Sight Reading review

Publisher's description:

"On a Boston street one warm spring day after a long New England winter, Hazel and Remy spot each other for the first time in years. Under ordinary circumstances, this meeting might seem insignificant. But Remy, a gifted violinist, is married to the composer Nicholas Elko-once the love of Hazel's life.

It has been twenty years since Remy, a conservatory student whose ambition may outstrip her talent; Nicholas, a wunderkind suddenly struggling with a masterwork he cannot fully realize; and his wife, beautiful and fragile Hazel, first came together and tipped their collective world on its axis. Over the decades, each has buried disappointments and betrayals that now threaten to undermine their happiness. But as their entwined stories unfold from 1987 to 2007, from Europe to America, from conservatory life to the Boston Symphony Orchestra, each will discover the surprising ways in which the quest to create something real and true--be it a work of art or one's own life--can lead to the most personal of revelations, including the unearthing of secrets we keep, even from ourselves."

So far, this summer has been great for those in-depth, character-driven novels that I love. Sight Reading featured two characters that were so different, but had such focus on the same passion that it was easy to become completely entwined in each. 

At the heart of the book is a complex love story, but it's so much more. It's music and travel and friendship. It's heartache and learning to live with choices. It's a heavy and complex read, but one I appreciated after a lot of lighter summer reading. Well-written and very well-developed. 

Check out the rest of the tour here and find out more about author Daphne Kalotay here. 

The Testing review

Cia is thrilled to be graduating and after being chosen for The Testing, she both terrified and anxious to begin her future. It a position everyone in her life both covets and fears. 

Upon arrival, Cia quickly learns the Testing is unlike anything she could have ever imagined -- and she was right to be scared. She can't trust anyone and must simply believe her intelligence will get her through to the end alive. Right and left both friends and enemies are dropping and she's never quite sure when her turn to fail will come. 

I had a bit of trouble getting into this one, but ending up really enjoying it. With the rise of the dystopian genre over the past few years, every book seems to be compared to The Hunger Games and I did feel like it had a few mirroring qualities. Once Cia began the actual Testing process, I was totally hooked and rooting for this pretty amazing female main character. 

Tomas was probably my least favorite character -- he came across flat and without much emotion. I didn't have the connection with him that I did with Cia and almost didn't care what happened to him in the end. What he lacked though, Cia made up for, because I really did end up loving her character. 

I think I walked away from this one thinking it's a hybrid of The Hunger Games and Divergent. If those two books had a baby, The Testing would be it. I'm absolutely ready for book 2! After a slow start it ended up being a quick read that I was anxious to finish and know what happened with Cia. 

Thank you to Scholastic for the review copy. 

My latest Stitch Fix

It's been awhile since I've received a Stitch Fix box, but one was waiting for me early this week and in the craziness of summer days, I'd forgotten I'd ordered it. That is one awesome surprise at the end of a long, hot day outside with a little boy!

The little box stared at me all evening while I waited for the toddler to go to bed, as to not get dirty little hands all over what I knew to be beautiful new clothes. When I was finally able to open the box, I noticed Alexandra was my stylist this time around and I knew it would be a great box -- she's my favorite.

I had one of those great Fix moments where I loved every item in the box. I didn't keep them all, but I did really like each style as I initially looked at it -- always a good sign! Alexandra gets me. 

The first two items I looked at were a tank top and a jacket. I loved the blue stripes on the tank and if it didn't have a hi/lo hem, I may have kept it. They just don't flatter me at all. Too much fabric on a my biggest problem area!

The jacket was SO comfortable! I've honestly never felt fabric like that in a jacket and was really impressed with how stylish it actually was. I mean, it was basically a coat to wear OVER clothes, but the drawstring waste was great. Unfortunately, it was a bit large for my short stature with arms much too long. Awesome jacket though. 

Next I had a beautiful blouse I had requested after seeing it on the Stitch Fix Tumblr page. Silly me didn't realize that I was requesting one of their most expensive items. After seeing the cost on that little floral number I loved, I just couldn't do it. Beautiful and so comfortable if something a little pricier is in your budget. 

The tank was fun! Loved the bold colors and it would have looked great under a jean jacket. I knew I wanted just one item this month though and I held out for this beauty:

I've never owned a tunic before. This is listed as a Tunic Dress and maybe someone else could pull it off as a dress, but I'll definitely be wearing some leggings underneath! SO comfortable, super cute, price was right, and we had a winner. I'm excited to wear it!

-Head over to Stitch Fix and sign up for an invite. I received mine in about a week. 
-Schedule your Fix. It costs $20 to get a fix box sent to your house. If you decide to purchase something out of the box, the $20 is credited towards that item(s). You're basically paying for someone to hand-pick items for you and ship both ways. All of that is free if you buy an item. A pretty amazing deal. 

-If you like it all, keep it all and they'll charge you for it all, minus a 25% discount. Sending stuff back? Pop it in the postage-paid envelope within 3 days and they charge you only for what you keep, minus your $20 fee. 

-The style profile you fill out is crazy detailed. Everything from height/weight/hair color to picking from inspiration boards as to what you like and don't like. It's awesome. You can even link up your Pinterest boards. 

-You can get a Fix monthly or just once-in-awhile, which I love. If it's not in your budget to get a box every month, you don't have to.

If you get Stitch Fix boxes too, leave me a link to your posts. I'd love to see what other people are getting!

The wonderful ladies of Stitch Fix have no idea who I am and I'm not being paid to rave about their company. I just really do love it.

Passionate Mom review

I love doing book Bible studies. It's easiest for me to learn from the Bible when it's applied to me in practical, contemporary ways and Susan Merrill did an excellent job of this in Passionate Mom. Let's face it... I need all the parenting help I can get!

Using the book of Nehemiah as a guide, Merrill gives us moms a specific pattern to follow in order to guide our parenting. She uses 10 P's: perception, pondering, passion, prayer, patience, preparation, purpose, planning, problem solving, and perseverance to form that pattern, as did Nehemiah.

Though the book wasn't filled with a whole lot of new information, I did take away some practical tips on remaining passionate about this amazing "job" I've been chosen to do. Patience is my biggest hurtle and her list of 10 reasons why we lose our patience as moms was definitely helpful. If I can recognize which ones are my personal triggers, I can confront them before they get to a place of conflict. Easier said than done, of course! 

I learned a lot from a book in the Bible that I wasn't totally comfortable with and for that, I'm grateful. I think Passionate Mom would be a great addition to a women's Bible study and I think I'll be sharing it with my MOPS group this fall!

Thank you to Book Sneeze for the review copy. 

The Engagements giveaway

Five characters, each separated by decades, deal with their own idea of marriage and what it means to have a true relationship with another individual. It's the story of how each couple have come to know each other and how their vision of marriage has been formed and molded and, ultimately, what love actually means to them. 

I realize that isn't the most detailed of plot summaries, but seriously, I've sat here for 45 minutes, attempting to do justice to this fabulous book and I simply can't. It's just that multilayered, that complex, and THAT GOOD. It's so beautifully done, I just want to gush!

I loved that we were presented with four incredibly different couples, along with the woman who created the famous "A Diamond is Forever" slogan for De Beers. That plot point alone made the story unique and interesting, hooking me and keeping me interested. I wanted to read this one all day -- and slowly -- in order to soak up all the beautiful writing. 

Though Frances was the driving force for me, it was impossible not to become totally entangled in each of the other relationships. Getting a behind-the-scenes look at the copywriting business was much more intriguing than I ever could have thought and Frances was such a well-rounded character, she was ultimately the one I became most involved with. 

I'm recommending it to everyone -- man, woman, book clubs, etc. It was a great read. 

The publisher is offering up a copy for one of my lucky readers! Just leave a comment on this post by Sunday night and I'll pick a winner Monday morning. U.S. readers only please. 

Thank you to Knopf for the review copy!

New books from Mo Willems and Greg Pizzoli

I'm very lucky that I have a child who loves to read books. 18 months isn't quite the age where he'll sit still for long stories, but he loves to page through all sorts of books and look at the illustrations, letting me make up my own version of the story. Basically, I chop out a lot of words, so he only has to look at each page for a moment or two. It seems to work. 

These two books showed up last week and I was really excited to see both of them. Mo Willems is a favorite of all of ours around here... E loves the Pigeon board books, Aaron loves Elephant & Piggie, and I love them all. And after flipping through the Pizzoli book, I could tell he had Willems-like humor which made him a perfect new addition to our bookshelves. 

A Big Guy Took My Ball is the latest Elephant & Piggie story in a long list of titles by Mo Willems. This latest features a sad Piggie, as she just has her ball stolen by a big guy. Gerald vows to help...until he meets the big guy. As always, the story is filled with the dry humor Willems has become known for and both parents and kids alike are both drawn to. 

I loved the introduction of a new character and hope the new guy shows up in upcoming titles. It's great to have a 2 character series, but what fun it can be when kids aren't expecting a new character, but one shows up anyway. 

E's favorite part of this one was pointing out the ball on each page. Simple things. 

The Watermelon Seed is perfect for reliving that childhood myth that a watermelon will grow in your belly if you swallow a seed. The crocodile in this story is hilarious, fretting very convincingly about that seed he swallowed, and kids will love laughing at him as he continues to believe a melon is indeed in his belly. The burp, however, may be the best part. 

This one is screaming to be a storytime read aloud, but for us, it's just fun to look at the illustrations at this point. As E gets older and his dad inevitably makes him believe the seed myth, we'll be pulling this one off the shelf again and again. 

Thanks to Disney-Hyperion for the review copies!

The Keeper of Secrets review

Publisher description: 

"In 1939 Berlin, 14-year-old Simon Horowitz’s world is stirred by his father's 1742 Guarneri del Gesu violin. When Nazis march across Europe and Simon is sent to Dachau, he finds unexpected kindness, and a chance to live.

 

In the present day, orchestra conductor Rafael Gomez finds himself inspired by Daniel Horowitz, a 14-year-old violin virtuoso who refuses to play. When Rafael learns that the boy's family once owned a precious violin believed to have been lost forever, Rafael seizes the power of history and discovers a family story like no other."

Apparently, this book was originally self-published and I'm not sure why it didn't get snatched up by a publisher right away! I was drawn in from the very beginning, getting lost in the story of Simon, Rafael, and Daniel, and loving the beauty of the writing and the intensity of the emotion. 

I didn't have any trouble at all with the different time periods, which can occasionally be the case when jumping from one decade to another, and again, the emotional aspects were simply top-notch. I was in tears during much of the story and I was invested in each character very early on. It's one of those books you just don't want to end. My favorite kind! 

It's a heavier read, but beautifully done. 

The rest of the tour schedule can be found here and Julie Thomas can be found on Facebook!