A Dog's Journey

A Dog's Journey
by W. Bruce Cameron

A Dog's Journey is apparently book #2 of A Dog's Purpose series.  I did not read book one, but found this could stand alone. 

I've read some animal books (cat or dog) that I have considered very good but I didn't feel this story measured up. 

The story involves the reincarnation of the main dog character over the lifetime of the human he/she is meant to be for.  It's an interesting concept but it didn't quite work for me.  While Molly/Max/Toby is returning to find or be found by his/her human, the other puppies in the litter don't seem to have the same mission or goal. This leaves me to wonder if this dog is unique rather than the norm. 

The story is told by the dog and therefore does not get very deep into the human issues that make up the book. This leaves me a little wanting for a "meatier" story.  

The main human character of the story is a woman named CJ, picking up when she is a teen living with her narcissistic single mother. The dog at this point is Molly.  CJ's mother is not a dog person and makes life miserable for Molly and CJ in her attempts to remove Molly from their lives. 

Molly next comes back as Max and finds CJ as a twenty-something adult living in New York City. CJ's life is still less than enviable.  Although I am not entirely sure how Max's presence influences CJ's life, CJ does begin to recognize what is good in her life and things begin to turn around. 

Another gap in time and Max returns as Toby.  CJ is approaching the twilight of her life and we find more about how CJ's life has turned out. 

Although the story wasn't as flushed out as I would have liked it did make me emotional in the appropriate places and laugh when the story or dialog called for it.  All in all I give A Dog's Journey 3 of 5 shots.  

Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness

Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness
by Susannah Cahalan

Brain on Fire is a memoir of the author's descent into madness as a result of an unidentified condition.  As her rare illness is finally diagnosed and treated she has a long road ahead to recovery and hopefully return to normal. 

Ms. Cahalan found no explanation for the brain infection that caused her madness, nor was she ever sure that she would recover completely, a process that took nearly a year or more.  In this case, recovery not only refers to the physical issues that she endured but also the return of her former personality and ability to do her job as a journalist.

The disease she eventually was diagnosed with was very rare and the cause unknown.  When she was well on her way to recovering she accepted a work assignment to do an article about her experience.  As a result she brought the condition to the attention of physicians and patients alike, perhaps saving many people, certainly educating and giving hope to more.  Because of the seizures and irrational behaviors, many with the same illness could easily be diagnosed with various psychosis. 

I enjoyed Ms. Cahalan's story although I expected to find her "madness" more horrifying.  Perhaps because she herself could not recall that time and wrote from what she was told, or maybe because it's impossible to know the horror without the experience. 

I think this book is important for it's impact on the medical community and the people who have been or will be affected by this illness.  As a casual read, it's definitely not for everyone.  I give it 3 of 5 shots.

The Enchanted Life of Adam Hope

The Enchanted Life of Adam Hope
by Rhonda Riley

I thought the synopsis of this book was intriguing and was ready for a mystical read.  It was mystical, alright, and maybe the strangest book I've ever read. 

As the Caffeinated Reader I am going to do something I've not done before, I'm going to use a latte as my alliteration for this book.

I've ordered an iced vanilla latte.  Just the thought of drinking it makes me smile with anticipation.  But when I take my first sip it's just not quite right.  I don't taste the sweet smooth vanilla flavor I was expecting.  But the milk and coffee are good and cold and I keep drinking, hoping maybe the vanilla is at the bottom and I'll reach that flavor I'm looking for.  Unfortunately, it never materializes.  I've had my iced latte, good rich coffee and ice cold milk, but it never gave me what it promised, what I really wanted when I ordered it.  In the end it was just a latte.  I am disappointed and let down.

I was disappointed when I came to the end of this story.  The writing was good, but the story alone wasn't enough to keep enthralled.  What kept me returning to the book was my desire to know who Adam was and where he came from.  

**Spoiler Alert** 

The reader never finds out. 

The synopsis of the book referred also to Adams daughters possessing some of his supernatural gifts. Up until very nearly the end of the book, there wasn't anything about the daughters having any unusual gifts.  Another synopsis compares the writing/story to The Time Travelers Wife and the Story of Edgar Sawtelle.  I find this funny because I loved The Time Travelers Wife but hated Edgar Sawtelle. My dislike of Edgar Sawtelle somewhat mirrors what I feel about Adam Hope. The ending was such a let down it over shadowed whatever redeeming qualities the story had along the way.

I won't suggest you overlook this book and move on. I've read a few reviews since completing it and many more loved the book than felt the way I do.  So it's one I have to say you must read for yourself and come to your own decision.  

The story begins shortly after WWII in a southern state where a young girl has taken on the responsibility of running her deceased aunt's farm. During a severe storm she discovers a naked man submerged in the mud.  His features are distorted and vague, his skin appears scarred, discolored and lumpy.  She believes he is a returned wounded soldier, wondering how he came to be where she found him.  

She takes the man into her home and nurses him to health, all the while wondering how he is healing and changing so fast, until she realizes 'he' is now a 'she' and looks identical to her.  

The story is of their life together as two women and then after he changes back into a man and marries her.  They have children and seem to be a normal couple.  But his strange past haunts her.  She does what she must to protect him and her family from questioning eyes. 

I can't give the story more than 3 of 5 shots.  

Tempting Fate

Tempting Fate
by Jane Green


Unfortunately I wasn't feeling like blogging when I finished this book and put it off far too long.  When I noticed it on my nightstand the other day I wasn't even sure if I'd read it or not.


Yes, it's true. The memory is getting that bad. 


I headed over to BarnesandNoble.com to read the synopsis and give myself a little help in the memory department.  At this time I won't try to review the book but I can say I did enjoy it.  The story felt believable and had me thinking about mid-life crisis and how easy it could be to have one's head turned.  


I gave it 4 of 5 shots. 

Half Broke Horses

"Half Broke Horses"(Audio)
by Jeannette Walls

I read the Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls many years ago and loved it.  Sadly I wasn't writing about the books I was reading at that time.  It was a memoir of growing up with parents who were dreamers and drifters.  Parts of it romanticizing (my take on it) the childhood of living without boundaries and much of it horrific, living homeless, cold, and hungry. 

This prequel delves into the history of Ms. Walls' family, through the life of her maternal grandmother.  Ms. Walls calls it a "True Life Novel" as she has filled in and embellished, as a writer, the stories passed down in her family.  I don't believe she has embellished on facts, so much, as taken liberties with conversation and such, as the story is told through the voice of her grandmother.

Ms. Walls tells the story of this remarkable woman, her grandmother, Lily, starting with a time in our history where cars were just a vision of the future and families struggled daily to make a living off the land.  Lily was a bright, courageous and adventurous woman.  As a teen she rode by horse alone for days to take a job teaching a couple of states away.  She later moved to a big city to find work just to end up as a maid. She fell in love with and married a man who already had a wife and children, unbeknown to her.  

She left the city and returned to teaching when teachers were scarce due to the war. She married, raised a family, eventually got her college degree, helped run a ranch, learned to fly a plane, continued teaching school and more.  A true pioneer coming into the industrial age.  

Walls also tells of the life of Lily's daughter Rosemary, who was to become her mother.  Initially she wanted to tell Rosemary's story, but her mother insisted the real story was about Lily.  It's hard to believe the book could be as entertaining without Lily.  

I enjoyed this story very much and I'm now inspired to re-read The Glass Castle, something I rarely do.  

Four of Five Shots by me.  

The Time is Not Always Right

In a Facebook conversation the other day a friend commented regarding a book we had both started a long time ago,  She said, "Sometimes, the timing isn't right, but the book is always there when it is."  

Such a simple statement but so profound.  

Her comment was in regard to "The Hour I First Believed" by Wally Lamb. Mr. Lamb is a very engaging writer but his subjects tend to be very deep and emotional.  For the comment to be made about such a book is completely understandable. 

But I find that simple sentence floating through my mind as I avoid returning to the book I've been "reading" (not) each night.  It's good.  I really engage when I pick it up. But I just don't feel drawn back.  

Perhaps the timing just isn't right.  

Which brings me to book clubs.  I love the idea of book clubs and have joined more than one.  I've been attending one recently but guess what.... 

I have yet to read a book they've selected.  

I think I'm not cut out for book clubs.  They pick a book and I either don't read it or force myself into it. It seems more often than not, the timing just isn't right. 

I need a book club, but mine will have to be different.  I want to meet on that once a month schedule and just talk about books.  Any books.  What you've read, what I've read, what we want to read.  That's a book club I could get into and I only have to read books for which the timing is right.  

The Recipe Club

The Recipe Club
by Andrea Israel & Nancy Garfinkel

I should have reviewed this book right when I read it, rather than five months later.  I can't give you the details of my experience, but I do recall my thoughts. 

I picked this book up as a bargain book while waiting for my daughter to get her hair done.  I finished it the same day.  It was an easy read, the story being presented by letters and then emails, each containing a recipe.  

It's the story of two girls who begin a recipe club as children that continues into adulthood.  At some point, they relationship falls apart and they are estranged for many years.  I believe it was the death of one woman's father that inspires the women to reconnect.  Their emails reveal their past and a few twists that brought the women to this point, and still sending recipes.  

I didn't find the recipes worth the time to read them.  As children I more or less expected that, but as adults they didn't seem to get any better.  The book was a quick read but I felt the main controversy, without the details they didn't yet know, worthy of the chasm it caused. 

I gave the story 3 of 5 shots.