The Good Sister by Drusilla Campbell (review #110)

The Good Sister by Drusilla Campbell

Genre: Fiction

Publisher: Grand Central Publishing

Review Copy

Argggggggggggggggggggggggggh.

That is what I felt the entire time I read this book. Frustration.

And I guess if the author can evoke that much emotion in a reader, then she did a good job. I do have to say however, the topic is controversial and anger inducing.

The Good Sister tells the story of two sisters; Simone and Roxanne. Simone is a mother of four and suffering hopelessly from post-partum depression. Roxanne is the "good sister" who seems to be the only person who really is watching out for her. Their mother Ellen is self absorbed and blind to Simone's mental state. Johnny, Simone's husband, is as supportive as he can be, but really he wants a son and after four daughters, he is going to keep trying to get one. Ty, Roxanne's husband is struggling to be second fiddle to his sister in-law. And then that leaves the children; twins Victoria and Valli, who just want some damn attention; Olivia, the poor baby who falls under the most danger and Merell; the oldest, who witnesses the truth of her mother's madness.

So there you have it. A whole mess of crazy.

What gets this book going is Merell's phone call to the police. She witnesses an "accident" with baby Olivia and her mother in their swimming pool. The investigation is swept under the rug due to Johnny's ties in the community and they all continue with life as they know it.

But Merell knows better. And Roxanne knows better. But yet it takes the whole darn book to DO something about this poor woman's mental health. I couldn't put it down but I was really angry at everyone. I know that post partum depression is tricky and needs to be handled in a delicate manner. But to me the little ol' reader, Simone was badly in need of help and just didn't get it in time. Yes, I was angry at her for the things she did or more importantly, what she didn't do for her children. But, I couldn't blame her, because her mental health was so far gone.

As a mother, I prayed that I will never experience this but no one really knows. The chemical balance within your body and brain before and after birth, changes so much. Any woman could be the victim of this.

The author shares her personal story about her own mother and her battle with post partum depression. Luckily her mother came out of it and her children were not harmed.

Rating: 4/ 6

This book is not for the faint of heart, especially if you are a mother. Recommended by with caution. It made me extremely sad and pissed off at times. I was anxious and irritated all at the same time. That may sound like I did not "enjoy" the book and that may be correct. BUT I can attest to the power of this really intricate, solid novel full of drama and emotion. The author did a wonderful job in that sense. It just left me with a very heavy heart.

Book Club Pick:

Most definitely. This would bring up a lot to discuss, especially if there are mothers or parents in your group. What makes a good mother? If you were not of the right mind set, who could you trust in your life to really give you the help you so desperately need?

Author Website:

Drusilla Campbell

Happy Reading and as always, thanks for stopping by!

red headed book child

I'm over you snow!

So this is what it looks like outside, my back porch. It's been snowing all day. After trudging through banks of it, running errands with my little toddler (who LOVED kicking off his boots!), I've decided, I'm so over it.

So, I prefer to spend my time doing this. (not in picture=glass of wine)

The Anatomy of Ghosts by Andrew Taylor

So far? Unputdownable.

Happy Reading and as always, thanks for stopping by!

red headed book child

Why I Love Jackie Collins (Poor Little Bitch Girl review #109)

Poor Little Bitch Girl by Jackie Collins

Publisher: St. Martin's Press

Genre: Fiction

Review Copy

My love for Jackie Collins goes back a long time. I could not pass up the opportunity to review this book.

I know I have mentioned in a few previous posts about how much time I spent at the library growing up. I knew each and every corner of that place by heart. I knew the children's department inside and out and as I grew I wandered up to the "upstairs" where all of the adult books were.

My love for adult fiction started as an early teen. I read a lot of V.C Andrews, Danielle Steel, Judith Michael, Judith Krantz, etc. You get the picture. I was also hooked on prime time dramas; Knots Landing, Dallas, Falcon Crest. You see why my move to Jackie Collins was bound to happen sooner than later.

I can't remember which book I picked up first but some familiar titles to me were Hollywood Wives, Hollywood Husbands, Rock Star, Chances, Lucky and Lady Boss. To me, she wrote of a world so far removed from mine, that it simply fascinated me. It was dirty as hell and totally wrong for a 12 year old girl like me to read but, hey, I was a good little sneaker. I could hide in any corner of that library and I had good look outs to watch for my mom!

I loved the glamour of Hollywood, the jet setting life the characters led, the parties, the food, the champagne, the romance, the....sex. It was all too good to put down when your world was the country and Catholic school. I'm not going to lie!

Poor Little Bitch Girl delivers much the same. It focuses on three young women; Denver; a hotshot LA attorney, Carolyn; the assistant to a famous Senator and also his mistress and Annabelle; a secret Madam and daughter of two famous actors.

Also also kicking it in the story is Bobby Santangelo-Stanislopolous, the son of Lucky Santangelo and Dimitri Satanislopolous (both main characters in her earlier and very popular novels). He's got the looks, the charm and the money but unfortunately the habit of falling for women who treat him like crap. Frankie is his best friend and boyfriend to Annabelle.

What makes these characters all collide is the shocking death of Annabelle's mother, found shot to death in her home.

I didn't know what I would think about reading her after all these years. It's been almost 15 years now but I can safely say, I still enjoyed the heck out of her! Yes, I'm no longer a 12 year old country girl who's never been kissed or left her little town but I'm still a gal up for a good fun romp of a read and this one delivered!

Rating: 5/6

If you haven't read Jackie Collin's before, I wouldn't start with this one. I would go back to her earlier novels and get a taste for Lucky's character. I really liked reading about her the best. And, of course, how could I forget the TV Movies made from these books? Lucky Chances miniseries which just happens to star Sandra Bullock, Nicollette Sheridan and Vincent Irizzary (Lujack from Guiding Light! YUM!)

I recommend her for a fun, fast, saucy read. If you want to take a little walk on the wild side while still sitting comfortable on your couch, check out Jackie Collins!

Author Website:

Jackie Collins

Book Club Pick?

Ahhh, probably not. Just have fun!

Happy Reading and as always, thanks for stopping by!

red headed book child

Digging through my Mystery piles

Well, in an effort to succeed in my challenges this year, I took to my book shelves. I really want to clean up what I own and give those darn books a chance before I send them on their merry way.

So I compiled all of my mystery/thrillers and decided to pull from this stack first but I will also pull from the library. I can't resist that. If I complete these, however, they will then fall under 2 challenges! My A-Z Mystery Author Challenge and the Read from Your Shelves Project. It's a win win, right?

Here's what I have found so far and yes, some of them are incredibly old.

Murder is Binding by Lorna Barrett

Emperor's Tomb by Steve Berry

Christine Falls by Benjamin Black

Sweetheart by Chelsea Cain

Damaged by Pamela Callow

The Alienist by Caleb Carr (Stop right there Cheryl, I know!)*

The Reversal by Michael Connelly

Every Dead Thing by John Connolly

The Unquiet by John Connolly

The Reapers by John Connolly (i'm horribly behind on my John Connolly reading)

The Anniversary Man by R.J Ellory

The Cold Six Thousand by James Ellroy

The Cold Room by J.T. Ellison

Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder by Joanne Fluke

Ice Cold by Tess Gerritsen

Strong Justice and Strong Enough to Die by Jon Land

The Given Day by Dennis Lehane

The Straw Men by Michael Marshall

City of Dreams by William Martin

Panic Zone by Rick Mofina

The Mist by Carla Neggers

The Eight by Katherine Neville

Vanishing Act by Thomas Perry (shaking my head and avoiding Cheryl's eyes)*

A Dark Dividing by Sarah Rayne

Beyond Reach by Karin Slaughter

Refuge by Gillian White

Hush by Kate White

* My good friend Cheryl, now guest reviewer, has been telling me to read these for almost ten years now.

Has anyone read any of these? If so, recommend any I start with?

Wish me luck!

Atleast I have Mr. Smily Face Beach Ball Man to cheer me on!

Happy Reading and as always, thanks for stopping by!

red headed book child

Delirious by Daniel Palmer (Guest Review and Giveaway)

Delirious by Daniel Palmer

Release date: January 25

Guest Review*

My Thoughts:

I have mentioned by good friend Cheryl in several posts since starting this blog. We have known each other for going on 10 years now. We met each other as booksellers at a bookstore in Uptown Minneapolis. Our friendship began over a massive love of books and our ability to talk about them for hours! We were roommates for a time and enjoyed sitting in our hallway where our bookshelves were talking about books until the wee hours of the night. She was one of the friends of mine that went with me to BEA!

She has since moved away from Minneapolis and is currently living in Atlanta as a Project Archivist. She is super smart and great at what she does. She has truly found her calling, in my eyes. I am always excited to see her when she visits me back here at home. We do a regular sushi and wine dinner and then browse the local bookstores. Super predictable, nerdy and oh so much fun.

I was getting a ton of requests for books that I honestly did not have time to read so I asked her if she would be interested in doing a Guest review. She said sure right away. She is also a huge fan of mysteries and I thought this one would be a good fit for her. Hope you guys enjoy a new voice in reviews here at Red Headed Book Child. I know she will stop by again!

Cheryl's Thoughts:

I was very happy when Michelle asked me to do guest reviews for her blog. As one often mentioned in her posts, I’m excited to actively participate. My first review is an ARC of Delirious by Daniel Palmer, the son of medical thriller author Michael Palmer.

Description of Delirious from Daniel Palmer’s website www.danielpalmerbooks.com

“Charlie Giles is at the top of his game. An electronics superstar, he’s sold his startup company to a giant Boston firm, where he’s now a senior director. With his dog, Monte, at his side, Charlie is treated like a VIP everywhere he goes.

Then one day, everything in Charlie’s neatly ordered world starts to go terrifyingly wrong. His prestigious job and his inventions are wrenched away from him. His family is targeted, and his former employers are dying gruesomely, picked off one by one. Every sign, every shred of evidence, points to Charlie as a cold-blooded killer. And soon Charlie is unable to tell whether he’s succumbed to the pressures of work and become the architect of his own destruction, or whether he’s the victim of a relentless, diabolical attack.

In a desperate struggle to save his life, Charlie races to uncover the truth, all the while realizing that nothing can be trusted—least of all his own fractured mind…”

A blurb on the ARC also describes it as “a spiraling psychological thrill-ride filled with intrigue, questions and deception – a techno-savvy novel, with shocking twists that will mesmerize readers from start to finish.”

Raised by a single mother with a schizophrenic father and brother, Charlie’s biggest fear is being schizophrenic. Palmer deftly weaves this childhood psychological trauma with Charlie’s adult fear while Charlie’s world turns upside down for reasons he cannot figure out. It starts when he finds a sticky note on his laptop screen that says, in his own handwriting, “If not yourself, then who can you believe?” with absolutely no recollection of writing it. As things continue to spiral out of Charlie’s control, he returns to this question again and again as he tries to figure out whether he is unconsciously destroying himself or someone is out to get him. Palmer excels by offering no obvious solutions to the incidents that make Charlie question his sanity in a believable way.

Described as “techno-savvy novel,” I expected a using-technology-to-solve-a-crime thriller, which it is not and initially disappointed me. However, after I finished reading and thought about it for a while, I prefer that Palmer chose to not use his novel as a way to show off or describe the latest or future of technology, but instead of a more subtle approach of how dependent we are on it while simultaneously how much it can control our lives. He effectively explained and integrated the products and ideas into the story and combined with the “psychological thrill-ride,” I was hooked and read it in only a few days.

What is also fun is that Palmer created a blog about the company and its founders from his book, sort of as a prequel: http://www.danielpalmerbooks.com/invision-blog/. As it has virtually no impact on the story, it is not necessary to read it before reading the book. I read it after and found it amusing.

As an avid thriller reader, what I expect is to be entertained, which Palmer delivered. Well-written and compelling, I read the book nearly all the way through with no idea how it would end, which is what I want from a good thriller. I especially liked the numerous twists and turns that I could not figure out how and why they occurred.

My only criticism, which I should emphasize did not detract from the story and are mostly indicative that it was Palmer’s first novel, are that the characters were a bit undeveloped, dialogue a bit choppy, and bits of the story redundant as he continually reminded readers of certain incidents. I fully expect that as Palmer continues to write, these minor aspects will improve greatly and turn him into an excellent thriller and suspense writer.

I enjoy reading new authors and I am glad I found him at the beginning of his career and I will look to Daniel Palmer for entertaining thrillers in the future.

Sites of Interest:

Download a free copy of Daniel's album “Home Sweet Home” at http://bit.ly/fW6SN3

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/danielpalmerbooks

Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/danielpalmer

Website: http://www.danielpalmerbooks.com

GIVEAWAY rules:

*Please be a follower of my blog.

*Please include an email address.

*Please live in the United States.

Winner will be picked on February 8.

Thanks again Cheryl! I'm so glad you enjoyed this one!

Happy Reading and as always, thanks for stopping by!

red headed book child

The Brave by Nicholas Evans (review #108)

The Brave by Nicholas Evans

Genre: Fiction

Publisher: Little Brown

Review Copy

This book was such a pleasant surprise. I received it a few weeks ago with the hopes of maybe picking it up in the next month or two to review. I was up in the air with what I was in the mood for at the time and I gave it a go. I read it in two days and was wholly absorbed the entire time. I had never read Nicholas Evans before but knew him from his Horse Whisperer fame. I remember when the book came out and the movie with Robert Redford.

You tend to compartmentalize books when you work in bookstores and I somehow put Nicholas Evans in the "Man Book" category...where Nelson Demille, Tom Clancy and Robert Parker all comfortably live. I have no issues at all with these authors, I just got used to selling them to a particular customer!

I really, really enjoyed this book. It focuses around a young eight year boy named Tom Bedford living near London with his older parents. He is a bit shy, a little socially awkward and completely obsessed with westerns, specifically the star Flint McCullough. His mother is harsh on him and his father barely speaks to him. The one that gives him the most love is his older sister, Diane, a rising actress on the London stage and screen.

He is sent to a rough boarding school when he becomes an early teen and learns the hard way how to manage. After a short stay, he is told a devastating secret about his family. This leads to his move to Hollywood to live with his sister and her new boyfriend, the popular TV cowboy actor Ray Montane. There he discovers life on movie sets and the difference between real life cowboys and the ones that pretend to be good.

He meets Cal, the owner of the ranch where Ray and Diane are filming their new movie and they bond over horses and movies. His world is filled with Tinseltown glamour, ugly truths and dreams to survive. What makes it all safe for him, even when a terrifying act threatens to ruin them all, is Diane and his new found friendship with Cal.

As this story line develops with his life in Hollywood, we jump in time to when Tom is an adult living in Montana, divorced and father of an adult son. His son is a US Marine and charged with murder in the field. Distant and a bit awkward at parenting, Tom struggles to reconnect with his son and help him with his trial. This brings up memories of the secrets he faced in his childhood and the pain he had to deal with early on in life.

Rating: 5/6

This book has a little bit of everything in it for me; old Hollywood glamour, childhood dreams, the strength of family and the power of secrets. I really liked it and was drawn to the world in which Evans creates. Never having read him before I did not know what to expect and I was so pleased. Recommended for fans of a well strung together drama with plenty of character development.

Interesting note:

Check this out from the author's website.

Hello and welcome to the website. It has been a long time since we refreshed these pages but we’ve done some work and I hope you like the changes. The reason for the delay (and, more important, the delayed publication of my new novel) is that my family and I had a serious accident: we ate some wild mushrooms which turned out to be poisonous. The guide book, consulted, stupidly, only after the horse had bolted, listed them as deadly poisonous. Fortunately, the four children who were with us had the good sense not to eat any. But their parents did, with horrible consequences. The poison attacked our kidneys and within a couple of days we were all critically ill in hospital on dialysis. Three of us still are on dialysis – five hours every other day, hitched to a blood machine. We are also on the waiting list for transplants.

It has been a life-changing journey in many ways. But with the love and support of family and friends and brilliant medical help (all courtesy of the wonderful British National Health Service), we are all in good spirits. More than anything, we are happy to be alive. I would like to thank all those many readers who sent their good wishes through this website. I usually reply to all emails but there is a huge backlog, so please excuse the delay.

My new novel, postponed for two years by all this real-life drama, is called The Brave. It’s out in September in the UK and October in the US. Italy and Holland hope to publish around that time too. I hope you enjoy it. Also, my wife, singer/songwriter Charlotte Gordon Cumming created an album of songs inspired by The Brave. You can listen to these songs at thebravesongs.com.

All best wishes,
Nicholas

Book Club Pick?

Hmm...I just found it to be a really good book to read. I wouldn't recommend it for my book club, just to savor and read for yourself.

Happy Reading and as always, thanks for stopping by!

red headed book child

Just because...

I recently saw The Kids are All Right because it's a movie that I knew would be right up my alley. I knew I would get great performances from Annette Bening and Julianne Moore and I love the kid from Bridge to Terabithia, Josh Hutcherson.

But I didn't expect to get hit by the force that is....

Mark Ruffalo

Oh my.

My.

My.

My.

Hi there.

Have you seen him...I mean, the movie?

red headed book child