Here is my first nonfiction review book from William Morrow Publishing.  It is The Other Side of Normal: How Biology is Providing the Clues to Unlock the Secrets of Normal and Abnormal Behavior by Jordan Smoller.  I have been fascinated with psychology since I was a kid and remember watching the movie My Girl with Macaulay Culkin.  They found this old model of a human brain in the attic that was used to study Phrenology...the study of the bumps on your head....well, I was just intrigued by that and began my own mini research into personality and psychology.  So much so, most of my electives in college were either psychology or art history, weird?  Anyway, after college I went into the social work field and so on and so forth.  The point of my rambling is that I chose this book due to my interest in psychology.  Whew...that was unnecessary of me.
I like this book because it examines 3 major influences on our human behavior, so we are not merely stuck on an one-way track.  It looks at a person's genes, experiences and evolution are how these factors shape our emotional and social natures.  It looks at specific case studies throughout history.  Smoller has made of point of not writing an encyclopedia of psychology, and though there are times when the text is quite technical, I did not feel lost in it.  I recommend this book for anyone who is interesting in human psychology and behavior. 

Gotta Love Dystopia Trilogies!!

This is a great first book in a new trilogy by Veronica Roth.  The title of this one is Divergent, and it was recommended to me by my friend Chris.  We both like books with some sci-fi and some intrigue and a little dystopia thrown in for good measure.  This is a great example of that!  The book takes place in Chicago after the destruction of the country due to selfishness, aggression, dishonesty, cowardice, and arrogance.  In order to combat this, there have been five factions created to prevent these qualities from taking over.  These are Abnegation which values selflessness, Amity which values peace, Candor which values truth, Dauntless which values courage, and Erudite which values intellect.  Everyone is born into a factions, and when they turn 16 years old they have ya choice to change factions permanently.  No turning back.  "Faction Before Family" is the motto.  If they fail or have a change of heart, they become factionless...wandering the outskirts of town performing jobs that no one else would willing choose. 

This is the story of 16 year old Beatrice who soon becomes Tris.  She is born into Abnegation, yet she never feels completely comfortable in this faction.   She shocks everyone on the day of the Choosing utilizing the information she received from her aptitude test.  Her choosing triggers a string of events that kept me reading even when I had a ton of other things to do.  She begins her initiation in her new faction and meets many well-drawn out characters....Four is my favorite.  I really don't want to write too much without giving so much away.....needless to say, I have ordered book 2 and am expecting it today in the mail!  Cannot wait!  Thanks Chris!  Great recommendation!!

because of mr. terupt

This one is for the junior/preteen readers...though I definitely loved this one and read in within two hours.  It is called Because of Mr. Terupt by Rob Buyea.  It is a book ALL kids should read.  A group of fifth graders are starting school with a new teacher, you guessed it...Mr. Terupt.  He is unlike any teacher they have ever had and he makes school fun, but that is not all.  The story focuses on 7 students (which I thought would be too many characters to keep track of.....it is NOT).  Each chapter is written in a different student's voice and version of the school year.  The students are as varied as they could possibly be....a new girl, a mean girl, class clown, the smart one, shy girl, an outcast, and a loner.  Sounds kind of like The Breakfast Club?  Mr. Terupt teaches them more than just math & reading....and he understands them all.  As the story progresses, you are aware that something horrible is about to happen and you are hoping that it is not too horrible....so you keep reading.  And then the horribleness comes, and you keep reading....you have to find out the conclusion.  And you won't be disappointed.  I told my 11 year-old that he would love this book, and he plans to read it...as soon as he finishes the Harry Potter Series.  He is on book 5 and can't put them down!  Not a bad thing at all!

Agatha Winning Author

This is the latest review book from Morrow Publishing.  It is A Faith Fairchild Mystery written by Katherine Hall Page.  She has written 19 novels in this series, and this is my first one.  It is titled: The Body in the Boudoir.   Since I have not read any of the previous ones, I was a bit leery about jumping right into a series and being lost and confused... I find myself lost and confused quite often in this crazy, wonderful life.  Fortunately, this mystery was presented in a flashback where our lady sleuth AKA caterer spins the tale of her engagement and the murders that surrounded it, so I was able to grab some background info on the characters.  This novel takes place in the months before New York born Faith is to marry Massachusetts native Tom Fairchild.  The wedding is to be held on Faith's wealthy uncle's estate.  Strange and bizarre things begin to happen as the nuptial preparations begin ....Faith finds herself the target of someone's wrongdoing.  Faith has the habit to be surrounded by mystery and has the instinct to sense things that others overlook.  The murder knows she is on to something and wants to put an end to her snooping.  The clues are cleverly hidden throughout and keeps you guessing....all the way to the reveal.
Fans of Diane Mott Davidson Goldy the Caterer series will enjoy this mystery series without feeling like it is more of the same. 

Rerelease of a John Irving classic

I have read a few other novels by John Irving....The World According to Garp  and Hotel New Hampshire.  Both wildy bizarre, inappropriately intriguing and shockingly humorous.  A Prayer for Owen Meany hits all three of these qualities as well...just not as shocking for myself.  The story takes place in New England and centers on the unlikely friendship of two boys - Owen and John.  John is your average boy who lives with his mom, loves baseball and hates going to church.  He has never known his father or even his father's identity.  Though his beautiful and kind mother helps fill the gap.  John's best friend is Owen Meany.  The Meany family have been around for a long time....and Owen is a unique character.  He is dwarfish and talks in a strange, annoying voice that is written in ALL CAPS throughout the story.  His mother is a recluse...never leaves the house and leaves Owen searching for a maternal figure which he finds in Tabby - John's mother.  The story starts out quickly with a horrific accident.  Owen hits a foul ball which strikes Tabby and kills her instantly.  Owen believes he has become an instrument of God through this incident.  This is what guides the story.  Owen and John's relationship evolves in despite of the tragedy.  The reader bounces back and forth from present day with John retelling his past and relationship with Owen Meany.  I wanted to desperately to devour this novel, but I found myself reading and setting it aside.  It was at times too wordy and it felt like it was trying too hard to be shocking.  I have read that Irving has been compared to Charles Dickens in his descriptive writing style....though Dickens was paid per word.  I enjoyed the novel, but I am not sure it is one I will revisit.

The Magic and Naughtiness of Art

I stayed up late (again) to finish this review book by Christopher Moore called Sacré Bleu A Comedy D’Art..  I have many loves, and art and art history is most definitely one of them....so much so I have a minor in art history just for my love of art not for any practical purpose.  As an artist, I am not.  I do not have that talent and envy others who do.  My boys seem to have a little of that love....Calvin is intrigued by architecture and Henry loves to paint while Nate loves to draw and draw and draw.  Not sure about Benny yet.
So when I received this book in the mail (hardback edition)....I could not wait to dive into it. This is my first Christopher Moore book, and I may now be an addict.  I was delighted by his writing…the wit, the intrigue and the naughtiness that kept me turning pages.  It begins in Auvers, France in 1890 on the day Vincent Van Gogh dies.  Was it suicide or murder?  Why would a man walk a mile with a gunshot wound to the chest to get help if he wanted to die?  Was he simply a mad man? Or is there more to it?  These are questions the author has left to Vincent’s friends to unravel. 
The story focuses on Paris in the 1890’s and the artist’s that get their inspiration from this city.  The story centers around the characters called The Colorman and his female friend.  The Colorman sells colors (paints) to artists since art supply stores have yet to be created. He makes the colors and peddles them from town to town on his donkey.   He has one unique color that the artists are attracted to….Ultramarine…the Sacré Bleu.  The mystery of this story is in the color. 
The reader joins Lucien Lessard (baker and artist)  as well as artists such as Monet, Manet, Renoir & Toulouse-Lautrec on their  journey as they begin to unravel the mystery of the Blue and the women they call their muses.  We get to live as these artist may have lived: drinking lots, taking opium and “bonking” many women as we travel through an amazing time in art history.

More Like Her by Liza Palmer

Ok....this is my first official review book from William Morrow Publishing!  I received it this week along with 2 others and read this one rather quickly.  I picked it to read first since it looked like something that would not require me to do more thinking than I wanted.  At school, I have been reading many books in order to select next year's Battle of the Books.  That is where my reading time was focused, so I didn't a potato chip book.  A potato chip book is what a friend of mine refers to as something that is tastes good for you without providing much nutrient....kind of like a Lifetime Movie...something we all crave every once in a while.  (though I must admit....it has been decades since I have watched a Lifetime movie).  Sorry, I digress.
This is a book that centers around Frances who is a teacher at a private school.  She is single due to a recent break-up and is still hurt from the experience.  Her best friend, Jill, also teaches at the school and the two of them quickly become bosom buddies (almost too quickly) with a new teacher, Lisa.    Nothing too complicated here...characters are not too complex, but entertaining...not to mention emotional.  And I don't mean I was emotional while reading it, the characters -mainly Frannie-- were crying and sobbing on almost every page.  Lifetime movie-like.  The story's climax is when the new Headmistress, Emma comes onto the scene.  She is perfect in every way...too perfect and a little stepford-ish.  She has a dark secret which is revealed in a violent tragedy at the school which will "kind of" change everyone involved.  After all, life does move on...I suppose.  There is not much information or time given to the dark secret which deals with domestic abuse.  I believe if there was more of a focus on this topic....I would have been more invested in the characters, but this was not the case.
Happy endings everywhere....one gets married, one gets pregnant, and one finds true love....Oh and the dog in the story (of course there is a cute, sad puppy dog)....he gets a happy ending as well. 
Not the best book I have read....certainly not the worst.  Happy to be reviewing books from Harper Collins...the next two should be good.  One is a reissued edition of a novel by John Irving....more on that later.