Book Review: Better Together by Raymond M. Rose

Photo taken  from Goodreads

 Book Info

Title:  Better Together 

Author:  Raymond M. Rose
Publisher:  Christopher Williams Books

Language: English

Format:  E-Book

Pages:  290 pages
ASIN:  B004A14V28

Source:  From the Author

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Summary

From Goodreads:

"Paul Rhoads, a successful horror novelist, has moved back to his hometown in Pennsylvania. Moving back home turns out to be more than just returning to his roots but starting up a relationship with his high school sweetheart, Annie. Annie, recently divorced, is the mother of a precious eight month old, Max. However, when Annie dies in a freak car accident, Paul finds himself catapulted into the role of father and decides to do something he would never have imagined himself doing: raise Max as his own."

Review

When I was younger, I had this silly fear that I was just adopted.  The fact that I never looked like any of my parents back then only added more to this fear.  It was only when my brother was born and he was my spitting image that I was finally able to quell this insane thought.

Paul was supposed to live with Annie and her little son Max happily ever after, but Annie died and left Paul with Max just shortly after getting married.  Stunned with grief by the sudden departure of his beloved wife, he becomes overwhelmed by an even bigger responsibility of raising Max as his own son.  This book details the ups and downs that Paul (and every parent) encounters when dealing with raising kids and striving to be the best parent a child ever had.

Remember how you used to understand and remember stuff better when it's told through a story rather than listening to usual instructions?  This book, Better Together by Raymond M. Rose is certainly a good story for parents who are tired of looking for that perfect self-help parenting book.  This will not tell you everything about raising a child, not really about how hot the bath water should be but more on how to deal with the emotional side of taking care of your little one.  Instead of getting all too preachy as some parenting books, this book is like a friend who tells you everything he/she experienced during his/her own time raising children and passing all the knowledge to you.

The premise is unique and the events occur in such a way that the reader gets caught off guard by the turn of events despite a small touch of predictability.  Endearing and sweet, this book will completely hook any reader, especially those who have had children as they are taken back in time in the early stages of their children's lives.

But as amazing as this book may sound, I just have a few problems with how this was presented:  Told from a third person perspective, the voice sometimes shift from different characters rather too quickly that sometimes, the reader gets confused as the points of view get jumbled up.  One minute you were reading about Paul's thoughts, another minute you realize the narration has shifted to Annie's.  But it does get better as you turn the pages and finally get a good grasp of the voices within this book.  As for the text, there were a few typographical errors that was a bit distracting but once you get past that, you will definitely be in for a treat as you read this heartwarming story.

An important lesson to be gained from this book is this:  Children should be loved not because they carry your blood in their veins, not because they look like you, not because they were born from you - but because they, as human beings, deserve to be loved, not matter who or what they are, or where they came from.

Rating

If you have any questions on this particular rating, please refer to my ratings system here.

Notice 

I received this book free of charge from the author, Raymond M. Rose, in exchange for an honest and truthful review. This, in no way, affected my opinion or review of this book.

Please contact me for questions, comments, and suggestions.  

Close-Up by Sherry Ashworth

 (Photo taken from Goodreads)

Title:  Close-Up

Author:  Sherry Ashworth

Publisher:  Simon and Schuster

Language: English

Format:  Paperback

Pages:  256 pages

ISBN-10:  1416904743

ISBN-13:  978-1416904748

Source:  Purchased, Booksale

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Rating: 

I like watching movies.  I even watch movies based on books I've read because I wanted to see how it would play out on the big screen.  But to say that I am dead crazy about movies is a bit of an exaggeration.  The same could not be said however, for Jimmy Keane.  He's a genuine film buff - he even thinks in frames!  He does this to block stressful stuff at home.  He's never known his own father and he has a somewhat difficult relationship with his mother.  Then one day, a stranger introduces himself as Jimmy's father, and Jimmy's life turns upside down.  Suddenly, he is the center of his parent's attention, suddenly, somebody cares.  Liz, his friend, is suspicious of Jimmy's father, and a startling revelation will make Jimmy choose:  His father, or everything he holds dear?

I thought this book was just your average teen read but I was sorely wrong.  It turned out to be a gripping thriller, very intriguing.  I loved the plot as it was very realistic, totally believable.  Even the characters were very real, the issues very current and spot on.  I liked how the author creatively turned Jimmy's description of his mindset into vivid scenes cut into frames.  Jimmy is a film buff who enjoys thinking like he's directing a film - and his voice and the nuances of his descriptions were so apt and detailed and very genuine.  The author has definitely used imagination and intelligence to create such convincing narration.  The story is narrated alternately between Jimmy's point of view and Liz's through her diary.  Although alternating, the voice is seamless, but very distinguishable.  The writing was snappy and crackling with developments, it's totally engaging and fun to read.  The dialogue was equally thrilling as it was solid, crisp, and tailored to fit each character's personality.

However, I must say that Liz was my favorite character.  She reminded me of Lisbeth Salander from The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson.  She's cool, spunky, edgy, and has a strong but caring personality.  And with her image in her head which also closely resembles the physical aspects of Lisbeth.  Jimmy is okay too, but it felt that his being a movie freak made him too square for my taste.  His personality was very limited into what was expected of him.  I mean, he thinks in frames, he doesn't have much interest in his studies, he has a rocky relationship with his mother, and predictably throws himself into his father's arms when they finally meet.  There's not an ounce of surprise in how he would react, and I was not really into what's going to happen to him - I sort of already know that - I was more into what's going to happen to the whole story.  That proved to be more thrilling and exciting to look forward to.

Although the story did turn out quite well, I just had some unanswered questions in the end, but I guess that was fine although I would have liked some closure, even if it might prove tragic, but at least everything is laid out in black and white.  But then again, maybe that would prove disastrous or cruel so I try to be content with what I got.  I also felt like it was slightly hurried towards the ending, like the author suddenly had to meet the deadline and had to cut the story short, because I thought some preparations or twists could have been included.  Nevertheless, I enjoyed reading this book and intend to read it again and again in the future.