Somebody Else's Daughter

* early disclaimer: I do not summarize/give away plot in my reviews.

When TLC Books offered me the opportunity to review Elizabeth Brundage's new book, Somebody Else's Daughter, I jumped at the chance.

For starters, I loved, The Doctor's Wife, and also, hello. Books! A beautiful hardcover uncracked spine new book smell such a treat yes, thank you very much please send right away!

It's been a crazy couple of weeks around these parts, there has been Halloween, there have been parties, there has been the election (sucking our brain dry) and each night, as I finally collapsed into bed, I thought, "Oh, dear...sooo tired, I'll read tomorrow nighzzzz".

Turns out I was smart to wait for the clear light of day because from the first page to the last, I found this book impossible to walk away from... it grabbed me and I just had to keep going... had to know what happened next.

The first chapter is perhaps one of the finest I have ever read. I found myself weeping by 10... already so involved in the lives of these characters.

A small summary, taken from Amazon is this:

At the center of Elizabeth Brundage’s new novel lies an adoption under stressed and tragic circumstances. Willa, brought up in elegant prosperity, is now a student at the prestigious Pioneer School. But her biological father, a failing writer and former drug addict, can’t live with himself without seeing her again.

In this idyllic Berkshires landscape, Willa’s adoptive parents have fled a mysterious past; a feminist sculptor initiates a reckless affair; teenagers live in a world to which adults turn a blind eye; and the headmaster’s wife is busy keeping her husband’s disastrous history and current indiscretions well hidden. The culmination of these forces is the collision of two very different fathers—biological and adoptive—and a villain whose ends and means slowly unfold with the help, witting and unwitting, of all around him.

Now, I can't summarize better than that.

There are a lot of forces at play in Somebody Else's Daughter... adoption, drug abuse, sex abuse, adultery, violence... but they are woven together, with these characters, these characters who are so tightly connected but only we see the full picture and it's one of those books that had me mumbling throughout... "No, don't go with him! Wait a couple of minutes... oh, this is not going to be good..." like a crazy person.

The characters, even the "bad guys" were developed and real... multi faceted and full of nuance... you could see the potential for good and bad in all of them... which is, of course, life. We are all capeable of such greatness and such sorrow... and our daily lives are wrapped the stories and history of those around us. There is no such thing as "living in a bubble"...we're connected in ways we cannot imagine.

But what drove me the most, from page to page, from chapter to chapter, was Willa and her relationship with Nate (her biological father) and her adoptive parents. As an adoptive parent, to a child who will probably never know her birth parents, I both seek out and turn away from stories such as this... for selfish reasons mostly... sometimes I don't know just how much thinking I want to do about circumstances I cannot control.

But Brundage is deftly sensitive to parents on both sides of the fence... there is a moment when Willa, given some information about her past, turns to her mother and father and says, "You're my parents. I love you." And, of course, I cried. Because it is love for this child that ultimately saves her.

So, Somebody Else's Daughter... a thriller, a weeper, a love story. A fine, fine read.

And you can read it too! I'm going green and passing along my copy. Leave a comment here (open for 3 days) and will pick a lucky winner!

Dangerous (ly - late) Admissions

When the nice people over at Harper Collins asked if I was interested in reading Jane O'Connor's first foray into the world of adult fiction, I responded with the following email:

As a fan of the Fancy Nancy series, I would greatly appreciate a review copy of Dangerous Admissions... as a fan on mysteries, I look forward to a thriller and as the mother of a child who was on the waiting list for the "right" preschool at the tender age of 3 months, I can relate!

And I meant every word.

Surely the woman who brought us the wonderful and glittery Fancy Nancy would deliver something full of the little details which elevate a book from good and enjoyable to great and full of characters you can truly care about and be invested in.

And she delivered.

Let me just give you a wee taste of the synopsis - 

Her career as a copyeditor is down the toilet (she makes one little slip - a missing "l" from the last word in the title of the Nancy Drew classic The Secret of the Old Clock - and suddenly she's publishing enemy #1!)

Oh, Rannie Bookman, I love you already!

Taking place against the backdrop of an incredibly privileged Manhattan private school (think Gossip Girl), the story follows Rannie (a self proclaimed closet sleuth) as she investigates the murder of the school's Dean of College Admissions... 

The story (the case?) is a good one with enough twists and red herrings to keep you enthralled... but, what O'Connor does so very  well is to make us care about Rannie, her college bound son and Yalie daughter.  We even find ourselves taken with her ex-mother in law and ex-husband... Rannie, it seems, is one of those women who just sort of gets on with it and has made a successful life for herself.

And when she gets a little Bow Chicka Wow Wow, you're happy for her (it's also nice to have a 40 something female with a sex drive).

I like Rannie enough to hope that she makes another appearance... I sort of need to know what happens between her and Tim.

Dark Dreamweaver

With the impending arrival of the final Harry Potter book there is a "void-in-the-air" feeling around our house... for me it is the feeling of maybe never being able to get my children to read another book, so when the Parent Blogger Network offered me a chance to review the first in a new series of fantasy-esque stories, I was more than happy to oblige.

The Dark Dreamweaver, by Nick Ruth, is the tale of David who "takes matters into his own hands" when he sets out to find the source of an "epidemic of nightmares" which are plaguing the dreamers of Earth.

It's a wonderful journey, full of fantasy and excitement. Fast paced and creative, both my boys are looking forward to reading the next installment.

On an interesting side note, Ruth didn't intend to be an author, rather, The Dark Dreamweaver began as a personal story for his son, a way for him them to connect over their love of reading.

Just What I Needed

I have a friend whose mother took her aside and said, quite seriously, "If you insist on being so perfect, what are you leaving for your daughter to excel in?"

Good question.

For me, this book affirms what it took me 3 children to figure out... good enough parenting is often just what both mothers and children need.

Forget the frillion after school activities, forget the structured play dates and the organic soy milk and the interactive DVDs.

Say hello to downtime, neighborhood friends, the occasional potato chip and Scooby Doo.

Lazy? No. Confident, capeable and relaxed? Yes!

Even June Cleaver Would Forget the Juice Box is a step by step manual (if you will) on how to address and break the vicious cycle of "perfection parenting".

Because it will never happen.

You will never be a perfect parent.

Although you may drive yourself and your children perfectly insane.

Vue, This!

In a word - L.O.V.E.

As the driver of a big car. A really big car and someone who is waiting the arrival of my even bigger car, I was skeptical about liking this little Saturn Vue, but, because I feel guilty over my big car, and the soon to be here even bigger one, I was compelled to give this hybrid a week's worth of whirl.

It was a blast.

The Vue is a 5 seat, zippy little SUV, with a nice big boot - it is comfortable and, although I was informed that I was driving a rather "basic" model, I still thought it was nice with all the things you want in your car...

My only issue (if you will) is that a 5 passenger is really too small for myself (and many people I know) for use on a daily basis. With 3 kids, 4 dogs and a carpool of 2+kids, I really am committed to a larger vehicle.

However-

The average fuel savings is about 20% and a new and shiny one can be yours this summer for around 23k. It's hard to argue with those numbers and I confess to a conversation which involved the purchase of said Vue to use for running around town.

I do A LOT of local driving and on Tuesday and Thursday you will pass me eleventy times going in circles as 2 of my children have overlapping activities on both the start and finish time; a hybrid is perfect for this situation as I really did notice the fuel economy.

And we all loved how absolutely silence at stop signs - the first time we took it out for a spin we thought the engine had died!

Yes, I loved this little Saturn Vue Hybrid... if they could just make one with a 3rd row...

True Blue, Baby I Love You...

Over the past years the information and research supporting the need for a diet rich in antioxidants has become more and more substantial, and according to a recent study at Tuft's University, blueberries are #1 when it comes to neutralizing free radicals in living cells.

Blueberries have been proven to help with everything from the fight against aging to lowering cholesterol... there is even some evidence that blueberries can help improve memory...

So, the only problem is, what if you don't really like blueberries?

Or, if your children, despite the lovely visual a handful of blueberries sprinkled on their morning cereal make, pick them out and leave them deposited, soggy and unloved, on their napkin?

I can't even hide them in smoothies.

Enter True Blue.

True Blue is a blueberry juice made without high fructose corn syrup or artificial flavors - and even better, each serving is equal to a 1/2 cup serving of fresh blueberries.

And my children like it.

In fact, they love it!

And so do the homeless people my father serves breakfast to every morning, my nanny's children and my son's 4th grade teacher.

Yes. The nice people at True Blue sent me many bottles.

So, basically, here is how it boils down: as a parent it is our job to nourish our children with that which makes and keeps them healthy. It is also our job to keep ourselves healthy and if we can help that process along with an easy glass of juice, then I say, pour on.

*this is how I drink it....

Blueberry Cooler

True Blue Juice
Sparkling Water

Mix in a 2 - 1 ration

Pour over crushed ice

Squeeze wedge of lemon

Enjoy!

Hola!

One of the things that "sold" my husband and I on the school our boys currently attend was the fact that a Spanish program was offered from Kindergarten...

Fantastic! They'll be fluent by second grade!

Or, maybe not.

While both children have earned nothing by "A" grades, they would be hard pressed to wish you a good morning or bid you farewell...

un poco decepcionante, no?

So, when PBN offered up the opportunity to review the Boca Beth Spanish program, I jumped.

And, I have to say that I am a fan.

The program is broken up into a coloring book, a DVD and a CD with a spongey bird puppet called, "Boca", to help the children with the more interactive aspects of the shows.

With the DVD Boca says the words while their is animal action in the background... it's basic "repeat-after-me" stuff, but because they are cute little animals, the children's attention is really captured.

Each lesson is followed by an interactive song and dance with the Boca Beth kids... the songs are familiar, like "Monkeys On The Bed", and make it easy for your child to pick up the words...I would say that it took my daughter maybe 3 viewings before she was singing along and transitioning (fairly well) between the Spanish and English lyrics without thought.

Eva enjoyed using Boca to sing along with the songs and has a personal favorite number called, "Movin' & Groovin"... she gets up and dances and sings along all the while learning the names of body parts.

Which is a quite clever way of teaching.

The coloring book is also a hit, as my daughter loves to color and is always demanding to know what the words are... it's an easy reinforcement.

We have yet to listen to the CD as I am a little territorial on the music played both in the house and the car... (I know - mean).

We all know that the younger you are, the easier it is to learn a new language and Boca Beth is a great start.

I would recommend it to anyone looking for a fun and easy way to introduce a second language to their child.

Now, if only I could get the school to use it...

Eva, dancing with Boca Bird