These past couple of weeks have been busy ones!  I’ve been doing the whole job search thing, and let me tell you, I am DEFINITELY ready to be working!  Last weekend, my in-laws came into town and we had a fun time hanging out, eating great food, and doing fun stuff around the city.  Yesterday was the Rally to Restore Sanity and we went out for that.  We didn’t stay long, just because there were so many people and it was crazy, but it was nice to see that many people out to support the idea of rationality and not letting the extremes on both sides have the only say!

Today is the Marine Corps Marathon which happens to run right outside our building’s front door, so I will be at home all day.  They shut down all the roads near us, so it’s impossible to get a car out.  We may head down and cheer on the runners later, but mostly it’s just going to be a day of reading and catching up!

I was hoping to get some blog work done this weekend, but that’s going to be difficult because my laptop died last week!  Supposedly it’s going to be fixed sometime this week, but in the meantime, I’m lost!  No, really, it’s not that big of a deal because we have a desktop computer and my husband has his own laptop I’ve been using, it’s just frustrating because I have everything set up on that computer the way I want.  I really hope it comes out of this mess okay - they’re going to replace the motherboard of the laptop, which is such a complicated procedure it’s just asking for secondary problems.

This week, I’m giving away a copy of The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters, a book I loved, so make sure you enter if you’re interested in winning!

I’ve had pretty good reading weeks the last couple of weeks.  While the volume of books I’ve been reading isn’t astronomical, I’ve been reading great books, which is much more important to me.  The Emperor of All Maladies by Siddhartha Mukherjee is one that really sticks out for me, as is Luka and the Fire of Life by Salman Rushdie.  I also finally finished Wolf Hall which I really enjoyed.  I’m excited that Mantel is working on a sequel!

Reviews posted this week:

Title: The Elegant Universe: Superstrings, Hidden Dimensions, and the Quest for the Ultimate Theory
Author: Brian Greene
ISBN: 9780375708114
Pages: 464
Release Date: 1999
Publisher: Vintage Books
Genre: Non-Fiction, Space/NASA
Source: Personal Copy
Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Summary:

In The Elegant Universe, physicist Brian Greene tries to explain the very complicated concept of string theory, or the “theory of everything” to a layperson.  He starts with general relativity, then moves onto quantum mechanics, discusses the problems reconciling the two, and finally introduces string theory.

Review:

I’ve always been interested in astrophysics and have lately become interested in string theory.  There was just one problem:  I didn’t really know what string theory actually was!  I understood what it was trying to do, and that it hadn’t been completely figured out yet, but I wanted to know more.  Then I heard about Brian Greene’s The Elegant Universe and figured it was a great way to get more information about this complicated subject.

I really appreciated how clear Greene was throughout the discussion.  He did a wonderful job explaining these theories in a way that is easy to understand.  That’s no small feat, considering how complicated some of these ideas are.  Sometimes it took me two or three tries, but I always came away with a semblance of understanding of the topic at hand.  Greene mainly uses metaphors to illustrate concepts, but always explains how the actual theory might differ from the method through which he presents it.  As a result, I felt like I got a comprehensive overview of this incredibly complex topic.

Don’t get me wrong, this book is definitely not easy to read.  It takes work, and your brain must be engaged the entire time you’re reading.  Each chapter builds on the one before it, and it’s crucial to understand what you’re currently reading or the rest of the book will be completely out of the realm of comprehension.  But if you’re interested in the topic and have no prior knowledge of string theory, this is a great place to start.

It’s important to note that this book does not reflect the most current thinking on string theory – after all, it’s over ten years old.  The version I read had a recently written preface from Greene, detailing what he might change if he could rewrite the book.  If you’re already familiar with the concepts of string theory and want an exploration of the latest ideas on the subject, this book probably isn’t for you.  But if, like me, you have a casual interest in the topic and want a book that will explain the concepts in layman’s terms, definitely check out The Elegant Universe.  Though it wasn’t the easiest read, I learned a lot and can say I genuinely enjoyed the process.

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Title: Starting from Scratch
Author: Susan Gilbert-Collins
ISBN: 9781439143162
Pages: 336
Release Date: August 3, 2010
Publisher: Touchstone
Genre: Women’s Fiction
Source: Publisher
Rating: 4 out of 5

Summary:

Olivia Tschetter seems to be stuck in a rut.  Two months after her beloved mother’s funeral, she’s still at her childhood home, puttering around the kitchen whipping up meals instead of defending her dissertation and moving forward with her life.   Her mother loved to cook and sent out a monthly newsletter with cooking tips and answers to her readers questions.  Olivia sees it as her duty to finish up her mother’s last newsletter.  In the process of her research, as well as her part-time job at Meals on Wheels, she finds solace and healing in the food around her.

Review:

Starting from Scratch is another entry into a growing women’s fiction niche:  books about food.  Her novel centers around food, and includes recipes in between the chapters.  While I don’t mind recipes in books (though it is starting to become a bit overused), I prefer them to be in the back of the book so they don’t interrupt the pace of the narrative.  Still, I did appreciate that Gilbert-Collins’ book was a bit different.  The centerpiece was certainly food, but it wasn’t about that.  Olivia uses food and cooking to cope with her mother’s death, but it takes a backseat to her personal journey.

Olivia was an endearing character.  She was easy to like and had a sweet, generous personality.  I felt bad that she was being pushed and pulled by her family, but at the same time, I could understand their reasoning.  The secondary characters weren’t quite as well-developed, but for the most part they were charming as well.  Ruby, Olivia’s sister, was a bit strange and difficult to like, but her circumstances become more clear as the book progresses.  The dynamics of this family are also fun and heartwarming.  Gilbert-Collins captured the essence of a large, loud, fun family very well in this novel. 

Starting from Scratch was a sweet, moving novel about dealing with grief.  As Olivia  begins to face her grief head-on, she makes some realizations about herself.  It’s very rewarding to watch her grow as the novel progresses.  This was a charming book; I look forward to seeing what Susan Gilbert-Collins does next.

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I’m really excited to announce my next giveaway, which is in conjunction with The Literary Life.  The Literary Life is a podcast created, edited, and produced completely by Penguin employees!  I’ve found it to be interesting, and they do cover some great books.  The October episode is about books that make your heart race (very apt, considering Halloween is in a couple of days) and can be found here.

One of the books featured on October’s The Literary Life is The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters.  This is one of those books for which I really wish I could rewrite my review.  I feel like it didn’t adequately convey my enthusiasm for this book, and I wish I had given it a full 5/5 rating.  After all, it has stuck with me much more than some other books, and was near the top of my “Best Books Read in 2009” list.  I really loved this book, so I’m very excited that Penguin has agreed to give away a copy to one lucky reader!

To enter: Fill out the form below.  Comments on this post will not be counted for entry.  If you’re having trouble with the form, please email me with your full name and mailing address and I’ll consider you entered.  As this book is coming from the publisher, U.S. only please.  This giveaway will run through Wednesday, Nov. 10.  I will email the winner and send the publisher their submitted details, so please ensure that the information you provide in the form is correct.  Click here for complete privacy policy and givaway rules.

Good luck!

Title: I Remember You
Author: Harriet Evans
ISBN: 9781439182000
Pages: 464
Release Date: June 15, 2010
Publisher: Downtown Press
Genre: Chick Lit
Source: Publicist
Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Summary:

Tess and Adam have been best friends almost since birth.  Growing up in the small town of Langford, they were inseparable.  Everyone assumed they would end up together.  However, things didn’t turn out as people expected – after his mother’s death, Adam stayed in Langford rather than going off to college.  Tess fled Langford and moved to London.

Twelve years later, Tess has accepted a job at Langford College.  She returns home to find some things very different and some, like Adam, exactly the same.  She must face old feelings and ghosts from the past as she struggles with what she wants and understands what she needs out of her life.

Review:

I was a big fan of Harriet Evans’ The Love of Her Life and A Hopeless Romantic, but disappointed by Going Home, so I wasn’t sure what to expect with I Remember You.  After having read it, I’m still not sure what to think – I did like it, but have mixed feelings on it.  Some aspects I really enjoyed, but others didn’t work for me.

I really did like the character of Tess.  She was a bit lost at the beginning of the novel, but she was sweet and genuine.  She also had a healthy sense of humor.  She made a great main character for this book, as I was rooting for her from beginning to end.  The secondary characters from Langford were also well-written and a lot of fun.  Evans did a wonderful job infusing life into this small town and making it appealing.  At the same time, though, it’s easy to see why Tess is reluctant to be back there.

Evans also made an important debate one of the centerpieces of the novel, one I’m sure is currently rampaging through the English countryside.  How do towns that are mostly dependent on tourist income – Jane Austen slept here, and the like – maintain their character without becoming tourist traps?  At the same time, how do they cater to their residents who must grapple with their towns being taken over and balance convenience (having a supermarket, which would turn off tourists) with their economic livelihood?  It’s an interesting dilemma, and very easy to see both sides.

While I did like the main character and many of the secondary characters, I didn’t like two very important people in the novel – Adam and Francesca.  Francesca is a woman who just moved to town, escaping from London, and becomes Tess’s roommate.  She and Adam quickly involve themselves in a relationship.  It’s strange because I couldn’t understand why Tess was friends with her.  They often fought and Francesca seemed mean a lot of the time.  Adam was the same way – he was unnecessarily cruel way too often.  I understand he and Tess have a history, but I couldn’t understand why he was such a mean person.  He definitely changes over the course of the novel, but I never shook that initial impression of him.

I Remember You is also a bit too long.  There was really no need for this book to be over 300 or so pages.  As a result, it really drags towards the end when the reader can see exactly where everything is heading, but it takes about 100 pages to get there.  It’s a minor quibble, but an important one.

All in all, while I liked I Remember You, I can’t say I truly enjoyed it.  There were parts that were really interesting, and parts that just weren’t.  It seemed as if Evans was trying to do a little too much with this book, and in this case, less would have been better.  Despite my mixed feelings on this book, I will make sure to read her next one!

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Title: Paradise Under Glass: An Amateur Creates a Conservatory Garden
Author: Ruth Kassinger
ISBN: 9780061547744
Pages: 368
Release Date: April 20, 2010
Publisher: William Morrow
Genre: Non-Fiction, Memoir
Source: Publisher
Rating: 4 out of 5

Summary:

Ruth Kassinger never had a talent for growing plants.  One day, though, she decides she wants to build a conservatory on the back of her Maryland home.  She imagines the beauty and peace such a place would provide, plus learning about gardening and growing plants is a new hobby for her to undertake.  Eager to learn all she can about conservatories, Kassinger delves into research as she begins to plan her own conservatory.

Review:

I love memoirs about accomplishing something that are mixed with history and lots of information, so Paradise Under Glass seemed like a perfect fit for me.  However, the premise made me hesitate – I thought the author seemed a little impulsive, going from knowing nothing about plants to wanting to build a conservatory and fill it with plants, not a small expense.  I wasn’t sure how this would be handled in the book, and whether it would seem a bit silly.

I’m happy to say that it didn’t seem nearly as strange as it sounds.  Kassinger is definitely a bit impulsive, but in a good way.  She does take the the idea of a conservatory very quickly, but she sticks with it, as evidenced by the length of the book.  Once the idea is formed in her mind, she is determined to make it work.  I appreciated how set she was, especially because her conservatory presented her with all sorts of unforeseen complications.

Interspersed with her memoir, Kassinger gives a good overview of the history of conservatories in her book.  Each chapter tackles a different plant or an unexpected challenge, and Kassinger researches each to give the reader a solid background on whatever she is doing.  Whether it’s the history of ferns when she visits a fern conservatory or researching pesticides when unwanted visitors invade her plants, this book is full of interesting information.  I didn’t know much about plants and gardens when I started Paradise Under Glass, so I really appreciated the time and effort Kassinger put into educating her readers.

I really enjoyed Paradise Under Glass.  It was well-written, easy to read, and Kassinger’s voice was very warm and welcoming.  I learned a lot and enjoyed the process very much.  It was the best kind of memoir – personal, yet full enough of other information so as not to be self-indulgent.  I definitely recommend the book for any memoir or gardening fans!

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Title: Husband and Wife
Author: Leah Stewart
ISBN: 9780061774508
Pages: 352
Release Date: May 4, 2010
Publisher: Harper
Genre: Women’s Fiction
Source: Publisher
Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Summary:

It’s just another evening in Sarah Price’s life, another night with her husband and two young children.  She’s getting ready for her close friend’s wedding when her husband delivers a startling and unwelcome confession:  his latest novel, about infidelity, isn’t entirely fiction.  One year ago, he had a short-lived affair with a woman he met at a writer’s conference.  Staggered by his admission, Sarah must decide how to move on with her life and makes some surprising realizations about herself in the process.

Review:

In Husband and Wife, Leah Stewart takes a look at a marriage that is fine and healthy one minute and on its last legs the next.  She really helps the reader to understand the damage an affair can do.  In that instant, that moment of confession, everything is changed irrevocably. Stewart takes us into that moments, and helps us really see the aftermath, physically, emotionally and psychologically.

Sarah is written with such painful clarity, it makes the book difficult to read at times.  She is wasted by her husband’s confession, her soul completely laid bare.  She doesn’t know what to do, how to handle life anymore.  Her actions and feelings ring so true for someone in that situation.  Stewart really helps the reader get inside Sarah’s head as she questions everything and looks for solace anywhere she can find it. 

The subject matter of this book makes it hard to read at times.  It’s not a happy book, and for the first half, Sarah is in such deep despair that the reader feels powerless that they can’t do anything to help.  That changes as Sarah begins to lift herself out of her fog and makes some important realizations about herself, which were the best part of the book for me.  I really loved the self-introspection of this novel.  When did I stop being a poet, Sarah asks herself.  What did I give up so my husband could pursue his dream of being a novelist?  He says he misses" “the old me,” but didn’t I give that up for him?  I really loved it when she asked herself these questions, and the conclusions Sarah came to.  I wish this had taken up more of the novel, as the first part, where she’s grappling with the consequences of her husband’s infidelity seems a bit too long.

Husband and Wife was an interesting novel.  Leah Stewart is a talented author, and she writes beautifully about the most horrible of situations.  Sarah was a deep and well-written character that I enjoyed getting to know.  Despite the fact that it was a bit depressing, I’m still glad I read this thought-provoking work.  It would definitely make a very good book club pick, as there is a lot to discuss within its pages.

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Title: The Wet Nurse’s Tale
Author: Erica Eisdorfer
ISBN: 9780425234471
Pages: 320
Release Date: August 6, 2009
Publisher: Berkley Trade
Genre: Historical Fiction
Source: Publisher
Rating: 4 out of 5

Summary:

Susan Rose is the daughter of a working class family living in Victorian England.  Her mother is a wet nurse, working for the upper class families in the areas.  Her father is a brute of a man, turned abusive because of the effects of alcohol.  Susan and her siblings work at the Great House as maids, laundresses, and grooms, but when Susan finds herself pregnant, she decides to follow in her mother’s footsteps and becomes a wet nurse.

Review:

I’d heard of The Wet Nurse’s Tale when it was released in hardcover, but it really didn’t pique my interest.  However, then I started seeing reviews of it around the blogosphere, and for the most part, they were very good.  Therefore, when I received it for review when it was released in paperback, I was determined not to ignore it and to see what it was that people so enjoyed about it.

I was pleasantly surprised with The Wet Nurse’s Tale.  Erica Eisdorfer creates a great atmosphere, and to add gravitas to the story, she inserts small vignettes in between the chapters.  In these, we get glimpses into “the other side” – the rich women who couldn’t or didn’t want to nurse their own babies, and thus sought out the Rose women as wet nurses.  I appreciated this, as it gives the reader a more well rounded view of the entire situation.

The Wet Nurse’s Tale moves slowly, especially at the beginning, and as a result I was unsure about it for some time.  While the speed doesn’t pick up significantly, it was Susan herself that really won me over.  She’s funny and sweet and is just an endearing character all around.  She’s not educated, so she’s not the smartest, but she just comes across as so genuine and real, I couldn’t help but enjoy her story and root for her.  Had Eisendorfer written a less winning protagonist, I may have passed on this book, but Susan was just too much fun to ignore.

The Wet Nurse’s Tale is an enjoyable, interesting look at a profession that isn’t widely covered in historical fiction.  I really enjoyed Susan’s story, and I look forward to reading more of Erica Eisdorfer’s books.

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Title: All Is Forgotten, Nothing Is Lost
Author: Lan Samantha Chang
ISBN: 9780393063066
Pages: 208
Release Date: September 27, 2010
Publisher: W.W. Norton & Co.
Genre: Literary Fiction
Source: LibraryThing Early Reviewers
Rating: 4 out of 5

Summary:

Roman, Bernard, and Lucy are all students in a class taught by Miranda Sturgis, an inspiring yet terrifying professor of poetry.  Roman is fascinated by Miranda because of her rejection of his poetry, while Lucy is the only one who stands up for Roman’s work when Miranda slices it open in class. Bernard is Roman’s best friend, equally fascinated by Miranda, yet consumed with his own work.  Each of these students will be affected by this one class forever as they try to find success and find their lives intertwined.

Review:

All Is Forgotten, Nothing Is Lost is a book that brings a lot of questions about the teaching of the writing craft to the forefront.  Is writing even something that can be taught?  If it is, what is the best method to do so?  As Miranda rejects her class’s poems, skewers them in front of everyone, her students are inspired to work harder and to please her.  But at what point will they give up and decide that she isn’t worth the effort?  Is her teaching style helping or hindering her students?

Chang’s writing is beautiful and elegant, telling the story of these four people.  She writes them with such care, the reader can’t help but be interested in them.  Some of the characters seem a little underdeveloped, but it is Roman, arguably the main character, who really leaps off the page.  The reader can taste his bitterness, can sense his anger.  He is the star of this novel as he struggles for recognition.  Once he finds it, Roman realizes that it isn’t as fulfilling as he’d hoped.

This is a slip of a novel, but there is a lot to think about within its pages.  There are many themes to consider, including the query of what make a person accomplished.  Is it writing books and books and winning awards, but not really feeling any kind of contentment and constantly needing to prove yourself, or is it writing just one masterpiece, one thing you are truly proud of but that no one will ever see?  Chang doesn’t provide an easy answer for this question, but she does leave the reader thinking about its ramifications.

All Is Forgotten, Nothing Is Lost is an interesting novel that left me pondering long after I’d read the last page.  Considering the subject matter, it’s a relatively easy read and flows incredibly well, thanks to the author’s wonderful prose.  Chang is a talented writer, and I look forward to seeing what she does next.

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Title: The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie
Author: Alan Bradley
ISBN: 9780385343497
Pages: 416
Release Date: April 28, 2009
Publisher: Bantam
Genre: Mystery
Source: Curled Up With a Good Book
Rating: 4 out of 5

Summary:

Flavia de Luce is eleven years old and a science wizard. She lives in the “big house” outside Bishop’s Lacey, a small English village. Within the corridors of her old, rambling house where she lives with her father and two sisters, Ophelia and Daphne, is her chemistry lab, her place of solace. The main use of her lab is to make the lives of her older sisters miserable, until a dead bird is left on their doorstep. While Flavia tries to make sense of this mystery, something even bigger happens: Flavia finds the dead body of a red-headed stranger in the garden. Secretly delighted by this turn of events, as it’s the most exciting thing that has ever happened to her, Flavia begins to inquire into the man’s death, trying to discover who he was and why he was in their garden.

Review:

I have heard a lot of great things about The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie, but it took me a long time to get to it. Part of the reason was because, though I really wanted to read it, I was a bit apprehensive. The gushing had been so strong that my expectations were very high. Therefore, I put it off until I’d heard my share of negative reviews in order to temper my expectations, and I’m so glad I did. While I really did enjoy this book, I’m not sure I would have if I had read it in that initial wave of praise.

Flavia was a very interesting, complicated character. Some have said she’s too self-satisfied, and unbelievably knowledgeable and resourceful for her age. While those arguments are understandable, upon my reading, it made sense. Flavia has been shut up in an old house for most of her life, without any friends her age. Though she can leave for town whenever she wants to, she usually chooses to stay at home with her books and chemistry lab. As a result, Flavia’s mind works like an adult’s. While unusually precocious, she doesn’t know what it is to act like a child because she’s never really been around any. With that in mind, it was much easier to accept her intelligence and skills of deduction without having to make too far of a leap. Still, if you can’t suspend that disbelief and accept Flavia as she is, this book will not be enjoyable. (That being said, she is very self-satisfied, a quality that irked me at times.)

The mystery within Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie was intriguing and well-crafted. While the story moved slowly at the beginning, it definitely picked up its pace as Flavia deduced more and more. It’s not a huge puzzle, though, and as a result it’s easy to guess the culprit before Flavia figures it out. Despite this fact, it was a fun mystery, made all the more entertaining by the wacky characters that Flavia encounters.

Alan Bradley already has a sequel to his hit debut novel out, called The Weed That Strings the Hangman’s Bag. I already have it and hope to read it soon. It’s good to know that the reader can revisit Flavia and the town of Bishop’s Lacey, as they are too large for just one book. The characters are really what make the first book in this series worth reading. However, if you can’t accept them for what they are, then this novel is likely not for you.

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Title: The Year of Magical Thinking
Author: Joan Didion
ISBN: 9781400078431
Pages: 227
Release Date: October 4, 2005
Publisher: Vintage
Genre: Memoir, Non-Fiction, Audiobook
Source: Library
Rating: 4 out of 5

Summary:

In this memoir, Joan Didion recounts the year after her beloved husband John died of a heart attack.  When he died, their only child, a daughter named Quintana, was in the ICU and it was unclear whether she would make it or not.  Didion deals with her grief over John’s death while also fighting for her daughter and trying not to think about where she would be if Quintana died as well.  Didion calls this year of reflection her year of magical thinking.

Review:

The Year of Magical Thinking is an intensely personal book about the nature of grief.  It starts with John’s death on December 23; only later does the reader discover that Joan’s daughter is also in a hospital.  It’s difficult to imagine the grief at losing one’s husband and life partner, while simultaneously dealing with the terror that one’s daughter might be next.  Didion is incredibly cool and detached for much of the book, never letting emotions overwhelm her.  She does her best to sort through her feelings and thoughts without getting lost in her grief.  Being able to function each day, if only for Quintana’s sake, is very important to her.

It’s difficult to determine why a book that centers on grief and loss has such wide appeal, considering many try to shy away from the darker aspects of life in their reading.  However, in The Year of Magical Thinking, I believe it’s Didion’s emotional detachment that appeals to readers.  While sometimes this can be a turn-off (we like to see people wail when their husbands die, otherwise they aren’t grieving properly), in this case it works very well.  It’s a memoir about moving on with life, about learning to live again without the person who you talked to every single day. 

I listened to The Year of Magical Thinking on audio, and it really worked well in this format.  The reflective nature of this book, as well as the fact that it meanders quite a bit as Joan contemplates her situation, were well suited to an audiobook.  The book was unabridged and ran about 5 hours.  The narrator, Barbara Caruso, did an excellent job and was exactly what I would have imagined Joan Didion sounding like.  Her voice worked well and was very expressive, yet maintained Didion’s detachment throughout the narration.

The Year of Magical Thinking was an interesting look at grief and would be a wonderful inspiration to anyone dealing with similar circumstances as Didion was.  It’s beautifully written, deeply personal, and incredibly moving.  Even if you don’t like reading memoirs about loss, this one is written such that it’s not depressing.  If you haven’t gotten around to reading The Year of Magical Thinking yet, I definitely recommend it, especially on audio.

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I’m excited to announce that, thanks to the publisher and Authors on the Web, I have a copy of Extraordinary to give away to a lucky reader! 

To enter:  please fill out the form below.  Comments on this post will not be counted for entry.  If you are having trouble with the form, email me with your full name and mailing address and I’ll consider you entered.  Because this giveaway is sponsored by the publisher, it is open to the US & Canada only.  This giveaway will end on Saturday, October 30 at 11:59 PM.  I’ll email the winner directly and send their submitted information to the publisher on October 31, so please make sure you fill out the form completely and accurately.

Good luck!

Title: Extraordinary
Author: Nancy Werlin
ISBN: 9780803733725
Pages: 400
Release Date: September 7, 2010
Publisher: Dial
Genre: Teen/YA, Fantasy
Source: Publicist
Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Summary:

Phoebe has always been one of the “popular” girls, even though, deep down, she’s always been aware that the only reason they allow her in their crowd is because of her historic and famous last name, Rothschild.  The last name Rothschild equates with money and power, and Phoebe’s parents have both.  But as Phoebe looks at her friends, she sees things that she doesn’t like and resolves to change her ways.  Then Phoebe meets the mysterious and odd Mallory Tolliver, and the two quickly become inseparable.  But what Phoebe doesn’t realize is that Mallory is not what she seems, and Phoebe is about to be drawn into a conflict that will determine the fate of the faerie kingdom.

Review:

I’ve heard good things about Nancy Werlin’s Impossible, so when I was offered Extraordinary for review, I jumped at the chance.  It’s written in the same vein as Impossible, but isn’t a sequel; in other words, the books are about the same sort of world but can be read in any order.  After reading Extraordinary, I am determined to go back and read Impossible because it was just that great!

In a world where teens are having such mixed messages thrown at them, and many books aimed at them have questionable themes, Extraordinary was a breath of fresh air.  It tackles the question of ordinariness.  What does it mean to be extraordinary?  Who determines whether a person will be ordinary, or will somehow break out of that detested shell.  And what’s so wrong with being ordinary anyways?  As Phoebe struggles against the burden of her family’s name and the pressure she feels to become something great because she is a Rothschild, she asks herself these questions.  In the end, what makes someone extraordinary?

The friendship between Phoebe and Mallory is sweet, and it’s so sad that the reader knows from the very first page that it can’t last.  Even though Mallory has been sent for a purpose, she truly cares for Phoebe.  Does that mean they are really friends, though?  Extraordinary calls up themes of loyalty and makes the reader question the true nature of friendship.

The faerie world that Werlin created is tantalizing.  The reader only gets hints of it as the novel progresses; I’m hoping that she will return to that setting and expound more on it in future books, as it is very creative and interesting.  Additionally, Werlin is a talented writer and that shines through on every page of Extraordinary.

Extraordinary is a powerful book that will appeal to both teens and adults alike.  If your book club is looking for an easier read that is still deep and thought provoking, this would make a great pick.  There are a lot of issues and themes running through this novel and they would make great fodder for discussion.

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Title: I Know I Am, But What Are You?
Author: Samantha Bee
ISBN: 9781439142738
Pages: 256
Release Date: June 1, 2010
Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio
Genre: Essays, Non-Fiction, Audiobook
Source: Publisher
Rating: 4 out of 5

Summary:

In this book of essays, The Daily Show correspondent Samantha Bee reflects on her life, covering subjects from her Catholic school upbringing, her pet-loving, freewheeling mother, and her relationship with her husband, fellow correspondent Jason Jones.

Review:

I really enjoy The Daily Show, so when I was offered a copy of Samantha Bee’s book for review, I was ready to jump at the chance.  However, I paused a little when I thought about the fact that one of the qualities I like most about Samantha Bee is her very deadpan, sarcastic tone of voice.  Therefore, after doing some research and discovering that Samantha herself had narrated the audio version of her book, I chose to consume it as an audiobook.

I am certain that audio was the correct choice.  Samantha Bee is just as funny on audio as she is on TV.  The audio production was unabridged and ran just over 6 hours.  Since these were essays about her life, I felt as if Samantha was sitting and telling me these stories, trying to make me laugh.  The essay format kept me interested – a straight memoir wouldn’t have worked because the humor would have gotten old, but since Samantha was jumping subjects so often, my attention rarely wandered.

I cannot begin to describe how funny Samantha Bee is in this memoir.  From beginning to end, it’s full of one-liners that I’m definitely going to use again.  It’s not for the easily offended though – while her humor isn’t necessarily offensive, it’s a little bit wrong, but very, very funny.  My favorite line of the entire book was when Samantha was talking about the nuns who ran her Catholic grade school:  “You could see that they had all their lady parts, but you just knew that once a month they menstruated dust.”  That, and other lines, had me laughing out loud throughout these essays.

I really enjoyed I Know I Am, But What Are You.  It was simple and fun.  It kept my attention from beginning to end.  Though some essays were funnier than others, all were humorous enough to keep me entertained.  I hope Samantha Bee puts out another book soon, and that she chooses to narrate the audio version once again.

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Title: Let’s Take the Long Way Home: A Memoir of Friendship
Author: Gail Caldwell
ISBN: 9781400067381
Pages: 208
Release Date: August 10, 2010
Publisher: Random House
Genre: Non-Fiction, Memoir
Source: Amazon Vine
Rating: 4 out of 5

Summary:

Gail Caldwell and Caroline Knapp were the closest of friends.  At age 42, Caroline died of an aggressive, untreatable lung cancer.  Let’s Take the Long Way Home is Caldwell’s tribute to her, a memoir of love and loss and those deep connections that make life worth living.

Review:

From the first page of Let’s Take the Long Way Home, the reader knows that Gail and Caroline were best friends, and that Caroline is now dead.  It casts a shadow over the book.  The reader knows, when Gail is talking about their happiest times, that she will lose Caroline.  As a result, this is just as much a memoir of loss as it is one of the best of friendships. 

It’s easy to understand why Gail and Caroline connected so quickly – both unmarried, both writers, both alcoholics, both in committed relationships with their dogs – they have a lot in common.  It’s wonderful to see them teach each other, learn from each other, and come to depend on one another more and more as the book progresses.  On every page, you can feel the love that Gail felt for Caroline, and how much she is mourning her loss.

Let’s Take the Long Way Home is also very beautifully written. Caldwell is a talented writer, and it’s clear that she poured her heart out into this book.  In a lot of ways, it’s not just a story of a friendship, but a love story about two kindred spirits that were lucky enough to find one another.  Caldwell feels Caroline’s death as much as she’d feel the death of a spouse.  It’s really heartbreaking, and yet Caldwell’s writing is so gorgeous that it somehow helps.  It makes it easier to bear.

This is a slip of a book, and a very quiet one at that.  It’s not a memoir of shocking revelations or adventure.  It’s just a small story about two people who were best friends until one of them died.  Caroline couldn’t have asked for a better tribute, or a better friend to accompany her to the end of her life.

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Title: Corner Shop
Author: Roopa Farooki
ISBN: 9780312577872
Pages: 384
Release Date: February 3, 2009
Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin
Genre: Literary Fiction, Multicultural Fiction
Source: Publisher
Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Summary:

Corner Shop is the story of one family and three generations of the Khalil family.  Delphine has fallen out of love with her husband Jinan and is spending more and more time with her father-in-law, Zaki.  Much older than Jinan, Delphine originally had a relationship with Zaki before marrying his son years later.  Delphine and Jinan’s son, Lucky, has vivid dreams of playing soccer for England, and perhaps even winning the World Cup for them.  As each of these people move forward with their lives, they must question what they want, and what price they are willing to pay to achieve their dreams.

Review:

I immensely enjoyed Roopa Farooki’s novel Half Life, so I was eager to delve into Corner Shop to read about the Khalil family, with all its problems and idiosyncrasies.  Corner Shop didn’t quite have the drama of Half Life; it was much breezier, yet serious in its own ways and in its underlying message.

Delphine was the character who most appealed to me, which I found somewhat strange.  I expected to dislike her, given that it was clear where her “spending more time” with Zaki might lead from the very beginning of the book. However, I found myself sympathetic, able to understand why she felt torn.  She had given up everything to raise Lucky, and was thrilled to do so.  But now that he was older and had dreams of his own, she felt lost and bereft, and it seemed like Jinan didn’t notice or care too much.  Zaki, on the other hand, had plenty of time for her, as Delphine was always very important to him.

The parallel story of Lucky was also very interesting, as well as the message – what happens when you get exactly what you want, when everything you’ve ever dreamed of comes true at a young age?  What happens then?  Though I feel that this question took a little too long to come to fruition, as there wasn’t much time to discuss the ramifications, it lingers over the entire novel.  Whether it’s Delphine, Lucky or Zaki, the novel is about the unintended consequences of achieving your dreams.

Corner Shop wasn’t without its flaws though.  The book splits off with Zaki’s story towards the end, and it just didn’t make sense to me.  Additionally, though I was interested in the characters, I never really connected with them like I’d hope.  Also, the entire book just seemed disjointed and convoluted at times.  Finally, the ending was also a bit of a disappointment.  That’s not to say that this book isn’t worth reading at all; I did enjoy it.  It’s just that these issues did really jump out at me as I was reading the book, so I wanted to at least mention them.

While it wasn’t quite as compelling as Half Life, Corner Shop was an interesting family drama that I did enjoy.  I am looking forward to reading Bitter Sweets, Farooki’s debut novel, next.

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Title: Triumph: Life After the Cult – A Survivor’s Lessons
Author: Carolyn Jessop & Laura Palmer
ISBN: 9780307590701
Pages: 288
Release Date: May 4, 2010
Publisher: Crown Archetype
Genre: Memoir, Non-Fiction, Audiobook
Source: Library
Rating: 4 out of 5

Summary:

Triumph picks up where Carolyn Jessop’s first memoir Escape left off, with the raid on the FLDS compound in Texas in early 2008.  Carolyn recounts the reasons for the raid, as well as its aftereffects, and discusses how it was handled and the mistakes that were made through the process.  In the second half of the book, Carolyn shares how she was able to break free from the FLDS, physically and mentally, and how her strategies can be applied to leaving any difficult, adverse situation.

Review:

I was shocked and horrified by Carolyn Jessop’s first memoir, Escape, but I was impressed by how she was able to pull herself out of a horrible situation and break free from the dogma she’d been indoctrinated with her entire life.  In Triumph, Jessop shows more of that strength and resilience as she discusses the raid on the Texas FLDS compound.  Since this was a news story that made headlines, it was interesting to get Jessop’s inside perspective at what was going on.

Jessop does a wonderful job recounting exactly what went right, and what didn’t.  She had a very personal connection to this situation, as her ex-husband, Merril Jessop, was the one running the Texas ranch.  At any given time, because of her experience with the FLDS and Merrill, she knew exactly what they were thinking and what they were trying to achieve.  It was a very frustrating story, though, knowing the state wanted to help the abused children but just didn’t have the resources to accomplish it.

The second half of the book changes into a review of Carolyn’s life, with an effort at gleaning why she was able to break free of the FLDS’ mind control, when so many other abused women aren’t.  From her education to something as simple as going to the gym, Carolyn expounds on her sources of strength during those difficult times, pointing out that any woman can break free of any difficult situation using these methods.  While this section did give the reader a further glimpse of Jessop’s life before and after her escape, for the most part it didn’t work as well as the first half.  Its self-help nature didn’t really mesh with the rest of her story, and might better have been presented as an entirely separate book.  I listened to the book on audio, and therefore this section was easy to listen to, but I may have skipped the second half of the book if reading it in print.

The audio production of Triumph runs almost 10 hours and is once again narrated by Ann Marie Lee, the same woman who delivered the story of Escape.  As a result, starting this audiobook was like visiting with an old friend.  I was very impressed by Lee’s enthusiasm for the book – I could hear the pride and love in her voice when she talked about her children and the anger when she discussed Merrill.  Multiple times, I had to remind myself that a narrator, and not the author, was the one speaking.  Lee did an exceptional job with both books.

Triumph was a good read, and definitely necessary if you’ve read Escape and are looking for more.  Jessop provides details that weren’t in her first book, and also talks a lot more about her life after that first book ended.  I’d definitely recommend reading Escape first though, as she talks a lot about that book in her second one.  After having read both of Jessop’s books, I’m planning on seeking out Stolen Innocence by Elissa Wall, another FLDS memoir, as it’s come highly recommended.

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I spent much of this past week working, so it was a relief when the weekend finally came!  This was a pretty relaxing one, which was really nice.  Yesterday, my husband and I ran errands on our bikes (and yes, I used my lovely bike which I posted about earlier this week).  Then he had to work for awhile, so I read Wolf Hall.  At this point, I’ve only got about 50 pages left, so I’m hopeful I’ll be finishing it today.  It is very, very good, but I have some of the same complaints others had, namely that the pronouns are very difficult.

I’m glad this weekend was a relaxing one, because the next few are going to be busy!  Next weekend, we are hosting my husband’s parents, which should be a lot of fun.  The weekend after that?  It’s The Rally to Restore Sanity!  My husband and I will be heading out to the National Mall to do…well…I don’t really know what.  But it should be fun!

This week was a great reading week.  I finished up two audios, OPEN by Andre Agassi, which was surprisingly great, and EARTH by Jon Stewart and the writers of The Daily Show, which was surprisingly not so much.  I also read Salman Rushdie’s Haroun and the Sea of Stories and hope to get to its sequel releasing in November, Luka and the Fire of Life, this week.  I also finished The Distant Hours by Kate Morton, which I liked, but didn’t love until I got to the amazing ending.  I read a few others this week as well; all in all, a wonderful week in terms of books, with a great variety in genres.

Reviews posted this week:

Title: The Blessings of the Animals
Author: Katrina Kittle
ISBN: 9780061906077
Pages: 464
Release Date: August 3, 2010
Publisher: Harper Perennial
Genre: Women’s Fiction
Source: Personal Copy
Rating: 4.5 out of 5

Summary:

Cami Anderson knows her marriage isn’t doing well.  Her husband, Bobby, has been more and more distant, his restaurant unable to fulfill him like he’d hoped.  Cami loves her work as a veterinarian, helping the Humane Society whenever she can.  On a day that she and Bobby were supposed to spend together, Cami gets a call about dying horses and has no choice but to rush and try to save the lovely animals.  When she returns home, exhausted and in pain, Bobby announces that he’s leaving her.  Cami must figure out how to move on from her broken marriage and realizes that it’s with animals that she finds solace and healing.

Review:

I’d heard great things about Katrina Kittle’s books, but never had actually read any of them.  When a review opportunity for The Blessings of the Animals came up, I passed on it, but after reading the amazing, glowing, gushing reviews of this book, I was kicking myself for not having accepted it.  Then in came a wonderful book blogging friend who offered me her copy once she was finished with it.  I was ecstatic, and it was all I could do not to tear into this book the moment I received it.

I loved The Blessings of the Animals.  I loved the main character, I loved the animals and her relationship with them (and that’s saying something, considering I’m not really an animal person), I loved the story, I loved all the secondary characters – it was just a wonderful, sweet book from beginning to end.  Cami was an incredible character and I loved watching her stand on her own two feet as the novel progressed.  She found inner reserves of strength that she didn’t know she had, learning to let go of the anger and sense of betrayal she felt.  I know this is vague, but I can’t really put into words why I liked her so much.  She’s just someone I’d want as a friend, at my side when things are bad.

The storyline of The Blessings of the Animals might seem like an overdone cliché from my summary, but trust me, it’s not.  From beginning to end, this story did not go anywhere that I thought it would.  Instead of being about Cami trying to find a new man, or reconcile with her old one, it was about Cami the person.  Her work, her life, her relationship with her daughter, her friends.  That’s not to say there weren’t love interests, her husband or otherwise, just that the book wasn’t about that.  It was about Cami being happy by herself.

I can’t tell you how much I enjoyed The Blessings of the Animals.  It was an amazing novel, and I can’t believe it’s taken me this long to read something by Katrina Kittle.  I’m definitely going to go out and pick up her backlist, and you can be sure that any review offers I get in the future for books of hers will be met with an automatic YES!

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Title: Deja Dead
Author: Kathy Reichs
ISBN: 9781416570981
Pages: 416
Release Date: September 2, 1997
Publisher: Pocket
Genre: Mystery
Source: Personal Copy
Rating: 4 out of 5

Summary:

Temperance Brennan is a forensic anthropologist working in Montreal.  She has recently divorced her husband and her daughter is away at college, so Temperance feels alone in the world.  When a set of bones is discovered in the city, Temperance is immediately able to determine that they’re from a recent murder.  As she discovers more about the victim, Temperance begins to come to her own conclusions about the case and realizes that she has to do more digging if she’s going to solve it.

Review:

As part of my mystery kick, I’ve been reading some books on forensic anthropology.  I’m not normally one who enjoys gory descriptions, but I still find the work these anthropologists do fascinating.  Admittedly, Deja Dead was one of the more difficult, descriptive books I’ve read on the subject, but for good reason – Kathy Reichs herself is a forensic anthropologist, and it’s clear she knows exactly what she’s talking about.

I had mixed feelings on Temperance Brennan.  On one hand, she was smart, savvy, and determined to find the killer.  She put everything she knew and had learned to the test as she tried to figure out the culprit.  At the same time, though, she did some really stupid things that she was way too smart for.  When you establish a character that smart (as Temperance seems to be), having them take unnecessary risks seems out of character.  Temperance often strikes out on her own in this book, knowing full well she has no way of defending herself and there’s a good chance she’ll be killed.  This isn’t due to a lack of options on Temperance’s part, but rather an impulsiveness that seems to drive her.  I often was frustrated with the risks she took and wished she would be smarter about these things, especially because she was really too smart to be doing them.

The mystery in Deja Dead was very interesting.  At times, I felt like everything tied together a little too neatly, but as I understood more about the case, it all made sense.  Reichs definitely keeps the reader guessing.  Additionally, the setting of Montreal really adds to the book.  Reichs brings the city to life in Deja Dead, really giving the reader a sense of what it’s like.

Despite my quibbles with Temperance Brennan, I really did enjoy  Deja Dead.  The quality of the mystery and the interesting nature of Temperance’s work make up for my frustrations with her character, so I’ll definitely be reading the next book in the series.

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Title: Fifth Avenue, 5 A.M.: Audrey Hepburn, Breakfast at Tiffany’s, and the Dawn of the Modern Woman
Author: Sam Wasson
ISBN: 9780061774157
Pages: 256
Release Date: June 22, 2010
Publisher: Harper
Genre: Non-Fiction
Source: Personal Copy
Rating: 3.5 out of 5

Summary:

In this book, Sam Wasson takes the reader through the movie Breakfast at Tiffany’s from beginning to end.  He shows us the entire process of making the movie, beginning with Truman Capote’s writing of the novella, through the acquisition, adaptation, and filming.

Review:

Breakfast at Tiffany’s is one of my favorite movies.  Most romantic comedies I’ve seen don’t have long-term appeal, but this one is such a classic that I can watch it over and over again.  Every time I do, it makes me so happy for some reason.  When I heard that Fifth Avenue, 5 A.M., a sort of biography of the movie, was coming out, I immediately knew I had to read it.

I was at once thrilled and disappointed with Fifth Avenue, 5 A.M.  On one hand, there was a lot of great information I didn’t know in this book.  It really put Audrey Hepburn and her decision to take the role into context.  I also appreciated the discussion of Mickey Rooney’s Mr. Yunioshi, and how controversial he was – he’s the only aspect of the movie I abhor.  Wasson did an excellent job showing the reader exactly how the Breakfast at Tiffany’s we know and love today came to the screen.

However, on the other hand, unfortunately, that’s all Sam Wasson did.  There was a lot of potential with this book, to look at the greater trends and thoughts permeating through the time, as well as to truly dissect the movie’s effects.  This book was very much on the surface, though.  While it’s clear Wasson did interview and research those involved with the project, it seemed like he stopped there, simply translating their words for the page.  I would have loved to see something a little more in-depth.

I do love Breakfast at Tiffany’s, so any tidbit I can get about it, I’ll take.  As a result, I did like Fifth Avenue, 5 A.M.  However, I felt like there was some missed potential, as Wasson could have done a lot more with this than he did.  It’s a somewhat superficial history of a movie that had a lot of impact on American culture.  If you’re a fan of the movie, as I am, you’d probably like this book, but otherwise I wouldn’t recommend it.

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My neighborhood is not exactly car-friendly, but I’ve been managing for the past few years either driving or walking everywhere I need to go.  A few months ago, though, my husband convinced me there was a better way – biking.  He had purchased a bike for me years ago that I’d ridden all of twice and he offered to fix it up for me – change the handlebars such that I could ride upright, add some baskets – really make it a neighborhood errands type of bike.  He embarked on this project, and after a lot of time and effort, I had a great bike that I was thrilled to ride around.

But of course, fate (and a little bit of our own stupidity) struck.  We store the bikes in our condo building’s garage, which we’d thought was very secure.  People left their stuff lying around all the time, and they (and we) rarely locked up our bikes when they were in the garage because we thought they’d be fine – we knew our neighbors would never take them.  But a group of people broke into the garage one night, stealing, along with our bikes, a couple of motorcycles and someone’s fancy, shiny, expensive tires.

I was very upset.  I’d finally gotten to a point that I was riding my bike regularly, only to have it taken from me.  Not to mention, we’d put a lot of time and effort into fixing up my bike, and I hate that it was taken away just as I was beginning to enjoy it!  But, looking at the bright side, my husband pointed out that the bike wasn’t perfect.  He said that I’d probably want to replace it in a couple of years anyways, and though we were forced into the situation, it wasn’t all bad.  Therefore, we started looking online for the perfect bike.  And I fell in love.

It took weeks for my Civia Loring to arrive at the store – it was a special order because no one really carries it in the store.  I originally wanted it in a light green, but Civia sent the black by mistake.  While the store was determined to fix it, I decided that I actually really like the classic look of the black and am keeping it!

We have ordered a bamboo crate to go on the rear rack, so I’ll have plenty of storage space.  While the front rack is great, it won’t hold more than a small purse and a small bag of library books.  The bamboo fenders are also a nice touch, meaning I can ride around while it’s wet without having to worry about getting splashed.  And notice the wonderfully secure U-Lock that sits behind the seat (which is a Brooks leather saddle, one of the best out there).  I’ll definitely be locking this baby up.

I absolutely love the upright riding position of the bike, and the step-through frame means I won’t have a problem riding it while wearing a skirt or dress!  It’s such a comfortable ride and is beautifully constructed.  I will never say that I’m glad my old bike was stolen, because that is such a frustrating and upsetting situation, but my gorgeous Civia Loring certainly helps ease the pain!

Title: Still Missing
Author: Chevy Stevens
ISBN: 9780312595678
Pages: 352
Release Date: July 6, 2010
Publisher: St. Martin’s Press
Genre: Mystery, Contemporary Fiction
Source: LibraryThing Early Reviewers
Rating: 4 out of 5

Summary:

Realtor Annie O’Sullivan was about to close up the open house she was hosting when a nice man with a great smile stopped by.  She decided to keep the house open just a little while longer for him.  It turned out to be the biggest mistake of her life.  Over a year later, Annie is seeing a therapist, and describing her experiences at the hands of this man, who kidnapped her and kept her captive for a year.

Review:

When Still Missing begins, we know a few things.  Annie has returned home safely and is physically whole, if not emotionally.  She also hasn’t been able to deal with her experiences, and as a result, is trying out therapy once again.  As the story unfolds and Annie describes what she went through, the reader learns more about her captivity, as well as her life before and after the ordeal.

Annie isn’t the easiest character to like at the beginning of the novel.  She’s combative, sarcastic, and it isn’t entirely clear that she wants help.  As the novel progresses, though, the reader sees that she wasn’t always like that.  And as the reader witnesses the horrible things inflicted upon Annie, it becomes easier to understand her and impossible not to feel for her.  Therefore, though her attitude doesn’t change much until the last part of the book, the reader becomes much more sympathetic to her.

This book is an interesting psychological thriller as well.  The things Annie is put through are horrific.  It’s completely sickening and utterly terrifying, especially if you’re a woman.  It can be very difficult to read at times as well, just because the reader is so angry and disgusted on Annie’s behalf.  Stevens writes so vividly that the reader has to ask what they would do in that given situation.  They become part of the story as they insert themselves into Annie’s predicament.

This is a terrifying, thrilling, and suspenseful novel.  It definitely starts out slow, but it quickly becomes addictive.  I could not put this book down and was racing forward in nail-biting anticipation, desperate to see what came next.  The twists and turns are completely believable, as is Annie’s journey back to emotional stability.  That part of it is slow going, but it’s rewarding to see her try to come to a place of some kind of peace, knowing what she’s been through.

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Title: A Bad Day’s Work
Author: Nora McFarland
ISBN: 9781439155486
Pages: 288
Release Date: August 3, 2010
Publisher: Touchstone
Genre: Mystery
Source: Publisher
Rating: 4 out of 5

Summary:

Lilly Hawkins is about to catch a break.  After months of mistakes, blunders, and mix-ups that really weren’t her fault, she’s been asked to cover a murder for her local TV station.  As a female shooter, or camera person, she has to work twice as hard to garner respect, and the bad luck she’s been having hasn’t been helping matters.  She manages to get a great scoop on the murder investigation, despite the fact that none of the police have been talking to reporters, but when she races back to the TV station to share the footage, the tape is blank.  Despite this fact, people begin to come after Nora asking for the tape – thugs, people at the news station, the police – and she realizes they think she must have seen something.  Nora is forced to strike out on her own to figure out the truth behind the murder and why so many people are after her.

Review:

I love a solid mystery with a strong female lead and good character development, so A Bad Day’s Work was perfect for me.  Lilly Hawkins was an appealing character who was easy to like.  In fact, it’s good that she’s so accessible to the reader at the beginning, because as the novel progresses, Lilly makes some hard realizations about herself.  But because the reader is on her side from the beginning, they are rooting for her, rather than finding reasons to dislike her.  I loved the process of self-discovery Lilly went through as the novel progressed.

The mystery in A Bad Day’s Work was very well done.  There were enough twists and turns to keep the reader hooked, but not so many that it made it unbelievable.  Lilly was a great character for this, as her personality is such that she won’t stop until she finds the truth.  While she does plunge herself headfirst into the investigation, she’s not reckless or stupid.  She doesn’t take unnecessary risks, which I appreciated.

The secondary characters in A Bad Day’s Work are very well developed for such a short book.  This is supposed to be the first in a trilogy, and I look forward to seeing more of them, as well as Lilly, in the second book.

A Bad Day’s Work reminded me a lot of the first novel in Laura Lippman’s Tess Monaghan series, Baltimore Blues.  The feel of the books are similar, as are the main characters.  If you enjoy that series, or really any mystery series with a strong female lead and a sense of humor, you’ll like A Bad Day’s Work.

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Title: Juliet
Author: Anne Fortier
ISBN: 9780345516107
Pages: 464
Release Date: August 24, 2010
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Genre: Historical Fiction, Contemporary Fiction
Source: Publisher
Rating: 3 out of 5

Summary:

When her Aunt Rose dies, Julie Jacobs is bereft.  After all, Aunt Rose is really all she has left in the world since her parents are dead.  Julie does have a twin sister, Janice, but she’s so flighty and self-involved, Julie might as well be alone.  It comes as a shock, then, when Janice is left Rose’s entire estate, while Julie gets one measly key, a passport with the name Giulietta Tolomei, and instructions to go to Siena, Italy.  Once there, Julie (or is it Giulietta?) begins to delve into the past and understand her connection to the original story of Romeo and Juliet.

Review:

I had mixed feelings regarding Juliet before I even started the book.  I’ve never really been captured by the story of Romeo and Juliet, so I wasn’t that interested in it when I first heard about the novel.  But then it was prominently featured at a panel at Book Expo America and it did sound interesting, so I changed my mind.  By the time I got around to Juliet, I was really excited to read it.

Unfortunately, Juliet didn’t work for me as well as I’d hoped.  Part of the reason was my original hesitation – I’m just not that interested in the “romantic” story of Romeo and Juliet.  After all, they were just a couple of teenagers that decided suddenly that they were in love and got caught up in the feud between their families, and then (in my opinion) drastically overreacted to their circumstances.  Therefore, when Julie became convinced there was a curse upon her house and her story began to mirror that of Juliet’s, I couldn’t help but roll my eyes.

The novel also has a thriller feel, which surprised me.  From the subject matter and the way it was described, I expected a very literary suspense story, in the vein of The Historian.  Therefore, the pace of the book didn’t really sit well with me.  Additionally, I just found the entire thing difficult to believe.  The novel gets stranger and stranger as the novel progresses, to the point where I just couldn’t go along with it anymore.  The coincidences, the setups, the discoveries – it just became too much for me.

Juliet does show promise, and I think if Anne Fortier tried her hand at a more literary, less Da Vinci Code-esque (Publisher’s Weekly’s comparison, not mine) novel, it would have worked much better for me.  I did appreciate Fortier’s historical take on the legend.  She did a wonderful job bringing medieval Siena to life and I thought her interpretation of the story was fascinating.  It was the modern day part that I had trouble with, and that is the majority of the book.

In the end, I was very disappointed in Juliet, especially after all the great reviews I’d read.  There was a lot going on, and I’m not sure it all tied together well.  However, the novel showed enough promise to where I’ll keep a look out for anything else Anne Fortier writes, and would be willing to pick it up.  If you’re a huge fan of the Romeo and Juliet story, I wouldn’t hesitate to read this book.  If you’re ambivalent, though, I’m not sure I can recommend it, but most others probably will!

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Title: Georgia’s Kitchen
Author: Jenny Nelson
ISBN: 9781439173336
Pages: 336
Release Date: August 3, 2010
Publisher: Gallery
Genre: Women’s Fiction
Source: Publisher
Rating: 4 out of 5

Summary:

Georgia is at the top of her game.  She’s a chef in one of New York City’s hottest restaurants and has a fiancé who she loves.  Of course, everything’s not perfect – Georgia’s boss, Marco, is a piece of work and her fiancé, Glenn, has seemed distant as of late – but on the whole, things are really good.  All of that comes crashing down on her in just one day, though, and Georgia’s left to pick up the pieces and determine what she really wants out of life.

Review:

I love books about food and chefs, so when I first heard about Georgia’s Kitchen, I was really eager to delve into it and immerse myself in a world of great food.  Happily, I wasn’t disappointed – Jenny Nelson’s descriptions are spot-on and I absolutely loved the glimpse into the world of chefs and cooking she provided.

Georgia is a great character who thinks she has it all when the book begins.  If you look closely, though, you can see the cracks just beginning to form in her facade.  It’s clear that her relationship with Glenn isn’t as wonderful as she thinks it is, and the reader knows from the very beginning that things at the restaurant aren’t going to stay good.  It’s interesting to see how despondent, yet free Georgia feels when everything collapses and she has to start over again with nothing.

Georgia’s Kitchen pulls the reader in a lot of directions.  That might not work as well in some books, but for some reason it fits in this one.  Georgia goes a lot of places, does a lot of things, and embarks on a lot of projects (both professional and personal) before she settles on what she wants to do and who she wants to be.  This mirrors Georgia’s inner turmoil at what she’s been going through.  I appreciated how much Georgia grew throughout the novel, and how she was able to suck up her pride in order to get things done.  These kinds of gestures really endeared her to the reader.

I also appreciated the message in Georgia’s Kitchen – you have to work extremely hard for what you want, and even if you do, there’s no guarantee it will work out.  There are no happily ever after endings.  That might make it seem like the book is depressing, but that’s not true at all.  It’s just that Georgia has to learn that life definitely isn’t fair the hard way, and it makes the book seem very realistic.

Georgia’s Kitchen was a solid debut.  I enjoyed getting to know the main character, and loved reading about her work as a chef.  I look forward to seeing what Jenny Nelson does next, and hope that there might be a sequel in the works!

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