"School of Essential Ingredients" By Erica Bauermeister Review

Snip it from Goodreads.com -  "The School of Essential Ingredients follows the lives of eight students who gather in Lillian's Restaurant every Monday night for cooking class. It soon becomes clear, however, that each one seeks a recipe for something beyond the kitchen."

My Review - This story touched my heart. I personally love books that each chapter is about a different character and opens up the door to a little more of that character. This was how this book was. Although each chapter related to the book, it revealed more about a specific character, explaining the way they came to be in this cooking class. Let me say, I was ready to cook after reading each chapter!!! It certainly made me take a different view on throwing a bunch of stuff in a pot and cooking it. They way they made thanksgiving dinner yet in such a different fashion was wonderful. You know how they say people need smell-a-vision for Food Network, well they need to make sctatch and sniff for adult books. It was an all around fantiastic book, loving, great story line, and loveable characters. Definately one to read on vacation or on a beach.

"Left Neglected" and "Still Alice" by Lisa Genova Reviews

So a year ago I read "Still Alice" and then "Left Neglected" by Lisa Genova. But with her new book "Love Anthony" due to release in September 25, 2012, I wanted to finally post my review about these two books. They have resonated in my mind even a year later.

"Still Alice" was a book I chose for my mom's club (a group of stay at home moms that support one another with life and children) book club read. Oh wow... so many loved it. I in particular. My grandfather suffered from Alzheimer's such as this character in the book. In "Still Alice" the main character has been diagnosed with having a type of Alzheimer's. She is a successful professor, published articles, and has a happy marriage. But soon she starts forgetting more and more all the time. It is a story about her life going through this disease. It touched me alot to hear about her troubles. And having a grandfather that suffered, it was interesting to see the other side of it. It was a moving book and one that I will keep recommending to others.



 Immediately after finishing "Still Alice" I ran to the library to see more from this author. I found "Left Neglected". What a FANTASTIC book! It was absolutely by far one of the best books that I have read in a long time. I totally found it interesting to read about a trauma such as Left Neglect. So left neglect is where your brain can not process things on the left side of your body. It thinks that let's say... you move your left hand but in reality it is just dangling at your side or in the case Sarah, the main character, its stuck in her pants! While I was reading, I would look up and try to invision the left side being gone. Or being there but I can't tell. Sarah tries to cope with life and her kids and her husband with finding the boundries of this trauma.






So surely you can see my excitement for the next novel "Love Anthony" which is about an 8yr old with autism. Yay September 25th can't come soon enough!!!

"The Lying Game" series review

I recently came across someone at the gym reading a book that just looked interesting. I am a big fan of "judging a book by its cover" when it comes to books. I checked my local library and lucky me... they had it. It was a young adult series called "The Lying Game" by Sara Shepard.

Fantastic book!!! It was about a girl who finds out she has a twin. After some investigating, she arranges to meet with her. What little does she know at the beginning is this twin has been murdered and she walks right in to her life and has been threatened to live as her twin and not say a word. But intertwined in this story is the dead twin is following her. She has no memory of how she died or some parts of her life.

It was a great way to spin a story. Really interesting. But the best part was how the ending really doesn't end. Hence book two... "Never Have I Ever". Off to the library I go... and look at that!!! It was like it was waiting for me to check out!

A great sequel to the first book. More mystery, more great story lines, more eliminations of potential murders and yet more suspects appear. Really well written. I absolutely love how there are story lines with in story lines. I read it super fast because I couldn't wait to find out what happens. Emma (alive twin) and Sutton (dead twin) continue their discoveries of who done it! As soon as I was half way through the book I looked online at the library copies of book 3 "Two Truths and a Lie". Oh no... there was a waiting list. So I jumped on it and finished up book 2. Lucky me again, the book 3 was available the day I was finishing up book 2. How wonderful!!!

 Again the intertwined stories were good. The who done it kept me guessing. I think I know who may have killed Sutton at this point, but not completely sure. Because I have thought a few people may have but then turned out innocent. This is a good series. And it is teen lit which is sometimes a nice switch from some of the other books that I read. I can not wait for book 4 to come out as sadly it is not out yet. BooHoo... But on the flip side. I did get four of my friends to start the series with me. They all enjoyed the series and we had a good time passing the books around before I had to return them to the library. Needless to say... Sara Shepard, you have five new fans.

**Review** "Someone Like You" by Sarah Dessen

I am not one to normally read a young adult novel. But this one was really good. It was recommended to me for my MOMS Club book club that I coordinate. My friend is not one who normally recommends books. She, like many other people, gets nervous about recommending books for fear that what she liked will not be the same as what other people like to read. She rented this on her kindle ereader and recommended it to me. I checked it out from the library, as my Kindle Fire is on the way, assuming that it is either being built or built and awaiting shipping. I really enjoyed it.


"Someone Like You" is about a pair of teen girls, 15 and 16, who are best friends. Halley, the 15yr old, goes to camp for two weeks of the summer and her friend Scarlett, is home working at the market and spending time with her boyfriend. When tragedy strikes and Scarlett's boyfriend is killed in a motorcycle accident, Halley comes home from camp early to comfort her best friend. The girls start school again and things start changing. Halley befriends the school bad boy which is also Scarlett's deceased boyfriend best friend.  At the same time Halley and Scarlett discover that Scarlett is pregnant with her boyfriends' baby. The girls have hurdles to jump and decisions to make. Will Halley become a "bad girl" herself or stay the good girl that she is. Will Scarlett keep the baby or have an abortion like her mother wants her to do.

I really enjoyed the book. I must admit there were times that I was thinking "oh come on... really??" But then I had to remember, I am much older than the typical reading age for this type of book. It was a good story, good plot, captivating characters, and good intentions for the book. There were a few tiny stories that were started that I would have like to see where those had gone. But doesn't every book have those. :) I certainly will pick up another book my Sarah Dessen! It was a nice book to read that wasn't my typical Tudor style, or "who done it" style, or sappy romance style.

Ahhh as of tomorrow 16 days till my Kindle Fire! Just saying.

**Review** "Big Girl" by Danielle Steel

Ahh "Big Girl" by Danielle Steel. Victoria Dawson was always referred to as "big girl" by her father. He refereed to her also as the "tester cake", after her sister was born, perfect little Gracie. All though her school years she consumed herself with her sister. Her parents were self absorbed in their own lives. Victoria's own mother lived for her father, to do what made him happy, and to under mind and intimidate her oldest daughter with comments and remarks about Victoria's weight. All though school, high school and college, Victoria was a weight yo-yo. And even after landing her dream job teaching at a prestigious private school in New York, it didn't satisfy her parents. Sadly her dating life was slim to none. And then the shocking blow, her perfect sister, wants to marry the first boy she meets in college, whom is a copy image of their father.

Will Victoria convince her sister not to marry? Will she ever tackle her weight problem? Will she ever marry herself?

Sadly this book was a big flop for me. I couldn't wait for it to end. It seemed as though all Victoria talked about was her weight, over and over and over. Made issues out of nothing. And when she could change, she didn't or fell off the wagon. And the descriptions of her weight went on for pages and pages on end. Gracie seemed a little too perfect. Her parents were really mean.  It was not one of the best novels that I have read by Danielle Steel. Sorry Danielle Steel, not a fan of this one!