Teaser Tuesday-Indefensible

Monday 7 February, 2011 By 88 Comments

Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:

  • Grab your current read
  • Open to a random page
  • Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
  • BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS! (make sure that what you share doesn’t give too much away! You don’t want to ruin the book for others!)
  • Share the title & author, too, so that other TT participants can add the book to their TBR Lists if they like your teasers!

    “In Kate’s half doze, the ringing phone morphed into an elevator chime.  She bolted up in bed, her heart frantically trying to flee.”

    Page 116, Indefensible by Pamela Callow

    What are you reading?
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Three Book Reviews: Louder Than Words: Three Teen Authored Memoirs

Friday 27 August, 2010 By 8 Comments

When I was presented with the opportunity to review one or all three memoirs written by teens, I could not resist not reviewing all three. Each tells a deeply personal tale of trial, adversity, seeking help, and acceptance. It is my belief that the Louder Than Words Books will be able to reach out to parents and teens alike and help to identify problems and for teens to realise they are not alone. May this series offer hope for those who identify with Alexis, Rae, or Hannah and may this series help those who are friends and family to teens struggling with these issues.

Rather than individual ratings, the series as a whole is a must read:

Title: Alexis: My True Story of Being Seduced By an Online Predator
Author: Alexis Singer
Publisher: HCI Teens
Publication Date: August 2, 2010
Paperback: 168 pages
ISBN: 978-0757315299
Genre: Memoir

From the Publisher:

In six words, an instant message changed Alexis forever.

After a rocky junior year of high school, Alexis Singer was lonely, stressed out, and vulnerable–the ideal target for an older man with bad intentions. When a message popped up on her computer screen one night from a message board acquaintance, she could never have known that by responding she was making a choice that would change her forever.

By posing as a friend and confidant, the man gave Alexis the attention she desperately craved and weaseled his way into her life in an unimaginable way. Within weeks, Alexis was sucked into an emotionally dependent relationship, engaging in cybersex and sending him explicit photos of herself. Somewhere along the way, she lost who she was and put her dreams for the future, relationships with friends and family, and psychological well-being on the line.

‘Not much about that first online conversation we had sticks out in my head except for his surprising interest in me. I probably would have forgotten about it if it weren’t for that. I would have dismissed him as just another creep.’

My Review:

Alexis: My True Story of Being Seduced by an Online Predator by Alexis Singer is part of the Louder Than Words book series and is an eye-opening memoir for parents of teens and a valuable lesson for teens to read.  Alexis, now a sophomore in college writes candidly about how easily she was seduced into an online relationship with a predator, how she had seen the television shows, knew the warning signs, yet she still fell for it.  All the warning signs were present, yet being a teen going through an emotional time, he pretended to offer her what she craved, love and attention.  I enjoyed reading Alexis and felt it would be appropriate for teens to read.  As a parent I was appalled and surprised her parents were as laid back as they were about the events.  The ending still made me feel dreadfully sorry for Alexis and if I could have added one thing to the book it would have been information or hotline numbers for teens to utilize.  All in all, Alexis opens herself up in hopes of preventing some other teen from following in her path.

About the Author:

Alexis Singer attended the Pittsburgh High School for the Creative and Performing Arts as a writer and is currently a sophomore at Chatham University in Pittsburgh, PA, studying political science and women’s studies. She is nineteen years old.

Title: Rae: My True Story of Fear, Anxiety, and Social Phobia
Author: Chelsea Rae Swiggett
Publisher: HCI Teens
Publication Date: August 2, 2010
Paperback: 168 pages
ISBN: 978-0757315275
Genre: Memoir

From the Publisher:

Rae is beyond socially awkward.

Since she was a little girl, Rae Swiggett knew something was different about her. The sound of planes flying overhead could spark a panic attack. Being called on in class was enough to push her over the edge. She feared the unknown, life, death, people . . . even fear itself.

By the time she reached ninth grade, Rae was muddling through life in relative silence, convinced everyone was mocking her, judging her, picking her apart, bit by little bit. Rae knew she couldn’t keep going on this way. She knew something had to give.

‘It’s a game of catch-22 I constantly play with myself. If I keep acting normal, I hope one day I will be, but every time I try, I just let myself down. I’m so entirely sick of this game.’

My Review:

Rae: My True Story of Fear, Anxiety, and Social Phobia by Chelsea Rae Swiggett is part of the Louder Than Words book series and chronicles the life of Chelsea’s phobias throughout middle school and high school.  Written in a non-linear manner, Chelsea explains to the reader what it was like for her living with fears and phobias and finally seeing a therapist.  My concern with this book was two-fold; why was her obsession with weight loss never addressed and why did no one notice she was not eating and losing so much weight?  As a parent of teens, I saw so many warning signs and could not help wondering why no one noticed.  As someone with panic attacks and agoraphobia I wondered why, when Chelsea went to the therapist, she was not in behavioral therapy, and was rather shocked when the therapist recommended her being isolated further.  I hope through Chelsea’s story teens will feel less isolated and more apt to seek help immediately.  I applaud Chelsea for having the strength and the courage to seek help and hope she continues with therapy to resolve her issues not only with death and dying but also with her sense of self, body image and her issues with food.

About the Author:

Chelsea Rae Swiggett is eighteen years old and will soon be heading to college to major in English and immerse herself even further into the world of books and writing. She currently serves on the Ypulse Youth Advisory Board. Visit her blog at http://thepageflipper.blogspot.com/.

Title: Hannah: My True Story of Drugs, Cutting, and Mental Illness
Author: Hannah Westberg
Publisher: HCI Teens
Publication Date: August 2, 2010
Paperback: 168 pages
ISBN: 978-0757315282
Genre: Memoir

From the Publisher:

Hannah is a girl interrupted.

For Hannah Westberg, life has been one big emotional roller coaster. As a girl, her mother was in and out of mental hospitals, so when it was her turn to visit the psych ward following a suicide attempt the summer after eighth grade, she had an idea of what she was in for. But that was only the beginning of Hannah’s journey.

Over the next five years, Hannah has engaged in dangerous behaviors–from pill popping and excessive dieting to cutting–and paid a high price. Her depression, self-harm, and suicidal tendencies have landed her in rehab and therapy and with a diagnosis of borderline personality disorder. But though she may have a label for her mental illness and tools for coping, for Hannah, life is still something she takes one day at a time.

‘The psych ward is where you go to get from fragile to shattered. It’s like taking your car to get washed and getting your windshield broken in the process.’

My Review:

Hannah: My True Story of Drugs, Cutting, and Mental Illness by Hannah Westberg is the most difficult of the Louder Than Words books to read, as the issues are varied.  If I were judging the books, I would say Hannah was my favourite due to her not once complaining that things were the fault of others even when she had every right.  She owns up to her illnesses even when her mother is in and out of psychiatric hospitals, her father suffers from severe depression and when her step-mother does not appear to know how to deal with any of it and Hannah muddles her way through, even offering the reader tips on relaxing.  Of the three books, Hannah is the most explicit and if a person is cutting, trying to commit suicide, has eating disorders and/or has been in psychiatric facilities and rehab all before turning 18, I do think a few words or phrases are the least of one’s concern.  Hannah speaks openly and honestly about her life.  The book is segmented by the events that happened to her, so she occasionally will flashback.  I did not find this bothersome or confusing in the least, I felt her writing style was quite ingenious and hope she continues to write.

About the Author:

Hannah Westberg is eighteen years old. She earned her GED and plans to enroll in Portland Community College’s drug and alcohol counselor certification program. When she’s not babysitting, she is probably volunteering for political and charity organizations, as well as participating in flash mobs.

For more reviews of the book, please follow the book tour.

I received a complimentary copies of Alexis by Alexis Singer, Rae by Chelsea Rae Swiggett, and Hannah by Hannah Westberg from TLC Book Tours to be a part of this tour and offer my honest review of the books. Receiving a complimentary copy in no way reflected my review of aforementioned books.

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It’s Monday What Are You Reading? 17 May

Monday 17 May, 2010 By 32 Comments

It’s Monday What Are you Reading is the perfect way for me to begin my week and allows me to focus on what needs to be read and to see what I have or have not accomplished the previous week. I also enjoy discovering new books by visiting other participants blogs.

I Read and Reviewed (click the title to be taken to the review):

This week I am planning to read:

  • The Brothers Gwynedd by Edith Pargeter
  • My Heart and Soul by Marilyn Randall
  • Dismantled by Jennifer McMahon
  • Etre the Cow by Sean Keniff
  • The Cradle by Patrick Somerville

  • More Than Conquerors by Kathi Macias
  • Life, In Spite of Me by Kristin Jane Anderson and Tricia Goyer
  • Mirror Image by Dennis Palumbo
  • This One Is Mine by Robyn Okrant
  • Saving CeeCee Honeycutt by Beth Hoffman
  • They Never Die Quietly by D.M. Annechino

Visit next Monday to see if I managed to accomplish my reading goals.

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Book Tour & Review: My Sister’s Voice by Mary Carter

Thursday 29 April, 2010 By 2 Comments

Title: My Sister’s Voice
Author: Mary Carter
Publisher: Kensington
Publication Date: May 25, 2010
Paperback: 352 pages
ISBN: 978-0758229205
Genre: Fiction

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About the Book:

What do you do when you discover your whole life was a lie? In Mary Carter’s unforgettable new novel, one woman is about to find out. . .

At twenty-eight, Lacey Gears is exactly where she wants to be. An up-and-coming, proudly Deaf artist in Philadelphia, she’s in a relationship with a wonderful man and rarely thinks about her difficult childhood in a home for disabled orphans. That is, until Lacey receives a letter that begins, “You have a sister. A twin to be exact…”

Learning her identical, hearing twin, Monica, experienced the normal childhood she was denied resurrects all of Lacey’s grief, and she angrily sets out to find Monica and her biological parents. But the truth about Monica’s life, their brief shared past, and the reason for the twins’ separation is far from simple. And for every one of Lacey’s questions that’s answered, others are raised, more baffling and profound.

Complex, moving, and beautifully told, My Sister’s Voice is a novel about sisterhood, love of every shape, and the stories we cling to until real life comes crashing in…

My Review:

The search for identity, truth, and beauty are key elements found in My Sister’s Voice by Mary Carter. Identical twin girls reared apart; one profoundly deaf, the other hearing, yet neither aware of the other’s existence until they were 28 years old when Lacey Gears receives an anonymous note telling her she has an identical sister, Monica Bowman. While the story and characters were a bit difficult to warm up to in the beginning, the second half of the book and the messages contained within the novel are well worth the wait. Mary Carter’s novel clearly and eloquently describes in vivid detail what it is like growing up profoundly deaf. I learned so much about the Deaf community that I would not have known had I not read this book and we learn through the character of Lacey how the hearing and Deaf communities differ and how proud she is to be deaf. My Sister’s Voice is a look at how destructive family secrets can be, and the importance of one knowing one’s true identity, living truthfully and filling one’s life with beauty. My Sister’s Voice is a story that will capture the attention of the reader as well as the reader’s heart. My Sister’s Voice offers up a variety of intriguing topics to contemplate and digest, making the novel quite captivating and enlightening.

About the Author:

MARY CARTER is a freelance writer and novelist. My Sister’s Voice is her fourth novel with Kensington. Her other works include: She’ll Take It, Accidentally Engaged, Sunnyside Blues, and The Honeymoon House in the best selling anthology Almost Home. She is a graduate of the American Academy of Dramatic Arts, and the National Technical Institute for the Deaf, which is part of the Rochester Institute of Technology. She has just completed A Very Maui Christmas, a new novella for Kensington that will be included in a Christmas of 2010 anthology. She is currently working on a new novel, The Pub Across the Pond, about an American woman who swears off all Irish men only to learn she’s won a pub in Ireland. Readers are welcome to visit her at her website.

Mary Carter’s MY SISTER’S VOICE VIRTUAL BLOG TOUR ‘10 will officially began on April 5 and will end on May 28 2010. You can visit Mary’s blog stops at www.virtualbooktours.wordpress.com during the month of April and May to find out more about this great book and talented author!

I received a complimentary copy of My Sister’s Voice by Mary Carter from Pump Up Your Book Promotion as part of the tour. Receiving a copy in no way reflected my review of aforementioned novel.

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The Girls From Ames by Jeffrey Zaslow

Monday 19 April, 2010 By 9 Comments

Title: The Girls from Ames: A Story of Women and a Forty-Year Friendship
Author: Jeffrey Zaslow
Publisher: Gotham
Publication Date: April 6, 2010
Paperback: 342 pages
ISBN: 978-1592405329
Genre: Current Events/Non-Fiction

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From the Publisher:

As children, they formed a special bond, growing up in the small town of Ames, Iowa. As young women, they moved to eighth different states, yet they managed to maintain an extraordinary friendship that would carry them through college and careers, marriage and motherhood, dating and divorce, the death of a child, and the mysterious death of the eleventh member of their group. Capturing their remarkable story, The Girls from Ames is a testament to the enduring, deep bonds of women as they experience life’s challenges, and the power of friendship to overcome even the most daunting odds.

The girls, now in their forties, have a lifetime of memories in common, some evocative of their generation and some that will resonate with any woman who has ever had a friend. The Girls from Ames demonstrates how close female relationships can shape every aspect of women’s lives-their sense of themselves, their choice of men, their need for validation, their relationships with their mothers, their dreams for their daughters-and reveals how such friendships thrive, rewarding those who have committed to them. With both universal events and deeply personal moments, it’s a book that every woman will relate to and be inspired by.

My Review:

The Girls From Ames by Jeffery Zaslow is an in-depth and intriguing look at the social and behavioral traits that brought these particular eleven girls together as friends, maintained their friendships spanning decades, states, marriages, divorces, and even death. While they were a unit, each girl had at least one defined role. To fully understand the Ames girls, Zaslow takes an in-depth look at the beginning of each girl’s family life and how their families impacted their personalities. Of the eleven, only ten remain; although the women say when they get together, Sheila is with them in spirit. The girls are different enough to make their group interesting, and they credit their willingness to talk and listen to each other for their long friendship and admit in their 20s and 30s they had a difficult time connecting, which holds true with the science behind friendships. According to the study in this novel, women have the most difficult time maintaining friendships between the ages of 25-40, after which friendship suddenly rates higher. The Ames girls discuss their children, especially their daughters. Current research indicates today’s girls will be life-long dieters, have distorted body images, and be scarred by cliques. The Girls From Ames is an intriguing sociological look inside a group of women who forged deep bonds as young children, forged their friendship by junior high and maintained and strengthened their friendships through time and distance, marriages, births, and divorces. I found this book to be an intriguing look at the social science of friendships, being of the same age group, I do not think I would have been friends with many of these girls, however, I did find it interesting that the McCormick’s had a summer house on the same lake my family did, and briefly pondered whether I ever met any of them. All in all it is an intriguing sociological study on friendship and I would recommend The Girls From Ames to anyone interested in the social sciences of women and friendship.

About the Author:
Coauthor of the international bestseller The Last Lecture, award-winning journalist Jeffrey Zaslow writes the Wall Street Journal’s “Moving On” column, which has inspired several Oprah segments. He has also written for Time and USA Weekend.
Visit the website for detailed information, photographs, video, and more.

Please visit the other tour stops here.

I received a complimentary copy of The Girls From Ames by Jeffrey Zaslow to be a part of this tour and offer my honest review of the novel. Receiving a complimentary copy in no way reflected my review of aforementioned novel.

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