Miss Alice

So Far Away by Meg Mitchell Moore

Synopsis (from Barnes & Noble):

Thirteen-year-old Natalie Gallagher is trying to escape: from her parents’ ugly divorce, and from the vicious cyber-bullying of her former best friend. Adrift, confused, she is a girl trying to find her way in a world that seems to either neglect or despise her. Her salvation arrives in an unlikely form: Bridget O’Connell, an Irish maid working for a wealthy Boston family. The catch? Bridget lives only in the pages of a dusty old 1920s diary Natalie unearthed in her mother’s basement. But the life she describes is as troubling - and mysterious - as the one Natalie is trying to navigate herself, almost a century later.

I am writing this down because this is my story. There were only ever two people who knew my secret, and both are gone before me.

Who was Bridget, and what became of her?

Natalie escapes into the diary, eager to unlock its secrets, and reluctantly accepts the help of library archivist Kathleen Lynch, a widow with her own painful secret: she’s estranged from her only daughter. Kathleen sees in Natalie traces of the daughter she has lost, and in Bridget, another spirited young woman at risk.

What could an Irish immigrant domestic servant from the 1920s teach them both? As the troubles of a very modern world close in around them, and Natalie’s torments at school escalate, the faded pages of Bridget’s journal unite the lonely girl and the unhappy widow - and might even change their lives forever.

My Thoughts:

I received this book as a GoodReads First Read - and I LOVED it. I enjoyed so many aspects of this book. The length was perfect - long enough for character development, but not so long that I got bored. The characters themselves were diverse and the situations realistic: a mother “losing” her daughter to drugs and the wrong crowd, a gay couple going through the international adoption process, a high school freshman being bullied and losing a best friend, a mother dealing with depression after a failed marriage, and to top it all off the scandalous story of a distant relative who no one even knew existed until finding a very old notebook buried in a basement. 

I thought the resolutions and outcomes were realistic and nothing was over-done or corny. In fact, another reason I enjoyed this read (and think it will be on my mind for a while - the sign of a great book!!) is that not all of the conflicts were blatantly resolved. Sure, there is an epilogue where a little bit more clarity and information was given, but several points were not resolved and were left fairly open to the readers to consider for themselves. 

While I received a pre-print copy and several typo’s were to be expected, I thought the author’s writing style was believable, flowing, cohesive and just the right tempo for my taste. I like my books to move quickly, but I want realistic details so that I can actually visualize places and enough character development so that they become real people in my head. This book delivered all of those things. 

I enjoyed this book so much, I am going to purchase more from this author. Highly recommended!

Final Word: A

Summer Reading

(Photo Credit: jpsblog.org)

This summer, I decided to set a goal for myself: read 20 books. As a member of GoodReads.com, I have participated for the past couple of years in their Reading Challenges. I set the goal of 50 books for the year and, last year, failed miserably. I set the same goal for myself this year and this time around, I will not go down so easily! 

As a graduate student, a lot of my time in the fall, winter and spring is taken up with classes, writing papers, large projects and internships. I am also a recruitment specialist for my sorority, Alpha Gamma Delta. This fall, I hope to add “part time job” to that list as well. Needless to say, reading for pleasure quickly slips under the radar. 

For these reasons, I have chosen to try to get ahead on my 2012 reading goal of 50 books. When I started my summer goal of 20 books, it was the end of April and according to my GoodReads counter, I was already 6 books behind my ideal yearly progress! Of course if I can read more than 20 books this summer, I will. I am determined to meet both summer and yearly goals! 

What summer reading goals do you have this year? Are you just hoping to get through that one hot summer read? Trying to read more classics this year? Or are you, like me, working your way through a whole laundry list of books? Which books top your summer reading list? 

When Light Breaks by Patti Callahan Henry

“When Light Breaks” by Patti Callahan Henry

Synopsis (from Barnes & Noble):

Twenty-seven-year-old Kara Larson is bogged down in the stress of planning her elaborate wedding to a professional golfer. Still, to fulfill the requirements of the Palmetto Pointe Junior Society, she makes time in her busy schedule to visit an elderly woman at a nursing home facility. Soon she finds herself mesmerized by the singsong Irish lilt of ninety-six-year-old Maeve Mahoney as Maeve recounts the rambling story of her first love back in Ireland. Or, Kara begins to wonder, is she really retelling an ancient tale of myth and legend? Waiting for the story to unfold in bits and pieces, and trying to discern the underlying truth, Kara is drawn in—and driven to remember her own first love: childhood neighbor Jack Sullivan. Gradually she realizes that before she embarks on her new life, she must find out how her own story—with Jack—will end.…

My Thoughts:

I enjoyed this book - while it lasted. I thought the story was okay. It was predictable, but I was expecting that. It’s one of those first love, grow up and move on (kind of) go back to your first love type stories. I get where the author was going with throwing in visits to Maeve and how her stories worked with the larger story line of the whole book. I just wish it had been a little bit longer and more developed all around. There were so many stories, flashbacks and “Is it the truth? Or is it just a made up story?” going on simultaneously at times that it was a bit of a mess in such a short book. I think if the author had taken the time to really flesh out some of her ideas, some supporting characters and give the book some real meat I would have rated it higher. As it stands, the story is nice enough, I appreciated the author’s southern charm and it was an enjoyable summer read. 

Final Word: B

Thin, Rich, Pretty by Beth Harbison

Thin, Rich, Pretty by Beth Harbison

Synopsis (by Barnes & Noble):

Twenty years ago, Holly and Nicola were the outsiders at summer camp. Holly, the plump one, was a dreamer who longed to be an artist. Nicola, the shy, plain one, wanted nothing more than to be beautiful. Their cabin nemesis was Lexi. Rich, spoiled, evil Lexi. One night, Holly and Nicola teamed up to pull one daring act of vengeance. But they never considered that this one act would have repercussions for decades.

Today Holly is a successful gallery owner who has put her own artistic dreams on hold. She still struggles with her weight and for approval from her overly critical boyfriend. Nicola is an almost-famous actress who believes that one little plastic surgery fix is just what she needs to put her over the edge into fame. And Lexi … Lexi is down on her luck and totally broke.

Holly will do anything to be thin. Lexi will do anything to be rich. And Nicola will do anything to be pretty. But at what cost?  Hilarious, heartwarming, and full of truth, Thin, Rich, Pretty will strike a chord with any woman who has ever looked in the mirror, or at their bank statement, and said, “If only … ”

My Thoughts:

When I chose this book, it’s because I had just finished “Lolita” and I was looking for a light, easy read without a lot of garbled nonsense to weed through. You know, “chick lit.” However, unlike most books in the genre, this story had really good messages to it. The characters were relatable both when told from the 12-year-old camper point of view to the 33-year-old professional viewpoint. The main characters dealt with real issues like body image, disliking a particular facial feature, self acceptance, money troubles, men who made them worthless and other very real issues many women face today. Of course it had a happy ending for everyone, but there was great stuff along the way. One major theme I particularly enjoyed that was also out of the ordinary for this type of book was the concept of going back and making amends. Along with the idea of righting past wrongs came the realization that A) not everyone is their 13-year-old self forever; people grow up. B) People may act a certain way, but it might not be for the reasons you’d think. C) Give everyone a chance. By having preconceived notions about others, you could be losing out on the opportunity for a truly great friend. The characters could have been developed a bit more and I wouldn’t have minded if the book had been longer, however if fulfilled what I was looking for: something quick, simple and entertaining!

Overall, very good book. Interesting, fast-paced, easy read with more of a message than most chick-lit stories.

Final Word: A-

Essie “Turquoise & Caicos”

I don’t normally go for blue or green nail polish - it’s just not my thing. But I have been seeing a lot more light blues, minty greens and subdued aqua colors lately. I purchased Essie’s “Turquoise & Caicos” on complete impulse. I just needed something new. So, I tried it for the first time today and I LOVE it! It’s a more subdued pool-blue aqua color which I was much more comfortable trying than some outrageous neon or bright cobalt.

If you’re looking for something outside of the standard bright pink zone, think this is a great color for summer or a tropical vacation. I am also going to try doing a French tip with “Turquoise & Caicos” as the base and a bright pinky-tangerine color for the tip. The colors really compliment each other and have a very summery southwest feel when paired. Plus, the tangerine colors are very hot right now! 

I used 2 coats just because I wanted a richer color, but surprisingly I could have gotten away with 1 and a top coat. I have noticed that Essie colors don’t seem to leave that streaky look that other polishes often have if you only use one coat. The polish really forms a nice, clean, smooth layer that is simply more sheer than using 2 coats. It does take a little longer than some other polishes to dry, but it also hold up very well with little to no chipping for a full 7-10 days. I currently only have 2 colors from Essie (“Turquoise & Caicos” and “Mademoiselle” which is a very light pink) but I’m well on my way to being a HUGE fan and I’ll be on the lookout for the next best color very soon! What is your favorite nail polish?

With a mid-range price at about $8 per bottle, it’s widely available. I actually purchased mine at K-Mart, but I know it is sold at Target, Ulta and other major retailers.  

Overall Rating: A