Book Review- Lisa Jewell's I Found You

Thank you to Atria Books for providing me with an advanced copy of Lisa Jewell's novel, I Found You, in exchange for an honest review.

PLOT- Single mom, Alice Lake, notices a man sitting on the beach in front of her home. He stares off into the ocean, while the rain pours down on him, and he doesn't move for hours. Finally, overcome by a sense of compassion and curiosity, Alice goes to check on him. The man has lost his memory and does not have identification. He only knows that somehow he has a link to this seaside village in the north of England. Alice takes him in and he convinces her to hold off on going to the police, to see if he can recover his memories; memories that seem to point to something sinister.

In a London suburb, Lily, a new bride, is worried when her husband does not return home from work. Lily has recently moved from the Ukraine and she has never met her husband's family. Not only has she never met them, but she does not have their contact information. Could Lily's husband be the man on the beach?

LIKE- Last year I read Jewell's novel, The Girls in the Garden, and it was fabulous. I was thrilled when her latest novel, I Found You, showed up for request on NetGalley. It did not disappoint.

I Found You is filled with unexpected twists. I truly did not anticipate where the story was heading, making it a page-turner. I blazed through it in less than a day, unable to put it down. To this end, I'm not going to discuss any specific plot points or characters, as with this novel, more than most, I think the thrill is in the mystery. I don't want to inadvertently spoil anything for a would-be reader.

In addition to a nail-bitting plot (and intense action sequences), Jewell has memorable characters and a vivid setting. What sticks with me the most is her atmospheric writing and foreboding settings. There is a mansion that is downright creepy. The strong sense of place, coupled with the excitement of the mystery, really grounded me in the story world. I read the last quarter of the novel on my Kindle in a dark room, and I was very relieved to have my husband in bed next to me. I had trouble getting to sleep last night!

DISLIKE- Nothing. After finishing I Found You, I looked up Jewell, and was thrilled to see that she has written many other books. I can't wait to read through her works.

RECOMMEND- YES!!! I enthusiastically recommend both I Found You and The Girls in the Garden. I saw mention of comparisons to Gillian Flynn's Gone Girl, and Paula Hawkin's The Girl on the Train : no slight to either book, I enjoyed them, but I enjoyed both of Jewell's novels even more! She's a masterful storyteller.

Book Review- Anna Kendrick's Scrappy Little Nobody

PLOT- In her memoir, Scrappy Little Nobody, actress Anna Kendrick follows her career from a child star on Broadway to breaking into Hollywood with hit movies, like Pitch Perfect and Into the Woods.

LIKE- Memoirs, especially light memoirs, are my go-to plane travel reading. I'm a fan of Anna Kendrick's films and she's a low-key celebrity, not one that is making tabloid headlines, so even though she's only in her early thirties, I was curious to read about her career and personal life.

I had no idea that Kendrick was a former Broadway actress or that she had been nominated for both a Tony Award and Drama Desk Award for her role in High Society. I love musicals and the crazy thing is, if this had occurred in the mid 90's, as opposed to the late 90's, I would have known Kendrick from her theatre roles, rather than film. In high school, I was absolutely obsessed with all things theatre and I knew all about everything that was happening on Broadway. I still love theatre, but the obsession waned as other things, like college, got pushed to the forefront. Although, I do remember the production of High Society, the specifics like cast and awards, were not on my radar. I loved reading about her experience on Broadway. especially how her family supported her dreams, even though it meant a lot of sacrifice and wasn't even financially rewarding. Also, that Kendrick had to sacrifice a normal childhood to chase her dreams and that hanging out with other Broadway kids, is a bizarre experience.

Her Broadway success didn't automatically translate to film offers. She went the indy route, making a musical film called Camp, I've never heard of Camp, but apparently, it has a cult following and Kendrick is often approached by fans of the film. It went to Sundance: Kendrick recounts a crazy trip, where the kids of the film, mostly unknown talent, descended on the Utah ski town and went wild. A repeating theme of Scrappy Little Nobody, is the years of work ( or lean times of no work), that Kendrick had to put in, before she became well-known. Every time she seemed on the verge of having a breakthrough, it wouldn't happen.

Twilight, where she had a small part as a non-vampire friend of Bella (Kristen Stewart) was a big budget film that gave her enough money to last through the lean times. Even Up in the Air, a critically acclaimed film in which she received an Oscar nomination, didn't provide enough income or job offers to sustain her. Kendrick recalls her rather unglamorous trip to the Oscars and feeling pressured into buying expensive shoes just to give the appearance of living a rich and glamorous life-style. Until recently, Kendrick shared a small, no-frills apartment with roommates, even during her trip to the Academy Awards.

In Scrappy Little Nobody, Kendrick comes across as a very down-to-earth, funny, and slightly-awkward thirty-something. She shares advice from George Clooney, who cautioned her not to count on fame or fortune in the film industry. Although Clooney is arguably a mega-star, it's easy to remember that so many actors do have fleeting careers, or they may luck out with steady work, but not obtain the level of fame or money, that the public imagines.

DISLIKE- Nothing. Scrappy Little Nobody is entertaining and inspirational.

RECOMMEND- Yes, if you're a fan of Broadway or Kendrick. Scrappy Little Nobody is a good pick for people needing inspiration or for a young person looking to break into show business. Kendrick may still be young, but she has had some incredible opportunities and she gives common sense advice based on her rather normal life.

Seattle 2016: Day One

In 2016, Dan and I had the rare opportunity to travel alone, meaning not associated with work or with visiting family. We had just started our home-based travel company and this afforded us an amazing opportunity to take a last minute Alaskan cruise on the cheap.

When I say last-minute, I mean we booked the last room on the ship, just two days prior to sailing. We sailed on Holland America's MS Amsterdam, departing from the port in Seattle on a Sunday. We left Los Angeles early in the morning on the day prior to our cruise, so that we could explore Seattle. This was my first trip to the city and Dan had not visited in a long time.

When we arrived at the Seattle-Tacoma airport, we saw the sign for Holland America. Unfortunately, we booked too late, to take advantage of the airport-to-city transportation.

Dan had points to use at the Homewood Suites by Hilton, making it a free option for staying downtown. The hotel was perfect for us: located in a safe neighborhood and a short walk from all of the Seattle attractions. Our room was comfortable too. I highly recommend this hotel for anyone heading to Seattle. As a bonus, it included a kitchenette with full-sized refrigerator.

We only had twenty-four hours to tour Seattle, so we left the hotel immediately, not wanting to waste anytime. We headed straight to Pike Place Market. Here are some pictures that we took along our walk. The Bernie Sanders poster puts this in context, Spring of 2016.

Pike Place Market is a bit of a tourist trap, but when in Seattle, it's a must-do. Arriving on a rain-free, Saturday afternoon in spring, meant that it was jammed.

Priority #1, was lunch. Having not eaten since breakfast, we were super hungry. There are so many dining options at Pike Place Market, that it was overwhelming. We just went to the first thing we saw: Jack's Fish and Chips Spot. This is where we learned about "True Cod." I guess there is fake cod? In any case, everywhere we went in Seattle and Alaska, was proud to proclaim that they sold "True Cod." I'm not sure that I would have known the difference or cared. The "true cod" fish and chips from Jack's was delicious: piping hot and with light batter that wasn't overly greasy. I'm not a huge fan of tartar sauce, but Jack's was very good. I recommend it!

After lunch, we walked around the market. There was a lot of fish, but not anyone tossing it around, as I had seen in videos. I had been led to believe that flying fish was the thing to see. I wanted some fish throwing action! Half of the area is a market and the other half are tourist-trap shops. It reminded me the Original Farmers Market in Los Angeles. Locals probably do go here to get fresh fish and produce, but it was definitely a tourist-trap.

Pike Place Market is also famously the home of the first Starbucks! The line was around the block, so we skipped it. I mean, we do give Starbucks our regular business; we didn't need to wait in a long line for our usual lattes. Here it is in the background!

And before this, I had no idea about the "Pike Place" coffee. I get it now!

The best part of the day, was after Pike Place Market, when we discovered a wine bar. Chocolate & Wine on Pine, is just a block from Pike Place Market. It's an artisanal chocolate shop, that offers wine/chocolate pairings. We loved it so much, that we did two different wine/chocolate flights and had an additional hot chocolate. Plus, we bought more chocolate to have on our cruise. It was amazing and we enjoyed chatting with the staff. Seriously, it's a good thing that we don't live near Chocolate & Wine on Pine, otherwise we'd be here all of the time.

Speaking of places that fall under the category "good thing I don't live near this" = Seattle is home to the flagship Nordstrom department store. It was hard to pass this by, without taking a look. Next time I visit Seattle, I'm going shopping or at the very least, having a coffee at the Nordstrom Ebar! I wonder if the Seattle Nordstrom has retained a pianist. I miss the piano music in Nordstrom, it was such a classy touch!