Review: The Simplicity of Cider

Title The Simplicity of Cider
By Amy Reichert
Genre Adult Romance, Magic Realism
Rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Synopsis 
Sanna has lived on her families apple farm her whole life. She loves the life. Her cider making has consumed her life, so much so, that she's only just becoming aware of how badly things are going for the farm. With the arrival of the handsome Isaac and his son Bas, Sanna's troubles are just getting started.

First Sentence
Sanna Lund's thoughts of apple blossoms and new cider blends stuttered to an end with the grunt of her dad's snore.




My friend Kami discovered this author this year and loves her books. Since she and I have some similarities in our tastes for books, I knew I'd have to give this author a shot. This one popped up on Overdrive so I downloaded and started listening.

What a cute little book! When I need a comfort read I reach for Sarah Addison Allen or Emily Giffin but since I'm coming to the end of reading everything they've written I needed a new go-to author. Amy Reichert will be great.

I liked the setting of this book. I'm not a huge apple fan but I swear I could smell apples while reading it. I even bought some apples (rare for me) and snarfed them down because of this book. The setting sounded heavenly. A cute little touristy town with apple orchards, a lake, and yummy food, sign me up.

The characters were your typical small town characters. I wasn't blown away by them but I liked them and wished the best for them. Bas was adorable. I feel for that kid!

The story was great too. Not too heavy but it had plenty of substance. I struggled a little becoming emotionally invested but it got me in the end.

With just a touch of magic and a whole lot of drama and romance, I liked this one and can't wait to try more by this author.

  Should you read it
If this one sounds like your type, you should definitely read it. I don't think you'll be disappointed.

Review: The Girl Who Chased the Moon

Title The Girl Who Chased The Moon
By Sarah Addison Allen
Genre Adult Magic Realism
Rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Synopsis
Emily Benedict came to Mullaby, North Carolina, hoping to solve at least some of the riddles surrounding her mother’s life. Such as, why did Dulcie Shelby leave her hometown so suddenly? And why did she vow never to return? But the moment Emily enters the house where her mother grew up and meets the grandfather she never knew--a reclusive, real-life gentle giant--she realizes that mysteries aren’t solved in Mullaby, they’re a way of life: Here are rooms where the wallpaper changes to suit your mood. Unexplained lights skip across the yard at midnight. And a neighbor bakes hope in the form of cakes. (From Goodreads)

First Sentence

It took a moment for Emily to realize the car had come to a stop.

I needed another Allen book in this crazy depressing time of my life so I downloaded the audio of this one and listened while cleaning house and raking leaves. It was a life saver. 

I feel like this one isn't talked about as much as some of her others so my expectations were low. I thought it wasn't going to compare but I actually ended up really liking it. It was as sweet and enjoyable as Julia's cakes. (character in the story reference) 

I loved all of the characters in this one...mostly. One of the love interests annoyed the hell out of me (typical) but other than that I found the characters relatable and endearing. I also liked the story of this one. Allen's books can be a little light on story but this one held my interest and I wanted to know how everything unfolded.

A wonderful comfort read. If you haven't read Allen you need to.

Should you read it
Yes, A great Allen book to begin with if you haven't read any of her books.  

Review: The Peach Keeper

Title The Peach Keeper
By Sarah Addison Allen
Genre Adult magic realism
Rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Synopsis
Descended from a once wealthy family, Willa still calls Walls of Water home but knows her life is very different than her grandmother's used to be. The mansion Willa's family once owned is being restored to its former glory by Paxton Osgood, an old high school classmate who's family is still wealthy. Paxton intends to make it a high class inn. But when a skeleton is found buried beneath an old peach tree on the property, Willa and Paxton will learn about their families history and be drawn together to solve the mystery.

First Sentence
The day Paxton Osgood took the box of heavy-stock, foil-lined envelopes to the post office, the ones she'd had a professional calligrapher address, it began to rain so hard the air turned as white as bleached cotton.

I love Allen's books. Just look at that first sentence. You just know it's going to be a good book, right?  My life's been so nuts and stressful right now I needed some of Allen's magic to comfort me. While this one wasn't quite as wonderful as some of her other books, I still found myself happily and dreamily turning pages while I tuned out my crappy life.

The underlying message I took away from this one was pretty awesome. I loved its take on women's relationships and how they usually look and how they could look. It was just beautiful.

The story seemed a little light to me. There wasn't much substance to it. And it was short. Less than three hundred pages but in the end I wasn't bothered by any of that.

So while, I wasn't blown away, It was still a lovely story that was just what I needed.

Should you read it
If you've never read and Allen book before this wouldn't be the first book I'd recommend you try but, yes, it's a lovely story.

Review: Imaginary Girls

Title Imaginary Girls
By Nova Ren Suma
Genre YA Magic Realism
Rating ⭐️

Synopsis
Chloe has always lived in the shadow of her older sister Ruby. The girl the whole town is in love with. But Ruby raised Chloe when their deadbeat mom didn't so Chloe loves her as much or more than anyone else. When a horrible accident results in a girls death Chloe is taken away by her father but when Ruby comes back for her and Chloe goes back home, the truth of what really happened will come out.

First Sentence
Ruby said I'd never drown - not in deep ocean, not by shipwreck, not even by falling drunk into someone's bottomless backyard pool.


What the hell did I just read?! You see that cover and you're intrigued. You find the book for $2.00 at a thrift store and you have to buy it, right? So I did. I guess I should have realized it was probably at a thrift store for a reason.

I'm sorry but I feel like this book falls in that "Emperor's New Clothes" category. You know? Everyone is too afraid of looking stupid because they missed something so they all rave about how beautiful it is even though they're all wondering what the hell.

Yeah. I loathed Ruby. She got what ever she wanted and it made her an insufferable brat who didn't give a damn about anyone else. Oh, she claimed to love Chloe but if she'd really loved her she would have let her stay with her dad.

I'm pretty sure the author wants you to love Ruby but I hated her. If my opinion of the book was to be dependent on my opinion of Ruby...well...it's not good.

And Chloe drove me nuts too. She was so weirdly obsessed with Ruby it bordered on creepy. And it wasn't just the stupid characters that ruined this one but the completely unbelievable story line that was so twisted and nonsensical that I spent most of the book just angrily trying to figure out what the hell was going on.

Complete waste of time.

Should you read it
Um, no. 

Review: Jane Unlimited

Title Jane Unlimited
By Kristin Cashore
Genre Magic Realism
Rating ⭐️⭐️⭐️

Synopsis
Before her Aunt Magnolia died, she made Jane promise if she ever got invited to the elusive Tu Reviens house to go. Such and invitation has come and Jane, true to her word goes. But no one could have prepared her for the crazy world she's about to enter.


First Sentence
The house on the cliff looks like a ship disappearing into fog.





How I came upon this book was a stroke of pure luck. No, publishers weren't pounding at my door or littering my inbox with requests to read the newest book by one of my favorite authors. No, I'm not one of those bloggers. However, one of THOSE bloggers received an ARC of this book in THEIR mail and they, hopefully after reading it, donated it to my local thrift store. Imagine my delight when a book not even published yet fell into my lap because I happened to be at the right place at the right time. And if that wasn't good enough, I only paid a dollar fifty for it. Giddiness ensued.

So, I quickly lapped it up. For some reason I thought this was going to be a fantasy novel like Cashore's other books. I was WAY off! This reads more like a contemporary NA and a choose your own adventure. At first, that's what I thought it was but there was no instructions to skip ahead to a certain page for such and such choice so I read it front to back. (which, I saw later in the author's notes, was exactly how she meant for it to be read)

I enjoyed reading all the different possibilities Jane's choices presented. I'm glad it wasn't a choose your own adventure because the endings of some of those choices were pretty gloom and unsatisfying. Seeing how they all coincided was fun too.

I loved how real all the characters felt. Cashore does such a great job with her characters. By the end of the book you feel like you actually know these people. I adored Jasper the very best. I'm sorry, but basset hounds are my favorite type of dog and, yes, he's only a dog but animals are often the very best of characters. Am I right?  I loved him so much!

I found Jane's umbrella making fascinating to read about. I loved what a unique talent it was. I've never read a book about someone who makes umbrellas, have you? No? Exactly. It was so fun. And it was interesting seeing each different umbrella she created with each different choice.

The house. Oi! On the one hand I want to visit this crazy house and on the other I want to stay far far away from it. A house full of art with a indoor pool, bowling alley and atrium on its own island surrounded by the ocean...yes please. But I could do with out that creepy library. Yes, I called a library creepy. Read the book and you'll know why.

I won't go on and on anymore. I think I've praised the book enough. You'll notice I only gave it three stars and perhaps you're wondering why if I appear to have loved it so much. Well, I'll tell you. ;) I found it a titch long and a little slow moving at parts. And books like these tend to get a tiny bit repetitive. But other than that it was a delightful journey. One I found unique and entertaining.

Should you read it
This book is in bookstores September 19th and yes, I'd recommend you go pick yourself up a copy.

Review: All the Birds in the Sky

Title All the Birds in the Sky
By Charlie Jane Anders
Genre Adult Magic Realism/Dystopian/Fantasy/Science Fiction
Rating ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Synopsis
Magic and science meet in this story of a boy and a girl and their strange lives.


First Sentence
When Patricia was six years old, she found a wounded bird.







Another book for The Tournament of Books. Another great book. While I felt a lot of this one sort of went over my head, I really liked it. I'm not crazy. I got the whole story line etc but the deeper meaning and subtle hints at something more flew right over my head, I'm sure.

Still, as far as stories go, I loved this one. I was fascinated with the story and the lives of these strange characters. The book felt like a mash up of Harry Potter and The Magicians with a dystopian/science fiction twist. It wasn't at all what I was expecting and I was pleasantly surprised.

Dang! Sadly, I find myself at a loss for words on this on. Just know that I really liked it and would highly recommend it.

Should you read it
I just said you should. ;)

Review: Bone Gap

Title Bone Gap
By Laura Ruby
Genre NA Magic realism
Pages 373


First Sentence 
The corn was talking to him again.



Synopsis
Finn and Sean O'Sullivan are used to losing things in their small town of Bone Gap. Their mother left them to fend for themselves and Sean gave up on his dreams to raise Finn. When the beautiful Roza joins their lives it seems things might be getting better but just as quickly as Roza appeared she's disappeared and the only witness to her kidnapping is Finn. Finn the boy they call Moonface, Sidetrack and Spaceman.

What is has going for it
I could just tell you that this was my first five star book of the year and leave it at that but  I loved this book too much to not talk about it. First of all, how did I not know about this amazing author? Laura Ruby's writing...,guys, it's so beautiful and poetic. And then comes this wonderful story. It's mysterious and heart wrenching. The feels! This has it all, a hint of magic, with a side of romance topped with suspense. Argh! I guess I'm not going to talk about it too much after all. I don't want to give anything away. You just need to read this book!

What's lacking
Nothing is lacking but I will warn you this is more of an NA than a YA so there was a scene that was for more mature readers.

Yea or Nay?
Seriously? You're still on the fence? Read. This. Book!

Review: Lost Lake

Title Lost Lake
By Sarah Addison Allen
Genre Adult magic realism
Pages 296


First Sentence "Wake up, Kate!"



Synopsis
Suley, Georgia, is home to Lost Lake Cottages and not much else. Which is why it's the perfect place for newly-widowed Kate and her eccentric eight-year-old daughter Devin to heal. Kate spent one memorable childhood summer at Lost Lake, had her first almost-kiss at Lost Lake, and met a boy named Wes at Lost Lake. It was a place for dreaming. But Kate doesn't believe in dreams anymore, and her Aunt Eby, Lost Lake's owner, wants to sell the place and move on. Lost Lake's magic is gone. As Kate discovers that time has a way of standing still at Lost Lake can she bring the cottages—and her heart—back to life? (From Goodreads)

What it has going for it
I love Allen's books. Let's just get that out of the way. I love how magical and perfect they are. Realistic? No. They're full of hope and happy endings and, let's face it, life isn't that way at all. But that's what makes Allen's books so wonderful. When life in all its dreariness gets you down, you can count on Allen to lift you up with humor, magic, and happy ever after. Lost lake starts out rather sadly. It seems that all the characters are a little lost a, a little out of hope but with the help from a alligator/boy and a little bit of magic everything turns out OK. While this one wasn't my favorite Allen because nothing in it really hit home with me at this time in my life, I still loved it. It was just what I needed and I flew through it. I'm determined to read more of Allen's books now.

What's lacking
Like I said, this one didn't have some hidden message that struck home with me. So, while I loved it, it didn't move me. When I read The Sugar Queen by Allen, it totally hit home with me. That one will always have a special place in my heart. I'll remember Lost Lake, though. It sounded so magical and warm and safe. I really have no complaints.
Yea or Nay?
Yes, I'd recommend Allen's books to anyone. 

Review: The Golem and the Jinni

Title The Golem and The Jinni
By Helene Wecker
Genre Adult Magic Realism Historical
Pages 486

First Sentence The Golem's life began in the hold of a steamship.

Synopsis
Chava is a golem, a creature made of clay, brought to life by a disgraced rabbi who dabbles in dark Kabbalistic magic. When her master, the husband who commissioned her, dies at sea on the voyage from Poland, she is unmoored and adrift as the ship arrives in New York in 1899. Ahmad is a jinni, a being of fire, born in the ancient Syrian desert. Trapped in an old copper flask by a Bedouin wizard centuries ago, he is released accidentally by a tinsmith in a Lower Manhattan shop. Though he is no longer imprisoned, Ahmad is not entirely free – an unbreakable band of iron binds him to the physical world. The Golem and the Jinni is their magical, unforgettable story; unlikely friends whose tenuous attachment challenges their opposing natures – until the night a terrifying incident drives them back into their separate worlds. But a powerful threat will soon bring Chava and Ahmad together again, challenging their existence and forcing them to make a fateful choice. (From Goodreads) 

What it has going for it
I really don't have many nice things to say about this book. I will say, I enjoyed the historical look at New York and Ellis Island etc. I also liked the magical element and the story held me just captivated enough to finish but I was reading it for book club and that might have been why I really finished it. The character development was good but I didn't particularly like  any of them. Chava was too...good and proper and Ahmad was kind of a jerk. 

What's lacking
Any time a book makes you drag yourself through it, it's not a good thing. And if it going to make you work to get through it, the least it could do is have a decent ending. This one feels like the whole book, or at least three quarters of it are setup. The rest was meandering nonsense where very little was happening. Back in the day authors were paid by the word. Now all those endless, wordy classics make sense, don't they? Well, guess what, Helene, you're not getting paid by the word so how about a little editing. All that set up, all that endless nothingness building up to...what? That ending? That's it?! Thanks a lot for wasting my time. Argh! 

Yea or Nay
Hell NO!