Publisher: Riverhead Books / Penguin Audio
Release Date: March 7, 2017
Format: MP3 Download
Pages: 240 | Audio Length:4 hours 42 mins
Narrator:​ Mohsin Hamid
Source: Audiobook Publisher
Genre: Fantasy, Fiction
Review Date: March 15, 2017
Rating: 3 bookmarks

​Synopsis: ​In a country teetering on the brink of civil war, two young people meet—sensual, fiercely independent Nadia and gentle, restrained Saeed. They embark on a furtive love affair and are soon cloistered in a premature intimacy by the unrest roiling their city. When it explodes, turning familiar streets into a patchwork of checkpoints and bomb blasts, they begin to hear whispers about doors—doors that can whisk people far away, if perilously and for a price. As the violence escalates, Nadia and Saeed decide that they no longer have a choice. Leaving their homeland and their old lives behind, they find a door and step through. 

Exit West follows these characters as they emerge into an alien and uncertain future, struggling to hold on to each other, to their past, to the very sense of who they are. Profoundly intimate and powerfully inventive, it tells an unforgettable story of love, loyalty, and courage that is both completely of our time and for all time.

*This audiobook was provided by the publisher in exchange for a honest review.

​Exit West immediately grabbed my attention with the first sentence, “In a city swollen by refugees but still mostly at peace, or at least not yet openly at war, a young man met a young woman in a classroom and did not speak to her.” This line foreshadows the silence in the relationship of this young couple as they flee the turmoil of their city, country, and families. Saeed and Nadia are students who attend business school at night and maintain full-time jobs during the day. They meet one evening at a café and Saeed falls for Nadia. She is mysterious and unorthodox. She rides a motorcycle, lives alone and wears a black robe not for religious reasons but to conceal her body. She tells Saeed she wears it “so no one fucks with me.” Shortly after their clandestine relationship begins, war arises in their city. There is loss of water, the phone systems, internet access and electricity. Executions are occurring daily and shots are heard everywhere. A stray bullet kills one of Saeed’s loved ones and he becomes more concerned for Nadia’s safety. When the unrest becomes unbearable, Saeed and Nadia make the choice to flee their country through one of the many "doors that could take you elsewhere, often to places far away, well removed from this deathtrap of a country." 

This week I have a very serious audiobook review. I read for fun and escapism, so in general I tend to shy away from these types of titles; stories on racism and hate crimes especially.  This was one of my book club reads, so of course I read the book and I'm glad that I did.  While this was a work of fiction, it truly brought incredible feelings of rage, sadness, and understanding to me. Read on and find out why not only did 'Stand Your Ground' earn a 4 bookmark rating, but also why I think it's the most relevant and emotionally driven book I've read this year.

Publisher: Touchstone | Recorded Books
Release Date: June 30, 2015 | September 15, 2015 (audio)
Format: Audio MP3
Pages: ebook: 369 pages | Audio Length: Approx 10.2  hours
Narrators: Suzzanne Douglas , Madeleine Maby ,James Colby
Source: Audible
Genre: AA Fiction, Fiction
Review Date: December 7,  2016
Rating: 4 bookmarks

Synopsis: A black teenage boy is dead. A white man shot him. Was he standing his ground or was it murder?

Janice Johnson is living every black mother’s nightmare. Her seventeen-year-old son was murdered and the shooter has not been arrested. Can the D.A. and the police be trusted to investigate and do the right thing? Should Janice take advantage of the public outcry and join her husband alongside the angry protestors who are out for revenge?

Meredith Spencer is married to the man accused of the killing and she sees her husband and the situation with far more clarity than anyone realizes. What she knows could blow the case wide open, but what will that mean for her life and that of her son? Will she have the courage to come forward in time so that justice can be done?

Wow. Just wow. I can't say enough about the feelings that this title evoked. I found myself getting very upset and worked up about the racism that still exists in our society today. Beyond the blatant racism in the plot, the story was well written and I felt connected to the characters. The characters are imperfect and yet relatable. 

I have another book club read for you today. My real world book club met last weekend to discuss this fun and lighthearted read! Read on to find out what I thought of The Rosie Project.

Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Release Date: October 1, 2013 (first published January 30, 2013)
Format: ebook
Pages: 295
Source: Scribd
Genre: Contemporary Fiction, Humor
Review Date: July 18, 2016
Rating: 4 bookmarks

Synopsis: Don Tillman, professor of genetics, has never been on a second date. He is a man who can count all his friends on the fingers of one hand, whose lifelong difficulty with social rituals has convinced him that he is simply not wired for romance. So when an acquaintance informs him that he would make a “wonderful” husband, his first reaction is shock. Yet he must concede to the statistical probability that there is someone for everyone, and he embarks upon The Wife Project. In the orderly, evidence-based manner with which he approaches all things, Don sets out to find the perfect partner. She will be punctual and logical—most definitely not a barmaid, a smoker, a drinker, or a late-arriver.

Yet Rosie Jarman is all these things. She is also beguiling, fiery, intelligent—and on a quest of her own. She is looking for her biological father, a search that a certain DNA expert might be able to help her with. Don's Wife Project takes a back burner to the Father Project and an unlikely relationship blooms, forcing the scientifically minded geneticist to confront the spontaneous whirlwind that is Rosie—and the realization that love is not always what looks good on paper.

Today's audiobook review is essentially a coming of age story of sorts. Throw in some teenage angst, a murder, some family drama, and you've got Only Love Can Break Your Heart.  Read on on to find out what I thought of this unique and memorable read by Ed Tarkington.

Publisher: Algonquin Books | HighBridge Company
Release Date: January 5, 2016
Format: MP3 Audio
Pages: 320 (Hardudio Length: Approx 10.5 hours
Narrator: Peter Berkrot
Source: HighBridge Company
Genre: Fiction, Literary Fiction
​Review Date: June 15, 2016
Rating: 3 bookmarks

Synopsis: Welcome to Spencerville, Virginia, 1977. Eight-year-old Rocky worships his older brother, Paul. Sixteen and full of rebel cool, Paul spends his days cruising in his Chevy Nova blasting Neil Young, cigarette dangling from his lips, arm slung around his beautiful, troubled girlfriend. Paul is happy to have his younger brother as his sidekick. Then one day, in an act of vengeance against their father, Paul picks up Rocky from school and nearly abandons him in the woods. Afterward, Paul disappears.

Seven years later, Rocky is a teenager himself. He hasn’t forgotten being abandoned by his boyhood hero, but he’s getting over it, with the help of the wealthy neighbors’ daughter, ten years his senior, who has taken him as her lover. Unbeknownst to both of them, their affair will set in motion a course of events that rains catastrophe on both their families. After a mysterious double murder brings terror and suspicion to their small town, Rocky and his family must reckon with the past and find out how much forgiveness their hearts can hold. 
Disclaimer: I was given a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

​Only Love Can Break Your Heart is the debut novel by Ed Tarkington. It was really a good first effort. This is in many ways a coming of age story told by Rocky at age 8 , then as a teenager (for most of the story) - and finally an adult for the last bit of the story. While it's a coming of age story at it's core, this is a 100% adult novel. One unique and fun thing that warrants pointing out is that Tarkington weaves pop culture via music throughout the story and it reinforces that this is essentially an historical fiction title. Thus the title of this book, a song by Neil Young.

​At age 8 , Rocky is a sweet young boy idolizing his older brother while they sit in his room listening to music. I couldn't help but love Rocky who doesn't think of his half brother Paul, age 16, as a half brother, but as his brother. I also couldn't help but feel for Paul even as he betrays his young brother to get back at their father. Rocky and Paul have a unique sibling relationship and that's partially thanks to their parents.

​13 Ways of Looking at a Fat Girl, by Mona Awad comes out tomorrow! Read on to discover what I though about this controversial and conversation starting book. 

Publisher: Penguin Canada
Release Date: February 23, 2016 
Format: Paperback
Pages: 224
Source: Publisher
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Review Date: February 22, 2016
Rating: 3 bookmarks

Synopsis: Growing up in the suburban hell of Misery Saga (a.k.a. Mississauga), Lizzie has never liked the way she looks—even though her best friend Mel says she’s the pretty one. She starts dating guys online, but she’s afraid to send pictures, even when her skinny friend China does her makeup: she knows no one would want her if they could really see her. So she starts to lose. With punishing drive, she counts almonds consumed, miles logged, pounds dropped. She fights her way into coveted dresses. She grows up and gets thin, navigating double-edged validation from her mother, her friends, her husband, her reflection in the mirror. But no matter how much she loses, will she ever see herself as anything other than a fat girl? 
 ​
DISCLAIMER: This tile was given to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

​I read this book in about three hours on a Saturday morning. Clearly the book is entertaining, or getting it read in one sitting wouldn't have ever happened. This story unfolds in 13 dramatic chapters.  

What initially drew me to this book was first the title, then the subject matter. Body image and self hate is a very serious and real issue for a lot of girls and women.  Like many women, it seems that me and my friends always seem to be on a diet, and are always criticizing ourselves about what we ate that day or what we don't like about our appearance. With that said, I do not want to get all preachy about the subject at hand but that is what made me want to read this book. I was anxious to see how the main character would deal with her body image issues and how outside forces contributed to her horrible sense of self.

Hey friends,

Today I have a review that's out of my comfort zone. Personally I don't like to read books with too serious or sad story lines.  At times, I just feel that there's enough bad stuff going on in the real world (that I see everyday on the news), that I don't want it to seep into my reading time...in other words, I read for fun and to relax. Who wants to get all upset when their trying to relax?  For that matter, I really do tend to stay away from Civil Rights themed books or books that deal with racism in general. Of course - this is my personal preference. 

Regardless of my feelings, this was a book club read and it was really short, so I decided to read the book so that I'd be able to discuss it.  Let me just start with saying that this was one of the most sad books that I've read in a long time. So much so that I decided against doing a video review because I didn't want to end up ranting.  Anyhow, let's get into the meat of it.  Read on to find out what I thought of The Pecan Man. 

Publisher: Self Published | Amazon Digital Services, Inc.
Release Date: January 1, 2012 
Format: ebook (Kindle)
Pages: 144
Source: Amazon 
Genre: General Fiction, Southern Fiction
Review Date: June 8, 2015
Rating: 3 bookmarks

Synopsis: The Pecan Man is a work of Southern fiction whose first chapter was the First Place winner of the 2006 CNW/FFWA Florida State Writing Competition in the Unpublished Novel category. In the summer of 1976, recently widowed and childless, Ora Lee Beckworth hires a homeless old black man to mow her lawn. The neighborhood children call him the Pee-can Man; their mothers call them inside whenever he appears. When the police chief's son is found stabbed to death near his camp, the man Ora knows as Eddie is arrested and charged with murder. Twenty-five years later, Ora sets out to tell the truth about the Pecan Man. In narrating her story, Ora discovers more truth about herself than she could ever have imagined. 

This story is told from the point if view of an old woman, looking back decades to tell a story.  A story of her maid and her maids family who actually became family to her as well. The story takes place in a small town where is a lot of racism still happening and she finds herself in a situation were she's compelled to protect a secret. A huge one. At first, I wasn't sure what I thought about Ora Lee Beckworth's character, but as the story went one, I was able to understand how and why she felt such a strong desire to "do the right thing" and defend against the unfair things that were happening to her friends.  The secondary characters are plentiful and lend themselves to adding dimension and contrast to the story line.

I enjoyed Selleck's writing style. It was a very smooth and easy going reading experience, sans the sad subject matter. Some of the conversations were written in a way that you could tell that some of the characters were less educated than others, but that didn't bother me. I think that it was essential to the characters which it applied to.  This story was well paced and didn't feel rushed even with the shortness of it.  I was able to read it fairly quickly. I'm sure that it helped that it was under 200 pages. The plot was forward moving and kept me wanting to know what would happen in the end.

Speaking of the end. Personally, I don't tend to like the types of books where a sever injustice has occurred and it seems like no justice is served.  On the other hand, it was indeed a realistic ending, which I can appreciate.  

Overall I did enjoy the story and I'm glad that I read it.  If you like Civil Rights era books and stories that revolve around that subject matter, then you'll enjoy the read.  It's definitely an adult book with adult subject matter.  This was a book club read, and while the club hasn't met to discuss it yet, I do feel that there will be some interesting conversation.  This would be a good choice for book club, as it's a short read and the story itself is controversial.


Here are a few of my favorite quotes:
“Once you tell a lie, you have to keep tellin’ and tellin’ and tellin’ to make it stand.” 

“But, it never dawned on me how wrong it was that I tied her innocence to the fact that she was with me, not who she was, and I am humbled by my ignorance.” 


Happy Reading,
~Tamara

Hey friends,

Thanks for stopping in to check out my thoughts on First Frost by Sarah Addison Allen.  Read on to find out if I recommend this title. Be sure to watch the coordinating video on my Book Tube channel!

Publisher: St. Martin's Press  
Release Date: January 20, 2015 
Format: Uncorrected Bound Manuscript
Pages: 291(Hardcover)
Source: Goodreads First Reads Giveaway
Genre: Magical Realism, General Fiction
Review Date: Recorded February 2015
Rating: 3 bookmarks

Synopsis: It's October in Bascom, North Carolina, and autumn will not go quietly. As temperatures drop and leaves begin to turn, the Waverley women are made restless by the whims of their mischievous apple tree... and all the magic that swirls around it. But this year, first frost has much more in store.

Claire Waverley has started a successful new venture, Waverley’s Candies. Though her handcrafted confections—rose to recall lost love, lavender to promote happiness and lemon verbena to soothe throats and minds—are singularly effective, the business of selling them is costing her the everyday joys of her family, and her belief in her own precious gifts.

Sydney Waverley, too, is losing her balance. With each passing day she longs more for a baby— a namesake for her wonderful Henry. Yet the longer she tries, the more her desire becomes an unquenchable thirst, stealing the pleasure out of the life she already has.

Sydney’s daughter, Bay, has lost her heart to the boy she knows it belongs to…if only he could see it, too. But how can he, when he is so far outside her grasp that he appears to her as little more than a puff of smoke?

When a mysterious stranger shows up and challenges the very heart of their family, each of them must make choices they have never confronted before. And through it all, the Waverley sisters must search for a way to hold their family together through their troublesome season of change, waiting for that extraordinary event that is First Frost.

On the plus side, I liked that magic played a role in the story. At times I wish it were a larger role, as that would have made the book more interesting, but the idea of a magical family was fun. The pacing was good and overall I liked it. I enjoyed the main characters, Sydney, Claire, and Bay. They were all unique as far as their magical gifts and personalities. I enjoyed what the husbands, friends and extended family added to the story.  

Based on the types of books that I'm into right now, I can't see myself reading more from Sarah Addison Allen.  It's not bad, it's just not my cup of tea.  What about you? Have you read First Frost? If so, please tell me what you thought of it.

Happy Reading, 
~Tamara

On a mobile device? Watch the coordinating video here!