REVIEW: MOMENT IN TIME, BY SUZANNE REDFEARN

It’s been eight years since a tragic accident changed Mo Kaminski’s and Chloe Miller’s lives forever. Now in their midtwenties, they’re sharing an apartment in San Francisco and navigating the normal challenges of early adulthood. Along with their roommate, Hazel, they are making their marks on the world—Mo revolutionizing the news with her media start-up, Hazel using her big brain to anticipate the future, and Chloe rescuing abandoned strays in the city.

But when Hazel disappears after being sexually assaulted, Mo’s and Chloe’s lives are again suddenly ripped apart. And when the perpetrator turns up drugged and beaten, the mystery of where Hazel is deepens. Intensely worried and desperate to discover the truth, they set out to find Hazel and bring her home.

Mo and Chloe are no strangers to tragedy, but this journey will test them in ways they never imagined. The stakes are high; the future uncertain; the need for justice essential.

Will their commitment to their friend bring them closer together—or ultimately drive them apart?

 

The connection between the women in Moment in Time reminds me of great friendships that last for years, even when challenges take them off course for a while.

An assault takes Mo and Chloe on a journey to help Hazel, hopefully preventing her from making a bad choice, and protecting her from more harm.

Alternating narrators tell the story, from years before when each of the women faced difficulties, and to the present as they take on the current dilemma.

When one man takes action to tear them all apart, they come together in different ways to resolve things.

I loved how the story led us through their plans to help each other, and how they finally won out over their enemies. 4.5 stars

***

WEEKLY UPDATES: A CHALLENGING WEEK…

Good morning! Today’s post will link up to The Sunday Salon and The Sunday Post for weekly updates.

Mailbox Monday is hosted at the home site: Mailbox Monday.

And let’s join Kathryn, our leader in It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?, at Book Date.

***

 

My week has been a challenging one, beginning with oral surgery on Wednesday: (molar extraction).  That meant some anxiety even on Monday and Tuesday as I prepared for it.  Of course I had to stock up on soups and other soft foods, some of which I had already been adding to the shelves.  My Lyft ride on Wednesday involved a 35 minute wait for the driver, but I had anticipated that could happen, so I scheduled ahead.  The process of the extraction took more than an hour, and was more complicated than anticipated as it involved removing the tooth in sections!  But…afterwards, I have had very little pain!  So that’s good.  More sleeplessness as I try to recover.  But I did get some reading done.  Two books, which seems to be my usual these days.

I wrote six blog posts, as I tend to get chatty when anxious.  LOL.

My movie viewing has been interesting.  Last night I watched a new one on Hulu:  Deep Water, starring Ben Affleck, Rachel Blanchard, Ana de Armas, and Tracy Letts, among others.   Directed by Adrian Lyne and based on a book from Patricia Highsmith, the reviews were mixed, but one reviewer really echoed my own thoughts:  he couldn’t stop watching because the characters were interesting and creepy, yet the movie was a little bit of a “wet fish” instead of a steamy romp.  However, not a bad way to spend an evening.

So, now about the rest of the week, let’s grab some coffee and take a closer look.

***

Tuesday Excerpts:  “Shell Game”

Tuesday Potpourri:  Bookish Love…

WWW Reading…

Another Backlog Book…

Coffee Chat:  Happy St. Patrick’s Day!

Bookish Friday:  “Nine Lives”

Review:  The Paris Apartment, by Lucy Foley

Review:  Nine Lives, by Peter Swanson

INCOMING BOOKS:

Nine Lives, by Peter Swanson

***

CURRENTLY READING:

Hour of the Witch, by Chris Bohjalian – a book I have had for almost a year!  I need to dig into it!

***

So that was my week. More challenging than usual, but with some reading, blogging, and movie viewing to help me through it. Today I am eagerly anticipating my hall tree which I have been posting about here and there.  Maybe I will finally feel settled at last!  It will arrive in a box, of course, but then I will have it assembled. 

***

WEEKLY UPDATES: A WEEK OF READING, BLOGGING, & ORGANIZING…

Good morning! Today’s post will link up to The Sunday Salon, The Sunday Post and Stacking the Shelves, for weekly updates.

**Mailbox Monday is hosted at the home site: Mailbox Monday.

And let’s join Kathryn, our leader in It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?, at Book Date.

Another great week!  During this one, we celebrated First Book of the Year on New Year’s Day, and while I was getting ready for that event, I read another book on New Year’s Eve.  By the end of January 1, I had two books read and reviewed…which when added to the book I read earlier in the week, brought my total to three books.  Nine blog posts, too.

I’ve been finishing up some projects in my apartment…shredding the last bag of stuff.  And then I brought an old chest of drawers from my previous place, since my closet and other set of drawers were overflowing.  It looks a bit battered, in my vintage style of distressed furnishings.  But it serves its purpose, and now I can tuck things away easily.

So…today will bring more errands and tasks to organize some things.  Let’s grab some coffee and take a closer look at the past week.

***

LAST WEEK ON THE BLOGS:

Sunday Potpourri:  Savoring My Favorite Things…

Tuesday Excerpts:  “All the Flowers in Paris”

Goodbye to December and Hello to January 2020…

Curling up with New Year Tasks…

In a New Year, A Look Back…

First Book of the Year:  2020

Coffee Chat:  A New Year for All of Us!

Bookish Friday:  “Normal People”

Curling up with 2019 Books…

Review:  All the Flowers in Paris, by Sarah JioReview:  Kiss the Girls and Make Them Cry, by Mary Higgins Clark (First Book)Review:  The Look-Alike, by Erica Spindler (NG – 1/28/20)

***

INCOMING BOOKS:

Empty mailbox!  I did purchase three books: two e-books and one hardcover.

Downloads:

The Playground by Jane Shemilt

Such a Perfect Wife, by Kate White

Hardcover:

Christmas Shopaholic, by Sophie Kinsella

***

CURRENTLY READING:  Normal People, by Sally Rooney

Now that the New Year has begun, I will also be participating in a Nonfiction Reading Challenge, hosted by Shelleyrae at Book’d Out.  Here are a stack of books coming to my reading list soon.

***

That was my week.  What did yours look like?  After such a great week, I rewarded myself with tonight’s strawberry rhubarb pie.

***

REVIEW: GOOD LUCK WITH THAT, BY KRISTAN HIGGINS

 

Emerson, Georgia, and Marley have been best friends ever since they met at a weight-loss camp as teens. When Emerson tragically passes away, she leaves one final wish for her best friends: to conquer the fears they still carry as adults.

For each of them, that means something different. For Marley, it’s coming to terms with the survivor’s guilt she’s carried around since her twin sister’s death, which has left her blind to the real chance for romance in her life. For Georgia, it’s about learning to stop trying to live up to her mother’s and brother’s ridiculous standards and learning to accept the love her ex-husband has tried to give her.

But as Marley and Georgia grow stronger, the real meaning of Emerson’s dying wish becomes truly clear: more than anything, she wanted her friends to love themselves.

My Thoughts: Good Luck with That brings the reader into the challenging world of three young women who met as girls at a weight loss camp.

Each character alternately reveals her story, and we come to love, hate, or cringe at some of the others. Those who were thorns in their side, rudely reminding them of their weight issues at every turn.

I especially detested Georgia’s brother Hunter, and her mother, too. Their stories revealed more about each of them, but I never softened toward Hunter. His treatment of Georgia, as well as his own son Mason, bordered on bullying.

Food and body image were the prevailing themes, and how each of the characters navigated the storms in their lives kept me reading, rooting for them, and hoping for a resolution of those issues. An unforgettable story. 4.5 stars.

***

HOPE: MORE IMPORTANT THAN EVER….

This morning, as I visited blogs and responded to those who visited my Bookish Friday, I noticed my One Word logo in the sidebar at Serendipity….and realized it has been a while.

Has HOPE carried me along on my journey this year?  Am I finding new optimism in my daily life?

Well, some of the time, but then there are times that I flounder and even throw up my hands in dismay.  Like when my skylight cover repeatedly fell during the big winds of this year; or when the wind destroyed my patio umbrella, requiring a new one…and then I had to find someone to set up the new one.

Yes, these are ordinary setbacks.  But in the past month, I have been fighting a skin irritation (allergic reaction to hair dye?), and right now I’m going through it again.  My daughter does my hair and didn’t test the dye this last time, since it’s the same brand she has always used.  But now she is doing some research…and I’m using the hydrocortisone recommended by the doctor…and my skin is on fire, still, but slowly cooling down.

I may have to let my hair go to its natural color, whatever that might be (gray?) until we find a solution.

Meanwhile, I am still reading and somehow, it does distract me enough…but I have to keep cold compresses close by, too, and wash and change the lotion every few hours.

This happened last month, too, and it took a full week to clear up.  I am HOPING that it will clear up sooner this time, but then, that’s just optimism.

My current read is He Said/She Said, by Erin Kelly, a NetGalley review book that has kept me twisted up as the story weaves the past and the present together, giving us bits of information as we move along.

 

Blurb: In the summer of 1999, Kit and Laura travel to a festival in Cornwall to see a total eclipse of the sun. Kit is an eclipse chaser; Laura has never seen one before. Young and in love, they are certain this will be the first of many they’ll share.

But in the hushed moments after the shadow passes, Laura interrupts a man and a woman. She knows that she saw something terrible. The man denies it. It is her word against his.

The victim seems grateful. Months later, she turns up on their doorstep like a lonely stray. But as her gratitude takes a twisted turn, Laura begins to wonder—did she trust the wrong person?

15 years later, Kit and Laura married are living under new names and completely off the digital grid: no Facebook, only rudimentary cell phones, not in any directories. But as the truth catches up to them, they realize they can no longer keep the past in the past.

***

Just when I thought I had it all figured out, the author threw some more twists our way.

How scary is it to try to escape the world of “digital footprints”?  I tried to imagine living off the grid, and realized, along with these characters, that it is nearly impossible.

***

I have two more NetGalley review books to be released soon:

Beach House for Rent, by Mary Alice Monroe, and The Breakdown, by B. A. Paris. (6/20/17)

 

Then Every Last Lie, by Mary Kubica, is on my shelf and will be released on 6/27/17.

 

 

***

I am hoping to love each of these…and then it’s on to July, where I have three more books from NetGalley.  A busy summer ahead!

Now…if I can only stay free of skin allergies/infections…and broken things in the house…sigh.

Check out my new patio umbrella through the window.

 

***

What is your One Word?  Are you keeping it in your sights on this journey through 2017?

***

REVIEW: A WINDOW OPENS, BY ELISABETH EGAN

 

 

Alice Pearse and Nicholas Bauer have been married for thirteen years. With three kids—Margo, Oliver, and Georgie—their plates are full. Alice works part-time for a magazine, and Nicholas works for a law firm.They are managing fairly well until Nicholas is told he will not be promoted, so he loses his temper….then quits. Now he will be starting his own practice. But with the loss of his income, Alice must find full-time work.

Her quest leads her to a start-up company that will change the face of the bookish world. Those in charge of the company describe what they hope to accomplish as creating “retail lounges” for readers. And the concept sounds exciting.

Susanna owns a “board and brick” bookstore that will be impacted by this kind of venture. As Alice’s best friend, she feels betrayed and is less than supportive.

Meanwhile, Alice’s dad, who suffered the loss of his larynx due to cancer, has just had some devastating news. How will the family manage to deal with what lies ahead?

How will Alice find her way through the maelstrom of this new normal? Can her demanding new job provide enough extra money to make up for her hours away from the family? Will some new disappointing discoveries about the start-up change Alice’s life, going forward?

As the characters struggled, I found some of them more relatable than others. Yes, Alice had made the choice that would now lead to more new tasks in her life, but I couldn’t help but root for her anyway, while disliking how Nicholas chose to handle his challenges. There were some disturbing signs of trouble that kept me turning pages in eager anticipation of solutions, even as I hoped that the characters would find a way to rise above their difficulties.

As usual, the kids were self-absorbed, acting out over the slightest obstacle in their lives. Margo, especially, on the cusp of adolescence, was annoying and unlikeable at times. I felt impatient with each outburst she displayed. Then there were moments when the kids expressed some understanding and growth. Like a real family struggling with real issues, in the end, I could not help but root for all of them…and I loved how the author brought A Window Opens to conclusion. 5 stars.

***This e-ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley.

REVIEW: WHEN WE FALL, BY EMILY LIEBERT

When Allison Parker and her ten-year-old son Logan leave Manhattan eleven years after her husband’s tragic death, she is hoping to start fresh. Find a new perspective.

The house she finds seems perfect, and it is close to the one owned by her parents, who provide a great support network.

At one of the first school events, however, Allison runs into an old friend: her husband’s best friend Charlie Crane. And with Charlie comes his wife Charlotte, who is a little less than friendly. Charlotte has her own issues of insecurity and her marriage has hit a bumpy path. Plus, her daughter Gia, also ten, is difficult. And probably spoiled.

What will happen when these old and new friends begin to mix? How will Charlotte’s posh friends, Sabrina and Missy, fit into this new arrangement? And then, what will alter everything for Charlotte when her challenging sister Elizabeth instantly connects with Allison?

I found myself rooting for both Allison and Charlotte, but at times, I threw up my hands at Charlotte’s inability to see through her “mean girl” mommy friends. Elizabeth grew on me, especially after seeing her through Allison’s eyes.

A wonderful story of friendship, marriage, and the strains that tug at the newly forming bonds and threaten to sever old bonds, When We Fall was an unputdownable read for me. The ending came a little too swiftly for me; I would have enjoying seeing the unfolding conflicts play out instead of being “told” what happened after the inevitable explosion. However, the story was delightful and fans of family and friendship dramas will enjoy it. 4.0 stars.

MY NEWLY CONFIGURED INTERIOR WORLD

 

Welcome to my interior world.  As you enter my living and dining room, you are likely to see an assortment of collections, like the ones on my assorted shelves (above).

I am the first to admit that I have gone a little crazy with the collecting over the years, but this past week has been one of really taking another look at everything.  I have been clearing out drawers, closets, trunks, etc., and that quest has extended into my garage, where I have tackled those see-through bins that contain various collections.  But it was the paperwork I was after this week.  Sorting, shredding, etc.  Read about it at Curl up and Read, My Bookish (and Not So Bookish) Thoughts.

The next logical step was to do something about my books.  Yes, those.  At my Weekend Potpourri:  Abandoning the Old Rules, I made a big decision.  I decided to stop participating in my Mt. TBR Challenge, even though I was only four books short of completing it.

Why?  Because none of the remaining books (purchased before 2014) engaged me at all!  There were only nine more of those books, and rather than spend one more day trying to struggle through any of them, I am stacking them in the box for the collection drive.

Turning my attention to my newer books, I am pleased to report that my print volumes are few in number, and half of them were contest wins, so I didn’t purchase that many of these (see below, on the middle stacks, for purchased books); the stack on the far right includes books I purchased to reread:

 

It is a different story on Sparky (my Kindle).  I have gone a little nuts downloading those books this year.  I did finish all the ones from prior years.

 

Although I have read a few of the e-books I purchased this year, when I counted up the ones remaining, I was stunned!  Sixty-seven e-books remain!

So it’s a good thing I am going to turn my attention to these books, and have decided to give up challenges.  Now I can do something radical:  something I have been longing to do.  Read whatever my heart desires!

Have you ever done anything like this?  I know that I’ve read that some of you have given up purchasing books at all, using only the library.  I’m not ready for that yet.  But who knows what could happen?

***

REVIEW: CIRCLING MY MOTHER, BY MARY GORDON

 

 

 

 

As a way of knowing and understanding her mother, the author of Circling My Mother takes us on a journey through the various phases of her mother’s life. Her life in relation to her daughter, but also to various other people, including her parents, her siblings, her husband, her boss of many years, and even the priests she admired along the way.

As a young woman, a young mother, a child among many siblings, and in relation to the other people in her life, her world.

Also as a woman disabled by polio she contracted at age three. How her disabilities affected her life, her perception of herself, and her daughter’s perception of her.

How do the various experiences of the woman, Anna, child of an Irish mother and Italian father, come together to create who she was in her life? Did the pain and anguish of her life turn her into a bitter drunk? Was the senility of her last eleven years a way of coping, of distancing herself from the pain?

As suggested by the title, the journey is a circular one, beginning as the author visits an exhibition of Bonnard’s paintings in a museum. His painting called The Bathroom, was created in 1908, the same year that Anna was born. And on the day of this museum visit, the author is also planning her mother’s ninetieth birthday celebration. A celebration Anna will unlikely experience in any real way, because of her dementia.

In the end, and after her mother’s death, the author revisits Bonnard, and tries to make sense of the parallels she observes between the paintings and her mother’s life.

It is always difficult to truly understand one’s parents, and especially when there were challenges in the relationships.

Sometimes the ambivalence we feel for them distorts what we see. The author here has done a great job of trying to clearly deconstruct her mother’s life and world, including the contradictions in her world view. Her Catholic experiences juxtaposed against her love of pleasurable things. Her work ethic. Her sense of responsibility and independence. The fears brought on by her body’s betrayal, because of the polio, and then later, as she lost most of her abilities, and her awareness. When being independent is a strong value, the loss of it is especially painful.

Sections of the book were tedious, in my opinion, but to give dimension to her portrait of her mother, each part had its place. But nevertheless, because of the tedium, I am granting three stars.

MONDAY FROM THE INTERIOR: A NEW YEAR & NEW CHALLENGES — MAILBOX MONDAY & WHAT ARE YOU READING? — JAN. 7

Welcome to another week of bookish fun.  Join in with those who celebrate Mailbox Monday, hosted in January by Lori’s Reading Corner; and What Are You Reading?, hosted by Book Journey.

MAILBOX MONDAY:

This week, I received a book I preordered from Amazon and a free e-book from an author I know.

1.  After the Rain, by Karen White

From “one of the best new writers on the scene today” (The Huffington Post) comes the sequel to Falling Home, a novel set in the picaresque town of Walton, Georgia, where one woman is about to discover that the best journey is the one that brings you home.…

Freelance photographer Suzanne Paris has been on her own since she was fourteen—and she has no intention of settling down, especially not in a tiny town like Walton, Georgia. She’s here to hide out for a little while, not to form connections. Her survival depends on her ability to slip in and out of people’s lives, on never staying in one place for too long.

But no one in Walton plans on making things easy for Suzanne. For one thing, it’s a town where everyone knows everyone else—and they all seem intent on making Suzanne feel right at home. For another, Suzanne can’t help but feel drawn to this tight-knit community—or to the town’s mayor, Joe Warner, and his six kids. But Suzanne can’t afford to stick around, even if she’s finally found a place where she belongs. Because someone is looking for her—someone who won’t stop until her life is destroyed…

2.  The Devil’s Foothold, by Marilyn Meredith

Resident Deputy Jessica McGuire’s day starts much the same as usual, but when she jogs by the old family cemetery she discovers the grave of a baby had been dug up and the skeleton missing. It wasn’t much later when Pastor David Tanner reports the theft of a hand-carved redwood cross from his church. Next a baby goat is reported stolen and one of the pastor’s cows discovered mutilated in the field. Jessica and Pastor David team up to investigate these strange occurrences. He is convinced Satan worshiping is going on in their town. Jessica isn’t sure until she discovers a hooded and robed group meeting in the woods who flee upon her arrival. She knows she needs to get to the bottom of things before what’s going on escalates into something worse. Or has it already?

***

WHAT ARE YOU READING?

Welcome to another bookish week:  a time to share our reading, blogging, and life adventures, and a time to enjoy our community of book bloggers.  Since this is our first Monday reading post for the New Year, I’m sure many of you are full of enthusiasm for what you’re planning.  So I hope you’ll come on by and chat!

By now, most of you have already joined some reading challenges and written posts to wrap up 2012.  You may have also made some resolutions for the New Year.  Most of my blogging activity this week has been about those very topics.

On the Blogs:

Monday Potpourri:  The New Year’s Eve Edition

Happy New Year!  Ignite Your Connections

Welcome to 2013:  A New Look & New Adventures

The Month & Year in Review:  Wrapping Up

Come Visit My Reading Room:  December Bookshelf Clearing

Serendipitous Resolutions:  Booking Through Thursday

I Have a Story to Tell (An excerpt)

Sunday Potpourri:  Lost in Books

Reading/Reviews – Click Titles for Reviews:

Potboiler, by Jesse Kellerman

Ragdoll Redeemed, by Dawn Novotny

Deep Connections, by Rebecca Graf (Review will be posted during blog tour on 2/6/13 @ Rainy Days & Mondays)

There Was an Old Woman, by Hallie Ephron

What’s Up Next? (Click Titles/Covers for More Info)

1.  A Thousand Pardons, by Jonathan Dee (Amazon Vine review)

2.  Elly in Bloom (e-book), by Colleen Oakes (review book)

3.  Don’t Let Me Die in a Motel 6 (e-bo0k), by Amy Wolf (review book)

***

And that’s my week….unless I finish all of these, in which case, I have stacks and stacks of waiting books.  What about the rest of you?