Tag: bookcoffeehappy

Book Review: Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine {Gail Honeyman}

I couldn’t WAIT to read this book!  I had heard such wonderful things from so many different people!  When I finally got my hands on a copy, I was so excited…

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Synaposis from Goodreads:

No one’s ever told Eleanor that life should be better than fine.

Meet Eleanor Oliphant: She struggles with appropriate social skills and tends to say exactly what she’s thinking. Nothing is missing in her carefully timetabled life of avoiding social interactions, where weekends are punctuated by frozen pizza, vodka, and phone chats with Mummy.

But everything changes when Eleanor meets Raymond, the bumbling and deeply unhygienic IT guy from her office. When she and Raymond together save Sammy, an elderly gentleman who has fallen on the sidewalk, the three become the kinds of friends who rescue one another from the lives of isolation they have each been living. And it is Raymond’s big heart that will ultimately help Eleanor find the way to repair her own profoundly damaged one.

Soon to be a major motion picture produced by Reese Witherspoon, Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine is the smart, warm, and uplifting story of an out-of-the-ordinary heroine whose deadpan weirdness and unconscious wit make for an irresistible journey as she realizes. . .

The only way to survive is to open your heart.

My Thoughts:

(Disclaimer: I will never post spoilers in my reviews HOWEVER the comment section is completely fair game to discuss any and all specifics including spoilers)

2 Stars

I read this book months ago and when I came here to review it I realized…it has left zero impression on me.  The worst books are the ones where you close the cover after you finish reading and never think about the characters or story lines again and this book is a perfect example.  I was so excited to read it…there was (is) such a buzz about it!  What I was assuming (and hoping) would have been a fun and heartwarming story ended up being a boring, sad, and depressing one instead.  The biggest thing I remember about this book was just how bored I was while reading it…but there was such a buzz about it that I felt compelled to keep reading. Such a disappointment for me because I was SO excited to read it! I’m curious to hear what others thought because this is currently such a popular book…Have you read it?  Did you like it?

Bottom Line:

There were absolutely a few scenes where I remember smiling while reading…but mostly I just remember yawning.

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Click the image below to order the book through my Amazon affiliate link.  Thank you for your support, Xo

An Unwanted Guest {Shari Lapena}

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Read my thoughts below to see why I took this a photo of this book with my robe, lol:)

About a week and a half ago in my review of A Stranger in the House {Shari Lapena} I mentioned that I was looking forward to reading Shari Lapena’s newest novel.  After I wrote that review, I did read this one…and it was GREAT!

Synopsis from Goodreads:

A weekend retreat at a cozy mountain lodge is supposed to be the perfect getaway… but when the storm hits, no one is getting away.

It’s winter in the Catskills and Mitchell’s Inn, nestled deep in the woods, is the perfect setting for a relaxing – maybe even romantic – weekend away. It boasts spacious old rooms with huge woodburning fireplaces, a well-stocked wine cellar, and opportunities for cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, or just curling up with a good murder mystery.

So when the weather takes a turn for the worse, and a blizzard cuts off all electricity – and all contact with the outside world – the guests settle in and try to make the best of it.

Soon, though, one of the guests turns up dead – it looks like an accident. But when a second guest dies, everyone starts to panic.

Within the snowed-in paradise, something – or someone – is picking off the guests one by one. And there’s nothing they can do but hunker down and hope they can survive the storm – and one another.

My Thoughts:

(Disclaimer: I will never post spoilers in my reviews HOWEVER the comment section is completely fair game to discuss any and all specifics including spoilers.  Contains affiliate links.)

4 Stars

As I mentioned in my review of A Stranger in the House {Shari Lapena} I was 50/50 on Shari Lapena’s books.  I LOVED The Couple Next Door: A Novel and I did NOT love
A Stranger in the House: A Novel.  I was excited to read her newest book and I am happy to report that it was great!  Not as great as The Couple Next Door: A Novel, but I definitely would recommend this one.

The chapters were short, the characters were developed, and the use of description was amazing.  I had such a clear vision of the hotel as I was reading based on her amazing use of words.  I also actually felt COLD while reading…the winter storm in the book was so well described that it came straight through the pages.  Amazing.

*I actually had to keep putting my robe on each time I read because I was SO COLD.  Hence the picture above, lol.*

I’m giving this 4 stars only because I felt some of the characters and their reactions to what was happening around them were a bit unrealistic.  Also…how is it possible for SO MANY of these characters to have SUCH dramatic backstories?!

Basically, just don’t read too much into this story…and just enjoy the mystery.  It had me guessing right up until the final twist (which I thought was AWESOME and did NOT see coming)!

Bottom Line:

Shari Lapena’s first and third novels are both great…so what happened with that boring one she wrote in between?!

Please enter your email address to receive notifications each time I post on my blog, “like” my Facebook page (search Book Coffee Happy), and follow me on Twitter @bookcoffeehappy!  Please tell any other book lovers to do these 3 things as well! 

Click the image below to order the book through my Amazon affiliate link.  Thank you for your support, Xo

Giveaway Winner, ANOTHER Giveaway, Twitter, and a Book Review (A House for Happy Mothers {Amulya Malladi})

Maddie’s Miracles Giveaway Winner:

Thank you to those who entered the giveaway on my previous post:  ****GIVEAWAY**** Maddie’s Miracles {Scott Kramer}!  I have randomly picked a winner…Congratulations Sara Lambert!  Email me (bookcoffeehappy@gmail.com) with your mailing address, I will pass it along to Scott Kramer, and he will mail your autographed copy directly to you within 5 days.  Please post on Bookcoffeehappy with your thoughts once you’ve read it!

A SECOND GIVEAWAY:

If you didn’t win…or didn’t have a chance to enter…I will be giving away a SECOND autographed copy of Maddie’s Miracles: A Book of Life (affiliate link) exclusively on my Facebook/Twitter pages!  Giveaway will begin now and will continue through Sunday night midnight CDT.  I’ll announce the winner on Facebook/Twitter with my usual Monday morning blog post announcement.  Head over to Facebook/Twitter for another chance to win this beautiful book (Facebook: search Book Coffee Happy, Twitter: @bookcoffeehappy).  Good luck!

Twitter:

Book Coffee Happy is now on TWITTER!  Please follow me @bookcoffeehappy

And now…A Book Review:

house

Fascinating topic!  I chose to read this book based on the topic alone, I had not previously heard of this title nor had I heard of this author.

Synopsis from Goodreads:

In trendy Silicon Valley, Priya has everything she needs—a loving husband, a career, and a home—but the one thing she wants most is the child she’s unable to have. In a Southern Indian village, Asha doesn’t have much—raising two children in a tiny hut, she and her husband can barely keep a tin roof over their heads—but she wants a better education for her gifted son. Pressured by her family, Asha reluctantly checks into the Happy Mothers House: a baby farm where she can rent her only asset—her womb—to a childless couple overseas. To the dismay of friends and family, Priya places her faith in a woman she’s never met to make her dreams of motherhood come true.

Together, the two women discover the best and the worst that India’s rising surrogacy industry has to offer, bridging continents and cultures to bring a new life into the world—and renewed hope to each other.

My Thoughts:

(Disclaimer: I will never post spoilers in my reviews HOWEVER the comment section is completely fair game to discuss any and all specifics including spoilers)

3 Stars

I recommend this book although the writing leaves a bit to be desired.

The plot was interesting and the story was intricately woven between the well developed characters.  The surrogacy market in India was a fascinating topic for me, especially learning the details of all that it entails.  I had no previous knowledge on this subject, and I found all of it to be so thought-provoking.

(On a side note…this is one reason why I ABSOLUTELY LOVE TO READ!  Books literally drive me to research and learn about so many topics which I otherwise would have zero knowledge.  This book is a perfect example of that.  I found myself googling this topic while I was reading this book just to learn more about the process, I found all of it fascinating and learned a great deal).

I think what ultimately led to me to not loving this book was that I wanted the author to dive even deeper into many of the story lines.  As compelling as they were, I think there were many areas in this book which could have been brought to an entirely different level had the author taken the time to explore each one in a more significant way.

Overall, I enjoyed this book and I would recommend it…I just wish it was written to dive even deeper into the details of the plot and into this extremely complicated topic.

Bottom Line:

Interesting topic, interesting plot, interesting characters.  The actual writing…not as interesting.

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Click the image below to order the book through my Amazon affiliate link.  Thank you for your support, Xo

****GIVEAWAY**** Maddie’s Miracles {Scott Kramer}

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Full disclosure: I was sent a copy of this book to read and review for my blog.  All opinions are my own. 

Giveaway details will be given at the bottom of this post!

It is with my sincerest honor to be able to review such a wonderfully written story.  Everything about this book is beautiful.  The writing is conveyed in such a way that truly reflects the love, bond, and strength that this family has for each other.  I laughed, I cried, I felt every emotion in between.  I am in awe of Maddie’s strength and the strength of her entire family.

I loved reading the book…and I discovered as an added bonus that the author is a wonderful person!  Him and I have been emailing back and forth about his book and he couldn’t be a nicer or more generous man.  He is just as nice in real life as he appears in his book which makes me appreciate the book even more 🙂

A conversation with Scott Kramer, in his own words…

Briefly give a description of your book:

A book of life. That is exactly what awaits inside the inspirational pages of this true story.

On April 26, 2017, a loving father opened his laptop with the intent of simply keeping his family and friends updated on the condition of his two-and-a-half-year-old daughter, Maddie. Just days prior, Maddie had undergone emergency surgery to remove a rare, cancerous tumor from her spinal cord. Her battle would continue with an aggressive treatment protocol that would have been taxing on even the strongest of adults.

With Maddie as the perpetual force of positivity, her father continued to document her miraculous journey. Factual updates quickly transformed into a series of inspiring and unforgettable vignettes. Anyone following Maddie’s story began to realize that the daily doses of joy she dropped upon her loved ones were not fleeting tales of a fighting toddler. Instead, there was something deeper about Maddie. Something more profound. Something you will discover as you delve into Maddie’s story.

That Maddie – with her boundless miracles and incomparable spirit – offers unique insight into tackling any challenge life may bring our way. That Maddie – from the very beginning – was giving us all the gift of this beautiful book of life.

How did you create the idea for your book?

Each chapter of this true story was written in real time.  Inspired by my daughter Maddie, the stories inside are real-life reflections on the rays of sunshine she dropped on a daily basis during her journey through darkness.

What audience would be most interested in your book?

Maddie’s Miracles is not just a book about cancer.  It’s a book for anyone who has experienced adversity or struggle of any kind.  And for anyone who appreciates the power of an inspirational life story.

Use 3 adjectives to describe your book:

  • Inspirational
  • Beautiful
  • Life-changing

Any additional information that you would like to provide about you or your book:


A portion of the proceeds of sale for Maddie’s Miracles are donated to Dancing While Cancering, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization founded by Maddie’s parents in her inspirational memory.  Dancing While Cancering is committed to bringing joy to the inpatient hospital experience for children with cancer.  To learn more about this special organization, please visit their website at http://dancingwhilecancering.org.

To order your copy of this beautiful book (paperback or Kindle), please click the image below (affiliate link):

**GIVEAWAY**

Would you like a chance to win an autographed copy of this beautiful story for you or to give to someone you love?

I have 1 autographed copy of Maddie’s Miracles to give away!  The paperback will be mailed directly to you from the author (US only for this giveaway).

To be entered, please complete these 2 simple steps:

Follow and/or subscribe with your email address to my blog

Leave a comment below telling me your favorite inspirational quote

**You must complete both of these steps to be eligible for the giveaway**

Giveaway will end Friday 6:00am CDT and winner will be randomly chosen and announced in Friday morning’s blog post.  If you already follow and/or subscribe to my blog, you are still eligible…just leave a comment below to be entered 🙂

Good luck!