Review: The Embers

Summary: A once-charmed family is forced to confront the devastating tragedy that struck it years ago in this fiercely tender tale of betrayal and reconciliation

It’s the fall of 2007, and Emily Ascher should be celebrating: she just got engaged to the man she loves, her job is moving in new and fulfilling directions, and her once-rocky relationship with her mother, Laura, has finally mellowed into an easy give-and-take. But with the promise of new love

Settling into old comes a difficult look at how her family has been torn apart in the many years since her brother died. Her parents have long since divorced, and her father, Joe, a famous actor and playwright who has been paralyzed with grief since the tragedy, carries the blame for his son’s death—but what really happened on that winter night? Why has he been unable to clear his name, or even discuss that evening with Laura and Emily?

As spring looms—and with it Emily’s wedding in the Berkshires and an unveiling of Joe’s new play—each Ascher begins to reevaluate the events of long ago, finally facing the truth of his or her own culpability in them. Moving between past and present over the course of sixteen years, The Embers is a skillfully structured debut novel of buried secrets and deep regrets that crush a family while bonding its members irrevocably. -- Henry Holt

Remember a few days ago when I said that I am always on the lookout for some good summer reads? Well, I have found another great book that is just perfect for reading by the pool or on the beach. It's called THE EMBERS (an absolutely perfect title!) and it's written by Hyatt Bass. It's an intriguing story about a family who has been dealt a horrible tragedy, and I honestly could not put this book down. I was intrigued by the story and the characters, but I think the real beauty of this novel was in how the story was told.

I am definitely not alone in thinking that this book was just fabulous. People Magazine selected THE EMBERS as a "Get Ready for Summer" Pick, and Instyle Magazine chose it as a "Top 5 Beach Read for Summer 2009." It seems like everywhere I look, someone is raving about this novel.

The Ascher's are a family who seem to have it all until tragedy strikes a member of the family. THE EMBERS explores what happens to the remaining family members and how each one responds to the loss. These characters were all flawed as well as being extremely complex; and I can't begin to tell you how real they were to me. I felt their intense pain and even understood their self-destructive behaviors which came about as a result of how they handled the tragedy. As I read their story, I became so absorbed in their lives and I wanted them to find some sort of peace. I was desperately hoping that they could forgive not only each other but also themselves. These characters are bound to remain in your thoughts long after you finish reading the book.

As I mentioned earlier, I loved the story and the character development; however, the writing is this novel was really something special. Ms. Bass did a remarkable job of telling this story through a variety of very effective methods. First, she went back and forth between the present and the past extremely well. The transitions really were seamless, and the writing was so good that it appeared almost effortless. I loved how she went back in time to give clues about the tragedy as well as providing the reader additional insight into the characters and their actions. In addition to the flashbacks, Ms. Bass also gave the perspectives of each of the family members rather than focusing on just one character's viewpoint. I found this to be extremely effective because it allowed me to understand each character; and I think I became more fully involved in each of their lives. Truly, this story just unfolded beautifully -- I was caught up in these characters from the very first page until the very last.

THE EMBERS is Hyatt Bass' first novel and I'm sure hoping it is just the start to a long career of book-writing. Prior to writing THE EMBERS, Ms. Bass wrote, directed, and produced the movie "75 Degrees in July." Since I'm not much of a movie-goer, I can't speak to it; however, I'm certainly glad that she decided to write novels -- now that I can appreciate! I think THE EMBERS is a terrific debut novel, and Ms. Bass is definitely a force to be reckoned with.

As I read THE EMBERS, I thought it would make a terrific movie; and I wouldn't at all be surprised to see it go to the big screen sometime in the near future. In fact, THE EMBERS actually started out as a screenplay before Ms. Bass felt she had more freedom to develop the characters in the form of a novel. I'm already very curious to see who would be casted as the central characters. Instyle Magazine mentioned Jack Nicholson, Angelica Huston, and Liv Tyler as their ideal cast, and I have to say that I can certainly see them in these roles.

I think THE EMBERS would make a wonderful book club discussion book. There are few things more interesting than delving into the dynamics of a troubled family. Plus, this novel really made me think. Some of the issues that kept running through my mind and that I'd love to talk about with friends include: grief, redemption, family dynamics, loss and love. There is a reading group guide available which includes some thought-provoking discussion questions, along with some praise for the book and an excellent Q&A with Hyatt Bass. I thoroughly enjoyed reading Ms. Bass' interview answers, and they definitely enhanced my enjoyment of the novel.

Check out the trailer for this book:



A huge thanks to the author and the publisher for sending me a copy of this wonderful book.

Book Blogger Appreciation Week

Announcing the Second Annual Book Blogger Appreciation Week
September 14-18, 2009

Last year over 400 blogs came together to celebrate the art of book blogging during the first ever Book Blogger Appreciation Week! My Friend Amy is at it again. The second annual Book Blogger Appreciation Week will be taking place September 14-18.

Here's the rundown straight from the official Book Blogger Appreciation Week Blog:

WHO Anyone who blogs about books is invited to participate. In fact, we want everyone who blogs about books and reading to be a part of this week!

WHAT A week where we come together, celebrate the contribution and hard work of book bloggers in promoting a culture of literacy, connecting readers to books and authors, and recogonizing the best among us with the Second Annual BBAW Awards. There will be special guest posts, daily blogging themes, and giveaways.

WHEN September 14-18, 2009

WHERE Here at the new Book Blogger Appreciation Week Blog! (Please note that this year there are three separate blogs and feeds—one for the main event, one for giveaways, and one for awards.)

WHY Because books matter. In a world full of options, the people talking about books pour hard work, time, energy, and money into creating a community around the written word. I, Amy, the founder of Book Blogger Appreciation Week love this community of bloggers and want to shower my appreciation on you!

WANT TO PARTICIPATE?
Please help us spread the word about Book Blogger Appreciation Week by posting about it on your blog, stumbling this post, twittering about it, and telling everyone you know that it’s time to have a party and celebrate book bloggers!

Please register by filling out the registration form! Registering ensures your inclusion in the BBAW 09 Database of Book Bloggers and enters you into the drawing for the BBAW 09 Grand Prize!

Come back often as there will be many updates! And follow us on Twitter!

AWARDS
BBAW Award Nominations will open tomorrow, July 15 on the BBAW Awards Blog.

Review: Faith, Hope, and Ivy June

Summary: When push comes to shove, two Kentucky girls find strength in each other.

Ivy June Mosely and Catherine Combs, two girls from different parts of Kentucky, are participating in the first seventh-grade student exchange program between their schools. The girls will stay at each other’s homes, attend school together, and record their experience in their journals. Catherine and her family have a beautiful home with plenty of space. Since Ivy June’s house is crowded, she lives with her grandparents. Her Pappaw works in the coal mines supporting four generations of kinfolk. Ivy June can’t wait until he leaves that mine forever and retires. As the girls get closer, they discover they’re more alike than different, especially when they face the terror of not knowing what’s happening to those they love most. -- Delacorte Press

FAITH, HOPE, AND IVY JUNE by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor is a marvelous book for middle-graders. I had high expectations for this book because Ms. Naylor has written so many fantastic books for young people including the Newberry Award winning novel SHILOH; and I am so happy to say that I wasn't disappointed. FAITH, HOPE, AND IVY JUNE is just one of those books that will stay with you for a long time after you've finished reading it. The story, the characters, and the lessons in this story are all extremely memorable.

FAITH, HOPE, AND IVY JUNE is already receiving awards -- it is the winner of the Kid's Indie Next List "Inspired Recommendations for Kids from Indie Booksellers." As far as I'm concerned, there should be many more awards coming in the next few months. This book not only told a very good story, but it also had terrific characters who learned so many important life lessons.

I think one of the reasons that I enjoyed this story so much was because I could somewhat relate to it. As a child, I never participated in an exchange program, but I did attend a lot of new schools because my family moved so often. I could understand both of the girls' fears and insecurities about entering new and very different environments. Another way that I could relate to this book was because it pertained to coal mines. My family comes from a line of coal miners who live in Western Pennsylvania. I enjoyed reading about life in the coal mines and how incredibly risky and difficult a coal miner's job is.

If I put on my "mother" hat (instead of just my "reader" hat), I have to say that the lessons in this book were wonderful. I truly think that children who read this book can't help but think about Catherine and Ivy June and all of the things they learned through their experiences with each other. I thought this book had so many valuable points about friendship. While both Catherine and Ivy Jean seemed to be nothing alike on the outside, they realized that they were actually kind of similar. Rather than focusing on how different they were, they decided to appreciate each other's differences and find the things they had in common. I also think they gained some self-confidence and learned a great deal about themselves because they realized that they could adapt to other environments and that they had certain things about their lives that made them pretty special. Another meaningful lesson that was apparent in this book (especially in the times of crisis) was that the girls discovered the importance of their families and friends.

I think FAITH, HOPE, AND IVY JUNE would make a perfect pick for our Mother Daughter book club. I also recommend it as a potential discussion book for the classroom. There is a teacher's guide available which would help facilitate the conversation; but even without it, there is a ton to talk about concerning this story. I actually would like to see my daughter and her friends read and discuss this book because I think there are so many valuable lessons about family, self-discovery and friendship. These lessons are especially important for our girls as they are in that ever-so-impressionable tween phase.

I read this book a few weeks ago, and I wanted Booking Daughter to read it and give her impressions. I had a feeling that she was going to think this book was something special. Here are Booking Daughter's thoughts:

I really liked FAITH, HOPE, AND IVY JUNE. It taught me a lot of lessons and I also got to learn more about coal mines.

Catherine and Ivy June realize that they are different on the outside but similar on the inside. I think that was a big part of the story. You can be friends with different types people. You also learn more lessons in this book about friendships and secrets.

My Great Grandfather used to work in a coal mine. I am going to ask him for more information about his job.

Phylis Reynolds Naylor is a favorite author of mine. I read SHILOH in my reading class. I also read all of the BOYS VS. GIRLS books except one. I was so excited to read FAITH, HOPE, AND IVY JUNE.

I really liked the characters and I want to know what happens to them. I hope she writes a sequel.

A big thanks to Booking Daughter for writing her review and to the publisher for sending us a copy of the book.

Review: Dial Emmy for Murder & Giveaway

Summary: Tabloids and fans are stunned when daytime soap opera star Alexis Peterson leaves her show. She’s too busy with her new job as presenter at the Daytime Emmy® Awards to even notice. But when a co-presenter goes missing on award night, Alexis is determined to find who is killing Hollywood’s biggest and brightest before another burns out... -- Obsidian

I was looking for a light, quick read to take with me to the pool the other day, and I thought DIAL EMMY FOR MURDER by Eileen Davidson and co-authored by Robert Randisi sounded like it might hit the spot. I wanted an entertaining book that would hold my interest, but I didn't want to have to concentrate too much because I still needed to be able to watch my kiddos. DIAL EMMY FOR MURDER was ideal, and I actually enjoyed it quite a bit.

When I was growing up, I was a huge fan of The Young and The Restless as well as Eileen Davidson -- I always loved Ashley Abbott. When I found out that Ms. Davidson was writing a mystery series and that it was getting some positive reviews, I knew I had to give it a try. It's a little embarrassing to admit this, but one of my main reasons for reading this book is that I wanted to learn a little bit about the world of daytime drama. DIAL EMMY FOR MURDER gave me that scoop, and it's apparent that Ms. Davidson's 25 plus years in daytime drama have made her an expert on this topic.

I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed reading DIAL EMMY FOR MURDER. I used to read ton of mysteries and then I became more interested in other genres. While I don't pick up mysteries very often anymore, I still find that I like them when I do. DIAL EMMY FOR MURDER had all of the elements that make for an entertaining mystery. The story kept me guessing and was suspenseful, but it also had some likable characters. It didn't hurt that I found myself laughing a few times too.

While I enjoyed the story with its fair share of twists and turns, I think my favorite part of this book were the characters. Of course, that's probably the intention when an author sets out to write a series -- create likable characters so readers gets caught up in their story. I really liked Alex, a single mom and soap star, who also happened to be an amateur sleuth; and I found myself quite interested in her love life. I thought Ms. Davidson did a good job of keeping the book pretty clean (although there was some bad language) while also creating tension between Alex and Jakes, the investigating police officer (whom I really liked by the way.) I also thought Alex's best friend George was a hoot and added some humor to the story; and I'd actually like to see more of him in future books.

I also enjoyed the secondary storyline of Alex's ex-husband Randy. He decides to return to Southern California after years being MIA and suddenly wants a relationship with his daughter. Randy was actually kind of a mystery to Alex since he disappeared a few years ago, and she wasn't sure what his intentions were or what he was capable of. The book definitely leaves this storyline open-ended and I have a feeling that we'll be seeing more of Randy in the future --- kind of like a cliffhanger on a soap!

DIAL EMMY FOR MURDER is actually Ms. Davidson's second mystery book with these characters. The first book is called DEATH IN THE DAYTIME; and if it's anything like DIAL EMMY FOR MURDER, then I definitely want to read it too. The second book did give hints and references to the murder that occurred in the first novel; however, I definitely think it stands alone. Ms. Davidson has a third book in the series coming out DIVA, LAS VEGAS!; and there is a brief excerpt of the book in the back of DIAL EMMY FOR MURDER. I have a feeling that I'll need to get my hands on this one too based on the teaser.

If you think you'd be interested in winning a copy of DIAL EMMY FOR MURDER, just leave a comment with your e-mail address telling me your favorite daytime soap. If you don't have one, that's okay too -- just let me know. To double or triple your chances, you can blog and/or tweet about this contest with a link back to this post. This contest is open until July 31st, and I will notify the winner the following day. Open to U.S. and Canada citizens only. Good Luck!

Thanks to Authors on the Web for sending me a copy of this book.

Review: Organic and Chic & Giveaway

Summary: "When I bring one of my sweets into the room—whether at a wedding or an intimate dinner party—the expressions on people's faces turn that celebration into a memory I'll never forget. That's what baking should be."

Many people are coming to recognize the merits of eating organic ingredients, but the idea of "organic baked goods" may bring to mind food that is more boring than beautiful and delicious. But in Organic and Chic, custom cake baker Sarah Magid uses her background in jewelry and shoe design to create vibrantly colored, highly original, delicious organic cakes and other desserts that are perfect for all kinds of celebrations.

Filled with gorgeous photographs, Organic and Chic features recipes for delectable baked goods you'll be excited to re-create and serve to family and friends, from modern floral cakes and cupcakes to rustic farmer's-market sweets made with seasonal fruits:

Red Velvet Love Cake frosted with Vanilla Whipped Buttercream and garnished with edible flowers

Vanilla-Bean Butter Cake filled with Sweet Chocolate Ganache and decorated with hand-sculpted butterflies

Minty Strawberry Shortcakes, celebrating the bounty of the summer

Goldies, a tasty tribute to America's favorite cream-filled sponge cake

Whether you're preparing some simple Double Ginger Cookies for a block party or bake sale, or experimenting with a rich and luscious dark chocolate birthday cake, you can be confident that you're serving desserts that are gorgeous and flavorful without resorting to fake, chemical-laden ingredients. Magid offers detailed step-by-step decorating instructions and enough inspiration to help even the most novice baker create bold cake-decorating effects, including eye-popping flowers, hand-sculpted leaves, and metallic-painted brushstrokes.

A must for every health-minded baker, this unique cookbook balances exquisite flavors, organic ingredients, and stunning visuals to help you create your own masterpieces.-- William Morrow

ORGANIC AND CHIC: CAKES, COOKIES, AND OTHER SWEETS THAT TASTE AS GOOD AS THEY LOOK by Sarah Magid is AMAZING! It is absolutely one of the most beautiful cookbooks that I have ever seen. As you can see, the cover photo is just filled with incredible looking desserts; and all of the pictures in the book are just like this. I would actually consider placing this cookbook on my coffee table because it's that gorgeous. Plus, I'd kind of like to have it handy because I really enjoyed looking at all of the recipes and decorating ideas.

Not only is this cookbook filled with beautiful pictures, but there are just loads of yummy-looking recipes. The book starts with recipes for cakes and cupcakes (along with frosting, curds, and filling recipes), then it has a section on cookies and bars, a section on reformed junk food, and one on farmers' market sweets. There is another section that will appeal to a lot of moms titled children's goodies which has easy, cute recipes geared towards little ones. The book ends with a wonderful chapter on Ms. Magid's design techniques along with step-by-step instructions.

I was pleasantly surprised by this cookbook not because of its recipes and photos, but rather because the instructions and explanations were so detailed and clear. The recipes and instructions for decorating were extremely easy-to-follow. Now making my cakes as gorgeous as the ones in the book might be a challenge, but I think that's because of my lack of skill and definitely not the fault of the instructions. And since I am not a regular consumer of organic foods, I loved how Ms. Magid explained the benefits of going organic as well as some name brands for organic baking goods. The last few pages of the cookbook also include explanations of various baking tools and how best to use them. I actually learned a great deal just by reading Ms. Magid's advice.

I absolutely adored this cookbook, and I can't wait to try some of the recipes. Unfortunately, that won't be until after I finish THE GAME ON! DIET later this month. (Although August is the perfect time for me to make cakes, since we will be having three birthday parties over the course of three weekends!) Now that I'm eating so much better, I appreciate how all of Ms. Magid's recipes use organic and natural ingredients --at least be eating "healthier" goodies, right? There is one recipe in particular that I want to try for the "Easiest Chocolate Cake." Not only is the cake vegan, but my little guy can eat it even with all of his food allergies. Of course, there are lots of cakes and desserts that I want to try, especially the "Coco Loco" cake and the "Lovely Lemon Cake."

Sarah Magid currently has a custom cake business in New York City. In her past, she has worked for Tommy Hilfiger, J. Crew, Coach, Liz Claiborne, Frye and Henri Bendel. Her cakes have been featured in some of the most popular magazines including Domino, InStyle Weddings, Brides, and Martha Stewart's The Art of Cakes. With those credentials, it's pretty evident that she has an eye for design!

Ms. Magid has a beautiful website that you must visit. She has some photographs of her cake designs which are sure to amaze you. She also maintains a blog where she shares a lot more pictures as well as addition information about her designs. I swear I could read about her ideas for hours! If you are interested in learning more about Ms. Magid and ORGANIC AND CHIC, then check out this video of Ms. Magid discussing her book and how she gets her ideas:



I am so excited that I have some copies of ORGANIC AND CHIC to giveaway courtesy of Harper Collins! To make this contest a little more interesting, I am going to give away one copy of the book for every 15 entries I receive -- up to five copies. To enter, just leave a comment with your e-mail address telling me what is your favorite type of cake. To double or triple your chances, you can blog and/or tweet about this giveaway with a link back to this post. This contest is open until Thursday, July 30th at 11:59 p.m. EST; and I will notify the winners the following day. This giveaway is open to those of you with U.S. or Canada mailing addresses only -- no p.o. boxes please! I wish you the best of luck because this is one incredible cookbook!

Review: April and Oliver

Summary: Best friends since childhood, the sexual tension between April and Oliver has always been palpable. Years after being completely inseparable, they become strangers, but the wildly different paths of their lives cross once again with the sudden death of April's brother. Oliver, the responsible, newly engaged law student finds himself drawn more than ever to the reckless, mystifying April - and cracks begin to appear in his carefully constructed life. Even as Oliver attempts to "save" his childhood friend from her grief, her menacing boyfriend and herself, it soon becomes apparent that Oliver has some secrets of his own--secrets he hasn't shared with anyone, even his fiancé. But April knows, and her reappearance in his life derails him. Is it really April's life that is unraveling, or is it his own? The answer awaits at the end of a downward spiral...towards salvation. - Grand Central Publishing

APRIL & OLIVER by Tess Callahan is just a marvelous book written by a very gifted writer. It is basically the story of April and Oliver who meet up after many years after the sudden death of April's younger brother. As children, April and Oliver were extremely close and knew each other better than anyone; however, during their separation, they didn't stay in touch and eventually grew apart. This book is, without a doubt, a character-driven novel; and I found all of the characters to be very real as well as very complicated. The reader can't help but be touched by the pain that both April and Oliver have in their lives.

Because this novel was so beautiful, I found myself reading it slowly and appreciating each and every page. I think another reason that I wasn't able to breeze through this book was because I found the story to be just gut-wrenching. I loved both April and Oliver (even when I wanted to just shake some sense into them) but they were both so unhappy and even self-destruction in so many ways. I had a difficult time with many of their actions (especially April's); and yet, I still became caught up in their lives and kept holding out hope that they would find some happiness.

The book is just incredibly well written; and it's very hard to believe that it is Ms. Callahan's debut novel. I was a little disappointed to find this out because I wanted to go back and read her prior books and now I just have to wait for her next one. Her prose is just exquisite and her dialogue is spot on. I can't get over how well she developed the characters in this book. They were all flawed and their interactions were complicated, but I felt as if I knew them by the end of this book.

A few weeks ago, Miriam from Hachette hosted Ms. Callahan on a BlogTalk Radio show. I was actually able to listen to the show live; however, I wasn't able to call in because of all the background noise in my home -- the two kiddos were around! Nonetheless, I was happy that I could still ask a few of my questions via the chat room. Ms. Callahan is a teacher, an artist, a writer, and on top of all that, a mother of twins; so I was very curious to hear how she handles everything! In addition, I was very intrigued to learn about her writing process and how she develops her characters. I think if you listen to the interview, you will agree that Ms. Callahan is a very interesting person. If you'd like to learn more about Ms. Callahan, check out her website as well as this Q&A.

One thing about this book that made it so very special to me was the ending -- I thought it was just perfect. I don't want to give anything away, but the ending did cause me to think a great deal about April and Oliver and what potentially happened to each of them. On the BlogTalk Radio show, I actually asked the author what she thought happened after the book ended; and I absolutely loved her answer. I'm paraphrasing, but here's the gist: "I have no idea and didn't really think about it. The characters were done telling their story to me." As a non-writer, I am just amazed by that answer, but I think it's so telling about the type of writer Ms. Callahan is.

I highly recommend APRIL & OLIVER as a book club pick. As I mentioned earlier, this book is very character driven so there is naturally a great deal to discuss about April and Oliver as well as their relationships. I was so excited to find this reading guide with 25 excellent discussion questions. In addition, there is also a reading guide for APRIL & OLIVER and THE POWER OF KNOW by Eckart Tolle that has ten more questions. A lot of the questions posed allow you to discuss the characters in this novel, but you can also touch upon the themes of loss, guilt, and forgiveness. It truly is a wonderful discussion book!

Thanks to Miriam for sending me a copy of APRIL & OLIVER.

Review: The Grumpy Dump Truck

Summary: This dump truck has a bad attitude.

It's not easy being a dump truck, hauling heavy dirt from one place to the next. All that work has made Bertrand decidedly grouchy. But when he meets Tilly, a cheerful porcupine construction worker, Bertrand’s attitude begins to change. Can this grumpy dump truck learn to be nice? Brie Spangler’s hilarious new picture book is perfect for little truck lovers! -- Knopf

THE GRUMPY DUMP TRUCK by Brie Spangler is just a terrific picture book -- both my son and I agree on this. This book is the story of Bertrand the dump truck who is extremely grumpy about having to haul dirt all day -- and boy, was he grumpy! Bertrand meets Tilly the porcupine whose quill pierces his tire, and he becomes even more upset. Tilly remains calm and pulls out her quill from his tire, along with quite a few other objects. Bertrand immediately feels better and is so grateful that he says "Thank You" for the very first time. After all of that, he has a major attitude adjustment and suddenly wants to help others.

My son totally understood this book and did a great job of explaining it to me. I'm not sure that all the messages in this book were clear to him, but he did comprehend that Tilly's behavior ultimately made Bertrand happier. He thought the parts of the story where Bertrand was being mean to everyone were hilarious, but he also was excited that Bertrand finally felt better.

I think this book has so many wonderful messages. I took the opportunity to use this book to discuss a few things to my son. The most important lesson that we talked about was that there are things happening "inside" of every person that we might not know. That being the case, I explained that we should try not to be grumpy with others; however, sometime grumpy people do have a reason for their grumpiness. As compassionate people, we have to try to understand that something might be wrong and be patient with them -- just like Tilly was.

To bring the lesson a little closer to home, I asked him if I was every grumpy to him. He laughed and nodded his head (a little too enthusiastically if you ask me.) I told him that sometimes I am upset about something that happened to me earlier in the day or that I'm not feeling well. My grumpiness really doesn't have anything to do with him and that his feelings shouldn't get hurt. I also pointed out that it's not okay for me to treat him poorly because of my own issues; and that I should realize what I did wrong and try harder to have a better attitude. I think he got the general gist of it!

THE GRUMPY DUMP TRUCK is available today -- July 14, 2009. Thanks to Knopf for sending me a copy of this book.