"Her" by Christa Parravani

Gerard liked it; I didn't. 

Gerard's review of 3/30/13
Her by Christa Parravani is about her and her twin, Cara.  When Cara passes away, Christa finds herself at a loss and pretty soon starts to follow the same path that did Cara in!  Which path is that and what does Christa do to get back straight?  You will have to read to find out.


I enjoyed this book.  The parts of the book I liked best was the interaction between the two sisters.  I was going to give this book 4 stars, but the ending was SO good, it pushed it up to 5 stars.  Not a "must read" but it is good.  Give it a shot, you will be glad you did!


Karen's review posted 3/4/13:
Her by Christa Parravani is a dark memoir.  When Christa's identical twin died, Christa sort of changed into her.  In this book, Christa shares about their bond, her guilt, and her struggle with handling her sister's death.

This book was very sad and depressing to me.  It is hard for me to imagine people actually living their lives like this, on drugs, infidelity, abuse, in and out of mental hospitals, and seeking advice from psychics.  It also jumped around a lot which made it hard to follow.

This book did not appeal to me but I can understand that it was helpful for her to write about her sister and her struggle. The only reason I kept reading was because I was hoping for a happy ending.  I won't tell you how it ends because I do not want to spoil it for you. 


We received an advanced reading copy of this book which goes on sale March 2013.  This did not affect our review.

Happy Reading!  (I'm releasing this one "into the wild" through bookcrossing.com in August, 2013.  If you join, please use my screen name as your referral:  BookDumper.

"The Promise of Stardust" by Priscille Sibley (UPDATED)

A Thought Provoking Love Story--Must Read!

The Promise of Stardust by Priscille Sibley is an unusual love story of Elle, an astronaut, and Matt, a neurosurgeon, that splits a family apart when there is a life or death decision to make.  Matt and Elle want a child so bad, but there always seems to be complications and she loses the baby.    The author brings up some interesting legal issues related to making decisions about keeping someone on life support after they are brain dead in this captivating novel. 

My feelings towards the characters changed as the book progressed and I found myself pulling for Matt by the end.  I liked how Elle's dad changed along the way and how the doctors were so nice to Matt.  This is definitely a good read I recommend if you like thought provoking stories about family.
(Karen's review of 3/28/13)


Gerard's review of 3/16/13 (5++ stars):

The Promise of Stardust by Priscille Sibley is a great love story you must read!  Matt and Ellie were childhood friends who now have a loving marriage.  What they want are children and a family.  Their first two attempts ended in tragedy. When Matt, who is a doctor, gets a call that Ellie is being rushed to the hospital, he hurries only to find her fall from a ladder has left her brain dead and that she is carrying his child!  He wants to keep her on life support hoping that the baby will live but his mom and Ellie's brother want the plug pulled.

This is an outstanding book that is a page turner.  I loved how the author went back in time to show how Matt and Ellie came to be married and the trials they faced.  Does the baby live?  Who wins the trial?  Speaking of the trial, that part of the book is gripping with suspense!  Have a tissue handy for the ending.  This book will tug at your heartstrings--it did mine!  Loved it!!  It doesn't get any better than this!  The Promise of Stardust is her first novel too, are you kidding me?  Well done!  ( visit her website at www.priscillesibley.com)

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!

Visit Mama Kat's Writer's Workshop, one of her prompts this week is to share a book review.

"Banished--Surviving My Years in the Westboro Baptist Church"

Banished--Surviving My Years in the Westboro Baptist Church by Lauren Drain with Lisa Pulitzer tells the true story of Lauren Drain, who was banished from her church by her own family! Why? You will have to read the book to find out! What Lauren did and lived like when she was a member of WBC is unbelievable. This is an unforgettable memoir with plenty of "wow" factors! Happy Easter, Lauren, and God bless! (5++ stars)

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!

Tuesday Teasers: A Love Story and a Memoir

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should  Be Reading. Anyone can play along, so I thought  I  would play for fun! Just do the following

• Grab your current read
• Open to a random page (well, we cheat and choose specific ones)
• Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on  that page
• BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away!   You don’t  want  to  ruin the  book for others!)
• Share the title and author, too, so that other TT participants can  add the book to their TBR  Lists  if they  like your teaser.   

Gerard's

Some of the people were so worked up that they tried to push and punch us. Others got up into our faces to yell, and some even spat at us.

From page 7 of Banished--Surviving My Years in the Westboro Baptist Church by Lauren Drain with Lisa Pulitzer. (a memoir)

Karen's:

"Because Elle picked me to watch out for her, and you are seriously considering keeping her on life support, and that's not what Elle wanted. It's just wrong to keep her in this state, as an incubator for something that isn't even a baby yet."

From page 48 of The Promise of Stardust by Priscille Sibley.



Happy Reading!

"Did You Miss Me? by Karen Rose (UPDATED)

A Real Page Turner For Sure!

Did You Miss Me by Karen Rose is a fast-paced, complex thriller about revenge, betrayal, dysfunctional families and a very brave prosecuting attorney, Daphne (a cancer survivor), who is a target and the romance that develops between her and the Federal agent (Joseph) who tries to find her kidnapped son.  This novel has a lot of things going on:  abduction, murder, manipulation, crime investigation, colorful characters and secrets. 

 

I loved the part Daphne’s dog played in this novel.  Divorces, remarriages and name changes really make it challenging for the reader to keep everyone straight and make all the connections.  Parts reminded me of the writing style of Brandilyn Collins where the author leaves you hanging and then jumps to another scene with other characters.  The author creates lots of suspense without a lot of gore.  I’d recommend this book to anyone who likes thrillers with some mystery.

(Karen's review added 3/22/13)

Did You Miss Me by Karen Rose is the story of a man who has a grudge against a woman prosecutor in Baltimore.  For me the best part of this book was following the man who had it all planned out how he was going to get his revenge against her--just excellent with a great ending and lots of suspense.  Put this one on your TBR list and when you read it, you will be happy you did. 
(Gerard's review, 5++ stars)


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!