The Leftovers (Tom Perrotta)

Tom Perrotta is the king of novels about suburbia. He is probably best known for Election, on which the movie starring Matthew Broderick and Reese Witherspoon was based. In The Leftovers, Perrotta brings us yet another experience in suburbia, this time of the biblical variety.

People are going about their business on an ordinary day. Suddenly, many people just disappear in what most believe was the Rapture. However, the people who were "chosen" are not the people you would think. The Leftovers is the story of the people who stayed behind. Nora went into the kitchen during dinner and came back to find her entire family had gone. Kevin, Laurie, Jill, and Tom survived with their family intact but completely ruptured. Laurie goes with her friend, who lost her daughter, to join a cult. Tom begins to follow a brainwasher. Kevin and Jill just try to live their day-to-day lives together knowing that they are irreparably changed.

While I was writing this, I know that the premise sounds very hokey. In lesser hands, I would be scared to read a novel like this. However, Perrotta has proven time and time again that he is the master of small-town life. He places a super-human event like the Rapture into suburban life and makes his characters meticulously pick up the pieces.

MY RATING - 4

Comfort Food Fix (Ellie Krieger)

I am an Ellie Krieger fanatic, so reviewing this book is really a no-brainer for me. Ellie is the star of the Food Network's Healthy Appetite. On a TV network where you have the likes of Paula Deen and Guy Fieri, finding recipes for healthy, delicious food can be hard to come by. Ellie is a welcome respite in the land of supersizing fries for 39 cents and eating meatballs the size of your head. She has a knack for putting together simple everyday ingredients you can find at any grocery store to make something delicious.

Ellie's third cookbook, which should be another bestseller, is Comfort Food Fix: Feel-Good Favorites Made Healthy. In it, she takes Grandma's dishes and other foods that normally have a very high caloric count, and makes them healthier. From breakfast to dessert, and everything in between, Ellie's 150 recipes will have you salivating. I have already made the Lemon-Dill Pita Chips for a snack, the Quick Marinara Sauce (If you are still buying Ragu, you don't know what you are missing.), and the French Bread Pizza. Tomorrow, we are having the Garlic Breadsticks with spaghetti. How does Double Chocolate Bread Pudding sound? Ever think Chicken Parmesan could be healthy for you? It can! And it can be crispy too!

If you are thinking that you could not make the above without some sort of "disgusting" health-food ingredient, you are incorrect. The only think you need to do to make Double Chocolate Bread Pudding healthier is use half whole eggs and half egg whites, use dark chocolate, and use whole-grain bread. There is no tofu in sight.

I do realize that color cookbooks are expensive to make, but I would have preferred to see a photo of all completed recipes. You do not get a picture with every one. Those you do get are beautiful. However, even without a picture, if you follow the recipe to a "T", I guarantee that you will come out with something absolutely delicious. Thank you again, Ellie!

MY RATING - 5

This review can also be found on www.bookloons.com.

Those Across the River (Christopher Buehlman)

I find myself reading a plethora of debut novels lately...S.J. Watson's wonderful Before I Go to Sleep, Rosamund Lupton's Sister, and now Christopher Buehlman's Those Across the River. These novels all have an element of suspense and mystery to them, but Buehlman's is just plain creepy...in a good way. For this is not a mystery novel in every sense of the word. This is truly a horror story.

Frank Nichols, great grandson of Lucian Savoyard, and his wife, Eudora, move to the town of Whitbrow, Georgia after World War I. Frank, a notable historian, wants to write a book about Savoyard, an evil, cruel plantation owner, who tortured his slaves. Whitbrow seems to be an ideal town at first, with Eudora teaching school, and Frank settling in to write. However, things begin to get sinister quickly when Frank accidentally meets someone from "across the river". Questions begin to pile up until the ultimate showdown between Frank and those wanting revenge.

I was chilled to the bone reading Those Across the River (and it was 80 degrees out). Buehlman is a master at foreshadowing, making the reader scared to death to turn the page, but unable to stop doing so. He is graphic in a shockingly matter-of-fact way, like this happens everyday in Whitbrow. If you are on pins and needles waiting for the premier of Season 2 of The Walking Dead, read this to get ready.

MY RATING - 4

The Story of Charlotte's Web (Michael Sims)

I would bet that there is not a person alive who has not read, or at least heard of, Charlotte's Web. It is consistently ranked as the bestselling children's book of all time. Let those words sink in...OF ALL TIME. I remember reading it back when schools divided their reading groups into the "Bluebird" group, and the "Red Robin" group. There is a reason that the story of Charlotte, Wilbur, Templeton, and Fern is so popular with both children and adults alike...it is timeless.

Even though the title of Sims' book is The Story of Charlotte's Web, it is not just about that. It is the story of author E.B. White's life, born Elwyn White. The White family lived in Mount Vernon, New York, but spent many a summer in Maine. From the beginning of his life, White was very uneasy around people, especially girls, and loved nothing better than to be with animals. I take exception to Sims' subtitle, E.B. White's Eccentric Life in Nature and the Birth of an American Classic. I am not sure that I would define him as eccentric just because he preferred nature to everyday life. I think that he was able to find himself this way, and fortunately for us, he did. Otherwise, would we have a Stuart Little, Trumpet of the Swan, or Charlotte's Web? Probably not.

The most fascinating part of this book is reading the research that went into writing Charlotte's Web. Even though White was writing about fictional animals (but sometimes basing them on real-life counterparts), he wanted to be as accurate as possible (in Charlotte's egg-laying, for example). Just as fascinating is when legendary illustrator, Garth Williams, joins the team. Sims states that Williams' original drawing for the cover fetched $155,000 at auction.

The setting of Charlotte's Web is based on the White farm, still a running farm in Maine. White chose to live in a bucolic setting, most comfortable in his appreciation of the animals. If that is "eccentric", then lucky for us, that's what he was.

MY RATING - 4

This review can also be found on www.bookloons.com.

Sister (Rosamund Lupton)

Deciding what book to read next (out of the millions out there) is a task in and of itself. In addition to 1776books, I also review for Bookloons and review books related to education for the Summit Series for Families website. At any given time, I am reading 4-5 books, usually of different genres so I don't confuse myself. For 1776books, I rely on a few trusted publications for suggestions. Sister got monster reviews from most of the "big guys", with author Alafair Burke saying that "Sister is an absolutely stunning debut. The ending will leave you reeling." Not really, Ms. Burke.

Having just read SJ Watson's truly stunning debut, Before I Go to Sleep, I jumped right in to this one. Beatrice is a woman living the "high life" in the States, with a boyfriend, designer clothes, and a great job. One day, she receives a nightmare call that her sister, Tess, is missing in London. Lupton tells the story of what truly happened to Tess in a highly creative way, setting much of the novel in the future, and having Beatrice relive the events in her testimony to a lawyer.

For the first three-fourths of Sister, I could not put it down. However, then I found myself putting it down more and more. By the last chapter, I was anxious to read this "ending" that Burke speaks of. Unfortunately, rather than have the effect that Lupton probably wanted, I was let down.

For a truly great book about sisters, read The Thirteenth Tale.

MY RATING - 3

Before I Go to Sleep (S.J. Watson)

Imagine this "Cinderella" story (although Watson is a male)...You want to be a writer, and apply for a very selective program. You are asked to do a creative writing assignment. You do so, and your book not only gets published, but becomes an international bestseller. Authors such as Anita Shreve and Lionel Shrive write blurbs of praise for the back of your book. Tess Gerritsen, author of the Rizzoli & Isles series, writes "Quite simply the best debut I've ever read." Seem impossible? Not only is this story completely true, but I couldn't agree with Gerritson more.

The premise of Before I Go to Sleep is a nightmare. Imagine waking up every single day, and not knowing who you are, who your family is, and where you live. There is a man sleeping next to you, and you have no idea who he is. You panic, and rush into the bathroom. On the mirror are pictures pointing out that the man in the other room is your husband. Every day, you live your life knowing that when you go to sleep, you will forget everything that has happened that day. Imagine going through life with no memories and nothing connected.

This is the reality of the narrator, Christine, an amnesia patient. She is a prisoner in her own body. She needs the same things explained to her every day. Her doctor, who she is seeing secretly, behind her husband's back, suggests that she begin to keep a journal. Every night, she should write in the journal, and every morning, she should reread it. We learn about Christine's story at the very same time she does, which is what makes this book so fresh.

Before I Go to Sleep is one giant puzzle with sometimes an unbearable level of suspense. The reader knows that Christine is in danger, but Watson keeps us guessing about the bad guys. This is Hitchcock brought into 2011. I cannot recommend this debut novel highly enough, and I can't wait to read more from this promising new author.

MY RATING - 5

The Two Deaths of Daniel Hayes (Marcus Sakey)

I remember reading a magazine article about Marcus Sakey a few months ago, which deemed The Two Deaths of Daniel Hayes as the next great thing in literature. There have only been a few books that I remember with that much "word-of-mouth" exposure before it was even printed...The Lovely Bones being an example. I was anxious to get my hands on this book, as I had never read Sakey. I love to be introduced to authors I have never read before, because sometimes I will read their entire repertoire...Kate Morton being the last. Well, Sakey stops here.

This is the story of a man who wakes up naked on a beach in Maine, not knowing his name, where he came from, or how he got there. He finds a BMW with a driver's license inside that says...you guessed it...Daniel Hayes, and a gun in the glove compartment. Working with very vague memories, such as having to turn the TV on at a certain time to watch a show, he tries to piece his life together bit by bit. The police are also on his tail, but why?

When Daniel finally begins to figure things out, the novel takes a sinister tone. He realizes that things are not always what they seem. With echoes of The Fugitive, Daniel desperately tries to get his memory back before it is too late.

Very often in crime thrillers such as these, the author chooses to write a slew of characters. This is often confusing to the reader. To Sakey's credit, he focuses on just a few, weaving them in and out of each other's story. I also liked how Sakey used the fact that Daniel was a writer to include scripts in the story.

Sakey divides this novel into parts with, what are supposed to be, huge cliffhangers at the end of each. Usually, if a novel is written well, the reader can't wait to find out what happens next. I just didn't get that feeling, which is disappointing. I didn't get that sense of anticipation, as, I would think, most readers would be able to guess what will happen next.

While not a page-turner, many readers of crime thrillers and mysteries will enjoy it. Just don't expect to be awed.

MY RATING - 3

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