Last month I traveled to Europe for the very first time; while there, I came down with a nasty cold and spent two and a half days in the hotel room. I still enjoyed those days, however, because I got the chance to read a couple of good books, including this one. I don't know much about Asperger's, so I'm not sure how accurate the portrayal of the main character was, but I liked seeing things from the perspective of this character - how she handled stressful events: what kinds of daily activities were obstacles - and what were not. I have a particular interest in stories told from the perspective of an "outsider", since I find that viewpoint to be revealing of truths often overlooked or ignored.

While I didn't find any particularly new truths, I did think the tension between the two sisters was realistic and balanced. The food descriptions and the aura of alchemy about cooking made me want to become passionate about cooking, instead of treating it as a chore. I love a good ghost story, and would have liked a little more from this piece of the book - the apparitions seemed almost too ordinary, although there was one at the end of the book that I found disquieting. I felt fortunate I brought along such an engaging book - it kept my attention even while sick and made being confined to my hotel room actually enjoyable!

I loved this book. The idea of an author going back and rewriting the final chapters of her books is intriguing and was handled well in this novel. The "final chapter" excepts are like short stories scattered throughout a novel, and I wished more than one of these fictional books actually existed. I was very moved by a number of them. I liked the exploration of the writing process, and the reminder that when an author is making even the smallest of decisions, she or he is foreclosing a multitude of other options (much like life). While that's not a new idea, I thought it was interesting that the fictional author, Olivia, says early on in the book that when a reader is finished with a book, the reader should feel like the conclusion was inevitable, that it couldn't have been wrapped up any other way. I know what she meant, having read a few books where the ending was so wrong. And yet... the options are endless. This is a book I want to read again (uncommon for me), since I believe it's one in which I'll discover something new. There was one piece of recurring symbolism that I'm not sure I understood - I may want to contact Carolyn Parkhurst to see if my interpretation is correct!

I loved this book! While getting ready to host a holiday party, in my mad scramble to stow away odds and ends, I misplaced this book. It took me forever to find where I stashed it. To make matters worse, I thought about it all the time in the interim - the ideas and information really stayed with me. I say "to make matters worse", but really, isn't that the hallmark of a good book?

I'm a big fiction reader, not so much of a non-fiction reader, but I requested this book because I have an interest in the brain and its functioning. I've taken a couple of "just for fun" non-credit college classes about the brain, so I was inclined to like the book from the beginning, but I enjoyed it even more than I thought I would. I don't think readers need to have any particular prior knowledge about the brain, though, because the author does a fantastic job of communicating how the brain processes information in layman's terms. I've always thought of the brain as the last frontier in medicine, but this book really offers an excellent glimpse into something that is still somewhat of a black box.

Two of the most interesting parts of the book occur early on, first when the author discusses how children respond differently depending on whether they're told they're smart or whether they're told they worked hard and second, when the author discusses gambling and Parkinson's medication.

As much as I liked this book, it did take me a while to get through it once I found it again.

I really enjoyed "Holding My Breath". I was trying to read it during a very busy couple of weeks, but I thought about it a lot while I was away from it. The characters seemed like real people to me, and I think the author did a nice job showing how growing up during changing social times can make for conflicting values. I'd love to know what happens to the characters after the book ended. I would recommend this book to others, and I think it would make a good book for book club discussion.

This was a real treat for the Maisie Dobbs fan! As with Jacqueline Winspear's past Maisie books, the story was clever and the period details convincing. The storyline kept me guessing for a good portion of the book and was chilling as it took shape. It has several themes that would be interesting for bookclubs to discuss. I'd definitely recommend this book.

When I requested this book to review, I didn't realize it was part of a mystery series. I think it would have been very helpful to have read the other books in the series first because there isn't much explanation of the characters or background story that you often find in other mystery series. Nonetheless, I enjoyed the book. Despite its early middle ages setting (around the middle 500s), the story and characters felt modern. I mean that in the best possible way - the characters were believeable and inhabited their setting naturally; there weren't historical details thrown in for the sole purpose of showing off how much research the authors had done. I got caught up in the story and felt transported to that time period. The mystery was tied up neatly at the end, thankfully, because it seemed a little incoherent along the way - the pieces didn't fit together for me until almost the very end of the book. On the plus side, it kept me guessing! I liked the character of Anatolius. I will likely go back to read the other books in the series.