Saturday, May 16, 2015

Book Review: A Table by the Window by Hillary Manton Lodge

Book review: A Table by the Window by Hillary Manton Lodge

I just finished reading "A table by the Window" by Hillary Manton Lodge.  This book combined three of my most favorite things to look for in a book, mystery,cooking and a good love story.  

Not only was there a good storyline right from the start but the recipes,  ooh the recipes, and all of the talk about the food they were cooking and eating made me want to crawl right into the story!  I loved the details of the foods that they were all eating and the secrets of cooking properly.

Now don't think that this book is only about cooking.  For those of you looking for a little mystery you can find it here.  In fact, the author was very sneaky at the end of the book to keep you wanting more and continuing it with her next book that is coming out in the series.  

We can not forget the love story.  Juliette is the main character, she is in a family of chefs and is starting a restaurant with her brother.  She does not have the time to find a romance outside of her restaurant business and finds one on a dating website.  But her romance is not easy, the man that she falls for lives in another state.  
I really enjoyed this book and can not wait to read the sequeal when it comes out.  In the meantime I will try some of these delicious recipes.

I want to thank Waterbrook Press for a free copy of this book to give my honest review.

Monday, May 11, 2015

Book review: Inside The O'Brians by Lisa Genova




The book description from Amazon.com - 

"From the New York Times bestselling author of Still Alice Lisa Genova comes a powerful and transcendent new novel about a family struggling with the impact of Huntington’s disease.

Joe O’Brien is a forty-four-year-old police officer from the Irish Catholic neighborhood of Charlestown, Massachusetts. A devoted husband, proud father of four children in their twenties, and respected officer, Joe begins experiencing bouts of disorganized thinking, uncharacteristic temper outbursts, and strange, involuntary movements. He initially attributes these episodes to the stress of his job, but as these symptoms worsen, he agrees to see a neurologist and is handed a diagnosis that will change his and his family’s lives forever: Huntington’s Disease.

Huntington’s is a lethal neurodegenerative disease with no treatment and no cure. Each of Joe’s four children has a 50 percent chance of inheriting their father’s disease, and a simple blood test can reveal their genetic fate. While watching her potential future in her father’s escalating symptoms, twenty-one-year-old daughter Katie struggles with the questions this test imposes on her young adult life. Does she want to know? What if she’s gene positive? Can she live with the constant anxiety of not knowing?

As Joe’s symptoms worsen and he’s eventually stripped of his badge and more, Joe struggles to maintain hope and a sense of purpose, while Katie and her siblings must find the courage to either live a life “at risk” or learn their fate."


My Review - 

I would rate this book over 5 stars if I could.  This book tells the heartbreaking and heartwarming tale of a family dealing with Huntington's Disease.  This is a very good book and I highly recommend it for book clubs and everyone wanting to read a book they will not forget.

Thank you to Netgalley for allowing me to review this book for my honest opinion.
N.