Review: The Midwife's Confession (ARC) by Diane Chamberlain

 I have been a long time fan of Diane Chamberlain, her books are very compelling. Lots of drama, insight and emotional connections between characters that are relate-able. After talking with Diane, she offered to send me an ARC of The Midwife's Confessions to rate and review. I was more than thrilled. This is my first ARC and I am glad that I was able to read a book from one of my favorite authors.


Take a look at the Synopsis and My Review below. The Midwife's Confession is available on April 26th 2011 in paperback and May 1st 2011 for ereaders.


The Midwife's Confessions (ARC)
Author: Diane Chamberlain
Pages: 416

Synopsis (from Goodreads): 'I don't know how to tell you what I did.' The unfinished letter is the only clue Tara and Emerson have to the reason behind Noelle's suicide. Everything they knew about Noelle - her calling as a midwife, her passion for causes, her love for her family - described a woman who embraced life. But they didn't know everything. Because the unaddressed letter reveals a terrible secret...and a legacy of guilt that changes everything they thought they knew about the woman who delivered their children. A legacy that will irrevocably change their own lives - and the life of a desperate stranger - forever. Diane Chamberlain gets to the heart of the story



My Review: 
Diane Chamberlain did it again, she NEVER disappoints!!!
I found myself reading The Midwife's Confessions into the wee hours of the night, I simply could not put it down. I was particularly excited about reading this book because as a psychology student, I have an interest in the topics that are being addressed; suicide, guilt, medical complications, etc. 
         I have always been a fan of books where a read gets to read about several different character's viewpoints and that is exactly what Diane did with The Midwife's Confession. She takes us deep inside a characters thoughts, feelings and emotions towards the events that are rapidly taking place in their lives. Somehow, and I don't know how she does it, Diane is able to carefully interweave these characters lives and stories into one; although they may not know it, their lives are all connected in one way or another. There is a bit of mystery added; I found myself trying to continuously guess at what events may take place or which characters may be involved. 
       All in all, The Midwife's Confessions is a must read for those of you who are interested in Adult Fiction with strong characters, psychological events, emotions, and a page turning plot! 



Take a look at Diane Chamberlain Website and Blog: http://www.dianechamberlain.com/index.htm
And the Trailer for the book The Midwife's Confessions via YouTube
 



  
 

       

Review: Cryer's Cross by Lisa McMann

Cryer's Cross by Lisa McMann

Synopsis: The community of Cryer’s Cross, Montana (population 212) is distraught when high school freshman Tiffany disappears without a trace. Already off-balance due to her OCD, 16-year-old Kendall is freaked out seeing Tiffany’s empty desk in the one-room school house, but somehow life goes on... until Kendall's boyfriend Nico also disappears, and also without a trace. Now the town is in a panic. Alone in her depression and with her OCD at an all-time high, Kendall notices something that connects Nico and Tiffany: they both sat at the same desk. (Taken from Goodreads.com)  

My Review:  Why is it really difficult to talk about a book that you really love? Cryer's Cross is just too amazing for words. I was literally speechless after I closed the last page of the book.

I have never read a book so fast in my life; I was sucked in right from the beginning and refused to put it down. I neglected everything for a few hours and finished Cryer's Cross in one setting.


The author, Lisa Mcmann, knows how to capture her readers. This book had a mix of everything: from death, loss, love, psychosocial issues, happiness and suspense- a very good balance. I loved the mysterious feel that this book leaves you with; it is creepy but not scary. I'm usually not a fan of mysteries because I just freak myself out, but I just loved the level of suspense Cryer's Cross held. I wanted to know everything that was going on in this small town and I found myself not being able to read and turn the pages fast enough!  It took turns that I never saw coming- 


It will have you guessing and answering the question, "what in the world happened to these two missing teens?" Although my thoughts & guesses were off, I love books where they have my mind thinking even after I set the book down. 


The tie-in quotes from "WE" are just brilliant, and makes Cryer's Cross complete. Although at the time of reading these passages they don't make a whole lot of sense, they eventually bring the  following chapter together.


As a psychology student, I really enjoyed the connection that Lisa made with the main character's Obsessive Compulsive Disorder and outcome of storyline. Sometimes it is hard to being a character who has a mental illness feel real and believable on a piece of paper, but she does an excellent job at bringing the 'OCD' Kendall to life. 


Another idea that I really enjoyed in this book was the idea of Kendall being afraid to 'move on' with her life without Nico. He was all she knew and was very dependent on him, so when he disappeared her thoughts were disheveled. When another boy, Jacian comes along that she develops a friendship with as the story goes on, Kendall is faced with a hard decision; does she move on or does she keep her life on hold in hopes that her best friend/boyfriend, Nico's mysterious disappearance will be solved. 

Overall, I loved this book!! I would give Cryer's Cross a 5 out of 5 stars.
It is categorized as YA book, but considering some of the content, I would suggest this book be aimed more towards older teens and up. Great captivating storyline and fast paced read!

Amazing Hunger Games Fanart Created By Laura ( @totally_dazzled )

Now that we have confirmation from Lionsgate that Jennifer Lawrence has been casted as Katniss Everdeen in the movie The Hunger Games, fan art has been flying around the web. My ETS, Laura made these fabulous fan art pictures of Jennifer as Katniss. 
ENJOY!!! 
-Andrea

Book Review: Beastly by Alex Flinn

Book Review: Beastly by Alex Flinn

Synopsis:
I am a beast.
A beast!
Not quite wolf or bear, gorilla or dog but a horrible new creature who walks upright. I am a monster.
You think I'm talking fairy tales? No way. The place is New York City. The time is now. It's no deformity, no disease. And I'll, stay this way forever ruined unless I can break the spell.
Yes, the spell, the one the witch in my English class cast on me. Why did she turn me into a beast who hides by day and prowls by night? I'll tell you. I'll tell you how I used to be Kyle Kingsbury, the guy you wished you were, with money, perfect looks, and the perfect life. And then, I'll tell you how I became perfectly...beastly.



  My Review: Beastly is a modern day version of The Beauty and the Beast. I usually am not a fan of fairytale remakes. I enjoy fiction books in which I do not have an idea as to what the ending may hold; I like to be surprised. But there was something about Beastly that I thoroughly enjoyed; many fairytales are seen through the eyes of the "princess", in Beastly though, a reader gets to understand what goes through mind of Adrian- formerly known as the conceited, Kyle Kingsbury- the Beast. For me, it was nice to get inside the Beasts mind; a reader can sense the drastic change in character that Adrian makes as he realizes what he needs to do.

Kyle is the immature high school guy with a huge ego that everybody wants to hate, but for some reason... they don't. Therefore, bringing more attention to him only makes his ego fly higher.To Kyle, looks matter most. To the point where he is cruel to those who may not be perfect. Sure enough, Kyle is confronted by a witch, Kendra who wants to teach him a lesson by turning him into a hairy beast. In the end, Kyle (Adrian) has to get past his looks and find someone who will do the same and love him back.

There are always underlying meanings in novels, but I felt that in this particular story, the message of "looking past outer beauty and loving someone for who they truly are on the inside" was magnified. And I really enjoyed that aspect.


There is always one character in a story whose sticks out to me. And in Beastly, it was Kendra the witch. Every time she made an entrance into the book, I had a different reaction. Sometimes she would seem harsh, other times she was rather sentimental or nice, and other times she would surprise me! I always enjoyed reading her responses to Adrian's comments and questions to her- you never know what you may get. All in all, her intentions to change Kyle into an ugly beast were good- to teach him a valuable life lesson. 


I was a little disappointed that Lindy, the young lady that Adrian finds himself in love with,  didn't come back to look for him. I had this huge scene planned in my head where she would come back right at the last second saying how much she loves him despite him being a beast...blah blah blah...

In the end, everything comes together to make this fairytale... Happily Ever After ;-) 


Light, easy read... I would recommend Beastly for anyone who enjoys a good love story.





 

Water for Elephants International Trailer

Water for Elephants can't come out soon enough!!! This is the 3rd trailer that has been released, and they keep getting better. Rob's voice... *swoon*
As far as I can tell, from watching the previews, the movie seems to be going along the lines of the book fairly well. WATER FOR ELEPHANTS OPENS IN THEATERS ON APRIL 22, 2011 <<< 47more days!!

Book Review: I am Number Four

I am Number Four (Lorien Legacies #1) by Pittacus Lore

Synopsis: In the beginning they were a group of nine. Nine aliens who left their home planet of Lorien when it fell under attack by the evil Mogadorian. Nine aliens who scattered on Earth. Nine aliens who look like ordinary teenagers living ordinary lives, but who have extraordinary, paranormal skills. Nine aliens who might be sitting next to you now.

The Nine had to separate and go into hiding. The Mogadorian caught Number One in Malaysia, Number Two in England, and Number Three in Kenya. All of them were killed. John Smith, of Paradise, Ohio, is Number Four. He knows that he is next.

I AM NUMBER FOUR is the thrilling launch of a series about an exceptional group of teens as they struggle to outrun their past, discover their future—and live a normal life on Earth.

I AM NUMBER FOUR.
I AM NEXT

My Review: I hesitated with reading this book at first because I knew that it was about aliens; which is not something that I am used to reading about. When I think of aliens I don't think of them as humans with supernatural powers. So when I heard that there was a movie coming out and many friends were giving it good reviews, I decided to give it a go!

I was very impressed with the writing of I am Number Four. Sometimes action can get lost in writing because it is simply too complex, and difficult to follow. Every twist, turn, nod, draw of a knife, noise, etc. was written down very descriptively. I was drawn in from the very beginning! At first a reader has no idea why John and Henri are traveling from place to place. Then the reader wants to know why they are on Earth. Once these little details started forming, I couldn't help wanting to know more. I never knew when the Mogadorian's would show up.
  
I think my favorite part of the book was the strength of everyone's relationships. The relationship that Henri and John have is very touching. Even though they both have lost their actually family and are always on the run from the Mogadorians their relationship continues to grow stronger. They know that they need each other to defeat the Mogadorians who destroyed their home, planet Lorien. 

Sarah and John are 2nd on my list for Favorite Fiction Couples (Edward and Bella from Twilight are 1st). They connected right away and I loved that. John knows that he may have to leave in an instance notice, leaving Sarah behind. Sarah s acceptance of John amazes me. I really liked that she was very accepting of him when he explained to her that he was an alien. Most people would question him, but she didn't. I'm excited to read more about where their relationship goes in the next book of the series, The Power of Six. 


The movie I Am Number Four is currently out in theaters. Now that I am done reading, I can't wait to see how the movie compares to the book. One of the parts that I am anticipating is meeting Number Six. She brought a sense of hope to a situation that seemed undefeatable at that moment. Also, I want to see how the Mogadorians and the beasts look on screen. Even though the desciptions were very detailed, a person can only imagine so much. 


Overall, I am Number Four was a very well written, gripping and intense read! I would highly recommend! 








 

ET Exclusive: Robert Pattinson & Reese Witherspoon: Water For Elephants

I'm sure everyone is getting more and more anxious about the approaching movie release of Water For Elephants. While there is still 57 days and 5 hours of waiting... I would like to thank ET for giving us sneak peeks and interviews to satisfy us in the mean time!!





Exclusive: Reese Witherspoon and Robert Pattinson share a smooch and more in the upcoming 'Water for Elephants,' and the onscreen lovebirds are talking about their forbidden movie romance with ET! They also share a nugget of obscure movie trivia -- they were once cast in a film as mother and son!

In 'Water for Elephants,' Reese plays the married star performer in a circus who catches the attention of a bachelor animal caretaker, played by 'Twilight' star Rob. When ET visited the Los Angeles set during production on the film last summer, Reese rode atop an enormous elephant for a scene involving an elaborate 1930s parade.

Reese gushed about sharing love scenes with Rob, proclaiming, "I am so lucky. He's so amazing and wonderful and sweet and just the nicest guy too, so you can just add that to the soup. I mean, he's just so good looking and he's a really nice person."

Rob said the pair hadn't yet shot their love scenes, but shared, "Reese has only got two days [of work] left [on the film]. So … they must expect me to be very professional about it." He also gave a tidbit about one love scene -- he says it ends with his character getting beaten up!

"We'll probably just laugh the whole time, because all we do is just laugh and joke around," Reese predicted of filming the scenes.

Although Reese and Rob are an onscreen couple in 'Water for Elephants,' they had a very different movie relationship when they filmed 2004's 'Vanity Fair' -- mother and son! Despite Reese being only ten years older then Rob, he was cast as her son, though his scenes later landed on the cutting room floor.

Reese recalls of meeting Rob back then, "He was walking down this corridor and I turned to the director, and I said, 'That's my son? He's so good looking!' I was like, 'He's so hot!'"

For his part, Rob remembers, "Even then, I realized on the set, I was like, I look too old to be playing her son. I mean, that's probably why I was cut."

Based on the best-selling novel by Sara Gruen, 'Water for Elephants' follows an elderly man (Hal Holbrook) reminiscing about his days working as an animal caretaker at a circus. A young veterinary school student (Robert) witnessing the beauty and brutality of life under the big top, he falls for Marlena (Reese), the captivating star performer, and suffers the wrath of her charismatic but dangerous husband, August ('Inglourious Basterds' Oscar winner Christoph Waltz).


'Water for Elephants' will debut in theaters on April 15, 2011.

http://www.etonline.com/movies/107774_Robert_Pattinson_and_Reese_Witherspoon_Talk_Their_Water_for_Elephants_Forbidden_Romance/index.html