Loss – The Spine View

The Hot Shot by Kristen Callihan

Rating: 5 Stars
Pub. Date: April, 18, 2017

This story really grabbed me and I am so gone for Finn the MMC. He is perfectly imperfect and totally swoon worthy. Combine him with Chess, who is an awesome, strong female main character that I enjoyed reading about, and I couldn’t get enough of them.

The two main characters, Chess and Finn, meet during a photo shoot. Chess is the photographer hired to take tasteful nudes of some members of the local pro football team for a charity calendar. Finn is the young, cocky QB for the team.

While it was not instant love there was some chemistry between them. Chess won a lot of points with me on how she handled Finn when he was extremely uncomfortable with the photo shoot. I believe she saw a venerability in Finn that he usually did not show people and it intrigued her. Then her small act of kindness had me routing for them.

From the beginning, I could see these two together. That feeling got stronger the more I got to know them. It helped that the story developed organically and it felt like I was reading about a real life couple. Another aspect of the story that I liked was the characters start out as just friends despite their chemistry. It made for a tension filled slow burn delight.

This book is number four in the Game On series; however, it can be read as a standalone. I had previously read book three, but not one and two. I have enjoyed both books I have read so far in this series; therefore, I plan to read book one and two also. I highly recommend this book and the series. I also feel this book would be a great choice for a book club. There are a lot of subjects that were touched on in the story that would make for a lively discussion.

I received a free copy from the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for my honest review.

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin

This book was a joy to read. The prose was hauntingly eloquent. At its heart, this is a coming-of-age story that will touch you in unexpected ways. Hands down the best book I read so far this year.

For a brief period of time, in their grade school years, Sam and Sadie are best friends. They connect over their love of video games and then have a falling out. Years later, a chance meeting when they are in college reunites them. They, along with Sam’s college roommate, form a software company and a friendship that will be the most rewarding thing and the most hurtful thing in their entire lives.

It has been a long time since a book touched me this deeply. I felt like I was peeling away layer upon layer of text to reach the core of these characters that I fell in love with. This is not one of those books that you can read quickly and then jump right into the next. Definitely no fluff here. The story is subtle and yet also complex. It is life and the characters felt as real as any I have ever encountered.

This is the perfect book for fans of A Gentleman in Moscow and A Man Called Ove. I have already recommended this one to my friends and a highly recommend it to you!

I received a free copy from the published, via NetGalley, in exchange for my honest review.

Garden In a Seed by Nazanin Mirsadeghi

This is a marvelous collection of modern style poems geared toward women. The theme of this collection is centered on emotions. It includes poems of love, loss and happiness and is a great addition to any poetry collection.

I love modern poetry and was surprised at how concise the poems in this book are. The author does not use a lot of unnecessary words or ambiguous language. Since I am not a fan of overly flowery verse or trying to figure out the hidden meaning of a poem I appreciated the author’s brevity. I like when poems get straight to the point and speak directly to the heart. These poems did both for me.

Most of the poems are short, six to eight lines. Though there are a few longer poems, they are the exception and even these are still concise. An example of this is found in one of the shortest poems, almost a haiku, or a modern take on haiku. Though it is short it expresses great sorrow and yearning.

“I would cry the ocean

If it could wash you

back to me”

This poem in particular reminded me of e.e. cummings’s poetry and that is why I chose it. If this type of poetry is appealing to you, you will want to read this collection. In addition, I absolutely loved the beautiful illustrations scattered throughout the book. Loved everything about this collection of poems. Highly recommend it to all poetry lovers, especially women.

I received a free copy in exchange for my honest review.

Ask Again, Yes by Mary Beth Keane

This book took me by surprise. It had been on my TBR list for over a year. I just kept putting it off for other books. Now that I am finished with it, I truly wish I had read it earlier. It is a look at mental health and the lasting effects it has on those surrounded by it. There is much heart ache, drama, loss and love in this book and the author handled it with elegance and grace. It is a story that will touch you and keep you contemplating for a long time after the last page is read.

The book follows two NYC officers, Francis Gleeson and Brian Stanhope, whom settle next door to each other in the same small commuter community outside of the city and they both raise their families there. Kate, who is one of Francis’s daughter, and Peter, who is the only child of Brian, grow up together and are fast friends. They do everything together. Then tragedy strikes and the two are separated for many years.

Some years later neither of them has totally forgotten the other. It seems that they are both castaways adrift in the world and without realizing, they both are waiting for the other. They reconnect when, on what appears to be a whim, Peter writes a letter to Kate. What was once a fast friendship quickly develops into much more. While they think they have put the past behind them, it is only festering under the surface and they both will have to come to terms with their shared past.

The book started out slow, but the story did build to the epicenter of the tragic event (no spoilers here) that would change the lives of both families forever. While I struggled to reach this point, once there, I could not read fast enough.

There is not much in the way of a plot. Instead, it is all about the characters and understanding how events shape and guide our lives. It is a contemplative book. It draws you in and has you agonizing over things that seem obvious to the reader yet the character(s) refuse to recognize to the detriment of all.

They say to be able to move on you have to accept the past and forgive. While words are easy to say, it is never easy to do and both families struggled with this. Some members more successfully than others. This made for a roller-coaster of emotions. The author presented the major and minor characters in all their faulted human glory. While the tragedy permeates most of the story, subtly most times, you do get a feeling that there will be a light at the end of the tunnel. I liked that the author gives you hope so that the reader is not drowning in despair. It would have been too difficult for me to read if that had been the case.

This was a wonderful story and I highly recommend it to readers who love a story with drama while still remaining hopeful. In addition, it would make a good choice for a book club because there are many layers to this story and it would make for a lively discussion.

I received a free copy a t BookExpo 2019 in exchange for my honest review.

The Lost and Found Bookshop by Susan Wiggs

I wanted to read The Lost and Found Bookshop, by Susan Wiggs, as soon as I saw the title. It was really a no-brainer since it has the word books in the title. I have this thing for stories about books and bookshops. Lucky for me this book turned out to be everything I enjoy in a good book.

Natalie Harper is working for a winery in California. The job pays well, but she finds the work unrewarding. She also feels stuck in an unfulfilling relationship and is planning to break things off just when tragedy strikes. Her Mother dies suddenly and she inherits a small bookshop in San Francisco. Her world is suddenly turned upside down and she is devastated.

In an act of rashness, she quits her job and moves into her Mother’s apartment above the bookshop. As Natalie sorts through the mess that was her Mother’s life and livelihood, she discovers that the bookshop is in dire financial straits. To make matters worse, she finds out, after meeting with her attorney, that her grandfather owns the building. This is were he was born and has lived all his life. She knows he will never agree to sell. Therefore, she decides to tackle the problem and see if she can revive the store.

Natalie has taken on a lot. The building is old and on the historic registry and old means issues. The roof leaks, there are some electric problems, along with a slew of other issues. She reaches out to a contractor and in steps Peach to the rescue. Natalie is immediately attracted to him but feels it is too soon to invest herself into another relationship.

However, her luck seems to be turning when Peach finds some historical items of value hidden in the walls of the store. Then she is able to secure an author signing with the top local children’s author. Maybe there is hope for the store yet.

I adored Natalie. She is strong and humble but also has some issues with opening up to be loved because of a Father that was absent all her life. It made me want to hug her and assure her that not everyone is like her father and encourage her to take a chance so she can be happy. In short, Natalie felt like a real person. The supporting characters had a lot of charm also and rounded out the story nicely.

The plot did not move very fast, but that was OK. It did not need to. The characters are the true driving force behind this story. The only thing I was not crazy about in the plot was how these unexpected lost items kept popping up in walls and in the basement. It just was not believable and it took away from the story a bit. I know this is a minor thing and the story was really good otherwise. I enjoyed it and everything does not have to perfect for me to love a story. After all, it is fiction.

This would make a great book to take on vacation, beach or to the pool. I recommend it to readers of all ages who enjoy a story about love, loss and hope.

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.

Tuesday Mooney Talk to Ghosts by Kate Racculia

Tuesday Mooney Talks to Ghosts, by Kate Racculia, is, in many ways, an ode to Edgar Allan Poe. In fact, the entire book abounds with Poeness. It is chalked full of literary references to all things ghoulish, spooky and other cultural references to the supernatural. All of which I found delightfully entertaining.

When eccentric billionaire Vincent Pryce dies, he sets in motion a treasure hunt, as part of his legacy, that anyone can play. He was obsessed with the strange and bizarre so it is no surprise that his clues are Poe inspired. This suits Tuesday Mooney just fine. All her life she too has been interested in witches and the supernatural and she just happens to be very good as solving puzzles.

She and her friend Poindexter, aka Dex, play Mr. Pryce’s game and are quickly joined by her neighbor’s daughter Dorry, whom she tutors, and Nathanial Arches a rich playboy. They all are playing for their own reasons and nothing is as it seems even the game… especially the game. With so much hidden under the surface anything could happen and it does. When the many layers are pulled back and the truth is revealed it is shocking and brilliant.

The story is steeped in the supernatural, yet at the heart it is about relationships, love and loss. Like the treasure hunt, the author uses the many layers of the story to explore the connections of family and friendship and how love and loss affect them. It was exceptionally well done and the action of the plot made what could have been mundane and boring, exciting and thrilling.

As good at the plot was, it is the quirky characters I loved the most. Tuesday who always dresses in black and speaks, in her head, to her dead friend’s ghost. Dex, the drag queen, who just wants to be accepted for the “real” Dex. Then there is Dorry who is still dealing with the death of her Mother and Nathanial who has so many secrets and guilt you wonder how he can carry that weight. The hunt brings them all together physically, but it is the unseen, the emotional connection that is what truly shines here. It is subtle, sublime and so well done!

It is a given that readers who are interested in the supernatural will definitely want to read this book. Because of the relationships and themes explored, I think this book will appeal to a much wider audience. So, if the supernatural is not your thing, don’t let the word ghosts in the title deter you from reading this little gem. You will miss out on a truly amazing story.

I received a free review copy from the publisher in exchange for my honest review.