Giveaway and Guest Post by Corinna Chong, author of "Belinda's Rings"

Please join me in welcoming Corinna Chong, author of Belinda's Rings to The Book Chick today! In honour of this upcoming Sunday's Mother's Day celebration she shares with us her own mother's reaction to the mother in Belinda's Rings:

"True to the clichés, I’ve wanted to be a writer ever since I learned how to read. In elementary school, I’d bring home my creations – stories about mischievous little girls, talking hedgehogs and frogs, visiting the Queen of England – carefully printed in scotch-taped books with wallpapered cardstock for covers, and complete with bright pencil-crayon illustrations. My mother would beam as she flipped through the pages, gasp at what she saw as genius but what was probably quite typical for a child of my age. What was important to me was that she believed her awe.

When my mother read my first novel, Belinda’s Rings, she didn’t say anything at first, only that she’d finished it. You describe things so well, she said when pressed. What she was really thinking was: What did I do to deserve this? 

It’s true that the mother character in my novel, Belinda, is not the most admirable of mothers. She’s teetering on the brink of her second divorce with three kids in tow, and while her six-year-old son murders the class newt and her husband makes Kraft Dinner for himself three meals a day, she is on the other side of the Atlantic, intent on pursuing her obsession with paranormal phenomena by searching for crop circles in the English countryside. She leaves her daughters with the burden of caring for their young brother while coping with the increasingly erratic behavior of their manic-depressive stepfather.

On the surface, Belinda is selfish and irresponsible -- a straight-up villain. Indeed, if you judged my book by its back cover alone, you would probably believe this. I can’t blame my own mother for having mixed feelings about a book that portrays a mother character in this way. 

But Belinda’s story reveals something interesting to me about how we judge mothers. They are measured, like scores on a test, or meals at a restaurant, as “good” or “bad.” We point the finger at a “bad” mother the minute we see her; she lets her child climb railings at the zoo and drink full bottles of Pepsi, doesn’t attend the school Christmas concerts because she can’t get off work. A “good” mother is one who sacrifices. She puts her children ahead of herself. Measuring these qualities is conveniently much more difficult to do in a snap. 

Better for my mother to say nothing, then, about her fear that others will equate her with the

villainous character of Belinda. Better for her to allow me to live out my childhood dream of publishing a book while she sits on the sidelines, smiling at the hard stares of curious readers who are wondering if that’s her, the mother. She must continue to beam graciously. 

But if you were to look beyond the surface of things, beyond the cover of my novel, to open the pages and absorb yourself in the story, I hope you would see that Belinda is not, in fact, a villain. She is much more complex than that. In her own mind, she owes it to her children to become the very best version of herself. Her profound pride in them drives her need to be better. Even from far away, even when pushed to the sidelines of her own life, she is driven by sacrifice. This is what mothers do, constantly and happily, every day of their lives.

And so, in honour of Mother’s Day, here’s to all the mothers, “good” and “bad,” who cover us with their surfaces, who let themselves face the hard stares of strangers so that we can feel adored."

Thank-you so much for taking the time to visit today, Corinna! I have one copy of Belinda's Rings to give away to a US or Canadian resident. To enter please fill out the Rafflecopter form below:



a Rafflecopter giveaway

Review: "Afterwife" by Polly Williams

Sophie Brady, wife to Ollie and mum to Freddie, is a force of nature. She's one of those women who makes motherhood seem effortless, and she is the mum who is always smartly dressed and has it all together. When Sophie gets hit by a bus and dies tragically (wearing embarrassing underwear to add insult to injury!) she finds herself looking after her husband and son from the afterlife. Sadly, Ollie has no idea how to parent alone or how to pick up the pieces but Sophie is determined to make sure that her husband finds happiness again.

Luckily Sophie's best friend Jenny is also looking out for Ollie and Freddie. As Jenny delves deeper into her friends' past she finds herself discovering secrets about Sophie that could change how she feels about her vivacious friend. Will Jenny be able to forgive her friend even though she has passed away or will her discoveries change Jenny's memories of Sophie permanently?

I had a hard time putting Afterwife down. It was beautifully written and it somehow managed to be funny despite the sad subject matter. It wasn't all laughs, there were some heartbreaking scenes as Freddie and Ollie come to terms with Sophie's death, but the book was beautifully balanced. There was just enough sadness to suit the subject matter and just enough humour to keep things light and enjoyable. I loved all of the characters, especially Jenny who feels like a fish out of water in suburbia but endures it anyways in order to look after her late friends' family. Jenny reminded me of my own best girlfriends, who would absolutely do anything that they could for me and I would do the same in return.

Afterwife would make a fantastic book club choice. Author Polly Williams covers several themes in the book such as grief, death, friendship, outward appearances versus reality and more. I enjoyed this book and it's delicate balance between the celebration of life and mourning those whom we have lost so much that I immediately added her previous titles to my wish list. My thanks to the publisher for providing me with a review copy of this book!

Review: "The Banks of Certain Rivers" by Jon Harrison

After a tragic accident left his wife, Wendy, in a permanent vegetative state, Neil Kazenzakis has been working on making the best out of his circumstances. Several years after the accident his son Chris is well-adjusted, all things considering, Neil is a popular high school teacher, and he is even managing to have a secret yet loving relationship with one of the nurses that takes care of his mother-in-law. His carefully ordered life manages to fall apart all at once as a student posts a questionable video of him on YouTube, his son finds out about Neil's girlfriend in the worst way possible and Neil begins to receive malicious calls and e-mails. What follows is the heartening story of how Neil copes with everything that has been thrown his way while attempting to protect those that he loves the most.

Harrison's debut novel is truly a joy to read. Despite the fact that our protagonist Neil has had more than his share of bad luck The Banks of Certain Rivers is an uplifting and encouraging story of a man who refuses to let life get him down for long. Right from the beginning the reader wants Neil to find his personal happy ending. This is a man who refuses to give up despite the fact that he lost his wife in every way that counts tragically and at a young age. He continues to hold his head high and, by all accounts, seems to be doing a fantastic job raising his son. When Neil has more trouble heaped on him than one man should have to handle I was on the edge of my seat hoping for a positive conclusion. I appreciated that the storyline always felt realistic and never overdone.

The Banks of Certain Rivers is well-written and eloquent with a bevy of characters both well-rounded and sympathetic. What I took from the book is that life is rarely black and white and that when we are handed more than we think that we can handle we need to hang in there while we try to achieve our own personal happy ending. The subject matter could potentially have been depressing, yet it managed to be both uplifting and encouraging. The Banks of Certain Rivers is one of those stories that you won't forget about after you finish the book and if you haven't read it yet I strongly encourage you to do so!

Review: "Double Click" by Lisa Becker

Hold on to your hats, ladies and gentlemen! Shelley, Ashley, Renee, Ethan and Mark are back in the sequel to Click, the aptly titled Double Click. Their circumstances have changed a little since we last met them- some are still looking for love, and others have found it- but they are the same funny, quirky, catty, lovable, close-knit clan. Ashley is having a baby, Renee is happily coupled up with Ethan, formerly known as "The Cuddler", Mark seems to have found "The One", and Shelley has a secret. Written in the same e-mail format as "Click" was, this eclectic group will work their way, via e-mail, through their various ups and downs, and they will work through them together.

I loved Double Click! If I had more time (darn working!! darn housework!!) I would have easily been able to devour it in one sitting. It was witty and charming, often romantic and funny, plus it made me appreciate my own friends even more! I will even admit to there being a tear or two in my eye at the end. Lisa Becker sure knows how to write a captivating ending! I've always enjoyed books written in e-mail format, and Becker stays true to form throughout the book, never wavering from proper e-mail format. That in itself made the whole thing feel like the conversations could actually be between real people! The situations felt realistic, and just like last time I found myself actually caring about and rooting for the characters.

My only complaints? It was too short!! I wanted more! It's not that Becker told an incomplete story, I just didn't want it to end. Also, I did find it hard to remember who was who at the beginning. It has been more than a year since I have read Click and I could have used some kind of a refresher. I did start remembering all of the characters and their various personality traits fairly soon in the story, but it took me a few pages!

Judging by the way that Double Click ended there will be a sequel. To that I say, bring it on! I can't wait! Double Click was a joy to read and an example of  how friendships can grow stronger as our life circumstances change, and I can't wait to find out what happens next!

Review: "Heart Like Mine" by Amy Hatvany

Grace McAllister isn't one of those women who has always longed for children. Fulfilled in her job she has yet to feel a maternal pull towards creating offspring of her own. When she meets Victor Hansen and discovers that he has two children with his ex-wife she feels like she could be a decent step-mom. The kids only visit with their father every other weekend so Grace feels prepared to handle them in that capacity.

Several days after Grace and Victor get engaged, Victor's ex-wife Kelli dies under mysterious circumstances. Grace finds herself instantly thrust into parenting two children who are going through a traumatic time, including wise-beyond-her-years, thirteen-year-old Ava.

Ava didn't mind Grace before, although she always harboured the hope that her mom and dad would get back together. Now that she is forced to co-habitate with her, Ava hates Grace, and resents her for being alive instead of her mother. As Grace and Ava begin to uncover more about Kelli's mysterious past the two find themselves coming together in search of the truth in ways that they had never anticipated.

I really appreciated the central theme of this book, which was step-parenting in my opinion. There are certainly a lot of other things going on in the book, all of them relevant, but this is what stood out the most to me. I'm sure that I related the most to that particular theme because my husband is a step-parent to my eldest son, and a lot of the complicated situations were relevant to me. I'm not a step-parent myself but I imagine that it can be one of the hardest jobs in the world, because I certainly find parenting difficult at the best of times! I love that Hatvany addressed some of the issues that step-parents face, and even took things one step further by complicating the dynamic with a death.

Anyone who has read Hatvany's books before know that they can often pull at your heartstrings, and Heart Like Mine is no exception. There was so much raw emotion present , with an underlying feeling of hope for the future and hope for better days to come. Hatvany touches on several difficult situations in this book with grace and skill.

I really enjoyed the fact that this story was told from three different perspectives. We hear from Grace, step-daughter Ava, and even Kelli (from the past). Those three perspectives were welcome ones, and I can even admit that I started the book not liking Kelli but I ended up liking her because I got to discover her side of the story.

If you are looking for a story that will resonate with you, make you think, and make you feel I highly recommend reading Heart Like Mine. The story of this broken family looking to heal will stay with you long after you've read the final pages. My thanks for the publisher for providing me with a review copy of this book.

Review: "The Best of Us" by Sarah Pekkanen

Tina is the mother of four young children and she finds herself drowning under their demands, and losing a vital part of herself in the process. Allie has just discovered that a genetic illness runs in her family and is devastated by the news and how it will affect her family. Beautiful Savannah is reeling from the news that her husband has been cheating on her. These three friends from college come together to celebrate their old friend Dwight's 35th birthday. Dwight's wife Pauline invites the women and their husbands along on an all- expenses- paid vacation to Jamaica in the hopes of disguising the cracks in her own new marriage.

While at first the friends indulge in gourmet meals and relaxing days on the beach, as a literal hurricane approaches the beach a figurative one does as well. As each woman's story is fleshed out and secrets begin to form among the various group members, the turmoil grows and each woman will have to take a step back to re-evaluate themselves and their friendships.

I can't help it, I have loved every one of Sarah Pekkanen's books to date and I begin counting the days to her next publication as soon as I'm finished her most recent book. The plot of The Best of Us is so decadent that I couldn't help but dive in as soon as I received my copy. Who among us hasn't dreamed of an all-expenses paid vacation away from everyday life before? I devoured the book and each one of the women's stories quickly. The writing is spot-on as usual, and topics such as love, marriage, friendship and motherhood are touched on with considerable insight.

Pekkanen has done an excellent job of showcasing each of her character's flaws in a way that presented them as being "real" people. Granted, I didn't like any of the characters all of the time. Tina seems unable to ever put herself first, Allie fails to confide in her husband when it's crucial that she does so, Savannah is selfish and that girl that you love to hate, and it seems that Pauline doesn't love her husband quite enough. However, that's real life, and I appreciated that dose of reality.

Although I wish that The Best of Us had been a little more focused on the theme of flawed marriages, I thoroughly enjoyed it and I will be recommending that it be in every beach bag this summer. The only bad news about finishing it? Now I have to wait impatiently for her next book to come out. I already can't wait!

Review: "All You Could Ask For" by Mike Greenberg

Brooke is married to her best friend, her high school sweetheart Scott. They have two children that they adore and they have been through their share of ups and downs but Brooke knows that they are in it for the long term, and even after all they have been through Scott still gives her butterflies.

Samantha is a brand new bride who realizes on her honeymoon that she has made a huge mistake in marrying her husband. While in Hawaii with him she discovers naked pictures of another woman on his computer with a note telling him to have fun with his daughter while he's on vacation.

Katherine is at the top of her game, career- wise. She has everything that a woman could ever ask for including a closet filled with designer clothing and a personal driver. Despite her success Katherine does not have a man in her life and she's lonely, even if she will not admit it. She remains hung up on the one man who broke her heart more than 20 years ago and she is having a hard time letting go.

These three women have no idea that despite their very different ages and backgrounds their lives are about to intersect in one of the most personal ways possible, and that they will find themselves turning to one another when things matter the most.

If I could choose only one adjective to describe All You Could Ask For I would likely choose "surprising". I was surprised by how much I felt connected to the lives of the characters from the very beginning. I was surprised by the one thing that brought these three woman together midway through the book. I was especially surprised by how well author Mike Greenberg got into the heads of these three very different women. I knew that the book was written by a man but he obviously "gets" women because his portrayal of them was spot- on. Not once did I find myself rolling my eyes at the antics of one of the characters or feeling that they were behaving inappropriately. Greenberg really seemed to get these women and what they were about.

I found myself drawn into this book from the very first pages. The chapters were short and alternated between each of the stories of each woman. Since I deliberately did not want to know what the connection would be between these three women I chose not to find out ahead of time, and just when I began to wonder what could possibly tie people so different together in a way that would make sense he revealed that information and I have to admit that I was surprised. The twist was delivered skillfully and the whole tone of the book changed in an intriguing way.

All You Could Ask For is definitely one of those stories that will keep you thinking long after you've read the last page. The book was well-written, the plot was engaging and relevant and I truly hope that this will not be Greenberg's last foray into writing fiction directed at women because I can't wait to read what he comes out with next. My thanks to TLC Book Tours for inviting me to participate in this tour!

Important Note: In conjunction with the release of this book, Mike and Stacy have created a foundation called Heidi's Angels, through which all of the author's profits from the sale of this book will be donated to The V Foundation for Cancer Research to combat breast cancer.