The House at Riverton Book Review

The House at Riverton by Kate Morton

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Blurb:

Grace Bradley went to work at Riverton House as a servant when she was just a girl, before the First World War. For years her life was inextricably tied up with the Hartford family, most particularly the two daughters, Hannah and Emmeline.

In the summer of 1924, at a glittering society party held at the house, a young poet shot himself. The only witnesses were Hannah and Emmeline and only they - and Grace - know the truth.

In 1999, when Grace is ninety-eight years old and living out her last days in a nursing home, she is visited by a young director who is making a film about the events of that summer. She takes Grace back to Riverton House and reawakens her memories. Told in flashback, this is the story of Grace's youth during the last days of Edwardian aristocratic privilege shattered by war, of the vibrant twenties and the changes she witnessed as an entire way of life vanished forever.

Review by Brittany:

This book is sad - make no mistake about that - but it is beautiful. Kate Morton has a writing style that pulls me in and keeps me reading until the last page. She writes with fluidity and describes events and the time period in such a way that I believe her to be an expert.

From the moment Grace lays eyes on the two girls, she longs to be a part of their world. She gets enraptured in the imaginary games they play and tries to maneuver her duties around her desire to be close to these girls. As time moves on, she and Hannah become closer and closer, to the point where she leaves Riverton to be Hannah's lady maid after Hannah is married. Grace even sacrifices her own personal life in order to stay close to Hannah and to stay loyal to her.

Emmeline is illustrated as being the slightly spoiled baby of the family, and as the twenties roll in, she becomes the one who is sociable, going out and dancing and partying. At one point she gets mixed up in a bad situation where she is making questionable films, and Hannah takes it upon herself to "rescue" her sister.

The culmination of the story comes when Hannah and her husband move back to Riverton, taking Grace with them. It is here that secrets are revealed to the characters who did not know them and tragedy strikes. This book ended in such a way that I was left marveling at the fragility of human life and how a small white lie can change the course of everything.

Overall, beautiful writing, beautiful characters, and a story that I am still shaking my head over. I loved this book.

Notable quotes:

He was handsome. But who amongst the young is not?

True history, the past, is not like that. It isn't flat or linear. It has no outline. It is slippery, like liquid; infinite and unknowable, like space. And it is changeable: just when you think you see a pattern, perspective shifts, an alternative version is proffered, a long-forgotten memory resurfaces.

Love affairs, in their beginnings, are all about the present. But there is a point in each - an event, an exchange, some other unseen trigger - which forces the past and the future back into focus.

It's only with age I have learned solely to listen to things I want to hear.

"Romance makes people forget themselves, do silly things."

While one's child takes a part of one's heart to use and misuse as they please, a grandchild is different. Gone are the bonds of guilt and responsibility that burden the maternal relationship. The way to love is free.

Djinn and Tonic Book Review

Djinn and Tonic by Jasinda Wilder

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Blurb:

Detective Carson Hale knows Leila is hiding something from him. He's in the hospital after a strange and inexplicable attack destroys his favorite bar, the Old Shillelagh. While the attack leaves Carson with stitches, bruised ribs, and a concussion, Leila is mysteriously uninjured, and she either can't or won't offer a satisfactory explanation. While her lies and evasions are setting off his detective instincts, her body sets off other alarms.


Leila Najafi has a lot of secrets and a complicated past. She ran away to Detroit to get away from her family, but she's been discovered by the one man that could destroy her. Sexy detective Carson Hale blows into her life at the worst possible time. Now Leila is forced to make a decision that could both cause heartbreak and war.

Review by Brittany:

I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I adored this book. It's the second in a series, but one thing I loved about this book is that you don't necessarily have to read the first in order to jump in with this one. The first book featured Detective Hale as a supporting character, and I was glad to see him return. The relationship between him and Leila develops fairly quickly in this book, but it was introduced in the first book. Leila is the person in whom Carson confides about cases, particularly a case with supernatural aspects. When Carson discovers that Leila is a part of the same supernatural world, he takes it in stride because he wants to get to know her better.

I love the supernatural aspect of this series. So many authors have written the same kinds of books, but this is a refreshing change. The djinn and ifrits have elemental powers, and the way the author describes the use of these powers was interesting. There was also a lot of information about the differences and tensions between the djinn and ifrits that set up a potential war for the series.

This author also writes good characters. Carson is devoted to his job, which is how he and Leila strike up a relationship in the first place. Leila is fighting against the wishes of her family, while struggling with the loyalty and devotion she still feels. Although the development of their relationship feels quick, it still rings true.

There were also cameos from some characters from the first book that were nice to see. I'm curious about how the series will continue and how many of those characters will appear in later books. I think this series has a lot of potential and I'm looking forward to reading more.

When You Were Older Book Review

When You Were Older by Catherine Ryan Hyde

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Blurb:

Russell Ammiano works on the 104th floor of the World Trade Center. On the morning of September 11, 2001, the phone rings while Rusty is rushing to work. The news is devastating: Rusty's mother has died of a stroke, leaving his brain-damaged older brother Ben alone. This news also saves Rusty's life. He's still at home when two planes hit the World Trade Center - and only one of his friends and colleagues survives. In a single day, the life Rusty built in New York crumbles to the ground.

Rusty returns to his tiny hometown and the brother he was more than happy to leave behind. Ben hasn't changed a bit, but the town has. Tensions are running high in the wake of the terrorist attack, while Rusty struggles to put the past behind him and care for the exasperating brother he loves. He finds refuge drinking coffee in the early morning with beautiful Egyptian-American Anat in her father's bakery.

Rusty is beginning to get his life back...until one awful night threatens to take it all away again.

Review by Brittany:

This is the first and only book I've read that is post-9/11 based, and I loved it. So much of this book does not necessarily have anything to do with 9/11, but the main character, Russell, is a survivor, and there are times when this has clearly colored his feelings and thoughts about his life and his world.

Russell's mother dies on the same day that the Towers fall. He knows he has to get home to take care of his mentally ill brother, so he hitchhikes to Kansas from New York. When he arrives, he is a bit of a mess. He hasn't been home in 6 years, and he now faces the task of maintaining the routine that is so important to his brother, even though he has no idea about the life he lives. He is also faced with the daunting task of helping Ben understand that their mother is not coming back, ever.

As the story develops, Ben and Rusty begin to have a better relationship. Even though Rusty hasn't been around for 6 years, the author makes it clear that Rusty loves his brother and wants to take care of him. Rusty's budding relationship with Anat develops as well, and this is where the strongest post-9/11 themes come from in the book.

I was surprised by other characters' reactions to Anat because she is Egyptian, but I feel like this author was probably right on the money with the way that people felt at that time. They were judgmental and cruel because of their own perceived notions of what she stood for, which were incorrect.

This book is not a happy book. Every time Rusty starts to get back on his feet, something happens that sends him crashing back down. Ben will still be Ben and will still have brain damage, no matter what. Anat will still struggle with perception and judgments. But the author wraps the book up in such a way that the reader is left feeling like they can all make it, if they can just hold on to each other. And because of that, I loved this book and definitely recommend it.

Notable quotes:

Everybody looks at you and judges you more stable. Because they can't see inside.

Why doesn't love feel good? Why does it make you feel like you're about to die? Why doesn't it make you feel like you're about to live?

I was tired of knowing things. Everybody wanted me to know things. All things I'd be happier not knowing.

"You always know that someday a door will open and in will come the one you've waited for. And then the waiting is done. And the rest of your life can begin."

Sometimes you have to close yourself up. Shut the portals into the places inside you that still know how to feel. Because there's just nothing you can do.

Once you misplace the ability to be yourself without thinking about it, without second-guessing it, you're pretty well cooked.

It felt sad to fail at something so basic.

The Last Anniversary Book Review

The Last Anniversary by Liane Moriarty

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Blurb:

Sophie Honeywell always wondered if Thomas Gordon was the one she let get away. He was the perfect boyfriend, but on the day he was to propose, she broke his heart. A year later he married his travel agent, while Sophie has been mortifyingly single ever since. Now Thomas is back in her life because Sophie has unexpectedly inherited his aunt Connie's house on Scribbly Gum Island - home of the famously unsolved Munro Baby mystery.

Sophie moves onto the island and begins a new life as part of an unconventional family where it seems everyone has a secret. Grace, a beautiful young mother, is feverishly planning a shocking escape from her perfect life. Margie, a frumpy housewife, has made a pact with a stranger, while dreamy Aunt Rose wonders if maybe it's about time she started making her own decisions.

As Sophie's life becomes increasingly complicated, she discovers that sometimes you have to stop waiting around - and come up with your own fairy-tale ending.

Review by Brittany:

I enjoyed this book. I thought that all of the characters were well developed, and they underwent some major changes throughout the book, so that no character was the same at the end.

Grace is the character who spoke to me the most clearly. She was the character that struggled the most in her life, despite the outward appearance of it being perfect. While I couldn't relate to her situation as a new mother and a wife, I did feel empathy for her experiences.

Margie is also struggling, but her desire is to become a better version of herself, primarily by losing weight. Her changes throughout the novel lead her to not only lose weight, but to gain a sense of worth and a sense of self.

Sophie, who is supposed to be the main character, is actually the one that I feel changes the least throughout the book. She moves onto the island and becomes an unofficial member of the family, but I don't feel that anything really happens for her.

Following along with these characters is the story of the Munro Baby, which is how Connie and Rose made the island famous and were able to survive financially. At the end of the book, the mystery is revealed to be not quite the fanciful tale that they have been selling to the public all these years.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book. I loved reading about the characters and the changes they were going through. I would recommend this book and am looking forward to reading more by this author!

Notable quotes:

"A marriage is hard work and sometimes it's a bit of a bore. It's like housework. It's never finished. You've just got to grit your teeth and keep working away at it, day after day."

Maybe it will be easier without him there. She can stop worrying that he might notice she is all wrong as a mother.

Children made her feel huge and awkward and she was never sure exactly how to correctly pitch her conversation for their age group, worrying that she was speaking to them as if they were retarded or deaf.

...she has the feeling that she is on some sort of treacherous journey, and if she stops, even for a moment, then she might never get up again. It is better to just go doggedly on and on.

Being a mother is just like any other new skill, like driving a car or playing tennis. At first it seems impossibly difficult, but then, by gritting your teeth and trying again and again, you get your head around it.

It is just too much effort to be funny and entertaining and loving.

She enjoys thinking deliciously shocking thoughts from time to time.

But then she just got tired of hating him and started loving him again. It was easier.

But even while he is frustrated by her, or hurt by her, or plain irritated by her, he still loves her, he still has a secret crush on her, he is still awed that someone this beautiful is with him.

Sophie has always thought that the first time you get the hysterical giggles with a new female friend is like the first time you sleep with a boyfriend; it takes your relationship to a new, more intimate level.

People can't just go changing their personalities willy-nilly when they're middle-aged.

It is so strange that you can end up having such polite, awkward conversation with somebody with whom you once shared such intimate moments.

Pride comes before someone trips you flat on your face.

Sometimes a girl has to stop waiting around and come up with her own fairytale ending.

Calm Before the Storm Book Review

Calm Before the Storm by Ryan Mullaney

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Blurb:

A week at the beach is just what Samantha needs. To relax with friends, forget what happened. Get her life back on track.

A stop to seek shelter from a passing storm changes everything. Her friends taken into the house at gunpoint, Samantha is left hurt, scared, and alone. As the only hope for getting her friends out alive, Samantha must do something, and do it soon. The storm is only getting worse...

Review by Brittany:

This book reads like a movie. Mullaney begins by throwing the reader into the action, dropping you right into what's going on after the group has ended up at the house that changes everything. The action in this book is nonstop, and the suspense is at a high the entire time, much like with a thriller film.

The story is written almost in two different points of view - one from Samantha and one from everyone else. While the entire novel is actually in third person, Samantha's chapters have a stream of consciousness to them, detailing her thought processes as she tries to help her friends. The other chapters give more of a play-by-play of what's going on with the other characters. This slight shift in writing style helps the reader fall into whichever character the focus is on, without the style change affecting the overall quality of the read.

The author also created a pretty scary villain for this book - Michael. He's just a man who has been pushed too far and reaches that break in humanity that everyone is capable of reaching. Mullaney did a great job of giving characterization to someone who is seen only as the villain from the beginning. I have a bit of a soft spot for writers who can give the "bad guy" some justification, and Mullaney gives that in this book. He also did a great job of detailing relationships and giving the group of friends individual characteristics and lives, without having to break away from the current action.

If you're looking for a suspenseful book that's quick paced, this is a definite winner. I'm excited to see what else this author comes up with.

Notable quotes:

Everyone acted out of anger once in their life. Doesn't matter how saintly you are. Everyone has snapped at a moment of stress, done something they cannot undo, said words that can't be unsaid, had one of those human moments we all seem to have in spite of our best efforts.

...the good feelings when people are together and every minute of the day is filled with joy and life has you convinced, just for a moment, that maybe this will last forever.

Bossypants

Review by Kristen

Tina Fey. The woman, the myth, the legend. You may know her from Saturday Night Live, 30 Rock, or hosting The Golden Globes. And if you don’t, then you've probably been living under a rock or in a desolate area with absolutely no access to the outside world- or North Korea. She’s a gift not only to entertainment, but to women of the world. In her autobiography Bossypants, Fey affirms the fact that it’s okay to be funny, quirky and female, and this combination in turn makes you fabulous, and in her case extraordinarily successful.

The book is a recollection of stories from her youth, to her making it big in Hollywood. And the lure and charm is in her humor. Told only as Tina Fey can tell her life story, she uses her wit to reveal how she became the woman she is today, and also make light of adversities she faced to obtain such a stature. She’ll put a smile on your face as she explains how her cruise ship almost sunk on her honeymoon and also reminisces about her horrible job as a recent college graduate, something to which any college student can relate. She even gets personal and shares one of the fondest memories for any woman, the detailed story of her first pap smear. It’s a bonding experience.

She also offers her professional insight into television, acting, writing, and improvisation. Aside from being delightfully hilarious, Fey depicts what it’s like to attain success in show business and the pros and cons attached to it. From working with difficult people, to interviewing for a writing position at SNL, to being “the boss”, she discloses the realities of the glamorous life of the rich and famous.

This is the perfect book if you’re looking for a laugh, need a reason to further love or hate Tina Fey, or just want an easy read. But despite your motivation behind reading Bossypants, there’s an important message to take away from it. It’s healthy to make fun of yourself, and “You’re nobody until someone calls you bossy.” 

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Rebecca Book Review

Rebecca by Adam J. Nicolai

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Blurb:

Sarah, 18, has been attracted to other girls since she was nine. But she is a Christian, and the tenets of her church are clear: homosexuality is a sin and an abomination. In a desperate bid to prove her virtue, she throws herself at a boy she goes to school with, and ends up pregnant.

Her infant daughter, Rebecca, derails Sarah's entire life. She is forced to withdraw from Yale before she even gets there. Her devout mother, ashamed, pays for an apartment where Sarah is alone with the baby. Sara was smart, beautiful, and adored. Now she feels like she knows nothing, and her friends treat her like a leper.

In the long, sleepless hours of night, while she waits on pins and needles for Rebecca's certain cry, she is forced to reflect on who she is and how she got here. She has lost all hope - until one night she hears God, providing her a simple answer:

Kill the child.

Review by Brittany:

Let me start by saying that this book obviously covers some pretty serious themes: homosexuality, postpartum depression, religion. If you feel squeamish about any of these, this book probably isn't going to be for you.

I loved it, though. Sarah's struggles with her feelings for Tiff, the woman she loves, and her desire to be pleasing to God are beautifully written. She is in a constant state of battling with herself and what she believes is the sexuality she was born with. The lack of support from Rebecca's father adds to Sarah's confusion about her feelings for him and her desire to be with Tiff, who is supporting her in a way that no one else is.

Sarah's mother is a huge religious fanatic, and the pastor from her church is the perfect example of why it's easy to judge a certain religion. Pastor Dennis is unafraid of saying exactly how he feels about things, and he leaves no wiggle room for his parishioners. His way is THE way, and Sarah's mother has fallen into believing it. This has caused Sarah to question everything about herself.

The visits from God's messenger are scary and were, I think, a nod to postpartum depression. Sarah is struggling on her own, with no support from her mother or the father of her baby. She has no idea what she is doing and she feels isolated from all of her friends. She starts dreaming of this messenger who tells her to kill her baby, that this is the solution to everything. She struggles with this, knowing it doesn't seem right but wanting to please God.

Sarah's relationship with her mother is one that developed the most in this book, and I appreciated it. They had some good conversations toward the end where the author illustrated the struggles a firm believer can have and how they might try to overcome them. Sarah embraces her sexuality and admits to her feelings for Tiff, beginning a relationship with her.

The climax of the book comes fast and hard, and there are parts that are hard to read. It is a pretty eye opening scene, one that might leave the reader questioning what they believe and the "rightness" of those beliefs.

But even aside from the controversial topics, this author is just a good author. He writes well, putting the reader in the shoes of his main character easily. He outlines the struggles of any single parent and couples in Sarah's struggles that are singular to her. The author moves the story along at a great pace and knows how to keep the reader hooked. A wonderful, beautiful book.

Notable quotes:

Excelling was an old habit for her, and she couldn't abandon it easily - even if nothing mattered anymore.

She has no idea what the world is, Sarah realized. It's terrifying. Every bit of it is terrifying.

The notion of being everything to another human being was backbreaking.

There was no defense between her and the world's pain.