Jude Deveraux’s Secrets

Jorie’s Store – Secrets: A Novel

 

Title and Author(s):  Jude Deveraux’s Secrets
Release Date: May 06, 2008
Publisher: Atria Books
ISBN: 978-0743437189

Pages: 320

Source: Harris County Public Library

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Reasons for Reading: While I was waiting for books I’d requested, I had nothing to read. Naturally, I found myself at the library, looking for lighter reading material. I recalled that Jude Deveraux wrote contemporary, romantic suspense. Since I hadn’t read  one of her books in years, I found Secrets and checked it out from the library.

Summary: Cassie Madden lived under the thumb of her commandeering mother. At age twelve, Cassie meets the love of her life, Jefferson Ames, a young man who rescues her from drowning. Since then, Cassie has done everything to get away from her mother and be with Jeff.  After college, Cassie moves to  Williamsburg, VA where the widowed Jeff lives with his daughter, Elsbeth. Cassie becomes Elsbeth’s nanny and still can’t get Jeff to look at her.

Jeff’s neighbor, renowned acting legend Althea Fairmont, is a recluse. Then, Cassie hears shots coming from Althea’s estate. That’s when Cassie discovers that Althea knows a great many secrets. These secrets turn Cassie’s quiet life upside down.

One Thing I Learned from reading Jude Deveraux’s Secrets: I didn’t quite realize that there was a “Colonial Williamsburg” and the “rest of Williamsburg.”

What I Liked: I enjoyed Cassie’s character. She was smart and funny. While she may have been naive, I think she was pretty cool. I found the parts about Williamsburg and gardening interesting, too.

What I Disliked: The story seems to have some holes in it. However, if you go in for a reading joyride, it’s not so bad

Song: The All-American Rejects – Dirty Little Secret

You might also like:

• Sarah Addison Allen’s The Peach Keeper
• Jude Deveraux’s Lavender Morning
• Jude Deveraux’s Return to Summerhouse 

For more on Jude Deveraux’s Secrets, check out the following sites:

• Book Review: Secrets by Jude Deveraux
• The Things We Read: Review – Secrets by Jude Deveraux
• Review of SECRETS By Jude Deveraux

Seeing the Story – The Great Gatsby (2013)

The Great Gatsby | Wikipedia

Reasons for Watching: I only finished F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby a few years ago. Click on the words – Glibness of The Great Gatsby –  to check out my 2008 review of the quintessential Roaring Twenties novel.

****Spoiler Alert**** 

Summary of Movie: In 1929, introverted Nick Carraway is in a sanitarium, suffering from depression and alcoholism.  A doctor at the sanitarium talks Carraway into writing about his experiences as a means of therapy.

Carraway describes his life in 1922, when he moved to Long Island, near his beautiful cousin Daisy Buchanan and her old money husband, two-timing Tom. His little cottage is next door to a fantastic mansion owned by the enigmatic Jay Gatsby. Gatsby hosts lavish, hedonistic parties but never invites anyone – these party goers just turn out en masse. When Carraway receives an invitation from Gatsby himself, Carraway finds himself making the acquaintance of Jay Gatsby. They become friends and Gatsby requests that Carraway arrange a meeting between Gatsby and the love of his life – Daisy.

Book to Movie Adaptation: Yes, there were some big differences. The relationship between Carraway and Daisy’s friend, golf pro Jordan Baker, appears non-existent. Numerous other things are left out, too.  

Review: While I wasn’t sure I’d like the contemporary hip hop music combined with 1920s New York could be pulled off, it actually works. Another thing I liked was how much less Tobey Maguire’s Nick Carraway was. Leonardo DiCaprio’s Gatsby was sympathetic. The sets were sumptuous. I made myself wait until the movie was over before I went to the restroom because I didn’t want to miss anything. Excellent!

Four Out of Five Pearls

Katherine Howe’s The House of Velvet and Glass

Jorie’s Store – Katherine Howe’s The House of Velvet and Glass

 

Title and Author(s):  Katherine Howe’s The House of Velvet and Glass
Release Date:  Apr 06, 2012
Publisher: Thorndike Press; Lrg edition
ISBN: 978-1410448743

Pages: 695

Source: Harris County Public Library

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Reasons for Reading: Feel free to click onto this link TBRs – Katherine Howe’s The House of Velvet and Glass. Unfortunately,  I was reading this book when my Nook went on the fritz. It was a huge relief to me when I found the large print version of this novel at the library branch. Thus, I was able to quickly finish this book.

Summary: It’s 1915, three years after losing her mother and sister (Helen and Eulah) on that fateful voyage of the HMS Titanic, Sibyl Allston suffers in near silence as she runs the Boston household of her laconic, shipping magnate Lan Allston. She seeks solace in her late mother’s medium. When her brother, Harlan, gets kicked out of Harvard and his involvement with an odd woman seems the cause, old flame Professor Benton Derby reaches out to Sibyl. With Benton, Sibyl embarks on an odd journey of discovery of Boston’s Chinatown and its opium dens. Sibyl’s 1915 point of view is mingled with those of Helen and Eulah’s 1912 and Lannie’s 1867. I won’t say anymore about Lannie.

One Thing I Learned from reading Katherine Howe’s The House of Velvet and Glass: I knew of the Widener Library at Harvard but I didn’t know the story behind it. For more info, visit History – Widener Library – Harvard College Library.

What I Liked: The characters were well conceived – particularly Sibyl, Eulah, and Lan. The settings appeared well-researched and recreated. Howe’s descriptive writing paints the picture without being gratuitous. I appreciated the integration of real-life people such as Harry Widener and Edwin Friend. By the end of the novel, I truly appreciated Lan’s love for and devotion to his family. Howe’s afterward was great and she made significant points in this section.

What I Disliked: Well, it wasn’t “Deliverance Dane.” The beginning didn’t pull me in as quickly as Howe’s first effort did. Once I put aside my “Deliverance Dane” measuring stick, I got more out of this book. Also, the presence of opium in this book made me extremely uncomfortable. Nonetheless, I DID like the resolution of the opium abuse. Lastly, I wanted to know more about Dovie, Harlan’s mysterious girlfriend.

Song: Al Bowlly “Melancholy Baby”

You might also like:

• Isabel Allende’s The House of the Spirits 
• Katherine Howe’s The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane
• Isabel Allende’s Daughter of Fortune 
• E.M. Forster’s A Room with a View 

For more on Katherine Howe’s The House of Velvet and Glass, check out the following sites:

• The House of Velvet and Glass | Escape Reality, Read Fiction!
• Book Review: The House of Velvet and Glass | The Booklover
• review; the house of velvet and glass | The Pretty Good Gatsby

Oz the Great and Powerful

Oz the Great and Powerful

The other night, I saw Oz the Great and Powerful. As I’ve never read any of the books  about Oz by Frank Baum, I’ll be doing my first seeing the story movie review. Please stay tuned…

Revisited: Fiction Winners!

Flickr CC | Happy Birthday Windows 7 | Photo by tsand

You voted!  Revisited Fiction Results:

Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

Emma by Jane Austen

Breakfast at Tiffany’s by Truman Capote

On the Road by Jack Kerouac

The Fountainhead by Ayn Rand

There was a 3-way tie between a few of the winners. So, these 5 books will be reviewed before the end of 2013!

Fred Plotkin’s Opera 101: A Complete Guide to Learning and Loving Opera

Jorie’s Store – Opera 101: A Complete Guide to Learning and Loving Opera

 

Title and Author(s): Opera 101: A Complete Guide to Learning and Loving Opera by Fred Plotkin

Release Date: Nov 09, 2004

Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.

ISBN: 9781455100132       

Duration: 18 hours, 15 minutes

Source: Harris County Public Library’s Digital Media Collection | Overdrive

Reasons for Reading: Originally, I learned of Fred Plotkin’s Opera 101… when I read Ann Patchett’s notes about Bel Canto. I enjoyed some live opera performances in college and thought this book might elucidate what compels people to subscribe to opera. This happened many years ago and something distracted me. Fast forward to 2013, I rediscovered this book among the many choices for eAudio nonfiction. I thought, “Wow, I can listen to a book about opera!” Thus, I checked it out and downloaded it to my Nook.

Summary: Opera 101… is an exhaustive look into a centuries-old art form. Author Fred Plotkin shares with the reader the history of opera, its many people (composers, performers, conductors, audience, etc), etiquette, and much more. After covering these aspects, Plotkin selects certain operas to describe in much more detail: Rigoletto, Tosca, Lucia di Lammermoor, Il Barbiere di Siviglia, Don Giovanni, Les Contes d’Hoffmann, Eugene Onegin, Don Carlo, Tannhäuser, Die Walküre, and Elektra.

One Thing I Learned from reading Fred Plotkin’s Opera 101…: In irs early days, the second biggest center for Italian opera was Naples.

What I Liked: The title of this book is most apt. It’s really a course in opera appreciation. I liked how Plotkin described the ins and outs of attending an opera. He explained why the doors close during the acts and what to wear. Also, Plotkin explained what your pre-opera meal size should be. When I finished this book, I felt I knew something about opera.

What I Disliked: I wished the reader could’ve heard the pieces Plotkin talked about in the eAudio. Also, it’s difficult to read libretto while driving.

Three Out of Five Pearls

Song: Luciano Pavarotti – La Donna È Mobile (Rigoletto)

You might also like:

• Rivers’ Edge: The Weezer Story by John D. Luerssen
• Who’s Afraid of Opera by Michael Walsh
• Maria Callas: An Intimate Biography by Anne Edwards

For more on Fred Plotkin’s Opera 101: A Complete Guide to Learning and Loving Opera, check out the following sites:

• Fred Plotkin on Twitter
• Opera and European Cuisine Tours with Fred Plotkin: The International Kitchen
• Plotkin, Fred

Revisited: Nonfiction Winners!

Flickr CC | Happy Birthday Windows 7 | Photo by tsand

You voted!  Revisited Nonfiction Results:

The Confessions by St. Augustine of Hippo

Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass by Frederick Douglass

The Prince by Niccolò Machiavelli

These 3 books will be reviewed before the end of 2013!

Laurie Lisle’s Portrait of an Artist: A Biography of Georgia O’Keeffe

Portrait of an Artist: A Biography of Georgia O’Keeffe by Laurie Lisle | eBranch Harris County Public Library

(Written 31 January 2013)

Title and Author(s): Portrait of an Artist: A Biography of Georgia O’Keeffe by Laurie Lisle & Grace Conlin (Narrator)

Release Date: May 9, 2006
Publisher: Blackstone Audio, Inc.
ISBN:  9781455100132

Duration: 13 hours, 39 minutes

Reasons for Reading: I wanted another eAudio. Also, I wanted something very different from Black Like Me. When I saw a biography of Georgia O’Keeffe, I felt I’d achieved that. All I remembered about her was that she was an artist that one of my sixth grade teachers said painted whatever she saw around her. While I found this simplistic, I felt there must be more to Georgia O’Keeffe. So, I checked it out via HCPL Overdrive and ultimately listened to it on my Nook Tablet.

Summary: This book takes on the true story of the American iconoclast – Georgia O’Keeffe. O’Keeffe marched to the beat of her own drummer perhaps from the beginning. Her larger than life story, bigger than some of her canvasses, draws interest.This artist lived nearly a century, one marked in change and evolution. Just the roles she played throughout her life – woman, artist, muse, lover, wife, friend, etc don’t begin to define her.

One Thing I Learned from reading Laurie Lisle’s Portrait of an Artist: A Biography of Georgia O’Keeffe: O’Keeffe was the namesake of her maternal grandfather – George Victor Totto, a Hungarian count who came to the US in 1848.

What I Liked:  I liked that the author expressed herself in an objective way. Lisle portrayed O’Keeffe, warts and all, as the saying goes. She also described O’Keeffe’s mercurial ways very well.

What I Disliked: I blame myself for this. When I read about a visual artist in the future, I must skip an audiobook. I truly must see the pictures. While this encouraged me to browse online for O’Keeffe’s art, it was rather inconvenient listening to this on my work commute.

Three Out of Five Pearls

Song: Georgia on my Mind- Ray Charles – YouTube

Setting: Wisconsin, Virginia, Texas, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, South Carolina, Hawaii, Chicago

You might also like:

• The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver
• Sacré Bleu: A Comedy d’Art by Christopher Moore
• Vincent’s Colors by Vincent van Gogh

For more on Laurie Lisle’s Portrait of an Artist: A Biography of Georgia O’Keeffe, check out the following sites:

• Portrait of An Artist: A Biography of Georgia O’Keeffe – Laurie Lisle
• PORTRAIT OF AN ARTIST: A Biography of Georgia O’Keeffe by Laurie Lisle | Kirkus
• Portrait of an Artist | PBS NewsHour | Aug. 31, 1997 | PBS

Jodi Picoult’s Nineteen Minutes

Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult | LibraryThing

(Written on Monday, 14 January 2013)

Title and Author(s): Nineteen Minutes by Jodi Picoult
Release Date: March 9, 2007
Publisher: Atria
ISBN: 0743496728 

Pages: 455

Source: Library

Reasons for Reading: I read My Sister’s Keeper several years ago. Later, I posted a review when I reread it before doing a book talk at a senior center. When Nineteen Minutes came out in 2007, I didn’t want to read about a school shooting. Yet, watching the continuous coverage of the Sandy Hook shootings, I realized the importance of understanding such situations. So, I requested the book via HCPL.

Summary: Sterling, New Hampshire is a sleepy little town where denizens settle so they can send their kids to good schools. Nothing of note really happens in Sterling until March 6, 2007. In nineteen minutes, bullied Sterling High School junior Peter Houghton hauls five guns into the high school and goes on a shooting spree. When Detective Patrick DuCharme apprehends Peter in the locker room, he finds jock Matt Royston dead but Royston’s girlfriend, Josie Cormier, stirring. Daughter of Madam Justice Alex Cormier, Josie recalls nothing. Picoult relates a tale of bullying, broken relationships, and a reeling town.

One Thing I Learned from reading Jodi Picoult’s Nineteen Minutes: Battered person syndrome is a physical and psychological condition that is classified as ICD-9 code 995.81.

What I Liked:  I liked that Picoult began with the date of March 6, 2007. This gave me an idea of the setting and attitudes to expect. Also, she fed into my preference of having a date stamp.

Also, I appreciate that Picoult deals with relevant events and offers likely reasons for characters’ motives. On the whole, this novel has believable, sympathetic characters.

While I’ve yet to read Change of Heart, The Pact, or Salem Falls, I liked that Picoult brought back characters Patrick Ducharme, Jordan McAfee, and Selena McAfee. This gives me hope that I might see friendly faces if I pick up other books by her.

What I Disliked: I did appreciate the time stamp of March 6, 2007. However, Picoult would toggle between the big event and chapters with titles along the lines of “Seventeen Years Earlier.” Couldn’t she have added “1990″ to this?

Then, there was the sense that this book’s plot was “straight from the headlines.” I’d avoided this book dealing with school shootings for a long time, not wanting to be reminded of Columbine High School Massacre around the time Nineteen Minutes hit the bookshelves.

Additionally, I remember reading My Sister’s Keeper and found reading Nineteen Minutes like watching any M. Night Shyamalan movie after I’d seen The Sixth Sense. Thus, I tended to smell a rat early in the narrative. I won’t spoil the end but I wanted to know more about how certain characters were doing. Maybe I’ll see them in another Picoult work.

Three Out of Five Pearls

Song: Foster The People – Pumped Up Kicks – YouTube

Setting :  Sterling New Hampshire

You might also like:

• Between the Lines by Jodi Picoult and Samantha van Leer
• My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult
• Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen
• Silver Girl by Elin Hilderbrand
• Carrie by Stephen King
• The Memory Keeper’s Daughter by Kim Edwards
• The List by Siobhan Vivian
• The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold

For more on Jodi Picoult’s Nineteen Minutes, check out the following sites:

• Nineteen Minutes – Book Review – caribousmom
• NINETEEN MINUTES book review by cherlinda polynice « BOOKER CRITICS
• Book Review- “Nineteen Minutes” by Jodi Picoult | soniareviews

 

John Howard Griffin’s Black Like Me

Black Like Me by John Howard Griffin | LibraryThing

(Last book review of books finished in 2012!)

Griffin, J. H., & Childs, R. (2004). Black like me. Middletown, Me.: Audio Bookshelf, LLC.

Reasons for Reading:Yet again, I sought another nonfiction eAudio work to entertain me during my work commute. I came across Black Like Me, checked it out from the HCPL Digital Media Catalog, and put it on my iPhone.

Summary: Texas Writer John Howard Griffin underwent a bold experiment like no other. He left his home in Mansfield, Texas with the intent to “pass as black.” With the help of a reticent New Orleans dermatologist, Griffin took a course of drugs, endured sunlamp treatments, and applied skin creams in order to understand the “black experience” firsthand. He also shaved his head and, later, his arms.

Then, he traveled through the Deep South as a black man. His social experiment altered the lives of many. Black Like Me is a journal of Griffin’s courageous experiment. The title comes from Langston Hughes’ “Dream Variations”

Rest at pale evening…

A tall slim tree…

Night coming tenderly

Black like me.

What I Liked: I appreciated what Griffin did. Also, I found Griffin to be a gifted writer who wanted to understand and help his fellow citizens. I liked that Griffin didn’t lie, either. He seemed to be an interesting and virtuous man.

What I Disliked:  Many versions of this book exist. I’m grateful I got an edition with an epilogue which Griffin wrote in the 1970s. As hindsight is 20/20, Griffin related the outcome of Black Like Me. It’s my feeling that this should be the version everyone reads.

Four Out of Five Pearls

Song: ice cube – race card – YouTube

Setting: Texas, New Orleans, Mississippi, Georgia, South Carolina

You might also like:

• Same Kind of Different As Me… by Ron Hall, Denver Moore, & Lynn Vincent
• Go Tell It on the Mountain by James Baldwin
• A Raisin in the Sun by Lorraine Hansberry
• Cry, the Beloved Country by Alan Paton
• Black Boy by Richard Wright

 For more on John Howard Griffin’s Black Like Me, check out the following:

• Black Like Me, 50 Years Later | Arts & Culture | Smithsonian Magazine
• Black Like Me by John H. Griffin – a book review by Rob | The Fireside Book Chat
• Books in the Spotlight: Black Like Me