AFTER I DO, by author, TAYLOR JENKINS REID, recommended by author, M.M. Finck

Author / Writer / Book Lover - which are you?

Author/Writer/and/Book Lover  J

Title of Fiction book & year published

AFTER I DO, published in 2014

Author name

Taylor Jenkins Reid

Type of book

Women’s fiction – equally perfect for book club, beach, and bedtime

What is it about this book that pulled you in?

The premise.  Who wouldn’t be pulled in by:  “When Lauren and Ryan’s marriage reaches the breaking point, they come up with an unconventional plan. They decide to take a year off in the hopes of finding a way to fall in love again. One year apart, and only one rule: they cannot contact each other. Aside from that, anything goes.”

Is there a relationship in the story that resonated with you?

Lauren and Ryan’s difficulties are relatable to even the happiest of married people.  Their love story and their struggles felt like my own.  Though there was little factual resemblance, their emotions were mine too.  I felt their frustration.  Immersed in this novel, I was confused and scared and lonely and in love and scared I couldn’t feel it anymore.  As they grew, I grew.  I enjoyed Lauren’s co-worker/friend too.  She portrayed a different stage of life – married with children.

Do you think that relationship was portrayed realistically?

Absolutely.

Anything else you want to tell us about the book?

Taylor Jenkins Reid is my favorite new author.  Her first novel FOREVER, INTERRUPTED was also extraordinary.  Her voice is pitch perfect.  Her third novel MAYBE IN ANOTHER LIFE is coming out July 2015.

If author or writer, your social media links:

Thank you, Jill, so much for allowing me to share on your fantastic blog!  J

MM Finck

Writer

www.mmfinck.com

Facebook.com/mmfinck

Twitter.com/mmfinck

Goodreads.com/mmfinck

JHA ~ Thanks so much, Peggy, for pointing me to this author. I just finished this book and loved it!

Attention readers ~ Have YOU read this book?  If so, tell us what YOU thought of it!

***To leave a comment - Click the red 'comment' word below photo of book.

Interested in being a contributor for my new book blog? Contact me via email at jilla27@gmail.com. THIS BLOG WILL BE REPLACED IN JUNE BY MY NEW BOOK BLOG ~ SharingYourBook blog.  I'd love to hear from you if you have a great book to recommend.

WATER FROM MY HEART, by author, CHARLES MARTIN, recommended by author, Normandie Fischer

Author / Writer / Book Lover - which are you?

NF ~ All of the above! How can one write without reading voraciously?

Title of Fiction book and year published

WATER FROM MY HEART published May, 2015

Author name

Charles Martin

Type of book

Contemporary fiction

What is it about this book that pulled you in?

NF ~ I love Charles Martin’s work, and this is one of his most powerful. All of Martin’s characters have issues and idiosyncrasies, but nothing like Charlie Finn’s anti-social, anti-heroic behavior. I wanted to smack some sense into the man, but most of all, I wanted to know what this brilliant author was going to do with Charlie the drug dealer, Charlie the untouched and untouchable. I knew the author had a plan, and I wanted to know what it was--the what, how, when, and why of Charlie Finn. As one relationship after another unfolded, one life choice after another revealed the lies Charlie told himself, I turned the pages, hating that moment when I’d have to surrender my reading time to the obligations of life.

You know it’s a good book when the questions pile and you have to know what comes next. What would be the catalyst for change? How would Martin set the stage for it? And what exactly would that change be?

Is there a relationship in the story that resonated with you?

NF ~ In my own work, I write a lot about choices: how they affect us, how they determine our future, whether or not the negative consequences of those choices can be undone. Charles Martin is a superlative storyteller. When he presents a character’s choices and their consequences, we get it. We want to yell or cheer, to hope or weep right along with the actor on that story’s stage. I can’t just pick one relationship here; they all affected me. But the generational choices—combined with our hero’s—that sent a teenage boy spiraling out of control touched my mother’s heart. How would Charlie fix this? And could he?

Then there were Paulo and his niece, Paulina, the Nicaraguans whose life lessons so powerfully affected our anti-hero. These two, more than any others, showed Charlie a way out and a way back through lives lived sacrificially.

Do you think that relationship was portrayed realistically?

NF ~ Charles Martin could write from the point of view of a cockroach and make it believable. He’s that good.

Anything else you want to tell us about the book?

NF ~ The title is so provocative, don’t you think? Water is not only essential to life, but it evokes so many images—especially for me, a sailor. If you’ve ever visited a place where you’re surrounded by water and yet have nothing potable to drink, you’ve experienced another layer of what it means to thirst.

Charles Martin’s characters thirst for life-giving water for their flesh and for their soul. We all have a place in us that yearns for soul-water, although we don’t all recognize it. That Charles can portray this search again and again, through different characters in different books—and portray it in ways that make me weep and laugh and even want to dance—is nothing short of remarkable.

If author or writer, your social media links:

https://www.facebook.com/NormandieFischer

https://twitter.com/WritingOnBoard

http://www.normandiefischer.com

JHA ~ Thanks so much, Normandie, for recommending this new release! (And your comment about Charles writing from a cockroach POV is intriguing!) ;)

Attention readers ~ Have YOU read this book?  If so, tell us what YOU thought of it!

***To leave a comment - Click the red 'comment' word below photo of book.

To follow this weekly book blog, just click the "Follow by email" link on the right side of this page, or sign up on my website through blogger or google plus.  

Interested in being a contributor? Contact me via email at jilla27@gmail.com. THIS BLOG WILL SOON BE REPLACED BY MY NEW BOOK BLOG ~ SharingYourBook blog, starting in June.  I'd love to hear from you if you have a great book to recommend.

A PRAYER FOR OWEN MEANY, by author, JOHN IRVING, recommended by book lover, Ginny McDonald

Author / Writer / Book Lover - which are you?

GM ~ I am a book lover!!!

Title of Fiction book & year published

A Prayer for Owen Meany  - published 1989

  

Author name

John Irving

Type of book

It’s hard for me to classify. Coming of age, memoir...friendship story

What is it about this book that pulled you in?

GM ~ The back of the book says it is Irving’s most comic novel yet and that Owen is a heartbreaking character. I wanted to find out more about the combination of comedy and heartbreak. Then when I read the first line about John being “doomed” to remember Owen and how he became what he was because of Owen; I had to keep reading.

Is there a relationship in the story that resonated with you? 

GM ~ The relationship between John and Owen starts as boys and continues into young adulthood. They are both only children; John is being raised by a single mother and his grandmother and they are one of the towns most distinguished families and Owen lives simply with his parents at the granite quarry. Owen and John go to school together. Owen’s small stature and strange voice make him an object of curiosity. He thinks he is “God’s Instrument” and it turns out that he is.

Do you think that relationship was portrayed realistically?
GM ~  Yes, the boys are very close and remain so.

Anything else you want to tell us about the book?

GM ~ The story is told by John as an adult and all of Owen’s dialog is in CAPITAL LETTERS. The book has many fun and funny scenes involving a host of characters from the town as well as John’s family. Owen accidentally kills John’s mother hitting a foul ball during a baseball game. They try to find out who John’s father really is. They go to a fancy boarding school together and Owen causes trouble. I had a hard time putting this book down. I just wanted to find out what was going to happen next.

JHA ~ Thanks so much, Ginny, for recommending this book! I bought it last year and haven't read it yet.  I need to move it to the top of my TBR stack!

Attention readers ~ Have YOU read this book?  If so, tell us what YOU thought of it!

***To leave a comment - Click the red 'comment' word below photo of book.

To follow this weekly book blog, just click the "Follow by email" link on the right side of this page, or sign up on my website through blogger or google plus.  

Interested in being a contributor? Contact me via email at jilla27@gmail.com. 

You will also find the list of upcoming contributors under the Fridayfictionfriend tab.  I'd love to hear from you if you have a great book to recommend.

ALL THE LIGHT WE CANNOT SEE, by author, ANTHONY DOERR, recommended by book lover, Carissa O'Connor

Attention readers: We changed up the schedule a bit for May, so this is being posted May 1st, instead of the end of May, and likely the post scheduled for today will be posted at that time. I appreciate Carissa stepping in early. :)


Author / Writer / Book Lover - which are you? 

CO ~ I am a total book lover and writer wannabe. (No guts, no glory.)

Title of Fiction book & year published

All the Light We Cannot See, May 2014

Author name

Anthony Doerr

Type of book

Historical fiction

What is it about this book that pulled you in?

CO ~ It takes place in Paris, France, (one of my favorite places), and Berlin, Germany during the Hitler regime. Yet the story is about compassion and brotherly/familial love that defies even the most evil of circumstances. It is written with impeccable detail and beautiful metaphors – at times almost poetic.  Anthony Doerr is now one of my favorite authors, along with Barbara Kingsolver.

Is there a relationship in the story that resonated with you?

CO ~ The way the father of the main character takes care of his blind daughter is such a testament to what we will do for our children to equip them for life without us if necessary. The other main character is in an orphanage with his sister, and as complex as their relationship becomes, their love for one another never diminishes.

Do you think that relationship was portrayed realistically?

CO ~ Given the context of the historical background, I immediately believed the story was realistic, and sadly, some parts were probably very true to life. Having said that, this is not a completely sad story. There are triumphs and pleasures found throughout the book.

Anything else you want to tell us about the book?

CO ~ You do not have to be a historical fiction fan to fall in love with this book. It is so well written, you will feel like you are in France enjoying the wafts of freshly made baguettes, or in Berlin listening to the forbidden radio broadcasts. This book is about war, yes, but so much more than that. It is a book about love, sacrifice, over coming fear; in short –  it’s about the human condition.

JHA ~ Thanks so much, Carissa, for recommending this book, and especially for stepping in as guest a few weeks early! I've heard nothing but great things about this book, and need to read it.

Attention readers ~ Have YOU read this book?  If so, tell us what YOU thought of it!

***To leave a comment - Click the red 'comment' word below photo of book.

To follow this weekly book blog, just click the "Follow by email" link on the right side of this page, or sign up on my website through blogger or google plus.  

Interested in being a contributor? Contact me via email at jilla27@gmail.com. 

You will also find the list of upcoming contributors under the Fridayfictionfriend tab.  I'd love to hear from you if you have a great book to recommend.

ANIMAL DREAMS, by author, BARBARA KINGSOLVER, recommended by writer, Janet Rundquist

Author / Writer / Book Lover - which are you?

JR ~ Book lover, writer, and almost author

Title of Fiction book & year published

Animal Dreams 1990

Author name

Barbara Kingsolver

Type of book 

Women’s Fiction

What is it about this book that pulled you in?

JR ~ The protagonist’s sister travels to Nicaragua to help with crop rejuvenation after (well, during) the civil war in the 1980s. I was living in Nicaragua when I read this book (in 1995) so that probably had a lot to do with it. However, it wasn’t the sister that I could relate to, but the protagonist herself, Codi. I feel so much like Codi and understand her struggle to find her place in her own life story.

Is there a relationship in the story that resonated with you?

JR ~ Though we see the complicated relationship that Codi, the protagonist, has with her sister, her father, and her boyfriend, it is really the relationship she has with the town she grew up in that struck a chord with me.

Do you think that relationship was portrayed realistically?

JR ~ This relationship with the town felt authentic. As Codi grew up in the small town of Grace, Arizona, there were many factors that made her feel an outsider. As she returns to this town, she takes those memories with her and struggles with her own inability to accept that she need not be an outsider anymore.

Anything else you want to tell us about the book?

JR ~ Kingsolver, especially in her more recent works, focuses on themes of nature. This book is probably the birth of those themes with her stories, as well as mixing in a bit of social justice (which is also what pulled me in). At times her situational juxtapositions are a little forced in their metaphorical nature, but even after re-reading again just recently (for the 3^rd or 4^th time), I was able to overlook it. Frankly, I probably only really noticed because since my last read, I’ve written a couple books of my own. Ha.

A friend of mine uses the “did it make you laugh, think, and cry” meausure for good storytelling, and this definitely does all three for me.

Truly, Kingsolver’s prose is beautiful. If you read only one of her books, this should be the one.

  

If author or writer, your social media links:

http://twitter.com/ProfeJMarie

http://jmarierundquist.com

JHA ~ Thanks so much, Janet, for recommending this book! It sounds great, and I've been meaning to pick up one of Barbara's novels. It sounds like this should be the one!

Attention readers ~ Have YOU read this book?  If so, tell us what YOU thought of it!

***To leave a comment - Click the red 'comment' word below photo of book.

To follow this weekly book blog, just click the "Follow by email" link on the right side of this page, or sign up on my website through blogger or google plus.  

Interested in being a contributor? Contact me via email at jilla27@gmail.com. 

You will also find the list of upcoming contributors under the Fridayfictionfriend tab.  I'd love to hear from you if you have a great book to recommend.

IT'S NOT ABOUT THE DOG, by author, SUSAN TAYLOR CHEHAK, recommended by author, Elizabeth (Beth) Havey

Author / Writer / Book Lover - which are you?

EH ~ AUTHOR, WRITER and BOOK LOVER    My own collection of short stories, A Mother’s Time Capsule, will be launched on May 1, 2015, just before Mother’s Day.

Title and year published

IT’S NOT ABOUT THE DOG   2015 

Author name

Susan Taylor Chehak

Type of book 

Fiction – collection of short stories

What is it about this book that pulled you in?

EH ~ Susan is always able to find that intimate detail that reveals so much about her characters. Her stories explore lives that we know, like ALL THE TIME, in which a son leaves the facility where his aging mother lives after having a stroke, only to make a wrong turn and get lost. As he struggles to correct his mistake, he realizes that he can’t redo the past. He has made wrong turns that are permanent. 

I have studied under Susan and read all of her novels. This is her most recent publication through her own FORVERLAND PRESS.

https://www.kirkusreviews.com/book-reviews/susan-taylor-chehak/its-not-about-the-dog/

Is there a relationship in the story that resonated with you?

EH ~ The characters in the story are in the 3^rd stage of life, dealing with second marriages, aging relationships. Their problems and cares mirror one’s own worries as life proceeds.

  

Do you think that relationship was portrayed realistically?

EH ~ Yes. In the story, DEAR MR. FANTASY, the main character wants to get rid of her husband’s dog as her husband has just died and that relationship had been a burden to her in his last years. Now the dog is a burden—but she learns that she should cling to the animal and what it stands for, rather than get rid of him. This is real life choice at its best.

Susan can tap into your heart and mind as you identify with the things in the rooms, the glances from one character to another, the gaps in conversation. And there is often a dog somewhere in the story.

Anything else you want to tell us about the book?

EH ~ These are short stories. Each one speaks to the reader on its own level. It is great reading for nighttime when you are tired and a short leap into fiction is all you need.  

  

If author or writer, your social media links:

http://boomerhighway.org/

http://twitter.com/BoomerHighway

https://www.facebook.com/pages/Boomer-Highway/194703633924247?ref=hl

https://www.facebook.com/elizabeth.a.havey

http://www.pinterest.com/bethhavey/

JHA ~ Thanks so much, Beth, for recommending this book! I like the idea of short stories.

Attention readers ~ Have YOU read this book?  If so, tell us what YOU thought of it!

***To leave a comment - Click the red 'comment' word below photo of book.

To follow this weekly book blog, just click the "Follow by email" link on the right side of this page, or sign up on my website through blogger or google plus.  

Interested in being a contributor? Contact me via email at jilla27@gmail.com. 

You will also find the list of upcoming contributors under the Fridayfictionfriend tab.  I'd love to hear from you if you have a great book to recommend.

EQUILIBRIUM, by author, LORRIE THOMSON, recommended by writer, Jamie Raintree

Author / Writer / Book Lover - which are you?

JR ~ I’m a writer, hoping to be a published author soon. Definitely a book lover.

Title of Fiction book and year published

Equilibrium, 2013

Author name

Lorrie Thomson

Type of book

Women’s Fiction

What is it about this book that pulled you in?

JR ~ The first thing that pulled me in was Thomson’s beautiful writing. She has such a way with words and painted a vivid picture of the Klein’s life. As difficult as the Klein’s situation is, I still felt so at home in their home and I looked forward to picking up the book and spending time there.

Secondly, I was very intrigued by Laura’s conflicted feelings about her late husband. It gave the story a real-ness that made it hit home for me.

Is there a relationship in the story that resonated with you? 

JR ~ I really loved the relationship between Laura and Aidan, the man who moves into her husband’s old studio behind the house. I don’t want to give too much away, but I always love a character who comes in and encourages the main character to look at life in a different way.

Do you think that relationship was portrayed realistically?

JR ~ I do. I especially loved the way that Thomson made sure the kids were considered every step of the way. In some books where kids are involved, they are often off doing their own thing and not included in the journey that the main character goes through. Thomson did a great job of portraying that to a mother, her kids are the most important part of her life.

Anything else you want to tell us about the book?

JR ~ Equilibrium is told in two points-of-view: Laura’s and her teenage daughter’s, Darcy. Usually when there is more than one point-of-view, I favor one over the other, but in this case, I enjoyed both equally. Darcy’s point-of-view contrasted Laura’s perfectly, portraying two opposite, but equally understandable reactions to grief. I just really loved this book!

If author or writer, your social media links:

Website: http://jamieraintree.com

Facebook: http://facebook.com/jamieraintreeauthor

Twitter: http://twitter.com/jamieraintree

Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/jamieraintree

Instagram: http://instagram.com/jamieraintree

JHA ~ Thanks so much, Jamie, for recommending this book! It has been on my TBR list for a while now and I need to move it up ~ it sounds great!

Attention readers ~ Have YOU read this book?  If so, tell us what YOU thought of it!

***To leave a comment - Click the red 'comment' word below photo of book.

To follow this weekly book blog, just click the "Follow by email" link on the right side of this page, or sign up on my website through blogger or google plus.  

Interested in being a contributor? Contact me via email at jilla27@gmail.com. 

You will also find the list of upcoming contributors under the Fridayfictionfriend tab.  I'd love to hear from you if you have a great book to recommend.

A MAN CALLED OVE, by author, FREDRIK BACKMAN, recommended by author, Lesley Kagen

Author / Writer / Book Lover - which are you?

LK ~ Author.

  

Title of Fiction book and year published

A Man Called Ove, published July 15, 2014

Author name

Fredrik Backman.

Type of book

LK ~ A contemporary novel that’s both funny and poignant.

What is it about this book that pulled you in?

LK ~ I loved the style. The voice. His way of approaching the characters and plot. The pace was wonderful as well.

Is there a relationship in the story that resonated with you?

LK ~ Every single relationship in the book worked for me, but the one that Ove continued to have with his departed wife and an old friend that he'd had a falling out with especially moved me.

Do you think that relationship was portrayed realistically?

LK ~ I do.

Anything else you want to tell us about the book?

LK ~ It’ so fresh and original. A great setting, funny, touching, and wonderfully authentic dialogue. The book has everything I look for in a great story. Couldn’t wait to hop into bed each night to read it.

If author or writer, your social media links:

www.lesleykagen.com

https://www.facebook.com/LesleyKagenBooks?sk=app_4949752878

Attention readers ~ Have YOU read this book?  If so, tell us what YOU thought of it!

***To leave a comment - Click the red 'comment' word below photo of book.

JHA ~ Thanks so much, Lesley, for taking the time to recommend one of your favorite reads! This book has great reviews and is going on my TBR list!

To follow this weekly book blog, just click the "Follow by email" link on the right side of this page, or sign up on my website through blogger or google plus.  

Interested in being a contributor? Contact me via email at jilla27@gmail.com. 
You will also find the list of upcoming contributors under the Fridayfictionfriend tab.  I'd love to hear from you if you have a great book to recommend.

THE CATALPA TREE, by DENYSE DEVLIN, recommended by author, Barbara Claypole White

Author / Writer / Book Lover - which are you?

BCW ~ All of the above, but I think of myself as a reader first and foremost. 
(side note from Jill - Barbara's third book will be out this summer, so she is definitely an author too!)

Title of Fiction book and year it was published (doesn't have to be a new release)

The Catalpa Tree (2005: Irish Penguin.)

Author name

Denyse Devlin

Type of book 

Women’s fiction with a dark edge

What is it about this book that pulled you in?

BCA ~ The tag line: “A story about love, loss and surviving them both”

Is there a relationship in the story that resonated with you?

BCW ~ Oh my goodness, yes. The Catalpa Tree has been one of my favorite novels for ten years, and the hero, Oliver Sayle, still lives in my head.

When the reader meets Oliver, he’s waiting to tell his best friend’s fourteen-year-old daughter, Jude, that she’s been orphaned. Sitting in the office at Jude’s Catholic boarding school, squirming as the senior nun watches across the desk, Oliver is trying not to feel intimidated. And he’s desperate for a cigarette. That was the moment I fell in love with him.

Oliver is Jude’s legal guardian. They’ve always been close, but everything changes once they’re thrown together through grief and tragedy. Oliver has his own family, and a young son, but Jude has no one else. As Jude grows into a desirable young woman, they test each other constantly.

And this is why I Iove The Catalpa Tree: It peels back the layers of a messy, complex relationship, going deeper and deeper into every twist and turn, every conflict. It’s impossible not to get swept up in the turmoil of this emotionally gripping page-turner. You cheer, you cry, and when you put the novel down, you have to know where these characters are ten, fifteen, twenty years into the future.

Do you think that relationship was portrayed realistically?

BCW ~ Yes! It’s a wonderful window into an incredibly complicated relationship.

Anything else you want to tell us without giving away too much of the plot?

BCW ~ Read it. Read it now. And fall in love with Oliver and Jude and the glorious settings in France, under the catalpa tree. Did I mention that it’s beautifully written?

If author or writer, your social media links:

Website: http://www.barbaraclaypolewhite.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BarbaraClaypoleWhite?ref=hl

Twitter: https://twitter.com/bclaypolewhite

JHA ~ Thank you so much, Barbara, for recommending a novel I'd never heard of, but one you've told me was a big influence in your writing career! It sounds wonderful, and is now on my TBR list!

Attention readers ~ Have YOU read this book?  If so, tell us what YOU thought of it!

***To leave a comment - Click the red 'comment' word below photo of book.

To follow this weekly book blog, just click the "Follow by email" link on the right side of this page, or sign up on my website through blogger or google plus. 

Interested in being a contributor? Contact me via email at jilla27@gmail.com. You will also find the list of upcoming contributors under the Fridayfictionfriend tab.  I'd love to hear from you if you have a great book to recommend.