A Reunion of Ghosts: A Novel by Judith Claire Mitchell

(Thank you to the publisher and TLC Book Tours for providing me with a copy of this book!)

about book:

Three wickedly funny sisters.

One family’s extraordinary legacy.

A single suicide note that spans a century …

Meet the Alter sisters: Lady, Vee, and Delph. These three mordantly witty, complex women share their family’s apartment on Manhattan’s Upper West Side. They love each other fiercely, but being an Alter isn’t easy. Bad luck is in their genes, passed down through the generations. Yet no matter what curves life throws at these siblings—and it’s hurled plenty—they always have a wisecrack, and one another.

In the waning days of 1999, the trio decides it’s time to close the circle of the Alter curse. But first, as the world counts down to the dawn of a new millennium, Lady, Vee, and Delph must write the final chapter of a saga lifetimes in the making—one that is inexorably intertwined with that of the twentieth century itself. Unspooling threads of history, personal memory, and family lore, they weave a mesmerizing account of their lives that stretches back decades to their great-grandfather, a brilliant scientist whose professional triumph became the sinister legacy that defines them.

Funny, heartbreaking, and utterly original, A Reunion of Ghosts is a magnificent novel about three unforgettable women bound to each other, and to their remarkable family, through the blessings and the burdens bestowed by blood.

my thoughts:

Quirky, smart, and unputdownable are the three words I would use to describe Judith Claire Mitchell's novel, A Reunion of Ghosts.

Lady, Vee, and Delph are sisters who have decided to commit suicide on the last day of the year in 1999.  Their lives are filled with bad luck and thanks to their family's history with death, well they know that suicide is the answer.  Its in their blood.  You see, this sisterly trio won't be the first in the family to have committed suicide.  Yep, the Alters are cursed with the misfortune of early death (by their own hand) thanks to their great grandfather - the inventor of chemical warfare!  Ack! Talk about something NOT to be proud of.  You would think that so much death would make for quite a depressing read - well, it didn't.  I actually found myself laughing out loud at times. Written with wit and humor, twists and turns, this book makes for quite a unique family saga.  I absolutely loved getting to know Lady, Vee, and Delph.  Told in alternating voices, we get to learn about each sister and their family's sad history.  The more you read, the more you begin to understand the Alter family's belief in paying for the sins of their fathers - its quite sad really.  Mitchell explores the concept of absolution through these sisters and their family's choices - its absolutely riveting.  I just loved A Reunion of Ghosts!

I would most definitely recommend this novel to fans of literary fiction - its a must-read!  To find out what other bloggers have to say about this book, here's the link to the TLC Book Tour schedule for: A Reunion of Ghosts

Thank you to the publisher and TLC Book Tours for providing me with a copy of this book!

Love All: A Novel by Callie Wright

(Thank you to the publisher for providing me with a copy of this book!)

about book:


In the spring of 1994 in Cooperstown, New York, Joanie Cole, beloved matriarch of the Obermeyer family, unexpectedly dies in her sleep.  Her passing forces her husband, Bob, to move in with daughter Anne, her husband Hugh, and their two children, Teddy and Julia.  With three generations of the family under one roof for the first time—and each member hiding secrets from the others—tensions run high.  Adding to the family’s troubles, Anne cleans out her parent’s home and finds a battered copy of The Sex Cure, a thinly veiled roman à clef from the 1960s.  With the rediscovery of this scandalous book (the real life publication of which shook the small village of Cooperstown) the family’s secrets come rushing to the surface.  

Love All is an addictive and moving debut about love, fidelity, sports, and growing up when you least expect it.

my thoughts:

Get thee to a bookstore and pick up a copy of Callie Wright's fantastic debut novel, Love All.  Believe you me, you will be so happy you did.  I'm serious!  This book is EXCELLENT!!!  It is a compelling, character-driven novel about a dysfunctional family that you won't want to stop reading about.  Or at least, I didn't want to stop.  I found myself easily engaged with each character as I learned more and more about their worries, problems, and pasts.  It was hard to tear myself away at times (like when I had to eat, sleep, work), because I wanted to keep reading and find out what was going to happen to the Obermeyers - I was hooked!

Love All is the perfect book to escape into.  It is the story of an everyday family living their messy lives in a small town called Cooperstown. We have a workaholic mother, a cheating husband, a lovesick teenager, a moody grandfather, and a teenager afraid of leaving the comforts of home for college.  It pretty much resembles a typical family (well, except for the cheating spouse I would hope).  However, that is what makes this book so intriguing - you could be reading about your own family or your friends.  Of course, I doubt that any of us have to deal with a book being written about any of our sordid affairs, right?  Well, unfortunately for Anne's parents' they did.  You see, when Anne was a kid, her father was a bit of a ladies man and it wasn't a secret from his wife. And it just so happened that an author who knew the gossip of the town wrote a tell-all book titled, The Sex Cure.  Marriages were ruined, people left town, the author's house was vandalized, and mistrust ran amok as a result of this book.  However, Anne's dad was lucky, because none of his affairs were called out in the book.  Except that he wasn't that lucky.  This book instigated an uncomfortable time for him at home with his family and he hated the book for it.  So, when the book shows up nearly thirty years later in his granddaughter's hands, well, lets just say that things go from okay to worse mighty fast.

Now, I know that I didn't really divulge any major details about the story lines, but that's because I didn't want to ruin anything for you.  I just really think that this is the type of book you have to read for yourself to find out what happened - its such a worthwhile read.  And, believe me, you are going to love this book.  So, definitely go out and get yourself a copy of Callie Wright's novel, Love All.

Thank you to the publisher for providing me with a copy of this fantastic book!

Gold by Chris Cleave

Wow.  That is the word that summed up my reaction after reading the first few pages of Gold.  Seriously, it was.  I just couldn't believe how much I was loving Cleave's writing.  It was fantastic!  It was just so refreshing and engaging - it made me feel invigorated.  I felt like I had just discovered a new treasure and I was thrilled.  And the crazy thing is that I absolutely hated Little Bee - Cleave's second novel.  I just hated it.  I found the characters to be too unlikeable, so much so, that I did not care what happened to them. So, you can imagine my surprise when I was so taken with Cleave's latest work, Gold.  I wasn't even going to read it, but then I started to read so many glowing reviews and the Olympics were on...so I had to give it a go.  Suffice it to say, I'm so happy I did.

Gold is the story of three athletes aiming to make it to the 2012 London Olympics.  They train hard, follow strict diets, and pretty much focus on winning gold.  However, life creeps into their disciplined routines and the next thing you know, their worlds are forever changed.  We have broken hearts, an unexpected pregnancy, a sickly child, and unending loneliness.  It seems that getting to the top isn't all its cracked up to be.  We have Zoe, who will do absolutely anything to win gold - even if it means breaking your only friend's heart; Kate, a mum whose focus is split between caring for her ill daughter and training to win gold; and Jack, Kate's husband, who is finally beginning to realize just how sick his daughter really is and just how much she needs him.  All three are fascinating in their own ways and will have you rooting for them one minute, and booing them the next. 
 
Cleave has written a fantastic behind the scenes story about what it takes to make it to the Olympics and what happens afterward.  We get to learn all about their every day lives when they are in the velodrome training and when they are at home taking care of their little girl.  We read about them counting calories and counting meds.  We read about their past histories and how they came to be a mum, dad and aunt.  Cleave provides a full picture of every facet of their lives, which I felt added an authentic tone to the story.  You can almost believe that Zoe, Kate and Jack are Olympic athletes; just as you can imagine little Sophie watching Star Wars and pretending to be well, so that her parents don't worry too much about her.  This is a book that will grab you by the heart and make tears well up in your eyes, but it will also make you scream and want to shake some sense into the tunnel-visioned minds of these celebrated athletes.

 This book is just so good, I have to admit I didn't want it to end.  I wanted more details about who won gold in London and how Sophie became interested in cycling (not that I was surprised).  But I suppose that is what made the book so interesting - the fact that if left me wanting more.  I love when a book does that.  Actually, truth be told, reading this book also made me realize that I hadn't really read anything superb in quite some time.  Hmmm.  I think I'm going to have to fix that.  Anyhow, at the end of the day, Gold has become one of my all-time favorite reads and I will most definitely be recommending it to my family and friends.  Hope you give it a go and love it just as much as I did. Happy Reading!!