Kid Konnection: Love and Other Perishable Items

Every Saturday, I host a feature called Kid Konnection -- a regular weekend feature about anything related to children's books. This week, I'm going to share with you an entertaining young adult book about an awkward, yet honest, relationship.

Summary: Love is awkward, Amelia should know.

From the moment she sets eyes on Chris, she is a goner. Lost. Sunk. Head over heels infatuated with him. It's problematic, since Chris, 21, is a sophisticated university student, while Amelia, 15, is 15.

Amelia isn't stupid. She knows it's not gonna happen. So she plays it cool around Chris—at least, as cool as she can. Working checkout together at the local supermarket, they strike up a friendship: swapping life stories, bantering about everything from classic books to B movies, and cataloging the many injustices of growing up. As time goes on, Amelia's crush doesn't seem so one-sided anymore. But if Chris likes her back, what then? Can two people in such different places in life really be together?

Through a year of befuddling firsts—first love, first job, first party, and first hangover—debut author Laura Buzo shows how the things that break your heart can still crack you up. -- Knopf

LOVE AND OTHER PERISHABLE ITEMS by Laura Buzo is probably one of those books that I should be featuring a little closer to Valentine's Day because of the subject matter, but I just finished this one a few days ago and wanted to share it with you sooner rather than later. LOVE AND OTHER PERISHABLE ITEMS is a very funny young adult book that showcases a realistic look at young love.

Amelia is a fifteen year old girl who works at a grocery store after school and on weekends. She has a major crush on Chris, a twenty-one year old college student. She knows that she has zero chance with a guy that age, yet she can't help but see that they have a connection, and she suspects that he might be attracted to her too!

LOVE AND OTHER PERISHABLE ITEMS covers a year in Amelia's life. And it's quite a year filled with many memorable firsts. The reader gets an inside look into Amelia's first job, her first party, her first crush, and much more. In addition, there are even a few journal excerpts from Chris. Overall, it's a very cute book that takes an honest look at love and friendship.

I don't read many young adult books, but LOVE AND OTHER PERISHABLE ITEMS definitely caught my eye. First of all, I was drawn to the cover and the title. I know I shouldn't "judge a book by its cover" or even a title, but I thought both were so clever. Secondly, I was impressed with the reviews that this debut novel was receiving. Kirkus Reviews gave the novel not only a starred review but also named it one of the Best of Teens Books of 2012. And lastly, I admit I was drawn to the story because, like Amelia, I spent some time during my teen years working as a checkout clerk at a grocery store.

Even though it's been awhile since I worked at a grocery store, I can still remember many of the dynamics of the teen and college employees. There were lots of parties, dating, jealousy, and crushes, and it definitely didn't hurt to be in good favor with the supervisors. There was even one older guy who always seemed to be hitting on the young girls. I have to say that Ms. Buzo's novel nailed these aspects perfectly. I got a major kick out of the various characters and their interactions, and I appreciated how authentic this book was.

However, I most enjoyed the characters of Amelia and Chris. Both were fantastic and so real. (I don't know if I can stress just how genuine they were to me!) Despite being only fifteen, in many ways, Amelia was quite mature. I loved how well-read she was (especially with Chris's recommendations), and I thought her insights into life (and feminism) were pretty smart for a young girl. I think it was the blend of her honestly and her naivete that caused Chris to notice her.

While I enjoyed that most of the book was written in Amelia's voice, I was extremely happy to also get an inside peak into Chris's mind. He just seemed like such a typical guy on the outside, but he had some major insecurities and baggage from a lost love on the inside. I really appreciated his honesty and his desire to be his own man, and I could totally understand Amelia's feelings towards him.

Overall, I thought LOVE AND OTHER PERISHABLE ITEMS was a fantastic book. It was a smart and funny look at teen relationships that definitely rang true for me (and I suspect it will for most readers.) Highly recommended.

Thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy of this novel. 

If you'd like to participate in Kid Konnection and share a post about anything related to children's books (picture, middle grade, or young adult) from the past week, please leave a comment as well as a link below with your name/blog name and the title of the book! Feel free to grab the little button too! 

Merry Christmas!

Wishing you a Merry Christmas! I hope you and your family have a blessed Christmas and a safe and happy New Year!

Kid Konnection: Bon Appetit!

Every Saturday, I host a feature called Kid Konnection -- a regular weekend feature about anything related to children's books. This week, I'm going to share with you a wonderful picture book about the famous chef Julia Child.

Summary: In a starred review, Publishers Weekly raves, "Chef and TV personality Julia Child likely would have delighted in and hooted over this wide-ranging picture-book biography.... Readers young and old will devour this fete pour les yeux."

Follow Julia Child—chef, author, and television personality—from her childhood in Pasadena, California, to her life as a spy in WWII, to the cooking classes she took in Paris, to the publication of Mastering the Art of French Cooking, to the funny moments of being a chef on TV. This is a comprehensive and enchanting picture book biography, told in many panels and jam-packed with lively, humorous, and child-friendly details. Young chefs and Julia Child fans will exclaim, "ooooh la la," about this book, which is as energetic and eccentric as the chef herself. -- Schwartz & Wade

BON APPETIT!: THE DELICIOUS LIFE OF JULIA CHILD by Jessie Hartland just has to be one of my favorite picture books that I've read this year. It's positively delightful and has certainly gathered its fair share of praise. I was anxious to read this book after Kathy (aka Bermudaonion) reviewed it earlier this year, and I was so grateful when she sent it to me.

While I will most likely never cook any of the recipes from a Julia Child cookbook, I am very interested in her life. I read her memoir MY LIFE IN FRANCE and even saw Julie & Julia in the movie theater (which is extremely rare for me!) I have also visited her kitchen at the Smithsonian National Museum of American History a few times, and I'm planning on tackling the huge biography of her that came out earlier this year. But in the meantime, BON APPETIT was the perfect way for me to learn a little more about Ms. Child.

BON APPETIT is too darn cute! It's definitely a biography of Ms. Child's life, but it's presented in a very fun way that kids (and parents) will appreciate. Nothing about this story is dry! The book is technically a picture book, but it has panels and text that remind me of a graphic novel. And, the artwork by Jessie Hartland is to darn cute. It's very colorful and whimsical and the perfect complement to Ms. Hartland's entertaining biography of Ms. Child.

In addition to the artwork and story, I loved the messages in this book. They are perfect for young children. Ms. Child wasn't the greatest student or even the prettiest one, and she was a bit of a late bloomer; however, she was determined to succeed at what she loved and she never gave up. The ten years she spent working on MASTERING THE ART OF FRENCH COOKING definitely proved that! The book also shows that it's possible to find your passion and make a difference.

Another neat thing about BON APPETIT is that it presented a lot of information about cooking and food to children. My kids probably wouldn't know half the ingredients or foods mentioned in this book, but the author did a great job of explaining them to young readers. I especially appreciated that she drew a small truffle and explained not only what a truffle was, but how much one that size would cost. At the end of the book, the author even included her recipe for crepes.

As you can see, I absolutely adored BON APPETIT -- everything about it. The artwork, the story, and even the message make this book extremely special! Highly recommended!

Thanks to the Kathy for giving us a copy of this book.

Weekend Cooking is hosted by Beth Fish Reads and is open to anyone who has any kind of food-related post to share: Book (novel, nonfiction) reviews, cookbook reviews, movie reviews, recipes, random thoughts, gadgets, fabulous quotations, photographs. If your post is even vaguely foodie, feel free to grab the button and link up anytime over the weekend. Please link to your specific post, not your blog's home page. 

If you'd like to participate in Kid Konnection and share a post about anything related to children's books (picture, middle grade, or young adult) from the past week, please leave a comment as well as a link below with your name/blog name and the title of the book! Feel free to grab the little button too! 

Review: Gone

Summary: For the past fourteen years, Eve Adams has worked part-time while raising her two children and emotionally supporting her sculptor husband, Eric, through his early fame and success. Now, at forty-two, she suddenly finds herself with a growing career of her own—a private nutritionist practice and a book deal—even as Eric’s career sinks deeper into the slump it slipped into a few years ago.

After a dinner at a local restaurant to celebrate Eve’s success, Eric drives the babysitter home and, simply, doesn’t come back. Eve must now shift the family in possibly irreparable ways, forcing her to realize that competence in one area of life doesn’t always keep things from unraveling in another.

Gone is an outstanding novel about change and about redefining, in middle age, everything from one’s marriage to one’s career to one’s role as a best friend, parent, and spouse. It is a novel about passion and forgiveness and knowing when to let something go and when to fight to hold on to it, about learning to say goodbye—but, if you’re lucky, not forever. -- Atria

If I had to choose my favorite type of book, I'd probably say women's fiction or "book clubby books." More specifically, I seem to enjoy books that deal with dysfunctional families. So when I was looking at my book stash a few weeks ago, I decided that GONE by Cathi Hanauer looked like a book that was pretty ideal for me.

GONE tells the story of Eve, a mother of two whose career as a nutritionist and author is finally taking off. Professionally everything seems to be falling into place for her, but her home life is another story. Her teenage daughter is beginning to rebel and her husband seems distant. One night after a dinner to celebrate Eve's success, her husband takes the babysitter home and never returns. Eve had been supporting the family, both financially and emotionally, for the past few months as her husband's career as a sculptor continued to decline; however, she had absolutely no idea that her marriage was on the brink of collapse.

While Eve's husband is away, Eve tries to balance her career and her duties as a mother, but she learns that it's extremely difficult. Eve perseveres with "doing it all" and along the way, she learns many new things about herself as well as the true meaning of love, acceptance, and forgiveness.

Overall I thought GONE was a well written story that definitely captured my interest and then kept it. I appreciated the characters, but didn't always like them; and I really enjoyed the universal themes that this novel explored. There is no doubt that the characters in this book have flaws (and for the most part, they were pretty realistic ones), and I found them to be extremely complex. One very positive aspect of this novel is that it made me think -- about love, marriage, parenting and even forgivness!

Another thing I really liked was the way the novel was presented. Much of the story was from Eve's viewpoint; however, the reader was also given some insight into her husband's mind. Initially, I was very much on Eve's side and it wasn't until I saw her husband's side of the story that I realized that a troubled marriage is never just one person's fault. I found it very interesting to see how both characters interpreted the same events, and I actually understood how their marriage was falling apart.

For the most part, I did like this novel; however, there were a few things that kept me from saying this was a great story. First of all, one of the main characters suffered from depression, and I thought the way the author presented the information about the disorder was a little strange. Initially, the author did a great job of showing just how destructive this disease can be by having the character continue to decline; however, when he was approached about getting help, the characters' dialogue seemed straight out of a public service announcement. There is one scene in particular where the dialogue didn't seem as "tight" as the rest of the novel.

In addition, I didn't love any of the characters, and while that's not necessary, I tend to enjoy books more if I can relate. Almost all of them got on my nerves at times (especially Eve) and I never really felt a connection to most of them. I will admit that both Eve and her husband made me very frustrated -- namely because they acted very stubbornly and selfishly. And there were definitely times that I just wanted to put them in a room together and force them to talk to each other. Their lack of communication was a HUGE issue for them, and it drove me crazy. Having said all that, it's quite possible that this portrayal of a troubled marriage is very realistic.

Because this book delved into so many themes that many middle aged people experience, I think it would be a great book club selection for individuals in the late 30s and beyond. There is a reading guide for GONE with twelve interesting questions as well as some ideas for enhancing your book club meeting. Some of the themes you might want to discuss include family, parenting, marriage, grief, guilt, acceptance, redemption, forgiveness, change, depression, insecurities, and addiction.

I definitely liked GONE despite my few small quibbles and I think fans of women's fiction will appreciate it too.

Thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy of this novel.

Guest Review: Black Fridays

Summary: Sometimes a man can be redeemed. But not in the way he expects.

Jason Stafford is a former Wall Street hotshot who made some bad moves, paid the price with two years in prison, and is now trying to put his life back together. He’s unemployable, until an investment firm asks him to look into possible problems left by a junior trader who died recently in an accident. What he discovers is big – there are problems, all right, the kind that get you killed.

But it’s not his only concern. Stafford has another quest as well: to reclaim his five-year-old son, “the Kid,” from his unstable ex-wife, and then learn just what it means to make a life with him. The things Stafford discovers about himself in the process are every bit as gripping as his investigation, and when the two threads of his life come together – the results are unforgettable.

Black Fridays marks the arrival of a remarkable new writer. -- Putnam

When I received a copy of BLACK FRIDAYS by Michael Sears, I knew I'd be passing it along to my dad. The description of the book just sounded like one that he'd enjoy, and for the most part, he did. Here are his thoughts:

In BLACK FRIDAYS, the reader is introduced to lead character, Jason Stafford, the day he was released from prison after serving two years for a white collar crime. Jason was a Wall Street trader who perpetrated a scam that prevented him from ever again working as a trader or contacting anyone from his old firm.

Jason was not remorseful about his crime and even had set up another scam where he divorced his wife, gave her half his assets to protect them from the feds and planned to remarry her after his prison term. However his drunken ex-wife wanted no part of him after prison which left Jason with two objectives- find employment and gain custody of his five year-old autistic son.

Jason was hired by a small Wall Street firm to look into possible trading irregularities ahead of a threatened SEC investigation. This assignment put Jason in a dangerous situation that included multiple murders, life threatening actions and FBI involvement.

At the same time, Jason had to get reacquainted with his son, had to learn as much as he could about autism and had to fight his ex-wife for custody. This storyline added a touching counterbalance to the fast paced world of Wall Street crime. It also provided a realistic look at life with an autistic child.

Author Michael Sears did a great job in developing the characters of Jason and his son. Our hero Jason had several faults and was not entirely clean as he moved forward in his investigation. I felt that the other characters were a little predictable. Each Wall Street character possessed at least one of the typical characteristics we think of when we think of Wall Street: large ego, excessive drinking, fast talking, lying, dishonest or wealthy. The FBI agents were very unemotional and only focused on the job. His wife was a little too southern. The possible romance with a magician friend’s assistant didn’t really add much to the story.

Sears was certainly more than capable of writing about white collar crime and securities trading after spending more than twenty years on Wall Street. Some of the investment talk was a little difficult to follow but did not detract from the story.

BLACK FRIDAYS is a story about high finances and high risk. It is an easy to read enjoyable thriller that includes a touching father-son story. Anyone who enjoys a good thriller will like BLACK FRIDAYS.

Thanks to the publisher for providing a review copy of this novel and to Booking Pap Pap for his review.

Review: Decked with Holly

Summary: Holly Dayton is about to go way out of her comfort zone…

Spending Christmas vacation on a cruise with her two cousins from hell isn’t Holly’s idea of a good time. And when in a moment of seasick-fueled desperation she lurches into an open suite—she’s greeted with an eyeful of pepper spray. The culprit? A gorgeous guy calling himself Nick. But when Holly goes to make her exit, she gets the shock of her life: a corridor crammed with screaming teenage fans. Because Nick just happens to be Dominic Wyatt, drummer for ReadySet—one of the hottest bands in America.

Suddenly rumors are swirling, and Holly’s face is captured on countless phones and plastered all over the Internet. But the band can’t risk a scandal destroying their family-friendly image, so Dominic convinces Holly to be his fake girlfriend—just for two weeks. How bad could it be to be fauxmantically involved with one of the cutest rockstars on the planet? Holly’s about to find out… -- Kensington Teen

After reading Kathy's (aka Bermudaonion) review of DECKED WITH HOLLY by Marni Bates, I thought it sounded like such a fun read for this time of year. Fortunately, she shared her copy with me! I have to agree with her. DECKED WITH HOLLY was a good escape read for me this week, and since I'm swamped with Christmas activities and feeling a wee bit stressed, it was exactly what I needed.

DECKED WITH HOLLY tells the story of Holly, a teen girl who is spending her Christmas vacation on a cruise with her family... and that includes her evil twin cousins. It's not exactly Holly's idea of a dream vacation, but when she finds herself suffering from an extreme case of seasickness, it soon turns into a nightmare. Holly rushes into a suite to locate a bathroom (she's really seasick!) and ends up getting pepper sprayed by Nick/Dominic, the hot drummer of ReadySet -- a hugely popular rock band!

In a strange twist, Holly is caught coming out of Nick's suite by tons of adoring (and screaming) tweens looking very pale and upset. To put an end to all of the rumors, Holly and Nick agree to pretend that they are dating until the end of the cruise. Playing the parts in this "fauxmance" is easier said than done because Holly and Nick don't exactly hit it off. However, as they get to know each other, they both realize that they might be having some genuine feelings towards each other.

DECKED WITH HOLLY is a very cute book and a lot of fun. I'm not going to say that the storyline and characters weren't predictable (because they pretty much were!), but it was still a very entertaining read. I couldn't help but adore both Holly and Nick, and I certainly wanted them to see that they were perfect for each other. And I have to say that if they didn't eventually realize that, I would have been disappointed!

I think I most enjoyed Holly's character, though. She wasn't the smartest or prettiest (and definitely not the most popular!) girl in her school, and she was dealing with some serious insecurity issues. Having said that, Holly was extremely funny and she had lots of spunk, and I loved seeing how she was able to frazzle Nick.

I have a feeling that teen readers are going to love Holly and maybe even relate to her. She epitomized "normal" in that she wasn't skinny or gorgeous, and yet she still ended up with the guy. DECKED WITH HOLLY was almost a fairytale story and what teen girl doesn't sometimes dream of ending up with a hot rock star, right?

Overall, DECKED WITH HOLLY was a light and sweet read. Since I haven't read many books like this lately, it definitely worked for me.

Review: Low Pressure

Summary: Bellamy Lyston was only 12 years old when her older sister Susan was killed on a stormy Memorial Day. Bellamy's fear of storms is a legacy of the tornado that destroyed the crime scene along with her memory of what really happened during the day's most devastating moments.

Now, 18 years later, Bellamy has written a sensational, bestselling novel based on Susan's murder. Because the book was inspired by the tragic event that still pains her family, she published it under a pseudonym to protect them from unwanted publicity. But when an opportunistic reporter for a tabloid newspaper discovers that the book is based on fact, Bellamy's identity is exposed along with the family scandal.

Moreover, Bellamy becomes the target of an unnamed assailant who either wants the truth about Susan's murder to remain unknown or, even more threatening, is determined to get vengeance for a man wrongfully accused and punished.

In order to identify her stalker, Bellamy must confront the ghosts of her past, including Dent Carter, Susan's wayward and reckless boyfriend -- and an original suspect in the murder case. Dent, with this and other stains on his past, is intent on clearing his name, and he needs Bellamy's sealed memory to do it. But her safeguarded recollections -once unlocked-pose dangers that neither could foresee and puts both their lives in peril.

As Bellamy delves deeper into the mystery surrounding Susan's slaying, she discovers disturbing elements of the crime which call into question the people she holds most dear. Haunted by partial memories, conflicted over her feelings for Dent, but determined to learn the truth, she won't stop until she reveals Susan's killer.

That is, unless Susan's killer strikes her first... -- Hachette Audio

After being adamantly against audio books for many years, I now find that I enjoy them a great deal. There are definitely benefits to having an audio book with me when I work out and have long car rides; however, I admit that I still prefer a hard copy almost every time. I still consider myself a newbie to audio books, but one thing I've discovered is that the mystery/suspense genre seems to work best for me.

I decided to listen to LOW PRESSURE by Sandra Brown. I have read a book or two by Ms. Brown in the past and I remember enjoying them; and I do know that she is a best-selling author with a huge following. Plus the book's description sounded pretty good. The mystery aspect seemed very intriguing and I figured that there would be some romantic tension between the main characters, but I don't mind a little romance if it's done well. Sounded like a good book to work out to, right?

And I guess I'd have to say I liked LOW PRESSURE, but I certainly didn't love it. There was too much romance for me, and it wasn't in a sweet way. There was a lot of sexual tension and it was hot -- even a little dirty! Definitely not my normal reading fare, but I guess I should have expected some of that with a Sandra Brown book.

I don't really feel I can speak to the romance aspects of LOW PRESSURE, so I'll focus on the mystery angle. I actually found it to be pretty interesting. Basically, Bellamy, under a pseudonym, has written a fictional account of her sister's murder which occurred eighteen years ago, and it's become a huge bestseller. Bellamy was only twelve at the time and there are many things about that day that she can't remember. She was hoping that writing the story would help bring back her memories and give her some closure.

However, a tabloid reporter figures out that Bellamy is the actual author; and Bellamy's world is turned upside-down. She begins getting some threats from a  creepy stalker and decides that she has to get to the bottom of her sister's murder once and for all. She contacts her sister's boyfriend, Dent, and together they begin investigating the murder. Of course, along the way, they find that they are attracted to each other!

LOW PRESSURE was an entertaining book. I don't know that I'd say I was constantly thinking about the story and rushing back to listen to it, but I did like the book. I enjoyed how the author presented the story with flashbacks to the time around the murder as well as various views of the present-day main characters. I also liked how Bellamy had to not only investigate the murder but work through a lot of personal baggage that she gathered over the past eighteen years.

I did find the mystery to be quite intriguing. It was pretty obvious to me from fairly early on, that the man who went to jail for Bellamy's sister's murder wasn't actually guilty of it. I admit that I suspected a few people and was pretty surprised when I learned the real culprit. I'm not going to say that the character who was ultimately guilty for the crime never entered my mind as a suspect, but I was leaning towards someone else. I liked that the mystery aspect wasn't entirely predictable.

The audio book of LOW PRESSURE was read by Stephen Lang. Mr. Lang is a new-to-me narrator and evidently he reads quite a few novels of the suspense/thriller genre. Overall, I thought he did a good job with this book, and his variety of voices and accents were different enough to keep things interesting. I wouldn't hesitate to listen to another book read by Mr. Lang; and actually, I'm quite curious to see his take on a more traditional thriller.

And that brings me to my next point about the audio version of LOW PRESSURE. I've already mentioned that I wasn't a big fan of the romantic aspects of the story, and I think one of the main reasons was because I was listening to the book rather than reading it. I have no idea if others have this issue with audio books, but I'm much more uncomfortable listening to sex scenes than I am reading them. There were a few scenes in LOW PRESSURE that made me blush (and I never thought I was that much of a prude!)

In hindsight, I'm not sure how I felt about LOW PRESSURE. There were parts of the story that I really enjoyed, and then a few other ones that I thought were a little predictable and trite. What I've concluded is that I'm not the target audience for this novel, and therefore, not the best judge. I do, however, think fans of Ms. Brown's will appreciate this story (as evidenced by the reviews on Amazon.)

Thanks to the publisher for providing the audio book version of this novel.

Mystery Mondays is a regular feature where I review all types of mystery books -- traditional mysteries, suspense/thrillers, and even cozies! Please feel free to share your thoughts on any recent mystery books that you've read.