Heart of Ice by Lis Wiehl

A year ago, I reviewed Hand of Fate by Lis Wiehl. Recently, I was given the opportunity to review Lis Wiehl's new book Heart of Ice, which will be released tomorrow.

Heart of Ice is a continuation of the story of three friends, one a crime reporter (Cassidy), one a federal prosecutor (Allison), and the third a FBI special agent (Nicole). Each woman is handling personal hardships and struggling in their individual ways.

Cassidy loves her job as a crime reporter but feels threatened by the new beautiful intern that will do whatever it takes to get the story. Cassidy turns to the friendly new boot camp instructor at her gym, Elizabeth. Elizabeth is conniving and knows exactly how to get what she wants by using people. But Elizabeth has much deeper and darker secrets that she is hiding. Secrets that will bring Cassidy and her two best friends into a dangerous game.

Allison is still struggling with her miscarriage when her delinquent sister shows up on her doorstep. Allison is caught between her need to help her sister start a new life and her fear of being taken advantage of. She is worried to bring her best friends into her problems and feels alone as she deals with her struggle for a child.

Nicole finds a lump in her breast and knows in her gut that it is breast cancer. She has always been independent but has a strong difficulty letting anyone into her trust after she was raped several years ago. She reacts by distancing her self from everyone who loves her and refusing to tell anyone of the lump, including her best friends and the man she hoped for a future with. She wonders if those around her will look at her with pity if they knew what was going on and prefers to just deal with it all alone.

I also really enjoy reading about the friendship between the three main characters because I think we all have moments that we are just like each of them individually. We have moments of wondering if our friends really care and if it better to just deal with things alone. We then have moments where we are selfish and demand all of the time and attention. And we have moments of caring so much that it hurts. But through it all, our true friends love us and handle our craziness. This is how these three women are and I love it.

I really enjoyed the book and I wish that the next book in the series was being released much sooner. If you like James Patterson novels or the like, I recommend this series.

Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Luiz Zafron

Just finished this for my book club online (pickwickreaders.blogspot.com) and I was a little late to the party. It took me a while to get through it, but here is my Goodreads review:

Oh boy. What DID I think of this novel? SO many things, I thought. The writing is BREATHTAKING. Looking at my copy, you'd think this was a textbook with all the underlining and stars. It is phenomenal to think that this is a translation. It is beautiful. It is kind of spooky. It is very mysterious. And I have some complaints.
1) Without spoiling, I would just like to say, the end came too quick and was too tidy. I felt like he got bored with writing halfway through and the mystery was just kind of...resolved. Not ...........almostresolved......still not....then resolved. If you get what I'm screamin'.
2) I felt like Daniel's dad was WAY underdeveloped, and I loved him as a character.
3) I didn't finish it and then want to start at the beginning again. That would have earned five stars. But I was secretly just relieved when I finished.

The History of Love by Nicole Krauss

My blip about a lovely book:

Holy smokes. What took me so long to read this? It was incredible, beautifully written, totally captivating and a little odd. All things this reader (me) LOVES. Just a little bit of genius this week.

Jaclyn's (my fellow book snob friend) more eloquent way of putting it:

From the moment I read the opening pages, I was entranced by Krauss' novel. Her storytelling ability is complex and beautiful. She approaches love and loss without trite cliches and placating explanations. Reading this book reminded me why we fall in love and why it's so hard to let go when love leaves and then why it's so important to fall in love again. Truly an exceptional book--

And a few words from Ms. Krauss herself:

"He wondered if what he had taken for the richness of silence was really the poverty of never being heard."

"Desire was born early, as was regret."

A Path Less Traveled by Cathy Bryant

Earlier this year, I reviewed this book and loved it. A couple of weeks ago, I was lucky enough to get the chance to review Cathy Bryant's new book in the series, A Path Less Traveled. The second book in the series is just as charming as the first.

Trish James is stubborn and doesn't want help from anyone, especially since everyone is trying to rescue her and her son after the tragic death of her husband. She is determined to make it on her own and prove to everyone that she can take care of herself. Her new business is failing and she is on the verge of bankruptcy, but she refuses to reveal the depth of her struggles to anyone. The only option she can see is to move her and her son away from Miller's Creek, the town she loves and the only support system she has ever known.

Andy Tyler is a successful attorney who knows the struggle it takes to build a successful life from nothing. His personal life is struggling after his heart was broken when his engagement came to a heartbreaking end the night before the wedding. Andy is looking to start over and take on a new business challenge as the town attorney for Miller's Creek. He is unprepared for the sudden instinct to protect Trish James and come to her rescue, even though she makes it clear she is determined to not be rescued.

The story and the characters is so charming and I loved it just like I loved the first book in the series. I really wish the third book would come out tomorrow! It is a great read and I recommend them for a sit by the fire book this winter.

Talent Is Overrated by Geoff Colvin

My husband, oldest kid and I are doing a 52 books in 52 weeks challenge. This was my first book selection and it was a good start-up book.

Colvin effectively convinced me that I can be really, really, ridiculously good at something if I really want to be. He shares his research about deliberate practice and its effect on performance. He uses anecdotes from the lives of Chris Rock, Tiger Woods, violin virtuosos and champion chess players.

I particularly enjoyed the chapter about the age/performance ratio and the role of intelligence and memory.

That said, this is a very technical book. It isn't a story and doesn't read like one. It is meticulously written and if you're only mildly interested, you WILL get bored.

"Insignifcant Moments" by Jeremy Asher

Insignificant Moments by Jeremy Asher is a book telling the story of three characters over a five year period. Jaye is a 27 year old librarian that is overly cautious in his life and is struggling with a quarter life crisis. Julie is a young woman trying to figure out how much compromise is too much in her marriage and when she will get the chance to have a say in her life. Anna is a young widow with two children who is searching for stability after her life fell apart following her husband's death.

The three characters, each in their own way, find strength in those small and seemingly insignificant moments. The book is predictable yet very charming. It was a feel good book that was a quick read for a day you want to be reminded to enjoy the moment. I suggest this for one of those rainy fall days when all you want to do is read a book and eat delicious fall soups!

The Lacemakers of Glenmara by Heather Barbieri

LOVED IT!!

I am glad that I took a course in contemporary Irish theatre (it was a capstone class for my English major) because I feel like I appreciate better anything belonging to the Emerald Isle.

The concept of this story is about a woman running from her problems in the states to her ancestral home of Ireland. Initially, this idea turned me off big time due to my issues with Eat, Pray, Love, but I think Barbieri really took the novel to a different place. I love that she actually helped this little hamlet of Glenmara, and I loved the premise of doing it through lingerie. (If that's not a tantalizing tidbit that makes you want to read it, we probably don't have the same taste.)

I especially enjoyed her landscape descriptions...I want to go to Ireland in a big way, and this was just another stone in the pot.

4 stars.

The Postmistress by Sarah Blake

Every time that someone asked me lately what I was reading and I told them I was reading The Postmistress, they gave me a questioning look. No, this book is not about a mistress. Read this review and then read the book, it is a great World War II era book.

The Postmistress by Sarah Blake is a remarkable novel about three women whose lives are loosely intertwined during World War II. The war is ravaging in Europe but America is not yet involved.
Iris James is a single woman who arrives in Franklin, Massachusetts to take the position of postmistress (a woman in charge of a post office, aka postmaster). Iris prides herself in the order and reason of her post office. She is at the center of Franklin society and knows almost everything about everyone but keeps things in confidence. Emma Fitch is the new bride of the young town doctor who has just arrived in Franklin. Emma has dreamed for years to find the feeling of home after her parents died when she was young. She feels lost and empty when her new husband leaves to volunteer in war torn London, promising to return in six months. Frankie Bard is an American journalist reporting from London, delivering powerful and heart-wrenching stories. Frankie is reporting on the blitz in London hoping to wake up Americans and make them see what the war is doing to Europe.

Each woman questions how the stories of life are written and whether or not they have a say. Do things just happen or do we have control? Are there things that are better left unsaid or is it our obligation to share our experiences and share things with the world? What is our role in life?

It was a book that has left me thinking long after I finished the last page. I really enjoyed it!

Belong to Me by Marisa de los Santos

I love this author's voice. This book is a sequel of sorts to a book I read a couple of years ago, called Love Walked In. For a great and thorough review of this book, see here. (thanks Jac)

Marisa de los Santos paints words. There is no other way to describe it. Everything feels so beautiful. If nothing else, this book is worth the read simply for the language....the metaphors, OH, the metaphors.

So, theme. The story deals with belonging: friendship, romantic and family relationships alike. There were so many twists to the relationships (particularly the Lake/Dev, Cornelia/Piper, and Cornelia/Teo) that my brain was kind of spinning once I picked up on the intertwined story.

The cons: some parts were predictable, and some language - not as bad as Love Walked In if I remember right, but enough to be mildly offensive to some.

I don't want to give anything away, but I very much enjoyed this book. Pick it up. You'll like it.

The Madonnas of Leningrad by Debra Dean

This novel was an interesting fusion of dealing with Alzheimer's and shocking history. The main character, Marina, is an old woman who is losing touch with the present while recalling in perfect detail her past experience as a museum tour guide in the Hermitage in Leningrad during World War II.

I loved the art described in the book. It was beautiful, and made me run to the Hermitage's website to get a better mental image of the paintings and the halls.

I was also intrigued by the siege of Leningrad, not something I have ever heard or read about. As the author says, "I had never been taught in school about the Soviet Union's role in the Second World War...I had never heard about the siege of Leningrad." One of the Russian women she spoke with responded, "But we stopped Hitler...Over 2 million people died." I was disturbed a bit by the fact that we DON'T learn this in school.

It was a great book. Read it.

I saw The Moment Between by Nicole Baart as a recommended book on Amazon and I am pretty glad that I took the recommendation. Although the story was a little slow at times, I really enjoyed the book. Instead of trying to summarize it myself, I am going to just steal the synopsis from the back of the book because it was what drew me in.

"Abigail Bennett was completely in control of her life until tragedy pushed her to the brink of something she’d never experienced: obsession. Now, she’s given up everything she’s ever worked for to chase down the object of that obsession. His name is Tyler Kamp. As Abigail follows him across the border into Canada to a beautiful winery in British Columbia, her journey is awash in memories of family and childhood, especially those of her younger sister, Hailey. Dangerously beautiful yet indefinably needy, Hailey seemed to take all the risks Abigail avoided. Until now. But even as Abigail races into her future, her past continues to pull her back. Only when she is brought to the edge of her obsession will she be able to come to terms with the tragedy that ignited it. A breathtaking story about the emotional risks of relationships, The Moment Between explores the cost of regret, the desire for revenge, and the redemptive power of forgiveness."

It was an interesting look at the effect that mental illness has on an entire family. The story was intriguing and I thought it was well written. If you have a hard time getting through it at the beginning, keep reading, the story really is intriguing.