No Offense by Meg Cabot

 

No Offense, pub date just last week, is by well-known author of "The Princess Diaries" - Meg Cabot, so when my contacts at William Morrow Publishing asked if I would like a copy for review, I was very excited! I'm so happy to report that I still feel that excited having just finished No Offense today!

This 5 star rom-com is set on an island in Key West, where a spunky new children's librarian (Molly Montgomery) meets handsome divorcee and single dad Sheriff John Hartwell. In addition to the small town fun of this story, Molly's library is the scene of a crime, and so she sets out to find answers and help catch the perpetrators, much to the annoyance and chagrin of the hot Sheriff ( I mentioned he was hot right???). 

As the mystery progresses, Molly keeps managing to be in the midst of it, making independent decisions despite what the Sheriff thought of them. I couldn't quite make out if it was just feminism or stubbornness, but she and the Sheriff frequently don't see eye to eye, and this makes for a rocky start, even as they are inexplicably drawn to one another. 

Little ditty about the picture - Molly mentions Nancy Drew in conversation, I thought it would be only appropriate to snap a shot of this book next to my first collector's set of Nancy Drew volumes 1-4. To the left is an adorable card that my granddaughter picked out for my recent birthday and those two cardboard girls are supposedly she and I - swinging on swings together (as we've done) so cute huh?

This book had just enough tension, side-plots, and action to keep it a page turner, and an endearing one at that. I have these fun characters in my head and heart now, and would love to see more of them. When I posted about this book online, a friend asked if it was part of a series, to which i automatically said no -- only because it is definitely reading like a stand-alone and (shame on me) I automatically said no, only to find out that YES it is part of a series of stand-alone yet same setting/same characters series called, "The Little Bridge Island series." I stand corrected, and gladly so, because this means I get more of that adorable island's cast of characters, and perhaps little highlights of Molly and Sheriff in them as well. I am very keen now to read her book "No Judgements" which I'm hoping is another in this island setting.

If you enjoy rom-com and easy breezy, sexy, smart, sassy, island setting stories, definitely check this out!! I highly recommend it for a relaxing happy read!!!

The Lost and Found Bookshop by Susan Wiggs

Guys, I just adored this book. First of all, the setting of a bookshop is just so cosy to me, and has always been a low-key daydream of mine (to own a bookshop). I loved that the protagonist falls (almost literally) into her mother's shoes and by doing so learns to come to terms with all of the things she never appreciated or understood about her mother and their life while growing up. To see her open up her heart and mind was really amazing and I loved that all of the characters in this story (for the most part) had such integrity. I enjoyed the relationship between Natalie (main character) and her grandfather so much. I feel like I personally related to Natalie's loss because of my own life and there were a few really precious moments and nostalgic moments that made me tear up. I also could appreciate her "Grandy's" dementia as I dealt with that with my own mother. This book's overall feel was just cosy and romantic. Oh, and I love that books literally saved the day. Just a lovely book that puts you in that bookshop setting and man, you just don't want to leave it. Like, ever.

The City We Became - by N.K.Jemisin

I just finished this story last night. This was a 4 star read for me. I enjoyed it. I really wanted it to "wow" me but it somehow missed that mark. I think there's several reasons for this. One is the ending, I wanted a bit more of a cliff-hanger, and the other is the world building.

The world building in this book is deliberately slow and what I liked about it is also what I didn't like about it -- I was a bit confused in the beginning, seeing things happening to my main character who I had no time to really get to know -- and being as confused as the character was disorienting. However, I would much rather "learn" as the characters do, rather than be "told" what's happening. It made for a slow start, however, whenever your discovery is the character's discovery time-frame it causes something magical. It bonds you more to that character.

 My concerns for this trilogy was that this first book did not end on enough of a cliff hanger. I'm not entirely sure that I need to read the 2nd book, however, due to the slow world building in this one, the next one will most likely not be as confusing. One thing is for sure - I will enjoy finding out how Staten Island turns out - will she evolve or be destroyed? Will NYC survive? Or will the multiverse survive instead? Which is the moral conclusion?

This story definitely finds ways to explore some heavy questions like - if our world lives - is it moral if it destroys countless others? Is it morally wrong for the Woman in White to try to save those multiverses, even if it means destroying ours?

The things I enjoyed the most about this story are the discovery and development of the "boroughs" - each with its own strengths and biases. I enjoyed the diversity in the book with excellent representation, although for once, the antagonist is not just white, but envelops everything in white "feathers" which controls people, or "influences" them to be racist against people of color. The symbolism of the "white" feathers was not lost on me. The racism of Staten Island and the portrayal of the only white woman in the story as a moronic racist was disappointing, but on the flip side, it was great to see that the city was being saved by a variety of people of color. White (the color as well as the skin) is definitely not "right" in this book, but I'm okay with it; I get it. My favorite character in the story was Bronca, the Bronx borough. Her reactions and commentary on things cracked me up and I loved that she represented an older woman. Older people are always shoved aside in literature, so it was great to see her character as an older native american woman.

I'm hoping it's sequel, now that The City we Became has laid the foundation, will deliver the wow factor I'm looking for. I'll be counting on it!

Hidden Valley Road - Inside the Mind of an American Family by Robert Kolker

Hidden Valley Road - as the photo above implies - I listened to this on audio rather than traditionally reading it. I find that non-fiction on audio is so much more engaging, and this one was no exception to that rule. I really enjoyed hearing about the scientific treatment history of schizophrenia in America from about the 50s to today, as well as the parts about the family history itself.

In the Galvin family, of Colorado Springs, Colorado, 6 of the 10 boys in the family developed schizophrenia, the other 4 boys and 2 girls did not. When the boys first started showing signs of outrageous behavior and psychotic breaks, this must've been really difficult for their mother. After all, we're talking about the 50s-70s here where most ill-behaved children were believed to have just "not been parented well." The huge debate of "nature-vs-nurture" has been around the 1870s but for inability to prove the nature aspects (things like genes, DNA), it was just so easy to point the finger at the nurturer (usually the mother, but whomever was the principle care-giver) or to some traumatic incident in childhood. Thus, as a mother in high society, such as the Galvins were, the need to present this "perfect family" or to avoid scorn and the spurn of distrust, their mother - Mimi - had a hard way to go. She did attempt to get help for her sons, but perhaps where she went wrong was in the way she made excuses for their behavior, the way she coddled and gave them all of her strength, leaving little (so the others claim) for the healthy children. Several of the children claimed abuse of various kinds from the affected boys such as physical and sexual abuse. To think that this was overlooked or missed as a parent must be devastating. I wouldn't have wanted to be in ANY of their shoes - not the boys so unlucky to have developed schizophrenia, nor the parents, nor the healthy children. I really think this book probably only hits the edge of the full gamut of the nightmare it must've been to be in this family.

All this aside, the most interesting thing was how many of the children developed this in one family. The research that came from studying this family (and others with multiple members positive for schizophrenia) is amazing. Eventually they were able to pinpoint certain DNA/genes that can cause the development of the disease. They studied the brain via MRIs and other technology to confirm that the brains of those with schizophrenia look different than those of a brain without the disease. It also, much like autism it is not necessarily obviously present at birth - and develops over time, albeit autism much earlier in life - with schizo usually developing in late teens or early 20s.

In the realm of genetic research, I believe they did find the genes that can develop into schizophrenia, but the fact is, it doesn't necessarily mean it will develop. But why? An interesting spin on nature vs nurture is the discoveries/assumptions made about a chemical substance called Choline. Choline is one of the substances found in cigarettes. One researcher, upon noting that schizophrenia patients craved constant cigarettes, found proof that the choline in the cigarettes produced a calming sensation and that is why for those patients, they heavily used them. The researcher then tried to tie that to diet, to see if choline consumption in diet could affect the fetus's chances of later developing schizophrenia, however, the only way to do this was via a clinical trial that will last for at least another 20 years. They took patients who had the genes of schizophrenia, and when they became pregnant, had them take supplements that increased choline, then will study those children over the next decade or so to see if they develop schizophrenia or not. Will the patients with the placebo (rather than the choline) be at greater risk of developing schizophrenia? Will choline in utero be the answer to eradicating this brain disease? It's just fascinating to think in less than 50 years, this may be the key to ending Schizophrenia and perhaps other brain-related diseases.

If we think on mental illness as a brain disease, it takes so much more of the stigma from it. One cannot help from which genes one comes from, and these types of ailments are just a combination of genes - it's really a luck of the draw genetically. What if we could eradicate all brain disease related mental health issues from us as we eradicated polio? Just from something as "simple" as our nutritional supplements? It's amazing to think of how complex our bodies and brains are.

As for the audiobook, I'll give the narrator a 4.5 - I enjoyed listening and he was engaging in the telling of the story.

As for the story itself, I do have some criticisms - such as - I felt like the story did not have to be 13 hours long. I would've rather it have been about 8 hours long, because that is where i found myself starting to wish it was just over. Personal problem perhaps. LOL.

I also am a bit confused about why only ONE of the sibling's children were discussed. Perhaps the others did not want to be involved in the project, but it would've been interesting to get some statistics on how many of the brothers with the disease have children that developed it? Did any of the children without the disease manage to have children with the disease? In addition to following the children of Choline through a clinical study, it would be great to see Mimi's descendents also participate in a study for a few more generations to see how many of 12 children produced children with the disease as well? This piece of the puzzle for me is missing.

The ending, focusing on Lindsey's family (one of the two sisters), was really not needed unless we were going to look at everyone's children for context. I disagreed with Lindsey's assumption that since she was able to get her son (anxiety) expensive help, that this is why he "turned out so well" - that may be true, however, her son did NOT have schizophrenia. And she does not have 12 children to take care of. I also did not care for Lindsey's judgement of her sister's decision to cut ties with the family. Lindsey found strength and healing through serving her family; her sister found strength in divorcing herself from those that hurt her. In the world of therapy, probably each of those avenues has it's merits. No two people can heal the same way, so I although I personally in my heart think that families should work to heal together and keep their relationships, I totally understand why for some so abused would choose not to - and that's totally their right and they should not be made to feel less than for choosing it.

Overall I'd give this audiobook a 4 star rating, but I do believe it would've been better if it had been shorter, and if the statistics of the family after the decades of hearing them grow up, would've been a nicer closure. I still recommend this book, it was very informative on the disease and very eye-opening on the history of the disease. Those of you interested in psychology, psychiatry, or neurological studies, would especially enjoy this book!

Dance Away with Me by Susan Elizabeth Phillips

In this contemporary story, Tess Hartsong flees her life after she realizes she just can't cope with the unexpected death of her husband. It is three years since and she still is full of anger and restlessness and sorrow, so she uproots herself and decides to go to the mountains of Tennessee where she can heal and reimagine her life. She chooses a  remote cabin in the woods, where she locks herself up teetering between despair and intense anger and restlessness. When she shakes off her sadness, it's anger that drives the wild dances she does on her porch, along with blaringly loud music, even in the rain, in her underwear - and why not -- she's in the middle of nowhere with no neighbors for miles. Or so she thinks...

Along the path comes a man yelling at her to turn down the music at whom she yells right back. This man is Ian North the IV, a famous street artist who ironically came from NYC to the "middle of nowhere" to reimagine his art, to find focus. Instead, he finds Tess, who is disturbing his solitude. Along with this grumpy miserable man comes a very pregnant woman after him, sending him back to their place, a refurbished old schoolhouse now a beautiful mountain home. This woman, Bianca,  who Tess describes as "ethereal" a "wood sprite" promptly removes all of her clothes while talking to Tess, insisting that she's uncomfortable in them due to the heat and her pregnancy, but is really just the type of woman to jump into immediate intimacy with people. She strikes up a friendship with Tess, but there is friction from Ian, who seems to resent Tess's presence at every turn. 

Ian just wants his art to evolve and still be relevant. Bianca just wants to play house and have her baby. Tess just wants to heal from the unexpected loss of her young husband. But just as in real life, they wont all get what they want, and what they want will change and evolve, sometimes by choice, sometimes by fate.

Being familiar with the beauty of the Tennessee mountains, I found this setting really unique and I loved the small town in it, and how it evolves along with the newcomers. Ms. Phillips did an excellent job of creating believably flawed and cautious characters, while also creating some delicious sexual tension, as well as developing some friction between Tess and townsfolk.

Although contemporary, or women's lit, is not my usual genre (historical fiction), I do enjoy reading something that has a familiar modern feel that has the tension and plot to move it along and make it enjoyable, especially when I enjoy the characters, as I did in this story.

I decided to read this and found it relaxing and enjoyable. After this last week being full of stress, national, and local turmoil, this book was a safe haven to ease my frazzled feelings, and soften those edges in my mind. I appreciate a book that can do that.

A big thank you to my contacts at William Morrow who somehow put me, and keep me, on their contact lists and sent me this book to highlight and review. 

I recommend this book to anyone seeking a sweet story that will have just the right amount of tension vs heartwarming moments! I'll definitely be looking for more books by this author.

The Book of Longings - by Sue Monk Kidd - a Review

I was at the beach with my grandgirl Gia this Tuesday, and decided to bring this book along to take some photos on the beach. I thought these broken shells gave it a feel of antiquity, as the sand and the oceans are ancient. To look at the ocean, feeling the sand beneath your feet, is to see and feel the past, the present, and the future, all at once, which is probably why it seems to be so breathtakingly beckoning.

I love historical fiction, yet I've read so few set in this ancient time-frame. I read this book in about 3 days' time and enjoyed every minute of it. This was my first Book of the Month selection, and as I said to them, I picked well and so did you! The Book of Longings really hit that sweet spot for me. It had many themes I enjoy - mainly - a strong female lead (in this case a few) that are willful and independent and break out of the molds set for them.

In this book, the main character Ana, knows herself from childhood - she knows she has longings that go beyond what is expected (or allowed) for her and being a child in a rich household, and being an only child, some of her "whims" are granted to her by her father - such as being tutored to learn other languages and how to read and write them as well - being given papyrus and ink to write upon. She truly comes into her own when her aunt comes to live with them. Her aunt is such a strong character and is truly a woman who has strong longings of her own. She recognizes the spirit of Ana, and tries to nuture her into becoming whatever it is that Ana longs for. She teaches Ana to listen to her longings and to respect and nuture them herself as well. She gives her the "allowance" to be herself, even though the rest of her family are bitter about it. It isn't until her father attempts to betroth Ana against her will that she first spots Jesus by the side of the road, and becomes sort of enchanted by his kindness and handsomeness.

So let's discuss the Jesus aspect. He was in this story tangentially as the husband of Ana, a strong willed woman who spent most of her married life separated from him, be it because of her own perils or adventures, or his agendas of being a prophet and leader of his people, but wow, even the author herself gave pause to this project for many years fearing that it wasn't "the right time" to go there. In the end, Sue Monk Kidd quoted the great Virginia Woolf who said, "Everything is the proper stuff of fiction," giving permission to all writers to go for it, and I'm so glad she did! By making Jesus an actual side character, only "seen" from Ana's perspective, it made him so real as a person, and his character was written as secularly as it could be while maintaining his grace and kindness and putting them to work in practical ways. In this story he does not discuss with Ana the depth of his relationship with God or that he is the Messiah. All of that Ana learns from his disciples and from others, a title that arises while they are separated. The story does depict the crucifixion (as we knew this was inevitable) and those scenes with Ana, Mary his mother, Mary Magdalene, etc. were so harrowing. I truly felt their grief, horror, helplessness, and compassion. It made me cry, and not because of any religious reason, just because here was a beloved man being slaughtered, really for no reason other than betrayal and political reasons. The anxiety and sadness I felt for his family was intense. By incorporating Jesus into this story it did elevate and lend to some of the story plots and it was really done wonderfully well. I would hope that people who are sensitive to Jesus being rendered as such a secular character will see the grace with which his character was portrayed and not be offended by it. I think the author could'nt have done a better job of towing the line between grace and secularism. Kudos on a job well done.

The story is really about Ana, and her longings to be ... a writer, a storyteller, a respected, independent woman, and she becomes all those things and more. To see this evolution is so much fun, and I was in her corner, fighting with her, every step of the way.

I highly recommend this book to lovers of historical fiction. It was a joy to read and so entertaining, a 5 star read that has sat with me for days and days since I finished it. Now -- go read it!!

THE ANCESTOR - BY DANIELLE TRUSSONI

When Alberta receives an official document, all written in Italian, she goes to her estranged husband to see if they can suss out what's been received. It turns out to be about the Montebianco estate, of which Bert is the inheritor, and it beckons her come in person to Italy to go over the estate details.

I really enjoyed this book, particularly the second half after she's arrived at the castle to meet/receive her inheritance. The castle environment was so well written, truly gothic and remote and dark. The journey that Bert (Alberta) embarks upon surrendering herself to the castle went places I was not expecting it to go. I say surrendering because she is flown in in the dead of winter by helicopter, and is basically dropped there without knowing what the true nature of her inheritance is, for as we find out, it is not just THINGS that she inherits, but a true legacy that ties her to her ancestors.

I felt especially touched by many passages in this book, particularly this one, "....i knew, as they vanished in the half-light, that they were not gone. I carried them in my body. My ancestors lived in my bones, and in my blood, in the connections of my nervous system, and in the unreachable recesses of my consciousness. They would always be with me..."  I choked up a bit on that now that my mother and grandmother are passed on and have become "my ancestors" - I think of this physicality that continues to link us together even those they are no longer alive in their own bodies, still they live on in me. This book made me feel that presence, so thank you for that...realization.

There were also other very poignant moments in this story on the nature of the mountains, the smallness of self compared to the universe, the simplicity of certain societies and their vulnerability because of that simplicity. To quote some more beautiful passages, "Time, millions and millions of years of it, more than I could even imagine, had passed through these gorges, moving fast and treacherous as snow melt. The mountains had stood against it, strong and indifferent. The fierce beauty of it all made me tremble with humility and terror. What was I --what were any of us --compared to this?"  and on page 241, "It was moonless, without a cloud in the sky. Stars filled the darkness, and uncountable explosion of brilliance, proof that we were just one small piece of an immense, burning universe." Most of the writing was very straightforward but then I'd run into sentences such as the above, and I'd just swoon. 

I honestly was hoping for a slightly different more unrealistic ending but I will admit that the choice made by the character was not surprising. I just wanted more time with Aki .... I would've liked to have seen that gone on longer.

All in all, due to the writing, the intensity, and the uniqueness of the storyline, this had me enthralled to see where it was heading and when it got there,  I enjoyed where I was. So much so, that I actually didn't want to leave. I highly recommend this book and definitely will read more by this author!