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.

The School of Essential Ingredients

I am not exactly sure where the new craze for "foodie" or "recipe" type books came from but I am loving it. I just finished The School of Essential Ingredients by Erica Bauermeister and wow, just wow. The book was one of my favorite books I have read all year. It was the type of book that has passages that I would read and then re-read just to feel the words again.

One of my favorite passages that I read multiple times is this amazingness: "He sank into the warmth of his child's fragile body against his shoulder, watched in awe that a baby, still essentially asleep, could keep a death grip on the blanket that meant the world was safe and loving, marveling at the thought that it was he and Helen who gave the feeling to the blanket, and the blanket to the child."

That was just a little taste of the book. The book is amazing!

The book is about a cooking class that is held once a week. The story is told by devoting a chapter to each of the attendees at the cooking class, telling their stories and weaving in their participation in the class and the lessons they learn. It begins with the instructor, Lillian, who is a master of matching spices to individual moods. She began cooking at a young age out of self-preservation and used food to draw out her emotionally absent mother. Lillian has a beautiful ability in her cooking classes to tie cooking into each of her student's lives in a subtle and extraordinary way.

The story continues with each of the students stories interwoven with the weekly course. The characters are so delightfully described that you wish you had been in the class with them just to learn from each of them and get to know them personally. I felt invested in each of their lives and treasured the pages dedicated to each of them. I felt so happy when I finished the book and I have nothing but absolute rave reviews for this book.

Read it. Buy it for yourself for Christmas!

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."

Deep Dish by Mary Kay Andrews

A darling book about two cooking shows having a face-off, each trying to win syndication of their own cooking show in the "big time." Tate and Gina are the classic protagonists, hating to love each other. Set in Georgia, there is definitely a healthy dose of Southern charm and fried food tangled in with some clever moments meant to spark a completely fabricated but lovable romance.

I really enjoyed reading this, although there wasn't as much "foodie talk" as I was anticipating. It was a cute little love story, and a good break from the intellectual reading I've been doing lately. There was a bit of language, but nothing too totally abrasive. I enjoyed the story and finished the book in about four hours.

3 stars. It's a library read, for sure.

Safe Haven by Nicholas Sparks

I did it again...I went to Costco to buy food and checked out with two books in my cart. One of them was Nicholas Sparks' new book, Safe Haven. Now, now, don't judge me...I like sappy love stories sometimes. Courtesy of Amazon, here is a summary of the book:

When a mysterious young woman named Katie appears in the small North Carolina town of Southport, her sudden arrival raises questions about her past. Beautiful yet self-effacing, Katie seems determined to avoid forming personal ties until a series of events draws her into two reluctant relationships: one with Alex, a widowed store owner with a kind heart and two young children; and another with her plainspoken single neighbor, Jo. Despite her reservations, Katie slowly begins to let down her guard, putting down roots in the close-knit community and becoming increasingly attached to Alex and his family.

But even as Katie begins to fall in love, she struggles with the dark secret that still haunts and terrifies her . . . a past that set her on a fearful, shattering journey across the country, to the sheltered oasis of Southport. With Jo's empathic and stubborn support, Katie eventually realizes that she must choose between a life of transient safety and one of riskier rewards . . . and that in the darkest hour, love is the only true safe haven.

Now for my thoughts. I was really enjoying the book and I really loved the story. BUT, I feel like I needed another chapter at the end. Also, there were parts of the ending that I didn't really like and left me a bit on the confused side. These thoughts propelled me to give the book 3 stars on Goodreads. All in all, a great Nicholas Sparks read that took very little time to finish and left me with the satisfaction of a sappy love story. Mission accomplished.

"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!

Texas Roads by Cathy Bryant

I was given a copy of Texas Roads by Cathy Bryant to review for another book blog. The novel grabbed my interest from the very beginning of the book. I started the book before work, read on my lunch break and then picked it up as soon as I could that evening and finished it, in other words, I loved it and I finished it ridiculously fast.

Texas Roads is a Christian novel about Dani Davis, a woman from the big city of Dallas who embarks on a trip to visit her aunt, that she has never met, in small town Miller's Creek, Texas. Dani is searching for a place to call home and for any type of peace after her father dies and her already unhappy marriage ends when her husband is killed in a car accident.

As she nears Miller's Creek, her car runs out of gas, she locks her keys in the car and a Texas rain storm makes the situation even worse. She is saved by a cowboy who she instantly alienates with her city attire and her sour attitude. She doesn't realize until she arrives at her aunt's home that the cowboy, Steve, is a pseudo son that watches over her aunt and she will have to work to change her first impression. As time goes by, the relationship with Steve goes through several bumps as they struggle with the tension and mistrust of each other as they develop a friendship.

During her stay in Miller's Creek, she falls in love with the town and wants to help revitalize the town, which has been struggling since the railroad cut the route through town. Just as she begins to feel peace and feel like she is needed, malicious rumors begin in town and she is alienated from the town and people she has grown to love. She continues to fight for the town but feels the pain of loneliness return.

Cathy Bryant has an exceptional writing style that skillfully develops lovable characters, highlights so many traditions of small town Texans, and tells a dramatic story of a woman who struggles with trust after being betrayed by her husband and searches for meaning in her life and a place to call home. The story is inspirational and well written, I recommend it if you want a novel that portrays good values and tells a good story!

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.

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.

Memoirs of a Teenage Amnesiac by Gabrielle Zevin

As far as YA fiction goes, I enjoyed this book. However, I wouldn't recommend it as a change your life must-read novel. It was fun and entertaining.

Naomi, the MC, konks her head and has amnesia. She doesn't remember anything, including her boyfriend, best friend, dad's fianceeor really her purpose in life.

As she "wakes up," she starts to see her role in the world from an outsider's perspective and recognizes some things she wishes she could change.

Zevin is very good at portraying the teenage angst that is so familiar if you ever were a teenager or have ever worked with them.

I'd suggest this book as a "coming down off a classics" novel. In other words, this was a good read after finishing The Count of Monte Cristo.

The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown

I have been anticipating the release of The Lost Symbol for a very long time. I heard rumors of it being written a couple of years ago and it was finally released this week. I was most excited about the setting of the new book, Washington, D.C. I love to read books that are set in a location that I know well so that when the character sees something, I have a perfect image of what they are seeing in my mind. For the most part, Dan Brown did a fabulous job describing the scene and painting out the details of what the character was seeing throughout his adventure. *

In his new novel, Dan Brown continues the adventures of Robert Langdon, who was his main character in Angels and Demons and The Da Vinci Code. Robert is enjoying a typical quiet Sunday morning in Boston when he receives a call from the assistant of one of his dearest friends, Peter Solomon, who is the head of the Smithsonian Institute. Peter is desperate to find a last minute replacement for a speaker that had canceled on him and was supposed to speak at a major event Peter had arranged for in the U.S. Capitol. Robert agrees to help and Peter sends a private jet to bring him from Boston to D.C. Robert is running late and rushes into the Capitol building with just a few seconds to spare. He turns the corner to walk into the famous Statuary Hall where the event is to be held and immediately stops as he realizes it is empty except for a few tourists and there is no speech.

Robert is baffled as to what is going on and tries to reach Peter's assistant and as soon as the assistant picks up, Robert explains the situation. The assistant then tells Robert that he is completely careless to believe someone that he has never met before and that Peter actually has no idea that he is in D.C. The assistant then tells him that he is not actually Peter's assistant and he had kidnapped Peter and Robert had been summoned to D.C. to save his friend. Robert is told that he is the only one that can save him (very typical for a Dan Brown book if you have read any before...)

Robert must solve a very old puzzle/myth relating to the Freemasons, a very famous and historical brotherhood/fraternity, in order to save Peter. Several problems present themselves to Robert from the beginning, the biggest of which is that the CIA is after him and he has no idea how they knew what was happening moments after the phone call. Robert runs all over D.C. and is assisted by several very powerful Masons in order to get all of the clues that he needs to discover the meaning of the puzzle.

The book kept me guessing and I became addicted to the story. If you have read any of the Dan Brown books, you should definitely read this one as well. If you haven't ever read a Dan Brown book, read this! In other words, I recommend it to anyone that wants a fascinating historical suspense.

I give this book 5 stars!

*If you have ever been to DC before and are familiar with the city and especially the US Capitol building, I dare you to find the minor mistakes Dan Brown made in the details. They are minor and didn't bother me, but I did find it amusing to stop and say "wait a second that isn't right..."