give up on the book.

My Ratings

Cover: 3/5

Characters: 3/5

Writing Style: 2/5

Plot: 4/5

Ending: 4/5

Overall: 3/5

Happy Reading!

Review: Hopeless by Colleen Hoover

Published: December 19, 2012
Format: E-book
Source: Purchased on Amazon

Sometimes discovering the truth can leave you more hopeless than believing the lies... That's what seventeen-year-old Sky realizes after she meets Dean Holder.  A guy with a reputation that rivals her own and an uncanny ability to invoke feelings in her she's never had before.  He terrifies her and captivates her all in the span of just one encounter, and something about the way he makes her feel sparks buried memories from a past she wishes could stay buried. Sky struggles to keep him at a distance knowing he's trouble, but Holder insists on learning everything about her.  After finally caving to his unwavering pursuit, Sky soon finds that Holder isn't at all who he's been claiming to by.  When the secrets he's been keeping are finally revealed, every single facet of Sky's life will change forever.  

First Sentences

"I stand up and look down at the bed, holding my breath in fear of the sounds that are escalating deep within my throat.

I will not cry.

I will not cry."

My Thoughts

This book was recommended to my by my boss.  We've been discussing books recently and she'd read this one and couldn't put it down.  She warned me that it was probably for a younger age but said that it was just too good to skip.  

Each chapter is dated, sort of like a diary, which I did think was a little strange at first.  Honestly, once I got past that and got about 15% in, I was hooked.  It isn't a childish book, or even really a book for a younger audience.  The characters are teenagers, but the story line is a mature one.  One I don't really even know if a teenager could relate to.  Well, some parts, but not all.

Once I was hooked, it was all over.  I had to sit and finish the whole thing - in one sitting.  

Sky is a well-developed character that you love from the beginning, and your love just grows deeper as you read.  Her mother, Karen seems a little off and "new-age"-y, but you warm up to her.

Holder - ah, Holder.  In the beginning I was totally freaked out by him and just couldn't understand what the attraction was between him and Sky.  He's quiet, reserved, and she mentions that in the span of a day she sees quite a few different Holder's.  An angry Holder, a happy Holder, a sad Holder...He's very complex.

Without giving too much away, their connection is deep rooted, and Holder is definitely a character to love.  This book is full of twists that you never saw coming and were very well delivered.  The ending is shocking, amazing and full of love.  My heart breaks a little for Sky, but I've got to give credit to Colleen for leaving us with a warm feeling at the end, and no loose ends.

Favorite Quotes

"It's real, Six.  You can't get mad at a real ending.  Some of them are ugly.  It's the fake happily ever afters that should piss you off."

"Not everything is going to go my way and not everyone gets a happily ever after  Life is real and sometimes it's ugly and you just have to learn how to cope."

"Sky, I'm not kissing you tonight but believe me when I tell you, I've never wanted to kiss a girl more.  So stop thinking i'm not attracted to you because you have no idea just how much I am.  You can hold my hand, you can run your fingers through my hair, you can straddle me while I feed you spaghetti, but you are not getting kissed tonight.  And probably not tomorrow, either.  I need this.  I need to know for sure that you're feeling every single thing that I'm feeling the moment my lips touch yours.  Because I want your first kiss to be the best first kiss in the history of first kisses."

"Being adopted isn't really a stigma I've ever had to overcome.  I've never been embarrassed by it, ashamed of it, or felt the need to hid the fact."

"Like the purpose of the entire human race centers around this moment; around the two of us."

"If God's the type of guy that would damn you to Hell just for loving someone, then I wouldn't want to spend eternity with Him, anyway."

"And once again in my new world full of heartache and lies, this hopeless boy somehow finds a way to make me smile."

"The only thing that matters to me with you are the forevers."

"Whatever he goes through, I feel.  Whatever I go through, he feels.  It's what happens when two people become one: they no longer only share love.  They also share all of the pain, heartache, sorrow and grief."

"Sometimes you have to choose between a bunch of wrong choices and no right ones.  You just have to choose which wrong choice feels the least wrong."

My Ratings

Cover: 5/5

Characters: 5/5

Writing Style: 5/5

Plot: 5/5

Ending: 5/5

Overall: 5/5

Happy Reading!

*Is this thing on?*

Well, hello!

I know, I know, I mentioned last year around this time that things had calmed down and I would be back.  Obviously that was a HUGE understatement!  2012 was filled with lots of ups and downs and I had to take another break.  The house is still wonderful, and I'm enjoying DIY-ing everything!  Mom came up last week and we went honey-badger crazy!  While everything is finally falling into place, I've realized that something is still missing.  I couldn't figure out what exactly it was.  I am still doing all of the things I love: reading, painting (when I get really inspired, but I should do this much more), and being with loved ones.  The missing piece is this blog.  I finish a book and still feel wrapped up in it and I really think that reviewing the books I read on this blog helps me let go of the characters and the story.  I hold on to each character and have a sort of "book coma" and can't start reading another one until I've told someone all about it.  I miss this blog, I miss my readers, and I miss the closure.  It's a new year, and I'm going to do everything I can to make time and keep up with my blog.  If you are still out there and will continue reading, THANK YOU.  If you are new and just happened upon my blog - WELCOME!  2013 is going to be a GREAT year!!

Happy Reading!