Promises to Keep

Jane Green is back again with a new novel about family, friends, and the power of love. Callie has it all, the perfect husband, beautiful children and a career she loves. She has her minor complaints; she wishes her husband didn't travel so much, she wishes her kids didn't fight quite as often, but compared to her sister she had it made. Steffi, Callie's little sister is the girl who has never grown up. Now in her 30's she is still dating loser guys and until recently flitting from job to job. It isn't until she finds a job as a chef at a little vegetarian restaurant that she discovers her true passion and begins her journey towards " growing up." The cast expands to include Callie's best friend Lila, and her parents. As each character faces their own problems in life, they all know that no matter what they would drop everything to be there for eachother in times of need. One added bonus is that Green has added some of Steffi's recipes throughout the book and they all look delicious!
       While Green does write a touching tribute to what it truly means to love, I felt that this novel was a little predictable. Not to say it wasn't enjoyable, and touching. It definitely spurred on a few tears here and there and Green does a good job building each character to be relatable as well as lovable. However, I knew the ending by the third chapter and was a little dissappointed that it unraveled the way it did. My favorite part about the book was probably the recipes, which isn't saying a whole lot for the book itself.

Heart of The Matter

In Emily Griffin's new novel she writes from the stand point of two very different women. One is a stay-at-home mom struggling with the everyday aspects of caring for a family, while keeping up with chores and having a little time of her own. She never quite feels like she can keep up with the other "perfect moms" around her, but does her best to balance it all. The other is a single mom who has put herself through law school and has a successful career while still making time for her son. When tragedy strikes the two women's lives interweave and they are faced with dealing with eachother's differences and their own shortcomings.
    Griffin once again has given us a well-written tale to follow. The plot, being more realistic than fantasy, may be a hard one for some to swallow and there were moments when I was ready to put the book down. However, the ending is appropriate and leaves you with a sense that all is how it should be. Just be warned, this is not a happy-go-lucky look at love and life and the perfect little family. It is a more closer-to-home look at how life can really be, with a happier ending than most realities!

The Nanny Returns

McLaughlin and Kraus team up once again to bring us Nan and her many adventures. Ten years have passed and she is back in NY fixing up a house her and her hubby have bought. While trying to remodel/ live in their falling down "dream house" Nan runs into her old charge Grayer and is instantly thrown into his life, and many family issues.   Her residual guilt causes her to feel she owes him and to take them all on and be his rescuer. Along with these problems Nan has started her own business and takes on a tough client. Finally, her man is ready to be a dad, but Nan just isn't there and isn't sure she ever will be. With all of this the novel is fairly fast paced and easy reading. Nan is a likeable heroine and since we know and love her from the Nanny Diaries we are easily forgiving of any faults and ready to watch her take on the world.

The White Queen

The White Queen! Phillipa Gregory writes again and this time it is the first in a series of books about King Richard and the era before the Tudors. Always very well done, and once again she captures your attention and draws you into the story of the war for the throne between three brothers. It is a never ending battle in this novel as the residing King and Queen are never safe for long on their newly won throne. Brothers and then cousins guided by parents and mentors stop at nothing to become the ruler of England. Even if it means destroying a family, their own family, in the process! A must read!

Her next book in the series will be called The Red Queen and is due out August 3rd. This one will pick up with Margaret, mother to King Henry VII, who will spend her life trying to get her son on the throne. Again it is a cousin's war, and set to be another must read!

Her Fearful Symmetry

In Audrey Niffenegger's first novel since writing the ever popular Time Traveler's Wife, two twenty-one year old twin sisters living with their parents in Chicago have their lives dramatically changed when they inherit an apartment in London from their recently deceased Aunt. Set on the edge of a cemetery the apartment not only changes where they are living but who they are becoming. As their once close bond begins to unravel so does the world around them. It is a novel about love and friendship as well as jealousy, mystery, death, and tragedy.

Forever Valentina thought, I will live forever with Julia in our apartment in London, which we have never seen, surrounded by people we haven't met, forever.

The novel has several major plot twists and to write too much more of a review would be giving away a huge amount. As an avid reader I get pretty upset when writers add spoilers in their reviews so I am not going to do that to you. I will say that ghosts are involved, sisters turn on each other, and identities are mistaken. Other characters will steal your heart, but the twins you won't always like. I started out feeling sorry for Valentina because Julia was always bossing her around and in the end it was Julia who I was able to relate to.

Having said all of that, as a huge fan of Time Traveler's Wife I was somewhat disappointed by this book. I went into it with high expectations and found it lacking. The novel was entertaining and well written, a definite page-turner. Once I picked it up I had a difficult time putting it down, but to me it was trying to mix too many themes and none of them really congealed. The plot had some definite holes in it, and I wasn't in love with the way it ended. Of course this is just my opinion and most of the other reviews I have read said this was the best book they have ever read. Many liked it more than TTW.  So I could be way off base. Like I said it was well written and certainly worth reading, I just expected more from someone who wrote TTW.  However, because of all of the many themes throughout the book it would be a good one for a bookclub to discuss and therefore a great pick for your next read. If you decide to check it out please comment and let me know what you thought. If I am way off base I want to know!

Stay tuned for discussion questions to go along with the book....