The Art of Giving Flowers by Callie Craumer

Illustrator: Fiona Kwan

Genre: Nature Guide/Non-Fiction

Date of Publication: March 6, 2012

Memorable Quotation: “One of the best reasons to send flowers is no reason at all.” (pg. 47)

Lasting Impression: This simple guide unlocks the secrets to not only the art of giving flowers but as well the components that will make your next bouquet of flowers that much more special and sentimental.

NOTE: This will be the first non-fiction book (more specifically the first guide) I am reviewing so my rating system will be different from the fictional novels.  Here are definitions to my rating components so no one is confused:

(This rating system will be for guides; for non-fiction, there will likely be a different system.)

Accessibility: Was the guide easy to understand for a wide audience?

Content: Was the subject interesting?

Creativity: Was it told in an interesting way or was it simply a bore to read?

Layout: Is the amount of text overwhelming? Are there pictures to break up the text to make it more visually appealing?

Overall Grade: Self- explanatory.

Accessibility: A+

Content: A+

Creativity: A-

Layout: B+

Overall Grade: A

Giving flowers to someone has become a customary way of showing one’s appreciation, support, sympathy, or any number of emotions that words cannot rightfully express.  Now, the secrets florists have known for so long about the importance behind certain flowers paired with the proper occasion is now accessible to the public with Callie Craumer’s remarkable guide, The Art of Giving Flowers.

 I reviewed a novel a few months ago called The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh, which focused on the meaning or ‘language’ of flowers but this guide goes beyond the meanings (although it does have a chapter on it) and explores the proper steps as to how to select the perfect arrangement for someone. Craumer takes you through colors, the characteristics of certain flowers that make them unique, and the arrangements that go best with each holiday, leaving nothing to question and giving you all of the information you need to create a truly unique floral gift for anyone.

This floral guide is only 56 pages long but to my surprise it was not a quick read; it was packed with more information than I thought could fit into such a little book.  In saying so, that does not mean the content seemed to be squeezed into the pages; Craumer does an excellent job being thorough with her descriptions but not so much so that she will lose your interest.  What helps break up the guide are the beautiful watercolor drawings of many of the flowers describes, illustrated by Fiona Kwan.  The flower illustrations are simple yet full detail as they help tie all of the information Craumer is describing together.

The only downfall to this guide was the layout. Although I like how the sentences are broken up frequently with flower illustrations, the guide could have flowed better if the flowers described in certain arrangements had those flowers illustrated on the page.  Instead, the flower ‘arrangement’ on the page was at times random, leaving me disappointed in not being able to see what Craumer was trying to say due to the lack of visual aid.

Other than that small setback, everything is written beautifully in an informative, yet warm way. The Art of Giving Flowers is a must have guide for anyone who is interested in gardening, floral arrangement, or would like to know the secrets up to now only the florists knew about when it comes to ‘the art of giving flowers.’

~Shelly-Beans

Before I Go To Sleep by S.J. Watson

Genre: Psychological Thriller/Fiction

Date of Publication: February 7, 2012

Memorable Quotation: “I feel like I ought to ask more questions, ought to show more interest, but there is little point.  Anything he tells me now I will have forgotten by the time I wake tomorrow. Today is all I have.” (pg.30)

Lasting Impression: An electrifying novel of an amnesiac who plays both the detective and the victim as she tries to discover her memories and the secrets they hide about her past.

Storyline: A

Pace of Story: A+

Characters: A

Ending: A+

Overall Grade: A+

Memories: they define us.  Who are we without our memories? Who can we grow to be without remembering our experiences to learn from?  For most, these questions cannot be answered because not until we become elderly do we have to worry about them.  For forty-seven year old Christine Lucas, however, she wakes up every morning not remembering anything; rebuilding them throughout the day only to have them erased as she sleeps.

The cause of her rare kind of amnesia is due to by a terrible incident that happened twenty years before.  To help her find her memories that she believes are still in her mind but have been suppressed, she takes her psychologist’s recommendation to write about her daily events in order to remember what had occurred and hopefully something would stay in her memory for more than a few hours.  Before we begin our journey through Christine’s written memories, we are confronted with three words that immediately give the readers a jaded view of Christine’s husband: DON’T TRUST BEN.  As we begin to read and understand Christine, the reader must ask: Are these three simple words just a way to mess with the reader’s sense of who to trust, as Christine would feel, or is this really a beacon of light that will help us see through the darkness that falsities have brought into Christine’s world and mind?

The story itself is incredible, and the amount of detail Watson puts into Before I Go to Sleep makes it hard to believe this is actually his debut.  From the first page, I was immediately sucked into the story and had a difficult time putting it down.  Watson has a wonderful way with words, arranging them to create emotion and sound in ways visual aid would normally be needed to express.  Christine’s journal is also broken up well, with interruptions to the flow and breaks that make it sound more realistic.  (I wish he would have used a different font for the journal entries but that is only a minor criticism.) 

What really made this novel stand out more than any psychological thriller I have ever read was the amount of twists Watson was able to incorporate into the storyline and not lose the reader in the chaos that he creates.  Not only does he do well keeping the reader’s attention with the twists to the story but more importantly, he has Christine roll with the punches her memory brings her as it slowly returns and the missing pieces of her life finally reappear, and the epiphanies they bring will continuously blow the reader’s mind. 

For such an intense novel, there had to be a powerful ending to conclude it properly, and Watson does not disappoint.  The ending is exceptional, tying everything together with a neat bow.  After everything is said and done, you may find yourself almost exhausted and with a slight headache from everything that had happened, but it will be worth the journey. Before I Go To Sleep left me with chills, even a day after I had finished it, and has left a chilling question stuck in my head: If you can’t trust your memories, who can you trust?

~Shelly-Beans

November Books That Did Not 'Make the Grade'

This is going to be a new installment in Shelly-Beans Book Reviews because I do not want you, my readers, to think that it takes me a whole month to read one or two books (although that may be the case every once in a while.)  In reality, there are many times when I will read a few chapters of 3 or 4 books but not be able to finish them before I find one that captivates me enough to read it in it's entirety, which will then reviewed here.

So to let you all know what books I couldn't get into or, 'didn't make the grade' and why, I will be writing a sentence or two as to why they didn't get a full review on them at the end of each month.  I hope you enjoy them as well as my regular reviews and thank you for your support in reading my reviews.  Enjoy!

NOTE: Although I cannot get into a certain book now does not mean I will not try to read it again in the future, so when you see a book end up in a 'didn't make the grade' post, do not be surprised if I eventually do read and review it.  Every book deserves a second chance, after all, and some books are meant to be read during different points in our lives.


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Here are is the book I tried to read during the month of November but either didn't engage me or interest me enough to read fully:

The Gun Seller by Hugh Laurie- Although Laurie has a unique writing style, the story did not flow well which led me to being confused more often than not.  His plot was all over the place, his character introductions were not the best and personally, I had a hard time appreciating his British humor.

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I look forward to your comments and thanks for reading!

~Shelly-Beans

Turn of Mind by Alice LaPlante

Genre: Fiction/Psychological Thriller

Date of Publication: March 27^th, 2012

Memorable Quotation: “From the moment I opened the cadaver and saw the tendons, the nerves, the ligaments and the carpal bones of the wrist, I was in love. Not for me the heart, the lungs, or the esophagus--let others play in those sandboxes.  I want the hands, the fingers, the parts that connect us to the things of this world.” (Pg. 215)

Lasting Impression:  This is what it feels like to lose your mind...

Storyline: A

Pace of Story: A

Characters: B+

Ending: A-

Overall Grade: A-

As we get older, memory loss becomes an unfortunate part of aging we all must accept. Sometimes it is worse for others, but no amount of small forgetful moments can compare to the pain family members must go through when one of their parents or family members suffers from Alzheimer’s or Dementia. This is the fate of Dr. Jennifer White, retired Orthopedic surgeon, who at sixty-five is suffering from Dementia and is quickly slipping farther from reality, mentally. To add to the pain her family is going through with her illness, a murder has taken place in her neighborhood and Dr. White is the prime subject, for two reasons:

1.) The person murdered was her neighbor/best friend, Amanda, and Dr. White was the last person seen with her alive.

2.) Four of Amanda’s fingers had been cut off after her death, which leads to suspicion of

Dr. White because her surgical practice. 

Through Dr. White’s first hand account, the reader goes on a wild ride as they try to figure out if this murder case has nothing to do with her or if the holes in Dr. White’s memory are hiding the clues needed to uncovering the case.

To tell Dr. White’s story, Alice LaPlante uses an interesting writing style of using short sentences and having Dr. White’s voice in regular font while anyone else’s voice is in italics, making the voices of others seem shaky; Dr. White only certain of her own voice. 

The flow of the story is fluid, the imagery is lucid, and the thoroughness LaPlante uses in showing the ups and downs from the Dr. Whites point of view is eye-opening and sad; an amazing accomplishment with Turn of Mind being a fictional novel, at times feeling like a memoir. 

This feat in writing from the perspective of a Dementia sufferer also has its downfalls, do to the way different things are described and then randomly changes, most likely following the thought pattern of someone with Dementia, but it can frustrating for the reader with not understanding what is happening. The only other downfall to LaPlante’s novel is that the build up to what happened to Amanda takes a while; it is not until the middle of the novel the murderer is uncovered, and when that is revealed, it is in a quick sentence that will make the reader stop and say, “wait…what?” I promise, however, that the ending is worth the wait and will leave you practically speechless.

A carefully constructed story with many aspects relatable to older generations of our families undergoing increasing memory loss, Turn of Mind is a brilliant story full of twists and discovery of the mind and heart. The relationship between Dr. White and the reader is effortless as they embark on a voyage through her mind to try to cover any holes in her memory that could aid the murder investigation and help her mind piece together her fragmented thoughts and memories before she loses everything in her mind for good.

~Shelly-Beans

The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

Genre: Contemporary Fantasy

Date of Publication: July 3^rd, 2012

Memorable Quotation: “It is these aficionados, these rêveurs who see the details in the bigger picture of the circus.  They see the nuance of the costumes, the intricacy of the signs. They buy sugar flowers and do not eat them, wrapping them in paper instead and carefully bringing them home. They are enthusiasts, devotees. Addicts. Something about the circus stirs their souls, and they ache for it when it is absent.” (Pg. 184)

Lasting Impression: The Night Circus, or Le Cirque des Rêves (The Circus of Dreams), will leave you breathless with how vivid the story and the Circus are, leaving the readers as upset to see the last page as the last patron of the circus is to see the sun rise.

Story line: A+

Pace of Story: A+

Characters: A+

Ending: A+

Overall Grade: A+

Erin Morgenstern’s The Night Circus is nothing short of spectacular. There are innumerable reasons why this circus is so unique, the most noteworthy being that the circus does not adhere to the usual visions of what a circus is. The Night Circus is not only absent of clowns and elephants but also of color; the tents, booths, and costumes are all covered in shades of black, white, and gray; the lack of color giving the Circus a more sophisticated look.

Inside the walls of the circus are many stories to told, all of which are in some way tied to the deadly game of skill two magicians, Celia and Marco, have been unknowingly forced into by their instructors.  Through the third person perspectives of numerous characters, including the magicians themselves, we are shown a world where futures can be read in the stars, illusions are real magic in disguise, and forbidden love always finds a way with a little luck and perseverance.

 The description of the circus and everything it offers is exquisite, but it is Morgenstern’s description and personality each character is given that sets this novel apart from anything I have ever read.  When Marco first falls in love with Celia, for instance, the reader finds themselves falling in love with her too.  As the romance between the two magicians blossoms, they learn to express their secret love for one another through the different exhibits throughout the circus, a beautiful yet painful display of affection that will make anyone’s heart ache.

Another example of Morgenstern’s amazing storytelling is shown during the opening ceremony of the Night Circus, when the cauldron in the middle of the courtyard has a beautiful archery/fire display presented and everyone, including the reader, can feel and see everything as if they were there.  The amount of detail required to write such a book is extraordinary, and left me feeling breathless numerous times.

In an ironic way, the best feature of The Night Circus is also its worst.  It is amazing how much this novel draws the reader in and how full of detail the chapters are, but unfortunately the chapters do not always flow very well together.  Sometimes you become so deeply engrossed in one story line that going into the next chapter is a bit like being thrown into a pool; the coldness is shocking at first but once you get used to it, you adjust.

Personally, my soul has been stirred by this beautiful story by the beauty of the characters, the circus, the mysteries everyone is hiding for fear of being exposed. There is so much to be analyzed and discussed but fear of saying too much leaves me only brushing the surface.  If there is one novel I could recommend for you to take a journey on, it is The Night Circus, for it is not often that someone creates a novel made out of dreams and intertwines them with the most brilliant of words to capture them.

~Shelly-Beans