Book Review: Ladies of the Lake

Hurray!! I finished another book!!! The last few days have just been the best!! I've been relaxing and not going crazy over baby related stuff. I've gone for a massage, seen the chiropractor, bought new nail polish (that I've been trying to find FOREVER--->see here), found a neck shaped magic bag to replace the one that I lit on fire in our apartment in Toronto, went out on a date night for Chinese food with my husband, went for ice cream and had the right kind of cotton candy ice cream (the dark blue and pink kind, NOT the pastel version), made delicious pizzas on the bbq while watching the canucks beat the bruins with our tv on the deck, started and finished two books, took at least one nap a day, met a friend for cupcakes, said friend gave me flowers just because, and just plain lazed about!

Ok, so now onto my book review. I found Haywood Smith's Ladies of the Lake at the library and just knew it was the right kind of book for me. A bit of chick lit is what is in order right now! Although I have been reading more and trying to blog more, I am still a bit lazy when it comes to the reviewing piece right now (SORRY!), so I will borrow from the author's website:

"Sisters Dahlia, Iris, Violet, and Rose--all with grown children of their own--have a complicated relationship, so when their grand - mother's will requires them to spend the whole summer--without friends or family--"camping in" at her run-down lodge on remote Lake Clare in order to inherit the valuable land, old rivalries and new understanding emerge, with plenty of laughs along the way...As tempers flare and old secrets are revealed, four grown women discover that the past is never truly buried."

What I found interesting about this book was that the main characters are all in their late 50s early 60s. I say this is interesting because in my experience, books "like this" are usually about younger women in their 20s and 30s, and sometimes 40s. I often felt like these characters should have been in their 30s or maybe 40s base don how they interacted with each other, but then I stopped myself. Why couldn't women of these ages be going through the same types of things? I should so stereotypical of what people-and especially women-should be like at any age!! At times I found some of the plot to be a bit ridiculous but in the end I liked how things turned out. This was a very light read and I truly enjoyed Smith's writing-I will be looking for more of her books next time I go to the library (which by the looks of things may be this weekend!!).

What are you reading?

Friday Fill-Ins June 10, 2011

Oh Friday Fill-In (June 10, 2011) -how you make my brain work!! My answers are in RED...And...here we go!

1. I remember when I first heard that I was accepted to the University of North Dakota-I could barely believe it and was so excited and terrified.

2. I love when the rain is showering down the side of our house.

3. Most humans have more to be grateful for than they realize.

4. I'm hungry but there's nothing to eat..sound familiar?

5. I was inspired by my parents that no matter how difficult times may be, you get through it together, not alone.

6. Life will take you who knows where!

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to making another delicious meal on the BBQ, tomorrow my plans include putting in the car seat (ok ok, watching my husband put it in) and Sunday, I want to relax!

Book Review: The Crowning Glory of Calla Lily Ponder

Finally!! A book I could lose myself in!! I've had such a hard time concentrating on non-baby related things lately, and I was starting to miss the feel of  being completely absorbed in a book. Rebecca Wells' The Crowning Glory of Calla Lily Ponder was exactly the kind of book I was in the mood for!! Wells' is the author of the Divine Secrets of The Ya-Ya Sisterhood-one of my favourite books AND movies! I somehow never got around to reading the Crowning Glory until now, and boy am I glad that I waited-because I loved it and I needed a good book this week!!

From the author's website: "The Crowning Glory of Calla Lily Ponder is the sweet, sexy, funny journey of Calla Lily’s life set in Wells’ expanding fictional Louisiana landscape. In the small river town of La Luna, Calla bursts into being, a force of nature as luminous as the flower she is named for. Under the loving light of the Moon Lady, the feminine force that will guide and protect her throughout her life, Calla enjoys a blissful childhood—until it is cut short all too soon."

This book was chock full of love and loss, and there were many times I was very close to tears (I held them in because I thought if I started to cry I might not stop!!), but I loved every minute of this book. It was easy to become totally wrapped up in this book-I finished it in less than 24hours- the characters were very accessible, and Wells truly excels at writing about women and their relationships with each other. It made me realize that although I am very happy with our move to Red Deer, I am definitely missing all my Toronto friends!!

Now onto another book!! I have a bunch I picked up at the library so I hope I picked some that will be just as captivating as The Crowning Glory of Calla Lily Ponder!!

Booking Through Thursday: Own or Borrow?

 
Question June 9, 2011: All things being equal (money, space, etc), would you rather own copies of the books you read? Or borrow them?

My answer: OWN!!!! If I had all the money in the world (and the space too!!) I would absolutely want to own every book I read. For a number of reasons, they include:
1. I love looking at my bookshelf. I have my books organized by colour because it looks pretty and makes me feel good inside. 
2. I could then lend my books to other people-I do already, but I could lend them even more books!!
3. I would be supporting the author (and their teams) by purchasing their work
4. Ummmm that would just be super awesome.

What about you?

Book Review: The Tsarina's Daughter

It's been a while since I've posted a book review!! I just finished reading Carolly Erickson's The Tsarina's Daughter. It started out really good, then became so-so, so overall it was ok.  

From the publisher's website "It is 1989 and Daria Gradov is an elderly grandmother living in the rural West. But she is not who she claims to be—the widow of a Russian immigrant of modest means. In actuality she began her life as the Grand Duchess Tatiana, known as Tania to her parents, Tsar Nicholas II and Tsarina Alexandra.

            At the heart of the story is young Tania, who lives a life of incomparable luxury in pre-Revolutionary Russia. When her younger brother is diagnosed with hemophilia and the key to his survival lies in the mysterious power of the illiterate monk Rasputin, it is merely an omen of much worse things to come. Soon war breaks out and revolution sweeps the family from power and into claustrophobic imprisonment in Siberia. Into Tania’s world comes a young soldier whose life she helps to save and who becomes her partner in daring plans to rescue the imperial family from certain death."

**Spoiler alert**
I do enjoy historical fiction, and was interested in this novel because I don't think I've read anything set in Russia, and nothing during the period of its final tsar's reign. While I expect an author to take liberties when writing a piece of historical fiction, I found it a bit odd that Erickson wrote this story as though Tatiana/Tania lived to tell her tale. I don't know why she didn't just write it from Tatiana's perspective but allow for her actual death to be the end of the story. I don't feel like there was anything added to the story by having her live while the rest of her family is murdered...if anything I felt like it took away from the story once I found out she lived. The other thing I didn't really like about this book, was that I found aspects of Tatiana's behaviour hard to believe. On a number of occasions when her family is under persecution, it is Tatiana that people come to when trying to formulate a plan for their escape and survival, and it is up to her to convince her father the Tsar that they must go through with these plans. Seriously? I just couldn't buy it! Finally, I don't know why this book was titled The Tsarina's Daughter....while the Tsarina was a predominant figure in the novel, she was not more so than the Tsar, Tatiana, or any other number of characters. Wow, I feel like I am talking myself out of liking this book at all!! I would give Erickson another chance with some of her other historical fiction novels as she definitely wrote in such a way that I felt like I was witnessing Russia during this time period.

Now to try to get some more non baby related reading in before our little one makes his or her appearance!

Friday Fill-Ins June 3, 2011

It's Friday Fill-In time again, my answers are in RED  and for a special treat, my parents are visiting this week, so for double the fun my mom will answer too!! Hers are in BLUE!
And...here we go!

1. Hey! We're going to have a baby in less than 1 month!!
Hey! YOU! Get off of my cloud.

2. In every joke there is a kernel of truth.
 A single kernel of truth.

3. Eat your vegetables, then have some cake :)
Eat, drink, and be merry.

4. Monkey in the middle.
I'm stuck in the middle.

5. First thing to note: I need to go to the bathroom!!
First thing to note: must have coffee!

6. When I was in Toronto and my husband in Red Deer, knitting was the best distraction.
I'd like a nice distraction.

7. And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to our first BBQ EVER, tomorrow my plans include getting raspberry pie and meat pies from the Farmer's Market, a walk in the park if my body can handle it, and maybe some fireworks, and Sunday, I want to sleep!!
And as for the weekend, tonight I'm looking forward to steak on Sara and Dave's new BBQ with some nice wine and good company, tomorrow my plans include possibly fireworks in the evening, and Sunday, I want to enjoy our last day with Sara, Dave, and baby Girardin!
 

Booking Through Thursday: Reviews

Question June 2, 2011: Do you read book reviews? Whose do you trust? Do they affect your reading habits? Your buying habits?

My answer: This question seemed very familiar so I took a look at my previous BTT posts, and lo and behold I found it: June 24, 2010: Book Reviews! My answer continues to be: no not really. Sometimes I'll notice that a book is getting a lot of "press" whether that be reviews on other blogs, in magazines, or posters on the subway (that was back in my Toronto days-ok ok a month ago!), and that may grab my attention. I don't trust one more than the other, and I rarely buy books these days-I've been getting most of them from the library!