Review & Giveaway: Don't Sing at the Table by Adriana Trigiani

About the book:

New York Times bestselling author Adriana Trigiani’s gift for illuminating the profound challenges and issues defining women’s lives has propelled her novels to the top of bestseller lists and earned her a wide, devoted readership. Now, she shares the roots of those insights—the wisdom handed down to her from her unforgettable grandmothers, Lucia and Viola, which she began collecting for her own daughter—with readers everywhere.

Filled with practical, sage advice, and infused with Trigiani’s trademark warmth, love, and humor, Don’t Sing at the Table introduces a pair of feisty, intelligent, and strong forces of nature whose lives embody the story of 20th-century America itself. Between them, the extraordinary Lucia and Viola lived through the century from beginning to end, surviving immigration, young widowhood, single motherhood, four wars, and the Great Depression. Culled from their remarkable experiences, this heartfelt guide, at turns hilarious and poignant, offers answers to the seminal questions in a woman’s life, from getting married to saving money, nurturing the soul to keeping calm in a crisis, raising children to finding private comfort.

My Thoughts:

Adriana Trigiani is one of my favorite authors and her novels are some of my all time favorites. I was excited to read her non-fiction book Don't Sing at the Table: Life Lessons from my Grandmothers a biography paying a loving tribute to her two grandmothers who both immigrated from Italy. They both were strong, working women who valued hard work and perseverance and they seemed to maintain a positive attitude about life. Both women had a great influence on the author who gleaned many life lessons from them. She shares these life lessons with the reader through anecdotes, pictures and stories and reflects how these lessons are relevant today and have influenced and formed the person she has become.

I found myself thinking of my own grandmother ( that passed away last summer) throughout the reading of this book.  She was younger than Adriana's grandmothers but she had similar character traits related to hard work, making the most of your time, and she cared for her outward appearance "as a lady should" during this era. My grandmother was still washing and ironing her own clothes in the little laundry room at the nursing home where she lived just a year before she died. She loved ironing (not a trait that I inherited) and I understand that she ironed everything when she was raising her family. She had an abundance of energy, and went back to work full time when my grandfather had a heart attack when they were in their 40's. I just learned from my aunt that she stuffed envelopes in the evening to make extra money, she would do all that she could and got by on little sleep and always had a smile on her face. This passage from the book reminds me of my grandmother whom I miss terribly and think of every day. I feel very fortunate to have had her in my life:

"Whenever I came into the room, she'd light up, so happy to see me. No one ever in the course of my entire life was ever as happy to see me as she was. Looking back, now, I realize that you only ever need one person who lights up that way when you enter a room. One person is all it takes to give a kid confidence." (pg.44)

This is a beautiful tribute from a granddaughter to her grandmothers that celebrates women and family and reminds us of the life lessons that we can all learn from our grandparents. Fans of Adriana Trigiani will adore this book as well as those who enjoy reading biographies and memoirs related to family. There is also a wonderful chapter at the end with bonus recipes from Adriana's grandmothers.

About Adriana Trigiani

Award-winning playwright, television writer, and documentary filmmaker Adriana Trigiani is the author of the bestselling Very Valentine and Brava, Valentine, part of the Valentine series, Viola in Reel Life and Viola in the Spotlight, part of her new young adult series, as well as the bestselling Big Stone Gap series, and the bestselling novelLucia, Lucia. She also has written and will direct the big-screen version of her first novel, Big Stone Gap. She lives in New York City with her husband and daughter.

Visit Adriana at her website: www.adrianatrigiani.com, like her on Facebook, and follow her on Twitter.

Thanks to TLC Book Tours for sending me a copy of this book for review.

*GIVEAWAY DETAILS*

Compliments of Harper Collins:

I have one copy of Don't Sing at the Table to give away. 

For 1 Entry: All you have to do is leave a comment here. Make sure to include your email address (no email, no entry)

For a 2nd Entry (Separate Comment):  Follow my blog, you can follow through Google Friend Connect to the left in my side column. If you already do, thank you, and please  make sure to let me know in your comment so I can pass the entry on to you as well. Make sure to include your email address (no email, no entry).

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Enter by November 14 , 2011

Review & Giveaway: Super Immunity by Joel Fuhrman, MD

About SUPER IMMUNITY by Joel Fuhrman, MD:

Why do some of us get sick with greater frequency than others?What makes us more susceptible to illness? Are we doomed to get sick when our coworkers and family members do?Is there a secret to staying healthy? 

Joel Fuhrman, M.D., a leading expert and board-certified medical specialist in prevention and reversing disease, offers a comprehensive guide to superior health. 

Based on the latest scientific research, Super Immunity shows us how we can become almost totally resistant to colds, influenza, and other infections. 

The evidence is overwhelming: we can supercharge our immune system to protect our bodies against disease—everything from the common cold to cancer. Nutritional science has made phenomenal strides and discoveries in recent years, and when this new research is applied it enables us to seize control of our health like never before. Dr. Fuhrman explains this new science, providing everything you need to know to put this knowledge into action in your kitchen and in your life. 

What we eat has everything to do with our health, and, unfortunately, too many of us are living with a severely depleted immune function. Our dietary choices are making us sicker, shortening our lives, and costing us billions of dollars in doctor visits, hospital stays, and prescription medications. But Dr. Fuhrman doesn’t believe more medical care is the answer. Rather, he explains the solution is to change the way we eat. The standard American diet is nutrient deficient. We are eating too many highly processed foods, foods with added sweeteners, and animal fats and protein. At the same time, we are not eating enough fruits, beans, seeds, and vegetables, which leaves us lacking in hundreds of the most important immune-building compounds. By changing our diets and combining foods that contain powerful immune-strengthening capabilities, we can prevent most common modern diseases.

Super Immunity is not a diet book but a nutritional guide with the intent to boost your immune system which will result in living longer, being stronger and reducing risk of disease. Our society, especially the American society has a diet high in processed foods full of chemicals and ingredients. They are cheaper and convenient, but they deprive our bodies of the nutrients of whole foods from fresh vegetables and fruits. This in turn, effects the way our bodies function and makes us more prone to illness. Many of us are aware of this and are on the search to find a healthier way of eating. 

I was intrigued with the premise of this book and the link to diet and nutrition and its effect on our immune system and ability to fight off colds, flu as well as cancer, heart disease and autoimmune disorders. Dr Fuhrman promotes a nutritarian diet which is a diet rich in micro nutrients. It is a defined as a diet rich in natural plant food which boosts the immune system, naturally lowers weight and fends off illness. Dr Fuhrman supports his claims with significant research and personal stories from patients of his that have benefited from this approach. The nutritarian diet is similar to the vegetarian diet with protein mainly coming from beans/legumes, nuts and seeds. 

The 5 Daily Rules for Super Immunity:

1) Eat one large green salad every day (preferably two)

2) Eat at least a half-cup serving of beans/legumes in soup, salad or a dish once daily

3) Eat at least 3 fresh fruits a day, especially berries, pomegranate, cherries, plums. oranges

4) Eat at least one ounce raw nuts and seeds daily

5) Eat at least one large (double-size) serving of steamed green vegetables daily

Dr Fuhrman includes information on the risk/benefit of the flu shot and how it relates to medical care in general. I found this section to be very informative as he brings to light the important concerns about the risk/benefits and informs the consumer about what is in the flu shot and the concerns related to safety and health concerns. There is a large section in the back of the book dedicated to menus and recipes to go along with this nutritional approach. For me and my family, some of the nutritional changes can be implemented with increasing fruits and vegetables. The approach of encouraging protein sources in the diet from beans/legumes and nuts will not work for my family as our son has life threatening allergies to nuts and legumes and some beans are in the same food family as peanuts which are a risk for our son to eat. This is a nutritional approach that may be healthy for some although those with food allergies need to be aware that this approach may not be safe for them to implement. 

There is a wealth of research to support Dr. Fuhrmans claims that he cites in the book. This is what is different from many health and nutrition books and allows the reader to research further if they so choose. With that said, I did find the scientific benefits helpful to understand his claims although at times it was too much scientific information to hold my interest. I have a medical background and am concerned that this technical approach at times may turn away the novice reader. I have not read Dr Fuhrman's other books to compare them and they may be written in the same style. Dr Fuhrman has written a thorough and well researched book that supports the connection between nutrition and our immune system and its ability to fight off colds and flu as well as other illnesses. 

For more information from Dr. Fuhrman,

 be sure to visit his web site,www.drfuhrman.com, 

 follow him on Facebook & Twitter!

You can also Text keyword "SUPERIMMUNITY"
to READIT (732348) for bonus content.

Thanks to Harper Collins and TLC Book Tours for providing a copy of this book for review.

*GIVEAWAY DETAILS*

Compliments of Harper Collins:

I have one copy of SUPER IMMUNITY to give away. 

For 1 Entry: All you have to do is leave a comment here. Make sure to include your email address (no email, no entry)

For a 2nd Entry (Separate Comment):  Follow my blog, you can follow through Google Friend Connect to the left in my side column. If you already do, thank you, and please  make sure to let me know in your comment so I can pass the entry on to you as well. Make sure to include your email address (no email, no entry).

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Enter by October 30 , 2011

Review & Giveaway: Joy for Beginners by Erica Bauermeister

About the book:

A group of seven women gather for an intimate, outdoor dinner in Seattle to celebrate their friend Kate’s recovery from cancer.  Wineglass in hand, Kate agrees to a pact: to start her new lease on life, she’ll go white-water rafting down the Grand Canyon, a journey which frankly terrifies her. But if she goes, each of them must also do one thing in the next year that is new or difficult or scary – and Kate gets to choose their challenges.

My Thoughts:

Joy for Beginners is about friendship and finding joy in life even when you step out of your comfort zone..by choice or chance. This is a novel about a group of women who band together to help Sara who has twins, they call it a baby-holding circle. Doesn't that sound great for a new mom, especially with twins? They develop a friendship and connection through this experience. They then switch gears as  the circle of life changes to helping one of the women, Kate, who is diagnosed with breast cancer. This is where the book begins, the women are having a celebration party as Kate  learns that she is cancer free. Kate's daughter has encouraged her  to consider taking the challenge of a white water rafting trip which terrifies Kate. The women encourage Kate to take this adventure and in Kate's acceptance she asks each one of the women to allow her to choose a challenge for them to take on as well.

From here, the story is told in chapters with alternating perspectives of each woman. They each describe the adventure they experience that Kate has chosen for them as well as Kate's own adventure. There is some interaction between the women in each chapter which are each loosely connected. They don't flow together but are more segmented into short stories. The strength of each individual is able to shine through as they grow and change through their experiences and face their challenges. 

I absolutely adored Erica Bauermeister's novel School of Essential Ingredients when I read it a few years ago (you can read my review here). I was excited to read Joy for Beginners which is a rich novel with strong characters and storytelling.  For me, I just didn't connect to the women as I had expected to. If you like books about women's friendship, developing characters and strong writing told in each characters voice, this is a book you'll want to pick up.

Check out Erica Bauermeister's website and you can also find her on Facebook. You can read an excerpt of the novel here and there is a Reading Guide as well. 

Thanks to the publisher and TLC Book Tours for my advanced review copy. Check out the other stops on the book tour,  HERE.

*GIVEAWAY DETAILS*

I have one copy of Joy for Beginners by Erica Bauermeister to give away to one lucky reader. 

For 1 Entry: All you have to do is leave a comment about this review and what you found interesting about JOY FOR BEGINNERS. Make sure to include your email address (no email, no entry)

For a 2nd Entry (Separate Comment):  Follow my blog, you can follow through Google Friend Connect to the left in my side column. If you already do, thank you, and please  make sure to let me know in your comment so I can pass the entry on to you as well. Make sure to include your email address (no email, no entry).

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Enter by July 8, 2011

Review & Giveaway: Ten Beach Road by Wendy Wax

  About ( from Wendy Wax Website):

On the brink of ruin, three very different women discover themselves where they least expect…at Ten Beach Road

Madeline, Avery and Nikki are strangers to one another, but they have one thing in common.  They each wake up one morning to discover that their life savings have vanished, along with their trusted financial manager…leaving them with nothing but co-ownership of a ramshackle beachfront house.

Madeline Singer is a homemaker coping with empty-nest syndrome and an unemployed husband. Avery Lawford is an architect—or was, until she somehow became the sidekick on her ex-husband’s TV show.   And professional matchmaker Nikki Grant is trying to recover from her biggest mistake…

No on is going to save them but themselves. Determined to fight back, they throw their lots in together and take on the challenge of restoring the historic beach house to its former glory. But just as they begin to reinvent themselves and discover the power of friendship, their secrets threaten to tear down their trust, and destroy their lives a second time…

My Thoughts:

Ten Beach Road is a perfect book for summer reading. You will find yourself escaping into a compelling story of friendship, perseverance, love and determination.  Madeline, Avery and Nicole are three women from different backgrounds and life experiences and they find their lives thrust together as they all invested and lost money with a man who ended up running a ponzi scheme. They are each awarded partial ownership of Bella Flora, a mansion on Ten Beach Road in Pass-A-Grille, Florida as compensation for the money they lost. Once the women meet to assess the property, they realize that their "mansion" is a run down beach front property in severe neglect. They decide to move forward and restore the historic Bella Flora beach house to it's former glory in hopes of selling it and recouping some of the money they lost. They decide to take on this challenge which requires a lot of hard work, determination and ingenuity. As the story unfolds, the three women have to pull up their bootstraps, quite literally, and challenge themselves beyond their comfort zones. They learned new things about their ability to struggle and  survive and become stronger as well as being able to work with others that were strangers at the start of their journey. They learn new things about themselves along the way as they discover the power of friendship and how much they are being restored personally as they restored this beautiful home. 

Ten Beach Road is a wonderful example of the power of friendship and the strength and determination we can find within ourselves when we persevere even when the going is rough and we want to give up. I loved that focus on female friendship and the mother daughter relationships that were highlighted as well.  Wendy Wax did a wonderful job developing strong characters  and relationships which were well developed and realistic. She also drew vivid descriptions of the Florida coast and beachfront area, so much so that it made me want to head to the beach and hear the waves crashing against the sand. 

If you're looking for a great summer read, definitely pick up a copy of Ten Beach Road and add it to your summer beach bag.  Add a bottle of wine and some cheese doodles and you'll fit in with the ambiance perfectly.  Ten Beach Road would also be a great summer book club pick, it's available in paperback and there is a Reader's Guide at the back of the book.

Thanks to TLC Book Tours  for providing me an opportunity to be part of the book tour for  Ten Beach Road by Wendy Wax. You can visit all the other tour stops here. Be sure to check out Wendy Wax's website as well as checking her out on Facebook.

*GIVEAWAY DETAILS*

I have one copy of Ten Beach Road to give away complements of TLC Book Tour and the publisher, Penguin.

To Enter: GIVEAWAY HAS ENDED

For 1 Entry: All you have to do is leave a comment about this review and what you found interesting about Ten Beach Road. Make sure to include your email address (no email, no entry)

For a 2nd Entry (Separate Comment):  Follow my blog, you can follow through Google Friend Connect to the left in my side column. If you already do, thank you, and please  make sure to let me know in your comment so I can pass the entry on to you as well. Make sure to include your email address (no email, no entry).

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Enter by June 26, 2011   GIVEAWAY HAS ENDED

Review & Giveaway: Russian Winter by Daphne Kalotay

About (from Daphne Kalotay website):

Set in both modern-day Boston and post-WWII Moscow, RUSSIAN WINTER tells the story of Bolshoi ballerina Nina Revskaya as she becomes a member of Stalin's cultural elite before escaping to the West following a terrible betrayal. Decades later, she has decided to auction off her famed jewelry collection—including the rare set of amber that a Boston professor, Grigori Solodin, translator of the works of Revskaya's late poet-husband, believes may hold the key to a long-kept secret. The literary mystery Grigori sets out to solve—with the help of Drew Brooks, a young associate at the Boston auction house—reaches much deeper: to the cost of making art and trying to live and love under circumstances of enormous repression.

My Thoughts:

Daphne Kalotay's novel "Russian Winter" is beautifully written and the kind of novel that sweeps you away from the moment into another world that holds your interest. Russian Winter was that kind of novel for me that pulled me in and held my interest. I was drawn into the life of Nina Revskaya, a Bolshoi ballerina in WW II Russia ruled under Stalin. The darkness and secrecy living a life of distrust and fear was felt strongly. As a reader, I could envision what it would be like watching Nina dance in Swan Lake and how grueling the life of a ballerina can be balanced with the beauty of the art of the dance. I could envision the hardships of having little food and clothing, being watched or the fear of being watched and the hardships of women who must work paving and repairing roads to save their lives. 

We reflect back with Nina as she is now an old woman and invalid, having escaped Russia and traveled the world and being coveted as a prima ballerina in Boston. She decides to sell her jewelry collection from her past, at auction to benefit the Boston Ballet as she wants to separate herself from what she perceives as the deceptiveness that it represents.  This reflection on the past and the memories that connect to each piece of jewelry is skillfully interwoven with the story of Grigori Solodin, a professor of languages who has a connection to Nina that he does not quite understand. He has been on a mission to find the answers to their connection. He has translated the poems of Nina's late husband, and he is the owner of an amber necklace that may belong to a collection that Nina is selling. 

Ms. Kalatoy has created a magnificent mystery and novel of historical fiction filled with characters who have great depth and strength. As a reader, you will be filled with emotion as the story proceeds. I was pulled into the mystery of Nina and Gregori's past as well as the layers of the story as they are revealed. I found the novel riveting and the conclusion leaves a twist that will have you thinking about trust, love, secrets, redemption and more. 

Thanks to TLC Book Tours  for providing me an opportunity to be part of the book tour for Russian Winter  and to Harper Perennial for sending me a copy of the trade paperback for review. 

Check out the other tour stops for Russian Winter, here.

Check out Daphne Kalotay's Website for more information.

*GIVEAWAY DETAILS*

I have one copy of Russian Winter to give away complements of TLC Book Tour and Harper Perennial.

To Enter:   

For 1 Entry: All you have to do is leave a comment about this review and what do you find interesting about Russian Winter. Make sure to include your email address so that I can contact you if you are a winner. Otherwise, I won't be able to include your name in the drawing. 

For a 2nd Entry (Separate Comment):  Follow my blog, you can follow through Google Friend Connect to the left in my side column. If you already do, thank you, and please  make sure to let me know in your comment so I can pass the entry on to you as well. Make sure to include your email address.

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Enter by May 10, 2011.

Review: 31 Bond Street by Ellen Horan

Title: 31 Bond Street

Author: Ellen Horan

About the book from Harper Collins:

Who killed Dr. Harvey Burdell in his opulent Manhattan town house? 

At once a gripping mystery and a richly detailed excavation of a lost age, 31 Bond Street is a spellbinding tale of murder, sex, greed, and politics in 1857 New York. Author Ellen Horan interweaves fact and fiction—reimagining the sensational nineteenth-century crime that rocked the city a few short years before the Civil War ripped through the fabric of the nation, while transporting readers back to a time that eerily echoes our own. 

Though there are no clues to the brutal slaying of wealthy Dr. Burdell, suspicion quickly falls on Emma Cunningham, the refined, pale-skinned widow who managed his house and servants. An ambitious district attorney seeks a swift conviction, but defense attorney Henry Clinton is a formidable obstacle—a man firmly committed to justice and the law, and to the cause of a frightened, vulnerable woman desperately trying to save herself from the gallows.

My Thoughts:

31 Bond Street is a gripping debut historical  mystery novel. What I found fascinating is that Ellen Horan, based the novel on a true crime story, of a brutal murder of a despicable man, a desperate mother and house mistress all set in the backdrop of society in  New York City in the late 1800's.  A wealthy doctor is murdered and suspicion immediately falls on Emma, a woman who is known as a widow and  mother who is his house mistress.  Politics and greed set in as the district attorney seeks to take control and hopes to convict Emma. Fortunately, Emma reaches out to Clinton, a strong defense attorney who has integrity and commitment to following justice and the law. As a reader you are taken through this story mainly from the points of view of Emma and Clinton, before and after the trial that ensues. 31 Bond Street is richly layered in details of the events, characters and weaves a strong story that involves, murder, greed, politics, slavery, child labor and so much more.  The clues are there to find as a reader and I enjoyed the process of the trial and subsequent piecing together of the story to it's final conclusion. I highly recommend 31 Bond Street for those who enjoy historical fiction and mysteries. This would be an excellent book to discuss with a book club as well. There is an interview with the author at the back of the book as well as information on the actual murder trial and how the author came to write the book.

Check out Ellen Horan's Guest Blog in which she shared share what helped the characters from 31 Bond Street come alive after she had done all the research.

Thanks to TLC Book Tours  for providing me an opportunity to be part of the book tour for 31 Bond Street and to Harper Collins for sending me a copy of the trade paperback for review. 

Be sure to check out the other Tour Stops for 31 Bond Street, here.

Review: How to Be an American Housewife by Margaret Dilloway

Description of How to Be an American Housewife:

A lively and surprising novel about a Japanese woman with a closely guarded secret, the American daughter who strives to live up to her mother’s standards, and the rejuvenating power of forgiveness.

How to Be an American Housewife is a novel about mothers and daughters, and the pull of tradition. It tells the story of Shoko, a Japanese woman who married an American GI, and her grown daughter, Sue, a divorced mother whose life as an American housewife hasn’t been what she’d expected. When illness prevents Shoko from traveling to Japan, she asks Sue to go in her place. The trip reveals family secrets that change their lives in dramatic and unforeseen ways. Offering an entertaining glimpse into American and Japanese family lives and their potent aspirations, this is a warm and engaging novel full of unexpected insight.

My Thoughts:

How to Be an American Housewife is a captivating debut novel by Margaret Holloway. The story begins as Shoko, a Japanese woman, tells us the story of her turbulent life as a child growing up during the invasion of Japan and the bombings of Nagasaki and Hiroshima. She marries an American soldier, Charlie, at the suggestion of her father so that she could make a new life in America. Shoko tells her story in flashbacks as she is now an older woman suffering from a heart condition that may have resulted from radiation exposure from the bombings in Japan. Her greatest desire is to return to Japan and mend her relationship with her brother Taro who has not spoken to her since she married an American man.

Shoko's new life in America is a hard one to adjust to. She is married to a Navy man and they move every three years. She has a child, Mike, within the first year of her marriage and a girl, Suiko, many years later. It is hard for Shoko to find friends as she is different culturally and her English is not well refined. She must learn the ways of being an American housewife which is a challenge as the cultures are so different. Her husband Charlie, gives her a homemaking guide, a book called The American Way of Housekeeping which ends up being a wonderful resource for Shoko. At the beginning of each chapter the author shares an excerpt from this fictional guide which were fun to read. Here are a few excerpts that I found interesting:

"When you marry and integrate with Americans, it is only natural no to have friends. Most American women will dislike you. Perhaps looking for other Japanese women will be possible, but probably not. Expect to be alone much of the time. Children help relieve this melancholy."

-From the chapter Culture for Women," How to Be an American Housewife (Pg.37 ARC)

``````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````````

Spaghetti Sauce is the easiest American recipe to make, as long as you remember all the steps and do it far in advance. Letting it sit overnight in the refrigerator is best for developing its flavors. Add sugar if the sauce is too acidic.

Your Husband will be amazed when he comes home to a big pot of spaghetti sauce. It is also a crowd-pleaser. Even little babies and Japanese people like spaghetti sauce.

-From the chapter, "Cooking Western-Style" How to Be an American Housewife (Pg. 110, ARC)

The novel shifts in the second half as it is told through Shoko's daughter Suiko also known as "Sue". Shoko and Sue have their challenges as mother and daughter over the years. Much of it was due to cultural differences as Shoko was raised in Japan and Sue is being raised in a much different cultural environment in America.  Sue is now an adult, a struggling single mother of a daughter Helena, who is 12. Shoko asks Sue to travel to Japan in her place and to find her brother Taro. Sue is hesitant but her daughter Helena convinces her to go together. Their trip to Japan is life changing for them all and opens the hearts of many family members which allows them to let go of past secrets and embrace the future.

HHow to Be an American Housewife highlights the conflicts between cultures and how to adapt to them, the challenges between Japanese mothers and their American born daughters and coming to terms with hidden secrets and family discoveries. I enjoyed this book immensely and felt that it is a story that anyone will enjoy but especially those who are daughters of foreign born mothers. My own mother was foreign born and raised, not from Japan but from Germany. She met my father, an American stationed in Germany and she spoke very little English when she came to America. We didn't have the issue of appearances being different but culturally there were differences. Food, holidays, religions were different just as Shuko and Charlie were of different backgrounds and religions. Melding families of different backgrounds and being a parent in a culture that is different from the one you've been raised in is a challenge. I can see that as an adult now, looking back and I have great respect for my mother and for women who face these challenges when they integrate themselves and their families into a different culture. They are leaving behind their immediate families and past to start anew. It is not easy and takes great inner strength and determination to make it work. I found that Ms. Dilloway did a superb job through her writing to express this point and so many others throughout this book.

I especially enjoyed reading that the author, Ms. Dilloway, based this book on inspiration from her own Japanese mother's experiences including her heart condition. Sadly, Ms. Dilloway's mother died when she was in her 60's and Margaret was just 20. This novel is fiction but there are several stories included that were directly from her mother's life. Ms. Dilloway's father did give her mother a copy of a book called The American Way of Housekeeping which was a guide written in Japanese with English translation and inspired the writing of How to Be an American Housewife. The book was actually written for housekeepers but was often used as a guide for housewives because there was nothing else to guide them. You can read more about The American Way of Housekeeping, here on Ms. Dilloway's website.

About Margaret Dilloway:

Margaret Dilloway was inspired by her Japanese mother’s experiences when she wrote this novel, and especially by a book her father had given to her mother called The American Way of Housekeeping. She lives in Hawaii with her husband and three young children.

How to Be an American Housewife is her first novel.

Visit Margaret’s blog, American Housewife, HERE.

Reading Group Guide for How To Be An American Housewife, HERE.

I read How to Be an American Housewife by Margaret Dilloway as part of her book tour with TLC Book Tours. You can check out other tour stops and reviews, here.

Check back tomorrow for a wonderful Guest Post with Margaret Dilloway and a chance to win your own copy of How to Be an American Housewife!

Disclosure: Thanks to TLC Book Tours and the publisher for sending me a review copy of this book. I am an Amazon and Indiebound associate.

Book Review: Sea Escape by Lynne Griffin & Giveaway

Summary:   Laura Martinez is wedged in the middle place, grappling with her busy life as a nurse, wife, and devoted mom to Henry and Claire, when her estranged mother, Helen, suffers a devastating stroke. In a desperate attempt to lure her mother into choosing life, Laura goes to Sea Escape, the pristine beach home that Helen took refuge in when her carefully crafted life unraveled years ago, after the death of her beloved husband, Joseph. There, Laura hunts for legendary love letters her father wrote to her mother when he served as a reporter for the Associated Press during wartime Vietnam. Believing the beauty and sway of her father’s words have the power to heal, Laura reads the letters bedside to her mother–a woman who once spoke the language of fabric; of Peony Sky in Jade and Paradise Garden Sage–but who can’t or won’t speak to her now. As Laura delves deeper into her tangled family history, each letter revealing patchwork details of her parents’ marriage, she finds a common thread. A secret, mother and daughter unknowingly share.

My Thoughts:

Set in New England, on the coast of Massachusetts, Sea Escape shares the story of a mother and daughter and the challenges that they face. Laura, is in her mid-forties and is happily married with a loving husband and two young children and a career as a nurse working with newborn babies. She still yearns for the approval and closeness of her distant mother Helen. Laura feels that she "lost" her mother when her father died when she was a young girl. Helen then seemed to slip into a world focused on the past and reading love letters from her deceased husband.

When Helen has a stroke, Laura does all that she can to help her and in the process takes a peek into her mother's past to help understand her distant mother. She so desperately wants to connect to her mother and Laura decides to read some of the love letters her father wrote to her mother during their courtship and marriage. These letters prove to be insightful although they also provide a painful look into the past. Laura uncovers secrets that her mother has hidden and the pieces of the past start falling into place.

The story is revealed as it goes back and forth between the present with Laura's point of view and the past from Helen's perspective. I loved how the use of the love letters between Helen and her husband were used to share the past through Helen's point of view. I found this very effective, but I am also a fan of letters in novels as for me, it gives a personal richness to a story. I also enjoyed the parts where Helen shares her life as a young girl and as she grows into a woman during the 1950's through the 1970's and highlights of the time during the Vietnam War.

Sea Escape beautifully unravels the struggles between mother-daughter relationships as well as the bonds that run so deeply. It's a novel that I could connect to as I enjoy reading about mother-daughter relationships and their complexities. Ms. Griffin has created a richly layered story filled with strong characters and the beauty of the New England area.  Sea Escape is the perfect summertime read for those who enjoy reading about mother-daughter relationships and women's fiction with the beautiful backdrop of New England.

I found it very interesting that Ms. Griffin found inspiration for this novel through her own mother's illness and letters her own father wrote to her mother.

SEA ESCAPE is an Indie Next List Notable and Entertainment Weekly Top Ten Book of Summer.  For more information, check out Lynne Griffin's website, here.

You can follow Lynne Griffin on:
Twitter @Lynne_Griffin 
and on Facebook Lynne Griffin


I read Sea Escape by Lynne Griffin as part of her book tour with TLC Book Tours. You can check out other tour stops and reviews, here.


Disclosure: Thanks to TLC Book Tours and the publiser Simon & Schuster for sending me a review copy of this book. I am an Amazon and Indiebond associate.

GIVEAWAY DETAILS:

I have a terrific giveaway, the publisher, Simon & Schuster has generously allowed tour hosts to give away One Copy of Sea Escape by Lynne Griffin AND  One copy of Lynne Griffin's first novel Life Without Summer to one lucky winner!

All you have to do is leave a comment, make sure to include your email address so that I can contact you if you are a winner. Otherwise, I won't be able to include your name in the drawing. Open to US & Canada only. Books will ship directly to the winners from the publisher. Enter by July 30, 2010.

Review & TLC Book Tour: The Lace Makers of Glenmara by Heather Barbieri

“You can always start again,” Kate Robinson’s mother once told her, “all it takes is a new thread.” Overwhelmed by heartbreak and loss, the struggling twenty-six-year-old fashion designer follows her mother’s advice and flees to her ancestral homeland of Ireland, hoping to break free of old patterns and reinvent herself.

My Thoughts:

In reading The Lace Makers of Glenmara we are taken along a journey with Kate through her travels in Ireland to the small seaside village of Glenmara. There in the beauty of Ireland she finds a wonderful community of women who have their own struggles and grief but find a way to deal with it through their friendship and lace making group. Kate is welcomed by most of the women in the group, although there are some concerns  that she is an outsider and not "one" of them. As they work together, the ladies of Glenmara teach Kate the art of lace making while Kate helps them to expand this beautiful craft in a way that touches each of the women's lives.

The story is mainly told through the narration of Kate but it does alternate to the perspectives of other characters in the novel which was quite effective. The characters are strong and interesting, some are quirky and mysterious. I found myself caring about each one and having strong feelings about the few characters that I wasn't as fond of. The beauty of Ireland is conveyed through the story and descriptions of the countryside, especially this small town of Glenmara.

There are twists and turns throughout the story that challenge the lace making group and force the ladies to examine their hearts and passions. There are a few wonderful men that stand out as well, a love interest for Kate and a father who stands up for his daughter and the women of Glenmara. This is a beautifully woven story of women, friendship, love and loss and how you can take sorrows and disappointments and turn them into something positive.

I am a fan of women's fiction and to add a beautiful background of Ireland and the art and craft of lace making to the mix makes The Lace Makers of Glenmara a wonderful novel. It's perfect for a summer read, it has charm and will provide a light and lovely escape to a beautiful place.

About the Author:

Heather Barbieri is half-Irish. Her paternal ancestors left counties Donegal and Tipperary after The Great Famine and worked in the coal mines of Eastern Pennsylvania before settling in Butte, Montana. Her impeccably dressed maternal grandmother was a descendant of a lady-in-waiting to Queen Victoria and instilled an avid interest in fashion in her granddaughters. Barbieri’s first novel, Snow in July (Soho Press), was selected as a Book Sense Pick, a Glamour magazine “Riveting Read,” and a Library Journal Notable First Novel. Before turning to writing fiction full-time, she was a magazine editor, journalist, and film critic. She lives in Seattle, Washington, with her husband and three children, and is currently working on her third novel.

*Connect with Heather on her website, and on Facebook.


Disclosure: Thanks to Harper Collins and TLC Book Tours for sending me a copy of this book to review. I am an Amazon and Indiebound associate.