My Mrs. Brown by William Norwich

Featuring 

My Mrs. Brown
by William Norwich

Pearls of wisdom can be found in each and every book that we read, but there are many in My Mrs. Brown that resonate with the reader. It is true that once you think positively and you practice those thoughts they become true. The power of an Oscar De La Renta dress to change your life becomes the main focus of this novel, and readers can delight in the chosen words that convey a message from author to reader.

Synopsis via Simon & Schuster 
From William Norwich, the well-known fashion writer and editor, an unforgettable novel about a woman with a secret who travels to New York City on a determined quest to buy a special dress that represents everything she wants to say about that secret…and herself.

Sometimes a dress isn’t just a dress.

Emilia Brown is a woman of a certain age. She has spent a frugal, useful, and wholly restrained life in Ashville, a small town in Rhode Island. Overlooked especially by the industries of fashion and media, Mrs. Brown is one of today’s silent generations of women whose quiet no-frills existences would make them seem invisible. She is a genteel woman who has known her share of personal sorrows and quietly carried on, who makes a modest living cleaning and running errands at the local beauty parlor, who delights in evening chats with her much younger neighbor, twenty-three-year-old Alice Danvers.

When the grand dame of Ashville passes away, Mrs. Brown is called upon to inventory her estate and comes across a dress that changes everything. The dress isn’t a Cinderella confection; it’s a simple yet exquisitely tailored Oscar de la Renta sheath and jacket—a suit that Mrs. Brown realizes, with startling clarity, will say everything she has ever wished to convey. She must have it. And so, like the inspired heroine of Paul Gallico’s 1958 classic Mrs. ‘Arris Goes to Paris, Mrs. Brown begins her odyssey to purchase thedress. For not only is the owning of the Oscar de la Renta a must, the intimidating trip to purchase it on Madison Avenue is essential as well. If the dress is to give Mrs. Brown a voice, then she must prepare by making the daunting journey—both to the emerald city and within herself.
Timeless, poignant, and appealing, My Mrs. Brown is a novel for every mother in the world, every woman who ever wanted the perfect dress, and every child who wanted to give it to her.

Happy Reading!
*Thank you to Simon & Schuster for my copy of  My Mrs. Brown*

People Who Knew Me by Kim Hooper

People Who Knew Me by Kim Hooper

I won't waste any time with any small talk, I will cut straight to the chase. I really loved this book! At the very end of this novel, I craved answers that only sitting in my car with my Kindle in hand could solve. I was enthralled by the characters in this book, and grew to be especially fond of Paul, Drew and Claire. Kim Hooper is an incredibly gifted writer, and I only hope that there is a sequel to this book. This should stand as my official plea to Kim to write the second installment of this story. 

Synopsis

Emily Morris got her happily-ever-after earlier than most. Married at a young age to a man she loved passionately, she was building the life she always wanted. But when enormous stress threatened her marriage, Emily made some rash decisions. That’s when she fell in love with someone else. That’s when she got pregnant.

Resolved to tell her husband of the affair and to leave him for the father of her child, Emily’s plans are thwarted when the world is suddenly split open on 9/11. It’s amid terrible tragedy that she finds her freedom, as she leaves New York City to start a new life. It’s not easy, but Emily---now Connie Prynne―forges a new happily-ever-after in California. But when a life-threatening diagnosis upends her life, she is forced to rethink her life for the good of her thirteen-year-old daughter.

A riveting debut in which a woman must confront her own past in order to secure the future of her daughter, Kim Hooper's People Who Knew Me asks: “What would you do?”

About the Author 
Kim's Blog

Seriously...Order Your Copy 

Happy Reading!

The Stopped Heart by Julie Myerson

The Stopped Heart by Julie Myerson

With shades similar to Pretty Baby by Mary Kubica, The Stopped Heart offers readers a thrilling adventure that leaves you wondering if grief really can play tricks on the our mind. Long ago in the idyllic countryside, a chilling event takes place, and at the center of the ring is someone with red hair. Fast forward a century, and a family moves to the same countryside to escape their grief that is the result of a terrible family tragedy. A chilling parallel between past and present begins to reveal itself, and the reader is left turning the pages to become immersed in this gruesome tale. This book depicts crimes against children, so for readers disturbed or revolted by that narrative, they should be warned. For the thriller in you, this book will suit the dark side of your reading tastes. Read the synopsis to decide if The Stopped Heart is the kind of book to add to your bag!

Synopsis

Internationally bestselling author Julie Myerson’s beautifully written, yet deeply chilling, novel of psychological suspense explores the tragedies—past and present—haunting a picturesque country cottage. Mary Coles and her husband, Graham, have just moved to a cottage on the edge of a small village. The house hasn’t been lived in for years, but they are drawn to its original features and surprisingly large garden, which stretches down into a beautiful apple orchard. It’s idyllic, remote, picturesque: exactly what they need to put the horror of the past behind them. One hundred and fifty years earlier, a huge oak tree was felled in front of the cottage during a raging storm. Beneath it lies a young man with a shock of red hair, presumed dead—surely no one could survive such an accident. But the red-haired man is alive, and after a brief convalescence is taken in by the family living in the cottage and put to work in the fields. The children all love him, but the eldest daughter, Eliza, has her reservations. There’s something about the red-haired man that sits ill with her. A presence. An evil. Back in the present, weeks after moving to the cottage and still drowning beneath the weight of insurmountable grief, Mary Coles starts to sense there’s something in the house. Children’s whispers, footsteps from above, half-caught glimpses of figures in the garden. A young man with a shock of red hair wandering through the orchard.

Has Mary’s grief turned to madness? Or have the events that took place so long ago finally come back to haunt her…?

It is intriguing, right? A huge thank you to Harper Books for the early copy of this book.

Reading Reconsidered

Reading Reconsidered

There is no doubt that the face of reading instruction has changed in the dawn of Common Core state standards, and for many teachers, they were left wondering "what does 'rigorous' reading look like?'" As teachers, we hear terms like lexile, close reading, and increasingly complex text  but are rarely given the training or tools to fully grasp their meaning, and if an explanation is given its message varies among school districts. 

In Reading Reconsidered, the authors want teachers to inspire students to "read like champions". In this book, the teacher is given a guide to practical literacy instruction including close reading, and how to engage students in increasingly complex text. The one proven tool to assist students become more proficient readers is to have them read. Doug Lemov implores teachers to do the same in this book, which made me feel relieved to hear this message. There is no replacement for carving out time in the school day to allow students the freedom to choose a book, and time to read it. With so many other choices at students' disposal, it is critical that teachers say "what can I do to instill a love of learning in my students?" 

This text is a book you would buy for a budding students teacher, or anyone looking to broaden their understanding of reading instruction and its shifts. The practical digital clips allow the teacher the opportunity to "see it live" which is the best sort of professional development. Seeing students utilize the strategies and tools that you read about in the book makes it simpler to say "I can do that!" This book is more expensive than other books that teachers could read for professional development, but growth and improvement is more important than anything. Please read the following synopsis to see if this particular text would be the best suited to your classroom needs.

Synopsis 

TEACH YOUR STUDENTS TO READ LIKE CHAMPIONS--WITH RIGOR, INDEPENDENCE, PRECISION, AND INSIGHT

The world we are preparing our students to succeed in is one bound together by words and phrases. Our students learn their literature, history, math, science, or art via a firm foundation of strong reading skills. When we teach students to read with precision, rigor, and insight, we are truly handing over the key to the kingdom. Of all the subjects we teach reading is first among equals.

Grounded in advice from effective classrooms nationwide, enhanced with more than 40 video clips, "Reading Reconsidered" takes you into the trenches with actionable guidance from real-life educators and instructional champions. The authors address the anxiety-inducing world of Common Core State Standards, distilling from those standards four key ideas that help hone teaching practices both generally and in preparation for assessments. This 'Core of the Core' comprises the first half of the book and instructs educators on how to teach students to: read harder texts, 'closely read' texts rigorously and intentionally, read nonfiction more effectively, and write more effectively in direct response to texts.

The second half of "Reading Reconsidered" reinforces these principles, coupling them with the 'fundamentals' of reading instruction--a host of techniques and subject specific tools to reconsider how teachers approach such essential topics as vocabulary, interactive reading, and student autonomy. "Reading Reconsidered" breaks an overly broad issue into clear, easy-to-implement approaches. Filled with practical tools, including: 44 video clips of exemplar teachers demonstrating the techniques and principles in their classrooms Recommended book lists Downloadable tips and templates on key topics like reading nonfiction, vocabulary instruction, and literary terms and definitions.

"Reading Reconsidered" provides the framework necessary for teachers to ensure that students forge futures as lifelong readers. 

The Important Thing About Being a Girl

This may be the most conversation that we have about girls and sex. It has been a rough go reading this book only because I lived through so many of the scenarios depicted in this book. I can stand with conviction and tell you that i will definitely have different conversations not only with my daughter, but also with my son as a result of this book. The prolific use of technology and devices as a means to humiliate and pigeon-hole girls into categories that rank them based on their beauty and worth is not only disturbing but tragic. This book "offers a clear-eyed picture of the new sexual landscape girls face in the post-princess stage—high school through college—and reveals how they are negotiating it. A generation gap has emerged between parents and their girls. Even in this age of helicopter parenting, the mothers and fathers of tomorrow’s women have little idea what their daughters are up to sexually or how they feel about it." This is the part where we, as parents, come in to the picture. Ignoring or turning our backs tot he needs of our children does not mean they are not engaging in sexual acts, and (gasp!) posting about it, but that they are more than likely doing it behind your back. So much has changed in the landscape of parenting, and I am struggling to keep up. But I'll be damned if my children grow up not understanding the implications that the choices they make have on them, their peers, and their futures. "Drawing on in-depth interviews with over seventy young women and a wide range of psychologists, academics, and experts, renowned journalist Peggy Orenstein goes where most others fear to tread, pulling back the curtain on the hidden truths, hard lessons, and important possibilities of girls’ sex lives in the modern world." The frustrations I felt while reading this book were reminiscent of those that I felt while reading Missoula by Jon Kraukauer. It is just maddening to me how little progress we have made with regard to equality of treatment of boys and girls with regard to sexuality and objective treatment of girls.  

"While the media has focused—often to sensational effect—on the rise of casual sex and the prevalence of rape on campus, in Girls and Sex Peggy Orenstein brings much more to the table. She examines the ways in which porn and all its sexual myths have seeped into young people’s lives; what it means to be the “the perfect slut” and why many girls scorn virginity; the complicated terrain of hookup culture and the unfortunate realities surrounding assault. In Orenstein’s hands these issues are never reduced to simplistic “truths;” rather, her powerful reporting opens up a dialogue on a potent, often silent, subtext of American life today—giving readers comprehensive and in-depth information with which to understand, and navigate, this complicated new world. " A worthy, important and worthwhile read.

The Tragic Age by Stephen Metcalfe

The Tragic Age by Stephen Metcalfe

Published by St. Martin's Griffin 

Today's feature is the paperback release of a YA novel titled The Tragic Age by author Stephen Metcalfe. The author brings to life a world where wealth and loss affect a family in a multitude of ways, and what it means to break free from the chains that bind you. It is a powerful message not only for teens, but for adults as well. Sometimes, we find, the difference between order and utter chaos is a messy line and is not as simple as it seems. One often thinks the solution to a chaotic world is to stay completely removed from it, but we all know that avoiding life is more complicated, especially when the life you have on the inside is more chaotic than life on the outside. Being a teenager is a challenge, it is, after all, "the tragic age." 

Synopsis 

This is the story of Billy Kinsey, heir to a lottery fortune, part genius, part philosopher and social critic, full time insomniac and closeted rock drummer. Billy has decided that the best way to deal with an absurd world is to stay away from it. Do not volunteer. Do not join in. Billy will be the first to tell you it doesn't always work- not when your twin sister, Dorie, has died, not when your unhappy parents are at war with one another, not when frazzled soccer moms in two ton SUVs are more dangerous than atom bombs, and not when your guidance counselor keeps asking why you haven't applied to college.
Billy's life changes when two people enter his life. Twom Twomey is a charismatic renegade who believes that truly living means going a little outlaw. Twom and Billy become one another's mutual benefactor and friend. At the same time, Billy is reintroduced to Gretchen Quinn, an old and adored friend of Dorie's. It is Gretchen who suggests to Billy that the world can be transformed by creative acts of the soul.
With Twom, Billy visits the dark side. And with Gretchen, Billy experiences possibilities.
Billy knows that one path is leading him toward disaster and the other toward happiness. The problem is-Billy doesn't trust happiness. It's the age he's at. The tragic age.

Stephen Metcalfe's brilliant, debut coming-of-age novel, The Tragic Age, will teach you to learn to love, trust and truly be alive in an absurd world.

About the Author

Stephen Metcalfe wrote the production drafts for Pretty Woman, Dangerous Minds and Mr. Holland's Opus, among others. His stage plays have been produced in New York and theaters around the U.S., Europe and Japan. He is an Associate Artist at the Globe Theater in San Diego, University of San Diego, and San Diego State University. 

The Good Liar by Nicholas Searle

The Good Liar by Nicholas Searle

Published by HarperCollins

352 pages

 

How compelling is an opening line such as this? "This is a life told back to front." It makes you immediately want to mark this as "To-Read" on your Goodreads profile. It is amazing to think of how little we actually know about most of the people we are surrounded by, and reading books like The Good Liar doesn't make it any easier to build the bonds of trust! In this book, you take a con artist, a wealthy widow, and a grandson who knows that things do not seem right, and you have a masterful tale of suspense that will take you by surprise. Everyone has their own secrets, and often a dark past is difficult to hide. All of the things about your past that you try to hide, and perhaps should have seen coming are played out for the reader, and to oh my- how we benefit! I love when a book builds suspense for the reader and ploys you by taking a seemingly unsuspecting woman and placing her in the path of a con artist bent on taking all of her money and living out the rest of his days in comfort. 

Synopsis

"This is a man who has lied all his life."  

Roy is a conman living in a small English town, about to pull off his final con. He is going to meet and woo a beautiful woman and slip away with her life savings. But who is the man behind the con? What has he had to do to survive a life of lies? And who has had to pay the price?

"Reminiscent of Patricia Highsmith, The Good Liar is a page-turning story of literary suspense, weaving a masterful web of lies, secrets, and betrayals that unravels to a shocking conclusion."

Spotlight Feature: Platinum Doll by Anne Girard

Spotlight Feature: Platinum Doll

The story of Jean Harlow, famed movie star comes to life in this book by author Anne Girard. Read the synopsis to discover a if this new book is all you have been waiting for. 

Set against the dazzling backdrop of Golden Age Hollywood, Platinum Doll tells the enchanting story of Jean Harlow, one of the most iconic stars in the history of film.

It's the Roaring Twenties and seventeen-year-old Harlean Carpenter McGrew has run off to Beverly Hills. She's chasing a dream—to escape her small, Midwestern life and see her name in lights. In California, Harlean has everything a girl could want—a rich husband, glamorous parties, socialite friends—except an outlet for her talent. But everything changes when a dare pushes her to embrace her true ambition—to be an actress on the silver screen.

With her timeless beauty and striking shade of platinum-blond hair, Harlean becomes Jean Harlow. And as she's thrust into the limelight, Jean learns that this new world of opportunity comes with its own set of burdens. Torn between her family and her passion to perform, Jean is forced to confront the difficult truth—that fame comes at a price, if only she's willing to pay it. 

Featuring a glittering cast of ingénues and Hollywood titans—Clara Bow, Clark Gable, Laurel and Hardy, Howard Hughes—Platinum Doll introduces us to the star who would shine brighter than them all.

On sale from MIRA Books and available January 26, 2016

Author Anne Girard

dianehaeger.com

Diane Haeger, who currently writes under the pen name Anne Girard (Madame Picasso), holds a Master’s Degree in Clinical Psychology from Pepperdine University, and a Bachelor’s Degree in English Literature from UCLA. A chance meeting with the famed author Irving Stone 25 years ago sharply focused her ambition to tell great stories from history, and write them only after detailed research and extensive travel to the place her character lived. That determination has provided a fascinating journey that has taken her from the halls of Chenonceaux, to a private interview with one of Pablo Picasso's last surviving friends, and most recently an invitation inside Jean Harlow's home.

Since the publication of her acclaimed first novel, Courtesan, in 1993, a novel that remains in print today, her work has been translated into 18 different languages, bringing her international success and award-winning status.

Platinum Doll, a novel about Jean Harlow, is her 15th book. She lives in Southern California with her husband and family.

Connect with Anne via her website, Facebook, Twitter or Goodreads:

Facebook: facebook.com/annegirardauthor

Twitter:@annegirard1

Goodreads: goodreads.com/author/Anne_Girard

To order your copy of Platinum Doll, please visit one of the links below: 

Amazon:  amazon.com/gp/product/0778318664?keywords=platinum%20doll&qid=1445039447&ref_=sr_1_1&sr=8-1

Barnes & Noble:  barnesandnoble.com/w/platinum-doll-anne-girard/1122095473?ean=9780778318668

Happy Reading!

Girl Through Glass by Sari Wilson

Girl Through Glass by Sari Wilson

Harper Collins Publishers

A look into the world of the New York City ballet, its mounting pressures and ideals set by the industry that forces the dancers on a quest for perfection. Many times, the perfection is unattainable, and readers will be immersed into the culture that is utterly enthralling. Set in 1977, it is a throwback novel, but also completely relevant and contemporary. A young girl seeks solace from her parent's divorce through ballet, which offers her the power and control she lacks in her home life. This leads her in to dark places, and a compromising of morality. Fast-forward to Kate's world, where not much in the industry has changed and girls experience the same pitfalls in this dark world. Please read the following publisher's excerpt on Girl Through Glass.

Synposis

"An enthralling literary debut that tells the story of a young girl’s coming of age in the cutthroat world of New York City ballet—a story of obsession and the quest for perfection, trust and betrayal, beauty and lost innocence.

In the roiling summer of 1977, eleven-year-old Mira is an aspiring ballerina in the romantic, highly competitive world of New York City ballet. Enduring the mess of her parent’s divorce, she finds escape in dance—the rigorous hours of practice, the exquisite beauty, the precision of movement, the obsessive perfectionism. Ballet offers her control, power, and the promise of glory. It also introduces her to forty-seven-year-old Maurice DuPont, a reclusive, charismatic balletomane who becomes her mentor.

Over the course of three years, Mira is accepted into the prestigious School of American Ballet run by the legendary George Balanchine, and eventually becomes one of “Mr. B’s girls”—a dancer of rare talent chosen for greatness. As she ascends higher in the ballet world, her relationship with Maurice intensifies, touching dark places within herself and sparking unexpected desires that will upend both their lives.

In the present day, Kate, a professor of dance at a Midwestern college, embarks on a risky affair with a student that threatens to obliterate her career and capsizes the new life she has painstakingly created for her reinvented self. When she receives a letter from a man she’s long thought dead, Kate is hurled back into the dramas of a past she thought she had left behind.

Told in interweaving narratives that move between past and present, Girl Through Glass illuminates the costs of ambition, secrets, and the desire for beauty, and reveals how the sacrifices we make for an ideal can destroy—or save—us."

http://goo.gl/RPT8Gd

Happy Reading!

Spotlight Feature: All in Her Head by Sunny Mera

All in Her Head by Sunny Mera

Pub Date: November 10,  2015

If you have been searching for a book that will challenge everything you normally read, then I think this book fits the bill. The story line, the characters, and the way this story unfurls like curling ribbon is an oddity that is difficult to put in to words. Though this book is not for everyone (especially the parts including orgasmic labor), it is a quick read. Part of the Book Sparks Fall Reading Challenge, All in Her Head takes readers on a psychological journey, and this cover is a stunner! Read the following synopsis to decide if this book is one you would add to your TBR list:

 "As a young girl growing up in the Midwest, Sunny experiences the shame and stigma of scandal when her father is banned from their church for having an affair with the pastor’s best friend’s wife. As Sunny grows older, she begins to build the life she’s always wanted: she marries, buys a house, enrolls in graduate school, and soon has a baby on the way. But when she experiences the psychological phenomena of orgasmic labor, it triggers a chain of bizarre events, and she gradually descends into a world of delusion and paranoia. As Sunny struggles to separate the real from the unreal, she relies upon friends and family to ground her in truth and love―and keep her from going over the edge into madness."

January-New Year, New Titles

New year, new TBR being set here at the Simons' household. This morning as I was getting ready to go to work, I saw my daughter holding a book as she was walking around getting ready. Be still my heart! That's how I feel when I start a new year on my Goodreads profile-I just want to read as many as I can. That being said, here are some exciting titles that I can't wait to read that are available this month:

The Longest Night by Andria Williams

Release Date: January 12, 2016 

In this absorbing and suspenseful debut novel—reminiscent of Revolutionary Road and inspired by a little-known piece of history—a young couple must fight to save both their marriage and the town they live in.

In 1959, Nat Collier moves with her husband, Paul, and their two young daughters to Idaho Falls, a remote military town. An Army Specialist, Paul is stationed there to help oversee one of the country's first nuclear reactors—an assignment that seems full of opportunity.

Then, on his rounds, Paul discovers that the reactor is compromised, placing his family and the entire community in danger. Worse, his superiors set out to cover up the problem rather than fix it. Paul can't bring himself to tell Nat the truth, but his lies only widen a growing gulf between them.

Lonely and restless, Nat is having trouble adjusting to their new life. She struggles to fit into her role as a housewife and longs for a real friend. When she meets a rancher, Esrom, she finds herself drawn to him, comforted by his kindness and company. But as rumors spread, the secrets between Nat and Paul build and threaten to reach a breaking point. 

Based on a true story of the only fatal nuclear accident to occur in America, The Longest Night is a deeply moving novel that explores the intricate makeup of a marriage, the shifting nature of trust, and the ways we try to protect the ones we love.

When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi

Release Date: January 12, 2016 

At the age of thirty-six, on the verge of completing a decade’s worth of training as a neurosurgeon, Paul Kalanithi was diagnosed with stage IV lung cancer. One day he was a doctor treating the dying, and the next he was a patient struggling to live. And just like that, the future he and his wife had imagined evaporated. When Breath Becomes Air chronicles Kalanithi’s transformation from a naïve medical student “possessed,” as he wrote, “by the question of what, given that all organisms die, makes a virtuous and meaningful life” into a neurosurgeon at Stanford working in the brain, the most critical place for human identity, and finally into a patient and new father confronting his own mortality.

What makes life worth living in the face of death? What do you do when the future, no longer a ladder toward your goals in life, flattens out into a perpetual present? What does it mean to have a child, to nurture a new life as another fades away? These are some of the questions Kalanithi wrestles with in this profoundly moving, exquisitely observed memoir.

Paul Kalanithi died in March 2015, while working on this book, yet his words live on as a guide and a gift to us all. “I began to realize that coming face to face with my own mortality, in a sense, had changed nothing and everything,” he wrote. “Seven words from Samuel Beckett began to repeat in my head: ‘I can’t go on. I’ll go on.’” When Breath Becomes Air is an unforgettable, life-affirming reflection on the challenge of facing death and on the relationship between doctor and patient, from a brilliant writer who became both.

These are the books at the top of the stack begging to be read! What does your TBR stack look like? 

Happy Reading!