The Confession Club

The Confession Club (Book #3 in the Mason Series) by Elizabeth Berg   304 pages

One thing I don’t like about reading a series is that I forget a lot of what happened in the previous titles.  This series started “The Story of Arthur Truluv,” and continued with “Night of Miracles.” I enjoyed both book a lot, especially since I read them back-to-back.

In this third outing, reader will encounter characters who featured prominently. First is the small town of Mason, Missouri, outside Columbia. While there isn’t a lot of details about this quaint community, I get the feeling it that picturesque American town that is often seen in Hallmark movies. Baker Iris Winters and Maddy Harris, the girl who rescued Arthur Truluv, along with Maddy’s daughter, Nola, are the featured characters.

Maddy (and Nola) have come home from New York. Maddy’s marriage is on the rocks; she needs time to think and gain some perspective. 

A group of the town’s women decide to start a weekly supper club. Comradery and food are the appeal of the group. However, the supper club turns into a confession club, where each week, one of the women confesses something from her past. It felt like an AA meeting to me. But the odd part was that the group discusses and dissects the event. What was the point?  I guess it was a way for the women to get it off their chests, but why discuss it?  The past is past.

I usually devour Elizabeth Berg’s novels, but this one felt a little flat. There were scenes that were sheer pages turners and others that I had to push my way through.  Therefore, “The Confession Club” receives 3 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

The Friendship List

 The Friendship List by Susan Mallery  384 pages

Ellen Fox and Unity Leandre have been best friends “practically since birth,” but lately they have been in a rut.

Ellen hasn’t had the easiest of lives. Pregnant at seventeen, she has given up love and sex in order to raise her soon, Cooper, who is now seventeen. They do okay. All she wants out of the rest of her life is for Coop to go to college and not have a great life—for him to fly as she was never able. But one afternoon, she overhears Coop talking with a friend that he may not get to the university of his choice because his mother needs him too much.

But Coop is wrong, Besides Unity, Ellen has Keith Kinne, a coach at the same school where she teaches, and, not ideally, Coop’s coach.  I can’t say I know what sport Coop played, but I’m sure it was mentioned somewhere.  Not only are Ellen and Keith co-workers, Keith also has a seventeen year old, a daughter he is raising on his own after her mother abandons them.

Unity is Ellen’s opposite in almost everything but the rut. She lives in her late husband’s mother’s house, still filled with all his things. She even sleeps in his childhood room, unwilling and unable to let go of her grief. Emotionally she hasn’t progressed much in the three years Stuart was killed in action in Afghanistan.

One afternoon, after a fight, Unity creates “The Friendship List,”  a bucket-like list that will prove to Cooper that she can get along without him just fine. The women “make a pact to challenge each other to use the summer to make some changes.” For Ellen, it all begins with a bus trip to visit colleges with  Keith, Cooper and the rest of the senior athletes.  For Unity, it begins with meeting the great-nephew of one of ther clients and to think about boxing up Stuart’s things.

“The Friendship List” is a fun, breezy read, with a few moments of drama thrown in to make it a complete story.  For me, there were way too many sex scenes, and it seemed that sex domainted the second half of the novel.  Therefore, “The Friendship List”  receives 3 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

The Perils of Pauline

The Perils of Pauline by Collette Yvonne   298 pages

It may be colder than a well-digger’s can outside, but inside, I’ve come across the first must-read novel that will make perfect beach (or couch cozy if the thermometer continues to fall) read.

Pauline’s perils begin while she is at work. Although she is a highly regarded employee, downsizing can affect even the most promising career track. A termination letter throws her into a tailspin.

Now the military veteran doesn’t know what to do with herself. She thought she had a solid marriage, but it seems like her husband is growing distant and spending more and more time with one of his co-workers, Lindsay.

Pauline decided to take advantage of the G. I. Bill and goes back to school.  She wants to start a business, but has no idea what kind. She takes business classes and one poetry class. Her professor is a heart throb. Pauline’s life spirals further out of control.

What ensures is both heartbreaking and hysterical, but leaning more toward the hysterical. I laughed so hard at times that I almost wet myself. I think the funniest scene, and there are so many, was when Pauline left the dog, George Bush, tied to the garage door, forgot about him, then hit the button to raise the door. The second funniest scene is when both Pauline and her 16-year-old daughter are in the doctor’s office.  No more tips…you have to read this! It’s the funniest book I’ve read since Jackie Lee Miles released Divorcing Dwayne in 2008.

I give The Perils of Pauline 6 out of 5 stars

Saving Grace

Saving Grace by Jane Green
346 Pages

"Grace and Ted Chapman are widely regarded as the perfect literary power couple. Ted is a successful novelist and Grace, his wife of twenty years, is beautiful, stylish, carefree, and a wonderful homemaker. But what no one sees, what is churning under the surface, is Ted's rages. His mood swings. And the precarious house of cards that their lifestyle is built upon. When Ted's longtime assistant and mainstay leaves, the house of cards begins to crumble and Grace, with dark secrets in her past, is most vulnerable. She finds herself in need of help but with no one to turn to...until the perfect new assistant shows up out of the blue. To the rescue comes Beth, a competent young woman who can handle Ted and has the calm efficiency to weather the storms that threaten to engulf the Chapman household. Soon, though, it's clear to Grace that Beth might be too good to be true. This new interloper might be the biggest threat of all, one that could cost Grace her marriage, her reputation, and even her sanity. With everything at stake and no one to confide in, Grace must find a way to save herself before it is too late."

Jane Green is a good writer and this book had gotten good reviews so I was willing to try it even though it technically falls into "Chick Lit".   However I was disappointed with the main character Grace.  Green couldn't decide whether to make Grace a strong woman character or a weak willed one and this indecision was a major flow in the book. 

The Hazards of Hunting While Heartbroken

The Hazards of Hunting While Heartbroken by Mari Passananti   267 pages

             Brendan and Zoe were college sweethearts and have been together for 10 years. Yet a month before their big wedding, Brendan decides to come clean with Zoe; he’s gay. Not only is he gay, but he’s found someone else.

            Zoe is heartbroken. How could she not see the signs? How could she not know? She and Brendan were perfect for each other, or so she thought. She dreads the New York City dating scene. Especially after all these years. To top it off, she’s not sure she’s still in love with her job as a headhunter. Her boss, Carol, is psychotic. Zoe and her colleagues have learned to gauge their boss’s moods by her makeup.  The wilder and uneven the makeup, the more out-of-control Carol is.

            With her desk practically in the office’s front window, Zoe tries to function on everyday tasks.  One day, a bouquet of roses arrives with a note: “You’ve been looking sad lately. Drink? P.S. I’m across the street, one floor up from you.”

            Enter Oscar Thornton. He could easily be the guy to pick up the pieces, but Zoe isn’t sure. He sure seems to be the man that all women want: romantic, sensitive, smokin’ hot, drop-dead gorgeous, and rich. But Zoe isn’t sure he really is all those things. There’s no way he could make the money he’s spending working in marketing, even it is in Manhattan. Zoe decides she MUST find out before she gives him her heart. How far will she go to prove to herself that Oscar isn’t what he seems?

            Hazards is a quick read. I think it fits comfortably into the chick lit/romance genres with a toes in women’s lit and contemporary fiction genre. It’s a different take on the boy meets girl plot structure. A great beach read; or stuck in the airport read.

Alice in Zombieland

Alice in Zombieland by Gena Showalter, 404 pages

This book came forcefully recommended by a coworker and potential blogger. I was intrigued by the title and was thinking it was a rewrite of Alice in Wonderland but with zombies. What I got was an entirely different zombie adventure.

Showalter also takes a unique approach in her zombies. These are zombies that can only be seen by select people. The zombies also are only inclined to chase people that can see them. This leads to a sort of war in which the highschool aged zombie hunters are forced to do battle with the zombies or get turned into zombies themselves.

The book was slightly more chic lit like than stuff I normally read but the fact that there were zombies helped. I am very interested to see where Showalter is going to take this zombie adventure series.

A Groovy Kind of Love

A Groovy Kind of Love by Karen Wojcik Berner  316 pages

I was a little nervous about reading A Groovy Kind of Love. It’s the third and final book in “The Bibliophiles” series.  I have the other two, only they haven’t gotten to the top of my pile. Then I read, somewhere that they are stand-alone novels with a common theme: the protagonists belong to a book club. And as best I can tell, it isn’t even the same book club. An interesting concept.

A Groovy Kind of Love is a character-driven novel. The first part of the novel give background info on the protagonists. Thaddeus Mumblegarden IV is a timid and meek child. He’d rather read than breathe. However, his father is a stereotypical dad, forcing the young man into baseball. Thaddeus is good at it, he becomes the team’s star pitcher. Dad has such an influence on the child’s life that Thaddeus studies computer programming rather than English Literature when it comes time to go to college.

On the other hand, Spring Pearson is the daughter of free-spirited hippie parents who run Ambrosia, a smoothie establishment. Spring also loves to read. The book jacket talks of Spring having an older sister, but if she was mentioned, it wasn’t memorable. Spring loves to read too, but the fun in her part of the background info is watching her become more confident in her business abilities, and moving more and more to running the store on her own.

In the novel’s Part Two, Thaddeus and Spring meet in a book club, fall in love, and get married. I can’t talk any more about this section because it would spoil the story.

A Groovy Kind of Love is a fast, quick read with short chapters, and I couldn’t stop reading. I’m giving this novel 4 out of 5 stars for two reasons: First, there could have been less Part One and more Part Two. That’s where the real plot and drama are.  If I read Part One quickly, then I devoured Part Two. Second, the title of the book is a song title. I get the title after reading the book, but it seems like a long shot to me.

 

 

 

 

The Husband's Secret

The Husband's Secret by Liane Moriarty, 396 pages

The Husband's Secret was a thrilling page-turner that constantly had me questioning myself about what I would do if I were in each character's unique situations. The story takes place in Australia and is centered around three women - Cecilia Fitzpatrick, Tess Curtis, and Rachel Crowley.

Cecilia Fitzpatrick is a super-housewife, a very organized woman who runs a very successful Tupperware business. She has three daughters, a loving husband, and seems to have a perfect life. That is, until she stumbles upon a letter addressed to her in the attic that will turn her perfect world upside down. It is from her husband, and the note on the outside of the envelope states that she is only to open it upon his death. She is obviously intrigued and quite curious about the content of the letter, but first calls her husband (who is away on a business trip) to see what it is all about. He sounds a little frazzled on the phone when questioned about it, but explains that it was just a love letter he wrote to her upon the birth of their first child, and he was so overwhelmed with all the emotions he felt at that time that he wrote that letter. He told her it was no big deal, and while Cecilia seems to buy his story, she also doesn't seem completely convinced. But she lets it go, and does not open the letter.  That is until she is compelled to open it later because of some of his actions, and then finds out it is not a love letter of any kind- but instead it reveals her husband's devastating secret.

Tess Curtis is also a mother and wife to her husband Will and they live together with her cousin and best friend Felicity.  They not only all live together, (along with Tess and Will's young son, Liam) but they also run a small marketing/advertising business. While this seems to be an ideal life for Tess, she is quickly thrown for a loop as her husband and Felicity confess to Tess that they have fallen in love. Tess is obviously devastated, and takes her son Liam to live with her mom for awhile while she figures out the next step in her life.
 

Rachel Crowley is a widow, and her son Rob is the center of her world ever since her husband recently passed, and her daughter, Janie, was murdered as a teenager. She is constantly haunted by Janie's murder, and it is even harder to deal with for her because the murder was never solved. Rob and his wife, Lauren, have a son Jacob and he means everything to Rachel. Unfortunately, Rob and his wife are relocating from Australia to New York for 2 years for a new job, and Rachel is left feeling upset and alone.
 

All three women know of each other, but are not really close in any way. But this changes throughout the course of the book and their lives become intertwined. The end of the book was especially riveting as there are numerous twists and turns, and I stayed up pretty late just because I had to finish it! I thoroughly enjoyed this gripping novel, and am looking forward to reading other works by Liane Moriarty.

Takedown Twenty

Takedown Twenty by Janet Evanovich, 307 pages

Classic Stephanie Plum, this time she is almost ready to give up the bounty hunter business. Business is slow, and the only two major ticket people are Ants Brown, a scary young gang member wanted for murder, and Uncle Sunny, related to half of the Berg. He may not kill Stephanie, but he has people on his payroll who might, and since everyone in the Berg loves Uncle Sunny, no one will help her. In fact, most people are trying to hinder her. Meanwhile, Ranger has asked for her help investigating the murder of some elderly women and Lula is asking her to help track down a giraffe Lula has named Kevin.

The Moon and More

The Moon and More by Sarah Dessen, 435 pages

Emaline is getting ready to leave for college and expects that her last summer at home will be pretty much like all of her other summers; spending time with her boyfriend, Luke, hanging out with her friends, and working at the family business, Colby Realty. Her family handles the renting of several vacation beach properties throughout the summer and one of Emaline’s sisters has started running the main office. She and Emaline are butting heads over a lot of her decisions. Her relationship with Luke is starting to seem rocky about the same time a cute college boy appears at one of the vacation properties. Also, Emaline’s biological father shows back up after no contact since he promised to help with college funding and then changed his mind. Emaline’s summer is changing into something new all of the time.

Attachments, Rainbow Rowell

Attachments by Rainbow Rowell, 323 pages

After reading Rowell’s popular Young Adult stories Eleanor & Park and Fangirl, I was eager to read more from her so I checked out her first novel – Attachments. Attachments is an adult fiction novel revolving around a computer security technician, Lincoln, and two newspaper employees, Jennifer and Beth. 

Basically, Lincoln’s job is to monitor the emails of the Courier Newspaper staff, which involves him reading any email messages that are flagged as suspicious in content. Jennifer and Beth are best friends and are constantly communicating with one another through their work email. They discuss their relationship issues, family problems, and basically everything unrelated to work. Thus, their emails are constantly flagged for Lincoln to review.  After reading their emails practically every day, he ends up truly caring for both women and falling in love with Beth, even though he has never met either Jennifer or Beth in real life. He doesn’t report their emails to his manager because of his feelings for the women, and because he enjoys reading about their lives and wants to know more.

Throughout the story, Lincoln struggles with the nature of his job and becomes increasingly uncomfortable essentially spying on the employees. He is in his late twenties, still living at home with his mother (who treats him like a child) and is really unsure of who he is and where he should be at in this point of his life. The emails between Jennifer and Beth show a similar uncertainty with the path their own lives are taking as Jennifer is not eager to start a family, despite her husband who desperately wants a child. Beth is stuck in a relationship with a man who seems to care deeply for her, but she is confused whether or not he is actually the one she is meant to be with.

For me, Attachments was not as much as a page turner as the other two Rowell novels that I absolutely loved, but it was still a touching and relatable story nonetheless.