Reviewing The Canonical Order by T.R. Kurtz

I've been reading books, although, not at the rate I was in past years. Life is extremely busy for me, and I've been devoting my morning coffee time to writing rather than reading. I haven't been posting much about the books I've read, including the books that I've gotten from Booktasters or any of the ARCs I've gotten from publishers. I haven't even been blogging about books that I truly loved that we read in my book club. It's time to catch up! I'll start with the book I most recently received from Booktasters in exchange for an honest review: The Canonical Order by T.R. Kurtz.

For me, this book took a while to get through - the pacing just felt off and bogged down and/or the main character would annoy me and I would put the book down and go read something else for a while. The overall plot of the book is good. It's the writing style that killed me. See my full review below.


The Canonical Order by T.R. Kurtz
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

In this novel, a group of radical Islamic terrorists are determined to fulfill an ancient prophecy to draw the West into an apocalyptic holy war. In the process, the Pope becomes a target, and after a bullet leaves him incapacitated, Chad Stryker, sets out on a solo counteroffensive to stop the terrorists and preserve the Catholic Church.

The overall plot of the book was good, but the pacing-particularly the inudation of details-bogged the story line down. The twists and turns were predictable which didn't make for a very thrilling read. I also had an issue with the main character, Chad Stryker.

Chad Stryker is an ex-CIA agent that joined The Canonical Order. He is supposed to be a likeable character, but he is a flat character who is all too appealing to the ladies. I think the author tried too hard to make him suave like Bond in a way that came across as rather irritating. I didn't notice any real development of the character arc either. He is a rather flat protaganist.

The idea is there, but the writing misses the mark for me.

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Reviewing Two JTK Belle Children’s Books

I have 4 kids. Two of them like reading. I guess that means I got it half-right? Anyway, my youngest and I sit down and read books together all the time. Over the course of two nights we sat and read two books I won through a goodreads giveaway. This is the first time we ever read electronic copies of books together. The format worked just fine. See my detailed review of J.T.K. Belle’s books Breakfast in the Barnyard and I Dont’t Like to Eat Ants below.

Breakfast in the Barnyard by J.T.K. Belle
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Cute Story

My 2nd header and I just read this book. It was fun to read. The alliteration, rhythm, pacing and vibrant illustrations were great.

I Don't Like to Eat Ants by J.T.K. Belle
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Good Book for Reluctant Eaters

My second grader and I sat down and read this book. It was cute, but my son didn’t like the the anteaters didn’t have names. I felt calling the anteaters Anteater One and Anteater Two slowed the pace of the book a little. Overall, the story was cute. The story is about an anteater that decides he doesn’t like ants and tries to convince his friend to eat other foods with him. The reluctant anteater eventually tries peanut butter and jelly and realizes he too likes other foods. This is a good book for the reluctant eater.

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Review of Fall On Your Knees by Ann-Marie MacDonald

My book club (the virtual one I run) reads a variety of books. Someone had suggested Fall On Your Knees by Ann-Marie MacDonald because they had heard about it via Oprah's Book Club. I was extremely excited to read this book, because I love books with diverse backgrounds. The book did not disappoint. I'm so happy we read it. I'm even happier I got to discuss the book with friends. I would have given this book 5 stars if it weren't for the heavy plot. This is a brilliant novel. It's extremely well written. See my full review below:

Fall on Your Knees by Ann-Marie MacDonald
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Fall on Your Knees is a heavy drama that explores friendship, racial tension, varying religious views, isolation, domestic abuse, and forbidden love in a brilliantly crafted complex plot that includes incest, death and murder.

The plot follows the Piper family; a father, James Piper, and four children, Kathleen, Frances, Lily and Mercedes, from before World War I, through the roaring 20s, and the great depression. The four sisters gradually grow from children into fully developed characters with different personalities and their own individual stories. Each sister's story is filled with intrigue and dark secrets which are gradually revealed. Their stories all weave together in an extremely unsettling way. Ann-Marie MacDonald combines rapid mixing of tenses and points-of-view using combinations of journal, memory, dialogue and narrative. This can sometimes lead to confusion, but it ultimately allows the offer to tell the story from multiple vantage points, gradually revealing more clues as the same scene takes place from a subsequent view-point. The depth of the characters draws you into their lives and the cleverly written and sublime metaphorical words put you straight in their heads.

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Reviewing Looking for Will by Jane Collins-Phillippe

I love a good thriller. I love simple and even complicated plots. I especially love well-developed characters. Sometimes though, plots can be overly complicated and understanding everything about a character and their family can be too much. I recently read Looking for Will by Jane Collins-Philippe and felt that it was a book with a great, albeit overly complicated, plot and overly developed (words I never thought I would say) characters. To me, this left me feeling like this book just missed the mark. It's a story with great potential, but to me it's a book that needs to be edited and polished before it will be something great. See my full review below.

Looking for Will by Jane Collins-Philippe
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This book is a thriller set in and around Ontario about a family on their way home from vacation in Calgary when their little boy goes missing from the back seat of the vehicle. The plot, all too real, centers around the boy, Will, that was supposed to be asleep in the car and the two parents fighting so much that they didn't notice the little boy was missing until they were to their motel.

The plot, writing and pacing is great through and especially including Chapter 2. After that...

The book is told from a lot of different perspectives. Too many if you ask me. There is Davide and Jan Dewhurst, the parents of a boy who goes missing from the car, Sergeant Patricia Hayes, an old couple Gracie and Gabe Fortune living in the middle of nowhere and the weird guy with a dark secret, Matthew Pepperal. All of the voices/perspectives made for a really complex plot but at the cost of sometimes being confusing and losing the readers overall interest.

When it came to learning all about the Fortune family, which is significant to the overall plot, there was too much talking about the characters and not enough showing us about the characters. I'm not entirely sure I needed to know the back stories into each of the kids.

It is clear that the book, characters and plot are very well developed. I just don't feel the book itself is well polished and there were lots of areas where it could have been improved to make me, or any reader, like it more.

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**Disclaimer - I was provided a free copy of this book by Booktasters in exchange for an honest review.**

Reviewing "Happiness is All We Want" by Ashutosh Mishra

A few years ago I attended a seminar that constantly referenced a book The Happiness Hypothesis by Jonathan Haidt (a great read by the way). Haidt's book tried to get to the root of what makes people happy and touches on philosophy, psychology, economics, evolution, and cognitive science. What Haidt does is explain what makes people happy, but it's not a self-help book. It's a book that says that what we want and need is happiness. Since then I've read several self-help books about happiness. One of which, thanks to Booktasters Nonfiction, was Happiness is All We Want by Ashutosh Mishra. Find out what I thought about this book below.


Happiness Is All We Want by Ashutosh Mishra
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

"Happiness Is All We Want" is a practical approach to seeking happiness and improving your life. The book is written in a conversational tone and is divided into three sections: mind, body and soul. Each section discusses every day type problems/obstacles a person may face and how to overcome them to achieve happiness.

I found the book to be engaging, well articulated and not pedantic like some self-help books can be. I highly recommend this book.

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Review of "The Nutcracker Mice" by Kristin Kladstrup

I think I've mentioned this before, but my fabulous local bookstore, Covered Treasures, has a shelf of ARC's (Advanced Reader Copies). One of my son's loves the Nutcracker and this past fall when we were visiting the bookstore, The Nutcracker Mice by Kristin Kladstrup caught his eye. We picked up the book and brought it home to read together. It was an adorable book. See my full review below.

The Nutcracker Mice by Kristin Kladstrup
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

"The Nutcracker Mice" was an adorable retelling of the Nutcracker from the perspective of the young rising ballet dancing mouse, Esmerelda. Esmerelda and the other mice that live under Mariinsky Theater in Saint Petersburg in 1892 not only get to watch the humans perform the Nutcracker but they put on their own version of the ballet every year. This year the mice and ballet are in danger, which is the meat of this tale. The main plots includes lots of history, and in typical YA/MG fashion an unlikely friendship/partnership. Esmerelda meets Irina, a human nine-year-old child, and the two, albeit unlikely friends, especially since the mice were viewed as vermin, must work together to save the lives of the mice and their ballet.

My only real critique of this book is the difficult language. I have a BA in English and consider myself well read and had to look up a word or two myself. Also, the Russian names could be considered complicated for a YA/MG novel such as Lyudmila and Balalaika for example. Other than that this is a cute read that I would suggest to YA/MG readers, especially around Christmas/Nutcracker time.

My Interview with Tassilo Weber and Review of his book “Life Extension Design”

Life Extension Design: Redesign your life for optimal health, performance, and longevity in order to become part of the first generation to choose whether to age and die ... or not. by Tassilo Weber

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Tassilo Weber escaped death and decided to make it his mission to discover the secrets of life. After studying philosophy for 7 years he said he eventually found the concept of transhumanism and singularity as an answer to the purpose of life. After more life, business and coaching experience, he says:

"There is one question that guides my life: What is the potential? When I apply this question to my life in general, the answer is: life extension. When it comes to death, I’ve become an ironist in the sense of Richard Rorty: I have made my peace with death and accepted my own mortality. Still, I do anything I can to fight it and make aging and death optional in the future."

That's the basis for his book Life Extension Design.

Life Extension Design challenges readers to reconfigure their life to live longer. Weber presents a plan which is completely customizable and built off of what does and doesn't work for each individual as well as accommodating changes in the individual as well as within the field of modern science and medicine as time progresses. The book breaks down the reconfiguration process into bite-size chunks:

• An introductions to life extension and design thinking 
• The basic major categories for life extension including nutrition, exercise and metal health followed by suggestions and best practices.  
•  The next step involves experimentation to see what does and doesn't work for you as an individual.
• The next step includes orchestrating your life to manage an maintain the changes that worked in the experimentation phase as well. 
• The last section of the design is mastering the practice using a strategic approach for optimum long-term results. 

I had to opportunity to interview Weber and below are the results of the interview:

1. When do you think the Extension Revolution will become a widespread/mainstream/everyone is doing it Revolution? You note in the book that the Revolution is in its beginning stages. How long before you believe there is before it expands?

Well, aging is currently defined through 9 different factors (see "Hallmarks of Aging"), and there are various approaches tackling each of those factors at a time, and each successful therapy will approximately add 5-10 years to an average human lifespan. It will be a gradual process over many decades until many of these therapies will be secure and available to wider masses. A very promising first candidate are senolytics with Unity Biotechnology as the pioneering company, currently in human clinical trials. With a bit of luck, it will only be a matter of months or few years until the first therapy is successful. Give it another 5 years for broader availability. However, it's not just technology, it's also biology which has a way bigger factor of uncertainty in the form of unforeseen side effects. As a wider picture, some trustworthy, but overly optimistic forecasters like Ray Kurzweil predict the revolution to kick in around 2030. I would rather add 10 years to that, but also mention that there will be a lot of incremental changes to the average human lifespan from drugs like metformin or rapamycin before that.

2.  What does your value pyramid look like and do you think it differs from the average persons?

My values (in order) are: health, meaning/purpose, family/friends, adventure. I don't think this differs too much from the average person.

3. What do your nutrition and exercise routines look like? Are the examples in the book yours?  

Yes, they are the examples in the book, even though I'm constantly experimenting with new things; latest was that I kept track of my blood sugar for two weeks and adjusted my diet accordingly.

4. You touch on the significance of mental health. You mention the use of Zen meditation. Do you recommend anything in particular? 

I'm very practical about Zen, so I recommend Katsuki Sekida's book. 

5. How long do you think it will take the average person to master life extension skills?  

Mastery of life extension is a life-long learning and self-improvement process, always reacting to changes in oneself and science. Getting the basics in place depends on the level of self-discipline and determination, but most transformations take place within 3-12 months.

6. What do you think uniquely qualifies you to write the book on this subject matter? 

The main thing is that I really live this and that I am a professional coach; so I think I can teach this way of transformation that I've been through myself in an empathetic way. I also have a scientific expertise and I am well up-to-date with regard to the developments in the field.

If you are looking for a way to extend your life in a practical and methodical way that is fluid, I suggest picking up this book. I found it, at the least, an interesting read that will make you examine your life and routines, if nothing else, if you perform the exercises in the book.

Reviewing I Let You Go by Clare Mackintosh

A few months ago I read I Let You Go by Clare Mackintosh. I'm finally getting around to reviewing the book. No worries though, it's still fresh in my mind. I really enjoyed this thriller. I reached a certain point in the book that I had to pick it up and check the cover to make sure I hadn't inadvertently picked up a different book. It's just that good and the plot was just that unexpected to me. See my full review below.

I Let You Go by Clare Mackintosh
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The novel begins with the story of an inexcusable, unforgiveable crime, a hit and run involving a young (very young) boy. Right then and there I almost put the book down. As a mother and ever since reading Jodi Piccoult's Nineteen Minutes it's hard for me to trust what might come next in a book that dares to take on such unspeakable atrocities. However, it was the raving reviews of the book that kept me reading. I felt like I needed to see and know what everyone else knew, and I was very thankful I kept reading. This book was nothing I expected after its opening. I Let You Go by Clare Mackintosh is a book worth reading. Maybe even reading twice, because I know I had to have missed a clue or two at first.

As I mentioned already, the book begins with a hit and run accident involving a very young boy. The main character, Jenna Gray's only hope of getting over the incident is to move to another town. The character driven novel is told from the perspectives of Jenna Gray, detective Ray and then Ian.

At first, the alternating perspectives between Jenna and Ray lead the reader to believe and feel that this is very much a normal police procedural novel. However, the introduction of the voice of Ian made me wonder if I was reading the same book. It was no longer a police procedural but rather a psychological thriller that I couldn't put down.

I started to pick up on some of the clues in the book, but I couldn't imagine the way everything would unwind. This book is brilliantly written and I highly recommend it to anyone who loves a police procedurals and/or thrillers.

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Reviewing Within the Heart of Silence by James William Peercy

I recently read a book that I wouldn't have normally picked out for myself, but I'm glad I explored this title. Sometimes the soul needs a good cleansing and something to make you contemplate things. See my full review of Within the Heart of Silent by James William Peercy below. Within the Heart of Silence by James William Peercy
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

The images were stunning, and the poetry invoked emotion. I recommend this book.

This book is comprised of photographs by Jacqueline E. Smith paired with poetry by James William Peercy. The images are beautiful and the poetry is well written. The combination of the two offer a visual and written journey exploring nature, love and life. The book encourages readers to look outward to focus inward, to appreciate the beauty of nature around us and recognize it for its life, to love instead of hate and to live instead of exist.

Disclaimer - I was provided a copy of this book by James William Peercy through @TasteNonfiction in exchange for an honest review.

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Reviewing I'd Like You More If You Were More Like: Getting Real About Getting Close Me by John Ortberg

Something I have thought about from time-to-time is how I'd like this person or that person if they were more like me. It would make life easier if everyone saw things through the same lens. However, this isn't possible. We know from principals like 5 Love Languages that people communicate their love in different ways. The concept can be broken down to a much more basic level than even that to Walter Burke Barbe concepts of different learning styles (Visual, Auditory and Kinesthetic). Pastor John Ortberg, in his book "I'd Like You More If You Were More Like Me: Getting Real About Getting Close" attempts to tackle ways in which people can build their intimacy with one another and with God. See what I thought about this book below.

I'd Like You More If You Were More Like Me: Getting Real about Getting Close by John Ortberg
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

The title is deceiving and the book was not what I expected. The book is intimacy with others and with God, but it does not, at least adequately, tackle how to better find intimacy with those who communicate their intimacy in different ways. In this book Ortberg explores, in a rather dry way, obstacles to intimacy, the reasons for fear of intimacy, the different way people experience intimacy and most notably intimacy with God.

I did not appreciate the I do this because I am a Christian style of writing as though someone who weren’t a Christian might have made a different choice, because I don’t feel that was true in every instance. Regardless, he backed up reasons for choices, decisions and intimacy with great biblical references.

This book is a great book for a Christian that is looking to deepen and improve their intimacy with their significant other and God, although it could be said that these principals could be easily applied outside of this narrow box. In general, I found the information helpful, but not my style. If I’m to read a book like this, I’d rather read the who, what, when, where and why and then be given information about why and how it aligns with the bible, more like "The Love Dare."

Thank you to Tyndale House Publishers for providing me with a complimentary copy of this book for the purpose of review.

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Reviewing Amanda Wakes Up by Alisyn Camerota

                I am sad to report that there was a book that I really didn't like, Amanda Wakes Up by Alisyn Camerota. What makes it even more sad is that I really wanted to like it, especially since I was provided a copy of the book via Blogging for Books in exchange for an honest review. Ugh! I did give it 2 stars, because the book is very well written. I simply didn't like...well, read my full review -

Amanda Wakes Up by Alisyn Camerota
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This book was described as "The Devil Wears Prada meets Primary Colors." I completely disagree! This book did not have the wit of the fun feel of either of those books. The book follows character Amanda Gallo as she climbs the career ladder nabbing the job of her dreams. Her personal life struggles mirror the book's real conflict: the ratings-driven news industry. Then it takes a dark turn, when then character Amanda starts voicing how she is "waking up," which is really just code for fictionalizing the 2016 Election, bashing liberals, and shoving a conservative agenda down the readers throat.

As a journalist myself, I appreciate and understand the honest behind the scenes of journalism story line.  However, I think it takes the character too long to realize that every story has more than two-sides. I mean, isn't the golden rule that every story has three sides (at least), Perspective A, Perspective B and the Truth.

What really drove me crazy about this book was the reference to real people and political situations. At this point in time, I began to feel like the opinion of the author via the main character, Amanda Gallo, was all that mattered. Anyone that didn't agree with Amanda Gallo is made to feel like an idiot, or like they are biased and not considering both sides of the story (even though it's clear to any outsider that Amanda's "Fair News" isn't fair and Amanda has her own opinions she can't help but spout). This book to me was simply nauseating, although well written.

I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.

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Reviewing Waiter to the Rich and Shameless by Paul Hartford

                I am extremely behind on my book reviews since surgery, but I'm back at it. I will begin posting about one a day until I'm all caught up. To start, I would like to share my thoughts about "Waiter to the Rich and Shameless: Confessions of a Five-Star Beverly Hills Server" by Paul Hartford.

Waiter to the Rich and Shameless: Confessions of a Five-Star Beverly Hills Server by Paul Hartford
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Booktasters Nonfiction (@TasteNonfiction on Twitter) connected me with author Paul Hartford who provided me a copy of "Waiter to the Rich and Shameless: Confessions of a Five-Star Beverly Hills Server," and I'm thankful that they did. This was a raw, unfiltered, interesting read!

Paul writes about how he, a down and out musician, cuts his hair and becomes a waiter in a very posh restaurant in Beverly Hills, the "Cricket Room," which many suspect is the Polo Lounge. He writes in detail his encounters with celebrities such as Rod Stewart, Ozzy Osbourne, Johnny Depp and even Donald Trump, including details about their clothing choices and even menu items and ingredients.

Beyond just the stories of his encounters is how the author grew up through his experiences. In the beginning he is a know-it-all and a bit of a pretentious, judgmental, cocaine loving, sexist jerk. Later, he is a married man that doesn't entirely sexualize women (I only say not entirely, because he still makes some word choices that most women would rather he didn't). He becomes frustrated by the overly corporate feeling of the restaurant he works at and how decisions being made from afar about the operations. I think his criticisms of the corporate decisions demonstrate how serious he takes his job and what the "Cricket Room" has come to mean to him and mirror his growing maturity.

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Reviewing in a dark, dark wood by Ruth Ware

I was genuinely excited to read “in a dark, dark wood” by Ruth Ware. There has been a lot of positive talk about her second and third novels, but I wanted to start with her debut novel, “in a dark, dark wood.” I wasn't sure what to expect. Her books are described as psychological crime thrillers. I'm not sure how much of a thriller this book was. It was rather....well, read my full-review below to find out.

In a Dark, Dark Wood by Ruth Ware
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Near the end of what was supposed to be a fun, relaxed weekend in the English countryside at a bachelorette (Hen) party for Clare, Lenora wakes up in a hospital bed badly bruised, confused, a bandaged head and memory loss. The book and plot unfold as Nora remembers the events of the weekend. Then, the book delivers a predictable twist for an unclimatic ending.

What Nora uncovers for the reader is that she had fallen out of touch with her old best-friend, Clare, and decides both out of curiosity and guilt for not staying in touch that she will attend her Hen night. We also learn that Nora is still distraught over a relationship she had when she was 16. Why? Because there is this great, predictable, reason for the life-altering breakup. You know, the kind every sexually active sixteen year old fears. At the beginning of the night Clare tells Nora that she is going to marry none other than the ex-boyfriend that Nora has spent the last ten years so distraught over. One would think this was a big teenage drama was over, but the big foreseeable secret reason for the break-up is left looming chapter after chapter while Nora tries to piece together the events of a horrid Hen night with completely awful characters.

The characters in the book largely left me feeling quite annoyed. They were immature, judgmental and overly dramatic. The worst character of all was Clare's new best-friend, Flo. If I could have reached through the pages and slapped her, I would have. The reader has to suffer through nearly 23 chapters of this crazy annoying character to get to any meat and excitement, but that excitement is more like a one large wet, limp noodle than a great climax.

Reviewing The Space Between Words by Michèle Phoenix

I mentioned in a previous  blog post that I have an amazing book store in my home town of Monument, Colorado, Covered Treasures. In this amazing book store is an entire shelf dedicated to Advanced Reader Copies, ARCs. For a small donation to their charity, you can take home one of their many ARCs to read. Sitting on this shelf was The Space Between Words by Michèle Phoenix, a book that was released September 5, 2017. I was so pleased I picked up this book. Based on the description, I wasn't sure if this was going to read like an emotionally heavy Jodi Picoult book or an overly faith driven fiction book (the kind where either everything is due to the intervention of God or something terrible happens to someone and in return they find God and share that story with everyone). Instead, this book seemed to perfectly balance everything. I really enjoyed reading this book and highly recommend it to everyone. A more specific book can be found below.

The Space Between Words by Michèle Phoenix
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book takes on the seemingly impossible feat of having faith in a time of terror. The book begins with Jessica, an American girl trying to find her own way in life, regaining consciousness in a French hospital after the Paris terrorist attack at the Bataclan. She survived, and wants to run away from Paris, France and all of Europe as fast as she can, but her "platonically made for each other" best friend, Patrick, urges her not to leave and to follow-through with the treasure hunting trip they planned through southern France before heading back home to Denver.

The author, Michèle Phoenix, takes on the heaviness of the terror by stringing together words, each syllable a blow to the gut and the punctuation at the end of the sentence leaving your breathless. She flawlessly touches on all the facets of terror from the intentions of terror, to the sight of terror and the guilt of survival. With regards to the intentions of terror Phoenix has Patrick tell Jessica that: "The wanted you to feel so scared you'd never step foot outside again without looking over your shoulder and expecting more of the awful you've already been through." Jessica articulates the horrific sights and feelings of terror: "Death had burned its savagery into the fabric of my consciousness. I felt stained. Branded." Phoenix also has Jessica highlight the guilt of survival: "Little was said, but everything was spoken as the injustice and bliss of survival washed over me in jagged ways."

However, this story isn't a gruesome recounting of the events of the terror attack. This story is a relatively light, and entertaining read about discovering the history behind the faded documents Jessica found concealed in an antique sewing box. Through the treasure-hunt plot, the book tackles healing and how "...it's too easy to blame God for the stupidity of humans." In the end, it leaves the reader believing too that, as Grant said, "But if there is a God-the kind that weeps when the weak and powerless get hurt...that there's a force for good in this world....I want to believe that there's a force for good in this world and that that force won't let the bad have the final word. It doesn't explain or undo the darkness, but...I think somehow it covers it with light."

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Reviewing The Mountain Between Us by Charles Martin

                While in college I took a course titled the History of the Later British Novel as a transient student at the University of North Florida by a wonderful professor, Dr. Marnie Jones. One of the intentions of the course was for us, as students, to learn about and explore the meaning of the novel and fiction. What we discovered are there are two main opinions regarding the purpose of the novel/fiction: 1) The purpose of a novel is to entertain. People use fiction to escape from every day realities. 2) The purpose of the novel is to provide commentary or spark conversation about a particular topic or social issue.

Based on all I learned while pursuing my degrees in English and History, I formed the opinion that novels are meant to entertain and regardless of whether or not the author intends to or not (some do and some don't) there is going to be some form of commentary or moral. Why did I come to this conclusion? Even if an author creates a completely fictional world and story there is analysis that can be created based on even the world (s)he created and how it is designed. Questions naturally arise: How does its creation different from the world the author is/was living in? What elements of it are relevant to the story/plot and how would they be different if the environment was different? All of these questions, whether intentionally built into the fiction or not, tell a story both about the author; their relationship with their current world, and offer something to the fiction being constructed. If it didn't add something to the story, it wouldn't be included.

Why do I mention this? It directly relates to my review of The Mountain Between Us by Charles Martin.

The Mountain Between Us by Charles Martin
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

If you believe that the purpose of fiction is or should be more than entertainment; it should teach the reader something or at the least spark conversation about something, this book may be for you. Especially if you want to read, learn more, and contemplate about love - not hot and steamy roll down a hill with your lips and legs inseparably intertwined love, but a deeper, life-altering, non-physical love.

On the surface, this is a survival story. Ashley, a freelance writer trying to get to her wedding and Ben, an orthopedic surgeon that has a history with love get on a charter plane when commercial flights are canceled. The pilot, Grover, a man Dr. Phil would have nothing on when it comes to discussing and giving advice on love and relationships, crashes in a massive expanse of wilderness. The crash leaves Grover dead, Ben and Ashley stranded high on a plateau with mountains, snow and trees for miles.

Conveniently (all too conveniently), Ben is an orthopedic surgeon and trained and practices emergency medicine. He also has a back-pack filled with supplies from a recent mountain hike and he is a long-distance runner, so he has a lot of stamina. The deceased pilot has important survival supplies that Ben doesn't have otherwise. If you can push past the perfectly set-up plot, you can enjoy the story that emerges.

About half-way through (maybe Chapter 34) the book I suspected what was going on. However, not too long after Ben said something that really piqued my interest, “We’ve all seen movies where two strangers are lost in some vast wilderness. And then just like An Officer and a Gentleman, they end up rolling on the beach. Mad, passionate love that solves all their problems. Movie ends, and they walk off into the sunset. Weak-kneed and googly-eyed. But this is real life. I really want to get out of here and back home.”

That same quote that piqued my interest is ultimately what left me feeling disappointed at the conclusion of the book. I expected the "twist." (There were lots of hints.) I wanted this, somehow, to end a different way and was let down when it didn't. That being said, this was a good book. It was entertaining and easy to read.

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Reviewing Dark Matter by Blake Crouch

                I like to run. I also like to read. As such, I decided to join a local book club filled with lots of running mamas from my local Moms Run This Town chapter, called Literary Sole Sisters. The first book I read for this book club was "Dark Matter" by Blake Crouch. It wasn't a book I would have picked out myself. It isn't my favorite book of all time. It is definitely worth a read.

This book actually came at a time when I've been doing a lot of thinking and contemplating about whether or not I'm happy in my life. I've made great decisions and some poor decisions (haven't we all?), but I've contemplated lately what my life would be like if I would have made some different choices and whether or not I needed to make some changes. I was teetering on the edge of regret until I read this book.

Find my review below:

Dark Matter by Blake Crouch
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

If you've ever wondered the grass was greener on the other side, severely regretted any decision or prided yourself in any major decision in your life, this is the book for you. In other words, this book has the ability to emotionally reach anyone.

The back of the book poses the question: "Are you happy with your life?" This is a question I have been thinking about a lot. What should I do with my life? Is writing the career for me? I have four kids. My husband works away from home a LOT. Is that what's best for the family? What if I went back to work full-time? What doors would that open for my family and would they be the right ones?

Through the many plot twists and turns, albeit not always unpredictable, the story is entertaining. The main character, Jason Dessen, is your average happy guy, content in his life. Jason takes you, the reader, on a narrative driven romantic science fiction thriller. One day Jason is living out his perfectly content life. The next he is kidnapped and trying to get back to his family, his wife Daniela and son Charlie. His journey back to his family explores complacency, the guilt associated with balancing work and family, brings to the forefront of your mind all the what if scenarios in your life and tackles regret in a way that makes you forget that you are reading a tale of science fiction based in real scientific theory. In the end, at least for me, it leaves you with an appreciation for all the things that you do have in life, reminding you that you are the sum of ALL your life choices.

In the spirit of full disclosure, Crouch's writing style mimicked the emotions and pace of the book. I was torn between loving it and hating it. As the plot took its last twists and turns near the end it at times almost seemed too far stretched. However, if all of our choices affect things; from the decision whether or not to hit snooze on an alarm, how could the ending unfold in any other possible way?

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My Tattoo & Reviewing Voyager by Diana Gabaldon

                As I mentioned in my last blog, I began re-reading the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon earlier this year. Please find my review of this book below.

Voyager by Diana Gabaldon
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

AMAZING! All I can say is PRINT SHOP! Okay, I can say more. A LOT more! I devoured this book. I couldn't wait to pick up this book and read it after having finished book two in the series, "Dragonfly in Amber." This book is all I hoped it to be and more, but I suppose I shouldn't expect anything less from author Diana Gabaldon.

At the end of the last book we learned that Jamie did not die at Culloden. This book starts with the mental anguish of Claire Fraser trying to decide what to do now that Frank Randall has died and Brianna is a grown woman and Jamie Fraser survived Culloden. Of course, in this book, we really get to know the amazing Roger.

This book takes you on an unexpected high-adventure tale leaving you someplace you never thought the main characters would go: the colonies. Even more than the physical journey is the mental journey. One of the best lines of the book, "Sassenach, will ye take me - and risk the man that I am, for the sake of the man ye knew?”, is one that made me pause and reflect on even my own marriage, because the truth is, people change over time. Some people grow apart over the years. Some people grow old together. Some people grow old apart and then find they still love one another. I think this is what Claire and Jamie experience.

I love this book! I love this series! I love the characters. I love the way Diana Gabaldon creates such amazing stories for us to experience. The way she writes keeps you on the edge of your seat. You can feel what the characters are feeling. You are excited for what the next page and book will bring.


This is my favorite series of all time. So much so, it earned the front and center position on my tattoo by artist Inkie based off a bunch of different thoughts and images and things I found on Pinterest.

Do you have a favorite series or book tattoo? If so, please share!