So L.A. and a Giveaway

So L.A. by Bridget Hoida

Have you ever been to LA? Then you know the drill; there are people with big everything: houses, cars, sunglasses and boobs. Yes, boobs. You know what I am talking about. So does Magdalena de la Cruz, or at least she thinks she does. Magdalena hails from Northern CA and she moves to LA when her brother tragically dies in a climbing accident that she feels responsible for. She and her husband have hit it big selling expensive bottled water to the rich, and they move into a huge house and try to fit in with the Southern California lifestyle. Magdalena buys the big car, wears the big sunglasses and gets the big boobs, yet she is still not happy. Her marriage starts to decline and she seeks the solace of a bottle of gin.

This story is about her mental state and how she attempted to find her true self amidst a city full of materialism and people who seemed to care more about looks than love, herself included.

I enjoyed this book as a quick and easy read and something to pass the time on a Sunday. I read it in one day, as it was easy to follow. Even though I kind of disliked the main character, I found that the story moved quickly along. I found the character very shallow, although at the same time I did see that she was struggling to get out from under that self absorbed attitude at times. I cannot say that I related to her, although I am from the very area that she came from in the beginning, and a small town to boot, so we should understand each other.

However, we have all wanted to be liked in one situation or another. Whether you are in an all male work environment and you start watching football so you can join in on the conversations around the water cooler, or if you are a girl, trying to impress a guy, so you wear a certain outfit or act a certain way, we all understand that need for acceptance to a certain degree. So in that case, if I change the situation around a little, I can relate to her to a certain extent. But she takes it a little too far, and loses who she really is in the meantime.

So I had mixed emotions about Magdalena: I felt sorry for her; I hated her; I understood her; I wanted her to find her true self and to stop playing games.

As for the book, it made a good point about how we need to accept ourselves for who we are because trying to be someone else only gets us in trouble.

I gave the book a three out of five on Goodreads. I would recommend this book as a fun, quick and interesting read.

Now, for the fun part! One lucky reader can win a copy of this book! All you have to do is go to the author's website and leave me a comment telling me one thing you learned from it. It can be anything you want. If you are not a winner, you can still buy the book here. Contest ends August 31 at midnight PDT. Winner will be announced shortly after.

Disclaimer: I received a complimentary copy of this book from TLC Book Tours in return for an honest review. You can see a schedule of the other blogs on tour here.

Have you been to L.A.? If so, what did you think / if not, what do you imagine it to be like? In what way have you ever tried to impress people around you?

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An Unmarked Grave

I have read several books about World War II, but not as many that are set during World War I. That is why I was excited to read this one! What did I think? Read on. 

An Unmarked Grave by Charles Todd

Set in 1918 in both France and England during World War I, an English nurse working in a French hospital sees something that she shouldn't. During the time of the Spanish Influenza, a patient in the pile of the deceased seems to have died of causes that seem a bit suspicious.

The nurse, Bess Crawford, takes it upon herself to find out the details of this man's death. In the process, she encounters danger and intrigue and suffers attacks on her very life.

I am a sucker for a good murder mystery. My go to beach read is something with murder, suspense and danger. This book did not disappoint. The authors hook you from the very beginning, when Bess discovers the body while working at a clinic in France. Throughout the story, you are always kept guessing as to who the killer is and what their motive could be.

The characters, who consist of Bess, her family and a couple of male friends and officers, are all very likable and the book had a sense of realism to it, which I prefer. There is nothing I dislike more than a book that is supposed to portray real life but when you are finished with it you are left thinking, "that couldn't happen!" This book did not leave me with that bad taste in my mouth. I finished it in a couple of days because I had to see who the killer was! The authors also added in some facts about the war, the enemy lines and the countries (have you ever heard of the Cheddar Gorge?), which always makes me like a book more, as I feel like I am learning something while I am being entertained.

I rate this book a 3 out of 5 on Goodreads. I liked it! I would definitely read another book by these authors (it is a mother and son pair).

For other tour dates, go to the TLC Book Tours website. For more information, go to the authors' website and their Facebook page. 

Disclaimer: I was given a complimentary copy of this book by TLC Book Tours. I was not compensated for this review. All opinions expressed are my own.


Have you ever heard of/been to the Cheddar Gorge? What is your favorite genre of book? Have you read many books about WWI?

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With My Body

A middle aged woman finds herself stuck in a rut of laundry, kids and marriage that she doesn't know how to get out of. She feels trapped, and wonders what happened to the fresh young girl that she used to be, the one who was adventurous and erotic, the one who had dreams of becoming something. 

She finds herself remembering her teenage years in Australia, where she was an uncouth bush girl. She remembers her first sexual experience with an older man, where she learned everything there is to know about sex and love and reciprocity. She thinks about the present, and her sexless marriage with her husband, and longs for that feeling of first love again. This feeling takes her back to Australia to find the man who she lost. From her journey, comes a new understanding of herself.

This book was quite graphic. I won't say that it was a bodice ripper, but there was plenty of sex. However,  it was really raw, emotionally. She is a young girl, and she wants to learn everything. In trying to learn about sex, she also learns a lot about life. It really kept me reading. I wanted to put it down because at times it was a little overwhelming emotionally, but at the same time, I couldn't, because I had to find out what happened next. It really made me remember those days of young love and that carefree, give-it-your-all feeling. Relationships now seem very complicated comparatively.

The only thing I did not like about this book was that there are over 200 "chapters". Each one is only a few pages long and there is a quote at the start of each one. I found that the quotes distracted the flow of the story, as did the short chapters.  However, they didn't stop me from reading this book in one day.

If you are looking for a book that is a little bit racy but also poignantly honest, you should give this book a go. I may not have immediately chosen this one off the shelf, but after finishing it, I am glad that I gave it a chance!

You can find the rest of the tour info and other reviews here. Here's the author's website,  Facebook page, and the Facebook page for With My Body. Disclaimer: I was given a complimentary copy of this book by TLC Booktours in return for an honest review. All opinions expressed here are my own.  

Do you remember your first love? How have things changed for you, relationship-wise, since then?

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The Voluntourist

Have you ever felt that your life was lacking something? That you needed to give back somehow? Have you ever been to another country and seen how the locals live? Do you love to travel?

I have. I do. That is probably why this book spoke to me. It is about a man who, once entering his 40s and having his beloved father die, wonders if something is missing from his life. He wants to have children but his wife is uncertain. At the same time, he wants to give back and to be the man that he saw his father as being, which was a good man and a kind one. He wonders who will remember him and honor him the way that he remembers and honors his father. To find out, he travels to several different places around the world, doing volunteer work for a few weeks at a time.

I enjoyed this book. I always enjoy reading about travel and travelogues are one of my favorite genres. This book did not disappoint. It got my interest with some of the stories from abroad and I found my head nodding to some of the descriptions of the countries, the locals, the feeling of helplessness when you can't communicate, as well as the satisfaction of communicating without words at times. I have done volunteer work abroad and loved it and so this book brought back fond memories for me.

The book was split up into 6 sections, which each described one of the author's trips. I felt that it was organized well and was easy to read. I would recommend this book to others. It makes me want to put on my boots and get on the road!

If you are interested, you can see what other members of the tour thought of the book HERE. You can contact the author here: Website | Facebook

I received a complimentary copy of this book from TLC Book Tours in return for an honest review. I was not compensated, nor was I required to write a positive review. 

Do you like to travel? Have you ever volunteered in a foreign country (or at all)? How was your overall experience?

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Book Review: Saving Ruth

Saving Ruth by Zoe Fishman


This book was about a young Jewish girl from the south who returns home to Alabama after going to college in Michigan for a year. She has changed, and not all for the good. She left home a bit overweight and developed an eating disorder while she was gone. When she returns home, she not only has to face that fact, but she also has to deal with other adult issues such as familial problems, racial issues and romantic endeavors. 


I remember being 19 and coming back home "all grown up" after being gone for a year. I didn't have the same issues that Ruth had, but this book still hit a place in my heart because like Ruth, at that age, you spend a lot of time trying to find yourself. She unfortunately goes down the wrong path and decides to starve herself in order to stay thin, and when she does, she discovers a new found popularity. Or perhaps she was not unpopular before, but only discovered a new found confidence. Didn't we all experience that one way or another? 


However, this confidence is unhealthy. To top things off, her brother David, who used to be the life of the party, and who is also home from college, spends his summer brooding and moping around. She feels like he is ignoring her and is upset about something but he won't talk to her about it; he just brushes her off.

They both deny having any problems until there is a big blowout with the whole family and they both have to finally face the truth. They are not alone, however.  It turns out they are not the only one with issues to deal with. I found this also quite realistic, as it seems like much of the time many of us tend to deal with (or point out) other people's issues before admitting or fixing our own.


I found this book a quick and easy read. I liked Ruth and her family. I found her believable and likeable and at times both immature and mature for her age. I really wanted her to succeed and I felt that she did, in her own way. I


If you want to read more reviews or see the rest of the tour dates for this book, you can do that here. You can also learn more about Zoe on her website, Facebook, and Twitter! Zoe will also be interviewed by Book Club Girl on the Book Club Girl On Air show on Tuesday, June 12th at 7pm ET.

Do you remember your first summer (or trip) back home after being gone for college? How did it turn out? Did you feel like an adult?  

I received this book from TLC Book Tours for free in return for an honest review. I was not required to post a positive review. All opinions are my own. 

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Red Brick, Black Mountain, White Clay

Red Brick, Black Mountain, White Clay by Christopher Benfey is a book about an unforgettable voyage across the reaches of America and the depths of memory. Red Brick, Black Mountain, White Clay follows one incredible family to discover a unique craft tradition grounded in America¹s vast natural landscape. Looking back through the generations, renowned critic Christopher Benfey unearths an ancestry--and an aesthetic--that is quintessentially American (excerpt from Goodreads.)

This book is written in three sections. The first started off on an interesting note, talking about the author's grandfather and his background in brickmaking and pottery in North Carolina. He talks about finding the clay, forming the bricks, and firing the bricks. He has a love of brickwork, learned from his grandfather, that I found sweet.

The second section is about the Appalachians and the author's great aunt and uncle, who came over from Germany to start an art school in the foothills of the mountains. This section also had some stories of WWII and how the author's relatives, who were Jewish, fled to Mexico in order to get over to the USA during the war.

The third section is about the search for the perfect Cherokee clay in North Carolina, which is used  to make fine porcelain. The author schools the readers on the two types of clay, residual, which stays where it was formed, and sedentary, which moves with the rain and waterways. The Cherokee clay is residual and is hard to find outside of China. 

I found this book informative, but to be honest, I had a hard time getting through some of the sections. There was so much talk about clay and art and the author went back and forth between great-uncles and grandparents and parents, that I got a little overwhelmed. I liked the idea that he was trying to portray a journey and to compare and contrast, but I think it may have been more comprehensive to stick with a main theme, rather than doing the book in sections.

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from TLC Book Tours in return for an honest review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. 

Have you ever been to North Carolina? Are you interested in pottery, clay or art in general?

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