Review: The Cougar Club (TLC Tours)

 

The Cougar Club by Susan McBride

Publisher: Avon

Release: February 1, 2010

Format: Paperback

Pages: 320

My Review: 

Rating: 9.0/10.0

The Cougar Club is an absolutely delightful book.  I was pulled into the lives of Kat, Carla and Elise from the very first page and by the end of the book I felt like they were my friends.  That's how well I felt I got to know them.

It's funny going from reading a lot of young adult novels to one about more mature women (which incidentally are only slightly older than me - and I'm feeling it since my birthday is Friday).  But truly there is little difference between teenage girls and older women, mainly the age and some maturity level.  Essentially though all women love men, great shoes and friends.  That is the epitome of Kat, Carla and Elise who are there for each other in some tough times.  Coming back together after quite a few years, these three high school friends act just like they just left each other.  As they catch up and guide each other through new stages in life, the main thing is they are there for each other.

The Cougar Club is a wonderful feel-good friend book that inspires and entertains.  The characters are well developed and the plot moves smoothly.  So smoothly in fact that the pages just flew by.

Women young and old can enjoy this book and I highly recommend this wonderful read.

Rating Breakdown:

Characterization:   1.75/2.0
Plot:                     1.75/2.0
Writing:                1.75/2.0
Attention-holding:   1.0/1.0
Ending:                   1.0/1.0
Believable:            0.75/1.0
Genre:                    1.0/1.0  
Rating:              9.0/10.0

About the Book:

Meet three women who aren't about to run and hide just because the world says they should be on the shelf and out of circulation.

Kat
Her life seems perfect until she loses her high-powered advertising job and catches her live-in lover in a compromising position—with his computer!

Carla
This sexy TV news anchor is in danger of being replaced by a twentysomething blond bimbo. Wasn't it just yesterday that she was the up-and-coming star?

Elise
A married dermatologist, Elise thinks her plastic surgeon husband is playing doctor with someone else.

Kat firmly believes that aging gracefully isn't about giving up; it's about living life with your engine on overdrive. So this unofficial "Cougar Club" quickly learns three things about survival of the fittest in today's youth-obsessed society: True friendship never dies, the only way to live is real, and you're never too old to follow your heart.

About the Author:

Susan McBride is the author of The Cougar Club (January 2010, from HarperCollins/Avon) about three 45-year-old friends who happen to date younger men. She has also written three books in The Debs young adult series (Random House/Delacorte) set in Houston, including The Debs; Love, Lies, and Texas Dips; and the forthcoming Gloves Off. In addition, she’s penned five Debutante Dropout Mysteries (HarperCollins/Avon) set in Dallas: Blue Blood,  The Good Girl’s Guide to Murder,  The Lone Star Lonely Hearts Club,  Night of the Living Deb,  and Too Pretty to Die (HarperCollins/Avon).

Once called “The Lou’s Whodunit Queen” by Sauce magazine in St. Louis, Susan was named one of the city’s “top singles” in 2005 by St. Louis Magazine, but is single no more. She tied the knot in February of 2008. Susan was the cover girl for the February 2009 issue of St. Louis Woman magazine, where she was featured in the article “Paperback Princess.”

Susan has won a Lefty Award for Best Humorous Mystery, a Romantic Times magazine Reviewers’ Choice Award for Best Amateur Sleuth Mystery, and was twice nominated for Anthony Awards for Best Paperback Original, and was one of three finalists for the William Rockhill Nelson Award for Literary Excellence (for Kansas and Missouri Authors). She lives in Brentwood, Missouri, with her husband.

Susan McBride's website

Susan McBride also blogs at The Book Belles and at The Stiletto Gang 

Susan’s TLC Book Tours TOUR STOPS

Monday, February 1st: Cindy’s Love of Books
Thursday, February 4th: The Winey Mommy
Monday, February 8th: My Overstuffed Bookshelf
Wednesday, February 10th: The Book Zombie
Monday, February 15th: This That and the Other Thing
Wednesday, February 17th: Stacy’s Books
Thursday, February 18th: All About {n}
Monday, February 22nd: Clever Girl Goes Blog
Tuesday, February 23rd: Simply Stacie
Wednesday, February 24th: My Reading Room
Thursday, February 25th: Write Meg

Guest Post with Author Bill Walker of A Note From an Old Aquaintance

I was quite unprepared for love when first it came to me. I was fifteen and attending a new boarding school in Western Massachusetts, renowned as much for its high academic standards as it was for its bucolic location nestled in a horseshoe of the Berkshire Mountains. It was my first day there and after meeting my roommate, stowing my gear and making my bunk, I decided to take a walk around the campus. The grounds were alive with students. You could tell the new ones. Like me, they strolled around in a semi-catatonic daze, trying to get their bearings.

It was later in the afternoon when I saw Claudia for the first time. I literally stopped in my tracks, watching her stride up the walkway toward the main building, where the new students were to meet for a brief orientation. The spun gold of her light blonde hair caught the rays of the September sun as it swayed across her shoulder blades, and the air grew thick around me, my breath catching in my throat. Her Caribbean-blue eyes shown with an inner light, set into a face while not supermodel beautiful, nonetheless struck me with its knowing innocence. Her body, however, was far from innocent, shaped in curvaceous ways no fifteen-year-old body should have been. I was captivated. And I had no idea what in hell to do.

You see, I'd always been very shy, and while I'd had crushes on girls before, none of them hit me with the primal force of nature that was Claudia. The emotions rushing through me every time I caught sight of her were so intense—so powerful—my heart raced and my tongue seized in my mouth, rendering me mute. Eventually, I worked up the courage to speak to her and we became friends, but I wanted so much more and lacked the courage to say or do anything about it. I watched, in agony, as she took up with another boy, their attraction to each other a palpable thing.

When she broke up with him a month or two later, I was hopeful again, but those fleeting aspirations were dashed, when one of the "big men on campus" swept her off her feet. He broke her heart shortly thereafter and I tried to be of solace to her, to be the friend she needed, in the hopes she would at last see the love brimming in my heart. I ached to declare myself, but feared ridicule, or worse, the dreaded "we're just friends" speech. Alas, she found romance with yet another boy and after a few dark nights of the soul I finally realized she and I would never have that kind of relationship.
I only spent a year at the school, as my family moved from Connecticut to Florida that spring, where I attended a private day school. The truth was I could never go back to that school nestled in the mountains, could never walk those ivied halls again without being reminded of her. I still think of Claudia every now and then and wonder how her life's turned out. I hope she's happier now than she was then.

If you're out there, Claudia, now you know the truth....

A good look at teenage pregnancy: Blog Tour and Review for Anything but Normal by Melody Carlson

A Gripping Novel That Showcases the Other Side of Teen Pregnancy:
She was smart, well-liked and about to start her senior year.

But now she has a secret to keep hidden and a broken heart in need of healing.

My Review:

Rating: 9.0/10.0


Teen pregnancy, we all have an opinion on it.  Whether we believe it's from teens with totally lax values, to teens who make a one-time mistake we all have feelings on this heated subject.  I know I had certain ideas going into this book and after reading it I have definitely been rethinking where I was coming from.

Sophie is a good girl, she attends church and has made her purity vow and despite all the wishing to the contrary she is pregnant.  What Anything But Normal gives the reader is her story.  We see the world through her eyes from her own beliefs about pregnancy and the girls who are pregnant at her school to how others begin to see her.  We see all the sides.  Should we cast out a pregnant girl or should we support her.  If we support her are we supporting looser morals.  All of these questions are looked at and handled in a wonderful way.

Whereas this subject is heavy (and the book definitely treats it as a heavy subject), the book reads quickly and I could not put it down.  It was interesting seeing it from Sophie's angle and how not everyone fits into our slots that we decide to put them in.  Sophie struggles quite a bit and her struggle is fascinating to watch.  The reactions of those around her are too.  I absolutely loved the character of Wes and how he is a great male character.  This book doesn't make either gender out to be the bad one.  All make mistakes and like in life - we all make mistakes, just some of them are seen more than others.

The Biblical basis behind Ms. Carlson's work stands true and her message is one of love and forgiveness just as Jesus did.  It's also one of responsibility which is something that often gets shuffled out of the way these days.

All-in-all Anything But Normal is an amazing read.  Sophie, her parents, and her friends make great characters and hardly any character is the book remains the same at the end as they were in the beginning - there is growth and learning in all of them.  Don't expect preachiness in this book at all - it's straightforward and believable without being over-the-top with the message - I truly believe the message you come out with from this book is what you make of it.  I took a lot away from it - especially the you need to walk a mile in someones shoes to understand what they are going through.  Another one that comes through is how wrong it is to judge others.  These are wonderful messages that should control our life more.  And again responsibility is also a big part of this book so it is not lost amongst the lessons of love and forgiveness.

I think my only real problem with this one was things were a little hurried at the end, I would have liked to have known more, but everything was tied up really well, so the ending is left completely up in the air.

Read it and see, but I think Anything But Normal will not disappoint if you want a thought-provoking and entertaining young adult book dealing with a tough subject.  Good for parents and teens alike - I can see a lot of good discussion points that can come out of this one.


Favorite Quote:

"I don't see why people have to label everything." Wes sighed. "I mean, instead of just being one thing or another, maybe we need to be better informed--and come to our own conclusions."

Rating Breakdown:
Characterization:   1.75/2.0
Plot:                     1.75/2.0
Writing:                 1.75/2.0
Attention-holding:  1.0/1.0
Ending:                  0.75/1.0
Believable:             1.0/1.0
Genre:                   1.0/1.0    
Rating:                9.0/10.0

About the Book:  

Melody Carlson is able to write to teenaged girls in ways that tap into their greatest hopes, fears and struggles and, through the tales of her beloved characters that quickly become like BFFs, help readers make sense of the confusing and complicated world around them.

This is no less true than with Carlson’s latest release,  Anything But Normal:


Sophie is your normal, average high-school girl who attends church and gets good grades. The summer is wrapping up and while she should be counting down the days to the start of her senior year, she’s anything but excited. What Sophie’s in need of right now is a fresh start.


While her best friends are worried about what to wear and the cutest guy in school, Sophie’s got bigger concerns—like the secret she’s keeping about what happened this summer. She’s about to find out that she won't be able to keep things under wraps much longer.



In this page-turning novel, Carlson offers readers a realistic and heartwrenching vantage point into the messy and emotional world of teen pregnancy. Readers can relate with Sophie who just wants to be normal and loved, but now must figure out how to deal with the consequences of what has happened.

Melody Carlson is the award-winning author of over two hundred books, several of them Christmas novellas from Revell, including her much-loved and bestselling book, The Christmas Bus. She also writes many teen books, including Just Another Girl, Anything but Normal, the Diary of a Teenage Girl series, the TrueColors series, and the Carter House Girls series. Melody was nominated for a Romantic Times Career Achievement Award in the inspirational market for her books, including the Notes from a Spinning Planet series and Finding Alice, which is in production as a Lifetime Television movie. She and her husband serve on the Young Life adult committee in central Oregon.

Available from Revell Books in January 2010

For more information, visit www.RevellBooks.com.

What are you Reading Monday - February 22

Come post weekly and see what others are reading too just so you can add to your tbr - I always do! For more information see Sheila at One Persons Journey Through a World of Books and join in!

Books Completed Last Week:

• Heavenly by Jennifer Laurens
• The Mark by Jen Nadol
• Hear No Evil by Matthew Paul Turner
• The Naughty List by Suzanne Young
• Anything But Normal by Melody Carlson

Reading Now:

• The Witchy Worries of Abbie Adams by Rhonda Hayter
• Evernight by Claudia Gray (Kindle)
• Absolute Power by David Baldacci (audiobook)

 

Next:

• Abigail by Jill Eileen Smith
• The Cougar Club by Susan McBride
• Leaving Gee's Bend by Irene Latham
• Desert Fire by Shannon Van Roekel
• Secrets by Robin Jones Gunn
• Yesterday's Promise by Linda Lee Chaikin
• Out With the In Crowd by Stephanie Morrill
  

Reviews Completed this week:

• Portrait in Death by J.D. Robb
• A Mom's Ultimate Book of Lists by Michelle LaRowe
• Hear No Evil by Matthew Paul Turner
• Anything But Normal by Melody Carlson

Reviews to do:

• Don't You Forget About Me by Cecily von Ziegesar
• Let Them Eat Fruitcake by Melody Carlson
• Smash Cut by Sandra Brown
• Invitation Only by Kate Brian
• Dead as a Doornail by Charlaine Harris (audiobook)  
• Heavenly by Jennifer Laurens
• The Mark by Jen Nadol
• The Naughty List by Suzanne Young

Summary -
Good week for finishing books, not so good for getting reviews done.  I will catch up.  I read some very good books this week and I'm looking forward to another interesting week.  I still haven't touched my own bookshelf this year, but eventually will.  It's hard when publishers keep coming out with more and more great books.  

Make sure to check out the sidebar for my giveaways.  Have a great week everyone.

Fund-raising and Giveaways: Help my nephew and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation

I have seen some other bloggers do things to raise money for charity. I have a Great Strides Walk coming up in April for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. My sister-in-law, Stacey is organizing it and it's a local function but all money goes to the CF foundation (donations go through their home page). I would love to help my SIL out .  My family plans on walking in it, but I would love to donate some money too. This is where my followers/readers come in.

First a little history. My nephew, Hunter (see above) is a beautiful and strong five-year-old who looks very healthy. However he was born with cystic fibrosis. Through research this disease has become more manageable, but a cure really needs to be found so Hunter and others with this disease can live his life to the fullest.

Once upon a time the life expectancy for CF was very short (teens), but through research it has been extended out to the 30s and 40s (which is still way too short). Help Hunter and his family along with the CF foundation find a cure and in the meantime find other treatments to prolong and increase his quality of life.

How you can help:

• Individual donations would be very welcome. I'm part of my sister-in-law's team, but have my own donation page here.  For every dollar donated you will get 5 entries into  these giveaways, just let me know that you donated in the comments of this post (you don't have to say the amount - I can figure that out) and a way to contact you if your email is not available in your profile and I will enter you. Here are the current giveaways and I hope to add more as I contact more people:

• Choose 5 books from a list of books (these may be ARCs, recent books and they may be older books but you can have your choice)  (From me) (1 winner - worldwide)
• $20 Amazon GC. Giveaway open worldwide.  (From me) (1 winner - worldwide)
• Two sets of JP O'Donnell's Gallagher series that is reviewed highly here and on Amazon.com - this is a copy of Fatal Gamble and Deadly Codes for two winners (donated by author J.P. O'Donnell, see his web site here) (2 winners - US/Canada)
• $25 Gift Certificate to Amazon.com (donated by author J.P. O'Donnell, see his web site here) (1 winner - worldwide)

• Blog about this post for an additional giveaway entry.  Tweeting/Face Book mentions will also get entries - just link up in the comments. 

• Don't have any spare money at the moment (who does?) then help me by commenting here on the blog. For each comment I will donate 5 cents to the CF Foundation. Simply comment on reviews, any of the memes, tours or giveaways and I will donate money. I will tally it up at the end and let everyone know how much you helped me donate.  This is for posts starting today (2/21/2010) through April 1st.  It won't count if  you go back and comment on older posts, though I do love the comments, I just need an easy way to keep up with things :)

• If you know of anyone that will sponsor or match funds or offer giveaway prizes - I will do all I can to promote them for a donation.  I'm not above using my blog for advertising to help out a child (and lots of children and adults) :)

The walk is April 24th so I will run this starting now and with this post through April 1st so I can tally up in plenty of time and make the donation.

Thanks for helping out my nephew - his cousins (my boys) adore him and we all do so we want him as healthy as he can be!

In the coming weeks I will post updates and hopefully some more prizes - the more interest this generates the more the message of what the CF Foundation does can get out there.  Until my SIL was told that her son may have CF when he was born, I did not know much about the disease.  I knew there was a telethon and it was "bad" but knew nothing about it.  Since then I have learned a lot but still do not know all I should.  Awareness is a big thing.  Help me spread the awareness and raise money to cure this disease once and for all.

Weekend Wondering: Genres and General Fiction

First up the winner from last week's Romance Weekend Wondering is:

Heather Y

Please email me at crystalfulcher(at)ec.rr.com and let me know which two books you would like.  The selection can be found here.  If I do not hear from you by Wednesday I will draw another name.  Thanks for all the entries - I enjoyed reading your comments.

I also never heard from the winner of my first weekend wondering so I am redrawing the winner and that winner is:

Anita Yancey

You can email me at crystalfulcher(at)ec.rr.com and let me know what book you would like from the selection posted here.

I will also be sending emails to the winners later today.

Now onto today's Weekend Wondering:

Genres are something I use in my anal-retentive spreadsheet I keep of what I read each year. I like to categorize and know what kind of books I'm reading. Sometimes it's easy to categorize. Nora Roberts is usually romance or romantic suspense, non-fiction is evident (most of the time), John Grisham mainly writes thrillers, but then there are authors that write what I can general fiction.  What is general fiction?  Truly I'm not sure, but to me it is anything that's not obviously another genre.  Kristin Hannah is one, her books have relationships, family, sometimes some suspense and some romance, but I consider them general fiction.  I guess they could be women's fiction because I am sure they appeal more to women than men.  Anita Shreve books also come to mind, but then again are they fiction or suspense, because there is usually a suspenseful plot in her books, but it doesn't drive the books. 



Ah - so there's a thought - books are categorized by what drives the book. But still that is sometimes subjective.  I am sure I would think that suspense drives a certain book, but  another reader might think it's the relationships.  That's the fun of reading - we all see and read different things into a book.  We bring what we know and have to it and mold what the writer intends around ourselves.


Next up is suspense/thriller versus literary suspense.  Some would argue that James Patterson is definitely not literary suspense, but suspense thriller - does that make him less of a writer.  If bestsellers tell the tale, definitely not - his books thrill, they sometimes disappoint, but that is all authors if they have a long career.  So is The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo a literary suspense novel?  I took that for granted when I saw it on more blogs that read more literary fiction.  What makes it literary suspense?


These are all good questions and I being young in the blogging world (but not the reading world) am still tyring to figure the nuances out.  Does it really matter in the end if I enjoy the book?  No, absolutely not.  But it matters for my spreadsheet :)


Have a wonderful Saturday.  Feel free to discuss points in this blog or anything else on your mind in the comments for a chance to win your choice of books in my "have to leave the house" basket (that implies nothing toward the books - I've read them and I need space for new books so I want them to go to good homes).  Giveaway goes through next Friday, my birthday 2/26 and I'll draw the winners in the next Weekend Wondering.  Extra entries for tweeting, following, etc.

I have to hear from my latest winners to see what they want, and then I will update the selection with what is left from previous weeks.  But some of the books/ARCs (some are coming up for review this week) you will be eligible to win are:

Nurture Shock is an audiobook (unabridged), the rest are books/ARCs.  After the winners choose their books, there will be 12 more to choose from too.

Big YA Giveaway Winners

First let me say thank you to all who entered, tweeted and got the word out about this giveaway. Thank you for helping clear off my shelves and I hope each of the winners enjoys their books.
So the winners of the Big YA giveaway are:



Julie J 





Lea 

 

Freda Mans 

Karenk 

Nancye Davis 

Heather Gardner 

Abi

Thanks again for entering - you can contact me if you won or I will be sending out emails to get your mailing address.  Enjoy these wonderful books.