Ivory Owl Reviews

Tuesday, June 30, 2015

My Monthly Wrap-Up

June was a pretty big month here on Ivory Owl Reviews. Here's a quick recap and a look at what I've got planned for July.

I compiled an Updated List of Book Bloggers and I loved all the feedback I got. There are several book blogging directories but I found that a lot of them were not updated regularly. I included bloggers who have posted within the last month and have a blog that is mostly book reviews. I first made a list back in October 2014 and am planning on updating every 6 months or so.

I reviewed 9 books total but my favorite by far was The Book of Speculation by Erika Swyler. I loved this book! Two other favorites this month were The Knockoff by Lucy Sykes and Jo Piazza and The Balance Project by Susie Orman Schnall. These will probably all be included in my long list of 2015 favorites. I also liked It's You by Jane Porter, A Second Bite at the Apple by Dana Bate, and The Ice Twins by S.K. Tremayne

I had two Foodie Friday Features: Recipe for Disaster by Stacey Ballis and Elaine's by Amy Phillips Penn

My Feature and Giveaway of Love and Miss Communication by Elyssa Friedland had a great turnout and I gave away 2 signed copies.

Looking ahead:
I wish I could read them all but will probably only get to a couple, but here are The 11 July Releases I'm Excited About. Also, Tamara and I have announced our next Book Talk with R and T selection: THOSE GIRLS by Chevy Stevens. I loved THAT NIGHT and was not disappointed when I read THOSE GIRLS. I read the whole book in two sittings!

How was your June? What bookish events or releases are you excited for in July?

Foodie Friday: Elaine's by Amy Phillips Penn

Title: Elaine's: The Rise of One of New York's Most Legendary Restaurants from Those Who Were There
Author: Amy Phillips Penn
Publisher: Skyhorse
Publication Date: June 2, 2015
ISBN: 9781632202727
Number of Pages:
How I Got It: from publicist
Format: Hardcover
Description:
A tribute to legendary restaurateur Elaine Kaufman and her renowned Manhattan creative melting pot. Elaine’s was a world-famous New York restaurant that became home to writers and celebrities. Owner Elaine Kaufman was known to be “New York feisty,” controversial, often rude, always blunt, with the flare of Gertrude Stein and Dorothy Parker. Elaine was highly respected and also frequently feared, and Elaine’s the restaurant received the public’s love and praise time and time again. Woody Allen held a regular table there, and Elaine’s was even featured in Allen’s Manhattan and Billy Joel’s song “Big Shot.” Throughout the years, Mick Jagger, John Lennon, and countless celebrities, politicians, socialites, private eyes, athletes, artists, and the biggest names in Hollywood became Elaine’s regulars. Most emphatically, Elaine’s raison d’être was to nourish “starving writers” with encouragement, introductions to Pulitzer Prize winners, and free food and alcohol. These struggling authors responded to Elaine’s support with profound gratitude. Elaine passed away in 2010, forcing the restaurant manager to close shop shortly after. “There is no Elaine’s without Elaine,” she decreed. However, the memories remain and are recalled by a variety of Elaine’s regulars in this moving, oftentimes amusing, collection of personal essays.
My Review:
Having never been to New York, my only knowledge of this legendary restaurant is from the Billy Joel song, and having always thought that the artistic salons of Paris and any gatherings of artists always sounded so romantic, I figured that Elaine's would have been my kind of place. Except I probably couldn't have gotten in. Which would have made me want to go there even more. The essays in the book paint a woman who was brash and took no shit, but knew virtually every writer, director, and actor (that was worth knowing) in The Big Apple. This book is (I assume) a wonderful compilation of nostalgia for anyone who had the privilege of meeting Elaine and had the honor of participating in the wonderful going-ons of the restaurant, but for the person who had no such luck, it is the next best thing. Elaine's transports a reader through time and space to New York in the sixties through the aughts, from Club 54 and Andy Warhol to Chris Noth and the The Sopranos, we get to be part of the "in" crowd and hear great stories about the cool kids and the woman they all adored, Elaine Kaufman.

** Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review **

The Ice Twins by S.K. Tremayne

Title: The Ice Twins
Author: S.K. Tremayne
Publisher: Grand Central
Publication Date: May 19, 2015
ISBN: 9781455586059
Number of Pages: 373
How I Got It: NetGalley
Format: Kindle
NetGalley Description:
In the tradition of The Girl on the Train comes the UK bestseller THE ICE TWINS, a terrifying psychological thriller with a twisting plot worthy of Gillian Flynn.
One of Sarah's daughters died. But can she be sure which one? A year after one of their identical twin daughters, Lydia, dies in an accident, Angus and Sarah Moorcroft move to the tiny Scottish island Angus inherited from his grandmother, hoping to put together the pieces of their shattered lives. But when their surviving daughter, Kirstie, claims they have mistaken her identity--that she, in fact, is Lydia--their world comes crashing down once again. As winter encroaches, Angus is forced to travel away from the island for work, Sarah is feeling isolated, and Kirstie (or is it Lydia?) is growing more disturbed. When a violent storm leaves Sarah and her daughter stranded, they are forced to confront what really happened on that fateful day.
My Review:
I had mixed feelings about this novel. It had the feeling of an artistic thriller movie with a tiny bit of horror. Not blood and guts but creepy "spirit world crossing over" touches. I liked the secluded setting and the idea of returning to simplicity, especially after a tragedy but I had a difficult time with Sarah as narrator. I don't like novels that give you a surprise piece of information at the end of the story. I like trying to figure out the plot and feel like that is not fair to not give the reader all the information. I like a twist but this leaned a little more toward unreliable narrator.

** Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review **

The Book of Speculation by Erika Swyler

Title: The Book of Speculation
Author: Erika Swyler
Publisher: St. Martin's Press
Publication Date: June 23, 2015
ISBN: 9781250054807
Number of Pages: 352
How I Got It: NetGalley
Format: Kindle
NetGalley Description:
I came across this book at auction as part of a larger lot I purchased on speculation. The damage renders it useless to me, but a name inside it led me to believe it might be of interest to you or your family.... Simon Watson, a young librarian, lives alone in a house that is slowly crumbling toward the Long Island Sound. His parents are long dead. His mother, a circus mermaid who made her living by holding her breath, drowned in the very water his house overlooks. His younger sister, Enola, ran off to join the circus six years ago. One June day, an old book arrives on Simon's doorstep. Fragile and water damaged, the book is a log from the owner of a traveling carnival in the 1700s, who reports strange and magical things-including the drowning death of a circus mermaid. Since then, generations of "mermaids" in Simon's family have drowned-always on July 24, which is only weeks away. As his friend Alice looks on with alarm, Simon becomes increasingly worried about his sister. Could there be a curse on Simon's family? What does it have to do with the book, and can he stop it in time to save Enola? The Book of Speculation is Erika Swyler's gorgeous and moving debut, a wondrous novel about the power of books, family, and magic.
My Review:
Let's begin with the cover....Books! I know the old adage about not judging books by their cover but I do. The stack of books caught my eye and made me read the description, which made me request this release...which made me fall in love. THE BOOK OF SPECULATION is THE NIGHT CIRCUS meets THE MUSEUM OF EXTRAORDINARY THINGS with a dash of THE STORIED LIFE OF A.J. FIKRY. Main character Simon loves his sister, his neighbor, his job, and his family's crumbling house...but he's losing them all. As he researches his family's history in hopes of saving his sister, readers are taken on a genealogical treasure hunt into a second narrative. Amos "The Wild Boy" falls in love with Evangeline, much to the delight of his traveling circus master and to the dismay of his fortune telling mentor. Filled with circus acts, mermaids, and tarot cards, THE BOOK OF SPECULATION is fast-paced, layered, and full of magic. The fact that this is author Erika Swyler's debut is reason to celebrate since it means we can expect more wonderful adventures to come.

** Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review **

Feature and Giveaway :: Love and Miss Communication by Elyssa Friedland

Title: Love and Miss Communication
Author: Elyssa Friedland
Publisher: William Morrow and Company
Publication Date: May 12, 2015
ISBN: 9780062379849
Number of Pages: 400
How I Got It: Wunderkind PR
Format: Kindle
Goodreads Description:
This unforgettable debut novel asks us to look up from our screens and out at the world...and to imagine what life would be like with no searches, no status updates, no texts, no Tweets, no pins, and no posts.
Evie Rosen has had enough. She's tired of the partners at her law firm e-mailing her at all hours of the night. The thought of another online date makes her break out in a cold sweat. She's over the clever hashtags and the endless selfies. So when her career hits a surprising roadblock and her heart is crushed by Facebook, Evie decides it's time to put down her smartphone for good. (Beats stowing it in her underwear--she's done that too!)
And that's when she discovers a fresh start for real conversations, fewer distractions, and living in the moment, even if the moments are heartbreakingly difficult. Babies are born; marriages teeter; friendships are tested. Evie just may find love and a new direction when she least expects it, but she also learns that just because you unplug your phone doesn't mean you can unplug from life.

HIGHLIGHT REEL

**Listen to Elyssa Friedland’s spunky interview on DayBreak USA.

**Read the story behind the story in Riffle.

**Listen to Elyssa on Huffington Post Live on how technology interferes with our relationships.

**Check out Love and Miss Communication in Glamour's May Tablet Edition.

**Metro US included Love and MIss Communication in their book roundup.

**AM 1380 WPHM interviewed Elyssa Friedland on The Paul Miller Morning Show.

**Read Elyssa’s “Confessions of a Former Technology Addict (sort of)” in Real Simple.

**USAToday.com says,“Evie’s story promises an enjoyable experience with a happy ever after.”

**Examiner.com says, “Love and MIss Communication is a cut above standard chick lit fare.”

**InStyle's Book Club names Love and Miss Communication a page-turner to read this May.

**Read Elyssa’s top children’s books suggestions in POPSUGAR.

**Read why RT Book Reviews dares you to not “like Love and Miss Communication.

**Cosmopolitan suggests you read Love and Miss Communication this May.

**Elyssa shares 10 tips to a successful book club on POPSUGAR.

**Read the 10 ways the internet is ruining your life on Bustle.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

** Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review **

Foodie Friday: RECIPE FOR DISASTER by Stacey Ballis

Title: Recipe for Disaster
Author: Stacey Ballis
Publisher: Berkley
Publication Date: March 3, 2015
ISBN: 9780425265505
Number of Pages: 480
How I Got It: from publicist
Format: paperback

Goodreads Description:
Stacey Ballis cooks up a delicious broth of a novel about a woman whose perfect life falls apart in spectacular fashion--leaving her with a house to restore, an antique cookbook (but no cooking talent), and one very unhappy schnauzer. For fans of Jen Lancaster, Jennifer Weiner, and Emily Giffin.
To an outside observer, Anneke Stroudt is a mess—her shirts are stained, her fingernails stubby, her language colorful. But, despite her flaws, Anneke’s life is close to perfect. She has a beautiful historic house to restore and a loving fiancé who cooks like a dream.
Until Anneke’s charmed existence falls apart when she loses both her job and her future husband in one terrible day. In need of a new start, she packs up her disgruntled schnauzer and moves into her half-finished home, where she throws her pent-up frustration—and what little savings she has—into finishing the renovation.
But at the first step into the house’s overhaul, Anneke is sidetracked when she discovers a mysterious leather-bound book, long hidden away, filled with tempting recipes and steamy secrets from Emma Ditmore-Smythe, the cook for the house’s original owners. Slowly, with the help of some delicious food and Emma’s life lessons, Anneke begins to realize that, just like a flawless recipe, she’s been waiting for the right ingredients to cook up a perfect life all along…

My Review:
Okay! Okay! Apparently I've been living under a rock because this is my first Stacey Ballis book! Oh, how I loved this book! It was like the perfect combination of HGTV, DIY Network, The Food Network, and The Cooking channel...my favorite channels! I have one thing to say (but I'll let this meme say it for me)

I'll be reading her previous releases because this was perfect. I call this type of book a "bathtub book" because I like a fun, light-hearted paperback when I'm soaking in the tub. Something that makes me happy but doesn't require deep critical thinking. Take a look at a few of her previous releases, aren't the covers delicious?

**I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review **

A Second Bite at the Apple by Dana Bate

Title: A Second Bite at the Apple
Author: Dana Bate
Publisher: Kensington
Publication Date: November 25, 2014
ISBN: 9781617732607
Number of Pages: 336
How I Got It: NetGalley
Format: Kindle

NetGalley Description:
From the acclaimed author of The Girls’ Guide to Love and Supper Clubs comes a witty, honest novel, perfectly seasoned with both humor and heart, about daring to bite into the life you really want…
Sydney Strauss is obsessed with food. Not with eating it—though she does that too—but with writing about the wonders of the gastronomic world, from obscure fruit hybrids to organic farming techniques. Since food journalism jobs are more coveted than Cronuts®, Sydney pays her bills working for one of TV’s biggest egomaniacs—until she’s left scrambling for shifts at a local farmers’ market. Stacking muffins for the Wild Yeast Bakery isn’t going to win her any James Beard awards. But soon Sydney is writing the market’s weekly newsletter, and her quirky stories gain attention from a prominent food columnist. After years of putting her love life into deep freeze, she’s even dating again. And then Sydney gets a shot at the story, one that could either make her career or burn it to a crisp—along with her relationship and her reputation…

My Review:

I've always been drawn to "foodie fiction" and I absolutely loved A Second Bite at the Apple. Sydney is relatable in that she is a young woman trying to follow her dreams, but tricky career moves and failed relationships keep her from focusing on what she really wants. Like singers scrabbling to make ends meet with waitstaff jobs in bars they wish they were playing in , Sydney is writing newsletters for the farmer's market she is working at. When an opportunity for her big break comes along she has to decide if it is really worth it, knowing the fallout will negatively affect so many people in her life.

** Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review **

Updated List of Book Bloggers

I've updated my book blogger list. I heard so much great feedback when I posted my first list in September 2014 that I thought it was time to do an update. Some of the following blogs were on the first list, but some of the original bloggers removed their blogs, changed their blog's topics, or have simply stopped blogging. I've only included book bloggers who have posted in the last sixty days and am looking for more to add. Please leave a comment below or contact me via Twitter or email (links in sidebar) to suggest anyone I may have missed. Be sure to bookmark this page and / or keep checking back as I update the list!

Who did I miss?

The Balance Project by Susie Orman Schnall

Title: The Balance Project
Author: Susie Orman Schnall
Publisher: SparkPress
Publication Date: April 28, 2015
ISBN: 1940716675
Number of Pages: 250
How I Got It: from author
Format: paperback
Goodreads Description:
Katherine Whitney has it all. She’s married, has two daughters, is the COO of Green Goddess & Co., a multi-billion dollar health and wellness lifestyle company, and with the release of her book on work-life balance, she is not only a media darling but she is a hero to working moms everywhere. In reality, though, Katherine’s life is starting to fall apart, and her loyal assistant Lucy Cooper is the one holding most things together. But when Katherine does something unthinkable to Lucy, Lucy is faced with a difficult decision. Will she choose to change Katherine’s life forever or continue being her main champion. Her decision could change the trajectory of both of their lives. The Balance Project is a story of loyalty, choices, and most of all balance as it explores the hot-button issue that all women struggle with.

My Review:
I was soooo excited when Susie contacted me to review her newest release since I loved ON GRACE. I about fell off my chair when I saw that in the back of this book she thanked some book bloggers and one of those bloggers was ME!! Too cool! So I set the book to the side when I got it because I wanted to read it "at the right time." Well, "life imitates art" and vice versa and I was having some balance problems. Between my senior graduating and planning a big vacation, I didn't get my ARC read before the release date. But I locked myself in my bathroom and took this book in the bathtub with me for some much needed alone time. I loved it so much. It is one of those books that is such a treat that I think I may have hugged my copy when I finished. So I should have reviewed it right then, right? But did I? No. I was in the whirlwind that was May when I reviewed a whopping 3 books. My point is that every woman knows the struggle for balance and this was a wonderfully relatable read. I wanted Lucy to stand up for herself at the beginning but then I liked that she had a meltdown. I could see pieces of myself in Lucy and Katherine. I also liked that Schnall had several characters calling Katherine's "balanced" lifestyle bluff. Families, careers, and relationships can't always be balanced and the fact that Katherine (and modern media) keep telling women that they should makes them feel that somehow they are a failure. We all try to balance our lives and keep things running smoothly but life happens. Sometimes one area of your life suffers while another soars. We are each only one person and there are only 24 hours in every day. We can only do our best to strive toward a balanced life, but not be disappointed when it isn't regularly achieved. The next time you hear a friend vent to you about how they are trying to do it all, recommend this book. While it may not hold the answers, it will bring consolation and comfort that millions of other women relate with them.

** Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review **

Title: The Knockoff
Author: Lucy Sykes and Jo Piazza
Publisher: Doubleday
Publication Date: May 19, 2015
ISBN: 9780385539593
Number of Pages: Hardback = 352
How I Got It: NetGalley
Format: Kindle

NetGalley Description:
An outrageously stylish, wickedly funny novel of fashion in the digital age, The Knockoff is the story of Imogen Tate, editor in chief of Glossy magazine, who finds her twentysomething former assistant Eve Morton plotting to knock Imogen off her pedestal, take over her job, and reduce the magazine, famous for its lavish 768-page September issue, into an app.
When Imogen returns to work at Glossy after six months away, she can barely recognize her own magazine. Eve, fresh out of Harvard Business School, has fired “the gray hairs,” put the managing editor in a supply closet, stopped using the landlines, and hired a bevy of manicured and questionably attired underlings who text and tweet their way through meetings. Imogen, darling of the fashion world, may have Alexander Wang and Diane von Furstenberg on speed dial, but she can't tell Facebook from Foursquare and once got her iPhone stuck in Japanese for two days. Under Eve's reign, Glossy is rapidly becoming a digital sweatshop—hackathons rage all night, girls who sleep get fired, and “fun” means mandatory, company-wide coordinated dances to Beyoncé. Wildly out of her depth, Imogen faces a choice—pack up her Smythson notebooks and quit, or channel her inner geek and take on Eve to save both the magazine and her career. A glittering, uproarious, sharply drawn story filled with thinly veiled fashion personalities, The Knockoff is an insider's look at the ever-changing world of fashion and a fabulous romp for our Internet-addicted age.

My Review:
The Knockoff is The Devil Wears Prada 2.0 and I loved every single word! Where we were previously rooting for new girl Andi to take down Miranda, in this novel we are hoping Imogen can oust bratty Eve. Imogen's initial naive observances are cute and laughable, such as:

"But the website was just a necessary appendage of the actual pages of the magazine, used mainly as a dumping ground for favors for advertisers and leftover stories. Right?"

Imogen finds support and information in a chatroom called Techbitch (which is the UK title for this release and I love so much better) and learns how to adapt to the changing digital landscape of the magazine industry. So many gasps and giggles in this book that I would recommend it to anyone who loves Candace Bushnell and Lauren Weisberger, as well as tech and fashion lovers. Fingers crossed there is a movie offer for this one because it would be fun to see who would play Imogen and Eve.

** Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review **

It's You by Jane Porter

Title: It's You
Author: Jane Porter
Publisher: Berkley
Publication Date: June 2, 2015
ISBN: 9780425277157
Number of Pages: 336
How I Got It: Suzy Missirlian
Format: Kindle
Description:
In the wake of a tragedy that tore her life down to the foundations, Dr. Alison McAdams has lost her way. So when she’s summoned to Napa to care for her ailing father, she’s not sure she has anything to offer him—or anyone else.
What Ali finds in Northern California wine country is a gift—an opportunity to rest, and distance from her painful memories. Most unexpectedly, she finds people who aren’t afraid of her grief or desperate for her to hurry up and move on.
As Ali becomes part of her father’s community, makes new friends of her own, and hears the stories of a generation who survived the Second World War, she begins to find hope again. In a quest to discover the truth about another woman’s lost love, she sets off on a journey across oceans and deep into history. And in making sense of that long-ago tragedy, Ali is able to put together the broken pieces of her heart and make new choices that are right for her.

Review:
This is the first book I've read by Jane Porter...but it won't be my last! I felt like it was "the right book at the right time" (don't you just love when that happens?) Equal parts heart wrenching and heart warming, I felt like Alison was a girlfriend I knew. After being dealt several severe life blows she's down but she's not out. She's a woman with real, complicated feelings and I love how the author didn't fall back on cliches or make me frustrated with Alison's actions...I related and respected her strength. Fingers crossed that It's You follows in the footsteps of her previous release, Flirting with Forty, and becomes a movie. I'd love to see the Napa setting.

About the Author: Jane Porter is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of 40 romances and 11 women's fiction novels. She holds an MA in Writing from the University of San Francisco and has been a finalist for the prestigious RITA award five times, with her novella, Take Me, Cowboy, winning the Novella Category July 2014. Jane's wildly popular novel, Flirting with Forty, was made into a Lifetime movie starring Heather Locklear and she has two other stories currently in development in Hollywood. Jane, her surfer husband and three sons call sunny San Clemente, CA home. You can find out more about Jane and her releases at janeporter.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/authorjaneporter
Twitter: @authorjanep
Instagram: https://instagram.com/authorjaneporter/
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/12693.Jane_Porter

** Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review **

Tuesday, June 30, 2015

My Monthly Wrap-Up

Monday, June 29, 2015

The 11 July Releases I'm Excited About

Friday, June 26, 2015

Foodie Friday: Elaine's by Amy Phillips Penn

Tuesday, June 23, 2015

The Ice Twins by S.K. Tremayne

Monday, June 22, 2015

The Book of Speculation by Erika Swyler

Wednesday, June 17, 2015

Feature and Giveaway :: Love and Miss Communication by Elyssa Friedland

Friday, June 12, 2015

Foodie Friday: RECIPE FOR DISASTER by Stacey Ballis

Wednesday, June 10, 2015

A Second Bite at the Apple by Dana Bate

Sunday, June 7, 2015

Updated List of Book Bloggers

Thursday, June 4, 2015

The Balance Project by Susie Orman Schnall

The Knockoff by Lucy Sykes and Jo Piazza

Tuesday, June 2, 2015

It's You by Jane Porter

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