"Harmony" by Carolyn Parkhurst is About Living in Harmony With Special Needs Kids

Harmony by Carolyn Parkhurst is about the Hammond family, Josh, Alexandria and their two daughters, Iris and Tilly. Tilly is a 13-yr-old somewhere on the autism spectrum whose “special interest” is statues and who has a quick temper, no filter and is fairly smart with a good imagination. When the mother is near wits end from daily episodes with Tilly, she attends a workshop by Scott Bean for help. She starts listening to his tapes and even arranges a personal consultation. When Tilly gets kicked out of the school for special needs children, the mother suggests to Josh that they consider helping Scott Bean run Camp Harmony – a new endeavor for families with a special needs child. Scott is an educator who gives parents advice and through the summer, different families can attend the camp for a week. Three families agreed to help Scott run it and help with all the chores that need to be done.

This is an interesting and sometimes funny read. I liked it overall and was able to overlook the foul language which was part of Tilly’s problem. Most of the book is told from Iris’s perspective with some chapters interspersed showing Tilly’s thoughts and some that give the background on their family, particularly the mother’s dealings with Tilly, before leaving DC for the camp in New Hampshire. This gives insight into some struggles families with special needs kids may have, but also shows the tender moments too. The ending was sad and quite a shock—not what I expected. My favorite part was the interaction among the kids at the camp and between Tilly and Iris.
(Karen's review, 4 stars)

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"The Dog That Whispered" by Jim Kraus

The Dog That Whispered by Jim Kraus centers on Wilson Steele who is a professor who likes living alone.  One day he has to take in his mother's black Lab rescue dog because of a "no pets" policy at her retirement center.  little does he know how much the dog will change his life!

I got a free copy in exchange for an honest review and was pleasantly surprised when this book was so much better than I thought it would be!  This is a people book, but the dog does play a role in it too.  I enjoyed all the characters and it has a very realistic story line.
(Gerard 6/11/16, 5+ stars)

Karen's review:

The Dog That Whispered by Jim Kraus is a heartwarming story about Wilson, a Vietnam vet who is filled with guilt and loneliness.  His mother, Gretna Steele, is feisty and lives nearby in a retirement community.  Gretna is worried about him and has been praying for him for years, but he refuses to listen to anything she has to say about God.  When Gretna discovers she can’t keep Thurman, the black lab she adopted, she takes him to Wilson who reluctantly agrees to temporarily take care of him until she can find him a good home.  Of course, Thurman and Wilson develop a very special bond.  This is actually a talking dog who helps Wilson find peace.

This story moved along very slow but was entertaining.  It deals with guilt, family, forgiveness, pets and faith.  I liked Thurman and Gretna best!  If you like dogs, or stories about veterans, I would recommend this one. (3 stars)

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"Every Last One" by Anna Quindlen

Every Last One by Anna Quindlen is about the Latham family, comprised of Mary Beth and Glen, parents of three teenagers:  Ruthie and fraternal twin boys, Alex and Max.  Ruthie is into academics and loves to write, Alex is into sports and Max is into his drums and their dog.  While focusing on their depressed son, Max, the parents are caught completely off guard when Ruthie's boyfriend becomes obsessed with her and continues stalking her after she breaks up with him.  When tragedy strikes, can Mary Beth keep it together?

There is a lot of interpersonal relationships in this book and the mother is the main character who tells the story.  This book gives insight into parenting, teen issues and sibling rivalry.  For me, this book moved very slow but it is a good story and I'm glad I stuck with it to finish it.  It is contemporary fiction that reminded me a bit of Little Big Lies by Liane Moriarty which was way better.  I read this because it was a library recommendation based on my like for What Was Mine by Helen Klein Ross, but I saw very little similarity other than the mother being the main character telling the story.  If you like family stories about teens and are good with no suspense, no mystery and slow moving, then I recommend this one.
(Karen's review, 3 stars)

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"Inside the O'Briens" by Lisa Genova (Effects of Huntington's Disease)

Inside the O'Briens by Lisa Genova is about a Catholic Irish family living in Boston.  Joe, a cop, loves his wife, Rosie and his four grown children but starts acting strange.  He is diagnosed with Huntington's Disease (HD) but still tries to do his job without telling anyone.  When he is told it is a genetic disease, he is afraid for his children. 

I finally decided to read this book because my husband kept saying how good it was.  Inside the O'Briens informs the reader about HD through the life of Joe and his family.  We see how it doesn't just affect the person who has the disease, but everyone around him.  I liked Joe and felt sorry for him and his wife, and his son JJ the firefighter and his family; however, I did not care for the other three children much at all.

There is a blood test that can be done to see if a person has HD even before the symptoms show up so the big question in the book for the children is if they want to know.  It is thought-provoking because the reader can't help but question what they would do in this situation.  Would you want to know if you were going to have this disease in your future?  I don't think I would want to know ahead unless I was thinking about having a baby.

I did not care for the rough language throughout the book, nor for the lifestyles of Patrick and Katie which caused me not to like these characters, two of his grown children.  My husband loved this book, but I found it to be sad, depressing and was very disappointed in the ending that left me hanging.  I liked this author's other books much better:  Still Alice and Left Neglected.
(Karen's review, 2 stars)

See also my blog post inspired by this book:  Just sayin' We Should be Humane to Humans Too! 

Gerard's review 4/24/15, 5++ stars:
Inside the O'Briens by Lisa Genova is about Joe, a Boston policeman.  He has been having some health issues and his wife wants him to see a doctor.  He thinks it is nothing, but agrees to go.  It turns out he has Huntington Disease!  You find out all about it when you read this book--trust me, you do not want this disease!  Not only that, but his kids are at risk of getting it too.

Lisa Genova's books are always top notch and this is no exception.  I loved the interaction between Joe and his wife and kids.  This book had me from page 1.  Make sure you read the "Call to Action" part of this book as well.  The ending is perfect!  I LOVED this book and highly recommend it and her other book too:  Still Alice and Left Neglected.

Have you read this one? What did you think of it? If you reviewed this too, feel free to share your link to your review in the comments. Happy Reading!

"Stuck Together-Trouble in Texas Book 3" by Mary Connealy

For Valentine's Day, I am reviewing the historical romance novel I just finished.

Stuck Together—Trouble in Texas, book 3 by Mary Connealy Is about the romance between Vince and Tina, Jonas’ sister. When Vince’s parents and half-sister arrive in town, he gets all shook up and fears that he will become like his tyrannical father or his mother who has dementia. He gets stuck at being sheriff of the town (with no pay) and has to deal with tracking down some drunk who shot at Luke, an escaped prisoner, taking care of his mother and falling in love with Tina, the most beautiful woman he ever saw.

I enjoyed this quick western romance because the women were pretty feisty and it was cute how the Jonas and Vince both liked each other’s sister. Vince’s mother, Mrs. Yates, was a sweet old lady who kept trying to go out when no one was paying attention to her and was quite successful. I thought it was really nice how the townspeople all joined together to take turns keeping watch over Mrs. Yates. This book had more romance than the first two which I liked better, but still had a little action and excitement at the end.
(Karen's review, 3 stars)


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"Its. Nice. Outside." by Jim Kokoris

It's.  Nice.  Outside. by Jim Kokoris is told for the most part by John Nichols.  He is a 50 something year old man who is separated from his wife, has two daughters and a 19-yr.-old special needs boy.  On his way to his one daughter's out-of-town wedding with his boy, he gets news that tears his family apart.

I loved this book!  The action flowed really well and it sure kept me interested all the way through.  It has a very good ending too!
(Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

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"Descent" by Tim Johnston

Descent by Tim Johnston is about a family that is going through problems and when the daughter goes missing in the Rocky Mountains, that really adds to it! This book may be a bit confusing to some as the author goes back and explains why the family is where it is. The last part of the book is a real page turner as you draw near the end.
(Gerard's review, 5+ stars)

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"Safe With Me" by Amy Hatvany

Safe With Me by Amy Hatvany is told from various points of view and that makes this book good.  Hannah Scott's world comes to an end when a tragic accident leaves her daughter dead.  But this is really only the beginning of this book.  When Hannah makes a decision, she comes in contact with the Bells.

This book held my interest throughout and I enjoyed all the characters with a real nice ending.
(Gerard's review, 5++ stars)

Karen's review:
Safe With Me by Amy Hatvany is about Hannah, a hair stylist and mother of 12-yr-old Emily who died and donated her organs so others could live. Hannah is, of course, devastated but becomes more understanding of her own mother. Maddie is a 15-yr-old girl who receives Emily’s liver that saves her life, but whose father is very abusive to her mother. This story shows some of the struggles that organ recipients face and why it is hard for victims of domestic violence to leave their spouses. 

This book moved along fairly well and although deals with very serious subjects, was not depressing. I would recommend this to women more than men. (3 stars)

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"Expect a Miracle" by Jenny Long with Bob Der

Expect a Miracle by Jenny Long is a true story, but you really get two stories in this book.  Through the first half of this book, Jenny tells her story of growing up and it is a remarkable one!  Then we get to Conner and Cayden.  Their story will make you feel good.  They demonstrate the true meaning of brotherly love.  This is a short book that I am glad I read.  I would have liked it to be longer.
(Gerard's review, 4 stars)

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"Black Ice" by Becca Fitzpatrick (UPDATED)

Black Ice by Becca Fitzpatrick is told by Britt who decides to do some mountain climbing with her girlfriend. When a bad snow storm forces them to seek shelter, they come to a cabin that has two young men in it.  When they are invited in, they soon become hostages!

I thought this book was very good!  I enjoyed the story line and the twists at the end that I did not see coming that really set the stage for the ending!
(Gerard's review, 10/9/15, 5++ stars)

Karen's review, 10/16/15, 4 stars:
Black Ice by Becca Fitzpatrick was a kind of fun read because the characters were all sort of strange. It is about Britt and Korbie, senior high girls, going to hike in the mountains during their spring break and stay at Korbie’s family’s cabin. Korbie’s older brother, Calvin who is very familiar with the mountains, was going to meet them there. He is also Britt’s ex-boyfriend who she is still obsessed with after 8 months. He stood her up on prom night and she has never forgiven him, so wants to impress him with her wilderness skills that she studied about in preparation for this trip. When they get caught in a snowstorm in the mountains and have no cell phone reception, they look for shelter and find a cabin with two guys in their early 20s who let them in.

The girls both seemed ditzy to me but it was kind of fun trying to guess who was the good guy of the three in the story. The story is far-fetched and I didn’t understand why Shane and Mason aka Ace/Jude were hostile towards the girls. They could have just been nice the whole time, the girls would have willingly shared their supplies and they could all leave after the storm. Even though I didn’t care for the main character because she was a big liar, immature for a senior, and a big flirt, I stuck with it and finished the book. It’s a light psychological thriller that did keep my interest and was entertaining.


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"Daughter of Deep Silence" by Carrie Ryan

Daughter of Deep Silence by Carrie Ryan is about a young girl named Frances.  She is on board a cruise ship where everybody gets killed except for her and another girl.  Frances survives, but the other girl does not.  Then she finds out two other people survived but are telling a different story about what happened on the ship.  Why?  Why did they survive? 

This book kept me turning pages and I enjoyed the story line very much!  I read this after seeing this video by Christine at Polandbananas. 


She was right! 
(Gerard's review, 5+ stars)

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"The Big Picture" by Jenny B. Jones (Great Series!)

The Big Picture by Jenny B. Jones is the third book of A Katie Parker Production series that I enjoyed just as much as the first two in the series. This series is shows how a high school girl, Katie, finds hope for her future in spite of having a mother in prison for drug dealing and being put into foster care. Katie is such a well-developed and believable character that I couldn’t help but pull for her. In this final book, she gets reunited with her natural mom but struggles with mixed feelings about it.

This book is Christian fiction that really didn’t have the ending I anticipated for a change. I really found the support Katie got from her church friends to be realistic and liked how this book shows girls and guys can be good friends. . One of the things that makes this book stand out from other teen Christian fiction is that it’s realistic and includes elderly people as well. The romance between the grandmother and her friend added to the story. The grandmother added so much humor to this book, she was such a character! This whole series was entertaining, touching, amusing and heartwarming! Great YA contemporary fiction that I highly recommend!
(Karen's review, 5 stars)

Previous books in this series I reviewed were:
In Between (book 1)
On the Loose  (book 2)


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"Everything Everything" by Nicola Yoon is an Unusual YA Romance (UPDATED)

Everything Everything by Nicola Yoon is an unusual YA romance that was an interesting read and a commentary on life and love. I enjoyed reading about Madeline who was kept inside her house for 17 years due to a rare disease—basically being allergic to the world. Her nurse, Carla, helped her to visit with the boy next door, Olly, behind her mother’s back. Carla felt bad for Madeline and wanted her to be able to live a little, so encouraged her to take a risk and live her life.

I liked that this had very short chapters and much of the book was IM messages and emails exchanged between Olly and Madeline.  I also liked the illustrations and Madeline's short book spoilers throughout the book. This book even has some adventure in it which was a pleasant surprise. I thought it would be a depressing read, but it was quite the opposite! My favorite quote from this book is: “Love makes people crazy. Loss of love makes people crazy.” Pg. 300. This pretty much sums up this book. I would say this is inspirational too.
(Karen's review 10/2/15, 4 stars)


Everything Everything by Nicola Yoon is a YA debut novel about a young girl named Madeline.  She has SCID, a rare disease that results in her not leaving the house.   I thought this book was really good!  I enjoyed the main character and the story line was very interesting.  The last part of this book came as a complete shock to me which was a good thing.  Give this book a chance.  You will be glad you did!
(Gerard's review 9/30/15, 5++ stars)

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"Love Saves the Day" by Gwen Cooper

Love Saves the Day by Gwen Cooper takes place in New York and is about Sarah (a DJ and record shop owner), her cat Prudence, daughter Laura (an attorney) and son-in-law, Josh (free-lance writer).  Laura and Sarah's relationship is strained but after Sarah dies, the cat helps Laura remember good things about her mother and carves out a place in Laura's heart.  Laura discovers how much her mother loved her and that family is more important than money.

This story was slow moving but picked up toward the end.  I liked the narration by the cat best because the reader gains insight into what cats like and don't like, but the story is pretty good too.  My favorite part was when the cat jumped on the table during the Seder dinner at Laura's when she had her in-laws over for the first time.  I loved the cover.  I liked Homer's Odyssey by this author better but this one is okay.
(Karen's review, 3 stars)

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"Dark Eyes" by William Richter

Dark Eyes by William Richter is about a Russian girl who is adopted by an American couple and moves to New York.  Years later, she goes by Wally and lives on the street.  She knows her way around and nobody messes with her.  She still wants to find her birth mom and her dad, who was in a Russian prison, breaks out and wants to find his wife too.  But what he has in mind is not very nice!  Wally needs all her street smarts to find her first.  It took a while for the action to start, but when it does, this book heats up!  It is well worth reading.
(Gerard's review, 5 stars)

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"Bobby Wonderful--An Imperfect Son Buries His Parents" by Bob Morris

Bobby Wonderful by Bob Morris is a non-fiction memoir.  Mr. Morris tells what he and his family went through as their mom and dad lived their final days.  I am sure this book will resonate with the older crowd that went through this time in their life too.  This is an emotional book that is well worth reading.
(Gerard's review, 5 stars)

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"Slammed" by Colleen Hoover Was Better Than Expected! (UPDATED)

Slammed by Colleen Hoover is about an 18-yr.-old girl, Layken, who grows a lot in just a year. She has a lot of drama going on her senior year including her father’s death, moving, romance, lung cancer and caring for her 9-yr.-old brother. That’s half the story, with the other half being about her 21-yr.-old neighbor across the street named Will and his 9-yr.-old brother. Will’s parents both died in a car accident and Will became his younger brother’s legal guardian. He is working towards a teaching job but then falls for Layken.

This book just drew me in very quickly and deals with heavy issues in such an interesting way. It is packed with feeling and mostly good advice that is given through Will and Layken’s mother, Julia. I was both amused by funny things that happened and touched by some tender parts. I even cried at one part involving Layken’s best friend, Eddie. One of the themes is poetry-what it is and why write it. This is the first book I read by this author and look forward to reading more.
(Karen's review, 5 stars)

Gerard read this too--here's his review:
This YA novel is about a young girl named Layken (Lake).  Her mom, younger brother and her move from Texas to Michigan.  Her dad passed away.  She meets a young man named Will.  His younger brother  connect right off, but does Layken and Will connect?

This is an outstanding read because all emotions are at play here.  You feel connected to the characters very quickly.  This is a page turner I loved!  The good news is that there is a follow up book that I will read too.  (5++ stars)


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"Lost No More" by CeeCee James

Lost No More (Ghost no More series) by CeeCee James is based on her husband’s true story about a boy growing up with an alcoholic father and how their relationship changed over the years. It is a touching story about the complicated feelings between a father and son. This was an interesting read that I enjoyed. I really liked the ending.
(Karen's review, 4 stars)

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"The Children's Crusade" by Ann Packer

The Children's Crusade by Ann Packer tells the story of Bill and Penny Blair who had four children, three boys and one girl.  Penny wanted nothing to do with the kids, even moved out of the house into a shack.  The father was a doctor and tried his best to be a good dad.  Flash forward years later--their dad has passed away and they have to decide what to do with the house and the property.

I loved the dialogue among the kids, especially the oldest boy and the girl.  This is well worth reading for sure.
(Gerard's review, 5 stars)

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"Rites of Passage" by Joy N. Hensley

Rites of Passage by Joy N. Hensley is about Sam McKenna, the only teenage daughter in a military family who is one of 5 girls who are the first to enroll in Denmark Military Academy.  She wants to please her dad and takes her brother's dare.  Once there, she finds it is even worse than she expected but is determined to stick it out for the year.

This book has a lot of military training included to show how tough this girl is and how her Corporal does just about everything he can think of to get her to quit.  If you are not interested in military-type books, this one is not for you.  I liked it though but thought Sam McKenna was nuts for trying to break into the all-boys military school and put herself through that, risking her life!  The bright spot during her year there at the school was her drill sergeant.  I liked the ending because it was pretty good and realistic. 
(Karen's review, 4 stars)

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