Review: A Blue and Gray Christmas by Joan Medlicott

A Blue and Gray Christmas by Joan Medlicott
Genre:Fiction
Pages: 336 pages
Publisher: Pocketbooks
Rating: 3/5

An old box is dug up in the town of Covington and in it holds many years worth of memories from The Civil War; the letters and diaries of two men on opposite sides of the war.

The story is told thru those contents, read by a group of ladies who have made their homes in Covington from various places. The ladies read a few at a time trying to piece together the mens lives and try to eventually make contact with some relatives of them and bring everybody together for a huge Christmas celebration.

I liked this book alot especially the letters & diaries of John and Tom. I could almost feel how afraid, scared, and alone they felt thru their writings and the struggle of not knowing if they wanted to return home or not after the war as neither really felt they had much to return home to; but think I may have enjoyed it a bit better if I had read the previous ones in the series and had a better understanding of the backgrounds of Hannah, Amelia, and Grace and how they came together because at times I felt a bit lost in the present part of the story.

Review: The Recipe Club by Andrea Israel & Nancy Garfinkel

The Recipe Club by Andrea Israel & Nancy Garfinkel
Hardcover: 368 pages
Publisher: Harper
Genre: Fiction
Rating:5/5

I LOVED this book! It opens with emails being sent between two old friends, Val and Lilly, who have not spoken in 26 years because of a disagreement and slowly progresses with them becoming friends again and reminicing about the past when they had a recipe club where they would mail recipes and letters back and forth.

The recipes are printed up for actual use so I have to say this book easily doubles as a cookbook! Hooray! and some yummy recipes they are too!!

I enjoyed the way the books story was told thru the recipes and made up into email like pages between them. It was a quick easy read and I highly recommend it to everybody who loves recipes and/or has ever had a BFF spat!

Review Copy provided by publisher.

Review: Shakespeare Ashes- A Novel by Chris DeBrie

Shakespeare Ashes by Chris DeBrie

Genre: Fiction

Pages: 203 pages
Publisher: Infinity Publishing
My Rating: 4/5

The first thing that catches my eye about Shakespeare Ashes is there are no capitols! I thought that was so cool kinda like somebody writing in a diary.

Chris gives us a glimpse into the lives of four characters each with their own agenda and set of issues including racial and sexuality bias, finding love, pain and loss, and just learning to live. The tone and language of the story is raw using everyday talk and slang which enhanced the characters and ultimately made them real.

I enjoyed reading it and found it entertaining following along as each person struggled to basically "find themself".

Review Copy Provided by Author.

Sunday's At Tiffany's - James Patterson

Genre: Fiction

Series/Standalone: Standalone

Pages: 281

Copyright: 2008

My Rating: 3/5

 

Synopsis: As a little girl, Jane has no one. Her mother, the powerful head of a Broadway theater company, has no time for her. She does have one friend-a handsome, comforting, funny man named Michael-but only she can see him.

Years later, Jane is in her thirties and just as alone as ever. Then she meets Michael again-as handsome, smart and perfect as she remembers him to be. But not even Michael knows the reason they've really been reunited.

I read this book in just a few hours. It was a quick and fun read that held my attention all the way thru. I had never given much thought to an imaginary friend coming to life but the story gives it alot of merit and seriously makes you sit back and ponder would it not be splendid if they could?

Although I enjoyed the story and the fantasy I felt the book was far to predictable and left very little to the imagination other than the fantasy idea of your imaginary friends coming to life.