Book Review: My Sister's Voice

Thanks to my day job, I am slightly overdue to share my book review on Mary Carter's latest novel, My Sister's Voice.

From marycarterbooks.com: What do you do when you discover your whole life was a lie? In Mary Carter’s unforgettable new novel, one woman is about to find out. . .

At twenty-eight, Lacey Gears is exactly where she wants to be. An up-and-coming, proudly Deaf artist in Philadelphia, she’s in a relationship with a wonderful man and rarely thinks about her difficult childhood in a home for disabled orphans. That is, until Lacey receives a letter that begins, “You have a sister. A twin to be exact…”

Learning her identical, hearing twin, Monica, experienced the normal childhood she was denied resurrects all of Lacey’s grief, and she angrily sets out to find Monica and her biological parents. But the truth about Monica’s life, their brief shared past, and the reason for the twins’ separation is far from simple. And for every one of Lacey’s questions that’s answered, others are raised, more baffling and profound.

Mary weaves a fascinating story that quickly drew me into the lives of Lacey Gears and her twin, Monica Bowman. The mere thought of learning of an unknown adult sibling's existence, let alone an identical twin felt so real through each sister's perspective. A Deaf sister, a hearing sister and the processing of that vast difference in conjunction with being raised so different - abandoned versus privileged.

While each sister grew up separated, Mary did an excellent job of joining the puzzle pieces of Lacey and Monica’s long forgotten memories of a brief childhood together. Lacey’s front half of the blue horse toy served as a puzzle piece that haunted her throughout her life and only until Monica entered her life was Lacey then able to understand the true significance behind that haunting blue image.

I found it fascinating that Lacey’s biological truly were the rich, loaded parents that who abandoned their young daughter. However, the plot twists lead to even more exciting discoveries of what happens behind the closed doors of the influential Bowman family.

Each character stands on her own and made me want to learn about her past shaped her present and influenced her future. The real life feel that even after being separated for more than twenty years, old patterns and feelings established as children can immediately return. Beyond the bonds of sisters, the underlying twin psychology was captivating, especially as twins run on both sides of my family. These sisters explored their bond through the good and the bad and Mary beautifully conveyed both sides of that bond such at I truly felt like I knew Lacey and Monica; I was invested in wanting to see their relationship evolve.

My Sister’s Voice is definitely a good read that you won’t want to put down.

Book Review: Sunnyside Blues by Mary Carter

I was delighted to read and review Mary Carter’s third book, Sunnyside Blues, due for release on June 30, 2009.

Summary from marycarterbooks.com: Twenty-five-year-old Andes Lane has spent nine years moving restlessly from place to place as she searches for somewhere that feels right. In the little blue houseboat bobbing on a Seattle lake, she thinks she's found it. But Andes has barely had a chance to settle in before her new life is upended by her landlord, Jay, and his ten-year-old son, Chase. Smart, secretive, and precocious, Chase touches a chord with Andes even as he plays on her last nerve. When Jay needs someone to take care of Chase temporarily, Andes agrees to accompany the boy to Sunnyside, Queens, on a quest she's sure will prove fruitless. But in this new, strange, unexpectedly welcoming city, Andes will confront the secrets she tried to leave behind and the lies that have kept her running. And against all odds, she'll discover a place, a man, and a newfound peace of mind that feel very much like home.

At the onset, I picked up Sunnyside Blues and found myself unable to put it down after a few pages. The novel unfolds with Andes stumbling through a police interview, thus the hook to keep reading is set. As the third chapter opens, the underlying secrets of the characters begin to emerge, bubbling just below the surface. I found myself starting to ask flurries of questions and wanting learn more about the characters, especially Andes. Of course, Andes was truly endeared to me as chapter three closed because even though she fell, Andes ensured none of the champagne was lost! A girl who appreciates and saves her bubbles is my kind of girl!

As Andes’ relationship with Jay and Chase develops, her responsibility grows but so do the questions that surround her and subsequently the other characters too. Secrets become paramount. In fact, secrets are abundant and diverse including hiding the past, discovery, suspicion, protection, and facing the secret. Carter paints a very vivid picture of each character’s secret but weaves the revelations delicately into the plot to keep the reader guessing, thinking, ultimately making this novel difficult to put down.

Delving into the realm of secrets, it becomes clear that Andes’ secrets, as well as those of Chase, Jay, and Andes’ father, have had serious life changing consequences. Secrets come with a price. Some secrets are transparent and easily figured, while others are so deep, so hidden that the secret is much like a dead body lying in a casket covered by a six foot dirt barrier.

This novel is not formulaic, but a well thought out, complex story that rises above the mindless chick lit genre. I enjoyed that Carter allowed for Andes to experience catharsis at the end of the novel. More importantly, it did not finish with the happily ever after fairy tale where boy-gets-the-girl. Instead, Andes was true to herself and her dreams.

Sunnyside Blues reminded me of what I call ‘three universal truths’:
* Everyone has secrets
* You cannot run from your past
* You never know where the day will take you

Did I mention there is a pyromaniac and snakes too?

Snap up a copy of Sunnyside Blues. You will be glad you did.

Mary is having a contest, so enter to win a signed copy of Sunnyside Blues and $25 Barnes and Noble Gift Card! Winner will be announced on August 1st!

you lost him at hello

As you know, most of the time I don't even make it to hello. The plain and simple truth is that it is rapidly nearing a year since I've had a real first date. My gal pals and I are out about the town regularly enjoying cocktails and looking fab. But rarely anything beyond that.

With my currently empty dance card, I joyfully leapt at the opportunity to review Jess McCann's You Lost Him at Hello. Let's face it, my current dating tactics require improvement. While I love my girlfriends dearly, I would like to have a date that is not gay, married, or geographically challenged.

I will admit my gleeful excitement was tempered a bit when I saw that Jess is a gorgeous leggy blonde that seemed to have Sir Richard Branson in a tizzy.

However, I found her approach to dating refreshing and straight forward. While sales is not my forte in the working world, applying it to my social/dating life seems very plausible and easy to do.

I do like that Jess begins by making you realize that obviously there are some flaws in your current tactics because why else would you be reading her book. But it was her honesty and not the flippant style that annoyed me in He’s Not That Into You.

While I do employ several of Jess’ pointers, she adds a little twist to push it over the top. An example is when taking a lap in the bar to check it out, rather that just looking around, engage in meaningful eye contact. We were at happy hour a few weeks ago, and I did make meaningful eye contact, not just glance and men did check me out more. A few men went so far as to speak to me. It was great how tweaking one small thing created such a dramatic change!

That evening, my girls were surprised at the few men who said greeted me as I am typically the most unapproachable of the group. I decided to share some of the ideas in You Lost Him at Hello with my girlfriends and we have decided we are going to start seriously using Jess’ ideas whenever we are out. So Jess, feel free to come on down to Austin because your following down here is growing!

We are going to:
· Know and Love ourselves, our product, before we “sell” it!
· Prospect away for men
· Read his buying signs
· Fill that Funnel!!
· End encounters at the Height of Impulse
· Create a bit of skepticism
· Have even more fun!

If you are looking to change things up a bit, then definitely check out You Lost Him at Hello. Jess fills it with real life examples and easy steps to incorporate into your cute little bag of tricks. I know I cannot wait. Check back here too because I will be keeping a chronicle on how continued application of Jess' concepts turns out for me and my girls.

You know you want to... so follow the tour...
Wednesday, December 17th: Savvy Verse and Wit
Thursday, December 18th: Life in Pink
Friday, December 19th: Kristabella- Full of Snark Since 1977
Monday, December 22nd: It’s like, I’m…mmmagic!
Tuesday, December 23rd: Cleveland’s a Plum