Sakura

Harlan Hague brings his beautiful, faulted characters to life in a story of love lost and redemption. West coast professor, David, lives a quiet, yet exciting, life with his wife and they spend their spare time traveling and working in their gorgeous style English garden. Their idyllic life is about to be shattered however; the new student assistant assigned to David turns out to be his son from a lover in a land and time far away.

Kenji traveled from Japan to meet the father he never knew. When David is presented with this truth he must face the past, the past he thought he ran away from. Anni, the woman he loved had done him wrong (or so he thought) so he left Japan, but never forgot her. When Anni comes to town to visit her son, their romance is rekindled and David must sort out his feelings for the two women he loves; his wife and his Japanese lover.

A short, yet endearing read full of unforgettable characters. Good for romance and contemporary fiction lovers.

I received this book for free in return for my honest, unbiased opinions.

Finding the Dragon Lady

An intriguing and insightful work on the legend (and the truth) of South Vietnam's Madame Nhu. Before reading this novel I had virtually no idea who she was, where she was from, or why she was important. But after reading this I can say I've learned a great deal and am amazed I hadn't come across this stunning woman earlier!

Monique Brinson Demery does a masterful job of weaving the mysterious Madame Nhu's life together and manages to create a rich tapestry of mystery and intrigue. This novel also explains a great deal on how the Vietnam War began which is an added bonus.

Overall, a truly intelligent and well rounded historical read, great for history buffs and casual reader's alike.

Ender's Game

I was excited to finally get this book off my "to-read" list and I wasn't disappointed. For years I've heard this book hailed as one of the all time greatest science fiction novels of all time and I'm glad to say it lives up to all the hype.

In the future children are the saviors of humanity, after aliens attack the earth elite children are groomed to become captains of the starfleet to defend humankind. Young Ender is an exceptional child, from an early age his critical, emotional, and physical skills, were amazing. As he ages he has to continually show the higher ups that he has what it takes. But does he? Is there anything wrong with wanting to be a child and act your age? Is it even moral to subject such young children to tests? Read to find out more, also keep your eyes peeled for the trailers of the new movie adaptation starring Harrison Ford.

Cardinal Timothy Dolan

Cardinal Timothy Dolan brought down the house on September 3rd. No, not at St. Patrick’s Cathedral, but on the “Colbert Report,” where the good Cardinal traded jabs with host Stephen Colbert, and discussed his bestselling e-book original, Praying in Rome.

Praying in Rome is Cardinal Dolan’s personal reflection of his time in the Conclave that elected Pope Francis in early 2013. Full of his characteristic good humor, the book chronicles the myriad of emotions he felt upon the resignation of Pope Benedict and during the process of electing the next Vicar of Christ.

During his conversation with Stephen Colbert on Tuesday night, Cardinal Dolan joked that only his mother and Colbert had read Praying in Rome. In truth, his bestselling e-book has garnered enormous praise for its honesty, insight and humor.

Most Talkative: Stories from the Front Lines of Pop Culture

I'm going to sound like a TOTAL nerd, but I had to google who Andy Cohen was before I read this. I've never watched Bravo (too poor for cable) or the The Real Housewives and apparently I'm pop culture stupid because I've never heard of Andy anywhere else though. All that being said I still enjoyed this audiobook a great deal. Andy narrated it himself and he did a GREAT job. He's a hilarious narrator and his accents and voices are too funny. Plus he includes tons of tidbits and extra material just for the audiobook version (a real plus!).

Andy's memoir reflects back on his youth, his love for All My Children, coming out as gay, becoming a celebrity and much much more. It's funny, poignant, eye rolling, and attention grabbing all in one go. A definite must listen for all fans of pop culture!

Tweak

Wow, this book took my breath away. It was terrifying, inspirational, insane, unbelievable, and heartbreaking. I've never had the urge to do hard drugs and this book firmly cemented my belief that drugs will fuck your shit up. 

I'm an anxious reader as it is and I always get nervous when a character does something I know they shouldn't do or that they'll get in trouble for later (you could say I get waaay too invested in my stories) and this book had me hyperventilating. I was practically yelling at the book, "Don't do it Nic! Don't relapse! That's a horrible idea! What are you thinking??"

This memoir is haunting and heartbreaking but you really have to admire the guts Nic has in sharing his brutal story about addiction. He spiraled out of control multiple times and he leaves nothing out. He was using dirty needles, prostituting himself, stealing from his family, doing every type of drug imaginable and he lays it all out for the reader. It took a lot of failed attempts but he finally got clean, testament to, no matter how bad your life is you can turn it around.

A truly great (but terrifying) book.

Certain Girls

I read this in one day, but that doesn't necessarily mean I loved this book. I didn't find out until I went to post this review that this book is the second in a series. That being said I had no idea and had no problem following the storyline.

The story follows Cannie and her daughter, Joy, as they try to come to terms with Joy growing up. The alternating chapters really help illustrate the gap between mother and daughter. As Joy prepares for adulthood (she's thirteen), her mom wants to put her life on hold and keep her young forever. Witty, funny, this story emphasizes the complexities of mother and daughter relationships and the strength and understanding needed to stay sane.

Overall, this was alright but not earth shattering. Good read for those that like chick lit.