Confessions of a Shopaholic, by Sophie Kinsella

April 7, 201030 Comments

Finished 4-4-10, rating 3/5, fiction, pub. 2001

Book 1 of the Shopaholic series.

Becky Bloomwood is a 25 year-old Londoner who has a job she hates, is deeply in debt, and can’t seem to stop herself from spending money she doesn’t have. She writes for a financial magazine but knows next to nothing about the field and she is just going with the flow even though her overdue notices are piling up. She decides to take control and curb her outlandish spending, but in doing this she spends even more money. Then she decides to find some part-time work, but is a failure at that too. Becky is a mess.

I expected a funny book and it was, but I could not seem to gather any love for Becky. She drove me crazy. She didn’t seem to have a clue. She lied a lot, threw away bills and considered them gone, and got fired from a job after a few hours for doing the stupidest thing. On page 256 she has an AHA moment, but I just didn’t believe it. There was nothing before that made me think she was capable of such insight. Do I sound judgmental enough?

Everyone seems to love this book and series, so I feel like a total scrooge in just thinking it was average. The writing was funny. It was just Becky that drove me crazy. Maybe it’s because I am not a huge shopper myself so I didn’t really get the compulsion. Or maybe I was expecting too much.

This book is from my personal library and was chosen for me by Kathy, Kerri, Julie H., Kathrin. Here’s what they had to say…

“Good, clean fun.” Kathy

“Funny.” Kerri

“Hilarious and a quick read!” Kathrin

“You won’t be able to stop and you’ll have to read them all.” Julie H.

The Devil & Tom Walker and Other Selected Stories, by Washington Irving

March 31, 20108 Comments

Finished 3-31-10, rating 3/5, Short Story Collection

I haven’t read short stories since I was student teaching back in college. I’m not sure this was the place to start back in again. I’ve owned this for a long time and I’ve always wanted to try Washington Irving, so I convinced Jason to read this one together. There were a few hits, more misses and lots in the middle. I think I’ll just focus on the ones we liked.

We both loved The Devil and Tom Walker, even though his disregard for women was evident in this and other stories. It’s a ghost story where the Devil makes a deal with the ‘hen-pecked’ and poor Tom Walker. The wife was almost as evil as the devil and there was really no sympathy to be found. Only the lesson that the Devil only makes deals that are bad for you.

We also both loved The Mutability of Language. It was about a man walking into a very old and exclusive library where original manuscripts were kept and he takes up a conversation with one of the books. It’s a discussion about the written word and authors and the mortality of both. Very fun story for book lovers. Written in the 1800’s this has even more relevance today.

The Specter Bridegroom was another winner. It had mistaken identity, love at first sight, ghosts, soldiers, and forbidden love. This was my favorite, but then I’m a sucker for a good love story.

And we did enjoy the story of Rip Van Winkle. It wasn’t exactly what we expected and the legend is more interesting in some ways. It was fun to read the original and then try to figure out how it came to be such a hit. I understand there are older similar stories, but this is the one on which our American knowledge is based. Worth a look just for that.

We loved reading this book aloud. Lots of big, new words to try and it was fun listening to each other try to sound them out. If we had marked them all we’d have pages of new words. I looked up a few, but for many of them the context was enough. I did like Irving’s style, although many of these ‘stories’ were really essays about life in England or the traits of Indians and the French.

The First Ladies of the United States, by Nicola Gillies

January 3, 20109 Comments

Finished 12-31-09, rating 3/5, history, pub. 1997

To date, there have been thirty-eight First Ladies, each different, but all possessing to various degrees the values of loyalty, compassion, strength, courage, and faith.

from the Foreword

I have a fascination with politics and people in power. It is interesting to me to see where they came from, how they got to where they are, and what happens to them once they gain power, whether they sought it or not. Some of these women were born for the role of First Lady and others did not want the job at all. A surprising number had health issues that diminished their public role and some even died while in the White House.

This is a small book, with a picture of each woman and a small bio on her life, by small I mean a page for most and two pages for a few. This book is a great overview for teens or a nice, slight book for the casual reader. Obviously, its 63 pages do not lead to depth, but it does have some very interesting facts about each of the ladies. Some Presidents did not have a wife and some had two during their term(s) in office. On Tuesday, my first quiz of the year will be on the 38 women in the book (Clinton was the last one included) and there is a possibility of one lucky reader to win the book! So, come back Tuesday for more detailed info on each of the First Ladies.

I chose this book from my personal library because I needed to finish one more book before 2010 to reach my goal of 130 books for 2009 🙂

Manhunting, by Jennifer Crusie

November 5, 20095 Comments

Finished audio 10-25-09, rating 3/5, Romance, pub. 2007

Kate is a successful in her career, but disappointed in her love life. A friend convinces her to spend some time at the Cabins resort where eligible men and women go to meet. When Kate arrives she has no problem finding the men, but has a problem with the quality of men she’s meeting. And handyman Jake isn’t helping her feel any better about herself with his rude and judgemental comments.

As Kate becomes more involved in the small town she finds that she will be sad to leave, man or no. And when Jake proves to be the most eligible man, Kate must reassess her goals for being there.

I love Jennifer Crusie, with her humor and wit, but this book didn’t do it for me. It was light and fun, but I was not caught up in the story. In the interest of full disclosure, I did listen to this during the read-a-thon last week between the hours of 11pm -6am, so my judgment may not be 100% accurate 🙂 I would not hesitate to recommend other Crusie books.

This was a library copy.

Godmother: The Secret Cinderella Story, by Carolyn Turgeon

October 31, 2009October 31, 200913 Comments

Finished 10-24-09, rating 3/5, Fantasy, pub. 2009

I loved the scribbles in the margins, the notes in the front of the books that told their stories, the ways they passed from one person to another. “To Jennifer, Christmas 1921. May these words stay with you.” The stray phrases and numbers jotted on the side of a page – “Indian Taj, 74th Street” emerging from the margins of Utopia, “BUY PUMPKINS” blaring up at me from the back cover of To the Lighthouse. As I sat behind the register, carefull erasing the penciled marks, I felt as if each book had a secret to tell, only to me.

Chapter 1

Lil is a fallen fairy, one who broke the ultimate sin by falling in love with a human. And not just any human, but the fantasy of many a young girl, Prince Charming. Lil was the fairy godmother to Cinderella and in charge of getting her and the Prince to meet and marry, but she made the mistake of taking a peek at the Prince in advance and her heart’s fate was sealed.

Now, Lil is living as an old woman in New York City working as small used bookstore. The owner of the store is a friend who finally recovered from his divorce and when a beautiful young woman walks in to the store, Lil thinks getting them together will be her way back home. There is a charity ball coming up and the couple agrees to attend together and Lil can feel the fairy world coming for her.

This is not your average fairy tale retelling. It is dark and offbeat, which I liked, but Lil was not a character I fell in love with, even though I wanted to. I mean who wouldn’t love a fairy godmother? I liked the way the story was told, alternating between New York and her past life as a fairy. I really wanted to like it more, but it did keep me interested the whole way through.

I recommend this if you like fairy tale retellings or fairies.

This was a library copy.

The Appeal, by John Grisham

October 14, 20093 Comments

Finished 10-14-09, rating 3/5, fiction, pub.2007

“There are two fees. First, a million as a retainer. This is all properly reported. You officially become our client, and we provide consulting services in the area if government relations, a wonderfully vague term that covers just about anything. The second fee is seven million bucks, and we take it offshore. Some of this will be used to fund the campaign, but most will be preserved. Only the first fee goes on the books.”

Carl was nodding, understanding. “For eight million, I can buy myself a supreme court justice.”

Wes and Mary Grace Payton have been fighting a huge chemical company in the courts for years, trying to get justice for a small Mississippi town decimated by years of poisoning by Krane Chemical Corporation. Carl Trudeau doesn’t take this lawyers seriously and is shocked when the jury sides with the plaintiff for $42 million and decides that it is time to put his money to work and buy an election.

This story has a bit of courtroom drama and lots of the ugly side of politics. There was a clear contrast between the haves and the haves nots, the rich and the poor, the power players and the powerless, and it was easy to root for the Davids as they battled Goliath. Most states still elect state supreme court justices and this books shows how easily these elections can be bought. And it is only the voters who suffer from the manipulation.

This was a cynical and probably very accurate look at the election process we have in place and it will anger you. Many of you know that I have been working at the elections the past few years and I encourage everyone to vote, but more than that I want people to vote with knowledge. This book shines a spotlight on this problem. I could go on for a while about this, but that’s a whole different post.

I really liked the first half of the book with the environmental focus, thought the middle was slow with way too much detail on the campaign play-by-play, and really hated the end. If you are interested in politics or are a Grisham fan you may like this more than me. Although, I’m interested in politics and I didn’t love it.

This came from my own library.

Travel Writing, by Peter Ferry

September 16, 2009September 20, 20094 Comments

Finished 9-11-09, rating 3/5, fiction, pub. 2009

See, I think that’s Pete’s problem,” said Carolyn. “He knew what was going to happen. You know what I mean? He could see it happen before it happened, and then it happened.” (Of course I now know that even if for a moment I could see what was going to happen to Lisa Kim, I had no idea what had already happened to her and would not for a long time.)

Chapter 1

High school teacher Pete Ferry (you may notice the similarity with the author’s name) sees a woman driving erratically one night and watches in horror as she crashes and dies. The police say it’s an accident, but Pete is not convinced. His guilt at not having stopped her fuels his obsession with finding out everything about that night and the victim, Lisa Kim. Pete’s distraction takes it toll on his relationship with his girlfriend of many years and he can’t seem to work up enough energy to save it.

Of course, this may all be a lie, a story. Pete is telling this story to his students so they see how a great story is pieced together, with truth and lies. What is real and what isn’t? Or is it all a dream?

This clever concept was interesting, and it mostly worked. I guess I had more of an issue with Pete. I didn’t ever quite warm up to him or understand his motivations. And if I was to take his character at face value I guess I didn’t really like him much.

I thought it was original and I liked the alternating storylines and flashbacks. It’s a solid debut that will keep you guessing to the end. I liked it enough to try this author again.

I received this book from the pubisher.

The Carriage House, by Carla Neggers

August 14, 20096 Comments

Finished 8-10-09, rating 3/5, romantic suspense, pub. 2001

This is Book 1 in the Texas Rangers 4 book series.

“I can sell it.”

“Who would buy it? It’s run-down. It’s on the flipping historic register. It’s on a minuscule lot. And, I might add–” She swiveled around in her expensive ergonomic chair, zeroing in on her office mate and friend with those piercing green eyes. “I might add that the place is haunted.”

“That’s just a rumor.”

Chapter 1

Tess Haviland is in her 30’s, owns her own graphic design business and is single and childless, much to the disappointment of her dad. As payment for her services, the eccentric Ike Grantham gives her an old carriage house on Boston’s North Shore, a place that has special memories for Tess. Soon after gifting her with the house Ike disappears and Tess puts off doing anything with the house. Now a year later she receives a tax bill and decides to go out to the house to see if she wants to keep it.

Once she arrives at the dilapidated carriage house she is appalled at the condition and the renovations that are necessary. On her first night there she meets the neighbors, sexy Andrew Thorne, his princess daughter Dolly, and the skeleton she finds in the dirt basement. Spooked and scared, Tess doesn’t call the police right away and this is where the story really begins.

The characters were all enjoyable, if not memorable. The story was fast paced and although you knew who did it relatively early on there was some confusion thrown in to keep you reading. I really liked the secondary characters. Andrew’s cousin Harley Beckett was an original and Tess’s dad and godfather were loving manly men and it was easy to forgive their chauvinistic ways.

To be fair, I should say that I started this on the plane last week and the fact that it kept my attention at all is an endorsement. I could be the world’s worst flier. So, it did keep my interest for pages at a time and this is all I could have hoped for on the plane.

Finger Lickin’ Fifteen by Janet Evanovich

August 11, 2009August 11, 200910 Comments

Finished 8-6-09, rating 3/5, fiction, pub. 2009

Book 15 in the Stephanie Plum series

I’d been hoping to find my apartment dark and deserted. I loved Ranger’s apartment, but it wasn’t home. Looking up at my windows, I wasn’t sure that was home, either. I’m in limbo, I thought. My whole friggin’ life is in limbo.

Chapter 12

Stephanie Plum is back for another round as a Trenton bounty hunter. She is single again, after having a fight with Morelli about peanut butter and Ranger is looking as yummy as ever. Lula witnesses a beheading and is being hunted by murderers, albeit bad ones. Lula and Grandma Mazur are entering a cooking contest and many mishaps ensue. And Stephanie’s mom has decided to fix her up with men she meets in the supermarket.

I’ll start with the things I liked. Evanovich knows how to write funny books. The scene with Stephanie in the hot dog costume had me laughing out loud. And even though the book does not wrap it up with a bow it does seem like Stephanie has made a choice between her two hot men. Of course, that does not mean that she will do anything about it, which moves us right into my dislikes.

I chose the quote from the book because that is how I feel about this series. I’m all for zany and funny and ridiculous things that would never happen in real life, but after 15+ books there needs to be some growth. Stephanie has lost some appeal for me because she complains about her lot in life, seems unhappy with her job, apartment… but she never actually does anything about it. She never seems to make any choices.

As for the actual story itself, I did find it funny in parts, but the emphasis on juvenile humor -farts, big penises, diarrhea- did get a little tiresome.

I know I’ve read lots of good reviews for this one, but it was just more of the same for me and I want something new and fresh or some growth for Stephanie. So, I’m really going to do it this time, I’m taking my name off the Stephanie Plum holds at the library.

Slightly Shady, by Amanda Quick

July 12, 20096 Comments

Finished 7-10-09, rating 3/5, historical romance, pub. 2001

She had to swallow twice before she could speak. When she did eventually manage to utter a few coherent words, her voice sounded thin and it easily cracked.

“Did you murder that man?”

Tobias glanced at the body. “No. I got here after the killer, just as you did. From what I can determine, Felix was killed on his front step. The murderer must have dragged him back into this room.”

The news did little to reassure her. “What are you doing here?”

“I was about to ask you the same question.” He contemplated her with a considering air. “But I have a hunch I already know the answer. You are obviously on of Felix’s blackmail victims, are you not?”

Chapter 2

Lavinia Lake and her niece, Emeline, have been stranded in Italy and have had to make ends meet my opening an antique shop. One night, the mysterious and brusque Tobias March barges in and demands they must leave for their own safety. As he sends them back to London, the last thing they see is him smashing up the valuables in their shop.

Lavinia Lake is obviously still smarting from his behavior months later when they meet again, over the body of a dead man. The two headstrong widowers are both used to taking care of things on their own and when they are forced to work together anger and resentment make it challenging for all involved. The two are on the trail of a the last remaining member of a criminal gang and cannot stop even when it becomes dangerous because their client is paying them to protect her from harm.

I loved the witty dialogue and the mystery, but was disappointed with the romance. Tobias was a good character, but Lavinia was such a cold fish that I never did warm up to her. Although I guessed the murderer pretty early on there were still many aspects that I didn’t figure out til the end.

This is the first in a trilogy featuring Lavinia Lake (don’t you just love that name?) and Tobias March. This book set up the trilogy nicely and although this book is not a favorite of mine I am curious enough about some of the characters – such as her niece and client- that I may look for the next book. The two next books in the series are Don’t Look Back and Late for the Wedding.

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