Hello everyone, today I am reviewing Unfinished Business by Lee Kravitz for TLC Book Tours. As always, I am provided with a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

About the book: After losing his job, Lee Kravitz – a man who had always worked too hard, too long and too intensely – took stock of his life and realized just how disconnected he had become from the people who mattered most to him: his wife, his children, the circle of friends whose rank had thinned out over the years. Instead of rushing out to find a new job, he committed an entire year to attending to the most important things in his life, to reconnect to those dear to him and to making amends.

In Unfinished Business, Kravitz takes us along on ten transformational journeys, among them repaying a thirty year old debt, making a long overdue condolence call, finding an abandoned relative, and fulfilling a forgotten promise. Along the way, we meet a cast of wonderful characters and travel the globe – to a refugee camp in Kenya, a monastery in California, the desert of southern Iran, a little league game in upstate New York, and a bar in Kravitz’s native Cleveland. In each instance, his act of reaching out opens new paths for both personal and spiritual growth.

About the author: Lee Kravitz was born in Cleveland, Ohio. He attended Yale College and Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism.

A pioneer in creating multi-platform media for young people, Lee was founding editor of React, an interactive news magazine for teenagers, and an educational director of Scholastic, Inc., the educational publishing company.

Lee was most recently the editor-in-chief of Parade, the Sunday newspaper magazine, with more than 70 million readers. Under his leadership, Lee’s magazines have received more than 200 awards for journalistic excellence and been widely acclaimed for inspiring Americans of all ages to improve their lives, communities, nation and the world.

Lee has served on the boards of several nonprofit organizations, including the Public Education Network, The League, National History Day and Youth Service America. His is board president of Youth Communication, a publisher of writing by and for inner-city teens and youth in foster care.

Lee and his wife Elizabeth Kaplan, a literary agent, live in New York City and Clinton Corners, New York with their three children.

My review: I really loved this book. The premise – that we all have unfinished business to attend to – struck a deep chord within me. Kravitz writes with unsparing honesty about those unresolved promises, thank yous and debts. He admits to being such a workaholic that he couldn’t absorb or come to terms with the loss of his job. He was defined by his work. As so often happens when one is forced to get off the treadmill, he suddenly has time to think. This enforced period of rest leads to a new resolve to take care of the unfinished business that has been troubling him for years.

As we go along for the ride on each journey, we learn that sometimes saying ‘thank you’ can lead to unexpected personal growth. Sometimes the act of forgiveness opens up a door to the heart. Repaying a debt, long forgotten by the lender, can lead to the renewal of a friendship. Kravitz writes beautifully and manages to make each story completely compelling.

I don’t mind telling you that I have unfinished business – the kind that will be off my radar for months or years at a time and then will suddenly reappear with a little nudge that says “You should finally deal with this.” And I should. I thank Mr. Kravitz for reminding me that finishing that business is important – for me and for everyone involved. I applaud this brave and honest look at the ways in which one’s life can be changed by making amends.

I recommend this book highly. I think that you, as I was, will be totally enthralled by it. And lucky you!! – one of you who leaves a comment on this post will win a copy of Unfinished Business. If you are interested, please leave a comment on this post only. I will draw a name on Wednesday evening.

Hello, friends. Today I am reviewing The Kitchen Daughter by Jael McHenry for TLC Book Tours. As always, I am provided with a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

About The Kitchen Daughter:

After the unexpected death of her parents, painfully shy and sheltered 26-year-old Ginny Selvaggio seeks comfort in cooking from family recipes. But the rich, peppery scent of her Nonna’s soup draws an unexpected visitor into the kitchen: the ghost of Nonna herself, dead for twenty years, who appears with a cryptic warning (“do no let her…”) before vanishing like steam from a cooling dish.

A haunted kitchen isn’t Ginny’s only challenge. Her domineering sister, Amanda, (aka “Demanda”) insists on selling their parents’ house, the only home Ginny has ever known. As she packs up her parents’ belongings, Ginny finds evidence of family secrets she isn’t sure how to unravel. She knows how to turn milk into cheese and cream into butter, but she doesn’t know why her mother hid a letter in the bedroom chimney, or the identity of the woman in her father’s photographs. The more she learns, the more she realizes the keys to these riddles lie with the dead, and there’s only one way to get answers: cook from dead people’s recipes, raise their ghosts, and ask them.

About the author:

Jael McHenry is a talented and enthusiastic amateur cook who blogs about food and cooking at the SIMMER blog, http://simmerblog.com. She is a monthly pop culture columnist and Editor-in-Chief of Intrepid Media, online at intrepidmedia.com. Her work has appeared in publications such as the North American Review, Indiana Review, and the Graduate Review at American University, where she earned her MFA in Creative Writing. She lives in New York City.

My review:

I dream of writing a novel some day. And I imagine the words I would want to read in a review are: “I couldn’t put it down!” Well – I couldn’t put this wonderfully written novel down. Jael McHenry has written a beautiful story – of love, loss, finding oneself, magic, mystery, cooking and family. Ginny, our protagonist, has been protected by her parents because of her inability to relate in a ‘normal’ manner to other people, to certain sounds, to physical touch. When her parents die unexpectedly, she is forced to come to terms with who she really is. That is a simple two sentence recap of the story. But there is so much more. Ginny loves to cook. She finds refuge and creativity in the process of cooking. It is her anchor. As she attempts to deal with the loss of her parents, cooking provides a necessary solace. When she is feeling scared or threatened, she visualizes the texture of foods, the way the food tastes, the steps in a recipe. That remembrance calms her. McHenry writes beautifully about food – the smells, tastes, textures. Anyone who loves cooking will love the beautifully written descriptions of creating a dish as well as the recipes that are included.

There is a magical element throughout the book. Ghosts appear with tantalizing words of advice; a few words here, an unfinished sentence there. As Ginny struggles to put it all together, to find the answer, you will find yourself cheering her on. As I grew to know Ginny, I was struck by the realization that we are all damaged in some way. Finding our truth, discovering who we really are and emerging triumphant in a world that wants to ‘name’ our problems, to narrowly confine us to a ‘category,’ is a challenge we all face. When we can do that, as Ginny ultimately does, we can fly.

This story takes place in Philadelphia. As some of you know, I went to graduate school in Philadelphia. As I was reading the description of Ginny’s house, which is on a block called “Portico Row,” something made me Google it because I thought it sounded awfully familiar. It turns out to be on Spruce Street between 9th and 10th.  I lived on Spruce and 10th during my first year in Philly.  I walked by those homes every day! I knew that neighborhood intimately so it was a double pleasure to read about it in this novel.

Jael McHenry has created a most wonderful character in Ginny. She has perfectly captured the way her mind works, how she protects herself in moments of stress, how she struggles to cope in a world that doesn’t understand her. I fell a little in love with Ginny. And isn’t that what one wants to do when reading a great story? My hat is off to the author. I cannot recommend this book highly enough.

Good news: the publisher has graciously offered a free copy of The Kitchen Daughter to one lucky reader of this post. If you are interested, please leave a comment. The comment has to be on this post. I will pick a winner on Saturday evening, April 16th.

Today I am reviewing Hush by Kate White for TLC Book Tours. As always, I am provided with a copy of the book in exchange for my honest review.

About the book: Four months after their separation, marketing consultant Lake Warren faces a tough legal battle with her husband, Jack, for custody of their two kids. Though the timing couldn’t be worse, she finds herself responding to the flirtations of Dr. Mark Keaton, her handsome colleague at the Advanced Fertility Center. But the morning after their one-night stand, Lake discovers Keaton with his throat slashed.

Afraid of losing her children forever, Lake lies to the police—and begins searching for the truth on her own before she can be charged with the heinous crime. She starts getting hostile treatment from her coworkers, and strange clues start appearing, quite literally, on her doorstep. Soon Lake is pulled dangerously close to the very dark secrets surrounding the slain man and the clinic where they worked. And suddenly the police are not the only ones hunting Lake Warren.

My review: I must admit that I have read all of Kate White’s previous mysteries featuring Bailey Weggins. This new mystery does not disappoint. Ms. White is a very gifted writer. She manages to keep the suspense at a high level throughout the book. From the moment the protagonist discovers the dead body, the tension mounts and the pace never slows. Because of a looming custody battle with her soon to be ex-husband, Lake cannot let even a hint of suspicion fall on her. Sleep deprived, desperately trying to keep one step ahead of the police, frightened for her children and herself – the stakes could not be higher. I felt like I was right along with her on this terror-filled ride.

This is a mystery that you can’t put down. And aren’t those the best kind? Ms. White’s mysteries usually take place in and around New York City and her descriptions of the city are wonderfully detailed, as are her descriptions of Upstate New York (where I live.) The various characters are vividly drawn. You’ll be caught up in this mystery – trying, as I did, to figure out who the killer really is.

I recommend this book highly, especially if you are a mystery-lover. And once you read this book, go back and read Kate White’s other mysteries. You’ll be hooked.

About the author: Kate White is the editor-in-chief of Cosmopolitan magazine and the New York Times bestselling author of the Bailey Weggins mystery series and several popular career books for women, including Why Good Girls Don’t Get Ahead but Gutsy Girls Do. She lives in New York City.