Female Books

I loved the book and have read quite a few of this author's books. It is worth taking the time to read in my opinion.

I'd never heard of Joy Feilding when a friend lent me this book. It's the story of 4 women and how their friendships evolve over the course of their lives. Characters are well developed, the plot is fast paced, and the storyline is mostly delicious. While reading this book, I was reminded of the novels "Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons," and "Saving Graces." All enjoyable reads.

The plot of "Grand Avenue" took sometimes wacky, rather unbelievable turns, which is why I didn't give it 5 stars.

When I picked up this novel by Joy Fielding, I did not have high expectations based on the cover blurb. However, I soon found myself absorbed in this story of four women and how their lives intersected and diverged. The characters are well developed and quite distinct, even though they are friends. At the outset we are told that two will die, one by foul play. From the onset you are misled into thinking that Chris, an abused wife, will die at the hand of her abusing husband, Tony. But this is not to be. All in all, this novel is a good read. I think I'll try another one of Fielding's novels to see if this is an anomaly or is characteristic of her work.

If you like melodramatic, soap opera-ey books, do NOT pass this one up! It has everything - marriage, kids, sex, friendship, betrayal (on several layers), mother-daughter relationships. You name it.

This book is an absolute tour de force. I loved (and lived) every page. Can't rate it high enough.

This is the 2nd Joy Fielding book I've read (you must read Whispers and Lies too). I'm on the lookout for more. Both of the novels I've read by Joy Fielding have had my jaw dropping at certain points.

Fantastic.

This book was absolutely amazing! I literally stayed up a full night to finish it, once I started I could not turn the pages fast enough. I found myself chuckling in one instant and then having to read a paragraph again due to blurred vision from crying. I grew to really care about the characters, finding myself rooting them on and feeling the emotions that were smoothly drawn out in the book. I truely believe that Ms. Fielding has a total masterpiece with this one! Although the book is finished I still feel myself thinking about the characters, so the book really stays with you long after the last page is turned. And, quite honestly..I feel I could read this book again, too..which is remarkable because I am usually not one to do that at all.

Payback With Ya Life & Payback is A Mutha are 2 of the best urban novels I've ever read. Wahida really keeps you guessing. She's not predictable at all. I highly recommend Wahida Clark to any lover of urban novels. I am a new fan of Ms Clark.

Wahida Clark has given us another page turner. I couldn't put it down.She has a way of drawing you into her characters,and making you feel like you know them personally. Now you got to get the sequel,"Payback With Your Life"!!!!!!! Trust me, you won't be disappointed.

Yes the title of the book says it all! Payback is a mutha! Now I was told to read this book and all I can say is it was a page turner! I can not wait to read the sequel to this book b/c I need to know what else can happen. In my personal opinion, I think this book is better than her first book (Thugs and the Women Who Love Them). Payback did not leave me hanging as much as her first novel. Keep up the good work Wahida!

Excellent! I was wondering how this book was going to go considering, Brianna was dead. At first, I didn't think there wasn't anything worth reading in a sequel. However, I couldn't have been more wrong!! I didn't think that I would like it but I did. Shan turned out to be a little tacky with sleeping with brothers but overall, I enjoyed it. It kept me wondering what was going to happen next. I was anticipating the drama with every turn of the page. It was worth the wait. I will now be patiently waiting for the release of "Thug Lovin". Great book Wahida! LOVED IT!

Payback Is A Mutha

I just recieved Payback with your Life
and I cant wait to read it.
Wahida you are the bomb diggerty(old school)
I loved the book I could not put it down. It took me 3 days to read.
I loved it.
You bring the heat girl.
I am so glad that you are free.
Whatever you put out I will read.
Those sistas were off the chain. especially B that girl was wild.
I was sad at what happened to her thro.
But u live by the streets you pay the consequences
It's sad I liked her she was scanderlous but she hooked her girl up at the end.
I love your work
The book was great.

Peace out

Chillin in New York

"Oh my, what this woman dealt with is more than i can imagine. Very good book. All i can say, i probably would have gone to jail for life."

i loved this book. i loved how it started off with her at her breaking point and it shows how she evolved. i found it interesting that no matter how much time past she carried it her time with eric with her. i'm glad J.D. did that because so many people will show abuse then make it seem that the moment they left everything was everything. that's not real. the only things i couldnt get with was adrian leaving leaving to father another woman's child. i realize that he was trying to do the right thing but lets be real. who does that in this day and age? there was nothing stopping him from being w/ ruth and still being a great father. another thing that bothered me was ruth seemed to have her happiness based off a man. i know that JD gave her a little time between her marriage and another relationship but obvioulsy she need more because she grew dependent and that wasnt a good look for her. over all i adored this book.

This chica was sick and tired...of being sick and tired! LOL.And on the 8th Day She Rested is more than just a story. It's a spiritual journey that I sincerely hope the good Lord finds an alternate route for me...lol....to get the same peace of mind. I loved this book. I had never read JD Mason before but will definitely pick up another of her novels. The imagery was raw and really gave weight to the character. And on the 8th Day She Rested makes you wonder what the hell happens when the wonderful women in this book....gets on up! From the deep meaning of the title to the characters falls and triumphs...this book speaks to the spirit world and the struggles of many black women

This book was good from the beginning to the end. I was hooked on the first page. The author did a very good job with the characters. This book also taught me the importance of forgiving and healing and how they both work together.

This is a brilliant book that will give any woman a great dose of encouragement, whether she thinks she needs it or not! The character Ruth along with her friends Clara, Bernie, and May will remind everyone woman of a friend that she has or once had. The way the protagonist Ruth overcomes her struggles and even her ability to admit her faults will empower encouragement into your heart. The novel absolutely caught my attention from page 1 to the end. I laughed out loud and wanted to cry at times. J.D. Mason definitely has a gift and I intend on reading each of her books I recommend this book for every WOMAN to READ!

It's really amazing. It helps me a lot to find myself and try to be nice with my own body. Maybe I could not get pregnant, maybe yes, but it really gives me comfort.

Best fertility book 'hands down'. I found this book inspiring, honest and full of helpful information. If you are looking for an alternative fertility route to the medical assisted model, I strongly suggest this book. That said, that is not the message of this book, it's just they way it happened for the author. I'm now taking many of her suggestions on my fertility quest. I've never felt better.

This book, is great !!! I read it in two days, I couldn't put it down is just what I needed to know, all I can say is that so far I lost wheight, my allergies are gone, my sadness and anxiety are better, no babies jet .. but I feel am getting closer to my miracle....

I stumbled onto Julia's books and her website while browsing on Amazon. She had commented on someone else's book, and it brought me to read about her books and website. I am generally a slow reader and rarely finish a book. I started reading "Inconceivable" and found it an easy read and highly enjoyable! I carried this book every where I went and read, read and read. I finished it in one week! - which never happens for me. In general, we eat very healthy and organic, but this book, Julia's story, brought me to another level. It is soooo worth the reading! Now, I am almost halfway through "The Fertile Female" her second book, and again, am carrying it around with me every where I go! It's one of those books that you can sit down and really, really get into and you feel like you're right there in the story, too. I highly recommend BOTH of Julia's books. I've also ordered her Imagery CD and some Conference Tapes from her website Fertile Heart. They just arrived yesterday. I have not been struggling with infertility, but more "obstacles" in trying to conceive our second child. I've had a miscarriage and my second ectopic pregnancy this time around, meanwhile, I'm just getting older... now 42! So, anything I can do to preserve my fertility, and in general just be the healthiest I can be - is well worth doing. Besides all of that - I've just really, really, really enjoyed reading her books and following the exercises. They're very peaceful exercises - I LOVE IT!!!

I wanted someone to connect with, someone who's been where I have, I suppose. While I felt for her and her husband, it's just her situation which didn't match with mine. I thought I would be reading about someone who went through IUIs, IUIs with meds and IVF cycles.
The author is much older than me and has a specific situation with FSH levels. For most of us women in our thirties that's a non issue.
The healthy diet and nutritional information sparked my interest however I still believe everything in moderation is key.
If you're on a journey where male infertility is an issue or your on the IVF path, this is not for you.

The book came in a very timely manner and the book was in perfect condition!

What great writing, not preachy just true life of Christians trying, failing, getting up and sticking together. The characters of very true to their to cultural differences. The reader is very good with the different dialects.

I bought the first book on a clearence table at my local christian bookstore not sure how the book was gonna turn out. Well, I must say, I was glued to these books! It was great reading how these women met and became friends! The series will move you! Enjoy!

I really enjoyed this book and have read all of the books in the series. The main character is human, not superChristian and seems like someone I would really like to have as a friend.

One of my best friends gave me this book, and she usually has great suggestions, so I was excited to read it. However, even a couple chapters in, I was ready to slap Jodi, and I only got more annoyed as the story went on. She was the most shallow, jealous, snotty character in any book I've ever read. Sure, all characters have flaws. But Jodi seemed to have every flaw. Any character in the book that Jodi didn't like or made a snide comment about in her head made me like her less and the other person more. By the time I was halfway through the book, I was on everyone's side but Jodi's. And that is not something you want in a main character.

I did enjoy some of the plot, and the camaraderie that the members of the prayer club had together. But I'm certainly not going to be looking for these books in the store. If I can't feel sympathy for the narrator and main character of the story, then as a reader, you've totally lost me.

I have thoroughly enjoyed every book I have ever read of Debbie Macomber's. She brings the characters to life.

Loved the story! I, too, am a crafter, though not a knitter. I loved to read about the characters in the story, and about how knitting brought them together. This was a story I couldn't put down once I got started.

I LOVE TO READ DEBBIE MAC'S BOOKS. FEELS LIKE YOU ARE RIGHT THERE LIVING IN THE STORY. THIS WAS REALLY GOOD!

Ms. Macomber has done it again. Weaving a tale with 1 central person who touches several people's lives and how they inter-twine with each other Each new installment is a joy to read.

Again Debbie Macomber has a winner on Blossom Street. Easy read, entertaining with a few surprises along the way. I love the way her books continue and remain tied together at the same time like real life. Her characters are real, with real problems and real solutions, not every one is mega rich with high powered jobs. Ordinary people living lives that are interesting and real.

The book was wonderful. The authors did a great job of pulling you into the story line to make you feel like you were living with characters. It is a must read

Virginia and Donna have done it again in this compelling story about friendship that will have you reevaluating your own friendships and how much they mean to you. Jewell, Carmen, and Regina couldnt have been anymore different from one another. Jewell, the childhood actress, grew tired of her overbearing mother, Vivian, controlling her every move and wanted to do something different with her life. Regina, the party girl, knew that she had to go to college to follow the collegiate tradition set forth by her family. Carmen, the smart one with the hardest luck, knew she had to do something with her life that didnt involve her lowlife brother and his friends. So Jewell, Regina, and Carmen decided to attend Columbia University where they formed an unbreakable bond of friendship. As their lives go on, they face all kinds of trials and tribulations but they held on to their friendship if nothing else. This story will make you laugh and cry as you step into the lives of these three women who needed each other from the very start. I had the privilege of meeting the beautiful and talented authors behind this story at one of their book signings. They are more beautiful in person than they are in their pictures. Keep up the excellent work, V and D!!
Latasha
Vice President of B~more Readers with W.I.S.D.O.M Book Club
Baltimore, Maryland
b_morereaderswithwisdom@yahoo.com
www.myspace.com/bmoreraderswithwisdom

Better Than I know Myself....was really a great read. As I read it I could actually feel the intensity of the scenes. I could identify with the closeness of Carmen, Jewell, and Regina. Their love, concern, issues, fall-outs, relationships, were so gut wrenching real. If you have ever had a friendship that was truly geniune... where you loved your friend unconditionally...then you will definitely understand and enjoy this book. You, as the reader will actually move into apartment 5D and take the journey with them as they experience love, trails, and tribulations. When they laugh, you'll laugh, when they cry, you'll cry, when they triumph you will cheer them on and when the err you will feel their pain. This book is an awesome read. If you have never experienced a best friend and knowing someone better than themselves and them knowing you better than you know yourself, then you need to come and take this ride, sometimes bumpy....sometimes smooth, but oh so real roller coaster ride with three best friends who TRULY KNEW EACH OTHER FAULTS AND LOVED EACH OTHER, ANYWAY! Come on and take this journey with the "sisters" of 5D, bought together by a letter, but stayed together because of love.

Kudos to the authors for such a fine read.

I loved this book! It was hard to put down and I highly recommend!

'BETTER THAN I KNOW MYSELF' has been on my Amazon wishlist for ages, I had just never gotten around to ordering it but when I found myself with a little extra time on my hands I decided it was finally time to pick it up and what a treat I'd been missing! I fell in love with the story of these three college roommates and life long friends from the very beginning. I enjoyed the way the story shifts point of views between the three ladies. I enjoyed the way their story spanned over almost two decades to reveal all aspects of these three women's lives and I also enjoyed watching the characters develop over time.

Honestly, the only thing that kept me from giving this book a five star review was the ending. The beginning of this book grips you from the very first page and keeps you guessing until almost the last, however, what seemed an intriguing plot point at first just seemed senseless and unnecessary to me by the end, more for show than anything else. Had the ending been handled differently this would have definitely been a five star book but please don't let that deter you because all in all it was still a great read!

What a waste!

Why did this writer bother to write this book anyway!!!

Initially I was thrilled to find such book with this dramatic topic of the journey of how hard it is to lose a real friend and (I thought) how to realize that you can gain this friendship back.

But its NOT

It turns up that the book was only revolving around this girl whom throughout the pages was doing nothing but chasing something which to me was "vague". She also would rather live alone all her life and not return back to whom she were 8 years back!

The whole book is full of irrelevant details that does nothing to the story.

I also didn't understand WHY is her deceased employer was always the center of the subject!!!!

I reached the last page of the book and didn't know it ! I was suprised and thought there must be still more because not much happen by then!!

Is there a part 2 of this Book??????????

I bought this book for a book club meeting hoping that this would be the one that would encourage me to stay with the group. (Now sure it worked, but we did have a lively discussion on the value of friendship). We spent very little time talking about the book however, because there is not much there. This is not a book for adults - it belongs in the "Teen Angst" section of the library. The main character is stuck in perpetual high school mode.

A character, like Cameron, who lets us know from the beginning that she is a good liar is just not believable when she goes off the rails after discovering that people have (shock!)lied to her. Her punisment of Sonia (her supposed best friend) is out of all proportion to Sonia's "crime."

Leah Stewart does know how to put words together - many of her passages are quite beautiful. She has talent that is, unfortunately, wasted in chick-lit fluff.

I loved this book. The Myth of You and Me is a story of two girls who are friends through grade school, high school, and college and suddenly break away from each other. The reader is immediately drawn to the interesting characters and their friendship and spends the entire novel trying to figure out what happened to end the friendship and if it can possibly be mended. Written in flashback form, the story is always drawing us in a bit closer to the truth behind the actions of the characters. The author does a great writing job and tells an interesting story. I can't wait to see what she comes up with next.

I picked this up at the library, because I remembered an interesting review. I'm surprised to see it was popular with book clubs.

The protagonist, Cameron, becomes less likeable as the book progresses. You can believe that as a fifteen year old she might have spoken in stilted negative remarks constantly, but as the story moves to later in her life, she seems to have learned nothing, not even how to converse.

The depiction of Sonia's evil mom (Madame Gray) is over the top-- she is consistently a monster, she never varies -- when she is needed she appears, when she isn't needed, she goes to bed (right after school, before dinner) like a dragon to its lair. We never find out why. Is she an alcoholic? There is really no believable reason ever given, other than she is bitter and disappointed because she could have gone to a better school or taught in a better school. Huh? Hundreds of people have that problem and it doesn't turn them into chain-wielding twisted child-abusers.

Cameron's own parents almost don't exist -- when she turns to them -- oh, what a surprise, they don't seem to understand her. (eye roll) Cameron's boss, historian Oliver Doucet, is nearly as unremittingly charming and wonderful (her replacement father) and his daughter is nearly as witchy as Cameron needs her to be. No father/daughter relationship there either.

Worst of all, Cameron's love interest is almost as dour as she is, although not quite. Their sparkling conversation never rises above "Are you teasing me?" "I'll let you decide." After a day of this verbal foreplay, they (naturally?) go to bed together, only for Cameron to wake up as insecure as she was the day before.

As the plot lurches toward its anti-climax (Cameron finally catches up with Sonia)a glaring loose end appears -- it is mentioned that Sonia has broken up with her fiance, Martin -- but in an earlier scene, Martin seemed cheerful and mentioned no problems whatsoever--except that he doesn't really know where she is. I regret to say this seems like a glaring oversight -- the kind of thing that happens with too many re-writes.

My overall feeling about this book is sadness for the people the author is depicting -- nihilists who can't imagine their parents as real people, and who sleep with each other's friends without intimacy or love -- in fact one of the book's points is that perhaps Cameron should have forgiven her college boyfriend for sleeping with her best friend (Sonia) back in the day. "It was nothing!" he said -- and, more's the pity, it probably was.

yuck.

I bought this book because the jacket description reminded me of my closest friend since second grade. We too had a tear in the fabric of sisterly love when we were in our late forties. That's a long time to hold something so dear and then grieve so deeply over something that doesn't seem reparable. It does make you wonder if it was only a myth. But I won't give up on imagining a grand resolution.

Stewart does a great job throughout most of the book bringing the characters to life and causing the reader to emote the sentiments that Cameron experiences. Maybe we were destined to be friends, says Sonia, the all knowing. But it turns out that it's Sonia that can't seem to keep it together and Cameron can't understand why until she reunites with her after 8 years of being apart.

This story will resonate with any woman that has had a close/best friend. I cried, I laughed, I got angry and sad but I never gave up hope on them, just as I hold on to the slim thread of my broken friendship. I couldn't believe the way in which Cameron decided to leave Sonia but I understood her pain and wonder what transpired on the long ride home for Sonia and her mother.

This is a story about more than friendship, it's about family dynamics (as defined in many ways) and how they make us who we are and how we can't always overcome our childhood. If there is dysfunction, that too will follow us and if there is a longing for acceptance, it may cause us to do many things that we can't actually explain--such as Sonia's actions with her best friend's boyfriend or even her reaction to her mother.

Neither of these ladies deserve judgment but they do trigger our own pain, longing, and suffering at the hand of others. Others that will indelibly shape us into the adults we are or will become. Sometimes its a mother, sometimes an old man with secrets of his own, sometimes a parent who dies, sometimes a friend or boyfriend. Sometimes its all of these.

The only part I found a little shaky was Oliver Doucet's final letter to Cameron. It seemed a bit illogical, even diabolical, that Sid Murphy aka Doucet--who professed to love Billie more than life--would live his life a total lie. But I did like the idea that there is no absolute truth about a life. You merely choose the story you want to tell, and keep telling it. I've often felt this about others who were in deep denial but I never applied it to my own life. Maybe now Cameron's lesson will come home to roost for me as well. Well done and I hope Leah Stewart continues to crank out such lovely stories. Bravo!!!!

The novel A Secret Word, written by Jennifer Paddock is a book about three different girls; Leigh, Sarah, and Chandler that face realistic challenges through daily life.
The book is narrated by the three girls in their own point of views.
Leigh, Sarah, and Chandler were really good friends in high school, but when their friend Trey dies in a car accident that they feel they could have prevented they grow apart and go their own separate ways. Through the book you see each girl trying to cope with this burden that they each have inside them.
Chandler and Sarah have been friends since they were eight. They both play tennis together and get good grades. Their families are pretty well-off and they are both beautiful and theatrical. Leigh is the tough girl; she smokes and is completely different from Chandler and Sarah. She doesn't play tennis and keeps pretty much to herself.
I connected to this book in so many ways but something I really connected to were, the feelings that each girl goes through after their friend died. I myself have had to cope with death. Although it was out of my control, I still felt many of the same feelings, such as sadness, anger, and grief.
There was one passage that I thought was very significant on page 12 it says: "Sarah and I walk in to the school, and I'm wondering how long it will take to forget this walk. It seems quiet. There should be commotion in the halls. Others saw what we saw but classes have already started, and are going to be late." I thought that this was a significant passage because this is what triggers the whole emotional aspect of the book.
This book is a fantastic story about friendship, family, secrets, growing up, and growing apart. This book is about how well you really know another person and the secrets that we keep from our friends, family, and most of all ourselves.

A Secret Word is a wonderful book. I really liked the unique structure and the connections between the characters (especially the scenes between Leigh and Mr. & Mrs. Carey). I also liked the last chapter a lot, where the girls are in different physical places, but they all seem like they are in a similar place in life and moving on in a positive way to the next stage of life. I also thought there was a strong sense of place with Arkansas, D.C., Italy, and New York. The writing was energetic and poetic and honest. And the chapter with Savion Glover was incredibly moving.

This book was excellent--filled with heart and beautiful writing. It made me think back to what life was like in my twenties--the job that wasn't what I thought it would be, the bad boyfriends, friendships that would come and go. I related to all the characters, but probably to Chandler the most, who is the main character. I look forward to reading more from Jennifer Paddock.

While reading Paddock's novel, I kept hoping it would get better. Sadly, it did not. Paddock began with a great premise for a story -- three girls brought together by a tragedy. However, poor narration, weak character development, and lack of actual story line made this book into the mess that it was. She tried to make the characters realistic, but was unable to develop them in a span of 15 years. She tried to intertwine three separate story lines in just over 200 pages, but wasn't able to do that either.

I generally have a great appreciation for "chick lit" type books, but this was terrible. I didn't connect with the characters. The characters did not connect with each other. I think that Jennifer Paddock got lucky that her publisher liked this book, because I did not find much in this novel that would entice me to buy another one by her.

Jennifer Paddock's novel, which is her first incidentally, is as powerful as it is beautiful. She taps into every emotion. The range is amazing, and partly because there are three main characters instead of just one, with three plots that overlap in unexpected ways, and at unexpected times. I thought at first that the character of Leigh was going to be my favorite. She comes from a working class background and has no father to speak of, has never met him, so all she has is her mother who works as a waitress at a catfish restaurant and then as a cosmetics clerk at a J.C. Penney's (until she's fired). So Leigh looks up to the more privileged characters of Chandler and Sarah. What Paddock does so brilliantly, however, is turn the tables on Chandler and Sarah. A family tragedy shatters Chandler's perfect world; it humbles her, makes her more sympathetic, more empathetic, and the way in which she copes with this unspeakable loss is no less than masterful writing. Chandler is living in New York at this time, and she escapes her pain by going to a musical featuring Savion Glover, and he becomes her savior, with the cathartic art of his tapdancing, his music, his loud focus-grabbing noise. And then there's Sarah, who I never thought I'd completely embrace, but the more you learn about this rich girl is that she is truly impoverished, even more than working-class Leigh, since her family is so dysfunctional, and since she can't seem to find someone to love her. There's no long-term relationship for her as with Leigh, or any short-term passionate ones as with Chandler. Sarah, because of her seclusion and depression, is perhaps the smartest character. But all the girls are smart, and they each make amazing insights throughout this magical novel that touch on every subject important to women everywhere. I read a lot, and this book is better than anything else I've read lately. Paddock's A SECRET WORD is truly awesome. When you get to the end of the chapter called "Rhythm," when Sarah is holding the fragile blonde shell of a cicada in her hands and you realize what that empty shell is a metaphor for, when you realize how simultaneously smart and emotionally pure that comparison is, you'll know that what I'm saying isn't exaggerated. You'll know you have happened upon a rare talent at the beginning of what I'm sure (and hope) will be a long, illustrious career.

Another winner for Debbie Macomber fans. The idea of 20 wishes is
interesting in itself. As always, her characters are intriguing
people. When I finish one of her books, I always wish that the
book was longer. I do recommend this book.

This is one of those "can't put down" books and I loved the story. What a super idea and a great life lesson. I would highly recommend this book but only if you have time read it, all day and take it to bed with you until you are finished. Fun and entertaining but so true!

I have read all of the blossom street stories and have enjoyed 'meeting' all of the people, and following their lives. This story is good, not as emotional as some of the others, but a good story and I am waiting for the next one!!

After a good mystery, or heart-tugging stories by Jodi Picoult, it's nice to read Debbie Macomber's comfortable style. Debbie's characters are real and likeable and when finished, I'm never ready for the story to end. I enjoyed Twenty Wishes and think many will find themselves writing their own twenty wishes shortly after this inspiring story ends.

I have enjoyed all the Blossom Street books but this is the first one that has given me something to take away besides a lovely story. I want to start my own book of 20 wishes and am going to borrow some of my list from the characters!

But back to the story. The book started out a little slower for me than others in the series, partially because of a number of new characters (or characters who were primarily in the background) and that familiar characters from previous books are very much in the background. But once I got into it, I really enjoyed it.

I enjoy books about women friends and how they support each other and make changes in their lives. I definitely recommend this book.