Review: Waking Up In The Land of Glitter by Kathy Cano-Murillo

Waking Up In The Land of Glitter
by Kathy Cano-Murillo
2010 Grand Central Publishing
ISBN:978-0-446-50924-4
Softcover Edition
327 Pages
Genre: Fiction

4.5 / 5 Stars

Summary (Press Release)
With glue guns, glitter, twigs, or yarn, the ordinary can become extraordinary...especially at La Pachanga.  Owned by Estrella 'Star' Esteban's family, the restaurant has a rep for two things: good food and great art.  La Pachanga beings people together - even when it looks like they couldn't be further apart.

One ill-fated evening, Star jeopardizes her family's business, her relationship with her boyfriend, and her future career.  To redeem herself, she agrees to participate in a national craft competition, teaming up with her best friend Ofelia - a secretly troubled mother whose love for crafting borders on obsession; and local celebrity Chloe Chavez - a determined television personality with more than one skeleton in her professional closet.  If these unlikely allies can set aside their differences, they'll find strength they never knew they had, and learn that friendship, like crafting, is truly an art form.

My Thoughts
I was rather impressed with this novel.  I found it funny, quirky, sweet, and rather inspiring.  It was a beautiful story about love, friendship, and hope, all based around a love for crafting and the phenomenon that seems to be sweeping over our nations.  Although I am not really a crafty person, I found myself inspired to think maybe I could give it a shot before reality actually set in again.

The relationship between the three women is interesting, but I actually found the character development of each woman much more interesting.  The self-discovery process each women went through during the novel was fraught with missteps and problems, but the development of self-esteem, slow as it was, and the discovery of what each of them was capable of in their lives, was utterly fascinating.  I found myself rooting for each one, but at the same time, I was also thinking about my own life as each one went through their own changes, and looking at my own life to see if maybe I wasn't achieving my own potential as well.  I believe it was one of the reasons I began to blog as I felt I wasn't achieving enough in my own reviewing world;  I needed more of an outlet and I needed to achieve something more. I could totally relate to what each of those women was feeling so it felt really personal to me.  Naturally the real development of a true friendship always come with a series of tests, and all of these women have secrets that will test their friendship.  When these secrets burst open one day, will the foundation of their friendship be strong enough to withstand the forces whipping around them or will they go their separate ways?  Sorry folks, you will have to read the book to find out.

Verdict
By writing from the personal viewpoint of each character, you get to feel what each character is thinking and feeling and I really enjoyed that aspect of this novel.  The transitions between characters were seamless and flowed beautifully.  I especially enjoyed the Spanish influence in this novel and loved learning about the few Spanish cultural traditions that were mentioned.  For those who do not have a background in Spanish, the author does include a glossary of Spanish terms to help the reader.  I am definitely looking forward to future novels from Ms. Cano-Murillo.

For those who are interested in using this novel for their reading groups, the author includes a great Reading Group Guide, in both Spanish and English, for your use.

Review: Lone Star Legend by Gwendolyn Zepeda

Lone Star Legend
by Gwendolyn Zepeda
2010 Grand Central Publishing
342 pages
Softcover Edition
ISBN:978-0-446-53960-9
Genre: Contemporary Fiction

4/5 Stars

Summary (Press Release)
If she can find the time, Sandy Saavedra will stop to breathe. New management has turned work upside down and her father's upcoming marriage - something he forgot to mention to Sandy - means there's no peace at home, either. But it's okay. No matter what's thrown her way, Sandy can deal. Because Sandy has a secret, and his name is Tio Jaime.

A short drive out of Austin delivers Sandy into the wide-open spaces of the Hill Country, to the front porch of grandfatherly hermit Tio Jaime. There, in the company of pepper plants, a shaggy dog, and fresh squeezed lemonade, the old man imparts down-to-earth advice. Overbearing boss? Work smarter; she'll leave you alone. Disrespectful boyfriend? Pack your bags; a real woman tolerates only a real man. His simple perspective reminds Sandy she can make her own choices - something she's been forgetting lately.

Feeling inspired, Sandy posts their chats online. But as she introduces the world to her personal Eden, her own life heads straight to hell...

My Thoughts
This book turned out to be a wonderful surprise and I enjoyed it tremendously. The writing was crisp and clear, with many funny and humouristic moments between the characters, the details and descriptions were rich, with plenty of emotional scenes. All of this combined together to produce a fairly good page-turner.

What particularly intrigued me about this book was the debate about anonymity in the blogging world. Sandy had a personal blog where she vented her fears, frustrations, doubts, and angst about her personal life, writing things she really shouldn't have exposed to the public, all under the guise of thinking she was writing anonymously. Some of the things she wrote, while readers were understanding and sympathetic, were hardly flattering. As she became a prolific writer for the new entertainment site she worked for, she let information drop that linked her to her blog site and people began to understand she wrote both sites. All of this began to explode and she hurt everyone around her. I couldn't help but think of all the blog sites that proliferate today, many who write under the guise of anonymity and who probably write things they shouldn't under that mistaken guise, and I often wonder how long before we start to hear about lawsuits and other such things happening to bloggers. My mother always said to beware about what you write and about what you say as both could come back to haunt you. She would definitely be right about Sandy in this novel.

I really admired Tio Jaime as the sudden fame really did not go to his head as it did the others. He was Sandy's rock through everything and his words of wisdom became an instant hit with viewers on Sandy's website. Sandy however, has not been able to convince Tio to sign the release form, but posts his interviews anyways. The nagging seed of dishonour continues to grow, but she ignores it until she can't ignore it anymore and has to deal with the consequences of her actions.

I also admire Sandy as she manages to keep her integrity despite all of the fame she is exposed to. Although she does some things she is not proud of, she manages to get it all under control without lowering herself to the crass level of some of her colleagues and with her head held high. It was nice to see her develop into a self-confident young woman who came through an ordeal with her morals and integrity intact, and one who learned from the many mistakes she made.

Verdict
I really enjoyed the many blog posts and comments that were included in this novel. They were quirky and fun and very enjoyable. They added a certain something to the novel that made it more interesting. They also showed how scary some of the readers can be, and how scary it can be for celebrities out there in the world. I also think there was a message in here to be leary of blogging; do it for fun, for a business, but beware the idea of anonymity as it does not exist.

Filled with memorable characters, and an interesting storyline, this is a novel with a message.