First Chapter -- First Paragraph -- Tuesday Intros

Diane at Bibliophile by the Sea has started a fun new meme, First Chapter, First Paragraph, Tuesday Intros. Below is the first paragraph/chapter of The Bird House by Kelly Simmons:

Beneath the surface of any problem, if you scrabble a bit, you’ll find a secret.

It may take awhile – decades perhaps – not for your excavation, mind you, but for your desire to appear; for that childlike curiosity to float up again. Indeed, you may need an actual child to summon it, as I did.

But this is what drives us – the historians, the trash pickers, the gossips, the shrinks. And yes, the readers of books. We’re all rooting around; teasing out other people’s hidden reasons.

20 Years Younger Giveaway Ending Today!

Don't forget to enter here.

Mailbox Monday -- Memorial Day Edition!

Happy Memorial Day! To all those who served, thank you and you are not forgotten!

The reason why I love Mondays -- Mailbox Monday hosted this month by MariReads. Below are the books I received this week:

1) Very Bad Men by Harry Dolan. Publisher's Summary. David Loogan returns! Loogan is living in Ann Arbor with Detective Elizabeth Waishkey and her daughter, Sarah. He's settled into a quiet routine as editor of the mystery magazine Gray Streets-until one day he finds a manuscript outside his door. It begins: "I killed Henry Kormoran."

Anthony Lark has a list of names-Terry Dawtrey, Sutton Bell, Henry Kormoran. To his eyes, the names glow red on the page. They move. They breathe. The people on the list have little in common except that seventeen years ago they were involved in a notorious robbery. And now Anthony Lark is hunting them down, and he won't stop until every one of them is dead.

Thanks to Penguin Group!

2) Don't Kill the Birthday Girl by Sandra Beasley. Amazon Product Description. Like twelve million other Americans, Sandra Beasley suffers from food allergies. Her allergies—severe and lifelong—include dairy, egg, soy, beef, shrimp, pine nuts, cucumbers, cantaloupe, honeydew, mango, macadamias, pistachios, cashews, swordfish, and mustard. Add to that mold, dust, grass and tree pollen, cigarette smoke, dogs, rabbits, horses, and wool, and it’s no wonder Sandra felt she had to live her life as “Allergy Girl.” When butter is deadly and eggs can make your throat swell shut, cupcakes and other treats of childhood are out of the question—and so Sandra’s mother used to warn guests against a toxic, frosting-tinged kiss with “Don’t kill the birthday girl!”

It may seem that such a person is “not really designed to survive,” as one blunt nutritionist declared while visiting Sandra’s fourth-grade class. But Sandra has not only survived, she’s thrived—now an essayist, editor, and award-winning poet, she has learned to navigate a world in which danger can lurk in an unassuming corn chip. Don’t Kill the Birthday Girl is her story.

With candor, wit, and a journalist’s curiosity, Sandra draws on her own experiences while covering the scientific, cultural, and sociological terrain of allergies. She explains exactly what an allergy is, describes surviving a family reunion in heart-of-Texas beef country with her vegetarian sister, delves into how being allergic has affected her romantic relationships, exposes the dark side of Benadryl, explains how parents can work with schools to protect their allergic children, and details how people with allergies should advocate for themselves in a restaurant.

A compelling mix of memoir, cultural history, and science, Don’t Kill the Birthday Girl is mandatory reading for the millions of families navigating the world of allergies—and a not-to-be-missed literary treat for the rest of us.

Thanks to Crown Publishers!

3) The Astral by Kate Christensen.
Publisher's Summary. The Astral is a huge rose-colored old pile of an apart­ment building in the gentrifying neighborhood of Greenpoint, Brooklyn. For decades it was the happy home (or so he thought) of the poet Harry Quirk and his wife, Luz, a nurse, and of their two children: Karina, now a fer­vent freegan, and Hector, now in the clutches of a cultish Christian community. But Luz has found (and destroyed) some poems of Harry’s that ignite her long-simmering sus­picions of infidelity, and he’s been summarily kicked out. He now has to reckon with the consequence of his literary, marital, financial, and parental failures (and perhaps oth­ers) and find his way forward—and back into Luz’s good graces.

Harry Quirk is, in short, a loser, living small and low in the water. But touched by Kate Christensen’s novelistic grace and acute perception, his floundering attempts to reach higher ground and forge a new life for himself become funny, bittersweet, and terrifically moving. She knows what secrets lurk in the hearts of men—and she turns them into literary art of the highest order.

Thanks to Doubleday!

She Walks in Beauty

Publisher's Summary. n She Walks in Beauty, Caroline Kennedy has once again marshaled the gifts of our greatest poets to pay a very personal tribute to the human experience, this time to the complex and fascinating subject of womanhood. Inspired by her own reflections on more than fifty years of life as a young girl, a woman, a wife, and a mother, She Walks in Beauty draws on poetry’s eloquent wisdom to ponder the many joys and challenges of being a woman. Kennedy has divided the collection into sections that signify to her the most notable milestones, passages, and universal experiences in a woman’s life, and she begins each of these sections with an introduction in which she explores and celebrates the most important elements of life’s journey.

The collection includes works by Elizabeth Bishop, Sharon Olds, Edna St. Vincent Millay, Mary Oliver, Pablo Neruda, W. H. Auden, Adrienne Rich, Sandra Cisneros, Anne Sexton, W. S. Merwin, Dorothy Parker, Queen Elizabeth I, Lucille Clifton, Naomi Shahib Nye, and W. B. Yeats. Whether it’s falling in love, breaking up, friendship, marriage, motherhood, or growing old, She Walks in Beauty is a priceless resource for anyone, male or female, who wants a deeper understanding and appreciation of what it means to be a woman.

She walks in beauty

George Gordon, Lord Byron

I

She walks in beauty, like the night
Of cloudless climes and starry skies;
And all that’s best of dark and bright
Meet in her aspect and her eyes:
Thus mellow’d to that tender light
Which heaven to gaudy day denies.

II

One shade the more, one ray the less,
Had half impair’d the nameless grace
Which waves in every raven tress,
Or softly lightens o’er her face;
Where thoughts serenely sweet express
How pure, how dear their dwelling-place.

III

And on that cheek, and o’er that brow,
So soft, so calm, yet eloquent,
The smiles that win, the tints that glow,
But tell of days in goodness spent,
A mind at peace with all below,
A heart whose love is innocent!


Review. On the eve of her 50th birthday, Caroline Kennedy began reflecting on her historical half century of life. Friends sent poems to help mark the occasion. While the poems comforted Kennedy, they also inspired her to put together this amazing poetry collection for women (and men) everywhere!

Each chapter of She Walks in Beauty contains a set of poems organized around a pivotal milestone, such as, falling in and out of love, marriage, motherhood and much, much more! Poets highlighted in the collection include, among others,: Dorothy Parker, Gertrude Stein, Queen Elizabeth I, Ann Sexton, various ancient Greeks and even the Bible! Kennedy introduces each chapter with an insightful essay that weaves the poems into a thematic narrative.

I listened to the audio book version of She Walks in Beauty which is read by Kennedy (in narrative passages) along with notable actors Jane Alexander, John Bedford Lloyd, Hope Davis and Campbell Scott. I highly recommend the audio version as listening to the poems was akin to having my own private poetry reading!

She Walks in Beauty is a thoughtful and entertaining reflection on women’s lives!


Review copy provided courtesy of the publisher!

First Chapter -- First Paragraph -- Tuesday Intros

Diane at Bibliophile by the Sea has started a fun new meme, First Chapter, First Paragraph, Tuesday Intros. Below is the first paragraph/chapter of the controversial, but compelling memoir Imperfect Endings by Zoe Fitzgerald Carter.

I don’t have to answer the phone. On my knees in the bathroom, daughters just settled into the tub, I have the perfect excuse to ignore it. Let the machine pick it up instead. But I push off my knees and head for the door, my brain several steps behind my body as it usually is by this time of day.

Mailbox Monday -- May 23rd

The reason why I love Mondays -- Mailbox Monday hosted this month by MariReads. This week was a light week, with only one book received:

1) First-time Dad by John Fuller. Amazon Product Description. Perhaps the most powerful influence in the world is that of a dad on his child. Baseball gloves, dirty diapers, tiny little hands, first days of school, daddy-daughter dances, and learner's permits... and so much more! There's no way you can be ready for it all, but this is when you need to get a bit of a head start...

First Time Dad by Focus on the Family ministry veteran (and father of 6) John Fuller lets you in on the stuff you really need to know... because in just a few months or weeks or days, your life is going to change--forever. Set good priorities. Break bad habits and/or family patterns. Recognize and recover from some common fathering mistakes. Know that your words have immense power. And learn how to cultivate a lasting parent-child relationship. So, instead of wondering "oh man, oh man, oh man... what am I going to do now?" for 9 months... read this short book (plus it's pretty fun too) and get excited!

"Dad, your job is critical... And you can do it."

Thanks to the Publisher!

The Murderer's Daughters

Publisher's Summary. Lulu and Merry's childhood was never ideal, but on the day before Lulu's tenth birthday their father drives them into a nightmare. He's always hungered for the love of the girl's self-obsessed mother. After she throws him out, their troubles turn deadly.

Lulu's mother warned her to never let him in, but when he shows up, he's impossible to ignore. He bullies his way past ten-year-old Lulu, who obeys her father's instructions to open the door, then listens in horror as her parents struggle. She runs for help and discovers upon her return that he's murdered her mother, stabbed her sister, and tried to kill himself.

For thirty years, the sisters try to make sense of what happened. Their imprisoned father is a specter in both their lives, shadowing every choice they make. Though one spends her life pretending he's dead, while the other feels compelled to help him, both fear that someday their imprisoned father's attempts to win parole may meet success.

The Murderer's Daughters is narrated in turn by Merry and Lulu. The book follows the sisters as children, as young women, and as adults, always asking how far forgiveness can stretch, while exploring sibling loyalty, the aftermath of family violence, and the reality of redemption.

Review. There are many victims of domestic violence. There is the obvious victim: the abused spouse. And then there are the not-so-obvious victims: the children and extended family members. The Murderer’s Daughters by Randy Susan Meyers explores the lifelong impact of domestic violence on the hidden victims, the children.

The story, told from sisters Lulu and Merry’s points-of- view, opens with their mother’s slaying at the hands of their father, Joey. The girls cope with the loss of their mother in opposite ways. Lulu, the eldest sister, is withdrawn and guilt stricken that her actions of letting Joey into the apartment caused her mother’s death and Merry’s near death (whom Joey also tried to kill). Merry, the baby is a fearful people-pleaser trying to make everyone, including her father happy.

When Joey is sent away to prison, the sisters are sent to their own prison the Duffy-Parkman Home for Girls, a grim state facility, after being cast off by extended family as the “murder’s daughters.” Year pass before Lulu and Merry escape the Dickensonian state facility and are fostered by the Cohens a wealthy, but remote family. Upon reaching adulthood Lulu and Merry continue live in the shadow of their mother’s murder and their father’s impending release from prison.

What I especially liked about The Murderer’s Daughtersis how realistic the characters seemed. A quick review of the author’s interview at the back of the book (which I highly recommend reading) reveals that the novel was inspired by a real life incident in Meyer’s life:

‘Don’t let Daddy in the house.’ That’s what my mother said to my eight-year-old sister one Saturday afternoon . . . Years later . . . my sister mentioned this . . . . ‘Remember when I let our father in the house and he tried to kill Mom?’ She swore I was there . . . but I didn’t remember any of it. As the years went by, and my sister fed me more details, the scene took root in my mind and became my memory also. I heard my father sweet-talking his way in and the echoes of my mother’s screams.

Additionally, Meyer worked for years with abusive men in the Boston based Batterer Intervention Program. Talk about researching the subject matter!

The Murder’s Daughters is an exquisitely well crafted novel!



Review copy provided courtesy of the publicist.

Passage Giveaway (ends 6/4)

Publisher's Summary. "Passage" is an incredible true story of Grace Balogh and her courage during a turbulent time in American history.

Through her journals, "Passage" recounts the struggles of the Great Depression; America fighting two wars: one with unconditional public support and the other with public indifference; the letters from servicemen that are poignant and timeless; and the emergence of a Cold War that pits two ideologies against each other.

Threats to the American way of life prompt the FBI to recruit Grace Balogh as an undercover agent whose job is to infiltrate a cell planning violent overthrow of the United States government. Grace leads this secret life largely unknown to her family and friends.

"Passage" takes the reader on a journey into events of the 1930's, 1940's, and 1950's that read like the headlines of today.

Giveaway Rules. Giveaway Rules. Today I am giving away THREE copies of this riveting memoir!

Entry: Comment with your email address in the body of the comment (you can list it as mary123 (at) yahoo(dot)com). If you do not list your email address your entry will not count.

Extra Entries: Sign up to follow my blog (or let me know that you are a current follower); follow me on twitter (DCMetroreader) and on Facebook (Metroreader). NOTE: These extra entries MUST be left in a separate comment or will not count.

The giveaway is open to Canadian and US residents only.
You must be 18 years of age or older.
NO P.O. Boxes for the winner’s mailing address.

Giveaway ends June 4th . Good Luck!

First Chapter -- First Paragraph -- Tuesday Intros

Diane at Bibliophile by the Sea has started a fun new meme, First Chapter, First Paragraph, Tuesday Intros. Below is the first paragraph/chapter of the appropriately titled the riveting memoir Passage by Sandy Powers.  Enjoy!

"Can you deliver the hospital bed before noon" I glanced at my watch: 9:30. "Eleven? Yes that's right. Englewood. I'll be waiting"

I ran my fingers through my short blond hair. This gives me time to arrange nursing.

An hour later. I lightly knocked on the door of my parents' house. No answer. I unlocked the front door with my key. My eighty-six-year-old father was napping in his brown recliner in the living room. The blaring television switched to the local twenty-four-hour news channel, which he regularly watched. The same news over and over. How much new news can there be? I shook my head. I turned down the TV volume then gently tapped my father's shoulder.

Mailbox Monday -- May 16th

The reason why I love Mondays -- Mailbox Monday hosted this month by MariReads. Below are the review copies I received this week:

1) Passage by Sandy Powers. Publisher's Summary. "Passage" is an incredible true story of Grace Balogh and her courage during a turbulent time in American history. Through her journals, "Passage" recounts the struggles of the Great Depression; America fighting two wars: one with unconditional public support and the other with public indifference; the letters from servicemen that are poignant and timeless; and the emergence of a Cold War that pits two ideologies against each other.

Threats to the American way of life prompt the FBI to recruit Grace Balogh as an undercover agent whose job is to infiltrate a cell planning violent overthrow of the United States government. Grace leads this secret life largely unknown to her family and friends.

"Passage" takes the reader on a journey into events of the 1930's, 1940's, and 1950's that read like the headlines of today.

Thanks to the author!

2) She Walks in Beauty edited by Caroline Kennedy. Amazon Product Description. In She Walks in Beauty, Caroline Kennedy has once again marshaled the gifts of our greatest poets to pay a very personal tribute to the human experience, this time to the complex and fascinating subject of womanhood. Inspired by her own reflections on more than fifty years of life as a young girl, a woman, a wife, and a mother, She Walks in Beauty draws on poetry's eloquent wisdom to ponder the many joys and challenges of being a woman. Kennedy has divided the collection into sections that signify to her the most notable milestones, passages, and universal experiences in a woman's life, and she begins each of these sections with an introduction in which she explores and celebrates the most important elements of life's journey.

The collection includes works by Elizabeth Bishop, Sharon Olds, Edna St. Vincent Millay, Mary Oliver, Pablo Neruda, W. H. Auden, Adrienne Rich, Sandra Cisneros, Anne Sexton, W. S. Merwin, Dorothy Parker, Queen Elizabeth I, Lucille Clifton, Naomi Shahib Nye, and W. B. Yeats. Whether it's falling in love, breaking up, friendship, marriage, motherhood, or growing old, She Walks in Beauty is a priceless resource for anyone, male or female, who wants a deeper understanding and appreciation of what it means to be a woman.

Thanks to Harper Audio!

3) Again in a Heartbeat by Susan G. Weidener. Publisher's Summary. In this, her debut book, Weidener writes a compelling and heartbreaking true story, examining love, loss and dating again following the death of her husband from cancer. The story chronicles the ordeal that is cancer and the toll it took on John and Susan’s young marriage and their family. It moves beyond grief to Susan’s journey as a single parent and dating again in search of happiness and meaning. This is a story of grief and renewal, love and forgiveness. Again in a Heartbeat is a must-read for anyone who has ever asked, is love worth the risk?

Thanks to the author!

Until Tuesday

Publisher's Summary. A highly decorated captain in the U.S. Army, Luis Montalván never backed down from a challenge during his two tours of duty in Iraq. After returning home from combat, however, the pressures of his physical wounds, traumatic brain injury, and crippling post-traumatic stress disorder began to take their toll. Haunted by the war and in constant physical pain, he soon found himself unable to climb a simple flight of stairs or face a bus ride to the VA hospital. He drank; he argued; ultimately, he cut himself off from those he loved. Alienated and alone, unable to sleep or bend over without pain, he began to wonder if he would ever recover.

Then Luis met Tuesday, a beautiful and sensitive golden retriever trained to assist the disabled. Tuesday had lived amongst prisoners and at a home for troubled boys, blessing many lives; he could turn on lights, open doors, and sense the onset of anxiety and flashbacks. But because of a unique training situation and sensitive nature, he found it difficult to trust in or connect with a human being—until Luis.

Until Tuesday is the story of how two wounded warriors, who had given so much and suffered the consequences, found salvation in each other. It is a story about war and peace, injury and recovery, psychological wounds and spiritual restoration. But more than that, it is a story about the love between a man and dog, and how together they healed each other’s souls.

Review. You know the old saying don’t judge a book by its cover? Well, I’m guilty as charged because when I saw the cover of Until Tuesday by Fmr. Capt. Luis Carlos Montalván and Bret Witter I HAD to read this canine/human memoir. What a spectacular cover!

Seriously, take a look at the gorgeous Golden Retriever on this cover, can you blame me? However, apart from the knock-out canine, the military identification tags dangling from the dog’s mouth also drew my attention. The “dog tags” Tuesday is patiently holding represent both Montalván and the fact that Tuesday is the veteran’s service dog which is the story in a nutshell.

Montalván is a decorated seventeen year Army veteran who served two tours in war torn Iraq before being honorably discharged due to his military injuries. During Montalván’s first Iraqi tour, in December 2003, terrorists attacked him, leaving the author with multiple physical and mental disabilities including three cracked vertebrae, a traumatic brain injury and post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In denial of his disabilities, Montalván persevered through a second tour of Iraq in 2006, before the physical and mental injuries brought his world to a halt.

The author’s downward spiral of agoraphobia, crippling migraines and alcoholism continued unabated until Tuesday entered his life. Tuesday, however, is no ordinary service dog, but rather is very bright (responding to 140 verbal commands) and unusually sensitive canine. This is a perfect combination for Montalván who needs Tuesday primarily for calming purposes. Tuesday’s emotional sensitivity, however, caused the canine much hardship early in life when he was paired, under the Puppies Behind Bars Program, with inmate trainers who left him. Eventually, through intensive retraining Tuesday became an exemplary service dog who successfully bonded with Montalván.

Until Tuesday is an eye-opening memoir that encompasses several subject areas: the training of a service dog; Montalván’s military service (Note: Some of the war passages are highly disturbing, but are necessary to convey the author’s PTSD symptoms. Additionally, the author expresses political views of the Iraqi war that some readers may disagree with); the Veteran’s Administration’s indifferent treatment of disabled veterans; and the continued discrimination persons with service dogs are subjected to. The last topic was surprising to me because service dogs wear clearly marked vests and act better than some humans. Clearly more education is needed for retail personnel to understand that a service dog is a highly-trained working canine that the disabled person needs and is legally entitled to have with him or her.

After reading Until Tuesday I wanted to give the author and Tuesday a big hug. Hopefully, someday I will. In the meantime, however, in honor of Montalván and Tuesday I’m going to donate to one of the service dog training programs mentioned in the memoir. Thank you Fmr. Capt. Luis Carlos Montalván and Tuesday for sharing your inspirational story!

Advance review copy provided courtesy of the publisher.

20 Years Younger Giveaway (ends May 30th)

Publisher's Summary. It's time to turn back the clock! In 20 YEARS YOUNGER, Bob Greene offers readers a practical, science-based plan for looking and feeling their best as they age. The cutting-edge program details easy and effective steps we can all take to rebuild the foundation of youth and enjoy better health, improved energy, and a positive outlook on life. The four cornerstones of the program are: an exercise regimen for fighting muscle and bone loss, a longevity-focused diet, sleep rejuvenation, and wrinkle-fighting skin care. Woven throughout the text is practical advice on changing appearances, controlling stress, staying mentally sharp, navigating medical tests, and much more. Readers will walk away with a greater understanding of how the body ages and what they can do to feel-and look-20 years younger.

Giveaway Rules. Giveaway Rules. Today I am giving away TWO copies of this fabulous self-help book!

Entry: Comment with your email address in the body of the comment (you can list it as mary123 (at) yahoo(dot)com). If you do not list your email address your entry will not count.

Extra Entries: Sign up to follow my blog (or let me know that you are a current follower); follow me on twitter (DCMetroreader) and on Facebook (Metroreader). NOTE: These extra entries MUST be left in a separate comment or will not count.

The giveaway is open to Canadian and US residents only.
You must be 18 years of age or older.
NO P.O. Boxes for the winner’s mailing address.
Limit one winner per household regardless of the site won from.

Giveaway ends May 30th. Good Luck!

First Chapter First Paragraph Tuesday Intros

Diane at Bibliophile by the Sea has started a fun new meme, First Chapter, First Paragraph, Tuesday Intros. Below is the first paragraph/chapter of the appropriately titled dog/human memoir Until Tuesday by Fmr. Capt. Luis Carlos Montalván and Bret Witter. Enjoy!

The first thing everyone notices is the dog. Whenever I walk through my neighborhood in upper Manhattan, every eye is drawn to Tuesday. A few people hesitate, unsure of such a large dog -- Tuesday is eighty pounds, huge by New York City standards -- but soon even the cautious ones smile. There is something about the way Tuesday carries himself that puts everyone at ease. Before they know it, construction workers on their coffee break are yelling to him and cute young women are asking if they can pet him. Even the little kids are astonished. "Look at that dog Mommy," I hear them say as we pass. "What a cool dog."

Mailbox Monday -- May 9th!

The reason why I love Mondays -- Mailbox Monday hosted this month by MariReads. Below are the review copies I received this week:

1) The Little Women Letters by Gabrielle Donnelly. Publisher's Summary. Vibrant, fresh, and intelligent, The Little Women Letters explores the imagined lives of Jo March's descendants—three sisters who are both thoroughly modern and thoroughly March. As uplifting and essential as Louisa May Alcott's Little Women, Gabrielle Donnelly's novel will speak to anyone who's ever fought with a sister, fallen in love with a fabulous pair of shoes, or wondered what on earth life had in store for her.

With her older sister, Emma, planning a wedding and her younger sister, Sophie, preparing to launch a career on the London stage, Lulu can't help but feel like the failure of the Atwater family. Lulu loves her sisters dearly and wants nothing but the best for them, but she finds herself stuck in a rut, working dead-end jobs with no romantic prospects in sight. When her mother asks her to find a cache of old family recipes in the attic of her childhood home, Lulu stumbles across a collection of letters written by her great-great-grandmother Josephine March. In her letters, Jo writes in detail about every aspect of her life: her older sister, Meg's, new home and family; her younger sister Amy's many admirers; Beth's illness and the family's shared grief over losing her too soon; and the butterflies she feels when she meets a handsome young German. As Lulu delves deeper into the lives and secrets of the March sisters, she finds solace and guidance, but can the words of her great-great-grandmother help Lulu find a place for herself in a world so different from the one Jo knew? Vibrant, fresh, and intelligent, The Little Women Letters explores the imagined lives of Jo March's descendants—three sisters who are both thoroughly modern and thoroughly March. As uplifting and essential as Louisa May Alcott's Little Women, Gabrielle Donnelly's novel will speak to anyone who's ever fought with a sister, fallen in love with a fabulous pair of shoes, or wondered what on earth life had in store for her.

Some things, of course, remain unchanged: the stories and jokes that form a family's history, the laughter over tea in the afternoon, the desire to do the right thing in spite of obstacles. And above all, of course, the fierce, undying, and often infuriating bond of sisterhood that links the Atwater women every bit as firmly as it did the March sisters all those years ago. Both a loving tribute to Little Women and a wonderful contemporary family story, The Little Women Letters is a heartwarming, funny, and wise novel for today.

Thanks to Simon and Schuster!

2) Never Knowing by Chevy Stevens. Publisher's Summary. From the acclaimed author of Still Missing comes a psychological thriller about one woman’s search into her past and the deadly truth she uncovers.

All her life, Sara Gallagher has wondered about her birth parents. As an adopted child with two sisters who were born naturally to her parents, Sara did not have an ideal home life. The question of why she was given up for adoption has always haunted her. Finally, she is ready to take steps and to find closure.

But some questions are better left unanswered.

After months of research, Sara locates her birth mother---only to be met with horror and rejection. Then she discovers the devastating truth: Her mother was the only victim ever to escape a killer who has been hunting women every summer for decades. But Sara soon realizes the only thing worse than finding out about her father is him finding out about her.

What if murder is in your blood?

Never Knowing is a complex and compelling portrayal of one woman’s quest to understand herself, her origins, and her family. That is, if she can survive. . . .

Thanks to St. Martin's Press!

Happy Mother's Day!

The phrase 'working mother' is redundant.
Jane Sellman

To all the mom's out there, take the day off! And whatever you do have a wondful day!

First Chapter - First Paragraph - Tuesday Intros

Diane at Bibliophile by the Sea has started a fun new meme, First Chapter, First Paragraph, Tuesday Intros that I am joining. Below is the first paragraph/chapter of The Murder's Daughters by Randy Susan Meyers that I recently finished. Review will be forthcoming, but in the meantime, enjoy!

I wasn’t surprised when Mama asked me to save her life. By my first week in kindergarten, I knew she was no macaroni-necklace-wearing kind of mother. Essentially, Mama regarded me as a miniature hand servant:

Grab me a Pepsi, Lulu.
Get the milk for your sister’s cereal.
Go to the store and buy me a pack of Winston’s.
Then one day she upped the stakes:
Don’t let Daddy in the apartment.

Mailbox Monday -- May 2nd

The reason why I love Mondays -- Mailbox Monday hosted this month by MariReads. Below are the review copies I received this week:

1) The Kitchen Daughter by Jael McHenry. Publisher's Summary. After the unexpected death of her parents, painfully shy and sheltered 26-year-old Ginny Selvaggio seeks comfort in cooking from family recipes. But the rich, peppery scent of her Nonna's soup draws an unexpected visitor into the kitchen: the ghost of Nonna herself, dead for twenty years, who appears with a cryptic warning ("do no let her…") before vanishing like steam from a cooling dish.

A haunted kitchen isn't Ginny's only challenge. Her domineering sister, Amanda, (aka "Demanda") insists on selling their parents' house, the only home Ginny has ever known. As she packs up her parents' belongings, Ginny finds evidence of family secrets she isn't sure how to unravel. She knows how to turn milk into cheese and cream into butter, but she doesn't know why her mother hid a letter in the bedroom chimney, or the identity of the woman in her father's photographs. The more she learns, the more she realizes the keys to these riddles lie with the dead, and there's only one way to get answers: cook from dead people's recipes, raise their ghosts, and ask them.

Thanks to Simon and Schuster!