Book Club Friday: Crazy Rich Asians

It's been a while since I did a Book Club Friday, but I've been reading up a storm lately, so thought it was time!  This week I'm sharing Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan. 

Synopsis (from goodreads.com):

Crazy Rich Asians is the outrageously funny debut novel about three super-rich, pedigreed Chinese families and the gossip, backbiting, and scheming that occurs when the heir to one of the most massive fortunes in Asia brings home his ABC (American-born Chinese) girlfriend to the wedding of the season.

When Rachel Chu agrees to spend the summer in Singapore with her boyfriend, Nicholas Young, she envisions a humble family home, long drives to explore the island, and quality time with the man she might one day marry. What she doesn't know is that Nick's family home happens to look like a palace, that she'll ride in more private planes than cars, and that with one of Asia's most eligible bachelors on her arm, Rachel might as well have a target on her back. Initiated into a world of dynastic splendor beyond imagination, Rachel meets Astrid, the It Girl of Singapore society; Eddie, whose family practically lives in the pages of the Hong Kong socialite magazines; and Eleanor, Nick's formidable mother, a woman who has very strong feelings about who her son should--and should not--marry. Uproarious, addictive, and filled with jaw-dropping opulence, Crazy Rich Asians is an insider's look at the Asian JetSet; a perfect depiction of the clash between old money and new money; between Overseas Chinese and Mainland Chinese; and a fabulous novel about what it means to be young, in love, and gloriously, crazily rich.

My thoughts:

My friend Tess had shared this book and she's usually spot on, so I went for this one.  At first, I wasn't sure if I should have - it started a little slow and flips between several families so it took me a bit get the lay of the (familial) land.  

However, once I got through that, I couldn't put it down.  The stories of these crazy wealthy Singaporeans was so entertaining.  I basically read the entire thing in a weekend and wanted it to keep going at the end.  Thank god there is a sequel coming out later this year.  I can't wait to hear what happens to everyone!

Book Club Friday: Reconstructing Amelia

It's Friday which means it's time for another Book Club Friday!  This week I'm sharing Reconstructing Amelia by Kimberly McCreight.  My friend Tess recommended it and I trust her recommendations so

Synopsis (from goodreads.com):

A stunning debut novel in which a single mother reconstructs her teenaged daughter's life, sifting through her emails, texts, and social media to piece together the shocking truth about the last days of her life.

Litigation lawyer and harried single mother Kate Baron is stunned when her daughter's exclusive private school in Park Slope, Brooklyn, calls with disturbing news: her intelligent, high-achieving fifteen-year-old daughter, Amelia, has been caught cheating.

Kate can't believe that Amelia, an ambitious, levelheaded girl who's never been in trouble would do something like that. But by the time she arrives at Grace Hall, Kate's faced with far more devastating news. Amelia is dead.

Seemingly unable to cope with what she'd done, a despondent Amelia has jumped from the school's roof in an act of "spontaneous" suicide. At least that's the story Grace Hall and the police tell Kate. And overwhelmed as she is by her own guilt and shattered by grief, it is the story that Kate believes until she gets the anonymous text:

She didn't jump.

Sifting through Amelia's emails, text messages, social media postings, and cell phone logs, Kate is determined to learn the heartbreaking truth about why Amelia was on Grace Hall's roof that day-and why she died.

Told in alternating voices, Reconstructing Amelia is a story of secrets and lies, of love and betrayal, of trusted friends and vicious bullies. It's about how well a parent ever really knows a child and how far one mother will go to vindicate the memory of a daughter whose life she could not save.

My thoughts:

My friend Tess recommended it and she's usually spot on with her books.  I have to admit though, it took a long time for me to get into the book.  I actually debated stopping at one point, but I wanted to see it through.  Once it going though, I couldn't put it down.  The book was well written and the ending actually surprised me.  I won't go to much into it as not to spoil it, but I recommend giving it a read.  

Book Club Friday: Winds of Salem

Happy Friday!  I don't know about you all, but this was a loooong week for me.  I've been reading up a storm lately, so it's time for another Book Club Friday.

Synposis (from Goodreads):
Freya Beauchamp is trapped in 1692, in Salem of all places, with no recollection of her past. A powerful enemy spell has sent her spiraling away so that she is separated by centuries from her mother, Joanna, and sister, Ingrid. This is not good news for a twenty-first-century witch. Not to mention the immediate threat she faces from the wealthy and influential Putnam family. When little Annie Putnam is one of the first to make accusations of witchcraft, her landowner father jumps at the opportunity to consolidate his power and expand his holdings in Puritan Salem Town. If Freya is caught using magic, she will be forced to relive the witch trials, and this time, her immortality will be in question. Meanwhile, twenty-first-century North Hampton has its own snares. Joanna and Norm consult the Oracle for advice, and Freddie and his pixie allies search for a missing totem that could reopen the passages of time and help bring his sister home. When Ingrid bumps into an old flame, she finds that her new love for Detective Matt Noble is in doubt. Moving between past and present, with dizzying plot twists and page-turning suspense, Winds of Salem is sure to bewitch fans old and new.

My thoughts:
I really liked the first two books in this series and while I enjoyed this book, I didn't like it as much as I liked the first two.  I thought this one moved a bit slower and it bounced between several narrators which took a bit to get used too.  It wrapped up most of the plot lines, so not sure if the series is continuing or not (it might just be a trilogy).  I wish they had spend more time on the Salem portion and the trials as I find that part of our history very fascinating.

 

Book Club Friday: The Fault in Our Stars

As mentioned earlier this week, I finally read The Fault in our Stars.  Or should I say, sobbed through it.  I anticipated it being sad and crying, so I was not that surprised about that fact.  As my cousins about what happened when we went to see The Notebook in the theatre.  Spoiler alert, I sobbed hysterically through most of it.  They almost moved to different seats in the theatre.  In my defense, I had been dumped about 5 days prior (literally, that is not an exagerration).  I think I was allowed to be hysterical.

Needless to say, I will not be seeing this movie in the theatre.  I'll wait until it's on Netflix so I can cry through it in peace.

Synopsis (from Goodreads):
Despite the tumor-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. But when a gorgeous plot twist named Augustus Waters suddenly appears at Cancer Kid Support Group, Hazel's story is about to be completely rewritten.

My thoughts:
I really liked this book - it was an quick read, but hit me a lot.  The plot was not what I expected and I enjoyed the twists.  And yes, as mentioned, I sobbed for about the last 1/3 of it.  Sometimes, you just need a good cry, right?

Book Club Friday: A Year in Provence

I've been on a reading kick lately, which I've been enjoying.  This week has I'm sharing A Year in Provence by Peter Mayle.

Synopsis (from Goodreads):
In this witty and warm-hearted account, Peter Mayle tells what it is like to realize a long-cherished dream and actually move into a 200-year-old stone farmhouse in the remote country of the Lubéron with his wife and two large dogs. He endures January's frosty mistral as it comes howling down the Rhône Valley, discovers the secrets of goat racing through the middle of town, and delights in the glorious regional cuisine. A Year in Provence transports us into all the earthy pleasures of Provençal life and lets us live vicariously at a tempo governed by seasons, not by days.

My thoughts:
I really liked this book.  I love to read books about travel (of any kind) and this one did not disappoint.  It reminded me a lot of Under the Tuscan Sun (the book, not the movie.  Both are some of my favorites, but the book is very different from the movie).  I loved the premise of going through a year with Peter and his wife.  It really showcased the different seasons and what goes on in those seasons.  Made me want a glass of wine and to take a trip to France!

Book Club Friday: Case Histories

I've been getting a lot of reading done lately, with all my travel lately, I've gotten some more time to read!

Time for another Book Club Friday!  This week I'm sharing Case Histories by Kate Atkinson

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

Case one: A little girl goes missing in the night.

Case two: A beautiful young office worker falls victim to a maniac's apparently random attack.

Case three: A new mother finds herself trapped in a hell of her own making - with a very needy baby and a very demanding husband - until a fit of rage creates a grisly, bloody escape.

Thirty years after the first incident, as private investigator Jackson Brodie begins investigating all three cases, startling connections and discoveries emerge . . .

My Thoughts:

This book got some good ratings on Goodreads, but I (personally) didn't love it. I can't exactly put my foot on what it was about the book.  I liked it, but definitely didn't love it and it took me a long time to get into it.  This was the first in the series, but I don't think I'll be reading any more from the series.  It wasn't bad by any means, just not for me!

Book Club Friday: The Wave

Happy Friday!  Per my post yesterday, this day could not have come at a better time!  Yay for Friday!

I'm back for another Book Club Friday and this week I'm sharing something super nerdy.  Don't judge.

The Wave: In Pursuit of the Rouges, Freaks and Giants of the Ocean

Synopsis (via Goodreads):
For centuries, mariners have spun tales of gargantuan waves, 100-feet high or taller. Until recently scientists dis­missed these stories—waves that high would seem to violate the laws of physics. But in the past few decades, as a startling number of ships vanished and new evidence has emerged, oceanographers realized something scary was brewing in the planet’s waters. They found their proof in February 2000, when a British research vessel was trapped in a vortex of impossibly mammoth waves in the North Sea—including several that approached 100 feet.

As scientists scramble to understand this phenomenon, others view the giant waves as the ultimate challenge. These are extreme surfers who fly around the world trying to ride the ocean’s most destructive monsters. The pioneer of extreme surfing is the legendary Laird Hamilton, who, with a group of friends in Hawaii, figured out how to board suicidally large waves of 70 and 80 feet. Casey follows this unique tribe of peo­ple as they seek to conquer the holy grail of their sport, a 100­-foot wave.

In this mesmerizing account, the exploits of Hamilton and his fellow surfers are juxtaposed against scientists’ urgent efforts to understand the destructive powers of waves—from the tsunami that wiped out 250,000 people in the Pacific in 2004 to the 1,740-foot-wave that recently leveled part of the Alaskan coast.

Like Jon Krakauer’s Into Thin Air, The Wave brilliantly portrays human beings confronting nature at its most ferocious.

My thoughts:
I first heard about this book when the author was on The Daily Show.  It sounded interesting, so I added it to my 'to read' list.  It took a while, but I finally got there.  Yes, it's a book about waves.  And yes, there are some portions that are scientific.  But the majority of the book is about the big wave surfers (mostly Laird Hamilton and his crew).  That part I really enjoyed.  I liked learning a little bit about the science about waves and found the surfering part very interesting.  I totally want to learn how to surf now!

I admit due to the science portions, this isn't the quickest read, but I recommend it!  It was nice to read something that I learned from.  See?  Total nerd!

Book Club Friday: How to Eat A Cupcake

Hi all!  Sorry for the bit of radio silence this week, it's been one of those weeks - work was crazy, I took a day trip to Boston, running took precedence... you know how it goes.  I'm off again this weekend to run the Lager Jogger 5K (and visit Kasey).  I still need to do recaps of the Run The Bluegrass Expo and race (plus share some of our itinerary) and the Hot Chocolate 15K.  I swear I'll get them done soon.

But in the meantime, I'm back for another Book Club Friday!  This week I'm sharing How to Eat A Cupcake by Meg Donohue.

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

Free-spirited Annie Quintana and sophisticated Julia St. Clair come from two different worlds. Yet, as the daughter of the St. Clairs' housekeeper, Annie grew up in Julia's San Francisco mansion and they forged a bond that only two little girls oblivious to class differences could—until a life-altering betrayal destroyed their friendship.

A decade later, Annie bakes to fill the void left in her heart by her mother's death, and a painful secret jeopardizes Julia's engagement to the man she loves. A chance reunion prompts the unlikely duo to open a cupcakery, but when a mysterious saboteur opens up old wounds, they must finally face the truth about their past or risk losing everything.

My thoughts:
This was cute book.  It was groundbreaking or anything, but I enjoyed it.  It was a nice easy read and I basically read it over a weekend.  The plot wasn't very complex, but it did surprise me with a couple of twists I didn't see coming (but with a couple I did).  If you are looking for a light read for the beach, I think this one fits the bill!

I need some reco's - what should I read next?

Book Club Friday: The Twelve

A while ago, I shared book 1 in this series, The Passage, and I finally read book 2, The Twelve.  

Synposis (from Goodreads):

At the end of The Passage, the great viral plague had left a small group of survivors clinging to life amidst a world transformed into a nightmare. In the second volume of this epic trilogy, this same group of survivors, led by the mysterious, charismatic Amy, go on the attack, leading an insurrection against the virals: the first offensives of the Second Viral War.

To do this, they must infiltrate a dozen hives, each presided over by one of the original Twelve. Their secret weapon: Alicia, transformed at the end of book one into a half human, half viral—but whose side, in the end, is she really on?

My thoughts:

I liked this book... but no where near as much as I liked Book 1.  I thought it was a bit slow moving at the beginning, but it did pick up.  It also seemed to jump all over the place through time, so I really had to pay attention to where I was in the timeline.  Overall, I felt the story moved the plot forward, answered some questions (but left more open) and set up Book 3 for the conclusion.  I will say, there was also one section that was a little brutal and actually it made me cringe while reading it (I could really have lived without that part).  

If you've read The Passage, I think you'll like this book.  I am looking forward to Book 3, so we can get some answers!

Book Club Friday: Reach (Matched #3)

It's Friday, which means it's time for Book Club!  This week I'm sharing Reached by Ally Condie. FYI - this is book 3 in the series, so the description might be slightly spoiler-y.  Skip if you don't want to be spoiled!

Synopsis (from Goodreads):
After leaving Society to desperately seek The Rising, and each other, Cassia and Ky have found what they were looking for, but at the cost of losing each other yet again. Cassia is assigned undercover in Central city, Ky outside the borders, an airship pilot with Indie. Xander is a medic, with a secret. All too soon, everything shifts again.

My thoughts:
As I said, this is book 3 in the series and I don't want to spoil it for anyone, which makes it hard for me to discuss without revealing things.  The final book did provide some answers, but I feel like it still left me asking more questions.  I'm not sure if she is planning on writing more books in the series (I thought it was only 3, but there are still a lot left unanswered so who knows), but I kinda hope she does.  I'd really like to know some of the answers!  

Has anyone else read the Matched series?

Book Club Friday: Rules of Civility

This book has been on my 'to read' list for a long time and I finally got around to it.  It was recommended by a friend and it did not disappoint!

Synopsis (from Goodreads):
On the last night of 1937, twenty-five-year-old Katey Kontent is in a second-rate Greenwich Village jazz bar with her boardinghouse roommate stretching three dollars as far as it will go when Tinker Grey, a handsome banker with royal blue eyes and a tempered smile, happens to sit at the neighboring table. This chance encounter and its startling consequences propel Katey on a yearlong journey from a Wall Street secretarial pool toward the upper echelons of New York society and the executive suites of Condé Nast--rarefied environs where she will have little to rely upon other than a bracing wit and her own brand of cool nerve. 

Wooed in turn by a shy, principled multi-millionaire and an irrepressible Upper East Side ne'er-do-well, befriended by a single-minded widow who is a ahead of her time,and challenged by an imperious mentor, Katey experiences firsthand the poise secured by wealth and station and the failed aspirations that reside just below the surface. Even as she waits for circumstances to bring Tinker back into her life, she begins to realize how our most promising choices inevitably lay the groundwork for our regrets.

My thoughts:
I really wish I had not waited so long to read this.  It came highly recommended from my friend, but it still languished on my 'to read' list for too long.  It was so good, I couldn't put it down!  I wanted to see how it ended, but at the same time I didn't want the story to end.  I loved being part of these characters lives.  I highly recommend it.  And don't wait like I did!

Book Club Friday: All Roads Lead to Austen

It's been a while since I did a Book Club Friday, but I'm back!  I wasn't in the mood to read for a while, but it's back and I'm hoping it stays.

This week I'm sharing All Roads Lead to Austen by Amy Elizabeth Smith.

Synopsis (from Goodreads):
WHERE DO BOOKS TAKE YOU?

With a suitcase full of Jane Austen novels en espanol, Amy Elizabeth Smith set off on a yearlong Latin American adventure: a traveling book club with Jane. In six unique, unforgettable countries, she gathered book-loving new friends-- taxi drivers and teachers, poets and politicians-- to read Emma, Sense and Sensibility, and Pride and Prejudice.

Whether sharing rooster beer with Guatemalans, joining the crowd at a Mexican boxing match, feeding a horde of tame iguanas with Ecuadorean children, or tangling with argumentative booksellers in Argentina, Amy came to learn what Austen knew all along: that we're not always speaking the same language-- even when we're speaking the same language.

But with true Austen instinct, she could recognize when, unexpectedly, she'd found her own Senor Darcy.
All Roads Lead to Austen celebrates the best of what we love about books and revels in the pleasure of sharing a good book-- with good friends.

My thoughts:
I love a good travel book and the synopsis sounded interesting to me.  I really enjoyed it and loved reading about the different opinions the readers had about the same book in each country.  I have to admit, it's been a while since I've read any Austen and reading this has made me want to re-read her books.  I also know want to break out my passport and do some traveling.  I give it two thumbs up!

Book Club Friday: Allegiant

I'm back this week for another Book Club Friday link up!  This week I'm reviewing (spoiler free), Allegiant by Veronica Roth.

Synopsis (from Goodreads):

The faction-based society that Tris Prior once believed in is shattered—fractured by violence and power struggles and scarred by loss and betrayal. So when offered a chance to explore the world past the limits she’s known, Tris is ready. Perhaps beyond the fence, she and Tobias will find a simple new life together, free from complicated lies, tangled loyalties, and painful memories. 

But Tris’s new reality is even more alarming than the one she left behind. Old discoveries are quickly rendered meaningless. Explosive new truths change the hearts of those she loves. And once again, Tris must battle to comprehend the complexities of human nature—and of herself—while facing impossible choices about courage, allegiance, sacrifice, and love. 

Review:

I had been really excited for this to come out, but because I am cheap, I was on the hold list on it for a while at the library.  During that time, I kept hearing people talk about it.  It seemed most people didn't like it as much as the other 2 books.  I think because of this, I went in with lower expectations.

But I have to say, I really enjoyed it.  There were a couple of things I didn't expect (I am trying to keep this spoiler free).  I won't comment too much on the ending, except to say I am not all that shocked by it.  I still think Divergent is my favorite, followed by Insurgent and then Allegiant.  But I still enjoyed it and it's a must read if you read the first 2 (if only to find out what happened).

I need some new books to read - any suggestions?

Book Club Friday: The Girl Who Chased the Moon

Happy Friday!  I don't know about you, but I am really happy it's Friday.  It's been a long week.

And I'm back for another Book Club Friday.  Yay!

This week, I'm reviewing The Girl Who Chased the Moon by Sarah Addison Allen.

Synopsis (from Barnes and Noble):

Emily Benedict has come to Mullaby, North Carolina, hoping to solve at least some of the riddles surrounding her mother’s life. But the moment Emily enters the house where her mother grew up and meets the grandfather she never knew, she realizes that mysteries aren’t solved in Mullaby, they’re a way of life: Here are rooms where the wallpaper changes to suit your mood. Unexplained lights skip across the yard at midnight. And a neighbor, Julia Winterson, bakes hope in the form of cakes, not only wishing to satisfy the town’s sweet tooth but also dreaming of rekindling the love she fears might be lost forever. Can a hummingbird cake really bring back a lost love? Is there really a ghost dancing in Emily’s backyard? The answers are never what you expect. But in this town of lovable misfits, the unexpected fits right in.

Review:

This is my second book by Sarah Addison Allen (the first being The Peach Keeper).  I really enjoyed that one and was excited to pick up another book by her.  I have to admit though, this one did not do it for me like the first one.  It was a pretty easy and short read (which was nice) but I wasn't that enthralled by the plot and was hoping there'd be more.  I didn't hate it, but just not one my favorites.

What should I read next?

Book Club Friday: Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey

So happy to be back for another Book Club Friday!  Only 2 weeks after the last one - hopefully my break from reading is over!

This week I'm sharing Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey: The Lost Legacy of Highclere Castle.

Synopsis (from Goodreads):
Lady Almina and the Real Downton Abbey tells the story behind Highclere Castle, the real-life inspiration and setting for Julian Fellowes's Emmy Award-winning PBS show Downton Abbey, and the life of one of its most famous inhabitants, Lady Almina, the 5th Countess of Carnarvon. Drawing on a rich store of materials from the archives of Highclere Castle, including diaries, letters, and photographs, the current Lady Carnarvon has written a transporting story of this fabled home on the brink of war.

Much like her Masterpiece Classic counterpart, Lady Cora Crawley, Lady Almina was the daughter of a wealthy industrialist, Alfred de Rothschild, who married his daughter off at a young age, her dowry serving as the crucial link in the effort to preserve the Earl of Carnarvon's ancestral home.  Throwing open the doors of Highclere Castle to tend to the wounded of World War I, Lady Almina distinguished herself as a brave and remarkable woman.

This rich tale contrasts the splendor of Edwardian life in a great house against the backdrop of the First World War and offers an inspiring and revealing picture of the woman at the center of the history of Highclere Castle.

Review
If you like Downton Abbey then this is a must read (in my opinion).  I am (personally) obsessed with the show and the second I saw this book it got added to my "To Read" list.  It's an interesting tale about the history of Highclere Castle (where Downton is filmed) and specifically the actual Countess who was in charge during the time frame Downton takes place in.

Given the time period, there is also a large portion that talks about WWI and what life was like in Britain during that time.  Similar to the show, Highclere did become a hospital and took care of wounded soldiers. I can't believe it has almost been 100 years since WWI.

I was also surprised by the amount of influence the family (and extended family) had.  They knew almost everyone of importance in Britain at the time and used that influence to get things accomplished (such as opening up the hospital).  I was also surprised to learn that the Earl of Carnarvon was the one (along with a partner) who discovered King Tut!  Who knew?

If you are a fan of Downton Abbey or history, I would definitely recommend checking this out!

Book Club Friday: The Impossible Lives of Greta Wells

It's been a while since I linked up with Book Club Friday.  I wish I could say I had been reading a ton during that time, but I have to admit I just haven't felt like it lately.  I could not get motivated.  It took me way longer then I'd like to admit to finish this book.  But I did!  Hopefully my motivation is back now.

Anyway this week I am sharing my works book club selection - The Impossible Lives of Greta Wells by Andrew Sean Greer.

From Barnes and Noble: 

1985. After the death of her beloved twin brother, Felix, and the breakup with her longtime lover, Nathan, Greta Wells embarks on a radical psychiatric treatment to alleviate her suffocating depression. But the treatment has unexpected effects, and Greta finds herself transported to the lives she might have had if she'd been born in different eras.

During the course of her treatment, Greta cycles between her own time and alternate lives in 1918, where she is a bohemian adulteress, and 1941, which transforms her into a devoted mother and wife. Separated by time and social mores, Greta's three lives are remarkably similar, fraught with familiar tensions and difficult choices. Each reality has its own losses, its own rewards, and each extracts a different price. And the modern Greta learns that her alternate selves are unpredictable, driven by their own desires and needs.

My review:
Despite how long it took me to finish this book, I did enjoy it.  I liked the concept and that it was different from other books.  I enjoyed seeing each Greta's lives and how our Greta (the 1985 one) handled each world.  I kinda wish I could see what myself is like in different time periods.

The ending was a little unexpected too (at least I thought so) which I liked.  I hate when books are predictable!  I don't want to spoil it here, but if you've read it let me know.  We should discuss!

Book Club Friday: The Dressmaker

It's been a while since I've joined in on Book Club Friday, but I'm glad to be back today!  Let's get to it.

This week I am reviewing The Dressmaker by Kate Alcott.

From Goodreads:

Just in time for the centennial anniversary of the sinking of the Titanic comes a vivid, romantic, and relentlessly compelling historical novel about a spirited young woman who survives the disaster only to find herself embroiled in the media frenzy left in the wake of the tragedy.

Tess, an aspiring seamstress, thinks she's had an incredibly lucky break when she is hired by famous designer Lady Lucile Duff Gordon to be a personal maid on the Titanic's doomed voyage. Once on board, Tess catches the eye of two men, one a roughly-hewn but kind sailor and the other an enigmatic Chicago millionaire. But on the fourth night, disaster strikes.

Amidst the chaos and desperate urging of two very different suitors, Tess is one of the last people allowed on a lifeboat. Tess’s sailor also manages to survive unharmed, witness to Lady Duff Gordon’s questionable actions during the tragedy. Others—including the gallant Midwestern tycoon—are not so lucky.

On dry land, rumors about the survivors begin to circulate, and Lady Duff Gordon quickly becomes the subject of media scorn and later, the hearings on the Titanic. Set against a historical tragedy but told from a completely fresh angle, The Dressmaker is an atmospheric delight filled with all the period's glitz and glamour, all the raw feelings of a national tragedy and all the contradictory emotions of young love.

My review

I really enjoyed this book.  I find the Titanic so fascinating (I know I am not alone in this one) and I really liked the fact that is book focused mostly on what happened after the survivors made it back to New York.  We tend to focus a lot on the actual sinking, but I honestly did not really know much about what happened when they got back to New York.  I also like that it was told from the point of view of one of the servants vs. a first class passenger.  If you enjoy historical fiction and find the Titanic interesting, I would recommend this book to you!

What should I read next?

Book Club Friday: The Winter Palace

It's time for another book club Friday!  Back with another historical fiction book, this time a different period - imperial Russia.  I honestly don't know a lot about the time period, but I am fascinated by it.

From Goodreads:
From award-winning author Eva Stachniak comes this passionate novel that tells the epic story of Catherine the Great’s improbable rise to power—as seen through the ever-watchful eyes of an all-but-invisible servant close to the throne.

Her name is Barbara—in Russian, Varvara. Nimble-witted and attentive, she’s allowed into the employ of the Empress Elizabeth, amid the glitter and cruelty of the world’s most eminent court. Under the tutelage of Count Bestuzhev, Chancellor and spymaster, Varvara will be educated in skills from lock picking to lovemaking, learning above all else to listen—and to wait for opportunity. That opportunity arrives in a slender young princess from Zerbst named Sophie, a playful teenager destined to become the indomitable Catherine the Great. Sophie’s destiny at court is to marry the Empress’s nephew, but she has loftier, more dangerous ambitions. What Sophie needs is an insider at court, a loyal pair of eyes and ears who knows the traps, the conspiracies, and the treacheries that surround her. Varvara will become Sophie’s confidante—and together the two young women will rise to the pinnacle of absolute power. 

Review
As I said, I don't know a lot about this time period, but I did really enjoy this book.  I thought the story of how Catherine the Great came to be in Russia and how she became Empress (it is fiction so don't know how accurate it is).  The book told an interesting and entertaining story and kept me engaged.  The book ended right around the time she became Empress, but I wanted to story to go on, which to me is always a sign of a good book.  I would love to read more about the time period.

What are you reading right now?  What should I read next?

Book Club Friday: The Night Circus

I'm back for another Book Club Friday!  This book had been on my to read list for a while and I am glad I finally got around to it!  I really enjoyed it.

From Goodreads:
In this mesmerizing debut, a competition between two magicians becomes a star-crossed love story.

The circus arrives at night, without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. Within nocturnal black and white striped tents awaits a unique experience, a feast for the senses, where one can get lost in a maze of clouds, meander through a lush garden made of ice, stand awestruck as a tattooed contortionist folds herself into a small glass box, and gaze in wonderment at an illusionist performing impossible feats of magic.  

Welcome to Le Cirque des Rêves. Beyond the smoke and mirrors, however, a fierce competition is underway--a contest between two young magicians, Celia and Marco, who have been trained since childhood to compete in "a game," in which each must use their powers of illusion to best the other. Unbeknownst to them, this game is a duel to the death, and the circus is but the stage for a remarkable battle of imagination and will.

Review
I really enjoyed this book.  I will admit it did take me a little bit to get into - it jumps between time periods and storylines that took some following, but once I got into it, I could not put it down.  The characters which richly described and I felt like I wanted to be their friend.  As I am sure you've realized the story involves a circus.  The circus may have been may favorite part - I really wish said circus actually existed, because I would totally go.

It's hard to truly describe the book without giving away spoilers, so keeping this one short and sweet!

Anyone else read Night Circus?

Book Club Friday: Wild

It's time for another Book Club Friday!  This week I'm reviewing Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail by Cheryl Strayed.

Summary (via goodreads):
A powerful, blazingly honest memoir: the story of an eleven-hundred-mile solo hike that broke down a young woman reeling from catastrophe—-and built her back up again.

At twenty-two, Cheryl Strayed thought she had lost everything. In the wake of her mother's death, her family scattered and her own marriage was soon destroyed. Four years later, with nothing more to lose, she made the most impulsive decision of her life: to hike the Pacific Crest Trail from the Mojave Desert through California and Oregon to Washington State—-and to do it alone. She had no experience as a long-distance hiker, and the trail was little more than “an idea, vague and outlandish and full of promise.” But it was a promise of piecing back together a life that had come undone. 

Strayed faces down rattlesnakes and black bears, intense heat and record snowfalls, and both the beauty and loneliness of the trail. Told with great suspense and style, sparkling with warmth and humor, Wild vividly captures the terrors and pleasures of one young woman forging ahead against all odds on a journey that maddened, strengthened, and ultimately healed her.

Review
I have to say, this is normally not my kind of book.  I don't love personal memoirs (celebrity memoirs - something different!) and while I do love being outdoors, the idea of camping or going days on end without showering does not thrill me.  But this book had been getting good reviews so I gave it a shot anyways.

It took me a while to get into it, but once I did, I really enjoyed it.  The author was pretty open about her life leading up to the trail and her preparedness for the 1,100+ hike, which lead to some laughable moments.  I'm pretty impressed she managed to hike the entire thing alone (this is before cell phones so she was really alone.  I don't think I could have done it!

All in all a good book.  I give it 4 out of 5 stars (it made me want to go hiking which is a pretty big accomplishment).

What should I read next?