cjzahner 
Rating: 10 General Rating: If you’ve ever wondered how a girl could find herself in an abusive relationship, read Colleen Hoover’s It Ends with Us. Skip factor: 1%. Only a little at the beginning when I thought it was a romance novel. Who should read: Women and girls of any age. Summary: I’ll admit this begins … Read more
Rating: 9 General Rating: Crawled out from under my rock this week and read my first Kristin Hannah book. (Don’t judge.) Steinbeck would be proud. Of Hannah, not me. This novel is of “Grapes of Wrath” caliber. Over 170,000 Wind reviews versus 19,000 Grape reviews, both garnering over 70% 5-star reviews. Skip factor: 2%. Only because … Read more
Rating: 9 General Rating: This story flows like a song, like a simple breath of air. It was easy to read yet deep. Powerful, yet appalling. I struggled between an 8.5 and 9 rating because the story is quieter than most. The characters are, at times, flat. However, I feel the author’s character development was … Read more
Rating: 9 General Rating: Ever read a book you couldn’t put down and you don’t know why? This is it. Skip factor: 1%. Here’s another oddity about this novel. I would not classify this as fabulous, but, very unlike me, I hardly skipped any sentences and no paragraphs. So, maybe it was fabulous? Who should … Read more
Happy April Fool’s Month! Who’s that friend who makes you laugh the most? Email your funniest friend experience to [email protected], and I’ll e-mail you a free e-book copy of one of my chick-lit books—your choice! I’ve heard from lots of women about friend mishaps since I wrote the first story of Nikki’s unquenchable thirst for … Read more
Rating: 9 General Rating: Readers have come to expect a fast-paced thriller from Joshilyn Jackson and this doesn’t disappoint. Skip factor: 0% skipping. (Um. This doesn’t happen often for me. I admit, sheepishly, that I normally skip a sentence or two or twenty.) Who should read: Puzzle solvers who love thrillers, mysteries, a bit of romance, … Read more
Rating: 8.5 General Rating: But for the ending, this would be a nine. Skip factor: 1%. I skipped next to nothing. Who should read: Readers who like books that jump (POVs and time), and those who like to analyze a good mystery. Summary: Without spoiling this entire book, the gist of the story is two troubled … Read more
Rating: 9 General Rating: A fast, hard-to-put-down, detective crime thriller. Skip factor: 1%. Only skipped when I couldn’t wait to see what happened next. Who should read: Readers who like thrillers—especially detective-crime junkies—this is for you. I neglected chores and duties to sort out who the fictitious serial killer was. Summary: Detective Tess is called to the … Read more
My daughter, Jackie, was born thirty-eight years ago today. She lived 15 hours. Between 1938 and 1971, millions of pregnant women took a drug that doctors and pharmaceutical companies have long avoided discussing, Diethylstilbesterol (DES). My mother was one of those women. Prescribed as both a means to alleviate morning sickness and a miracle drug … Read more
Rating: 9 – 9.5 General Rating: Keeps your attention throughout. Skip factor: 0% which doesn’t happen too often. Who should read: Any woman would like this story. But those who enjoy great writing will love. Summary: The story starts off with a bang. When Libby Miller arrives home to break the news to her husband that she has … Read more
