All The Light We Cannot See

Synopsis (from Amazon): From the highly acclaimed, multiple award-winning Anthony Doerr, the beautiful, stunningly ambitious instant New York Times bestseller about a blind French girl and a German boy whose paths collide in occupied France as both try to survive the devastation of World War II.

Marie-Laure lives with her father in Paris near the Museum of Natural History, where he works as the master of its thousands of locks. When she is six, Marie-Laure goes blind and her father builds a perfect miniature of their neighborhood so she can memorize it by touch and navigate her way home. When she is twelve, the Nazis occupy Paris and father and daughter flee to the walled citadel of Saint-Malo, where Marie-Laure’s reclusive great-uncle lives in a tall house by the sea. With them they carry what might be the museum’s most valuable and dangerous jewel.

In a mining town in Germany, the orphan Werner grows up with his younger sister, enchanted by a crude radio they find. Werner becomes an expert at building and fixing these crucial new instruments, a talent that wins him a place at a brutal academy for Hitler Youth, then a special assignment to track the resistance. More and more aware of the human cost of his intelligence, Werner travels through the heart of the war and, finally, into Saint-Malo, where his story and Marie-Laure’s converge.

Doerr’s “stunning sense of physical detail and gorgeous metaphors” (San Francisco Chronicle) are dazzling. Deftly interweaving the lives of Marie-Laure and Werner, he illuminates the ways, against all odds, people try to be good to one another. Ten years in the writing, a National Book Award finalist, All the Light We Cannot See is a magnificent, deeply moving novel from a writer “whose sentences never fail to thrill” (Los Angeles Times).

One (or more) Sentence Summary: The Book Thief + The Da Vinci Code.  My sister recommend All The Light We Cannot See and I have no idea why, but I thought it was about aliens.  This books is truly, WOW!  So amazingly intertwined and cleverly written.  I just LOVED it!

Favorite Character(s):  Maure-Laure is my favorite character, even though there were several others I truly enjoyed.  I can't believe what she went through and was blind as well.  She can do wrong in my book!

Fast read/slow read:  Super, super fast.

Cover:  Given I thought the book was about aliens, I do not really care for the cover.

What Others Are Saying:  USA Today - Sharon Peters

“This tough-to-put-down book proves its worth page after lyrical page…Each and every person in this finely spun assemblage is distinct and true.”

NPR - Alan Cheuse

“Doerr is an exquisite stylist; his talents are on full display.”

New Yorker

“Intricate… A meditation on fate, free will, and the way that, in wartime, small choices can have vast consequences.”

Would I Read Other Books by the Author:  Sign me up right away.

Anthony Doerr is the author of the Pulitzer Prize-winning novel All the Light We Cannot See. He is also the author of two story collections Memory Wall and The Shell Collector, the novel About Grace, and the memoir Four Seasons in Rome. He has won four O. Henry Prizes, the Rome Prize, the New York Public Library’s Young Lions Award, the National Magazine Award for fiction, a Guggenheim Fellowship, and the Story Prize. Doerr lives in Boise, Idaho, with his wife and two sons.

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Copygirl

~ I received no compensation and opinions are 100% my own or my family. ~

Synopsis (from Amazon): So. You want to work in advertising. The glitz, the glamour, the cocktail-fueled brainstorming sessions and Xbox breaks. Sounds like a dream job, right?

Wrong. The reality can be a nightmare. There are five simple rules for succeeding in the ad world—and I think I’ve already broken every single one…

1) Never let them see you cry. Even if your best friend breaks your heart. And posts it all over social media.

2) Be one of the boys. And, if you were born with the wrong equipment, flaunt what you've got to distract them while you get ahead.

3) Come up with the perfect pitch in an instant—or have your resumé ready to go at all times.

4) Trust no one. Seriously. If you don't watch your back, they'll steal your ideas, your pride, even your stapler.

5) Most importantly, don’t ever, under any circumstances, be a CopyGirl.

Trust me. I know…

One (or more) Sentence Summary:  Kay is a very smart and talented copygirl.  I was so mad at how some people treated her in the beginning of the book.  As we start to cheer Kay on, she becomes an extremely important part of a team and the advertising firm she works for.  She stands up breaks that glass ceiling.  I was in Kay's corner from the beginning and so happy with the ending.

Favorite Character(s):  Suit is my favorite character.  I loved that he stuck it out and continued to pursue Kay.  He believed in her as person first and her talents second.

Setting:  New York City, one of my favorite cities!

Fast read/slow read:  Copygirl started out on the slower side for me, and turned into a quick read about a third of the way.

What Others Are Saying:  “Here’s what happens when girl power storms Mad Men….Wickedly funny and smartly sweet….A high-octane, electric look at Madison Avenue craziness from a pair who’ve been there and done that.”—Publishers Weekly

“Copygirl is my new girl crush. Always looking to discover more Cool Funny Working Girl Heroines. A great, great read.”—Lucy Sykes, bestselling coauthor of The Knockoff

Would I Read Other Books by the Author:  Absolutely I would.  I really enjoyed the book.

Anna Mitchael is a Louisiana-born writer who now lives on a ranch in Texas with her family, lots of cattle and a one-eyed dog. She is the author of a memoir entitled Just Don’t Call Me Ma’am, a monthly magazine column and a blog on positive living. She often writes about the modern female experience, hope, perseverance and the comfort of coyotes. 

Michelle Sassa is a freelance writer who has created memorable ad campaigns for brands like Coca-Cola, Reebok and New York Road Runners. She lives with her husband and three kids by the Jersey Shore, where she is an avid soccer player, rock music aficionado, and disciple of stupid humor. CopyGirl is Michelle's first novel.

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From A to Zoe

~ I received no compensation and opinions are 100% my own or my family. ~

Synopsis (from Amazon): Zoe Zimmerman wants a new start. So she does the logical thing: she moves to New York City. But when a man from her past finds her—and a lump in her breast—Zoe realizes that troubles can follow you no matter where you go and that you have to roll with the punches. 

Thankfully, Zoe knows how to do just that. When she finds a rat in her new apartment, she doesn’t freak out—she figures out that he prefers Swiss cheese to mozzarella. And when the woman who offered her a job dies suddenly and Zoe finds herself a suspect in the murder investigation, she vows to frame whoever is trying to frame her. 

With humor and spunk, "From A to Zoe" chronicles the adventures of one woman just trying to make it in New York. Whether she’s taking a taxi-driving lover from Guadeloupe, battling cancer, or solving the murder she’s being blamed for, Zoe doesn’t back down from the opportunities or challenges of modern life. 

Take the mystery-solving pluckiness of Janet Evanovich’s characters, add a good dose of David-Sedaris-style humor, and you get Zoe Zimmerman, one of the most memorable personalities out there.

One (or more) Sentence Summary: One minute I was mad at Zoe for being the mistress and the next minute I was laughing at the pet rat in her apartment. Another minute I was mad that she was being set up for murder and the next minute I was laughing about Zoe's brother.

Favorite Character(s):  Zoe, of course.  She was first a victim and came out the super hero!

Fast read/slow read:  I thought the book had slow parts, and fast parts.  

Marie-Jo Fortis is the author of the critically acclaimed satirical thriller "Chainsaw Jane". Come and pay her a little visit at www.mariejofortis.com

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The Changing Season

Brief Synopsis:
A beautifully crafted and poignant coming of age story where loyalties will be divided, friendships will be tested, teenage love will be discovered, and through it all, the enduring bond between a boy and his beloved dog will always be remembered.

This was supposed to be a simple summer for Billy: one more lazy expanse of time before college began. He'd fill the hours playing with Jimmy - his canine best buddy - going camping and doing all the things he promised Jimmy they'd do before Billy left. But that was before the accident that shook the entire town. It was before the summer job that turned into something so much more than a way to get a paycheck. And it was before Vicki. This summer was destined to be many things to Billy, things he didn't truly understand until now. But it was definitely not going to be simple.

An enormously touching, richly textured, deeply moving novel of new adulthood, The Changing Season is an experience to savor. 


Early Praise:
"The Changing Season is a story that will bring you back to that awkward period of time between childhood and adult life. I highly recommend this book." - Richard Paul Evans, #1 NYT Bestselling Author, THE CHRISTMAS BOX and THE MISTLETOE PROMISE

"Manchester's The Changing Season will be to young adults what Old Yeller is to my grandson."
- Ed Asner, Actor, Up, The Mary Tyler Moore Show, Lou Grant, Elf

"The Changing Season is a thought-provoking coming-of-age tale that explores the complicated themes of love, faith, family and, above all, loyalty. Mr. Manchester's portrayal of a boy at the cusp of manhood is evocative and sympathetic." - Susan Wilson, NYT Bestselling Author, ONE GOOD DOG

"Heartfelt, emotional, and beautifully written, The Changing Season is captivating. Steven Manchester is one gifted storyteller!" - Carla Neggers, NYT & USA Today Bestselling Author, HARBOR ISLAND and ECHO LAKE

My Thoughts:
Steve writes such beautiful books.  His books are well written and contain many life lessons.  They are clean, wholesome, and meaningful. The Changing Season is on my to read very soon book list.