Domestic Affairs by Eileen Goudge

Three women are portrayed in this book. Lila, who had everything and lost it all due to her husband's bad decisions and needs to start over. Abigail, who was best friends with Lila and whose mother was their house keeper till her mother made some bad decisions and they had to leave. Conception who worked in a factory and could not save her daughter from a fire that happened in the factory. She now wants revenge of the Senora who took her daughter's life. These women might just be the healing balm the other needs.

Ms. Goudge writes stories that grip your heart. Her characters have a lot of things that they need to process. The story grabs your attention from page one and doesn't let you go. The lives of all the characters involved might just change drastically if things are not taken care of. There is heart, humor, love and healing throughout the book. I was impressed with how well each delicate situation was handled and shown such tender care. Nothing was taken lightly and each action was thought out to some extent.

Lila was working on rebuilding her life. Abigail couldn't see what was missing in front of her while having her illustrious career. Conception just wanted to make sure that the Senora knew what her decisions had caused. Each woman had their motives and they just had to find their healing.

This was not an easy book to read at times but I was curious to see how it would all end. And while in my mind, it was a happy ending. I'm not sure if everyone would agree. Things were difficult and change had to happen. It would just have to be seen if the change worked well or not at all. The three women were strong of heart and had more courage than they realized. They just had to find it and embrace what was before them. Ms Goudge is an author I would definitely see what her other books are about and would pick them up in a heart beat.

Eileen Goudge/ New Author/ Relationships/ Friends and Family/ 437 pages/ 4 out of 5

This was a good book but difficult to get through at times. Off to another review book.

Really Something by Shirley Jump

Allie Dean is going back home and it is the last place she wants to go in all honesty. But scouting out a spot for the newest movie might just be the thing that will jump start her career. Though the first person she runs into when she gets into town is also the last person she wants to see. Duncan Henry broke her heart back in high school. He is not used to being stood up and has not had anyone to talk to since his best friend Allison left town. Allie is just after finding the place to shoot and Duncan wants her in his bed. Who will get what they want first?

Ms. Jump does a fantastic job at the whole coming home story line. I loved how Allie just wanted to prove herself and possibly get a little revenge. The characters were all over the board, which made this book come more alive. Even the minor characters were fantastic.

Allie had horrible memories but she knew this would be the perfect spot to film the B horror movie. It was not going to be anything flashy but Allie knew this was the stepping-stone to getting where she wanted. Duncan just wants someone to talk to but Allie seems to be a beautiful woman as well. He just keeps thinking he knows her from somewhere.

This book had me flipping pages fast. I could not get enough. The tension between Allie and Duncan was really great. There was going to be a lot to deal with if Allie would only come forth, but things might go better. She is just nervous. Duncan just enjoys someone to talk to and wishes for more. I just hoped the outcome would be one that would seem real no matter what it was.

Shirley Jump/New Author/Romance/ Family/Relationships/ 352 pages/ 5 out of 5

Off to go do some more writing!

Anatomy of a Boyfriend by Dara Snadowsky

Dominique is trying to figure out what to do with her life. She has only kissed a few boys and life is very normal. She knows she wants to be a doctor but there has got to be something more. Her best friend Amy hooks up all the time and Dom is starting to feel a little left out. Going to a track meet, she meets this sweetheart of a boy who helps her up after she falls. She wonders if she could fall in love with him. Amy helps her and before Dominique knows it, she is kissing and wanting so much more with Wesley. But she still is not sure.

Ms. Snadowsky writes a very emotional book that shows how relationships can be. At times, I was not sure I wanted Dominique to act on her feelings. But then she kept processing them and making sure that is what she wanted. This was not wilting flower by any means. The one thing that kept coming across for this author was that just keeping in mind what you want and talk things out.

Dominique being an only child had no one to share attention. That drove her nuts cause she wanted more freedom than her parents would give her most of the time. Boys were an unknown for most of her world but having found Wesley her curiosity got the better of her. Amy was so much experienced in most ways and Dominique was feeling a little left out. But she was not about to hook up with just anyone.

This book was up and down. I never really had the curiosities that Dominique had at her age. I will not say I was not boy crazy and wanted to have my first kiss. It just never happened till later. Dominique has a lot of things to deal with and I felt she handled them very well for her age. She was a senior in high school so I am not sure I would recommend this book for any one under the age of 16. But that is just me. There will be some curious teens but definitely let your parents read it first. It is not easy to discuss this kind of stuff with them but they have a lot more experience than one might think. I liked that the book was not detailed but you saw the emotions of Dominique throughout the book. Not an easy subject for a mother to read but definitely one I’ll keep in the back of my head.


Daria Snadowsky/ Young Adult Fiction/ Relationships/Growing Up/ 272 pages/ 3 out of 5

This book was well done and now I am not going to pick up another book till tomorrow.

The Worst Thing I've Done by Ursula Hegi

Annie loved her friends Jake and Mason. Though she chose Mason to spend her life with, Jake was always there. When Annie loses her parents in a car accident, she must now take care of her sister Opal being a newborn. As Annie struggles to be both a mother and a sister, she just cannot seem to find a balance. Mason always seems to know what to do with Opal. Yet things seem to go from bad to worse, which only tears apart everyone.

Ms. Hegi is a writer that writes very emotional books. While I am normally the kind that clings to these types of books, this one just left me confused. Every character had their point of view and I Found that very helpful. Yet something was lacking and maybe it was the different viewpoints that just seemed to muddle things for me. Doubts were very prevalent in this book. Yet Ms. Hegi seemed ot put most of them into Annie.

Annie just struggled whether it came to her sister or to her art or even with her husband Mason. She never seemed to put confidence that she could do anything in herself. Even though Mason did his best, he seemed to fall short. Aunty Storm was there to help Annie when she needed it the most. Opal was a sweet girl who just was confused about life. She knew Annie was her sister and not her mother but that was what made it worse for her somehow.

The beginning of the book was a shock to me. I never saw it coming not at all! It frustrated me so much that the author never let it be known what was going on till the book started. I almost did not even want to read any more of this book. But as it went along, Ms. Hegi slowly redeemed herself in little ways. And while I did not care for this book or the author, I was able to come to grips with her style of writing.

Ursula Hegi/ New Author/ Relationships/ Adult Fiction/ 272 pages/ 3 out of 5

This is one I got from Simon and Schuster awhile ago. I am just glad to be done with it. not to mention the last book of the month since I finished it almost a half hour ago.

The Almost Moon by Alice Sebold

Clair and Helen Knightly have a complex mother/daughter relationship. Frustrated with looking after her mother, she ends up crossing a line she never thought possible. She kills her mother. She didn’t plan it but it takes care of an unconscious desire to be free of her. Over the next twenty-four hours, she must confront the freedom she never thought possible.

Ms. Sebold can write such haunting fiction. Her characters want freedom and do whatever it takes to obtain it. There is such power and emotion in each character. Ms. Sebold brings it out in a way that compels you to read on.

Helen had a rough life. She was doing her best to stay afloat. Reaching her limit, she didn’t know what to expect but she wanted change. Clair Knightly hated going outside. Worst of all was losing her husband. She did things to comfort herself while slowly losing her mind.

This book while well written had me questioning the character’s motives. I didn’t agree with all that Helen did but then I’ve never been in her situation. She just stopped thinking and reacted. This book did upset me but then life is never as simple as I would like it to be. This book does make you think. I found the ending too abrupt.


Alice Sebold/Adult Fiction/ Relationships/ 291 pages/ 3 out of 5

Back to a couple of review books and then hopefully get a few of my own. :)

Points: Women Have Them, Men Need them

I normally like non-fiction books but this one was just odd. Men often do stupid things intentionally or not. Women do stupid things too. But coming up with a points system just rubs me the wrong way.

It also was not horribly written but I think this author went too far in bashing men honestly. I was impressed that it never gave a timeline to see an improvement.

I was looking forward to reading this book and just could not get into it. This was an author that just sounded funny. While some of it was funny, some of it seemed idiotic. I had hoped to like it a lot better and am surprised that this person wrote this stuff. I know he is not a professional but still I expected a lot more from it than what I got.

I. Glebe/ Non-fiction/ Relationships/ 3 out of 5/ 190 pages

I finished this a couple of days ago just never got around to posting it. Right now I am almost done with another non fiction. :)

Natural Born Charmer by Susan Elizabeth Phillips

Dean Robilliard’s world gets hit when he sees a woman in a beaver costume. He helps her and then finds her in his house in the country. Finding out who his housekeeper is another surprise he has to deal with. Yet Dean soon finds his heart stolen by Blue Bailey. But she is used to traveling the world and never looking back. She loves to paint but was stifled by her teachers in college. Now she is unsure of her talents and Dean wants to help her out in any way that he can. Blue doubts that he could even love her. Will these two ever realize what they mean to each other?

Ms. Phillips does a great job with this book. There is so much that both characters have to come to grips with. She really shows how family dynamics can or cannot work and how that can affect relationships. She knows how to present real people in her stories. Yes, she created them but I always able to really feel a part of the story.

Dean is a real sweetie if he would just get over the fact that he can be happy with anyone he wants. He kept driving me nuts about that kind of thing. Blue was a sweetie but didn’t want to give her heart away too easily so that she could walk away when she needed to. Both had commitment issues but then looking at both sets of parents, I could completely understand. They seemed to need each other more because of the hurt that they shared. I found myself laughing at the silly things that they would do in order to get what they wanted. I also really liked the character Riley. She was only 11 years old but wise beyond her years. She could be a little stinker but when shown the right way to fuel her energies she was a great girl! She just needed a little encouragement from her dad.

This book held my attention though I should not have waited so long to write this review. A lot of my enthusiasm for the book is gone but I do recommend it highly. Some of the characters from Match Me if You Can are in this book so I recommend reading that one first even though this is not a series. I give this book a 4/5 and look forward to reading more from this author.

Now off to read one more review book and then Terrorist by Caronline Cooney. :)