Empire Girls

Author: Suzanne Hayes,  Loretta Nyhan
Genre: Fiction
Publisher: Harlequin, 2014
Pages: 304
Rating: Recommend

Synopsis: The critically acclaimed authors of I'll Be Seeing You return with a riveting tale of two sisters, set in the intoxicating world of New York City during the Roaring Twenties.

Ivy and Rose Adams may be sisters, but they're nothing alike. Rose, the eldest, is the responsible one, while Ivy is spirited and brazen. After the unexpected death of their father, the women are left to reconcile the estate, when they make a shocking discovery: not only has their father left them in financial ruin, but he has also bequeathed their beloved family house to a brother they never knew existed. With only a photograph to guide the way, Ivy and Rose embark to New York City, determined to find this mysterious man and reclaim what is rightfully theirs.

Once in New York, temptations abound at every turn, and soon the sisters are drawn into the glitzy underbelly of Manhattan, where they must overcome their differences and learn to trust each other if they're going to survive in the big city and find their brother. Filled with unforgettable characters and charm, Empire Girls is a love letter to 1920s New York, and a captivating story of the unspoken bond between sisters.

Review: I wasn't blown away by this novel, especially since it ended so abruptly, but it was good and a definite page turner. It's entertaining, and sometimes that's all a book needs to be.

Balancing It All

Author: Candace Cameron Bure
Genre: Chick Lit
Publisher: B&H Publishing Group, 2014
Pages: 240
Rating: Do Not Recommend

Synopsis: “How do you do it all?”

That’s the question that wife, mom, actress, and best-selling author Candace Cameron Bure is often asked. And it’s a question that women everywhere are asking themselves as we seek to balance all of our roles, responsibilities, and opportunities.

So, how do we do it? Working since the age of 5, Candace has been in a balancing act for nearly her entire life. She is the first to tell you that there is no miracle formula for perfect execution in every area of your life, but there definitely are some lessons to be learned, lessons that come to life in Candace's story.

Come along and dig into Candace’s story from her start in commercials, the balance-necessitating years on Full House, to adding on the roles of wife and mom while also returning to Hollywood. Insightful, funny, and poignant, Candace’s story will help you balance it all.

Review: There was something about this book that really bothered me, and I've finally put my finger on it. It reads like a middle school essay. It's as if someone gave her a writing prompt, "Balance," and then she halfheartedly tried to come up with something to submit.

I need to quit reading books by celebrity authors. I find them superficial and just lacking in so many ways.

The Circus Fire

Author: Stewart O'Nan
Genre: Non-Fiction
Publisher: Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group
Pages: 384
Rating: Do Not Recommend

Synopsis: Halfway through a midsummer afternoon performance, Ringling Brothers Barnum and Bailey Circus's big top caught fire. The tent had been waterproofed with a mixture of paraffin and gasoline; in seconds it was burning out of control, and more than 8,000 people were trapped inside. Drawing on interviews with hundreds of survivors, O'Nan skillfully re-creates the horrific events and illuminates the psychological oddities of human behavior under stress: the mad scramble for the exits; the hero who tossed dozens of children to safety before being trampled to death.

Brilliantly constructed and exceptionally moving, The Circus Fire is history at its most compelling.

Review: I need to see the author's outline. This is a disorganized mess of facts, figures, and names. The story is completely lost, which is a shame because I think there's a story worth telling here.

This is also available as an audio book, but I don't know how someone listening would even be able to follow the people and events.

The Other Side

Author: Lacy M. Johnson
Genre: Memoir
Publisher: Tin House Books, 2014
Pages: 232
Rating: Recommend

Synopsis: Lacy Johnson bangs on the glass doors of a sleepy local police station in the middle of the night. Her feet are bare; her body is bruised and bloody; U-bolts dangle from her wrists. She has escaped, but not unscathed. The Other Sideis the haunting account of a first passionate and then abusive relationship; the events leading to Johnson’s kidnapping, rape, and imprisonment; her dramatic escape; and her hard-fought struggle to recover. At once thrilling, terrifying, harrowing, and hopeful, The Other Side offers more than just a true crime record. In language both stark and poetic, Johnson weaves together a richly personal narrative with police and FBI reports, psychological records, and neurological experiments, delivering a raw and unforgettable story of trauma and transformation.

Review: While I never did warm up to the author's writing style, the story alone kept me interested. 

Writing such novels means the author has to re-live all s/he has endured and for that I give a ton of credit.

If there's one word to describe this, it's disturbing.

Orange is the New Black

Author: Piper Kerman
Genre: Memoir
Publisher: Random House Publishing, 2011
Pages: 352
Rating: Recommend

Synopsis: With a career, a boyfriend, and a loving family, Piper Kerman barely resembles the reckless young woman who delivered a suitcase of drug money ten years before. But that past has caught up with her. Convicted and sentenced to fifteen months at the infamous federal correctional facility in Danbury, Connecticut, the well-heeled Smith College alumna is now inmate #11187–424—one of the millions of people who disappear “down the rabbit hole” of the American penal system. From her first strip search to her final release, Kerman learns to navigate this strange world with its strictly enforced codes of behavior and arbitrary rules. She meets women from all walks of life, who surprise her with small tokens of generosity, hard words of wisdom, and simple acts of acceptance. Heartbreaking, hilarious, and at times enraging, Kerman’s story offers a rare look into the lives of women in prison—why it is we lock so many away and what happens to them when they’re there.

Review: This wasn't the best memoir I've even read, nor do I feel compelled to watch "Orange is the New Black" on Netflix, but it's definitely worthwhile. I did enjoy it. Clearly the prison system is just another facet of society in the United States that due for reform.

Cradle to Grave

Author: Eleanor Kuhns
Genre: Historical Fiction / Mystery
Publisher: St. Martin's Press, 2014
Pages: 352
Rating: Recommend

Synopsis: Will Rees is adjusting to life on his Maine farm in 1797, but he’s already hungering for the freedom of the road, and his chance to travel comes sooner than he expects. Lydia has just received a letter from her old friend Mouse, a soft-spoken and gentle woman who now lives in the Shaker community in Mount Unity, New York. To Lydia and Rees’s astonishment, she’s in trouble with the law. She’s kidnapped five children, claiming that their mother, Maggie Whitney, is unfit to care for them.

Despite the wintry weather and icy roads, Rees and Lydia set out for New York, where they sadly conclude that Mouse is probably right and the children would be better off with her. There’s nothing they can do for Mouse legally, though, and they reluctantly set out for home. But before they’ve travelled very far, they receive more startling news: Maggie Whitney has been found murdered, and Mouse is the prime suspect.

In Cradle to Grave, Eleanor Kuhns returns with the clever plotting, atmospheric historical detail, and complexly drawn characters that have delighted fans and critics in her previous books.

Review: They say not to choose a book by its cover, but in this case it paid off.

I did not realize until I finished this book that it is part of a series (Will Rees Mysteries, #3). That annoys me, but I will say since I didn't pick up on their being two prior novels the author did a good job of drawing the reader in and making it feel like a stand-alone book.

I don't know what methods were used to solved crimes in the late 18th century, but the author wove an interesting story and the details of the investigation seemed plausible. If there's anything negative to say about this is that there are a lot of names and relationships to keep straight. I read a few paragraphs more than once in order to understand how all of them tied together. All in all, this was an enjoyable, entertaining read and that's good enough for me.

Elvis and Ginger

Author: Ginger Alden
Genre: Memoir
Publisher: Penguin Group, 2014
Pages: 400
Rating: Do Not Recommend

Synopsis: Elvis Presley and Graceland were fixtures in the life of Ginger Alden, having been born and raised in Memphis, Tennessee. But she had no idea that she would play a part in that enduring legacy—as Elvis Presley’s fiancée, and his last great love. For over three decades Ginger has held the truth of their relationship close to her heart. Now she shares her unique story, and while a lot has been written about the King, the Elvis we meet in this long-anticipated memoir is a revelation.

In her own words Ginger details their whirlwind romance—from first kiss to his stunning proposal of marriage. She details his exploration of Eastern religions, his perception of being a “legend,” his devotion to family and friends, and her attempt to know the insular group surrounding Elvis. And for the very first time she talks about the devastating end of it all, and the 50,000 mourners and reporters who descended on Graceland in 1977, exposing Ginger to the reality of living in the spotlight of a short, yet immortal, life.

Above it all, Alden rescues Elvis from the hearsay, rumors, and tabloid speculations of his final year by shedding a frank yet personal light on a very public legend. From a unique and intimate perspective, she reveals the man—complicated, romantic, fallible, and human—behind the enduring myth, a superstar worshipped by millions, and loved by Ginger Alden.

Review: As a memoir this book is annoying. As chick lit, it's pretty entertaining and more believable. I just could not buy into her emotions or feel anything for either her or Elvis. She was young and impressionable; he was an out-of-touch superstar.

She and her family benefited from his wealth and fame, as one would expect, but I got the sense that they felt entitled and that whatever he did for them wasn't appreciated or enough.

Through the Glass

Author: Shannon Moroney
Genre: Memoir
Publisher: Gallery Books, 2014
Pages: 376
Rating: Highly Recommend

Synopsis: “One month into our marriage, my husband committed horrific violent crimes. In that instant, the life I knew was destroyed. I vowed that one day I would be whole again. This is my story.”

An impassioned, harrowing, and ultimately hopeful story of one woman’s pursuit of justice, forgiveness, and healing.

When Shannon Moroney got married in October 2005, she had no idea that her happy life as a newlywed was about to come crashing down around her. One month after her wedding, a police officer arrived at her door to tell her that her husband, Jason, had been arrested and charged in the brutal assault and kidnapping of two women. In the aftermath of these crimes, Shannon dealt with a heavy burden of grief, the stress and publicity of a major criminal investigation, and the painful stigma of guilt by association, all while attempting to understand what had made Jason turn to such violence.

Review: What an interesting read. 

In some strange way I could relate.The man I married in 2005 was someone other than who I ended up being married to over the five subsequent years. I had a hard time reconciling that the person I thought he was wasn't who he was at all. Moroney had to deal with similar issues, albeit on the a far grander, even more devastating scale.

In some cases Moroney was looking for answers where there are none. She was trying to understand something that just cannot be understood. For this, people unfairly judge her. This is her story and her very real, very human reactions to events more devastating than anyone should have to endure.