Sunday, September 5, 2010

Sunday Synopsis: "Healer" by Carol Cassella

Healer: A Novel**In bookstores Tuesday**

Claire Boehning is about to launch her medical career when she meets Addison, a biochemist with blazing genius and big dreams. But a complicated pregnancy deflects Claire’s professional path and she is forced to drop out of her residency. A few years later, Addison invents a simple blood test to diagnose ovarian cancer, and his biotech start-up lands a fortune. Overnight the Boehnings are catapulted into a financial and social tier they had never anticipated or sought, and over time they grow unconsciously complacent with wealth and security: they move into a gracious Seattle home and buy an old ranch in the high desert mountains of eastern Washington; Claire drifts away from medicine to become a full time wife and mother.


Then Addison gambles everything on a cutting edge cancer drug and the studies go awry under clouded circumstances. With their comfortable life swept away, Claire and her daughter Jory move to the dilapidated ranch house in rural Hallum, where Claire has to resurrect her medical skills and find a job until Addison can salvage his discredited lab. Her only offer for employment comes from a struggling public health clinic—a world away from the medical career Claire had once envisioned. But life in Hallum brings Claire more than a second chance at medicine when she meets Miguela, a bright Nicaraguan immigrant, an orphan of the contra war, who has come to the United States with a secret quest to find the family she has lost. As their friendship develops, a new mystery unfolds that threatens to destroy Claire’s stressed family and forces her to question what it truly means to heal.

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"Sunday Synopsis" is a new feature for 2010. Every Sunday, we will post the synopsis of an upcoming book that we think deserves your attention. Think of it as a mini e-paper. It'll be there in the morning when you wake up for your coffee.

Thursday, September 2, 2010

Book Review: "Summer House" by Nancy Thayer

Summer House: A NovelTitle: Summer House
Author: Nancy Thayer
Publisher: Ballantine Books
ISBN, PUB Date: 978-0-345-49821-2, 6/1/10
Reviewed by: Tiffany Schlarman for Author Exposure (8/10)

The novel Summer House follows three generations of strong-willed Wheelwright women as they wrestle with decisions that will change their lives. The story starts off with the youngest of the three generations, Charlotte Wheelwright. She has always wanted to impress her father and make him proud, but so far she feels she has failed. Charlotte did not enjoy the family business of banking, and has spent much of her adult life afloat, hopping from one place to the next. Ashamed and punishing herself for her most recent mistake, Charlotte takes off to Nantucket Island and visits the family summer home in search of answers. What she finds is a passion for gardening and a love she never expected.

Helen Wheelwright, Charlotte’s mother, is a Wheelwright by marriage. Helen has spent her married life doing things the Wheelwright way and putting aside some of the things she loves, for her husband’s family. When Helen discovers a deep betrayal she is despondent and forced to face her deepest fears. She is confronted with her sense of self and what she wants out of life--a decision that could drastically change her life as she knows it.

The eldest woman, Anne Wheelwright (also known as Nona), celebrates her ninetieth birthday and is confronted with memories of her past along with the state of her family in the present. As she wrestles with these memories, she will be forced to reveal a shocking family secret that will change everyone’s outlook on life and family. The novel confronts the subjects of family, friendships, love, betrayal and secrets. The characters are true to themselves while making life-changing decisions for better or worse. They learn that the path taken may twist and turn, but it always finds a way back home.

Summer House is a simply beautiful story of family and the ties that bind. The novel switches from each woman’s story to the next, easily guiding the reader throughout its woven paths. There was never a moment where part of the book didn’t make sense or wasn’t interesting. The more you read, the more you are hooked. You will want to find out more about each character, their story, and their family. It is easy to lose track of time while reading this novel. The book makes you feel at home; it harvests the essence of family and brings about the emotions that go along with it.

I absolutely loved this book. It was original and exciting with a raw magnetism of emotional understanding. I really enjoyed Nona’s memories because they gave insight into how each woman has arrived where she is in the present. It shed light onto the Wheelwright family as a whole, giving the reader a broader and more developed picture of the family. It was easy to envision myself on Nantucket Island with this family throughout the novel. It has a wonderful mix of past and present, with a glimpse of the future that enables the reader to feel fulfilled throughout the novel. I would highly recommend this book to any reader. It is warm, heartfelt, smart, witty, and a perfect example of family in all its crazy wonderfulness. It will definitely be part of my permanent library and I look forward to reading it again.

Monday, August 30, 2010

Book Review: "No Child Left Behind? The True Story of a Teacher's Quest" by Elizabeth Blake


No Child Left Behind? The True Story of a Teacher's QuestTitle: No Child Left Behind? The True Story of a Teacher’s Quest
Author: Elizabeth Blake
Publisher: Hudson House
ISBN, PUB Date: 9781587768798, 2008
Reviewed by: Traci for Author Exposure (8/10)

When the synopsis of Blake’s new book caught my eye, I had immediate flashbacks to movies such as Dangerous Minds and Freedom Writers. These movies, set in urban city schools, displayed the challenges faced by inner-city students and how they impacted their education. The conditions of these children’s lives showed no signs of hope except for the one reckoning force of change—the teacher. No Child Left Behind? The True Story of a Teacher’s Quest is a passionate memoir of a career-changing woman that finds herself following her passion to teach science in inner-city high schools. Unprepared for some of the challenges of her new career, she had to learn to deal with drugs, gangs, pregnancy, riots, and some of the worst school personnel.

One of the things that she clearly portrays in her story is the lack of accountability and leadership of the school administrators. Ultimately, Blake taught at three high schools during her tenure as a science teacher. At the first high school, the principal consistently blamed the students’ problems on the teachers. He was a shouter and, as you can imagine, not very results-oriented. At the second school, the principal had a clear gender bias by applying rules to female teachers that didn’t apply to male teachers. Nevertheless at the end of each day and despite all of the negative uncertainty in her students’ lives, Blake focused on maintaining a positive attitude and establishing clear boundaries in her classroom. An inner-city parent myself, I truly appreciated this detailed insight into the classroom from a teacher’s viewpoint.

As an avid reader that believes in following your passion, I think this book is a great example for people who still haven’t made that career change towards their passion. Sometimes, you may not get what you expect, but the mere exploration will lead you to where you want to be. Blake left her career of 20 years as a medical technologist in chemistry and hematology to teach science. Today, she writes science materials for homeschoolers. You’ll find the honesty, courage, and self-motivation throughout this story inspiring.

Sunday, August 29, 2010

Sunday Synopsis: "The Language of Trees" by Ilie Ruby

The Language of Trees: A NovelGripping, suspenseful, magical, and richly atmospheric . . . Ilie Ruby's haunting debut novel, The Language of Trees, is exhilarating fiction that announces the arrival of a truly extraordinary storyteller.

This week's synopsis comes to us in a 2 minute video. Enjoy!


About the Author
Ilie Ruby grew up in Rochester, New York, and spent her childhood summers on Canandaigua Lake, the setting for her debut novel, The Language of Trees. She is the winner of the Edwin L. Moses Award for Fiction, chosen by T. C. Boyle; a Kerr Foundation Fiction Scholarship; and the Phi Kappa Phi Award for Creative Achievement in Fiction. Ruby is also a recipient of the Wesleyan Writer’s Conference Davidoff Scholarship in Nonfiction and the Kemp Award for Outstanding Teaching and Scholarship.

Ruby has worked on PBS archaeology documentaries in Central America, taught 5th grade in Los Angeles, and written two children’s books: Making Gold and The Last Boat. In 1995, she graduated from the Masters of Professional Writing Program at the University of Southern California where she was fiction editor of The Southern California Anthology. Ilie Ruby is also a painter and proud adoptive mom to three children from Ethiopia.
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"Sunday Synopsis" is a new feature for 2010. Every Sunday, we will post the synopsis of an upcoming book that we think deserves your attention. Think of it as a mini e-paper. It'll be there in the morning when you wake up for your coffee.

Thursday, August 26, 2010

Get Caught Reading at the Suwanee Festival of Books 2010

We are pleased to announce the inaugural Suwanee Festival of Books (SFoB) to be held August 28 and 29, 2010 at the Suwanee Town Center Park in Suwanee, GA. The Town Center is the ideal locale for authors and readers; friends and neighbors; to come together to learn more about the books they love and the authors who write them.

This two-day festival will focus on celebrating literacy as an art, bringing together authors, publishers, educators, booksellers and readers. A broad range of activities and events with appeal to people of all ages and interests will be available - ranging from author readings, book signings, writing workshops, drama performances, panel presentations, live music, children’s activities, storytelling and a Barnes & Noble Book Marketplace – all underscored with an emphasis on the importance of reading and writing.

Get Caught Reading at the Suwanee Festival of Books 2010!

Saturday, August 28, 2010 - 10:00 am - 6:00 pm
Sunday, August 29, 2010 - 11:00 am - 6:00 pm

Suwanee Town Center Park
370 Buford Hwy NW
Suwanee, GA, 30024

Admission is FREE – Open to Public

For more information: