I love to read, recommend books and open the world of reading to others. I tutor to ensure that the next generation of readers will know the joys of a good book because their reading skills have improved. I am an avid reader, especially of mysteries and fiction. I believe that two of the world's greatest inventions were the public library and eyeglasses!
This book is such a terrific, cheerful resource for kids (and maybe even some adults). First, it covers each of the parts of speech. This section is followed by guides to grammar, everything from capitalization to collective nouns to punctuation, including my bete noir, the comma. Finally there is a section on literary devices; just a few of the ones that are here include cliches, analogies,onomatopoeia and more.
This book offers an entertaining, at times funny, and very helpful guide to grammar. It just might need a spot on your child’s bookshelf.
I have enjoyed so many books by Ms. Carr and always look forward to her new titles. I am truly delighted to be part of the book tour for A Family Affair. Many thanks to Justine Sha and everyone at Harlequin Trade Publishing for this opportunity. Lovers of women’s fiction, be sure to give this a look.
Robyn Carr is an award-winning, #1 New York Times bestselling author of more than sixty novels, including highly praised women’s fiction such as Four Friends, The Summer That Made Us and The View from Alameda Island, as well as the critically acclaimed Virgin River, Thunder Point and Sullivan’s Crossing series. Virgin River is now a Netflix original series. Robyn lives in Las Vegas, Nevada. You can visit her website at robyncarr.com.
Book Summary:
An exceptional storyteller, #1 New York Times bestselling author Robyn Carr beautifully captures the emotionally charged, complex dynamics that come with being part of any family. Readers will laugh and shed a few tears as they discover what it means to be loved, supported and accepted by the people who mean the most.
When a woman notices a young pregant woman attending her husband’s funeral she realizes his mid-life crisis went far beyond his weekend warrior lifestyle. But Carr’s story of a family dealing with their grief is full of surprises and as everyone examines their own beliefs and behavior, they become closer than they ever thought possible. Carr tackles the serious issues women face with humor and heart.
HERE IS A BOOK EXCERPT TO WHET YOUR APPETITE:
The celebration of life was not held in a funeral parlor or church but rather in a fancy clubhouse in an upscale Mill Valley community. It was furnished with comfortable sofas, chairs, small round accent tables, thick carpet and carefully chosen art. Its primary purpose was for hosting parties. Residents in the community could rent it for events, which Anna had done. There was a huge viewing screen upon which the pictures of Chad’s life played, a hundred and fifty of them, carefully and lovingly chosen by Anna with a little help from the kids. Every picture had Chad in it, starting from old childhood prints she’d inherited from Chad’s mother years ago. She’d glance up to see one of him in a high school football uniform looking the worse for wear with a big grin on his dirty face; she caught a huge blowup of their wedding picture; there was one soon after of him with baby Jessie asleep on his chest. There were many pictures of Chad alone, a few of Chad and Anna, one of a young Anna gazing lovingly up into Chad’s face, several family groupings. The focus was Chad, his life, his accomplishments, his achievements, his happiness, a few of the important people in his life. Chad, Chad, Chad. Just like before he died.
Things had been tense lately, but she remembered those younger years fondly because, although it hadn’t been easy, they had been deeply in love. They met through what can only be described as fate, as destiny. In fact, their meeting was a legendary family story. Anna had been in San Francisco, shopping on her lunch hour down at Fisherman’s Wharf. Shopping but not buying, which was typical for her as she had been and still was very frugal. She loved the sea lions, enjoyed watching tourists, sometimes found bargains at Pier 1, enjoyed the occasional meal on the pier.
On that day, something strange happened. She heard a panicked cry rise from the crowd of tourists on the pier, saw a food truck trundling across the pier without a driver, picking up speed. A man in work clothes and apron was chasing the truck. She only had seconds to take it in. It seemed the food truck, its awning out and moving fast, was headed toward a group of people. Right before her eyes the truck knocked a man off the pier before the truck was stopped by a barricade.
The man, completely unaware, flew off the dock and into the water below, startling a large number of fat sea lions who had been sunning themselves nearby.
The sea lions scrambled into the water and the man was flailing around in a panic. Someone yelled, “He can’t swim!” Hardly giving it a thought, Anna dropped her purse, kicked off her shoes and jumped off the pier, swimming to the man. Getting to him was no challenge; she practically landed on top of him. But he was hysterical and splashing, kicking and sputtering. “You’re okay, come on,” she said, grabbing his shirt by the collar. But he fought harder and sank, nearly pulling her under with him.
She slapped him in the face and that startled him enough he could let himself be rescued. She slid her arm around his neck and began pulling him to the dock where a couple of men seemed to be standing by to pull him in.
There was a lot of commotion, not to mention honking noises from sea lions. Anna was shivering in her wet clothes and all she could think at the time was how was she going to locate a change of clothes for her afternoon at work. Then there were emergency vehicles and a handsome young police officer draped a blanket around her shoulders and took a report. The near drowning victim was taken away in an ambulance and Anna was given a ride to her apartment by the cute policeman. She was delighted and surprised when the police officer called her a week later. She almost hyperventilated in hope that he’d ask her out.
“The man you pulled out of the water has been in touch. He wants your name,” the officer said.
“He isn’t going to sue me, is he?” she asked.
“I don’t think so,” he said with a laugh. “He seems very grateful. He won’t have any trouble tracking you down but I said I’d ask. He probably wants to thank you.”
The man’s name was Chad. He was finishing up his PhD at Berkeley while she was working in a law office in the Bay Area. She was twenty-three and he was twenty-seven and she was not prepared for how handsome he was and of course much better put together than when he was dragged out of the water.
He took her to dinner and, as she recalled, their first date was almost like an interview. He wanted to know everything about her and was utterly amazed to learn she’d had a job as a lifeguard in a community pool for exactly one summer when she was a teenager and yet jumped in to save him with total confidence. They fell in love almost instantly. The first time they made love, he asked her to marry him. She didn’t say yes right away, but they knew from the start they were made for each other. What they didn’t know was how many fights they’d have. Very few big fights but many small ones; she thought of them as bickering. They fought about what was on the pizza; a scrape on the side of the car that was not her fault, not even remotely; what kind of vacation they should have and where they should go. As Anna recalled, they always went where Chad wanted to go. They fought about what movie to see, where to eat, what was grumbled under his or her breath.
They fought seriously about his affair. That was in the distant past but it took a long time to get over. Years. But when they finally pledged to stay married, to do their best to make it good, they fell into bed and had the best sex of their lives. And they had Elizabeth.
That experience was how she knew that all the excuses for this current marital rift, no matter what he called it, was probably about another woman and not them growing apart or having divergent needs. He wouldn’t admit it and she had no proof, but she had better than average instincts. She believed he’d gotten all excited at the prospect of falling in love and was rewriting their history to make that acceptable. He was looking for an excuse that would make it reasonable to step outside the bonds of marriage. She could feel it; he’d been involved with someone else.
Starting out, know that this is one of the very best of Marian Keyes’s novels. It is engaging and absorbing. The characters are so alive and the pages turn quickly. Note, too, that in this novel, Ms. Keyes takes on some big themes including addiction, relationships and SPOILER BELOW
stillbirth, along with much else.
Ms. Keyes writes like a true insider here. Her descriptions of what it means to lose a much longed for baby ring so true. Anyone who has had to deal with infertility, miscarriage or pregnancy loss will know just how authentically the experience is described. Those who have not had these woes will certainly develop empathy for those who have.
SPOILER ENDED
Rachel works at a treatment center. Anyone who wonders what goes on when addicts are facing their actions and lives will learn a great deal. This could be very helpful to anyone who has a loved one who has needed such care. These sections give a real “fly on the wall” feeling.
Now, be clear that this is a wonderfully involving novel with good story lines. It is by no means a didactic title.
Rachel and those around her first became known to readers through Rachel’s Holiday, a novel that was published twenty years or so ago. Fans of that title will be delighted to see Rachel again. Those who have not read that book, no worries. It is very easy to step into the lives of this clan.
As the story opens, Rachel’s life seems to be going well. But, of course, there will be challenges. Readers will be hoping for all the best for Rachel. She is a character that it is easy to love.
Order this. It is such a good book. I highly recommend it!
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions are my own.
Some other opinions:
“A witty and warm-hearted sequel. . . . Effortlessly segueing from tragedy to comedy. . . . A novel replete with beautifully well-rounded secondary characters. . . . Again, Rachel has all of Keyes’s trademark wit, humour and whip-smart dialogue, but it’s also a novel teeming with compassion and redemption.” —The Observer
“Simply superb. . . . [Keyes] is hands down the funniest writer in the business.” —The Irish Times
“Keyes delivers punchy home truths with wit and charm. . . . Keyes’s beady-eyed observations and sparky, sweary dialogue . . . lighten another agonisingly painful story. There is a real genius to the way Keyes brings deep, awful truths to the surface. The plotting is more skillfully turned than in Rachel’s Holiday, and Keyes’s ability to keep the balance between realism and fantasy works like a kind of fairy charm. . . . Keyes has mastered the art of writing books that read like treats, but turn out to be good for you.” —The Telegraph
“Assured, wise and witty with superb observational detail, the characters and dialogue are so on point that reading Marian Keyes is like being cradled in safe arms. . . . Keyes fans won’t be disappointed and this is destined to be as successful as its forerunner.” —Woman & Home
“Rachel’s recovery storyline . . . is expertly crafted, as Keyes delves into what happens when a loss is so overwhelming that your usual support systems stop providing comfort. That portrait of grief, in particular the challenge it poses to those in recovery, is rendered with great compassion and acute emotional honesty.” —Independent (Irelan
Unique, original, funny, poignant…I find that all of these words can be overused when praising books but this time, in my opinion, they are truly deserved. This novel is like none other that I have read although there is some connection to The Nine Lives of Rose Napolitano in terms of what does it mean to become a parent when a woman does/did not wish to. Otherwise, the protagonists of the two books are quite different.
Lessons in Chemistry includes such a wonder box of treasures. Why is there a dog named 6:30 of all things? What will you think of his tragedy early in the book but his vigilance afterwards? Will you enjoy his empathy and understanding along with his understanding of a wide vocabulary? What would lead a baby to be named Mad? What are ergs doing in the story?
Readers become intimately acquainted with the idiosyncratic Elizabeth Zott. She is a woman placed in the wrong time by history. It is the 1950s into the 60s. She WANTS to be a chemist and a working woman who is respected but the times challenge her. Look for her work around to solve this.
Lessons in Chemistry refers, in part, to the science of cooking. What leads Elizabeth to be the host of TV cooking show? She is no Julia Child to be sure.
I loved this book! There were times when I laughed out loud. Anyone who may have found the transition to a life full of baby demands will know what Elizabeth is experiencing. There were many moments when I felt for the characters as they tried to get through their lives.
I highly recommend this title. Let me know what you think.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions are my own.
From the Publisher
Editorial Reviews
Review
“Strikingly relevant…Darkly funny and poignant…Lessons in Chemistry’s excellent experiment [is] quirky and heartwarming.”—The Atlantic
In my opinion, every child should have access to this title. It will help them to develop a most important life skill, understanding where money comes from and its importance. There are many colorful engaging illustrations along the way and the text is involving, not dry. Children will learn about why and how we use currency, credit cards, bitcoin and more. They will find out what purpose banks serve, what writing a check means, how one can invest and many other things. This title truly provides a basic financial literacy course in easy and digestible form. This is just what kids need, even if they do not know that was the case; they soon will.
I very much enjoyed this novel and recommend it to those who are looking for a story with a protagonist whom they will enjoy getting to know and, even better, Paris! Some background: Joan is the daughter of an artist and model. She has had a bit of difficulty finding her way but is working in a museum that features some of her father’s work. He was in a plane on 9/11 which, of course, drastically altered life for the family. As if that were not enough, Joan’s husband has kept a secret that has destroyed their marriage. Would you do what Joan does? She goes to Paris (!) to visit an old friend and to deliver some art work to a potential customer. Something goes very wrong though. What will Joan do and what will happen to her? Who was that mysterious man with whom she spent time? Will traveling to Paris help Joan to find what she is looking for, both literally and emotionally? Turn the pages of this one to find out.
An added bonus is that Ms. Dolan knows her art. I enjoyed reading about museums and the real life artists mentioned in the novel.
This was an engaging read. I was always hoping for a few more minutes of time to catch up with Joan. I wanted to travel along with her as she visited well-known Paris locations and grew.
Many thanks to NetGalley and William Morrow for this title. All opinions are mine. This book is published today!
Editorial Reviews
Review
“Dolan spins a story that is both heavy and light, spanning continents and exploring relationships. With a hint of Dan Brown and a splash of Jamie Brenner, this book will appeal to a variety of readers, especially those who enjoy character-driven fiction.” — Booklist
“Dolan’s clever latest…does a fantastic job depicting Joan’s love for her father and heartache over his death. This has a bit more substance than the standard Parisian romp.” — Publishers Weekly
Stories of Ambition, Resilience, and Unstoppable Love
by Emily Freidenrich
#ExtraordinaryMothersandDaughters #NetGalley
This is a lovely book and one that is certain to be (deservedly) popular. It would make a wonderful Mother’s Day gift or a gift for a new mother who could derive inspiration from those who became moms before her. This title will also be of interest to those who are fascinated by women’s life stories and/or by women in the arts.
Some of the mother-daughter pairings include Ingrid Bergman and Isabella Rosselini; Diana Ross and Tracee Ellis Ross; Phoebe Eprhron and Nora Ephron; Tina Knowles Lawson and her daughters Solange and Beyonce; Nina Simone and Lia Simone Kelly, and many more. For each there is a photo, biographical information and thoughts that the family members have about their relative. Throughout, there are also some floral illustrations.
The pair’s stories are organized into sections. Some of these include
Like Mother, Like Daughter: Following in her footsteps and in her embrace
Side by Side: Mothers and daughters as peers and costars, best friends and biggest fans
To Thine own Self: Reconciling your shadows and finding the light of your own way, and several other chapters as well.
This book is so well designed and a pleasure to read. Go in order or dip in randomly. Readers will enjoy the experience either way.
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions are my own.
From the Publisher
Explore the true stories of iconic mother-daughter duos
From old Hollywood starlets to rock stars to sporting legends, read how these mothers and daughters are inspiring as individuals while supporting each other to reach greater heights.
Featuring collaged portraits by contemporary artist Natasha Cunningham, this keepsake book is the perfect gift to give to your mother or daughter to remind her how extraordinary she is.
Celebrate these iconic family stories in a new and colorful way
Debbie Reynolds, Carrie Fisher, and Billie Lourd
Diana Jiménez Medina and Salma Hayek
Jeon Young-nam and Sandra Oh
Katy Schafer and Hunter Schafer
Solange Knowles, Beyoncé Knowles-Carter, Tina Knowles
Joyce's mystery and fiction book reviews with some non-fiction too! 