The Heroine's Bookshelf by Erin Blakemore

Synopsis from GoodReads:  Jo March, Scarlett O'Hara, Scout Finch—the literary canon is brimming with intelligent, feisty, never-say-die heroines and celebrated female authors. Like today's women, they placed a premium on personality, spirituality, career, sisterhood, and family. When they were up against the wall, authors like Jane Austen and Louisa May Alcott fought back—sometimes with words, sometimes with gritty actions. In this witty, informative, and inspiring read, their stories offer much-needed literary intervention to modern women.
Full of beloved heroines and the remarkable writers who created them, The Heroine's Bookshelf explores how the pluck and dignity of literary characters such as Jane Eyre and Lizzy Bennet can encourage women today.

Each legendary character is paired with her central quality—Anne Shirley is associated with irrepressible "Happiness," while Scarlett O'Hara personifies "Fight"—along with insights into her author's extraordinary life. From Zora Neale Hurston to Colette, Laura Ingalls Wilder to Charlotte BrontË, Harper Lee to Alice Walker, here are authors and characters whose spirited stories are more inspiring today than ever.

My thoughts:   This was a fantastic exploration of literature.  I had read only some of the books referenced and have been inspired to read others. The thing that I really love about this book is that you can easily read it bits at a time.  Whatever the occasion, there is likely a section to inspire you.  Having a crisis of faith?  Read the section devoted to faith.  Feeling a bit unhappy, the section on Happiness takes you to one of my favorite characters, Anne Shirley of Anne of Green Gables.

Each of the sections also includes a suggestions for a similar novel.  Many of these suggestions were new to me as well.  I will certainly be picking up one or two of them.  


The entire time I was reading this book I kept thinking that this would make a great basis for a challenge.  Wouldn't you know that someone else was thinking the same thing and put one together.  You can find the Heroine's Bookshelf Challenge over at Bibliophibian.  I would be participating in this one if I had just a bit more free time.  

I highly recommend this book filled with strong women.  It is sure to perk you up if you are feeling a bit down and inspire you to be all that you can.  


You can find Erin Blakemore on the web at http://www.erinblakemore.com/

Erin Blakemore lives in Boulder, CO so I am including The Heroine's Bookshelf on my Literary Road Trip exploration of Colorado Authors.  


I received my copy of The Heroine's Bookshelf from the great people at HarperCollins Publishers for review.  My review has not been influenced by receipt of this book. 

Husband and Wife by Leah Stewart

Synopsis from Goodreads:  In her youth, Sarah Price had dreams of becoming a poet. But the meticulously responsible 35-year-old traded her MFA for a steady job that allows her husband, Nathan, to devote himself to his fiction. And there are two small children who need their mother’s attention as well. But Sarah is happy and she believes Nathan is too, until she discovers that his new novel, Infidelity, is based in fact. Suddenly Sarah’s world is turned upside down. How well does she really know Nathan? And more importantly, how well does she know herself?

Why I chose this book:  I wanted to read Husband and Wife based on three things.  The first was a review that I read on a book blog (sorry, I don't remember whose it was) before I started blogging.  The second was the synopsis, it sounded like a good story, and the third was the cover.  I've admitted before, that I occasionally judge a book by its cover.  I'm not sure what it is about this particular cover.  It might be the simplicity of just a man and woman embracing, or it could have been the red jacket.  One night I happened upon Leah Stewart's page at the Harper Collins website and noticed that she went to high school in Clovis, New Mexico.   Clovis is a mere 293 miles from Las Cruces, New Mexico where I went to high school.  I thought I could use this for a Literary Road Trip post since New Mexico is sort of  local since I still have family there.  I know its a stretch, but it was what I thought at the time.  The idea was cemented, I had to get my hands on a copy.

My thoughts:  Imagine sitting down to coffee with a friend that you haven't seen in awhile.  You're catching up on things that have happened in your lives.   This is what reading husband and wife was like for me. The story is told from the perspective of Sarah Price a 35 year old with two young children.

Its a story about infidelity, but I found it to be so much more than that.  Its a book about marriage, motherhood, growing up, and life in general.  There were several parts of the story that I thought Stewart had peeked inside my life.  At one point a conversation that Sarah was having with Nathan reminded me of a conversation that could easily have taken place in my house.  There were situations that anyone who has had small children could relate to.  These were just two of the parts that I found to be laugh out loud funny.  More than once I got some strange looks as I was chuckling to myself while I was reading.  

This is not to say that I didn't get frustrated with the characters on occasion because I definitely did.  If they would only TALK TO EACH OTHER! 

If you get a chance you should visit Leah Stewart's website.  She's got some great responses to FAQ's on there. 

The bottom line, I loved this book.  I recommend it to anyone who likes to read about "real life" and all of the messes we get ourselves into from time to time.  I would go so far as to say that this is my favorite book that I've read so far this summer. 

Disclosure:  I was provided a copy by  Harper Collins with the hope that I would review it.  Receipt of the book did not affect my review in any way.  This is my honest opinion of Husband and Wife.

Literary Road Trip: Conflicts with Interest by Michael Ruddy

Synopsis from Goodreads:   T.R. Morgan, a seasoned building professional, finds himself entangled in the combined corruption of the high profile law firm that is attacking him and the insurance companies that are supposed to defend him. Still enduring the painful memories brought on by the tragic death of his wife, he soon finds out, nothing involving lawyers and insurance companies happens quickly. Instead of resolution, T.R., unwittingly enters a world of human trafficking, drugs, and illicit sex taking place behind the scenes. And his story comes forward to an explosive climax that no one could possibly foresee, least of all T.R. himself. This suspenseful tale of contemporary fiction is packed with enlightenment and high-stakes characters; provoking thought on a new subject in a new light.

My thoughts:  I am constantly in search of Colorado based authors for my participation in the literary road trip hosted by Jenn's Bookshelves.  When I saw the description for Conflicts with Interest as part of a Pump Up Your Book promotion I knew I had to read it.   Michael Ruddy lives in Boulder, CO and was a perfect addition to my Literary Road Trip lineup.  He also writes about real estate, which is a subject that I have a bit of background in.

I'll admit it, I'm a fan of legal novels.  I have read and enjoyed many of John Grisham's novels.  The big difference with this one is that the story you are following is that of the clients and not the lawyers.  The story centers around a single transaction that occurred years before but has been brought to the forefront of the characters lives by a potential lawsuit. 

Having spent time working with both Real Estate and the law I was drawn into the story.  There was a lot of legal jargon, but not so much that a layperson would not be able to follow what was happening. 

It might just be a personal thing that I've developed since spending so much time reading books in a series, but I would have liked to get to know the main characters a little better.  You learned just enough to get through the story.  We are introduced to T.R.'s love interest and we get glimpses of the personal relationships outside the father/son dynamic, but not much more. The story does take some twists and turns that I wasn't expecting, but I don't want to say much more than that because I don't want to spoil it for you. 

This is Michael Ruddy's first novel and I enjoyed it immensely.  I do recommend it to readers who enjoy suspense and intrigue in a more business setting without a lot of fluff. 

Disclosure:  I received a copy of Conflicts with Interest from the author through his publicist in exchange for my honest review.  Receipt of this book did not affect my opinion in any way.

Whiter Than Snow by Sandra Dallas

Synopsis from the author's website:

Whiter Than Snow, Sandra’s ninth novel,opens in 1920 on a spring afternoon in Swandyke,a small town near Colorado’s Tenmile Range. Just moments after four o’clock, a large split of snow separates from Jubilee Mountain high above the tiny hamlet and hurtles down the rocky slope, sweeping up everything in its path including nine young children who are walking home from school. But only four children survive. Whiter Than Snow takes you into the lives of each of these families. Ultimately, each story serves as an allegory to the greater theme of the novel by echoing that fate, chance, and perhaps even divine providence, are all woven into the fabric of everyday life. And it’s through each character’s defining moment in his or her past that the reader understands how each child has become its parent’s purpose for living. In the end, it’s a novel of forgiveness, redemption, survival, faith, and family.

My thoughts:
I didn't read any summaries or reviews of this novel before reading it. It was written by one of my favorite authors so I knew I would want to read it. The approach to this story was different in that a huge chunk of the story was revealed at the very beginning, or so I thought. This story opens with the avalanche, but there is so much more to it. Once the avalanche is revealed Dallas takes you back in time to get to know each of the characters affected by the tragedy. In telling the individual stories, Dallas is able to weave it all back together and tie up the loose ends.

At first I didn't like this approach. It left me with a very disconnected feeling while I was reading. I found myself having a hard time connecting with some of the characters. As I've gotten further away from it and had time to reflect on the story, I've come to appreciate the approach and the characters.

My favorite work by Dallas is still Tallgrass, but I still enjoyed it and would definitely recommend it to others.

Disclosure: I received my copy of Whiter Than Snow from the publicist in exchange for my honest review.

Literary Road Trip: Colorado Authors

I've signed up to represent Colorado in the the Literary Road Trip featured at Jenn's Bookshelves.  It a nutshell the Literary Road Trip has bloggers featuring authors that are local to them. 

I know of two so far that I've already reviewed on my blog.  Those are Sandra Dallas who is based out of Denver and Maggie Sefton who is based out of Fort Collins. 

If you know of any Colorado authors please let me know as I am looking for more.  I would love to feature them as well.

You can contact me by leaving a comment here or emailing me at teresasreadingcorner@gmail.com

I'm really looking forward to participating in this and hope you enjoy it as well.