Catching up on reviews...3 recent books

I have been reading and reviewing but not posting here, time to catch you up if you haven't seen my reviews elsewhere.

The Girls Club


..."For the record, times are changing. Sooner or later people are going to wake up and being a lesbian won't be a big deal." My favorite line from this book by Sally Bellerose, local author from Northampton, MA.  If you lived in Chicopee in the 70's, you will recognize many locations in the book, as I did.

With the angst of relationships that sometimes work and sometimes don't, throw in the mix of trying to understand your own sexuality as a teen....yep, think she's got a winner here! Some parts of the story cross the timeline and can be imagined today...young people pushed together by unplanned pregnancy, struggling to make ends meet in a difficult economy. I've seen Cora Rose in so many women in my lifetime, her struggle for happiness, to be a good mother. The conflict of trying to understand her sexuality and her Catholic upbringing make this story memorable. Her relationship with her sisters makes her crazy at times and also keeps her grounded....wow, same as most of us with sisters! The characters in this story are so well written, I felt like I was in the room watching the scenes unfold. Kudos!!

Reading this fictional story gives me reason to reflect on how difficult it is to live in a world that judges so easily. Makes me very happy to be living in Massachusetts.

And lightening up things a bit....

I'm Not the Biggest Bitch....


This book by Wade Rouse is a compilation of stories about DOGS! I know, you're surprised I read a book about dogs, right? The stories in this book are written by many of my favorite authors-Beth Harbison, Allie Larkin, Sarah Pekkenan, Bruce Cameron and, of course, Wade. The intro was written by Chelsea Handler's dog Chuck. Well, it was probably written by Chelsea but it's in Chuck's perspective. It's so funny that I was reading excerpts to my co-workers...when the intro is laugh out loud funny, you know it's going to be a good book.

The stories were written about the dogs in the lives of these folks. True stories, most times with a comedic twist. Maybe that was mostly because we've lived through most of these scenarios. And it was great to read an entry that made it clear that some people are crazier than we are about their dogs!
Some of the proceeds are being donated to the Humane Society. I know there are some special dog people in my life who will be getting a copy for Christmas.

Classic chick-lit

Then Came You


Chick-lit is sometimes a guilty pleasure. Conflict is usually resolved and there's some kind of happy ending. I was not disappointed here. But it would diminish the writing to just say it's chick-lit. The story evolves to showcase 4 women of different ages and backgrounds. How they all come to be connected gets you hooked. The story takes some unexpected turns and it really ends up highlighting women and their relationships with each other.
A new twist for Weiner, including a lesbian relationship. I think she touched on some prominent issues but then dropped the opportunity to really delve into the development of that character.
This was a 3 or 4 star...nothing bad about it but nothing earth shattering either, in my opinion.

Ok, now I feel better, all caught up! And now that I can borrow Kindle books from the library? Full speed ahead!!!
Happy reading,
Pauline

Kindle Kin.....

The best news of the week....Wednesday, Kindle announced library lending was starting. Of course, I jumped right in and was disappointed that I couldn't access it. I did find a link to an online article that indicated it was being rolled out over a couple of days. Patience.....not my strong suit!

Today, I went back and tried again. It works and I'm reading a book already!

I've already learned a few things about this process and wanted to share it with you.  

I live in Chicopee and have used the Chicopee Public Library for years. I've requested the books I wanted via the CW/MARS website and then go into the library when the book is ready for me. These books come from all over western Mass. The ebook process uses the same website, but a different section.

CW/MARS Digital search

From this page, I clicked on the Kindle link

The page then opens to allow for a search. I figured I'd just scroll through the choices.....

I went through the first 10 pages and NONE of the books were available to check out...all said "add to my waiting list". This is great but there's little or no options for checking out a book NOW?

Ok, took a deep breath and looked around.

Just above the sorting options there is a search option. I put a check mark in the box to include Only show titles with copies available,

then clicked on 'search' without putting anything specific in the search field. It brought up a list for 1200+ books. You can search by release date, popularity, etc. This is helpful if you want to read a book NOW! If you're searching for a specific book, you can unclick the box and just search for the book you want. If it's not available to loan right away, you request it by adding it to your waiting list. Kind of what we already do at the library when we request DTB.

Since the Chicopee Library and CW/MARS system is relatively small in comparison to big cities like Boston, we may find that some of the books we want to read are not even available as an ebook, or that you'll be waiting quite a while to get the book.  I think it's going to take some time before libraries start spending more of their budgets on ebooks.

BUT that doesn't mean we're out of luck.

I signed up for a ecard on the Boston Public Library website.
Boston Public Library (BPL)
You need to be a Massachusetts resident and the ecard is good for 3 years. (If you're reading this outside of Mass., it should work in a similar way for a big city in your state.)

This link will take you directly to the BPL/Overdrive search.
BPL Overdrive
Because it's a larger library system, the collections are larger.
For example, when I searched for books that were "available", the search yielded over 2400 choices, and that was filtering for only fiction choices.

Unfortunately, it pulls in all fiction, including childrens but I just scrolled through those. Same thing as with the CW/MARS, you can click (or not click) on the box to include only those titles that are available. I was quite happy to see that in my quick scroll, I saw 2 books that are on my Amazon wish list.

 

 

 

Once you choose a book, on either library site, you will add the book to your "cart", then proceed to checkout, or continue browsing. When you go to checkout, you will be prompted to enter your library card number. You will then click on the button that says Get Kindle.
This takes you to the Amazon page for the book you've chosen. The rest of the process is similar to Amazon Kindle book purchases. If your Kindle wifi is on, and you're in a wifi zone, the book transfers wirelessly immediately.

Once your book loan is finished (14 days for most books but you can opt for 7 days), the book will no longer be available in your Kindle.

Questions? Confused? Let me know, we'll work it out together!

Happy reading!
Pauline

Review....do you?

I saw a post on Facebook a few days ago about book reviews and I've been thinking about this topic off and on since then.
I follow a lot of the authors whose books I enjoy reading on Facebook. By seeing their status posts, I realized how important reviews are to the success of their books. So I started posting reviews of books I've read.

Do you post reviews? If so, do you post reviews of books you didn't like?

I don't but I'm not sure my way is the right way. I have a personal policy to only post reviews that are 3 stars or better. Does that mean that I'm skewing the overview of the book?
I think it's partly because I know how important these reviews are and also because I'm not sure my opinion is the end-all of everything. I wonder sometimes when I read a book that I didn't like, did I just pick up the wrong book? Maybe I should have read a sample before committing to read the entire book. In that case, a negative review is really unfair to the author. It doesn't mean that I won't discuss it with my sisters or friends but I'm not willing to write a review that would be seen globally and influence people who don't know me.

I'm sure negative reviews can be considered constructive criticism but I never really feel like I'm the person to tell an author how to write the book better. So I'll stick with my personal policy of 3 stars or better. H'mm, I guess if you're an author and I've read your work and haven't posted a review, you should read between the lines here!!  LOL

Now let me talk about posting those reviews. Where do you post them? I get a little obsessive, figuring a good or a great review deserves a lot of exposure. I post my book reviews on Amazon, Barnes & Noble and Goodreads. Sometimes you'll even find them in a blog, right here on Books and More.
Here are my reviews from the various sites.
Amazon
Barnes and Noble
Goodreads

You'll see that I have many more books listed on Goodreads and many don't have reviews listed. That's because they were imported from another site and the import did not include the reviews, just the list. BUT the benefit of Goodreads is that when you post books, it also gives you recommendations of other books you might enjoy. This site is like an electronic or virtual bookshelf. Your friends can stop by and see what books you've read and what you thought of them. AND you can see their books also. Unlike Amazon and Barnes and Noble, this site doesn't sell books.

I love Goodreads....maybe a little more than Smashwords! I didn't mention Smashwords for reviews because you can only enter reviews for books you've purchased through their site. Fair but limiting.

Think about this the next time you finish a book that was good, great or awesome. The book you couldn't wait to tell your friends about. The reviews are especially important if it's a lesser known author. Share a link on your FB page! Let's help these authors succeed....my ulterior motive is that success will ensure they write MORE books!! And you may be surprised to find out that the authors sometimes stop by to read the reviews you write!

Happy reading,
Pauline

Book Review: Folly Beach: A Lowcountry Tale

Dorothea Benton Frank is one of my all time favorite authors. I discovered her when I found her first novel, Sullivan's Island, in 2000. Her stories take place mainy in South Carolina, one of my favorite places to visit. In 2000, I hadn't been to SC yet but recognized a couple of locations she mentioned in the book since my niece was living in that area at the time.

I sent a message, via her website, after her second book, to let her know how much I loved her writing. I figured this would be lost in cyperspace but she emailed me back thanking me for the note. And so began my love for "Dot" Frank.
In 2005, Chuck and I visited Cindy in South Carolina. I was charmed and thrilled. We took the Dot Frank tour, visiting all the places she had written about at that time-Sullivan's Island, Pawley's Island, Shem Creek, Charleston. Seeing the sweet grass baskets sold at the roadside stands on Rt 17....I was in heaven.

Her newest book, Folly Beach: A Lowcountry Tale is added to my favorites. I've told you before that I tend to pull back from authors who write with a "cookie cutter" mentality, in an effort to pump out novels for a publishing schedule. This book is NOT one of those. Dot takes a different route with this story. It starts in New Jersey and then moves to Folly's Beach where Cate Cooper discovers the history behind a quaint little cottage. It's not time travel but the story is told with some retrospective, in the form of play. The scenes from the play start each chapter.
I have to say, I loved this. It's so different it made me think and really absorb the story and the characters, rather than a typical beach read that I can finish in 1-2 days. There were some pieces that were written a little "light", I thought. Some areas that could have been more detailed but really didn't take away from my enjoyment of the book.

And, as a nurse, I'm usually disappointed when there are medical references. That's an area that's usually lacking when it's not the main focus of the story, maybe lack of research. Not so in this case. Just another reason why Dot continues to win me over.

It wasn't until after I finished Folly Beach that I actually read some reviews by other readers. I was surprised that many were disappointed by the change in how the story is told. I couldn't disagree more, it brings a freshness and helps to connect past with the present.

If you haven't read Dorothea Benton Frank, you should. If you've been to South Carolina and love it like I do, you have to read this.

Happy reading,
Pauline

Book Review:In Leah's Wake

Do you have favorite authors? I do too. My favorites write stories in a style that I like and have proven to be creative in their writing.

I find that, personally, I don't tend to follow some of the more popular authors. You know who they are, they've written so many bestsellers that their new books debut at #1 on the New York Times bestseller list. I've found, over time, that some of these authors tend to become cookie cutters, pumping out novels to fulfill a publishing contract. They lose creativity sometimes.

In the last 3-4 years, I've tended to seek out and read newer authors. You'll find my book reviews reflect that. You'll see authors here that may not be familiar to you. I hope to help you discover a bit of freshness, offer opportunities to introduce you to some lesser known but very talented writers.

This past week I read In Leah's Wake by Terri Giuliano Long. This is her debut novel and I was very impressed.
The story is about a family with 2 daughters. It explores issues that many parents are dealing with...teens smoking, dating, experimenting with drugs. Yep, we've all read these before. Terri Giuliano Long takes these issues to new depths, adding in the instability of marriage, the economy and it's affects on the members of the family. As in real life, nothing about this family is neat or easy.

This is a complex story with compelling characters. At one point, I felt like it was almost too intense...partly because I'm not a parent. I find that I can avoid some of the worries about what kids these days are dealing with. There were times when it reminded me of Go Ask Alice, which I read in the 70's, when the story was told from Leah's perspective.

The characters are imperfect, make mistakes. You cannot walk away from this without thinking about your own teen years, the mistakes you've made as a parent.

As I was reading this ebook, I had to keep reminding myself that it was Terri's first book.
It's fiction but I can imagine similar scenarios taking place in many households across the country. I would go so far as to suggest this is a must read for parents of teens.

I purchased this book from Smashwords but it's available in ebook format at all the usual sites.  The limited first printing of paperbacks seems to be sold out on B&N and Amazon.

Check this out and you are guaranteed to be impressed!

Happy reading,

Pauline







A Book's Purpose...

I've spent a lot of time thinking and talking about this book in the past year. It was released in hardcover July 6, 2010 and I read it a few weeks later. How many books leave that kind of impression on you? I've read a lot of really great books, this one really stands out.

A Dog's Purpose by W. Bruce Cameron spent many weeks on the New York Times Bestseller list but never quite made it to the top 10. You may have never heard of it but I felt like it was my responsibility to spread the word. Some of you have heard me talk about this book before and I may even have dragged you into the world of Ethan and Bailey reluctantly. But I doubt any of you have regretted the journey.

This story has quietly gained a foothold amongst dog lovers all over the world.

It's a sweet journey that will make you laugh, cry and hug your pets just a little closer while you read. Some people have compared it to Marley & Me but to me, it's more like The Art of Racing In the Rain, without the racing. If you've read The Art of Racing In the Rain, you must read A Dog's Purpose!

I'll give you a little hint about this book-the dog dies several times. Please don't let that turn you away...it really becomes part of the story, part of the journey we all take with our pets. The tale is told by the dog, the main character in the book.

This book will help you heal from the loss of a dog in your life. It will make you look deeper into the eyes of every dog you encounter and wonder what's going on in there.

You will definitely want to gift this book to other dog lovers in your life. I lost track of how many copies I have gifted already.

Here is a link for the FB page-



http://www.facebook.com/pages/Thomas-J-OConnor-Animal-Control-and-Adoption-Center/31823504517?sk=wall&filter=1#!/Adogspurpose

You will NOT be able to resist these stories.

And the reason that ADP is in the forefront of my mind again? Because I'm seeing it in bookstores everywhere, in paperback now!

If you've read it, leave a comment! If you haven't....go get your copy asap!

Happy reading,

Pauline



Smash-ing

My Kindle has opened my world to many sources for finding ebooks. One of those is Smashwords.
http://www.smashwords.com/
I was a bit confused about this site when I first read about it. But recently I've purchased 2 books there and found it very easy to use. Today, I'll share a little about Smashwords, you can check it out and hopefully enjoy some new reading.
What is Smashwords?
Smashwords is an ebook publishing and distribution platform, serving authors, publishers, readers and major ebook retailers. Smashwords is ideal for publishing novels, personal memoirs, poetry chapbooks, short and long-form fiction, and non-fiction. If you've written it, they will help you share it and sell it.
As a reader, it's a place to find free books, very low priced books and terrific new authors.

The very fact that this site allows self-publishing means that we get opportunities to read many stories that may never make it to the big publishing houses. Did you know that Kathryn Stockett received over 60 rejection letters before finding a company to publish The Help? How many other authors with terrific stories are wading through rejection letters? It also means that you may find a few that don't meet your usual standards...that's why you should read a sample of the book before making a purchase!

Once you make a purchase, you can download the file to any e-reader-the books are available in many formats and can even be read on a pc without an ereader app. It's downloaded as a pdf for that purpose. For my Kindle, I have to connect via the USB cable to my computer and transfer the file manually. It can't be moved wirelessly the way Amazon books are transferred.
The Smashwords website says the books cannot be shared because of licensing. I haven't tested this yet.
Happy hunting (for new books/authors),
Pauline

That's A Lotta Books!

I've seen other people blogging but never really felt like anything I had to say would be important to other people. If not important, maybe just a bit interesting? So, ok, maybe I'll give it a try!

I read a lot. I sometimes read when I should be doing other things...I don't think I'm alone though. Since I bought a Kindle, I read more than ever. It's so easy to have a book available at all times. Then I must confess another problem...I read about books too! I have so many resources to find new books to read. I've downloaded many more books than I think I can possibly read this year.

Facebook has made more books available to me...just "like"-ing pages opens the door to finding new books AND new authors. I "like" a lot of the authors whose books I enjoy reading. What I've discovered is that these authors are terrific about cross-promoting other authors. They do giveaways too.

Through this blog, I'll give you my personal review of the books I read, plus share information about books I'm hoping to read and sources for finding books.

I could never overlook the most obvious resource-the library! I'm so excited that Kindle will be adding access to library lending by the end of the year!
Best,
Pauline