New Year's Resolutions

Pondering with a Purpose is hosted by Brenda 

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Brenda Youngerman - Ponderings of an Author

This week's question is:

Do you make new year's resolutions? And if so, do you keep them?

My Answer is:

I normally do not make new year's resolutions not because I can't keep them, but I just never thought of making them.  :)

I should make one this year, though, and stick to it.  Try to not accept so many books for review when I already have a ton of them waiting for me.  :)  Not sure I will stick with it, but at least I wrote it down and made it public.  :)

That is a VERY difficult resolution as any reader knows.  
We can't say "no"  - well at least I can't.  :)  

I do have to say, though, I got tough on myself the past few months and did turn down about ten books.  

Yikes........I know...that is a lot of books to turn down, but I have so many books and only so many hours in the day.  :)

What is your resolution if you have one or make them? 
 

Book Tour - Black and White and Dead All Over

 

Jealousy, love triangles, high-profile politicians, reporters, and murder.  All of this put together made for a short, but excellent murder mystery.

You will be kept guessing up until the very last pages who murdered Mary Fleming twenty-two years ago when her body ended up in the basement of a house being moved off of its foundation. Brian, a reporter for the Newark Observer had covered stories in wars and political conventions, and was known for his thoroughness.  And...boy was he thorough...he was the one who solved the murder of Mary Fleming that the police hadn't been able to solve.

I read this book in one afternoon.  It was fast-paced, interesting, creative, and intriguing.  Great characters, great storyline, outstanding descriptions of scenes, feelings, and characters.  You could feel the drama as you turned each page.  This is a mystery writer I will keep an eye on.  ENJOY!!  5/5

Neurotically Yours by Bonnie Trachtenberg

Losing a job never worked out so well.  Dana Harrison lost her job as a columnist for the love lorn and decided she would use her advising talents to open a unique dating service along with her friend Reggie. 

She and Reggie were having such fun, and you will have fun as well.  This book was light, hilarious, and will definitely brighten up your day. 

The characters are loveable, funny, talented, and perky....the kind of friends we would all love to have and the kind of person we would love to be. You will love Dara and will relate to her predicaments.  Mallory the cat is loveable as well.  

This is the second of Bonnie Trachtenberg's books that I have read.  She is a wonderful author with great storylines.

If you need a lift, pick up this book, and you will laugh along with the characters and share in their fun and success.  Somewhat predictable, but I thoroughly enjoyed it, and after reading it, you may fall in love all over again.  :)  ENJOY!!!  4/5

This book was given to me free of charge and without compensation by the author in exchange for an honest review.

Below Stairs by Margaret Powell

 

What a delightful book even though the subject of being a kitchen maid in a wealthy household was far from delightful.  The author had a sense of humor that made the book fast paced, funny, and interesting.

This book was the memoir of a "real" kitchen maid.  It definitely was not a pleasant life, but the author kept the book light and factual. The household staff would work from sunup to sunset with no conveniences that we have today in the kitchen or for cleaning to a shine.  

The staff would have to fire up the coal stove early in the morning, cook and clean up nonstop all day and with no appreciation from their employer.  All food had to be made from scratch, but the food definitely was not healthy, though.   Households used a lot of butter, eggs, and cream and other fat-filled ingredients.

The author explained the drudgery and hardships of the maids and household staff in a wealthy household and how the majority of the staff were from poor families that couldn't  keep their own young children in their household because they had no money and not enough food to feed them.

It definitely was not a glamorous job, and there was even a class structure within the staff.  I wonder if it is still like that today among household staff.  I would guess yes.  The author also talked about how she never had a good self esteem because of how early she had to begin work and how she was treated for the majority of her life.

Despite the difficulty of this job and what it does to people's lives emotionally this is most definitely a book to read if you enjoy the lives of the English and any household that has a staff for their everyday living. 

I give this book a cleanly scrubbed and well cooked 5/5.  ENJOY!!

My son bought this book for me because he knows I enjoy learning about the lives of English household staff members.  This is ONE of my Christmas presents for him.....he wanted me to read this by the end of the year.  :)  I am glad I did.

Merry Christmas, Mark.  :) 

Time is a River by Mary Alice Monroe

 

 

Time for everyone is measured in different ways....a river was the way to measure time for Mia and the Watkins family who made the town famous.

Mia had just survived a breast cancer ordeal without the support of her husband and was on a retreat for survivors.  She had a wonderful time and wanted to hurry home early to share the news with her husband, but she came home to a very unpleasant sight.  Her husband was in bed with another woman.  Mia tearfully rushed back to the retreat and was offered the use of a cabin by the retreat's leader, Belle, in the town of Watkins Mills.  This cabin was the best thing that happened to her...well one of a few best things.  The cabin and the town helped her find confidence again as well as love.

The cabin wasn't exactly luxury, though, but Mia worked with it and made it her piece of saving grace.  In the cabin Mia found diaries and paintings belonging to Kate Watkins, the original owner who was believed to have murdered her lover.  Mia began a new investigation of the 80-year-old murder, and the investigation became Mia's quest to find the truth for herself, the town, and for Belle, even though Belle didn't want her to investigate.  Mia also found peace, love, new friends, and tranquility as her stay at the cabin continued longer than she had expected.  She loved this small town and loved how it helped her get back to her old self.

I enjoyed this book because of the mystery as well as the description of living in a cabin in woods, the wonderful descriptions of the landscape, and feeling the presence of a person who lived there before. This book had intrigue and made me think about my ancestors.  The only thing that was tedious was when the author talked about fly fishing in detail...not too interesting.....well not to me.  :)

If you like a mystery, finding hidden treasures, reading old diaries, solving old murder cases, gossip, and a sweet love story, you will like TIME IS A RIVER.  4/5

This was a book chosen by one of my book clubs.

My Favorite Books of 2012

Listed Below are my "Favorite" Books so far for 2012.  

I still have a few days to read others that I "know" I am going to love as well.  

Can't get to them all, right?  So many good books so little time.  :)

 Each title should link to my blog review.  

What were your favorite books of 2012? 

 

The Island House by Posie Graeme-Evans

The House of Serenades by Lina Simoni

The Roots of the Olive Tree by Courtney Miller Santo

The Twelfth Child by Bette Lee Crosby

Owning Treasure by Joe and Laura Wilbur

Ropewalk by John Knauf

Firefly Beach by Meira Pentermann

 Literally Dead by James Conroy

Dead is the New Black by Christine DeMaio-Rice 
 
City of Women by David R. Gillham  

The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton 

The Girl on The Cliff by Lucinda Riley 

The Walnut Tree - A Christmas Tale - by Charles Todd

Alain told Lady Elspeth Douglas not to worry as he went off to fight and she stayed home with his ring on her finger because the war would be over by Christmas.  Little did they know that the war would NOT be over by Christmas. 

Lady Douglas decided that she didn't want to just sit around and wait so she joined the Nursing Sisters...she meets Todd's famous Bess Crawford during this time.  Since Lady Douglas was born and raised in a privileged household, it was unheard of for a woman of her class to join the nursing profession and treat wounded men.  It was stated that anyone of her class wouldn't be acceptable as a wife to a gentleman if she was part of the nursing sisters.  She thought otherwise.  To avoid being turned down, she kept her title a secret when she applied to become a nurse.

The book follows Elspeth through her duties as a nurse in France and England during WWII.  Of course, she met someone else even though she was engaged to Alain....this theme was the main part of the book.  You will find out how she handles this situation and each situation that occurs whether the situation is traveling alone on trains and boats filled with soldiers, visiting relatives, or nursing.

The book is mixed with this love story and war.  Mr. Todd takes the reader into the hospitals and gives details about the surgical and nursing units and the unpleasant tasks carried out by the nurses and doctors.  He also brings the reader into the thick of the heartbreak, disasters, and ugliness of war.  Elspeth's love story has a culminating scene under a walnut tree that binds her and her true love.

I enjoyed the book, but it was a bit of a tedious read.  You will want to keep reading, though, because you will want to find out how the love part of the story turns out.  WWII history buffs will love all the details that Mr. Todd so exquisitely and brilliantly knows how to portray.  My rating is 4/5.

This book was given to me free of charge and without compensation by the publisher in return for an honest review.