Fine Things
by Danielle Steele
1987
398 pages
Synopsis from Goodreads
Smart, likable, Bernie Fine was the wonder boy of Wolff's, New York's most glamorous department store. A senior VP moving up, he arrives in San Fransisco to open a West Coast store. His career is skyrocketing, but his life is lacking a center. When he looks into the wide, innocent eyes of five-year-old Jane O'Reilly, and then into the equally enchanting eyes of her mother, Liz, Bernie knows he has found what he has been looking for. Bernie thought he had found love to last a lifetime, but when Liz is stricken with cancer shortly after the birth of their first child, time becomes painfully short. Alone with two children, Bernie must face the loss and learn how to move on. New people, new experiences, a new life alone with two kids. He meets it with courage and humor, and learns some of life's hard but precious lessons as he does.
Rating: 3/5 Stars
My Review:
This book was an alright read, and I really got into it at some spots. But there were other areas where I either felt like the story could have ended, or it just seemed to drag on. I did love the children characters, as well as Bernie's first wife. They were all very genuine. I did end up coming to like Bernie's mom near the end, as her spunk got more active and she was used for comic relief. It was a sad story overall, with a happy ending.
The Silence of Bonaventure Arrow
by Rita Leganski
2013
400 pages
Synopsis from Goodreads:
Conceived in love and possibility, Bonaventure Arrow didn’t make a peep when he was born, and the doctor nearly took him for dead. No one knows Bonaventure's silence is filled with resonance - a miraculous gift of rarified hearing that encompasses the Universe of Every Single Sound. Growing up in the big house on Christopher Street in Bayou Cymbaline, Bonaventure can hear flowers grow, a thousand shades of blue, and the miniature tempests that rage inside raindrops. He can also hear the gentle voice of his father, William Arrow, shot dead before Bonaventure was born by a mysterious stranger known only as the Wanderer.
Bonaventure's remarkable gift of listening promises salvation to the souls who love him: his beautiful young mother, Dancy, haunted by the death of her husband; his Grand-mere Letice, plagued by grief and long-buried guilt she locks away in a chapel; and his father, William, whose roaming spirit must fix the wreckage of the past. With the help of Trinidad Prefontaine, a Creole housekeeper endowed with her own special gifts, Bonaventure will find the key to long-buried mysteries and soothe a chorus of family secrets clamoring to be healed.
Rating: 5/5 Stars
My Review:
This novel was incredibly well-written and very captivating. I was shocked at the end by how all of the characters' lives were intertwined with one another - in ways I never even thought about! I definitely loved the character of Bonaventure Arrow, because he was such a sweet and innocent boy, who just wanted acceptance and love. I also enjoyed the character of his mother, Dancy, particularly in how she managed to raise her son alone and after facing the tragic loss of her husband. The grandmothers were so different, yet intriguing at the same time. The author used really poetic language, but it wasn't too obscure or flowery that you couldn't follow what she was saying. I definitely recommend this book to others. I picked it for my book club night, and all of the ladies thoroughly enjoyed it!
Feel the Heat
by Kate Meader
2014
416 pages
Synopsis from Goodreads:
IF YOU CAN'T STAND THE HEAT . . .
Photographer Lili DeLuca spends all her time working at her family's Italian restaurant, instead of following her dream of getting an MFA. When famous British chef Jack Kilroy unexpectedly challenges her father to a cook-off, Lili decides she's tired of playing it safe and vows to seduce the tempting Brit. But once a video of her and Jack kissing goes viral and her luscious (if voluptuous) butt starts trending on Twitter, Lili fears she's cooked up a recipe for disaster . . .
Jack Kilroy's celebrity has left him feeling used and used up. While Lili's oh-so-sexy moans when she tastes his delicious creations turn him on, he's even more aroused by how this beautiful, funny woman is unimpressed by his fame. He knows they could be amazing together, if she could only see past his rabid, bitch-fork-wielding fan base. Now as he's about to start a new prime time TV cooking show, can Jack convince Lili to realize her own ambitions-and turn up the heat in his kitchen?
Rating: 2/5 Stars
My Review:
The plot was a bit scattered at the beginning and it took me a while to get into it. But one I hit the middle of it, it picked up and kept my attention until the end. I didn't mind the main character - she was a little more realistic than your usual "female" character, as she proud of her curvier and larger figure. Not many books portray women in that light, so it was refreshing in that sense. I'm not sure if I'll read the rest of the series though. I may change my mind later.
Looking for Alaska
by John Green
2006
221 pages
Synopsis from Goodreads:
Before. Miles "Pudge" Halter's whole existence has been one big nonevent, and his obsession with famous last words has only made him crave the "Great Perhaps" (François Rabelais, poet) even more. He heads off to the sometimes crazy, possibly unstable, and anything-but-boring world of Culver Creek Boarding School, and his life becomes the opposite of safe. Because down the hall is Alaska Young. The gorgeous, clever, funny, sexy, self-destructive, screwed-up, and utterly fascinating Alaska Young, who is an event unto herself. She pulls Pudge into her world, launches him into the Great Perhaps, and steals his heart.
After. Nothing is ever the same.
Rating: 5/5 Stars
My Review
One of my students had recommended this book to me, after she read it and loved it. I believe she is one of John Green's biggest fans! Anyways, I finally got it from the library and I read it in a day and a half. It was quick read and the style of writing was really easy to follow and was quite compelling. I haven't read a young adult novel in quite some time, but it was refreshing to read this one. The plotline was realistic, the characters were believable, and I feel like I could connect with all of them on some level, and understand what they were going through. I definitely will be looking to read his other books in the future!
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups All Bran cereal
- 3/4 cup milk
- 1 cup flour
- 1/2 cup lightly packed brown sugar
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1 Tbsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp baking sodar
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup oil
- 3 large ripe bananas, mashed (you can also cut 12 thin slices to top the muffins after)
- 1/3 cup chocolate chips
Steps
- Combine cereal and milk into a medium bowl, and let soften for about 2 minutes.
- In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder and baking soda.
- Beat egg, oil and mashed bananas into the cereal mixture.
- Stir into dry ingredients, until just combined.
- Fold in chocolate chips.
- Spoon evenly into a lightly oiled 12-cup muffin pan.
- Optional: Top with extra banana slices.
- Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.
