Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Book Review: Effie at the Wedding by Tracy








Effie at the Wedding by Tracy Marchini
Publisher: Squirrel Books
Publish Date: March 30, 2011
Fiction, Short Story, Young Adult ISBN: 978-1402244186




My Review:
Effie at the Wedding is a cute, fun and enjoyable short story.  It just took me a little while to read, but after that little while I know I would love to read a full book about Effie and her hysterical family.  Just after getting this glimpse I am sure a book about life after the wedding would be a hit.  However this story does stand on it's own two feet as a story of a sister who feels she is getting left behind as her older sister gets married.  One thing I really loved was Effie's list-making.  The lists were hysterical.  Also Effie's ability to get herself into trouble in just a few pages.   That's how I know a whole book of Effie would be a scream.

Thank you Ms. Marchini for brightening my evening with this story.  I laughed and laughed and even cried a little.  If I wasn't an only child I probably would have cried a little more with understanding, but I did understand anyway.  I liked Effie, I liked the story and I hope to see more from Ms. Marchini in the future.

If you want a peek at the humor make sure you take a look at the character tweets, that will give you just a hint of what this short story/novella is like.

My Rating: 4.5/5.0


About the Short Story/Novella:
Effie has a million reasons why she's not thrilled to be at her sister's wedding -- and the monstrously pink bridesmaid's dress isn't even on the list. When Effie finds herself locked in the bathroom, she thinks she might just stay there. After all, it's better than hearing from her mom about how often she's been to the buffet or how beautiful Ophelia looks in her wedding dress.

In this hysterical young adult short story, Effie will have to find a reason to celebrate... or get used to her porcelain throne.





About the Author: 

Find out more about on her About Me page on her website.


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FTC Information: I received this book through Teen Book Scene for an honest review.  I have Amazon links on my review pages but I do not make any money from these because of NC laws.  I put them solely for people to check out the books on a retail site.




Book Review: In Transit by Kathleen Gerard




In Transit by Kathleen Gerard
Publisher: Five Star
Publish Date: April 15, 2011
Hardcover, 284 pages 
Fiction, Suspense, Romance
 ISBN: 978-1594149665






Blog Tour Website:  http://in-transit-the-novel-blog-tour.blogspot.com/

My Review:
In Transit is a great book, I was really pleased with how engaging the book was.  The characters were interesting, sympathetic if they were supposed to be and sufficiently evil if they were supposed to be and all grades in between as well.  The plot moves at a great pace and the story was really intriguing.  Ms. Gerard has put together a cast that I liked as a reader and a cast of characters that also feels real.  Not all NYPD cops are good, but not all NYPD cops are bad either and I think she did a great job of showing this.

To me I could easily picture poor Rita being sucked into Billy's web so young.  I mean in every relationship there is so much you don't know about each other even after you have been together for some time and then add in the fact that Billy and Rita kind of rush into things thinking they really know each other.  Yes it feels like true love, but when that shine of true love disappears, sometimes, there is nothing left as Rita quickly finds out.  But what I like is Rita has a backbone.  It's hard for her and she has her pride, but she does have a backbone to eventually stand up to Billy and I also like that she has morals, she doesn't just go leap into a relationship while this is going on with him which would have been easy -  there were men lining up to comfort her.  But Rita isn't like that and I'm glad Ms. Gerard constructed her as a character that way.  I don't want to give anything further away.  Just let me say I like all the men (except a few) that pass in and out of Rita's life through the NYPD, most are wonderful upstanding guys who would bend over backwards for her and that really shows.  I really like Rita as well.

I think In Transit starts as a romance, turns into a coming of age and even has a little bit of suspense in there as well.  It has a little bit for everyone and is extremely well-written and plotted.  I enjoyed my afternoon spent reading this book and I'm glad my boys were invited to a birthday party up the street so I had some nice uninterrupted reading time to really get into this book.  I hated when it ended because I wanted more, but it  ends at a perfect time.  I would love more from Rita but have a feeling her story has been told and it has been told well, so I will just look forward to the next story that Ms. Gerard has to tell.

My Rating: 4.5/5.0


About the Book:
Can a rookie cop survive the men who cross her path in the NYPD?

When a psychic in a shopping mall tells Rita Del Vecchio that she is "destined for greatness," and she will "marry a man in uniform," the restless, wet-behind-the-ears, 22 year-old decides to finally take control of her life. Rita sets out on a quest to become a New York City Police Officer. But can a spry, feisty, single woman thrive in the gritty world of New York's Finest?

Leaving behind the suburbs of New Jersey and a job as an under-tipped waitress, Rita Del Vecchio hangs up her apron and ballet slippers for a bullet-proof vest. But will she wear it? And if she does, will it protect her on the mean streets of Manhattan? Can it also protect her from Cupid’s arrows if they should land amiss?

Rita is assigned to the New York City Transit Police Squad and gets more than she bargained for. Riding the Lexington Avenue Subway Line, Rita winds up meeting not one man in uniform, but many. Whom will she love?

In Transit is a woman-in-jeopardy story that delves into the ordinary lives of NYPD career cops and how their fates are often determined by people who hold secrets as dark and as labyrinth-like as the New York City Subway System.

Buy links:
IndieBound
Barnes & Noble
Borders
Amazon (US)
Amazon (Canada)
Amazon (UK)

About the Author: 
Kathleen Gerard writes across genres. Her fiction has been awarded The Perillo Prize, The Eric Hoffer Prose Award and was nominated for Best New American Voices, all national prizes in literature. Her prose and poetry have been widely published in magazines, literary journals, anthologies and broadcast on National Public Radio (NPR). Several of her plays have been staged and performed regionally and off-Broadway.


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FTC Information: I received this book through Tribute Books for an honest review.  I have Amazon links on my review pages but I do not make any money from these because of NC laws.  I put them solely for people to check out the books on a retail site.