Review: The Time Between by Karen White

The Time Between by Karen White

Expected Publication: June 4, 2013
Format: Finished copy provided by publisher
Publisher: NAL Hardcover
Rating: 3/5 stars

Summary via Goodreads

Thirty-four-year-old Eleanor Murray is consumed with guilt for causing the accident that paralyzed her sister—and for falling in love with her sister’s husband. But when her boss offers her a part-time job caring for his elderly aunt, Helena, Eleanor accepts, hoping this good deed will help atone for her mistakes.

On the barrier island of Edisto, Eleanor bonds with Helena over their mutual love of music. Drawing the older woman out of her depression, Eleanor learns of her life in Hungary, with her sister, before and during World War II. She hears tales of passion and heartache, defiance and dangerous deception. And when the truth of Helena and her sister’s actions comes to light, Eleanor may finally allow herself to move past guilt and to embrace the song that lies deep in her heart.

My Thoughts

I was pleasantly surprised when I received this book for review. Karen White is an author who while I haven’t read a lot of her books; I have enjoyed the ones I have. I thoroughly enjoyed this beautifully written story. While it was a tad slow for me at certain parts, I felt like overall it was a lovely and touching story. A story of getting past guilt, allowing you to move on and allowing yourself to love, this is one that can speak to all of us on different levels. I loved the interactions between Eleanor and Helena. As you read their stories you can see the likeness between both these women. How some of their own past actions, emotions and lives definitely mirror each other.

My favorite part is the setting of the book. I can resist a good beach read that can make you feel as if you there. I felt as if I was there in Edisto, feeling the warm summer breeze. Helena’s old beach house and all her eccentric finds just seem like a wonderful place I would love to visit.

This is a fabulous summer read that you easily enjoy on a hot lazy summer day, surely worth the read.

WoW [30]

Waiting on Wednesday [WoW] is a weekly event hosted by Jill @ Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.

This week’s WoW feature is:

One Tiny Lie [Ten Tiny Breathes #2]

Expected Publication: June 11, 2013 [Ebook] /January 14, 2014 [paperback]

Publisher: Atria Books
a

Summary via Goodreads...

Livie has always been the stable one of the two Cleary sisters, handling her parents' tragic death and Kacey's self-destructive phase with strength and maturity. But underneath that exterior is a little girl hanging onto the last words her father ever spoke to her. “Make me proud,” he had said. She promised she would...and she’s done her best over the past seven years with every choice, with every word, with every action.

Livie walks into Princeton with a solid plan, and she’s dead set on delivering on it: Rock her classes, set herself up for medical school, and meet a good, respectable guy that she’s going to someday marry. What isn’t part of her plan are Jell-O shots, a lovable, party animal roommate she can’t say ‘no’ to, and Ashton, the gorgeous captain of the men’s rowing team. Definitely him. He’s an arrogant ass who makes Livie’s usually non-existent temper flare and everything she doesn’t want in a guy. Worse, he’s best friends and roommates with Connor, who happens to fits Livie’s criteria perfectly. So why does she keep thinking about Ashton?

As Livie finds herself facing mediocre grades, career aspirations she no longer thinks she can handle, and feelings for Ashton that she shouldn’t have, she’s forced to let go of her last promise to her father and, with it, the only identity that she knows.

Why I Can’t Wait....

Great story can’t wait to read what happens next. Plus I love a great cover.

That’s what I’m waiting for…please share yours.

Top Ten Tuesday: Summer Reads

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by The Broke and The Bookish.

This week is a freebie week so I picked to spotlight…
Summer Reads…
Summer is here! Being in the South the temps are quickly rising, so here a few books I’ve read and a few that will be soon be thrown into my beach bag to be read in the sun relaxing. Regardless all these scream summer to me.
* Just want to plug my FAVE summer book so far this year... A Hundred Summers. It's a great read and has a awesome love story. Plus how can you resist that gorgeous cover?

That’s my Top Ten…what’s yours?

Feature and Follow Friday

Feature and Follow Friday is a weekly meme hosted by Parajunkee and Alison Can Read.

Gain new followers and make new friends! Or just check out the weekly questions and see what others respond.

Q: The #FF is 150 weeks old! And we want to hear from you! What would you change about the hop? What do you like about it? Or just suggest a question to be used for next week!

A: I LOVE the hop! I think it’s a great way for bloggers to get to know each other. I like meeting new friends and seeing what others are reading.

Please feel free to share. You can follow via GFC, email, or bloglovin’. Also feel free to friend me on Goodreads. Thanks!

Review: Talking to Girls about Duran Duran by Rob Sheffield

Talking to Girls about Duran Duran by Rob Sheffield

Published: June 15, 2010
Format: purchased paperback
Publisher: Dutton
Rating: 3/5

Summary via Goodreads

In Talking to Girls about Duran Duran, Sheffield shares the soundtrack to his eighties adolescence. When he turned 13 in 1980, Rob Sheffield had a lot to learn about women, love, music and himself, and in Talking to Girls About Duran Duran we get a glimpse into his transformation from pasty, geeky "hermit boy" into a young man with his first girlfriend, his first apartment, and a sense of the world. These were the years of MTV and John Hughes movies; the era of big dreams and bigger shoulder pads; and, like any all-American boy, this one was searching for true love and maybe a cooler haircut. It's all here: Inept flirtations. Dumb crushes. Deplorable fashion choices. Members Only jackets. Girls, every last one of whom seems to be madly in love with the bassist of Duran Duran. Sheffield's coming-of-age story is one that we all know, with a playlist that any child of the eighties or anyone who just loves music will sing along with. These songs-and Sheffield's writing-will remind readers of that first kiss, that first car, and the moments that shaped their lives.

My Thoughts

I must admit I was a tad disappointed with this after reading the wonderfully written Love is a Mix Tape. While his first novel was more of a love story this book focuses more of him growing up in the 80’s. Being a child of the 80’s I can totally relate every pop culture references and music that he talked about. It was definitely like traveling back in time. Rob Sheffield takes us back basically to the beginning of his love for music. I love how he can identify moments in his life with a simple song. I mean, can’t we all do that? I know I can hear a certain song and be instantly transmitted to single point in my life. I love that about music, it's the soundtrack to our lives.

That's why my favorite parts about his books are the playlists. While I knew most of the songs, it was a nice surprise to see some songs I didn’t know or completely forgot about. I love researching and tracking down new songs. So I love that he puts all these “mix tapes” together for us to search out.

While I didn’t have that emotional pull like I did to his first novel, this one was good nevertheless. It’s funny and has stories that we can relate to. It will surely make you think about your past for good or bad. It shows us that coming of age we all go through the heartaches, embarrassments, and the “firsts”. While it may seems like no one “understands” us we are more alike that we can ever imagine.

WoW [29]

Waiting on Wednesday [WoW] is a weekly event hosted by Jill @ Breaking the Spine that spotlights upcoming releases that we’re eagerly anticipating.

This week’s WoW feature is:

The Secrets She Carried by Barbara Davis

Expected Publication: October 1, 2013
Publisher: NAL Trade

Summary via Goodreads...

When a young woman returns to North Carolina after a thirty-year absence, she finds that the once grand tobacco plantation she called home holds more secrets than she ever imagined.

Though Peak Plantation has been in her family for generations, Leslie Nichols can’t wait to rid herself of the farm left to her by her estranged grandmother Maggie—and with it the disturbing memories of her mother’s death, her father’s disgrace, and her unhappy childhood. But Leslie isn’t the only one with a claim to Peak.

Jay Davenport, Peak’s reclusive caretaker, has his own reasons for holding onto the land bequeathed to him by Leslie’s grandmother. Before she died, Maggie hinted at a terrible secret surrounding Adele Laveau, a lady’s maid who came to Peak during the 1930s and died under mysterious circumstances. Jay is haunted by Maggie’s story, yet the truth eludes him—until Leslie uncovers a cryptically marked grave on the property.

As they delve into the mystery of Adele’s death, Leslie and Jay discover shocking secrets that extend deep into the roots of Leslie’s family tree—secrets that have the power to alter her life forever.

Why I Can’t Wait....

I can’t help myself when it comes to stories about secrets. Maybe it’s the busy body in me but it usually makes for a great and interesting read. Plus I loved a good Southern story.

That’s what I’m waiting for…please share yours.

Review: A Hundred Summers by Beatriz Williams

A Hundred Summers by Beatriz Williams

Expected Publication: May 30, 2013
Format: ARC in exchange for an honest review
Publisher: Putnum
Rating: 5/5

Summary via Goodreads

Memorial Day, 1938: New York socialite Lily Dane has just returned with her family to the idyllic oceanfront community of Seaview, Rhode Island, expecting another placid summer season among the familiar traditions and friendships that sustained her after heartbreak.

That is, until Greenwalds decide to take up residence in Seaview.

Nick and Budgie Greenwald are an unwelcome specter from Lily’s past: her former best friend and her former fiancé, now recently married—an event that set off a wildfire of gossip among the elite of Seaview, who have summered together for generations. Budgie’s arrival to restore her family’s old house puts her once more in the center of the community’s social scene, and she insinuates herself back into Lily's friendship with an overpowering talent for seduction...and an alluring acquaintance from their college days, Yankees pitcher Graham Pendleton. But the ties that bind Lily to Nick are too strong and intricate to ignore, and the two are drawn back into long-buried dreams, despite their uneasy secrets and many emotional obligations.

Under the scorching summer sun, the unexpected truth of Budgie and Nick’s marriage bubbles to the surface, and as a cataclysmic hurricane barrels unseen up the Atlantic and into New England, Lily and Nick must confront an emotional cyclone of their own, which will change their worlds forever.

My Thoughts

Where do I start? I can’t find the right words to describe how I feel about this book. In my opinion, simply put…it’s PERFECTION!

It’s an epic love story that spans the decade. I loved how the chapters alternated between how Nick and Lily meet and what was happening at the moment. You get to know and know these characters and you feel like you’re falling in love with them as they are with each other. It has rich characters, those you root for and those you despise, mainly for me that meanie Budgie. I swear there were times I wanted to jump into the pages and just smack her! For me it’s the true test of the author’s writing when they can make me love or truly hate a character. When they make them feel so real I can’t help but invest in them emotionally. It has drama, betrayal, romance and it keeps you interested and glued to the very end…literally! I won’t spoil anything but my emotions were nearly a wreck by the very last page. UGH!

After a decade of lies the truth all comes to ahead in the awake of a hurricane. You will be surprised, never quite guessing what’s in store. This book is a fine example of why I love to read. It’s one of those rare books that will stay with you way after you turn the final page. It has everything you could want in a story and more. Trust me you won’t be disappointed at all. Do yourself a favor and get it! It’s one of the best books I read...EVER…HANDS DOWN!