The False Friend (Myla Goldberg)

Sometimes life gets in the way of regularly blogging, especially when said blogging is about books. One needs time to carefully read and provide honest and fair reviews. The False Friend, as my first reviewed book in quite awhile, was quite disappointing.

The premise is intriguing enough. One random day, Celia Durst is walking to her Chicago job, and suddenly has a long-suppressed memory. When she was eleven years old, her best friend, Djuna, got into a stranger's car in the woods, and never was seen or heard from again. Celia goes back to her hometown of Jensenville, insisting that there never was a car. Her parents, boyfriend, and childhood friends try to prove otherwise.

What I found so frustrating about this book is that it should be a clear-cut mystery. Did Djuna get into the car? Did Celia cover it up? Instead, Goldberg turns it into Celia's wild goose chase, and the reader is left with no answers. If I am going to spend time with a book, I want to feel satisifed. This just didn't do that for me.

MY RATING - 2

Patti LuPone: A Memoir (Patti LuPone)

Criticism has come out about this memoir exploiting "diva-like" behavior. I didn't read it that way at all. In no way is Patti LuPone a "diva". She is someone with a backbone who will stand up against someone treating her unfairly...most specifically in this memoir, Broadway king Andrew Lloyd Webber.

LuPone does not gloss over anything, beginning with Juilliard and her romance with fellow student, Kevin Kline. From Evita to Sunset Boulevard, to Sweeney Todd to Gypsy, LuPone has seen it all and spills it all. While she spews hatred for Webber (after reading the chapters on Sunset Boulevard, you will understand why), her Life Goes On TV husband, Bill Smitrovich, and others, she is also quick to show her love for beloved stage costars such as Boyd Gaines and Laura Benanti of Gypsy. She has had a monumental theatrical career, and gives the reader a gift by allowing entrance into all of it.

There are very few living Broadway legends today. Patti LuPone is one of them. When she opens her mouth, you stop and listen. If that description sounds like the very first Mama Rose of Gypsy, Ethel Merman, then you know where I am going with this. Thank you, Ms. LuPone, for letting us all in on your fabulous theater experiences...and they're not over yet!

MY RATING - 5

Mini Shopaholic (Sophie Kinsella)

Sophie Kinsella is back with a ho-hum continuation of Becky Bloomhood's (AKA "The Shopaholic") story in Mini Shopaholic. This time, the premise lies in passing on her shopping addiction to her two-year-old daughter, Minnie.

Becky is still living in London with her CEO husband, Luke, and working as a shopping consultant in a high-end department store for fantastically wealthy clients. Becky gets the bright idea to throw a surprise party for Luke, as he never celebrates his birthday. At the same time, she must deal with her daughter, who some say, is dangerously close to getting her mother's shopping gene. There is something wrong when a two-year-old knows the words "Starbucks" and "Visa".

We've seen this all before with other Shopaholic books. Kinsella seems to just throw all of the characters we've met in previous novels into this one. While entertaining at times (mindless fluff can do that), it's time for Becky Bloomwood's story to be over.

MY RATING - 3

Look Again (Lisa Scottoline)

I am the first to admit that I have not always been a fan of Lisa Scottoline's books. I know that readers love her, particularly in the Philly area, where she lives. Having the good fortune of meeting Ms. Scottoline a few years back, I know that she is unbelievably nice, even going so far as to hug her fans. However, to me, I just never thought her books were of substance. That is, until Look Again came along.

This is the story of Ellen Gleeson, an ordinary woman who came home from work one day and noticed one of those "Have You Seen This Child?" cards in the mail. One of the child looks unbelievably like her adopted son, Will. Not being able to get this out of her mind, she sacrifices family and her job as a reporter (convenient, isn't it?) to get to the bottom of it. When she does, well, you can only imagine, there is heartbreak involved.

I found this book haunting, especially the cover, which reminds me very much of Jennifer McMahon's covers. However, while the book was fast-moving and suspenseful, I tend to not enjoy books that wrap things up in the end with a neat little bow. Scottoline fans can be rabid, and this one will certainly not disappoint them. While this is certainly the best book I have read by this particular author, I still cannot call myself a fan.

MY RATING - 3

Cherries in Winter (Suzan Colon)

Cherries in Winter has as its subtitle, My family's recipe for hope in hard times. That should tell you everything you need to know about this wonderful book. As heartwarming a book as can be, reading this will make you feel like you can get through anything life throws at you. I began reading it going from Lewes, DE to Cape May, NJ on the ferry and finished it the same day on the ride back.

Colon has written a memoir from the heart. Beginning with her layoff, which has become all too familiar in this day and age, Colon intersperses stories about herself with stories about her beloved Nana. In between, the reader is treated to recipes from her grandmother's kitchen...from meatloaf to potato salad. It is amusing how Colon at times tries to "lighten up" the recipe from using butter and lard back then to nonfat yogurt today. The message of the book is that family and food go together, they always will, and rely on both to get you through the hard times.

You will probably read this in one or two sittings. Treasure it, and know that sometimes you just have to use butter to get it right!

MY RATING - 5

This review can also be found at http://www.bookloons.com.

The One That I Want (Allison Winn Scotch)

Allison Winn Scotch is quickly rising the ladder to rival Picoult and Scottoline status. It is no surprise that she writes from the female perspective, with a female protagonist searching for meaning in her life. Her books are heartwarming and, even with the hint of the supernatural as in The One That I Want, very true to life.

This is the story of Tilly, a thirtysomething woman living in the same town she grew up in, having the same friends she grew up with, and married to her high school sweetheart. Her life is happy...a gorgeous husband, a job she loves as a high school counselor, and a wonderful best friend. The only thing missing is a desperately wanted baby and her mother, who died awhile back. She lives her life the only way she knows how...helping others with their problems, including her alcoholic father. When Tilly meets an old high school friend at the town fair, things begin to go awry. Suddenly Tilly can "see" things that will happen in the future, and when those events really begin to happen, the story evolves.

Scotch does it again with a real winner. You will not be disappointed.

MY RATING - 5

The Christmas Gift (R. William Bennett)

To 1776 Readers:

Harper was sent The Christmas Gift to review, so that is why a holiday book is on my blog in August!

The Christmas Gift is an easy read which can be devoured in one night. It's funny how a book can turn your mood around. I wasn't having the best of days, so I decided to just zone out with a good story. Mind you, I read this on August 31. How can a book called The Christmas Gift be a good read in the dog days of August? It is when the "gift" has nothing to do with a package wrapped in pretty paper.

Bennett's story is short, but does not lack in warmth. Two boys in the sixth grade, Scott and Ben, play the bully and the victim. Ben is a burly boy who has no real friends. He spends his days picking on other kids. When Scott dares to stand up for another, he becomes the new target. Things progress until one day Scott cannot stand another minute, screaming that he hates Ben and others do too. Rather than feel good about standing up for himself, Scott begins to think that he should apologize. What transpires is the beginning of a remarkable friendship, where the reader is made to see that things are not always what they seem.

We never really know, unless they tell us, what is going on with other people...why they act the way they do. In a world of lawsuits over spilled drinks and other frivolous things, The Christmas Gift reminds us to take a step back and see the humanity in others.

As an aside, I would highly recommend this book to middle school teachers as a wonderful December read-aloud. Some wonderful discussions can be had from Bennett's "gift" to us all.

MY RATING - 5/5

This review can also be found at http://www.bookloons.com.