"My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry" Review

“My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry”

By Fredrik Backman

Published by Washington Square Press

Finished 6/27/16 – 5/5 stars

 

I cannot tell you when I last loved a character as much as I love almost-eight-year-old Elsa – she is a quirky, smart little girl who is bullied at school and finds comfort in the stories her grandmother tells her about the Land-of-Almost-Awake.  I also adore Granny – she is a firecracker that will make you laugh out loud.  All the tenants in the building are uniquely special – wonderful characters, each with their own story to tell.  Some a little more intertwined than others.  This all comes to light as Elsa begins her “treasure hunt” to find and deliver letters from her recently deceased grandmother to tell others she’s sorry.  As Elsa delivers the letters, she learns more about the people in her building and a little more about Granny and her past.  This in turn gives her additional insight into the stories Granny would tell of the Land-of-Almost-Awake. 

This is an absolutely wonderful, feel good book.  I recently read his first book, “A Man Called Ove” and loved it, which is why I picked up this one when I saw it.  I’m so glad I did!!  And now I’ll have to pick up his third book that just came out last month – “Britt-Marie Was Here”.  Britt-Marie is one of the characters in “My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry” so obviously I’m anxious to get my hands on that one too.  This author has a talent for telling a good story so I’m sure it will be fabulous as well.

"I've Got Sand In All the Wrong Places" review

“I’ve Got Sand In All the Wrong Places”

By Lisa Scottoline and Francesca Serritella

Published by St. Martin’s Press

Finished 6/22/16 – 5/5 stars

Have you ever read a Lisa Scottoline novel?  If not, you need to.  I admit, I haven’t ventured into her two fictional series but I have read just about all of her stand alone fictional books and LOVE them.  This is not one of those books though.  This is a book from her non-fiction series that she has written with her daughter.  They are just as wonderful but completely different than what she normally writes.  They are a compilation of stories from their own personal lives, the majority of which are quite humorous with others that will warm your heart (and still make you laugh a little).  You know how you need a light read after finishing a book with a very heavy and/or depressing topic (i.e. – the holocaust)?  This is the perfect next book to read.  Or if life is just too stressful and chaotic so you need a book that is easy to pick up but then put right back down after a very short period of a time?  This is the book to read – the stories are short so you have lots of stopping points, if needed.  They are also great to listen to in your car while sitting in traffic.  And if you do choose the audio book route, they narrate the books themselves!  I highly recommend listening to your first one and then as you read the others on your own, their voices and personalities shine through even more.  Or you can just listen to all of them J   Either way, I highly recommend this book along with the others.  I just know you will enjoy them.

Thank you very much to Net Galley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me with an advanced copy of the book in return for an honest review.

"First Comes Love" review

“First Comes Love”

By Emily Giffin

Published by Random House

Finished 6/18/16 – 3/5 stars

 

This is the story of two sisters with quite different personalities whose relationship becomes very strained after an accident takes someone dear from their lives.  Fifteen years later they can begin to see how that fateful night has affected their lives, their relationships, and the need to make some changes.  I think of the book as a mix of a “finding oneself” story and a “coming of age” story….taking place in your late 30s.

 

I give the book 3 out of 5 stars -  I enjoyed it, but it’s not going to be on my list of favorites.  It’s more of a chick-lit book that will probably make a good beach/pool side read.  I thought the storyline itself was good, although not very realistic at times.  The character development was done fairly well – it was written with the narration alternating between the two sisters but I felt it was a little one sided as to who we had deeper insight into.  It was much more of Josie’s story than Meredith’s.

 

 To be honest…..I do not have any sisters, just sister-in-laws so I never experienced that sister bond growing up.  It could be that those with sisters will relate more to that aspect of the book and give it a higher rating.  Although I can tell you, based on my own daughters, I understand the bickering and competition part of their relationship.

 

Thank you to Random House for an advanced copy of “First Comes Love” in return for an honest review.

"The Chilren's Crusade" Review

“The Children’s Crusade”

By Ann Packer

Published by Scribner

Finished 6/7/16  -  3/5 Stars

 

When I read “The Dive From Clausen’s Pier” a few years ago I absolutely loved it and gave it 5 stars so was disappointed when I read “Songs Without Words”, which was just a 3 star read for me.  When I saw Ann Packer had a new book coming out last year called “The Children’s Crusade”, I was anxious to read it with hopes it would be as good as Clausen’s so I dove right in.  Unfortunately, I couldn’t get into it so I put it aside to try again another day – I couldn’t completely abandon it because I felt it had potential.  Fast forward a year and I was ready to give it another try – after all, sometimes you simply have to be in the right mindset to enjoy a book.  This time I finished it……but it was just another 3 star read for me.  I enjoyed it, but just didn’t love it.  I did like the majority of the characters (the mother is truly the worst character, no redeeming qualities) and there was plenty of dysfunction in the family to keep you “entertained” but I don’t think it quite flowed well together.  I’m not sure if it was the way it was written with chapters devoted to different characters or if the characters themselves just didn’t mesh well.  The storyline was good and the characters were well developed but I truly think if it had been written in a single point of view or simply narrated instead, it probably would have been more enjoyable.  Obviously, that’s just my opinion.  And I’m not giving up on Ann Packer – I’m sure she’s got another 5 star read in there for me one day.

Thank you to Net Galley and Scribner for the advanced copy in return for an honest review.  Granted, the “advanced” part didn’t really come in handy for me since it’s now a year later.  Sorry about that.