Month: July 2014

Book Review: Sisterhood Everlasting

On By cherylmahoneyIn Reviews1 Comment

I recently reviewed the first four books in Ann Brashares’ Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series, and today brings me to the final book, Sisterhood Everlasting.  Spoilers ahead–not so much for this book, but for the previous ones, as is unavoidable when talking about much later events in the characters’ lives.  You’ve been warned.  I also warn you that this book is not as light as the previous ones (but I promise the ending is, mostly, a happy one).

Sisterhood Everlasting picks up ten years after the previous book, with the four girls about to turn 29.  Carmen is living a glamorous, high-speed life as an actress in Manhattan, engaged to a news executive none of her friends like very much.  Lena is an art teacher in New Jersey, a quiet homebody who avoids risks professionally and romantically.  Bridget lives in San Francisco with her long-time boyfriend, but can’t seem to put down roots or settle into a career.  And Tibby moved away to Australia with her boyfriend Brian a few years before, and has fallen strangely out of touch. Continue reading “Book Review: Sisterhood Everlasting” →

Book Review: Return to the Hundred Acre Wood

On By cherylmahoneyIn Fantasy, Juvenile, Reviews10 Comments

I always take a rather dim view of new authors writing sequels to classic fiction. Sometimes it works, but I’m always suspicious—so Return to the Hundred Acre Wood by David Benedictus proved to be a pleasant surprise.

It might have helped a great deal that he began with an Exposition, a kind of foreword, of the author speaking to the characters about the possibility of a new story (Eeyore is sure it will all turn out wrong). The author concludes that he can really only guess and hope that he will guess right–and the characters promise faithfully to help him get it right.  And this at least makes me feel that he has a good firm grasp of the size of the shoes he is attempting to fill, which makes me feel much better on the whole subject. Continue reading “Book Review: Return to the Hundred Acre Wood” →

You Can Get a FREE Copy of The Wanderers!

On By cherylmahoneyIn Novel NewsLeave a comment

Wanderers 8 - Small CopyIt’s not a contest…and there’s no limit to the number of copies available!

For two days, my novel The Wanderers is free as a Kindle download on Amazon!  The promotion only runs from July 27th-28th, so get your copy now.

If you already bought a copy…well, that moves you automatically into my “awesome person” category 🙂  And you can be awesome to someone else by telling a friend about the offer!  I’ll even pre-shorten the URL for you to use on Facebook or Twitter: http://amzn.to/1nz0fyt

If you’re not already won over by the cat on the cover, find out more about The Wanderers–and you also may be interested in the companion novel that will be out in October!

 

Blog Hop: Holiday Books

On By cherylmahoneyIn Blog Hop3 Comments

book blogger hopThis week’s Book Blogger Hop question: Do you like to read books with a theme such as Halloween, Christmas, etc?

I definitely d0–in theory, but I don’t think I’m all that good at actually reading themed-books at the relevant time!  For example, I spent most of spring listening to the audiobooks of The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants.  Never occurred to me that maybe four books set over four summers would make sense as summer reading… 😉  Maybe next time!

I think I focus themes more when I reread books.  I don’t pay all that much attention to themes/seasons when I pick a new book up, but if I read it and observe the theme, I’m more likely to reread it during the proper time of year.  I read Mischief of the Mistletoe for the first time in spring (although that was because of a long hold list at the library…) but now I try to reread it near Christmas.  Valente’s Fairyland series feel like very autumnal books to me (the main character is named September!) so even once they’re all out and I’m not rereading in anticipation of October release dates, I could see myself rereading them in the fall.

I tend to do better on holidays/themes with movies.  I like to watch Mr. Smith Goes to Washington for the Fourth of July, I try to always watch V for Vendetta on Guy Fawkes Day, and I have several favorite Christmas movies.

Do you read many theme books?  Do you have particular ones you reread in certain seasons or for certain holidays?

Book Review: To Hold the Sun

On By cherylmahoneyIn Reviews2 Comments

To Hold the SunWhen I started reading To Hold the Sun by Chas Watkins, I have to admit I wasn’t quite sure if it was memoir, self-help, or fiction.  But the copyright page tells me “this is a work of fiction.  Any resemblance…” etc, so technically it’s a novel.  But I found I liked it much better viewed as self-help, or perhaps philosophy.

The plot is essentially the old fable, a student goes to the master and says, “Teach me your wisdom.”  This particular students is an investigative journalist who is vaguely dissatisfied with his life, sent on an assignment to the Caribbean island of Roatan, there to interview Paul, a practitioner of “the art of happiness,” as well as of handstands. Continue reading “Book Review: To Hold the Sun” →