Cara Sue AchterbergCritiques

I often say that I'd like to read about the everyday lives of well-developed characters simply because people are interesting and the way that they interact with the world is intriguing. This book brought me that in a satisfying way, though it had a distinct plot as well.
 
While reading this book, I truly got to know Kate and her daughter Jenna. I came to understand Everett and the way that he thought. And I came to appreciate and adore JT with his Asperger's and his unique way of viewing the world. The family itself is very insular, but I got to know secondary characters too through the ways that they interacted with the family.
 
Jenna was my favourite character--she has a tendency to break into houses and came to know many of her neighbours in that fashion. She's also quite intelligent and aware of what's going on. I loved the way she was vulnerable as she started exploring romance despite the cynicism of her grandmother.
 
And her grandmother, wow, she definitely kept things moving and provided a source of much of the conflict within this book. Her character also raised important questions of depression and the way we treat the elderly that I found to be quite poignant.
 
The plot wasn't quite interesting--if I described it to you, I'm not sure that it would persuade you to read this. In theory, it focused on a mystery of birth, and in Kate's sister trying to find their long-gone father. But instead, the strength of this book came from more of an exploration of characters as they navigated certain situations.
 
Nonetheless, this book was quite enjoyable, and I'm looking forward to more from Achterberg.
 
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is the story of a 17-year-old American girl charged with negligent criminal homicide...aggravated by reading a text message on her phone while driving. Which triggered a collision in the bend, fatally ramming his gymnastics coach—the very one who was the adoration of the whole town!—

The prison sentence hovers over his head, and until the last fifty pages, one is hanging on the verdict!

But I didn't really get hooked on this book because of the countless dialogues without much interest, which dilute the real meaning of this tragedy, by fleshing out the existence of a carefree teenager.

Practicing Normal by Cara Sue Achterberg
This story starts out with each member of the family, and friends who get a chapter to tell you what's going on in their world.
A set of adult parents with a 16 year old daughter, son who's got Asperger’s disease and a grandmother living in her own house.
Love that the different age groups are given their own space. Problems they are each going through are difficult and sometimes overwhelming but they push onward.
Sad at the end and didn't see the reunion taking place. Love how their author gets me to tear up reading her works.
Can't wait to read more.
Received this review copy from the publisher The Story Plant and this is my honest opinion.

I'm Not Her by Cara Sue Achterberg
Starts with dedication page to the author's mother and a quote from a Bob Dylan song, meaningful.
A clerk at the store and a customer at the low cost store collide when the sign crashes.
The women have now exchanged places with one another. Leann was the clerk at the store, with a son and a man that comes to visit for the weekends, obosely overweight..
Alternating chapters where each tells what's going on in their world with a different body and lifestyle.
Carin is an inusrance agent and goes to the gym and has a good outlook.
Carin has to take on the role of Leann and learns the real Leann had been stealing grocieies. She tries to get closer to the child and heads to the gym where she gets a job taking care of kids of parents that are exercising.
I do love that Carin tries to take care of the child and is getting her body in shape. Things that only she can control and it's not even her real life.
the fake Leann just stays at home, orders food in and watch soap operas all day. She also is getting money from the accidnet, enough to last her a lifetime.
Twists and turns as the days go by. Never expected what happens next but it's huge.
Love how each of the woemn just get onto life in their new bodies and it makes them both better people.
Story takes me places out of my comfort zone, great read!
Acknowledgements and about the author finish this book.
Received this review copy from the publisher The Story Plan and this is my honest opinion.

This book deserves 4.7 stars.

This book is written from the viewpoint of the teenage daughter and her mother. After a car wreck with a fatality the book leads into life,relationships, trust, forgiveness, and relationship struggles too. The first few chapters kind of repeat to get the point across but the ending will make you cry with a full heart!½

I enjoyed reading this book and really wanted to know how it would end. Although I felt disappointed in some of the trial details (wondering why certain things were not being done), i felt the plot wrapped up nicely.

*I received a digital copy of this book in exchange for an unbiased review.

A momentary lapse of judgment at 16 years of age deals a devastating blow to a high school girl. This novel, written by alternating between her voice and her mother's, grabs you from the first page and leaves you with an eventual believable and satisfactory resolution. The story is good, and the daughter's voice rings true, the mother's a bit less, but the voices of the men in the periphery of the story hardly at all. Still, worth the read as it will hit you on an emotional level, with its moral lesson. I think it could have been much improved with some editing of the repetition that plagues the first third of the book. This would appeal more to the YA market than general fiction, in my experience.

Received an electronic copy through the Library Thing Early Reviewers program. Thanks!

Engaging book from the beginning and easy to follow. Hard to put down. Clear message. Would definitely recommend reading. Look forward to reading more books by this author.

Disclosure: An electronic copy of this book was provided in exchange for review by publishers Black Rose Writing, via Library Thing.

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A blind curve on a narrow road, the glare of early-morning sun, and a moment’s inattention are all it takes to end one life and put the teen driver and her family at risk of losing everything.

Sixteen-year-old Jess can’t remember the details of the accident, making it difficult-to-impossible to put up a legal defense. Thrust simultaneously into the spotlight of small-town gossip and the harsh judgment of social media, Jess and her single mom, Liz, struggle to bear the emotional and financial costs ahead of them.

Achterberg has peopled her novel with characters struggling to control forces that are simply beyond them. Liz is also distracted by a tenuous situation at work, by an emotionally and physically distant father struggling with the early stages of an age-related dementia, and by the uncertain relationship developing with her daughter’s lawyer. To complicate matters further, Jess’s father finally seems to be beginning to grow up and wants a second chance at putting the family back together again. Jess has to face the very real possibility that she could be sent to prison for vehicular manslaughter and the unavoidable destruction of the friendships she thought she had with her peers.

Actherberg definitely understands the inherent viciousness that erupts in a small town when one of its own crosses the line and decisions that should be made in private end up being thrashed out on editorial pages and Facebook posts. She also does a good job of tracing the parallels between Liz’ backstory and Jess’s current dilemma, both centering on an adolescent whose momentary bad judgment changes the course of her life.

The author has placed the outcome of the trial about three-fourths of the way into the book, acknowledging that the characters’ journeys aren’t over yet, and wraps things up with a somewhat open-ended but definitely hopeful conclusion.½

This is a work of fiction. However, the story rings too true. This could my story. This could be yours. The events are very real. You will come to know the characters and their friends like they were your neighbors.

This is a story of how quickly lives can be changed by tragedy and how difficult it can be to rebuild those lives and return to a place of normalcy, especially in Small Town, USA. It is also a story about forgiveness, building relationships and finding out who your true friends are and what matters most in life.

Achterberg is a superb storyteller and you will not want to put this book down.

'Blind Turn' describes that unthinkable, horrifying event that could really happen to anyone driving a car. A glance away from the road to a phone and tragedy occurs. Jess Johnson is driving her best friend Sheila home from school when her phone lights up with a text. Jess is a careful driver and never drives and texts but somehow the car leaves the road and a beloved football coach and his dog who happened to be walking on the road are killed. Even though Jess does not remember any of the 'accident' she is charged with homicide.

So begins the tale of a small Texas towns vilification of a young girl, an honor student and athlete and how she and her family navigate through their inner demons, self doubts and finally to a path of forgiveness on the other side. The author does a magnificent job of bringing the characters to life. She speaks for them in a true and totally believable narrative. Jess is a teenage girl with hopes and dreams that have been side railed by this tragedy. Liz, her mother is desperate to protect her daughter. She is fiercely independent as a single mother but must reach out for help from a lawyer she knows is interested in her romantically, not something she is comfortable with. Jess’s dad is the perpetual Peter Pan who is still occasionally around as a father figure, but he is not of much help. The path of these characters is difficult and heartbreaking but in the end so very fufilling. I loved these characters with all their doubts and flaws, they were all so very human. My take away from this book is that forgiveness, while so hard to give to ones self, is the bigger part of love. Very highly recommended.

I don't remember how I came across this book -- but I like dogs and I'm interested in foster care programs so I picked it up to read a little bit and then move on to another title in my ever growing stack of books. But that's not what happened...I couldn't put it down. I like the author's writing style and voice and you can tell she really cares about these dogs....and has a serious puppy addiction. I also like how she presents each foster dog with its own personality and own problems and traumas, however, unlike humans they can't tell you about them....(or maybe exactly like humans, because humans who have gone through trauma don't usually want to talk about it either). I was impressed with the OPH (Operation Paws for Homes) that Cara worked with...they were very organized and followed careful rules and guidelines to protect the dogs, the foster homes, and the adoption homes. I was also impressed with Cara's husband who although didn't understand her dog obsession, he did understand her need to do it and gave her the support needed for her to foster fifty dogs (at this publishing....I think I saw a sequel that brought the total to 100 amazing rescues.) The book also has personal memories scattered through of her family and children and how everyone interacted with the dogs/puppies or how the situation of the dogs reminded her so much of being a parent. Great read, especially for those who like animals/dogs. NOTE: Some of the dogs situations are mention, but I don't remember them being very detailed or graphic. I do remember that was a lot of drinking in the book.

A must read for all dog lovers! It profiles the life of a fosterer/rescue extraordinaire and her journey to the shelters down south. It was so interesting to see where what works and where we are failing. Very inspiring and hopefully will save more lives.

I read several books each month and have never before written a review about any of them. This book touched me so deeply that I just had to do whatever I could to help get this information in front of the animal loving public.

ONE HUNDRED DOGS & COUNTING: One Woman, Ten Thousand Miles, and A Journey into the Heart of Shelters and Rescues is Cara's second work about the world of dog rescue. Her first book, "Another Good Dog" looked primarily at the joys and heartbreaks of fostering these dogs (providing temporary homes until permanent homes can be found).

One of her fosters, Gala, was a particularly frustrating and difficult one, and led Cara to wonder why the flow of these dogs from southern shelters never seemed to lessen. This led Cara to combine her book tour for "Another Good Dog" with a road trip around the south, visiting many of the animal shelters and 'dog pounds' there. (She made multiple trips south researching this subject.)

What she found was both shocking and heartbreaking, but also fixable. Animals were not the problem. Money alone wouldn’t fix the problem. Management, knowledge and attitudes had to change.

This book, ONE HUNDRED DOGS & COUNTING, is Cara's 1st effort to shine some light on the problem of the discarded and unwanted dogs (and cats) that end up in the animal shelters, mainly in the south, with far too many of them being destroyed. Education, she believes, is the beginning of the answer to this seemingly never-ending problem.

If you are an animal lover, this book (and her first) are must-reads. As Cara says, "The problem exists not because people don't care, but rather that they just don't know about it". Please help spread the word.

Remember (as Bob Barker always reminded us) "Have your dogs and cats spayed or neutered".

#100Dogs
#100dogsandcounting
#animalrescue
#foster/adopt/volunteer
#whowillletthedogsout

A little bit of a ramble, a lot of passion and even more heart, One Hundred Dogs and Counting takes us on a journey to shelters in the American South and examines the harsh conditions many abandoned animals in our country experience.
Our Book Club read Cara Sue Achterberg’s eye-opening story of sheltering and fostering dogs and came away with a new respect for pet Foster Families and what it takes to care for abandoned dogs in our Country.
We did not realize is how poverty and a lack of respect effects the treatment of pets. That was remarkably interesting and brought much more understanding of how shelter overcrowding happens and how these attitudes contribute to the overwhelming situation in some regions.
The positive side of shelters and fostering is what Cara Sue highlights in the book, though there is so much on the negative side, it seems more productive to find the good, find what works and focus on that.
That was a favorite part of the book; how the success stories can inspire us and create a desire to foster animals. Focusing on the villains does stir an emotion, but usually it is vitriol toward the perpetrator and not always channeled into positive action. The telling of Kristen Reid’s Tennessee Shelter story, -how she has made a difference- inspires us absolutely. Even the author herself is a study in what positivity can accomplish
One Hundred Dogs and Counting has changed the way I look at shelters, good and bad. I have gained so much respect for the families that foster dogs and how that impacts their lives. The book definitely makes me want to take in many dogs, short term, until they find a home.
Many thanks to GalleyMatch and Pegasus books for providing an ARC for this honest review.
#GalleyMatch
#onehundreddogsandcounting
#thebookclubcookbook
#bookclub
#Pegasusbooks
#whowillletthedogsout
#carasueachterberg

Excellent book about normal people.

'Practicing Normal' is a true term as far as real life is concerned. This story is about the Turner family, which could be any family, just trying to live life as best they can, one day at a time. We have three narrators and three stories/points of view which really creates a very well rounded and supremely interesting read. There is Kate, the mom who is always second guessing herself and trying to fit in with the other more wealthy neighbors. She has unfortunate doormat tendencies and having a son with Asberger's and a mother who needs constant attention and care. She has a more than a full plate. Everett, the dad who is a serial cheater but still professes to love his wife. He thinks he's hot stuff but cannot abide or accept the fact that his son has Asberger's Syndrome. And then there is Jenna, the willful, brilliant teenage daughter who is on the cusp of womanhood and rebellious as hell. They all tell their sides of their family life story and it is just a wonderful, wonderful narrative. I HIGHLY, HIGHLY recommend this book. It is so honest and real and the characters are wonderful. This could be any one of our families. Thank you to the author, Cara Achterberg for my special signed copy. Again, highly recommended!

Take a person who is the opposite of everything you are, or try to be.

Now imagine suddenly being that person.

That's what happens to Carin Fletcher one day as a Valentine's Day display at the local supermarket comes crashing down on her head: she body-swaps with Leann Cane, the cashier in her line. As can be expected, hijinks ensue.

I will be completely honest: this book made me uncomfortable. Not because it's not a good book, or because it's poorly written; neither of those are true. But because I could very strongly associate with one of the main characters, and not the one painted in the good light. Carin is what most people would call society's "perfect person." She has a successful job that pays her well, she's thin and pretty, and she's never wanted for anything in her life. Leann is clinically obese, in an abusive marriage with the man who got her pregnant at age 16, and has had to resort to desperate measures in the past just to feed herself and her family. Carin is horrified with being stuck in Leann's body, disgusted with the way she looks and feels, and makes it very clear that she feels this is the worst possible thing that could have happened to her, and she may as well be dead.

(She doesn't say this outright, to my memory, but it comes across clearly enough.)

Leann, unsurprisingly, is much more comfortable in Carin's body. She looks like a model, her apartment is amazing, and she has more money than God. She couldn't have asked for a happier accident. Though as it is wont to do, as the story continues, each woman begins to realize that maybe not everything is as it seems for both of them.

When I started reading this, I got through the first bit, looked up at my mother, and said, "I hope they redeem this character later on, because if they don't, I'm going to have put myself through a very uncomfortable situation for no good reason." Carin is unrelentingly harsh at the beginning on the novel, completely repulsed by what she has "become," so to speak. And I don't blame her. Perhaps if I were in her shoes I'd feel the same. The trouble for me is that while I'm not as heavy as Leann, I'm still clinically obese. I've had people look at me sideways because of the way I look. My body is uncomfortable, I struggle with food cravings, I get tired easily--so many things we see in Leann. So hearing Carin's opinion dragged me down.

But I kept reading, hoping that I'd see character change. And while I won't give anything away, I'll say that I was much happier by the end.

However, the character development did seem a little one-sided. We see much less movement in Leann than we do in Carin, and I think the story suffers for it. Carin learns to adapt, work around the larger body's downfalls, begins a proper main character's arc of growth. Leann...I don't see that happening. She learns a few things about herself and makes assurances that when she returns to her own body, she will be different, but I don't see a mentality shift like I do in Carin. Carin I believe will change as she moves on, and for the better. I'm less convinced that Leann will.

In addition to that, (minor spoilers ahead) there is never any clue as to an explanation for why this happens. They switch bodies, they live like that for most of the book, and at the end it switches back. For a book with no other supernatural leanings, this smells of magic. I don't know if that's commonplace in body-swap books/media, but it seemed like a missed opportunity to me. Even if there was a stronger religious element to either character, and we could chalk it up to God interfering (though neither woman thinks much of church), that would be cleaner. It doesn't seriously detract from the tale, but it left me feeling wanting.

All critique aside, this is an excellent debut novel for Achterberg. It's an interesting look at the concept, and a very real look into the life we don't lead, as it were. No corners are cut, and nothing softened to make it look better. This is real, and cruel, and heartbreaking, and at the end, I hope it leaves a smile on your face.

...As for me, I think I went to the gym right after. ;)

Review: **** (Recommended)

I'M NOT HER hits shelves on August 4th, 2015.

I am a dog lover deluxe! I never met a dog I didn’t like or didn’t want to pet. Therefore, any true story about these furry angels has my attention. Not all are well written and some don’t really focus on the animals. Ms. Achterberg does a fantastic job with both.
The author not only shares her experiences rescuing and fostering dogs but also shares her heart. I laughed, I cried and I stood in awe at her perseverance, dedication, sacrifice and deep love for these animals. It wasn’t their fault they ended up without a home but that of irresponsible humans. I was touched my how she accepted each one for who they were and was able to see past problems some of them had due to their experiences. She works so hard not only finding them a new home but overcoming obstacles they face. Every animal, be it a dog or any species deserves a second chance. Thankfully there are people like the author who will work so hard to give them one.
This audio book made the miles of driving go faster as I enjoyed every minute of this book. I couldn’t wait to get back in the car and go somewhere to hear the rest! I felt a very personal connection with each animal and wish I could pet and snuggle each one. A touching story.

Definitely a story for dog lovers! The audiobook was the perfect length for a 600-mile trip--but I'm still getting used to audiobooks, and the story might be better in shorter doses than all at once. (Why? Simply because parts of the arc of the storyline feel a bit repetitive. And also because it's impossible to see the architecture of a book by, say, looking at the table of contents: so at any point in time, the listener doesn't really know how far into the story he or she is. That's simply a shortcoming of the mode, not the story in question. (Indeed, I'd love an audiobook with an explanatory preface that describes how the book is organized. In other words, I'd have appreciated knowing that this book has twenty-four chapters, an epilogue, and a couple additional sections in the back matter. Then, for example, when the narrator, Xe Sands, announced "Chapter Twelve," I'd have known we were nearing the halfway point.) The narration is brilliant; and Achterberg makes a fitting comparison between fostering animals and rearing children (who will eventually leave to live lives of their own). It's certainly good PR for the fostering of animals; Achterberg doesn't bury or sugar-coat her views. (That she was motivated to write this book is evidence enough of how much she cares about the lives of animals.) Thanks to the LibraryThing Early Reviewers promotion for providing my copy.

Cara Sue Achterberg is a fiction writer who chose to write a memoir about dog fostering. Cara got into this after her beloved 4-legged running companion, Lucy, passes away. (They still have another dog of their own, Gracie.) What started out as a way to help save dogs on the way to finding the "perfect" dog for their family, grew into a mission to help as many dogs as she could.

Cara hooked up with OPH, a rescue that takes dogs from Southern shelters where they'd probably be euthanized and transports them North to foster families willing to take them in. In the meantime, OPH adoption coordinators try to help find the "forever families" for these dogs.

Cara shares many stories which cover the first 50 or so dogs that her family took in as fosters. She talks candidly about the pros and cons of being a canine foster.

Note: I received this book as part of the LibraryThing Early Reviewers program in exchange for an honest review.

I thoroughly enjoyed this wonderful story of the author and her family's adventures and experiences in dog rescue and fostering. In my humble opinion this woman is a hero. She has of this date fostered over 100 dogs that would have otherwise been euthanized because they were considered unadoptable. They are all now in their forever homes because of her strength and compassion. She also speaks of her family and how they cope with three growing teenagers and the trials and tribulations of so many kids with so many activities - and of course so many dogs. I am a huge dog lover. My husband and I are volunteer puppy raisers that raise service dogs for Canine Companions for Independence. We are also breeder caretakers for our service breeder dog Puzzle who has had four litters so far. (One more to go) I know first hand how much work is involved with raising a litter of puppies and to hear how the author goes for it over an over again is truly heroic. I loved everything about this audio book. It is well written, touching, funny and honest. Now go foster a dog! Very highly recommended.

I received this audio-book through the LibraryThing August 2018 early review give-away.
This is a sweet story of one woman's compassion and determination to save as many dogs as she could through fostering them. It's is a well written story that even brought tear to my eyes at times.
My only dis-like was the narrator's tone of voice.It was as if she were trying too hard to add lilt/determination/etc, in her narration. Instead of coming across as caring and sensitive, which I feel the author was, she came across as nonchalant and offhanded.

I could not review this book,as it was a cd with a format I had nothing to play it on