Review of What Nora Knew

In “What Nora Knew”, a great statement was made about “Sleepless in Seattle” – you knew that in the end they were going to get together, but it was the setting & the circumstances. The journey.

In this book, I have a feeling that these 2 characters are going to get together…but I’m anxious to follow and be mesmerized by their journey.

Molly is tired of being a staff writer assigned to work on some of the strangest assignments – undercover speed dating, posing nude for an art studio, seeing if she can sneak a vibrator through a security scanner, and dancing with the Rockettes. She yearns for her own column and has the chance at the possibility with an assignment to write a story about finding love in New York City “in the style of Nora Ephron”…it does not go well.

Molly’s current relationship with a chiropractor bears shades of “Sleepless in Seattle’s” Annie’s relationship with Walter. It’s steady and comfortable, but lacks fire and passion.

She is not impressed when meeting Cameron, an already-established mystery writer. But, you can already see the sparks fly and the banter between them would rival any known characters who share that same type of chemistry. The audience already knows where they are heading, but it’s fun to watch their journey evolve.

Throughout the story, bits and snippets of Nora Ephron’s trifecta, “When Harry Met Sally”, “Sleepless in Seattle”, and "You've Got Mail” are sprinkled around – in the storyline, with the relationship of the characters and in the end, when the girls finds the right guy.

For any lover of Nora Ephron and chick-lit, "What Nora Knew" is a delightfully entertaining story to add to your weekend reading list and with the witty quips throughout the story between Molly and Cameron, the journey of would make Nora proud.


What Nora Knew
Linda Yellin
Pub Date: Jan 21 2014
Gallery Books


Disclaimer: This book was provided to reviewer from the publisher, Gallery Books through NetGalley for the sole purpose of reading and review.

Review of - In the Garden series - Blue Dahlia, Black Rose, Red Lily by Nora Roberts

I’ve recently predicted it’s going to be the year of Nora Roberts for me…I’m continuing with that statement and have been delving into a few of her book series.

The “In the Garden” series is about 3 women who come together through circumstance and choice. The book portrays strong women who stand on their own, yet come to depend on each other through a mutual mystery involving The Harper Bride. There is a plethora of paranormal, a touch of intrigue and mayhem, and an ancestry, history, floriculture and botany lesson – all rolled into 3 books that tell a tale revolving around the coming together of these women at the Harper House estate, and subsequently, fusing together over womanhoods, motherhood and strength.  

In the first book we are introduced to possible romantic partners and you basically know how each of those storylines end…one of the downsides to why I stepped away from romances and am only now delving back in, but they have to have something more, side story that peaks my interest and keeps it. It’s pleasant to walk through the paths all the characters take on these side journeys… it’s nice to see how all the relationships in the books bud, are nurtured, grow and blossom into the ultimate goal of every romance novel – love.

I think a series – be it book, movies, mini or TV, succeeds when the storylines you've been engrossed in over the course of story, be it book or movies, come full circle and yet you are left still wanting more. You want to see where these characters go, how their stories blossom and grown, and to see what happens next.

Success for a fictional writer today comes if you can see the story come to life - if you can picture it as a movie, mini-series, television or online series. So many wonderful movies and show have come from existing material.

In order to achieve this, you have to have engaging and endearing characters who are multi-dimensional and possess identifiable personalities – whether they be friend or foe; believable plot twists – even if the books are fantasy fiction; and a storyline and some events that may be “a tale as old as time” and echoing with familiar scenes and plausible outcomes but still surprises the reader.

I’ve just started reading Nora Roberts - although I’ve been a fan or J.D. Robb for a couple of years now and have gone right through over 40 novels and novellas on the Eve Dallas – In Death series. She is a master at blending romance, a bit of suspense, twists & turns and characters who you come to love and are engrossing and fully formed.

If you are a book lover and haven’t had the fortune to spend time and enjoy Nora Roberts (or J.D. Robb) books for yourself…I suggest you start.

Review of Starry Night, by Debbie Macomber

Yes! It is definitely going to be the year of Debbie Macomber for me.

Starry Night was touted as a Christmas story, and I guess that’s appropriate since the story is built around the holidays and ends on Christmas Day.

It’s a typical love story as they go, with some twists and turns and interesting characters and conflicts with settings between Chicago, Seattle and the Alaskan wilderness. It’s visually blended and presented beautifully so if you close your eyes you can almost anticipate the magical, made for TV movie that will be produced in a couple of years.

Lately, I’ve been reading some novellas and shorter stories – all the action completely packed into less than 200 pages – and I’ve been left feeling like they are rushed through somehow – there isn’t enough of a back story or the pinnacle points don’t build up enough and then they end – completed but I'm left not completely feeling fulfilled.

This book is about 120 pages, and Debbie Macomber fills each page with a full and meaty visuals, complexity and full characters, that even though the hills, valleys and peaks of the story intertwine and balance at the end, I still wished there were more to it.

Overall, any Debbie Macomber fan or romance genre fan won’t want to miss taking a few hours to indulge themselves. By the end of the book, you will wish to be transported to this starry, starry night.

 

Starry Night
Debbie Macomber

Published October 8, 2013
Ballantine Books

Disclaimer: This book was provided to reviewer from the publisher, Ballantine Books through NetGalley for the sole purpose of reading and review.

If I Could Turn Back Time…and Clean the Slate

As I am venturing on the cusp of obtaining yet another job…not a “dream job” just moving forward out of necessity, I guess these questions are burning in my head...again.

I keep thinking that if I could only begin again then this time things would be different…but would they really?

I know I’ve changed and grown up a bit…but still my main personality traits and overall “essence” hasn’t. I think if I asked a random sampling of 100—people I know from all facets of my life – my family, close friends, former co-workers and supervisors, former boyfriends, acquaintances, old friends who I’ve connected with again through social media, new friends who I haven’t known that long or that well – they would all say closely the same thing and describe me the same way. I’m not quite sure exactly what they would say but I think it would be pretty close…

So, what that tells me is even if I “started over” – with finances, my career, my love life, other relationships, physically, intellectually, etc. – I pretty much would be in the same place. I’m sure a few things would be different and they may actually be some major compartments of my life.

I really want to create a survey and send it out with a request that people I know from all these different areas of my life take 10 minutes out of their busy schedules to If I could start with a fresh financial clean slate – any and all blemishes on my credit history would just vanish - no hovering bills to speak of except the everyday ones that I would have from here on out (even my car would be in tip top shape so no worries there at the moment – only rent, cable, cell phone, utilities, insurance, food, gas, basic incidentals – and all the rest would just disappear…would it make a difference?

Have I truly learned from my mistakes and if given the chance – would I make the same ones?

If I turned back the clock and paid attention to that lil ‘ol biological clock that was ticking in the background, would I have tried harder to fulfill my whole with Motherhood? Would I have made more of a concerted effort to work at finding “the one” using all tools at my disposal?

Would I have worked harder on finding my confidence sooner than I have? Would I have really and truly stopped, given up the dream that I haven’t even nurtured since turning my back on it and done the work to find out what I really want to do professionally and take the right steps and strides to make that happen instead of just continuing to flail around and end up taking jobs out of necessity?

And if I could magically jump in my Delorean and go back to when I was in my teens and start all over again…would I really chose to take that risk and see if things turn out the same way? Would I, could I? Okay…now I have the song “Memories” in my head – full on with Barbra Streisand’s melodious, husky, emotional making it hard for me to hold back a few dangling tears…

I guess I’ll never know. I’m on a path now, one that I didn’t plan and I keep trying to change, but I know I haven’t worked hard enough at making those changes that I want, that I can control and are still feasible.

It would be very nice to start from scratch…especially with the things that are possible at this juncture – finding what I was meant to do with my life – and do it. Do it well and love doing it. Pay off my outstanding bills, get out from under my financial woes, and start a new path to financial maturity. Find and fall in love with my Soul mate. Make a life that I’m proud to live and where I can make my mark on the world to leave behind.

So…no time machine to turn the clock back – just two feet to move my life forward, make smart choices, and take action to make the changes that I can make that will get me to new goals and make those dreams come true.

Hibernation

I just came to the realization last night while sitting all snuggled up on my parents’ couch that one of the key reasons I come back to Massachusetts every year, in the winter, is so I can hibernate – at least for a few weeks.  I’m truly an East Coast Girl even though I have lived in SoCal for almost 20 years.

Yes. Spending quality time with my parents definitely factors into the equation – as well as seeing the rest of my family & some friends during the holidays.

BUT, I don’t feel very guilty when I hunker down in the house and do, well, nothing. I go to bed late, sleep late, don’t take a shower every day and sometimes even stay in my PJs all day. I watch “Jeopardy” every night (the one time of the day when NO ONE calls because they know what time it is and that Jeani won’t pick up the phone) & watch TV programs I don’t regularly watch because those are the staples of my parents’ schedule. I see friends while I’m here, usually only once, sometimes not at all.

In San Diego, if I don’t putter around at least on the weekends and get out of the house – then I somehow feel bad for not going out – like I should be ashamed not to take advantage of the sunshine & beauty of where I live - at least taking a ride…unless it’s overcast, cloudy & rainy.

Even though I haven’t been working for 9 months, I still needed a break…from everyday life. Those little worries you have – the errands that have to be run, the house that needs to be organized, the laundry that needs washing, the cleaning that shouldn’t wait yet another day.

It’s worked out quite well this time…especially this year with all the extra crazy weather we’ve been experiencing across the country and the issues with the airlines. It’s actually been an added bonus because I can use it as an excuse NOT to leave the house and no one has given me a hard time.

But sadly, it’s time to plan on getting back to reality…even if it’s to Southern California. I’ve taken my holiday and enough of a breather from my everyday life and now I must concentrate on finding my next work gig because no one in the family has won the lottery yet – so my dream of paying off my bills and bumming around for a year trying to find my bliss will just have to wait.

People used to ask me if I went to the beach all the time…I told them, “No. I work for a living.” It really doesn’t matter where you live for the most part - you do the same thing as all your friends and relatives…just someplace else.  We work, do errands, go to school, shop, cook, go to the movies, read, schlep kids around, have doctor’s appointments, visit friends…just the locale is different.

So, as I prepare to go back to “America’s Finest City” and am already feeling the heartbreak that comes from leaving “home”, I know I’ve had my siesta and it’s time to come out of the cave, take a stretch and walk out into the sunshine and take a coastal ride with the top down.

Review of "Nora Roberts Land"

Surprisingly, I've never read a book by Nora Roberts. I HAVE read almost all of the "In Death" series by her alter-ego J.D. Robb.

The fact that Ava Miles mentioned the main characters Eve Dallas and Roarke several times in this book says how much of a true fan she is.

I started reading "Nora Roberts Land" in bed before I went to sleep. I read one chapter and knew I had to put it down because it drew me in right away. I knew I would be having a reading marathon if I kept at it and wouldn't get to bed until the wee hours of the morning.

It turned out I was correct. I started in on the second chapter and read the rest of the 335 page book, and went to bed at 3 a.m.

Not only am I going to read the rest of The Dare Valley series from Ava Miles, which thankfully all published within the last few months, I'll be making a concerted effort to read Nora Roberts' extensive collection of stories that have been enchanting avid fans for over 30 years.

"Nora Roberts Land" starts out as most other romance novels, with a strong woman who is having a crisis and is seeking for resolution. She decides to temporarily move back to her hometown of Dare Valley, Colorado and then the real fun begins!

Then, the book veers off a bit to include the mystery/thriller genre associated with J.D. Robb's books. It's a beautiful combination of all the wonderment and expected turbulence of a romance novel with an added twist to shake things up.

Nora Roberts should feel honored to be a "mentor" of sorts to Ava Miles. I think she did her proud! Anyone who is a fan of a captivating cast of characters, a great storyline that has the ups and downs we all face in life, strong family bonds, and an endearing love story rounds it out.

I look forward to a long and fulfilling "relationship" with Ava Miles, and I am eager to expand my current fandom with Nora Roberts.



Nora Roberts Land
Ava Miles

Published June 24, 2013
Aspendawn Books

Disclaimer: This book was provided to reviewer from the publisher, Aspendawn Books through NetGalley for the sole purpose of reading and review.

Review of Leverage Your Laziness

For those of us who KNOW we are lazy, this book will still come as a surprise because it gives you a great formula to help you discover more about yourself and provides some simple tools that will help you to do what you love...all the time!

It's also a quick read. I finished it in about 3 hours which included some thinking, reflection and pondering on the questions asked by the authors.

And for those of us who KNOW we are lazy - the content doesn't go around in circles, spouting the same tiresome dribble that we've heard in so many other personal growth tomes.

It's the perfect mixture of inspiring quotes, sound advice, cheeky humor and self discovery...all rolled into just 67 pages!

I still took 3 pages of notes, including a few self discovery, assessment questions...yes, you DO have to do a little work...but I promise it will give you insight into how you can truly be lazy...doing the things you love!

I recommend Leverage Your Laziness to anyone who doesn't want to get stuck doing something they hate, are not good at or do not have fun doing - or, if you are in that prediciment now. Teenagers and Geriatrics alike will get something useful and possibly life-changing in just a few hours!



Leverage Your Laziness
Jeff Goldberg & Steve Bookbinder

Published June 1, 2013
Sound Wisdom

Disclaimer: This book was provided to reviewer from the publisher, Sound Wisdom through NetGalley for the sole purpose of reading and review.