Paperspine Blog

And now, the thrilling conclusion to the Milk Carton saga…

In What Janie Found, Janie’s father (her Conneticut father) is in the hospital, having suffered a stroke. Her mother is falling apart, so Janie has to take care of making sure the bills get paid. While going through her father’s files, Janie stumbles across a file marked "H.J." - Janie instantly knows what those two letters stand for: Hannah Javensen.

What’s in the file? Has her father been supporting Hannah all of these years? Janie can’t let her mother see the file - her mother is too upset anyway. So Janie tries to act nonchalant and puts the file back. Although her mother is too distraught to notice the change in Janie’s demeanor, neither Reeve nor her little brother Brian are willing to just let it go. After Janie drops her mother off at the hospital, Brian and Reeve talk Janie into letting them go through the file with her.

What they find in the file sends them to Boulder, Colorado. Janie’s older brother, Stephen is going to school there so Janie, Reeve, and Brian decide to stay with Stephen while they are there - not letting Stephen know the biggest reason they are there: they are searching for Hannah.

Will Janie find Hannah? And if she does, what will she do? Finding Hannah and turning her in could cause more problems than it might solve - but it might not.

Read the book to discover What Janie Found.

I was recently trying to find a new author to read and so I started perusing the “New in Fiction” section on Paperspine. Those that have read my past blogs know that I’m a huge fan of Vince Flynn and his Mitch Rapp series, so I’m always trying to find other similar novels. Scanning through the list of new releases, I saw a book by Brad Thor called The First Commandment that looked like it would fit the bill. A political thriller with a formal Navy SEAL as the main character sounded right up my alley.

The main character in the book is Scot Harvath, a no-nonsense counter-terrorism expert who works for Homeland Security. Harvath learns that the president of the United States has released five detainees from Guantanamo Bay and one of them is extracting revenge on Harvath by attacking those closest to him. The president forbids Harvath from getting involved, but he’s not the type of guy to stand down while his girlfriend and mom are being targeted. While he outmaneuvers the FBI, he is quickly tracking down the terrorist responsible for attacking his loved ones. All the while the terrorist is leaving clues by having the attacks mimic the 10 biblical plagues in reverse order. As Harvath’s friends and family continue to be targeted he knows it’s just a matter of time before he is the next one on the list and he is determined to hunt down and kill the man responsible before anyone else gets killed.

The book was pretty fast paced and good to read. The plot didn’t catch hold of me as strongly as some of my favorite books, but certain parts made it difficult to put down. I’ll certainly go back and read a few more of Mr. Thor’s novels after finishing The First Commandment and would recommend it if you’re looking for another author that writers political and counter-terrorism thrillers.

Happy Reading!

Dustin

Ever since I was a little girl I always wanted to have a sister.  I remember thinking how lucky my friends were that had sisters  - I mean didn’t they have slumber parties every night, borrow clothes from one another and talk about all the cutest boys in school?  Well, in my ideal world that is what I thought sisterhood was like.    Although I am not an only child, my older brother and I never really had that much in common.  I was studious, he was rebellious, I was into girly things, him, not so much.   The funny thing is that when my husband and I had our first child, a little boy I was ecstatic at the thought of adding a little girl to our expanding family.  However I also yearned for him to have a brother so that he could have the idyllic relationship that I always felt same sex siblings had.  Fast forward to child number two and I have learned that even though my little tikes both pee like their daddy and have a close relationship to one another, they are very, very different.  Perhaps if I did have a sister we would be close, but then again maybe not - I’ll never know. But Megan Crane’s “Names My Sister Call Me” made me realize that having a sister might not be as idyllic as I envisioned in my head.

The novel, “Names My Sisters Call Me” revolves around the sibling rivalry of the Cassel sisters - Courtney, Norah and Raine.   Norah, the oldest Cassel sister, is an in-control college professor who strives on perfection and order in her life.   Raine, the next eldest is a self proclaimed artist, Norah’s polar opposite and appears to be the epitome of the glamorous hippie chick.  Courtney, the baby of the trio who is six years younger than her next eldest sister Raine finds that the one thing that Norah and Raine do have in common is the ability to drive her nuts. 

The book begins with Courtney becoming engaged to her live-in love Lucas.  Although Norah and Courtney haven’t spoken to Raine in the six years since Norah’s wedding, Courtney finds that she wants her family to come together for her upcoming engagement party and wedding.  Courtney isn’t sure how to bring her family together, and is concerned that once they all get in the same room, it could materialize into a huge mistake.  And worst of all, will this family gathering scare off her true-love and future husband, Lucas.

I think it is fair to say that women can be fairly complex creatures.  Add in the intricacies of sibling rivalry times three and I must say that while having a sister may be fulfilling, it may also be more than I could handle.

Whether you have sisters or not, this is a fun and thought provoking read that you should add to your queue!

All the best,
Lipstick Blogger

Like most of you, I have a list of authors who leave me in jittery anticipation of their next book. I go back to my favorite authors because I can trust them to deliver exactly the kind of story I need when a particular mood strikes.

Of course, all this trust and routine leaves little room for taking risks. As an author, I find reading time a precious commodity, so I find myself reluctant to try on new authors. I wouldn’t have picked up Jessica Inclán’s Being With Him, had I not stumbled upon her book-signing table at the BEA. I’m so glad I did!

In Being With Him, Mila Adams, a reclusive artist with a socialite background, and Garrick McClellan, a rising star in the investment world, find themselves at odds with ordinary life. They feel like the only two people on the outside looking in and trying desperately to make sense of this world. Unfortunately, being able to move time isn’t a gift that is likely to make one feel normal. Mila can move time forward. Garrick can move time backward. Separately, they have only been able to live with their powers by denying them. Together, they can begin to unlock the secrets of their hearts as well as their origins and destinies.

Not only does Being With Him embark on an arousing romantic journey between a man and a woman who can only find true love if they find each other, but it plots a climactic climb toward the very frontier of paranormal romance.

Mila and Garrick have a very good reason for not feeling quite at home in San Francisco. They actually come from planet Cygiria. Before Cygiria was attacked by the Neballats, a shadowy race which blindly consumes resources for the sake of technological advancement, a few Cygirian children with special powers were shipped off to other hospitable planets.

When Mila and Garrick come together with an explosive mix of paranormal gifts that are destined to be unified, one can only anticipate the page-burning potency of their erotic consummation. The paranormal aspect of the romance genre, after all, represents all of our yearnings to discover that something special inside of ourselves and then to have the same recognized and embraced by our chosen mate. When true love is only possible with one other person in the entire known and unknown universe, as is the case with Cygirian twins, bringing the intensity of such a union to the page requires plotting skills capable of propelling the story into another orbit.

Jessica Inclán sets a contagious romance in a paranormal world with extra-terrestrial origins with such flourishing ease that I can’t help wanting more. Fortunately, Being With Him takes off into the great wide yonder as Mila and Garrick reunite with some of the other long lost Cygirians and make a plan to rescue those still left in hiding on planet Upsilia. Among the rescued is Mila’s brother Edan who has yet to find a woman to match his special power. Still lost is Edan’s and Mila’s sister, Sophia.

While most romance novels build their cast of characters in the first half in order to bring them all together for the final battle, Being With Him needs the first half to build an unbreakable bond between Mila and Garrick. Only when they unite their hearts (and bodies) can they find the courage to unite their twin energies into a power capable of rebuilding the fragments of their lost world.

Once Mila and Garrick are armed with their love, they are ready to meet other Cygirians who share their destiny, so in a very short amount of time, the second half of the story introduces a history of Cygirian exodus as experienced by a group of other twins. For a spell, I found it difficult to keep track of who goes with whom, and who can do what, but Ms. Inclán quickly brings the focus back on Mila and Garrick while managing to intrigue us with Mila’s brother Edan. Edan’s quiet wisdom, physical charisma, and yearning for his still unidentified twin leaves more than enough unanswered questions to keep this series going for a long, long time.

And just in case the promise of future romance doesn’t quite reel you in, Being With Him also leaves the final show-down with the Neballats for the next installment.

I am excited to have discovered Jessica Inclán and Being With Him. While I wait for the next Cygirian adventure, I’m going to look for Ms. Inclán’s ‘Believe’ books. Something tells me I’m going to love them.

===============================================================

Erin Aislinn writes erotic vampire romance and contemporary romance. Her latest e-book, Convincing Silvia was released in June by Ellora’s Cave. Her paperback ‘It Happened in Florence’ is available in stores nationwide. For a list of other releases, go to www.erinaislinn.com.

My last post was all about Janie - her discovery of her picture on the milk carton and dealing with the aftermath. Through it all, her boyfriend Reeve stood by her side. Janie can take anything because Reeve is always there. She can trust him.

Even when Reeve goes away to college, it’s okay - he calls, writes, faxes, emails every day. Even though she misses him, he’s still there for her. He thinks about her all the time. In fact, when Reeve ends up hosting a talk show on his college radio station one night, he can’t think of anything - anything besides Janie, that is. On the air, he starts talking about Janie, about how she found the milk carton. Reeve’s show quickly becomes the hottest radio show at the school - everybody calls in, everyone wants to hear more "janies".

"Are you doing a janie tonight, Reeve?"

Reeve knows it’s wrong, knows that he’s spilling secrets and inner thoughts that shouldn’t be shared with anyone, let alone a radio audience. But he can’t stop himself… it’s a big hit. People love him. And besides, Janie won’t ever know… will she?

In The Voice on the Radio, you’ll discover what it’s like to have so many secrets so big they’re practically bursting to get out of you - and to suddenly have the ability to share it with hundreds of people, all without ever having to look at the person who could be hurt by all of this.

The first time I read The Face on the Milk Carton by Caroline B. Cooney, I was in the seventh grade. I read it in one day, mostly before school and during lunch. I remember because I kept getting annoyed by the table - we had those crappy old-style cafeteria tables with the little blue stools that were actually attached to the table and I wanted a little more room to stretch. I also remember being late for my English class because I was reading this book. I was excused because of WHY I was late. I’d never read a book with this premise before and I was completely absorbed by it.

This book is about a teenager named Janie Johnson. One day at school, Janie drinks her best friend’s milk (even though she has a milk allergy - everybody knows that if you have a peanut butter sandwich, you have to have milk with it). Then, she recognizes the picture of the missing little girl on the side of the milk carton. Janie knows that girl. Actually, Janie IS that girl. She tells her friend "It’s me on there," and they promptly laugh at her… "Oh, she’s just trying to get out of reading her essay."

Janie, convinced it really IS her, carries the picture around with her. Suddenly, she’s now wondering how she didn’t know that her parents actually kidnapped her - this is something she honestly can’t see. But, digging into the facts, it looks more and more like that’s the case: she finds the dress from the milk carton picture up in the attic. She can’t find her birth certificate. And there are no baby pictures of her… only pictures from the age she is on the milk carton and older. But while she is looking in the attic, she also finds a box marked "Hannah". Who is Hannah? And what does she have to do with Janie? Confronting her parents, Janie finds out that Hannah was her parents’ daughter. Hannah joined a cult and, although her parents tried to rescue her, she was gone for a long time. One day, she showed up, with Janie in tow. When Hannah left again, but without Janie, they decided to keep Janie. Fearful that the cult would come after her, the Javensens changed their names to the Johnsons and moved, severing all contact with Hannah.

Janie is relieved, but then thinks on it more: this doesn’t sound completely right. She starts to remember bits and pieces of her childhood, including what seems to be family members who look like her. She even has her boyfriend drive her down to the address she has found for the Springs. There, she sees the family she was kidnapped from - in her heart, she now knows it is true. And the resemblance is undeniable. Janie struggles to make sense of all of this.

What will Janie do with this information? Will she try to get in contact with the family she barely even knows? And what is the truth, really?

Whatever Happened to Janie? is the next book in the series. This deals with the aftermath of Janie’s  decision. Her birth family, the Springs, of course want them to come live with them. She’s supposed to have no contact with the Johnsons (or even her boyfriend, Reeve) for three months. When she arrives at the Spring home, she is overwhelmed. This boisterous family is completely different from the people she considered to be her REAL family. Janie (now called Jennie Spring) is resentful towards her "new" family for wanting her back, for not wanting her to be Janie Johnson. And she feels guilty whenever she begins to have a good time with the Springs, feeling that she is hurting her "real parents".

But this is also the Springs’s story. How do the parents cope with the situation? What about her brothers? And how does all of this affect her sister, Jodie, whose room Janie now shares?

How can Janie be loyal to the family she knows and loves while living with the Springs? Will she ever be able to really become Jennie Spring? And will anybody involved ever be happy again?

Hey there!

Years ago I read, “The Devil Wears Prada” and thoroughly enjoyed it so when I saw another novel by Lauren Weisberger I was very excited to dive right in. 

“Everyone Worth Knowing” is Lauren Weisberger’s follow up novel to the “Devil Wears Prada.”  There were some similarities between the two novels - first one being the main character in both stories is not born into the socially elite, however they are both thrust into that environment.  Second, both are surrounded by people living in the real world and help to keep them grounded.

Meet Bette (Bettina is her full name) Robinson, the fearless heroine in “Everyone Worth Knowing.”  Originally from Poughkeepsie, Bette finds herself living the Manhattan life and working 60+ hour weeks at a stuffy investment banking company.  After quitting on a whim during an argument with her condescending boss she is faced with no job, no prospects and a shrinking bank account.

After many weeks of lying around her apartment, Bette scores a job at a coveted Manhattan PR company and her days of sleeping in and watching television are a thing of the past. Now Bette’s job consists of party planning and partying into the wee hours of the morning with a-list celebrities, socialites and “wannabe’s.”   In the beginning the job that seemed like a life of partying was all Bette could have ever asked for, however when tabloid reports begin to misconstrue the truth, she soon finds that being on the inside of this glamorous social circle may not be as wonderful as it all seems. In the midst of all the craziness Bette is faced with potentially finding the love of her life, disappointing her family & best friend Penelope and losing her job. So….should she stay or should she go…you will just have to read it to find out. 

The plot is enjoyable and it is fun to watch Bette navigate her way through the inner circles of young, rich, celebrities.  The one thing I felt this book lacked was certain descriptive qualities that made it difficult for me to connect to the characters. I never got a good sense of what some of the characters looked like which made it difficult to envision them in my head. That said, it is a fun story line and if you are on vacation and want a light read I would recommend it.

All the best,
Lipstick Blogger

I’d heard of I Capture the Castle (by Dodie Smith, author of “The Hundred and One Dalmations”) before, but going off of the description, I’d often decide to read something else instead. I shouldn’t have, really, because this book is quite good.

I Capture the Castle is about seventeen-year-old Cassandra and her family, who live in a castle in England. Or, rather, they live in part of a castle - their home was built onto the remains of a crumbling old castle. Time are not good for Cassandra and her family. They are quite poor - her father is a writer who hasn’t written anything in a long time. The book was published in 1948 when it was still quite difficult for a woman to work to support her family. So, while Cassandra’s stepmother, Topaz, earns money sitting for artists, but it isn’t much.

Help comes in the form of a boyfriend for Rose, Cassandra’s sister. He is one of the new owners of the property that they live on. When Rose becomes engaged to Simon, things start improving for the family. Suddenly, she can help them afford to have decent meals. But Cassandra worries that Rose doesn’t really love Simon. Or does she? Cassandra can’t tell.

Cassandra dreams of becoming a writer and keeps a journal to practice for the novel she hopes to one day write. The book is that journal. It isn’t, however, the somewhat-clunky “Dear diary” format that some “journal as book” novels have taken. Instead, Cassandra is writing a story as a journal. Over the course of six months, we watch Cassandra respond to her life changing in ways she couldn’t imagine.

At the beginning of the book, Cassandra talks about how she is hoping to “capture all our characters and put in our conversations”. By the end of the book, not only has Cassandra captured all of their characters, but she has “captured the castle” perfectly.

As those of you know that have followed my blog - I love Jane Porter’s work.  Many of her books are chick lit with a “mom edge” that I just love.  My latest Jane Porter read, “Flirting with Forty” was to no surprise - a delight! 

So, what happens when a woman approaching forty finds herself divorced, a newly single mom of two school age children and trying to find out how she now fits in? 

Jackie Laurens, the main character in Flirting with Forty is going through this exact predicament.  After going through a painful divorce, Jackie’s life is nothing like she knew it.  She has wonderful friends and a thriving decorating business, however something seems to be missing and no matter how much Jackie tries to continue a “normal” life, she is finding that she she is going to learn to build a new “normal” since things will never go back to the way were before her divorce.

As Jackie’s life has changed she is finding that the dynamics with some of her best friends have changed as well.  Now she is not only newly single, but is finding that she is faced with a lot of time without her children that she loves madly.  How does she fit in?  What does she do with herself?  Surely nobody gets married, builds a life with someone with the intention of getting divorced - so where does she go from here? 

Set to board a plane to Hawaii with one of her best friends, Ann, Jackie is excited for a relaxing get away in Honolulu.  Unfortunately due to unforeseen circumstances Jackie is left to go on her Hawaiian vacation alone. Her trip faces a rocky start as she tries to relax on her own - much to the chagrin of the older, quadruple divorced player who has his eye on her.  Thank goodness she meets Kai, the tan, sexy and younger surfer who puts the pep back into Jackie’s step.  But is this for real or is this just a fling?   As she struggles with trying to figure out if it is love or lust with Kai, the struggles of being a single mom and dealing with friends who may not agree with her new relationship - Jackie’s wonderful journey to self-discovery is a real treat.

This novel is being made into a Lifetime movie starring Heather Locklear.  I am not certain of the release date, but look forward to watching it - even though the movie is NEVER as good as the book.  

All the best!
Lipstick Blogger

Howl’s Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones is about a young girl named Sophie and a wizard named Howl.  

Sophie works in the hat shop owned by her stepmother - it used to be her father’s. Sophie is rather like an old lady, even though she’s a young woman: she stays in, working on the hats more than going out. She accidentally offends the Witch of Waste and becomes cursed. Sophie is turned into an old woman and cannot tell anybody was has happened to her. She realizes that she cannot stay at the hat shop - nobody would recognize her - so she sets off and ends up running into Wizard Howl’s castle.

Howl’s castle moves from place to place. Howl himself is said to be terrible. In town, the rumors are that he eats the hearts of beautiful young women. Sophie reasons that she’s no longer a young woman and believes she wasn’t very beautiful to begin with, so she invites herself to be Howl’s new maid.

Along the way, she meets the fire demon, Calcifer, who can see through the curse on her. Calcifer agrees to turn Sophie back the way she was if she can break the contract that Howl and Calcifer have signed. One of the stipulations of the contract was that neither Calcifer nor Howl can disclose the terms of the agreement. Slowly, Sophie and Calcifer become good friends.

Sophie also becomes good friends with Michael, Howl’s apprentice. Michael basically runs the day-to-day business for Howl. Howl can be rather inefficient with money, so Michael hides bits of the money they receive so that they’ll have money for the future.

The story itself is a bit hard to explain and anything I say here would contain too many spoilers, anyway. The characters alone would be a good reason to read this book, but the story itself is fantastic. If you like fantasy at all, check this book out. (And maybe even if you don’t normally read fantasy -  I think most people would like this book.)

And now, a confession on WHY I read this book:

One day, I was skimming through one of my book communities, when suddenly I saw the name of this book casually mentioned in a "books I’ve read this year" post. This was one of those things this didn’t register until several seconds later. I had to stop and scroll back. This couldn’t be: one of my favorite anime movies was a book? My first thought: "Why didn’t anybody tell me this before?!"

Well, of course I had to read the book. And, I have to be honest here, I enjoyed both the book and the movie about the same amount. But they’re so different that they’re only loosely the same story. I highly recommend reading the book AND watching the movie… I think this is one of those few times that you won’t be disappointed by the movie version. Be sure to catch them both.