Family Drama at a Summer Cottage in Maine

Four women from a Boston Irish Catholic family converge on their summer cottage in Maine. Each has her own secrets, resentments and desires. Alice, the matriarch, is nearing the end of her life. A life that was stigmatized by the death of her sister and her unfulfilled desire to be an artist. Maggie, the granddaughter, is thirty-two, pregnant and unmarried. She agonizes about telling her boyfriend, mother and grandmother. Kathleen, Maggie's mother, is happily settled in California, but continues to be torn by unresolved issues with her mother and daughter. Ann Marie, the daughter-in-law, wants to be perfect, but her life is coming apart in little ways. The summer cottage becomes the setting for the women to confront themselves and each other.

I enjoyed the book, possible because the characters rang true. It's a book in which not very much happens except the women's internal dialog and their interactions with each other. It is very much a character study and a study of manners. I agree with other reviewers. The product description doesn't really fit the book. As a result, the reader is likely to be disappointed.

On the positive side, the book is well written, true to life, and the setting delightful. I recommend the book to lovers of literary fiction.

I reviewed this book as part of the Amazon Vine Program.

Crammed with Information for Website Builders

If you want to try building your own website, this is the book to buy. Bell covers the basics of what a website is, what you need to consider in building a website, and which tools are needed. Although the book contains lots of basic information, there are more advanced chapters on html, building business sites, and using multi-media.

I can't say enough good things about this book. I've used many of his tools to build my website and they are as useful as he says. The open source software he recommends is excellent. There are many useful websites to checkout and lists of places to get information. I wish I'd had this book when I built my website.

“Build a Website for Free” is a valuable resource for anyone interested in building and maintaining websites. I highly recommend it.

I reviewed this book as part of the Amazon Vine Program. 

The Elusive Jane Austen

Although Jane Austen is one of the world's best loved authors, little is known about her character. Most of the 3,000 letters she wrote to her family were destroyed after her death. We are left to wonder whether the real Jane was a sweet aunt, or a sharp tongued spinster. In spite of this handicap, Catherine Reef does a commendable job of showing us Jane's family and the era she lived in.

The Georgian Era was characterized by a rigid class structure and strict code of manners. Although she lived most of her life in country villages, Jane was an astute observer of human nature. She used this gift to give her novels unforgettable characters that people respond to today. I like the way Reef used this historical picture of Jane Austen to lead into a discussion of her novels and how they related to her life. In discussing the novels, Reed hints at the interesting question of why Jane remained a spinster. It's tempting to believe that she had as much experience of romantic attachments as her heroines which allowed her to understand them so well.

Although this short version of Jane's life is targeted at teen-readers, it can be enjoyed by adults as well. I found it fascinating and highly recommend it for all lovers of Jane Austen's novels.

I reviewed this book as part of the Amazon Vine Program. 

Useful Suggestions for Writing a Book Proposal

How to Write a Book Proposal is aimed at authors of non-fiction books, but is has good advice for fiction writers as well. Non-fiction books usually sell on the strength of a proposal and the advice is excellent. Fiction books usually sell on the basis of the completed manuscript. However, the advice on internet marketing and promotion is appropriate for either type of book.

I found the section on choosing a title to be particularly interesting. Often authors forget what a great selling tool the title is. Larsen makes this point clearly and offers numerous, often humorous, suggestions. In fact, I found all Larsen's marketing suggestions interesting and in many cases vital. Everyone who expects to write a book must find a way to get readers and decide how much time to spend on marketing as opposed to writing new material. The days of publishers marketing all books to the full are gone. Authors need to be entrepreneurs as well as creators.

I recommend this book for anyone thinking about publishing either a non-fiction book, for which it is most useful, or a fiction book, for the information on marketing and use of the internet. My suggestion is to use the material that makes sense for your project, read the rest and enjoy the writer's humor.

I reviewed this book as part of the Thomas Nelson Booksneeze Program.  

A Mesmerizing Exploration of a Deteriorating Mind - Turn of Mind by Alice LaPlante

Dr. Jennifer White is sixty-four-years-old, suffering from Alzheimer's and a person of interest in the death of her best friend, Amanda. Her days are filled with a reality that blurs and fades and sometimes is intensely real. The police suspect Dr. White is involved in Amanda's murder. She's an orthopedic surgeon and four of Amanda's fingers have been removed with surgical precision. But is someone with advanced dementia capable of committing a skillful murder without being detected?

The story is told through Dr. White's eyes. It's eerie to be inside the head of someone whose reality changes from day to day. We meet her children, her caregiver, and through the visions she experiences, her husband, parents and Amanda herself. As the disease progresses, we are drawn more and more into the complex, disturbing world inhabited by Dr. White.

One police officer needs to find the truth. She continues to question Dr. White after all the others have given up, and gradually, she pieces together most of the truth. While it gives closure to the reader and the police officer. It's too late to help Dr. White. Her world is dissolving toward the end.

I enjoyed this book although it was an eerie sensation to be so much in the head of someone with a distorted vision reality. I thought the author did an excellent job describing the deteriorating world of an Alzheimer's patient.

Although the murder mystery kept me turning pages, the investigation by the police officers didn't ring true. Perhaps this was because it was being told through a distorted vision. Still, it was a necessary part of the novel. Without some real life clues to follow the novel would have become too convoluted in the bizarre world of Dr. White's deteriorating brain. Well worth the read.

I reviewed this book as part of the Amazon Vine Program.

Useful Story Planning Tools

Story Engineering presents six tools that can help structure your story: concept, character, theme, structure, scene execution and writing voice. If you use these concepts, you can structure a story that flows. Knowing where to put major scenes can, by itself, give your story momentum.

Larry Brooks is very much in favor of structure. He firmly believes this is the way to plan your novel, and I agree with him. Too many writers do wander around looking for their story while writing hundreds of pages. Where I differ with him is in his contention that knowing and using these competencies will get you published. If you don't you won't get there. Having read hundreds of novels, I can see that structure is important, but there are a great many published novels that, in my opinion, fail. Structure may be there, but they're dull, characterization is poor, and the subject matter uninteresting.

I felt that his extensive use of Dan Brown's “The Da Vinci Code” was unfortunate. I agree that Brown follows the recommended structure, but without the enticing clues and mysterious background, I don't think the book works well. Perhaps this is because I hate chase scenes with no character development. So while I enjoyed “Story Engineering,” I have some reservations about how useful structure is if you don't have excellent content and characterization.

I also felt that he short-changed organic writers. Outlining, or preparing a beat sheet is a good idea, but some people do have an intrinsic feel for story and don't do as well preparing everything up front. I think this approach has many valid suggestions for improving craft, but I also think there are other important factors. My suggestion is read the book and take what you can use. It's an experience that will make you think.

I reviewed this book as part of the Thomas Nelson Booksneeze Program. 

Delightful Mystery

Nick, a forensic entomologist otherwise known as the Bug Man, is getting married. At least he thinks he is, but he has some reservations. Is he really ready for marriage, or is it just the wedding he dreads? Three days before the wedding, he sets out to find the murderer of his old friend Pete Bondreau. His fiancee is not happy, putting it mildly, about the idea. Being Nick, he gets completely wrapped up in the mystery, but what about his fiancee and the wedding on Saturday?

Nick is a delightful arrogant, egotistical, genius. His dialog sparkles with all the things you'd love to say, but wouldn't dare to the people who annoy you. The plot is suspenseful; the supporting characters well drawn. I thoroughly enjoyed the novel. It's a quick read, perfect for a day at the beach or curled up on the couch on a rainy afternoon.

I heartily recommend this book. In fact, I will have to check out the other books in the series. In addition to the plot twists there is a lot of interesting information about insects, particularly those found at a crime scene. Altogether a delightful experience.

I reviewed this book as part of the Thomas Nelson Booksneeze Program.