YA Review: PREP SCHOOL CONFIDENTIAL by Kara Taylor

July 30, 2013June 29, 2019 / drbethnolan / 1 Comment

I grabbed this book on a whim off Net Galley. If you read me you know I love YA and I have a special spot in my reader’s heart for stories that take place in boarding schools. I’m rather critical of these story lines since I’ve worked in independent schools since the 80’s, and quite honestly, if the administrators were as clueless/useless/evil/unavailable as they usually are portrayed, well, they’d all have gone out of business long ago! I was prepared to not really like this book – to be honest the title put me off – so I was surprised by how much I really enjoyed reading it!

PREP SCHOOL CONFIDENTIAL, which is the first in a series, starts with protagonist Anne Dowling getting expelled from her toney Manhattan private school for (accidentally) setting a fire. She is shipped off to a New England boarding school in the Boston suburbs where her first order of business is to rearrange the pecking order and get herself to the top of the social hierarchy. Anne’s a tough nut to crack – she’s feisty, tough, and fearless. At the same time, though, she’s sincere and has integrity (which is more that can be said about some other characters). She quickly forms her friends and enemies. Then her roommate goes missing and is found murdered. Anne seems to care more than the administration does about finding Isabella’s killer, so she starts her own “investigation” to figure out how and why Isabella was killed.

I’m a tad embarrassed to admit it, but I couldn’t put this book down. I thought the mystery was cleverly plotted and I liked the character of Anne. I often laughed out loud at her sarcasm and humor. I would have absolutely loved this book when I was in high school. I think Ms. Taylor did well with her independent school portrayal, and I wonder if she maybe attended a school very like Wheatley in real life!

I’m looking forward to the next book in this series which will be out in 2014.

Thanks, Net Galley and St. Martin’s Press for my copy.

Saturday Snapshot: Mother and Baby Deer

July 27, 2013July 24, 2013 / drbethnolan / 11 Comments

Look at what we found at our swingset!! (sorry – not the best resolution with my phone!)

Saturday Snapshot is hosted by Melinda at http://www.westmetromommy.blogspot.com

You can participate by posting a pic (appropriate, please!) and linking it to Melinda’s site.

Quick Review: PARIS by Edward Rutherfurd

July 26, 2013June 29, 2019 / drbethnolan / Leave a comment

I really enjoy Rutherfurd’s books and have read most of them. I think my personal favorite is NEW YORK (see my review here: https://drbethnolan.wordpress.com/2010/07/18/review-new-york-by-edward-rutherfurd/ ). I bought PARIS for my birthday with a gift card I received. This tome weighs in at over 800 pages and it did not disappoint!

Similar to Rutherfurd’s other historical novels, PARIS follows the lineage of several families from medieval times to the 1900’s. Unlike some of his other novels, though, the timeline is not chronological, but jumps around, maintaining story lines throughout. Some readers may find this confusing, though I always find the family tree provided in the front of the book very helpful (I read a paper copy, not on my kindle).

Since Paris is one of my favorite places, it’s not surprising that I really liked reading this novel. The personal stories (fictitious) and the historical facts are interplayed so nicely, that you are learning while reading.

Review: THE LIGHT IN THE RUINS by Chris Bohjalian

July 24, 2013June 29, 2019 / drbethnolan / Leave a comment

I had been reading about Chris Bohjalian’s THE LIGHT IN THE RUINS all over the blogosphere, so I was more than thrilled to score a copy through Net Galley. This is a touching and beautifully written novel that leaves the reader thinking about the characters long after it is over.

THE LIGHT IN THE RUINS takes place in Italy and moves between 1943 and 1955. During WWII, the Rosati family live quietly in their villa. They are a remnant of Italy’s nobleman past and are faring better than the peasants in the area. Caught in the crossfires of the war, they must support and welcome Nazi soldiers into their home; at the same time they must aid and assist partisans in their area. The war is turning and the Germans are getting desperate, but that doesn’t mean that they won’t do their utmost to destroy all they can in their path. The marchese and marchesa are a middle-aged couple. One son is away at war and his wife and two young children are living in the villa with them. Their second son is working as an archeologist. Their eighteen year old daughter Christina lives at the villa, too. Soon she finds herself falling in love for the first time – with a Nazi officer. At the same time, partisans are living in the hills and using the property, including ancient Etruscan tombs, as hideouts. The events converge into a riveting and tragic ultimatum.

Meanwhile, ten years later in 1955, a murder occurs in Rome. It soon becomes apparent that someone is stalking the surviving members of the Rosati family and killing them. Of the police detectives assigned to the case, one is the tough and intrepid Serafina – the first female police officer in her department and a surviving partisan from WWII. Serafina is horribly scarred from the war, in more ways than one. Her involvement with the Rosati case opens up old wounds and memories.

The story is written as switching between 1943/44 and 1955. As it progresses, we hear the full story of WWII for the family, and its tragic events. We follow the events of the murders and try to figure out the murderer. I could not put this book down!

I just loved this book. I found it so well-written and it evoked such strong images of the Tuscan countryside, along with such emotion. The word that comes to mind is heart-breaking. I couldn’t stop thinking about the story and its characters afterwards.

I also loved the choice of title. The “light in the ruins” can be the light in the Etruscan tombs where they hid, or the light that shined through in the aftermath of the devastation of WWII. Or it can be that small light that shined within those who were most damaged by the events of the war.

Brilliant! Buy it! Borrow it! But whatever you do – read it!

Thanks to Doubleday Books and Net Galley for my copy!

Review: FOR RANSOM by Sarah McClain

July 21, 2013June 29, 2019 / drbethnolan / 1 Comment

A few weeks ago, Sarah McClain contacted me to ask if I would read and review her new novel FOR RANSOM. It was presented as a Christian suspense mystery, which sounded interesting to me, so I offered to read it.

In FOR RANSOM, eighteen-year-old Hailey Bennett is kidnapped and held for ransom. Her bodyguard and boyfriend, Eli, works to beat the clock in order to find her. Her father is a distant and preoccupied British government official who appears to know more about her abduction than he is letting on. Her mother is sincere and caring and willing to do whatever she can to get Hailey back.

This story read very quickly for me — I finished it in a few hours. The storyline centered around Hailey’s abduction and her rescue. While I liked the characters of Hailey and Eli, and found them plucky and courageous, I had some problems with the other characters. Hailey’s mother Anne was very one dimensional to me. Her father was even more one dimensional – in fact I couldn’t get into his head at all and found him almost a caricature. I would have liked to have seen more development of these two. I think it would have made them more believable to me.

I like the idea of “Christian suspense” as a genre. The main characters of Hailey and Eli had great faith and used it to get them through the hard times. The book could be considered less violent than other mysteries, though I thought it had some pretty serious physical stuff in it. Poor Hailey gotten beaten repeatedly by her captors and I found that disturbing.

I thank Sarah for sending me a galley of her novel. Best of luck with it!

Saturday Snapshot: FRUITLANDS!

July 13, 2013July 13, 2013 / drbethnolan / 13 Comments

A couple of weeks ago my dear friend, Pat, and I went to Fruitlands, a museum in Harvard, MA (above). Fruitlands is one of the many places that the Alcotts lived (in 1842). It is so very beautiful there! We enjoyed the view, went through the Alcott farmhouse museum (red farmhouse down the hill) and the art museum, and ate lunch at their scrumptious cafe. They also have an emphasis and exhibits on Native Americans and on Shakers.

Here’s a robin, just taking off!

Here’s Pat posing by some art they had on display: metal dresses!

SATURDAY SNAPSHOT is hosted by Melinda of www.westmetromommy.blogspot.com. You can participate by taking a picture and posting it to Melanie’s site. Appropriate content please!

Review: THE ASTRONAUT WIVES CLUB: A TRUE STORY by Lily Koppel

July 12, 2013July 4, 2019 / drbethnolan / 2 Comments

Earlier in the summer, I heard Lily Koppel being interviewed on NPR about her new novel. Then it seemed that wherever I looked, her book was there. I luckily got a copy of it from Net Galley to review. I found the story of the astronaut wives in the early years of the space program downright fascinating!

I was three years old in 1969 when men first walked on the moon. I have a vague memory of that moment – watching it on television with my family. I don’t have any real memories of the space program of that time, or the race to get men on the moon. But I do remember the culture of the 70’s, and what it was like to grow up then. Reading THE ASTRONAUT WIVES CLUB I was transported back to that era. Lily Koppel does an excellent job in capturing the essence of that time. Though this book is non-fiction, it reads very conversationally and is a quick and easy read (sometimes a little too easy – I did not appreciate reading that one astronaut “bought the farm” in an accident!). I often could not put it down because I found it so interesting.

Koppel follows the astronauts who were instrumental in the US space program by highlighting their wives and families (from the Mercury 7, Gemini, and Apollo programs). The reader becomes intimate with each woman (particularly the Mercury wives) – her background, her likes and dislikes, her strengths and weaknesses. We feel their trepidation when their husbands are in space, their relief is palpable when they return, and for those times when tragedy strikes, we can only imagine their pain and grief.

One of the striking things in this book for me was reading just how completely the wives had committed themselves to their husband’s careers. At the same time, I was rather disillusioned to read of how many of the husband’s were chronically unfaithful to their wives. I’d love to see another book written from the “astrokids” point of view!

Thanks, Net Galley and Grand Central Publishing for my copy!

Review: WISHING ON WILLOWS by Katie Ganshert

July 8, 2013July 4, 2019 / drbethnolan / Leave a comment

Following up her earlier novel, WILDFLOWERS IN WINTER, Katie Ganshert continues the story of the families of Peaks, Iowa in WISHING ON WILLOWS. Robin Price has struggled to build her cafe and raise her son on her own after her husband’s sudden and unexpected death. Now all she holds most dear is threatened when a developer comes to town and hopes to buy out her cafe in order to make way for condominiums. Along with Robin’s cafe, the local ministry outreach program is threatened, so Robin and her family are determined to support her restaurant and try to save it. Meanwhile, developer Ian McKay is the one sent to win over the people of Peaks. He is charming and intelligent and kind, but has his owns shadows in his past that still haunt him. He and Robin butt heads, but also find themselves attracted to each other. Who will win? And what will winning look like in the end?

I really enjoyed Ms. Ganshert’s first novel (reviewed here: https://drbethnolan.wordpress.com/2012/07/27/review-wildflowers-in-winter-by-katie-ganshert/) and enjoyed reading this sequel. I would say that this novel has a solid plot line and good character development. Christian readers will find the message clearly in these pages, and the ending leaves one with a feeling of redemption and hope. If you enjoy reading Christian literature/romance I think you will enjoy this book – even if you haven’t read Ms. Ganshert’s other novel first!

I received my copy from Blogging for Books and Water Brook Press in exchange for this review. Thank you for my copy!

Saturday Snapshot: SAMURAI!

July 6, 2013July 13, 2013 / drbethnolan / 10 Comments

This past weekend, my husband and I went in to Boston on a little getaway and to see some exhibits. At the MFA we saw the Samurai exhibit:

It was quite impressive! I also couldn’t believe the pictures came out as I wasn’t able to use a flash and the lighting was actually low.

Then we also went to the MOS to see the Dead Sea Scrolls — really fascinating! I wasn’t allowed to take any pictures at all there though.

In keeping with my “odd things in hotel rooms” theme, here’s a picture of the mirror in our bathroom – complete with TV! We got Wimbledon coverage while we brushed our teeth. 🙂

While we were only gone 24 hours, it was nice to get away and also nice to get back.

Saturday Snapshot is now hosted by Melinda at westmetromommy.blogspot.com

To participate, post a picture you or a friend took and then link to Melinda’s site. Appropriate content, please!

Review: THE LONGINGS OF WAYWARD GIRLS by Karen Brown

July 5, 2013July 4, 2019 / drbethnolan / Leave a comment

Just published this past week, I received THE LONGINGS OF WAYWARD GIRLS as an ARC through Net Galley last month. I really enjoyed this book, in part for the nostalgia I felt for the lazy summer childhood days of the 70’s that are so aptly depicted in this intriguing and sometimes disturbing story within a story.

As the novel starts, Sadie is an adult and trying to regroup after the losing her baby. She lives in the town where she grew up and where, twenty years earlier, two girls disappeared. One girl had been in Sadie’s class, and she was never found again. The other girl was a sometimes friend of Sadie, and she still harbors guilt for her disappearance. Through flashback, we learn of Sadies’ childhood in her dysfunctional family, with an alcoholic actress mother and often absent father. Sadie is somewhat of a ringleader amongst her friends, and they spend their days in complex imaginary dramas, dressing up in the basement or creating forts in the woods surrounding the Connecticut neighborhood (I loved this depiction of childhood before everyone became “plugged in”!). The lost girl, assumed abducted, hangs as a specter over them all. Then Sadie and her friend play a trick on another (unpopular) girl, and she goes missing, too.

Back in the present day, Sadie is just trying to get by when a man who was a childhood friend returns to the neighborhood, setting into motion a chain of events that bring the past and present together in a tumultuous crash.

I really enjoyed reading this book and couldn’t put it down! I wanted to know what would happen, would the mystery be solved, and what would become of Sadie. I can’t say I loved Sadie as a character, but I did feel sympathy for her. And I really liked the depiction of pre-adolescent Sadie. I enjoyed Ms. Brown’s writing and will look for her other works – which are short story collections.

Highly recommended as a summer read!