Summer Reading Challenge 2014: Wild Within by Melissa Hart #SRC2014

This summer, members of the Vise Library are participating in a Summer Reading Challenge. We have received copies of several books from publishers for honest reviews. We hope that you enjoy these reviews (and books)!

The last book on our schedule (can you believe it??) is Wild Within by author Melissa Hart.

About the book:

Melissa Hart, a lonely young divorcée and L.A. transplant, finds herself stranded in rainy Eugene, Oregon, working from home in the company of her two cats and two large mutts. At the local dog park, she meets a fellow dog owner named Jonathan: a tall, handsome man with a unibrow and hawk-like nose. When he invites her to accompany him on a drive to Portland to retrieve six hundred pounds of frozen rats and a fledgling barred owl, sparks fly!

Their courtship blossoms in a raptor rehabilitation center where wounded owls, eagles, falcons, and other iconic birds of prey take refuge and become ambassadors for their species. Initially, Melissa volunteers here in order to “sink her talons” into her new love interest, but soon she falls hopelessly in love with her fine feathered charges: Archimedes, a gorgeous snowy owl; Lorax, a serene great-horned owl; and Bodhi, a baby barred with a permanently injured wing. Even as human-habituated birds, they retain a wildness that hoodwinks even the most experienced handlers. Overcoming her fears, Melissa bravely suffers some puncture wounds to get closer to these magnificent creatures.

Melissa and Jonathan start out convinced they don’t want children, but caring for birds who have fallen from their nests triggers a deep longing in Melissa to mother an orphaned child. Thus they embark on a heart-wrenching journey to adoption. Every page sparkles with vivid imagery and wit in this beautifully written memoir of parallel pursuits. Wild Within is, above all, about the power of love—romantic, animal, and parental—to save lives and fulfill dreams.　

This book is about Melissa's journey after suffering a very bad divorce.  She claims to not be a dog person, but keeps her ex-husband's two dogs.  Melissa is also very positive that she does not want any kids.  She meets a photographer named Johnathon at a dog park.  Johnathon volunteers at a raptor rehab center.  He invites her to join him and she agrees!  She is at first apprehensive of the birds, but the more she learns, the more she beings to care about them.  She also is interested in Johnathon and she thinks he is only interested in her as a friend and volunteer.  

This book is all about self-growth.  Melissa learns to deal with the hurt of her first husband's sick betrayal.  She learns to get over her fear of the birds and bonds with them as well.  She learns to trust Johnathon and she realizes that she has a lot of love to give to a child.  Johnathon and her do marry and they decide to adopt a child.  Her and her husband have quite a few setbacks with their adoption.  They two of them learn to be patient about the adoption process and learn on each other for support.  It is heartbreaking at times, but they keep going.  They continue to work at the raptor center and in a way that life parallels the struggles they have with adoption.  However, just like when they release a bird back into the wild, their wait is worth it! :)

About the author:

Melissa Hart is a nature and travel writer and the author of Gringa: A Contradictory Girlhood. She teaches feature and travel writing at the University of Oregon. She lives in Eugene, Oregon, with her husband and their daughter.

Connect with the author:

·         ·        Facebook: http://on.fb.me/1oJ1JCZ

·         ·        Twitter: https://twitter.com/MelissaMHart

·         ·        Website: http://melissahart.com/

·         ·        Goodreads: http://bit.ly/1rhC2Qd

Buy the book:

·        ·        Amazon Hardcover: http://amzn.to/1oJ0UtR

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If you want to find out more about the Summer Reading Challenge click the image above!

Summer Reading Challenge 2014: Queen of Hearts Volume Two : The Wonder by Colleen Oakes #SRC2014

This summer, members of the Vise Library are participating in a Summer Reading Challenge. We have received copies of several books from publishers for honest reviews. We hope that you enjoy these reviews (and books)!

The fifteenth book on our schedule is Queen of Hearts by author Colleen Oakes.

About the book:

Book two in the bestselling Queen of Hearts series!

Alone in the wilds of Wonderland, Dinah fights for survival. When she meets the Yurkei, natives she was always taught were the enemy, and finds out she had been lied to all along, Dinah plots to reclaim her throne with their help. Filled with vivid imagery and thrilling action, Dinah’s transformation into a fierce warrior is stunning.　

This book is the second book in a trilogy about the Queen of Hearts from Wonderland.  If you haven't read the first book (which I haven't, yet), I probably would before picking up this book.  It doesn't take long to understand what is going, but I am sure some of the background information is important.  

This story centers around Dinah, who was until recently, the Princess of Wonderland.  She was set to become Queen, but things got a little twisted.  She has recently escaped from being killed by her father the King and has been exiled to the Twisted Wood.  She is there with her horse Morte.  He is actually called a Hornhoov, which means he is very fast, dangerous and you probably wouldn't want to cross him.  They are still on the run from her father and at one point are almost captured by him.  A stranger, who has his own vendetta against the king, helps her escape further into the woods and into the Yurkei lands.  When they get there, things are not easy for them and Dinah is essentially their prisoner.  The leader of the Yurkei does allow her to train as a fighter.  She steadily improves and allows herself to think of being happy with the Yurkei.

However, someone she knows (and has never trusted) arrives at the Yurkei mountains.  After she hears this story (read the book to find out!), she decides that she should try and take back her kingdom.  She strikes a deal with the Yurkei and some of Wonderland's mistreated soldiers to take back her home.  The rest of the book centers around the preparations for battle and you also begin to see where the Queen of Hearts' anger stems from.  You realize that Dinah's life has not been easy by any means and that there really is no one around her that she can trust.  

This book is very interesting take on a well known character from Alice in Wonderland.  I liked it!  It was fun to read about characters from that story being utilized in this story.  For instance, Cheshire is in this story, but he is not a cat.  The smoking caterpillar also makes an appearance, but in a different way.  I want to read the first book so that I can read more about Dinah and the characters around her.  If you like fairy tales or different takes on well known characters, I think you will like this.  The world of Wonderland was written very vividly and I like Colleen Oakes' imagination and interpretation of the landscape and characters of this book.  It was a very fun read and I'm looking forward to finding out how this trilogy ends! :)

About the author:

Colleen Oakes is the author of the Elly in Bloom series and the YA fantasy Queen of Hearts Saga, both published via SparkPress, a BookSparks imprint. She lives in North Denver with her husband and son. When not writing, Colleen enjoys swimming, traveling, and immersing herself in nerdy pop culture. She is currently at work on the last Elly novel and her second YA fantasy series, Wendy Darling.

Connect with the author:

·         ·         Facebook:  http://on.fb.me/1hJGIL6

·         ·         Twitter: https://twitter.com/ColleenBlooms

·         ·         Website: http://colleenoakes.net  

·         ·         Goodreads: http://bit.ly/1jl5CvV

If you want to find out more about the Summer Reading Challenge click the image above!

Summer Reading Challenge 2014: In Bloom by Katie Delahanty #SRC2014

This summer, members of the Vise Library are participating in a Summer Reading Challenge. We have received copies of several books from publishers for honest reviews. We hope that you enjoy these reviews (and books)!

The fourteenth book on our schedule is In Bloom by author Katie Delahanty.

About the book:

My name is Olivia Bloom and I. Am. Free.

I left for LA with everything I owned piled into my old Volkswagen and dreams of becoming a costume designer. Little did I know I’d wind up designing for a lingerie company—yeah, not sure how I landed this gig—and taken under the wing of two young Hollywood insiders. The fashion shows and parties were great, but life really got exciting when the hot lead singer of my favorite band started to fall for me.

　

How does someone like me, an ordinary girl from Pittsburgh, wind up in the arms of the world’s sexiest rock star—surrounded by celebrities, fashion, and music—and not be eaten alive? Berkeley is everything I've ever dreamed of in a boyfriend, but the paparazzi, the tabloids, the rumors, it's all getting a bit too crazy. My life has become every girl’s dream come true, if only I don’t blink and lose it all…　

I really feel like a broken record at this point, but I'll say it again, I loved this book!  (I MAY or may have not read it twice in two days!) Katie Delahanty's book was really great.  It centers around Olivia Bloom and her new life in L.A.  Olivia (Liv sometimes for short) has recently moved to Los Angeles to pursue her dream of becoming a costume designer.  She has a few little jobs here and there that she is able to get, but she feels like maybe she isn't cut out for L.A.  Her luck changes when she receives a job as a designer for a lingerie company.  She also catches the attention of a very famous singer named Berkeley Dalton.  When they first meet, she thinks that she has made a fool of herself.  They run into each other a few times and then finally he asks her out on a date, and by date I mean that he invites himself over for dinner.  Olivia can't seem to get used to the idea that Berkeley cares about her and what his world is really like.  

The characters in this book were a lot of fun.  Olivia's friends are hilarious and her mom was a hoot too.  This book was just plain ole fun!   Even though at times there are some setbacks, there was never anything dark or tragic about this book and that made it very enjoyable.  It was interesting to read about the hard side of "celebrity."  Berkeley seems like a regular person, but he also has a persona that he has to project to the public.  People that don't know Olivia at all say some really horrible things to her. Because of this,  Berkeley and Liv sometimes cannot enjoy something as simple as going to the farmer's market together.  Don't even get me started on the tabloids!

I started and finished this book in one day - it was that good.  I should have been doing other things like laundry, homework, cooking, etc. However, I just wanted to continue reading this book.  I'm *hoping* (pretty please Katie!) that there are more books planned for these characters and their friends! (Wink, wink, nudge, nudge!)  If you are looking for an enjoyable read, than read this book!  You won't be disappointed.

About the author:

Katie Delahanty never knew she was a writer. Her childhood obsessions centered on old movies, costumes, fashion, playing dress up, and books. Lots of books. On her quest to play make believe for a living she decided she wanted to be a fashion designer and after satisfying her practical parents by graduating from UCLA with a BA in Communication Studies. She went on to pursue her design dreams with a Professional Designation in Fashion Design from FIDM. Now in charge of the ecommerce business for In Bloom Lingerie, she was asked to start the company blog. Not knowing what to say about lingerie but needing to use bridal keywords, she decided to start a fictional serial about how a girl named Olivia Bloom, who worked for In Bloom Lingerie, became engaged. And that's when Katie fell in love with storytelling and the path to make believe became clear. She hasn't looked back since.

Connect with the author:

·         Facebook:  http://on.fb.me/1oYLlBt

·         Twitter: https://twitter.com/KTDelahanty

·         Website: https://twitter.com/KTDelahanty

·         Goodreads:           http://bit.ly/1nK3Tpq

Buy the book:

·         Amazon Paperback: http://amzn.to/1ww3x6L

·         Amazon Kindle: http://amzn.to/1n0mNr6

'Praise for the book:

"In Bloom is absolutely magical. With Olivia Bloom, Katie Delahanty has created a heroine who will both capture your heart and leave you longing to move to Los Angeles to pursue your own Hollywood dream. A dazzling debut novel with adventure, humor, and passion."--Marjorie Hart, New York Times bestselling author of Summer at Tiffany

"A delightful and dazzling Hollywood romp that had me laughing and loving all the way through!" --Ophelia London, author of Abby Road

"We're all Livs at heart...if she can meet her Prince Charming, maybe, just maybe, we can too. Liv reminds us to take a risk...to jump, to soar and...live!" --Lola Jaye, author of By the Time You Read This

If you want to find out more about the Summer Reading Challenge click the image above!

Summer Reading Challenge 2014: The Curse of Van Gogh by Paul Hoppe #SRC2014

This summer, members of the Vise Library are participating in a Summer Reading Challenge. We have received copies of several books from publishers for honest reviews. We hope that you enjoy these reviews (and books)!

The thirteenth book on our schedule is The Curse of Van Gogh by author Paul Hoppe.

About the book:

Tyler slides into a simple life of bartending in New York City, living his life day to day. And then at the hottest art opening of the season he meets Kommate Imasu, a Japanese billionaire and famed art collector, who seems to know more about Tyler than his own mother does.  With serious threats against his family and friends, Tyler has to decide how much risk he’ll take to protect them. He quickly learns that gambling against a billionaire is never a good idea. Tyler plunges headfirst into a world of art forgers, hit-men, Yakuza, a femme fatal named Chanel No. 5, and the legendary curse of Van Gogh, in order to pull off the greatest art heist in history.

Well, if you are looking for a boring book, with absolutely no intense action to just pass the time, DO NOT READ THIS BOOK.  However, if you are looking for a really fun book that involves an art heist, Interpol, an Asian mobster, and an expert counterfeiter then, READ THIS BOOK! 

This book follows the life of Tyler, who has just been released for good behavior serving his second felony jail sentence.  He is a thief, particularly dealing with high dollar art.  Tyler works as a bartender in New York and is given a ticket to a very big art exhibit.  The person that has invited him is Kommate Imasu.  He is a very rich man who wants Tyler to steal one of the most famous paintings of all time, A Starry Night by Van Gogh.  Tyler decides to think it over and weigh the consequences of this job.  If he gets caught, then it is his third strike and would go away for life in prison.  He is prepared to tell Imasu no, but Imasu has other plans for Tyler and his family.  For the safety of his family, Tyler decides to pull off an even bigger heist for Imasu in the hopes that he will say no.  This backfires and Tyler must follow through with his proposal.  

I won't give anymore of the book away, but it was a lot of fun to read about how Tyler trains and plans for this job.  He meets (or should I say re-meets?) someone along the way that means a lot to him, but he has to keep his focus on the job.  The people that Tyler contacts and meets along the way are funny and important to his plan.  You learn that Tyler is not a bad guy; he is just trying to do things that are right for his family in order to keep them safe.  

I couldn't put this book down.  It was a lot of fun to read.  Guys will really enjoy this book, but so will women.  As a girl that enjoys action movies, this book was right up my alley.  I thought it was really well written and I cared about what happened to the characters.  If you are looking for a fun read before the school semester starts (one week away!!  EEEK!!) then check out this book.  You won't be disappointed!

About the author:

Paul Hoppe worked as a lobbyist in Washington DC, a stockbroker on Wall Street, and a screenwriter in Hollywood before writing his first novel.  He has lived on four different continents and currently splits his time between the High Sierras and the beaches of Australia.

Connect with the author:

·         Facebook:  on.fb.me/1r1MpWH

·         Twitter: @authorpaulhoppe

·         Website: http://abdaddy.com

·         Goodreads:  bit.ly/1meoP2I

Praise for the book:

'Hoppe offers a crime thriller about the difficulty of stealing famous art….an inviting story of a modern-day gentleman thief.' ----Kirkus Reviews

'We think of an art thief as Pierce Brosnan, rich, handsome, too cool to come within miles of arrest. In The Curse of Van Gogh, Paul Hoppe gives us a more credible character: recently out of jail, burdened by family problems, forced to commit the world s biggest art heist by a billionaire who plans to kill him as soon as he delivers. Oh, and there s a curse. This is a nail-biter.' ----Jesse Kornbluth, HeadButler.com

'I blazed through Paul Hoppe's fun, fast-paced, and thoroughly entertaining, The Curse of Van Gogh, knowing after only a few pages, that I should save it for some transcontinental flight. But, caught up in the perfectly drawn world of the high stakes, high commerce, and high egos of the international art market and its surrounding riff raff of forgers and thieves and wannabes, I was unable to stop myself. Dive in yourself. You won't come up for air until you reach the last sentence.' --Pete Fromm, author of As Cool As I Am and How All This Started

If you want to find out more about the Summer Reading Challenge click the image above!

Summer Reading Challenge 2014: Ghosting by Edith Pattou #SRC2014

This summer, members of the Vise Library are participating in a Summer Reading Challenge. We have received copies of several books from publishers for honest reviews. We hope that you enjoy these reviews (and books)!

The twelfth book on our schedule is Ghosting by author Kris Edith Pattou.

About the book:

On a hot summer night in a Midwestern town, a high school teenage prank goes horrifically awry. Alcohol, guns, and a dare. Within minutes, as events collide, innocents becomes victims—with tragic outcomes that alter lives forever, a grisly and unfortunate scenario that’s all too familiar. But victims can also become survivors, and as we come to know each character through his/her own distinctive voice and their interactions with one another, we see how, despite pain and guilt, they can reach out to one another, find a new equilibrium, and survive.

Told through multiple points of view in free verse and stream of consciousness, Ghosting is an unforgettable, haunting tale.

Wow, okay, where do I even begin with this book??? This book centers around a group of teenagers from Illinois.  A few of the characters are friends, some are old friends, some aren't friends at all and one is a sibling.  They all happen to be together the night before school starts.  At first, they were meant to go to a party at a friends house, but when some of them decide they don't want to be at the party anymore, tragedy strikes.  One of the characters, Chloe, suggests that they go look for ghosts.  The decide to to go to this particular run-down house near a cemetery.  Unfortunately, this house does not have ghosts and nothing is the same after this point.  I'm not going to give away what happens, but every character has their own struggle to deal with after this point.  Some of the characters have losses of different kinds to deal with, anger, what-ifs, guilt, and realizing they can't go back.  This book really shows how each character did something minor that led up to the event that forever changed all of their lives.  

This book was a little dark (usually that happens with a tragedy involved), but was very enjoyable.  Each chapter was written from a different character's point of view.  I liked this a lot.  It gave you different points of view and made you see how each character was coping.  Plus it made for a very fast read.  I think the different perspectives show that even though it looks like people are happy or have everything looking on the outside, that is not always the case! Two of my favorite things about the book were that one character had to make a parent come to terms that things were not alright and another character had to tell a parent what they really wanted out of their own life.  In the end, they all cope different ways and learn something from it all.  It shows that sometimes the best things come from the worst situations!

About the author:

Edith Pattou has found acclaim as a writer in middle-grade fantasy with such award-winning books as East, which received starred reviews in Booklist and School Library Journal; was selected as a Top Ten Book for YA, an American Library Association Notable Book, a School Library Journal Top Ten YA Book, one of the 100 Best of the Best YA Books for the 21st Century by the Young Adult Library Services Association; and was nominated for numerous state awards. It’s a nominee for NPR’s all-time Best YA Novels list.

Connect with the author:

·        Facebook: http://on.fb.me/1qg9bMx

·        Twitter: https://twitter.com/epattou

·        Website: http://edithpattou.com/

·        Goodreads: http://bit.ly/1rhAA0n

Buy the book:

·        Amazon Hardcover: http://amzn.to/1rNzM3c

If you want to find out more about the Summer Reading Challenge click the image above!

Summer Reading Challenge 2014: Gravel on the Side of the Road by Kris Radish #SRC2014

This summer, members of the Vise Library are participating in a Summer Reading Challenge. We have received copies of several books from publishers for honest reviews. We hope that you enjoy these reviews (and books)!

The eleventh book on our schedule is Gravel on the Side of the Road by author Kris Radish.

About the book:

A woman who worries about carrying a .38 special in her purse, nearly drowns in a desert canyon, flies into the war in Bosnia, dances with the FBI, tells Geraldo he shouldn't put guests in hotel rooms with rats and spends time with murderers, has more than a few stories to tell. Gravel on the Side of the Road-True Stories From a Broad Who Has Been There is a daring and revealing adventure itself. Beloved novelist Kris Radish returns to her non-fiction beginnings with her first book of autobiographical essays. Her writing career has spanned four decades and has included award-winning newspaper work, magazine features, a national syndicated column, eleven books and enough stories and adventures to fill up many more. Radish s talent for telling it like it is, sharing the wit and wisdom of a life lived mostly on her own terms and her keen sense of humor are highlighted in these stories some of them previously published, all of them offering a glimpse into worlds many never dare to enter. Kris is definitely a broad who has been there.

I am not normally a fan of anthologies or a collection of stories.  I guess I just always enjoy full books that tell one story.  With that being said, I thoroughly enjoyed Kris Radish's (she is also a journalist) book.  None of the stories are more than ten pages long, but you sure do get a great story out of them.  Some of them are hilarious, some paint beautiful pictures and some of them show you that your life might not be too hard and will break your heart.  Kris tells stories from her everyday life that are hilarious.  She also tells stories of the stories that she covered from being a journalist.  For instance, there is a story in this book about her going to war zone for a story.  Three women end up coming aboard and they do not speak English.  However, she is able to relate to them as a mother.  They somehow find common ground and build a connection over that plane ride.  She shares pictures of her son with them.  Kris always wonders about them and she makes you wonder about them.  Did they survive?  If they did, what are they doing now?  If they didn't, how are their kids?  All sorts of questions are raised.  
She tells tales of heartbreak from kids being killed.   I think my favorite story in this book was funny and scary at the same time.  It is titled "The Day They Sliced Me Open."  It is about the day that she gave birth to her son Andrew.  This story was hilarious because of some of the things that were going through her mind (why she'll never use a male doctor again, talking about running off with a nurse because she never wants to touch a man again or the discussion of which way her c-section scar will be cut).  This short story also shows all the things that go through your mind when you have a baby (at least I think so, since I've never had one before).  She wonders if the doctor got enough sleep the night before, are they going to harm her son when they cut her open?, or if his medical degree is legit or not.  I laughed out loud a couple of times but also saw the scary side of the beforehand of motherhood and worrying about being a mother.  In this book, Kris makes you wonder how you would handle situations and really makes you put things into perspective.  Like I said before, I am not usually a fan of short stories, but I enjoyed these.  I think since the stories were short and made you think or were funny, it made me eager to get to the next story.  They didn't drag on and were very enjoyable.  This book may have opened up a whole new genre for me!  Thanks Kris for making me laugh and almost cry at the same time!

About the author:

Kris Radish is the author of nine novels and two works of nonfiction. A former award-winning journalist, magazine writer, nationally syndicated columnist, waitress, worm picker, and university lecturer to name just a few of her past lives Radish is also co-owner of a wine lounge, the Wine Madonna, in downtown St. Petersburg Florida where she hosts books clubs and special literary events with groups from across the globe.

Connect with the author:

·         Facebook: http://on.fb.me/1rRAURb

·         Website: http://www.krisradish.com/

·         Goodreads: http://bit.ly/WQuvep

If you want to find out more about the Summer Reading Challenge click the image above!