Can You Keep A Secret? by Sophie Kinsella

Emma Corrigan keeps a few secrets from her family, boyfriend, best friends, and colleges.  Harmless little secrets that she spills to a stranger on an airplane when she thinks she is going to die.  Then Jack Harper, the company CEO, comes into the office and Emma realizes he holds every one of her secrets.  Jack seems to enjoy letting little bits of knowledge slip as if they share an inside joke.  But will those secrets bring them together or tear them apart?

It isn't often that I read "chick lit," not because I don't like it but because I tend to forget about it.  It isn't the type of book that I think to seek out when I'm in a library or bookstore.  So I'm always glad when I read something for a book club that I wouldn't have picked up on my own and rediscover why I enjoy something.

Can You Keep A Secret? was just that kind of book for me.  It reminded me that sometimes I need to take a break and read something that is fun and light on the surface even when it does examine some deeper aspects of relationships.  I was hooked on Emma from the beginning of the story.  Her chatty voice drew me in and I listened along as if I were on a journey with a close girlfriend.  Sometimes I struggle with books that are supposed to be funny when the main character has everything go wrong because I don't see the humor in the suffering.  With Emma, I was totally mortified right along with her as Jack hinted at her secrets in various situations but I was able to find it funny as well.

My heart dropped with Emma's when there was a twist that I didn't see coming and I wondered if miscommunications and secrets really would be the end of things for Jack and Emma.

Can You Keep A Secret? was a fast read and a bit of an emotional roller coaster with more depth than seen at first glance.

I borrowed Can You Keep A Secret? from my local library to read for the Reading With Tequila online book club.

Note: All opinions provided on this blog are my own. If a product was given to me for review, the source of that product is noted in the post. Bookstore links are generally affiliate links and I do earn a small amount for each purchase. Other affiliate links will be noted in the post.

3 Mini-Reviews

I have not been sleeping well at all recently and many things have suffered because of that.  One of those is my blog because I am just too tired to write a full review of my recent reads.  Instead of waiting so long to review the books until I've forgotten what I read I've decided to do a few mini-reviews giving you my overall impression without all the details.


Side Jobs by Jim Butcher is a book of short stories from The Dresden Files series.  Most of these stories were originally published in other anthologies but Butcher pulled them all together into one book.  I love having short stories by one author in a book instead of having to search for them in multiple anthologies!  Butcher also gave a little introductory information for each story including some information about his inspiration, what anthology the story was originally in, and where it fits in the timeline of the books.  I enjoyed every one of these stories, especially the last one because it takes place after Changes and before Ghost Story which isn't out yet.  If you are a fan of the Harry Dresden books, Side Jobs is a must have for your collection.  (Side Jobs is in our personal book collection.)

The Peach Keeper by Sarah Addison Allen is a story of friendship lost and regained, of finding one's path, and finding love in unexpected places.  Allen brings sights, sounds, scents, textures, and flavors off the page in a way that I have not experienced with any other author.  She uses beautiful phrasing that places you in the heart of Walls of Water experiencing everything alongside her characters.  I fell in love with Sarah Addison Allen's writing in The Girl Who Chased the Moon and I'm happy to say that The Peach Keeper provided me with the same magic.  Allen breathes life and magic into her words, giving me hope that anything is possible. (I received an ARC of The Peach Keeper from the Amazon Vine program for review.)

The Book of Tomorrow by Cecelia Ahern brings tomorrow into today with a diary that seems to write itself in advance.  This gives Tamara Goodwin the opportunity to try to change events as they happen. Each evening she reads about the next day discovering clues along the way to family secrets long buried which will change what she knows about her life forever.  Cecelia Ahern writes interesting but very flawed characters and wonderful description. The book started a bit slowly and unevenly but that felt like it mimicked Tamara's emotions as she struggled to find her footing in the strange and uncertain world after her father's death.  The Book of Tomorrow was a very fast and interesting read. I enjoyed the story, the writing, and the way the characters changed throughout the book.  (I received an ARC of The Book of Tomorrow from the Amazon Vine program for review.)

Note: All opinions provided on this blog are my own. If a product was given to me for review, the source of that product is noted in the post. Bookstore links are generally affiliate links and I do earn a small amount for each purchase. Other affiliate links will be noted in the post.

OTL: Educator.com

Thanks to BzzAgent, I've been able to use Educator.com free for a month.  Educator.com is a great online service that provides video courses in Math, Science, and Computer Science.  These courses are taught by college professors and include both lecture and working through example problems.

My husband and I have both looked at some of these video courses and been very impressed.  I've been taking the HTML course while he has looked at another of the computer science classes and one of the math classes.  It really feels like we are back in the classroom!  The courses include a video of the professor and a whiteboard area where the lecture notes and examples are visible.  I've been watching the presentations in this mode while my husband made the whiteboard full-screen which takes away the visual of the video so he is just listening to the lecture without seeing the professor.

With the HTML course I love that it also includes the history of the Internet and an overview of how the web works instead of being solely focused on the coding.  Having that background knowledge to build on can be a real advantage.

The site itself is very easy to navigate, with drop down menus for each subject.  Within each course, each lecture is broken down into many smaller segments which makes it very easy to find your place after you take a break.  There are sample lectures available so you can get a feel for the service before subscribing.

I would highly recommend Educator.com for high school and college students.  There are many Advanced Placement courses available and I think it would be helpful for students studying for the ACT, SAT, or GRE.  Educator.com covers Math, Chemistry, Biology, Physics, and Computer Science with the possibility of expanding into more areas in the future.

Use code: BUZZFA626 to try Educator.com free for a month. Current pricing is $35/month or $240 for an annual subscription.  This fee gives you online access to all of the videos plus student comments and messaging which allows you to interact with the instructors.

Full Disclosure:  I received a one month free trial of this service from BzzAgent.com.  All opinions provided here are based on my own experiences.

Note: All opinions provided on this blog are my own. If a product was given to me for review, the source of that product is noted in the post. Bookstore links are generally affiliate links and I do earn a small amount for each purchase. Other affiliate links will be noted in the post.

Frostbitten by Kelley Armstrong

Title:  Frostbitten
Author:  Kelley Armstrong
Publisher:  Bantam Books
Publication Date:  July 2010
Format:  Paperback, 414 pages
Age Group:  Adult
Series:  Women of the Otherworld #10

Elena, the only known female werewolf, and her mate, Clay, follow a mutt into the wilds of Alaska.  While they are there they also check on some former Pack mates and look into a series of suspicious deaths.  All of these seemingly unconnected events lead to larger problems, possibly more than Clay and Elena can take on without backup.  Elena is also dealing with some personal issues concerning her past and her future.

It is no secret that I absolutely love Kelley Armstong's Women of the Otherworld series and Frostbitten reinforces that love completely.  Elena Michaels is the female werewolf who started the whole series and it is so nice to return to her as the central character.  Taking Clay and Elena away from the Pack and their children was a great way to keep the focus on how they interact as a couple.  I found out a lot more about Elena's past in this book and that gave great insight into her motives, methods, and pressure points.

There is a lot going on in this book to tie together the many different threads that Clay and Elena must follow.  Armstrong keeps things moving quickly but also provides down time to think things through, talk things over, and plan their next moves.  The dialogue between Clay and Elena easily moves between playful, serious, and sexy.  Elena shows her tough side when dealing with other werewolves but lets her guard down a bit with Clay.  Armstrong writes such full characters along with the great story lines.

One thing that I really enjoy about this series is that the focus shifts to different characters for different books.  This means that it isn't critical to read the books in order as long as you keep the books with the same main characters together.  This was definitely to my advantage because I skipped over Frostbitten to read the hardcover of Waking the Witch because Savannah is one of my favorite characters.  I thought the Savannah books might be my favorites of this series but I think Frostbitten actually beat Waking the Witch for me!  I am looking forward to returning to Savannah in Spell Bound but now I really want more Elena.  I hope we see more of what the Pack looks like in the future.

Frostbitten is in our personal library and no one had any expectation of a review.

My reviews of other books in the series:

• Personal Demon
• Living With The Dead
• Waking the Witch
• Men of the Otherworld (short story collection)

Available for purchase from*:

• your local independent bookstore via IndieBound
• internationally from The Book Depository
• Amazon.com

* All bookstore links are affiliate links and I will earn a small percentage for each item purchased.

Note: All opinions provided on this blog are my own. If a product was given to me for review, the source of that product is noted in the post. Bookstore links are generally affiliate links and I do earn a small amount for each purchase. Other affiliate links will be noted in the post.

Mothers & Daughters by Rae Meadows

Title:  Mothers & Daughters
Author:  Rae Meadows
Publisher:  Henry Holt and Company
Publication Date:  March 29, 2011
Format:  Hardcover, 272 pages
Age Group:  Adult

Mothers & Daughters tells the story of three generations of women.  Samantha is a new mother who no longer has her mother Iris to guide her.  Iris reflects back on her life as cancer ravages her body.  Violet leaves her mother at eleven years old and begins a new life on her own.  Each woman holds secrets that the others will never know.

If I were to base my enjoyment of this book simply on the publisher's description I would have been sorely disappointed.  The novel that I read bears little resemblance to the blurb on the back cover.  The back cover states "When a box of Iris's belongings arrives on Sam's doorstep, she discovers things about her mother she never knew -- or could even guess.  But she is puzzled by much of what she finds.  She learns that Violet, the woman she knows as her grandmother, left New York City as an eleven-year-old girl and found a better life in the Midwest.  But what was the real reason behind Violet's journey?  And how could she come that far on her own at such a tender age?"  While it is true that a box of her mother's things does arrive on Sam's doorstep and that she is puzzled by what she finds, she does not find any of the answers hinted at in the description.  As the reader, I learned Violet's story of travel on the orphan train but Samantha does not actually learn for certain that Violet was in New York City.  In fact, Samantha spends very little time looking through the things in the box.

With all that said, I did enjoy the majority of this novel.  Each chapter focused on a different woman which meant that time was very fluid.  For the most part the time shifts were easy to follow, although there were a couple of overlaps between Samantha and Iris that found confusing.  Even within a chapter, time is fluid as the main characters move through their memories as well as current events.

I connected to Samantha instantly as she struggled with being a new mother and leaving her child with someone else for the first time.  So much of what she was feeling was familiar to me.  The struggles of Iris and Violet were much less familiar but no less moving.  As compelling as the stores were, I was unsatisfied when I reached the end.  Violet and Iris's stories reach the expected conclusion but Samantha's story simply ends abruptly.  It is clear that Samantha has some major realization at the end of her story but I am uncertain how it impacts her view of life going forward.

I received an Advance Reader's Edition of Mothers & Daughters from the Early Reviewers program at LibraryThing.

Available to Order From:

• your local independent bookstore via IndieBound
• internationally from The Book Depository
• Amazon.com

* All bookstore links are affiliate links and I will earn a small percentage for each item purchased.

Note: All opinions provided on this blog are my own. If a product was given to me for review, the source of that product is noted in the post. Bookstore links are generally affiliate links and I do earn a small amount for each purchase. Other affiliate links will be noted in the post.