Review: Second Honeymoon

Title: Second Honeymoon
Author: Joanna Trollope
Pages: 323
Rating: 4/5

"Ben is, at last, leaving home. At twenty-two, he's the youngest of the family. His mother Edie, an actor, is distraught. His father Russell, a theatrical agent, is rather hoping to get his wife back, after decades of family life. His brother, Matthew, is wrestling with a relationship in which he achieves and earns less than his girlfriend. His sister Rosa is wrestling with debt, and the end of a turbulent love affair." Meet the Boyd family and the empty nest, twenty-first-century style (goodreads.com).

This was a wonderfully written novel, filled with well thought out prose and insight.  I flew through the pages of this book, taking in the Boyd family, immersing myself in their lives, and traveling with them on this journey.  It was an extremely thoughtful and incredible ride.

Edie is a mom of three grown children.  Her youngest, Ben has just left home to share a flat with his girlfriend and her mother.  Edie is suffering greatly from "empty nest" syndrome much to the distress of her husband.  Russell, her husband, would like things to return to how they were at the beginning of their relationship when he had Edie all to himself.  I, obviously, have never had to deal with the empty nest.  However, I know how my mom struggled with it when both my brother and I moved out.  It took her months to be able to readjust to it just being her and dad again, and even now, five years later, she still cooks way too much food for two people!

Second Honeymoon is very much character driven and this is where Trollope excels.  Each character is presented with a distinct, but likeable personality.  Even the cat, Arsie, has a terrific personality and I loved the way that Trollope intertwined him throughout the story.  Each characters story is different, and each is struggling with their own problems and issues.  However, Trollope brings all these characters together and at the end all of their stories come together in a beautifully written conclusion.

This is the first book I have read by Joanna Trollope but she has quite a back list that I will be checking out in the future.  I enjoy books that really hit me in the core, and this was definitely one of them.

Movie Review: Jane Eyre

Title: Jane Eyre
Collection: Masterpiece Theatre
Viewing Time: 228 minutes
Rating: 5/5

After a wretched childhood, orphaned Jane Eyre yearns for new experiences. She accepts a governess position at Thornfield Hall, where she tutors a lively French girl named Adele. She soon finds herself falling in love with the brooding master of the house - the passionate Mr. Rochester. Jane gradually wins his heart, but they must overcome the dark secrets of the past before they can find happiness. When Jane saves Rochester from an eerie fire, she begins to suspect that there are many mysteries behind the walls of Thornfield Hall. Her fears are confirmed when Rochester's secret past is revealed, destroying her chance for happiness, and forcing Jane to flee Thornfield. Penniless and hungry, she finds shelter and friendship in the shape of a kind clergyman and his family. But she is soon shocked to uncover the deeply hidden truth of her own past. This lavish and sensual new version of Charlotte Bronte’s classic novel is modern and moody, timeless and romantic. Starring Toby Stephens as Mr. Rochester, Ruth Wilson as Jane, and Francesca Annis as Lady Ingram (amazon.com).

Jane Eyre has always been one of my favorite classic novels.  I first read it my freshman year of high school and try to re-read it every few years.  The first time I read the novel, I had a really hard go at it.  My mom suggested I see the movie first and maybe it would help me to better understand and enjoy the novel.  We rented the 1944 version starring Orson Wells and Jane Fontaine  and it has always remained my favorite rendition of the movie.  However, after discussing it with one of the girls at work, she gave me her Masterpiece Theater version to watch and I have to say that I absolutely loved it. 

Jane Eyre has it all.  It's a romance with a bit of mystery mixed in.  It has a huge creepiness surrounding the whole story.  It's Gothic and beautiful and the perfect movie for a cold and rainy fall day.

This adaptation of Jane Eyre focuses primary on Jane's relationship with Mr. Rochester, a relationship that tends to be brushed over sometimes, with many adaptations instead focusing on Jane's horrible and cruel childhood.  However, the essence of the story will always be the love story between these two main characters.  I can't say enough about Toby Stephens and Ruth Wilson's performances as Jane and Mr. Rochester.  The chemistry that these two had on screen was absolutely marvelous and had me glued to the screen.  The love story between Mr Rochester and Jane Eyre is and will always be one of the most hauntingly romantic things I have ever seen or read.

If you have ever struggled with reading Jane Eyre or feel that it's not the novel for you, I'd suggest you give watching this movie a try.  It may just inspire you to pick up the novel.  I know that I'll be re-reading Jane Eyre again in the next few weeks.  There's nothing like losing yourself in the pages of the book, as you imagine yourself walking the hallowed halls of Thornfield.

Finally, I found myself extremely attracted to Mr Rochester in this movie.  The actor playing Mr Rochester is Toby Stephens, who is best known for his role in the 2002 Jame's Bond movie Die Another Day (which I have never seen and probably never will).  However, I was quite taken by his looks and his portrayal of Mr. Rochester and was truly everything I always thought Mr Rochester would be.  His dark broodiness was fabulous for the role and his facial expressions, especially at the end of the movie were quite phenomenal.

Audio Review: Fever 1793

Title: Fever 1793
Author: Laurie Halse Anderson
Listening Time: 5 hrs and 46 min
Rating: 3/5


August 1793. Fourteen-year-old Mattie Cook is ambitious, adventurous, and sick to death of listening to her mother. Mattie has plans of her own. She wants to turn the Cook Coffeehouse into the finest business in Philadelphia, the capital of the new United States.
But the waterfront is abuzz with reports of disease. “Fever” spreads from the docks and creeps toward Mattie’s home, threatening everything she holds dear.

As the cemeteries fill with fever victims, fear turns to panic, and thousands flee the city. Then tragedy strikes the coffeehouse, and Mattie is trapped in a living nightmare. Suddenly, her struggle to build a better life must give way to something even more important – the fight to stay alive (madwomenintheforest.com).

This is the third book I've read or listened to by Laurie Halse Anderson and so far my least favorite.  Unlike the other two books, I found Fever 1793 to be very slow moving and extremely hard to get into.

Fever 1793 is told through the voice of Matilda, a young girl living in Philadelphia during the yellow fever outbreak of 1793.  Halse Anderson chose to tell this story in first person using the voice of young Mattie.  Because of this, I found it hard to connect with the story because I couldn't connect with Mattie.  Also, I often felt the book shifted from modern to historical voice, most likely not on purpose, but the shift was there.

One thing I will give Fever 1793 was that it was extremely historically accurate.  One can definitely tell that Laurie Halse Anderson thoroughly researched the epidemic and she was able to truly capture the feel of fear experienced during that time of crisis.

Another issue I had with this audio was the narrator.  I just didn't like her voice.  I felt as though it made the story drag.  It was a tough subject and I think a different voice would have made the story less of a downer.

Even thought I didn't like my first take of Laurie's historical fiction writing, I'm still going to give Chains (which I requested at the library) a try.

Review: Chicken Soup for the Expectant Mother's Soul

Title: Chicken Soup for the Expectant Mother's Soul
Author: Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, Patty Aubery, Nancy Mitchell
Pages: 344
Rating: 3.5/5

Every year, millions of women wait with anticipation as they watch their test strip change from white to pink, thus beginning the awesome adventure of becoming a mother. This latest Chicken Soup book will find a place in the loving hearts and anxious minds of expectant mothers (and some fathers, too!). Written by expectant mothers, veteran moms and fathers-to-be, these stories tell of the physical, emotional and spiritual joys and challenges of each stage of motherhood, from "barely showing" to the awkward last months, from labor and delivery to watching and caring for Baby. There are stories that offer hope when the pregnancy isn't medically perfect; others offer light-hearted humor to cope with weight gain, morning sickness and other pregnancy woes; and still others offer words of wisdom for the seemingly daunting responsibilities of choosing a name, going through labor and bringing a new life into the world. With stories that relay the insecurities and triumphs of all sorts of different moms and moms-to-be-including multiple births, premature births, adoptions, and single-parent families-this book will tug at the heartstrings and ease the fears of all expectant mother. Chapters include: Special Moments, Delivery Day, Challenges, On Adoption, Advice from Others, For Expectant Fathers and The First Few Years. Chicken Soup for the Expectant Mother's Soul is a must-have on every baby-shower gift list, and an essential requirement for every birthing bag (http://www.amazon.com/).

When I was younger, I was obsessed with the Chicken Soup books.  I read the one's for the Teenage Soul, the College Soul, the Teacher's Soul.  I read all the one's just for anyone's Soul.  Everyone new that the Chicken Soup books were the perfect gift to get me for almost any occaision.  And then, life got busy, I got married, and I fell away from the Chicken Soup books.  However, for my birthday my mom surprised me with this copy of Chicken Soup and I again devoured it in a matter of a few days.

I do think that this edition of Chicken Soup needs to come with a warning - "This book will induce massive amounts of tears and crying in pregnant woman.  Proceed with caution."  There were more than a few times that I had to close the book, go and find a massive box of tissues and cry in a corner for a few minutes before I could go back to it.  Then again, I've found myself tearing up at Hallmark commericals lately, so it's probably just me!

I thought this book had some great stories, but I didn't feel that it was as well rounded as it could be.  It seemed to focus a lot on "miracle babies," and some of the stories themselves scared the bejesus out of me.  There was a lot of talk about premature births, emergency births, babies with near fatal diseases, and the like.  As a first time mother waiting for my baby to be born, it was almost more than I could handle at times.  There were simply a few stories that I started, and then skipped once I saw the content of them.  I may appreciate those stories more after the baby is born and we know all is well and ok.

All in all, this wasn't a bad book and some of the stories touched my heart and a few had me laughing pretty hard.  If you like books like this, I don't think it's a bad one to pick up, but some people may want to wait to read it until after their babies are born!

Audio Review: Something Like Fate

Title: Something Like Fate
Author: Susane Colasanti
Listening Time: 5 hrs and 31 mins
Rating: 4/5

Lani and Erin are bonded for life. One thing that connects them is their fascination of fate. Lani wonders how much of our lives has already been decided and how much we can actually influence. Since the Unknown can unexpectedly change our lives forever, how much can we really control?
 
From the minute Lani meets Jason, she can't deny the intense connection they share. It feels like she's known him forever. She's not sure if he feels it, too. But it doesn't matter. Because Jason is Erin's boyfriend. Lani is determined to ignore her feelings for Jason, no matter how powerful they are, rather than risk hurting her best friend.
 
What if the boy who is your destiny is the one person you can't have (susanecolasanti.com)?

I've heard great things about Susane Colasanti all over the blogosphere, but had yet to take the time to read anything by her.  When I saw the library had Something Like Fate available for download I jumped at the chance.  I am extremely happy that I did.

Something Like Fate told the story of Lani, who somehow manages to fall in love with her best friend's boyfriend.  The story is a bit cliched, but Colasanti's use of fate made it more original.  I loved the different references to horoscopes, palm reading and the like.  I also liked how Colasanti created such a strong emotional bond between Lani and Erin, making the events that happen later in the novel that much worse.

One of my favorite things about Colasanti is her character development.  Each character in Something Like Fate was distinct with a strong personality.  My only complaint was that at times, I found Lani to be a bit whiny and at one point I did want to hit her over the head with a saucepan for being so dumb.  However, that may just be me and my hormones :)

I have a few more Susane Colasanti books hanging out on my TBR pile, and I'm hoping the library has a few more on audio that I can borrow. 

Are there any other young adult authors out there with similar writing styles to Colasanti's?  I'm definitely open to suggestions :)

Audio Review: Love You Hate You Miss You

Title: Love You Hate You Miss You
Author: Elizabeth Scott
Listening Time: 5 hrs and 8 mins
Rating: 4/5

It's been seventy five days. Amy's sick of her parents suddenly taking an interest in her, and she's really sick of people asking her about Julia. Julia's gone, and Amy doesn't want to talk about it. No one knew Julia like she did. No one gets what life is without her.

No one understands what it's like to know that it's all your fault.

Amy's shrink thinks she should keep a journal but instead, Amy starts writing letters to Julia. As she writes letter after letter, she begins to realize that the past holds its own secrets--and that the present deserves a chance (goodreads.com).

This is the second Elizabeth Scott novel that I've either read or listened to and I was blown away by this story.  Scott is an extremely talented young adult author, and I was again drawn into the story that she weaves.

Amy is a young, troubled teen dealing with the loss of her best friend Julia.  To help deal with her problems, Amy begins writing Julia long letters telling her about how she feels, her frustrations with school, how alone she seems.  These letters truly allow the reader to feel the pain that Amy is struggling with, and my heart truly broke for her.  Listening to this novel on audio seemed to make it all the more painful, because I could hear Amy's heart breaking with every word the narrator read.  By using Amy's letters to Julia, we are truly let into the mind of a teenager that struggles with decisions she made in the past.  We ride along on her road to discovery, traveling every twist, turn and bump.  It's an emotional rollercoaster but one I very much enjoyed taking.

Audio wise, I thought the narrator of this book was great.  It took me a few minutes to get used to her reading style, but once I did it was almost like watching a movie.  I almost felt like was eavesdropping, that how powerfully she read this novel, and how much she made it seem as though she truly was our main character Amy.  The power in an audio book is awesome, and I'm really enjoying them.  Plus they have completely doubled the amount of reading I can do in a week. 

If you are looking for a smart, entertaining, and sharp read Love You Hate You Miss You is definitely the book for you.  I'll be looking for more from author Elizabeth Scott in the coming weeks.

What are you reading (19)?

It's Monday! What are you reading this week? is a weekly event now hosted by One Persons Journey Through a World Of Books. It's helpful way to take a look at what you have read and what you want to read!

What a great week it's been.  I had a three day weekend which was wonderful, and it was my birthday yesterday.  The big 29!  Hubby and I went to an early dinner and then saw Red with Bruce Wilson and Helen Mirren.  It was a pretty good evening and it was nice getting out and doing something just the two of us :) Today, we went to my mom and dad's and I helped pass out candy for trick or trick and then my mom had made a huge dinner.  Plus, she surprised me with the best gift ever.  When I was little, my dad had made my brother and I wooden giraffes for our rooms.  You could hang clothes on them and they were also a little bench.  When I was about 14 years old, he gave mine to his uncle to use for a pattern.  Since then, his uncle passed away and there's been a lot of strife within the family.  My dad did not feel comfortable calling his aunt to ask for the giraffe and told me he'd make a  new one for the baby.  I was upset because I really wanted him to have the one I had growing up.  My mom being the most wonderful mother in the world, called and spoke to my dad's aunt and was able to go and pick up the giraffe.  She did this about a month ago and has had it hid in their basement since then.  I wanted to cry when I opened the door and saw it there.  There was nothing that could have made me more happy or made me mom love her even more for being such a kind and loving person.  She's the best :)

This was a great week for me reading wise.  I discovered audio last week, and used it to its full advantage this past week.  I listened to Twisted by Laurie Halse Anderson (you can see that review HERE) and The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff (that review is HERE).  I also finished the most wonderful book ever: The Thorn Birds.  I can't say enough good things about it and I'm so glad I took the time to read it.  That review is HERE.

Winter is setting in so I tend to do more reading in the evenings, so I'm hoping for another good reading week.  Here's what I have coming up:

Love You Hate You Miss You Audio by Elizabeth Scott

Something Like Fate Audio  by Susane Colasanti

The Alchemist's Daughter by Katharine McMahon

Second Honeymoon by Joanne Trollope

Chicken Soup for the Expectant Mother's Soul

That's my week.  What do you have planned?