Charlotte's Web of Books

The final book of the year. Herself by Leslie Carroll. This was a fun little book that gave me one of my resolutions for 2009.
Get a passport!! So the next time a man named David breaks my heart(because it happens far too often in my life) I can hop on a plane & fly to Ireland to find the real love of my life.
Tessa Craig is a successful speech writer for Congressman David Weyburn (further proof that all single men named David are emotionally damaging to have around!! *grin*) when he decides that he wants to end their secret romantic relationship after three years. But he does want her to stay on as his speechwriter. WTF? Only a man would think that it would work out. LOL.
Tessa decides to think about it while on a vacation to Ireland. Where she meets Jamie Doyle. A true Irishman who professes his undying love after only knowing her a week. He even decides to shuck it all & move to New York to be with her. But can they overcome their differences in religion, in lifestyles & live happily ever after?
Herself is a fun little book about a woman who finally learns how to look after herself. She examines how her life has been going & what is missing from her life. And finds love along the way. The perfect book to read in the New Year when Resolutions start dying out. Herself will remind you how important it is to persevere & make the changes necessary to make you a better woman.

Well. There is no other way to say it, but I did not like this book. Okay, maybe not the book, itself. It has a pretty green cover. *grin*
It is Thanksgiving day when Eve walks in on her husband having an intimate phone conversation with another woman. Eight months pregnant and full of hormones, Eve comes completely unglued & kicks him & everyone there for dinner out of their home.
The story then follows Eve & Jon (mostly Eve) as they try to piece their life back together. Eve & her self righteous indignation is so revolting, I just want to slap her silly. I barely tolerate women like this in real life, I sure don't want to read about them for pleasure. Eve makes excuses for her bad behavior & takes no responsibility for her own actions for their breakdown in marriage, even though she obviously was a contributing factor. (Nothing irritates me more than a woman who blames everything bad in life on a man -- grow a freaking spine & look in the mirror). But can the couple get their act together before it is too late?
There are some likable characters in this book. Eve's brother, Charlie, reminded me of one of my own brother's with his easy personality. And Lil, the mother of one of the kids friends, is a no-nonsense , take no prisoners kind of woman. Someone that I think is the polar opposite of Eve.
Love & Other Natural Disasters is not an easy book to read. It is a fast book to read, but not an easy one. The obvious character flaws in Eve & Jon are so disgusting you want to hurry through the book with as little personal damage as possible.

I downloaded this book last year for Christmas & forgot all about it. I have a tendency to forget things around the Holidays. LOL
I found it when I was digging through my Audible library last week & decided that I would listen to it on my drive to Iowa for Christmas. The Stupidest Angel was my first Christopher Moore book & it will not be my last.
I had no clue what to expect, being that I had forgotten that I even had it. Little did I know that it is a Zombie book!! With a pot smoking Constable, a crazy B-Actress, an Angel set on proving his worth, a gun toting Santa who gets himself killed with a shovel, and of course it all takes place in a picturesque little town along the coast. The west coast, that is.
The thing about listening to Audiobooks is that, yes, you get to hear the story in character's voices, but there are no pages to stick post-it notes on to mark the one liners you want to quote. The Stupidest Angel is full of one-liners that left my jaw dropped in some case & had me rolling with laughter with others. It was the perfect book to whet my appetite for Christopher Moore. I get his sense of humor & I look forward to checking out his other works.

YAY!!! I actually finished a book!! I was sitting at the oil change place & almost finished it! Dern them for being so fast! So I had to rush home to read the last few pages.

The Reading Group is exactly what I wish I had. A group of women, some strangers, some friends who get together once a month to discuss books. And even better, they all live in or around London.
All of the women come from different stages of life. From the divorced mother newly engaged, to the woman who has to make tough decisions about her aging mother. Each of the women has something different to offer the group. And through the months, their relationships grow through the discussions at the Reading Group.
The book was a great read & would be perfect for a book club discussion, itself. And a neat thing I noticed, that even though ''chosen" months in advance, each book discussed is relevant to what is going on in the lives of the women. With books like Atonement, The Alchemist, Rebecca and others, you get to peek at the discussion these women have over books that millions of women have read all over the world.
Great book! Check it out!

I don't usually blog about these type of books. Books with no plot or storyline. But this. This book must be shared. LOL
It is currently on our Humor table & they have been selling by the dozens, but I had never picked it up until today. I was tired & crabby & a bit short with the first couple customers of the day. But I read this book in less than five minutes & just giggled & giggled & giggled. OMG. It is so cute, I actually bought it. LOL. With captions like "Your Band Sucks" & "Your toupee isn't fooling anyone" you just can't help but giggle.
A quick google search led me to this website http://breakingbadnewswithbabyanimals.com/ecards/test.html. It appears as if several from the book can be found on the website. And just for the record, it is hard to be pissed & cranky when giggling like a crazy person.

This was a really, really good book.



Sing Them Home is such a captivating, intricate story, that I am not sure where to begin.

It was 1978 when a tornado swept through the small Nebraska town, Emlyn Springs. The tornado swept away Hope Jones & her daughter, Bonnie. Bonnie was eventually found in the roots of an uprooted, overturned tree, but Hope was never to be seen again. Leaving her three children (Gaelen, Larken & Bonnie) motherless.

Fast forward to 2003. Their father, the good mayor of Emlyn Springs is adamant that he will not miss his tee time. Even if it is in the middle of yet another unrelenting spring storm. Even though, they had not gone far, all three children find their way back to Emlyn Springs. Through their grief, they confront the things in their lives that are holding them back. Professionally, socially, & emotionally.

The novel is written in such a way that you get perspective from all characters involved. From the entries in Hope's journals, to Viney, their father's common-law wife & once best friend to their mother, to the Dead Mothers & Fathers of the town(it may sound strange, but really it is a charming piece of the story), you experience it all.

I think the reason why I enjoyed this book so much is because I can relate to so many things in the story. Particularly the location. I grew up in a small town Southeast of Omaha (on the Iowa side). Yet it is so similar. And Kallos has nailed the descriptive qualities of small town living

"But when you've lived here as long as I have, folks expect you to
behave a certain way. It's as if they've already imagined your life &
get truly, deeply upset if you don't play your part the way they've written
it."

I was shocked to learn that Ms Kallos was not a native to Nebraska, also because of her observations of Nebraska culture. There was mention made of Runza's, a fast food chain born & bred in Nebraska, and a MUST have for visiting out-of-towners like me.
But, most importantly, it was the observations & writing regarding Welly's season tickets to the Nebraska Cornhuskers.

"Season tickets to University of Nebraska football games are to Nebraskans what
rent-controlled apartments are to Manhattanites

."
And when it came to selling those season tickets?

"There is a small country that forms on certain Saturday's in the autumn
within the city limits of Lincoln, Nebraska. On those Saturday's hundreds
of thousands of people gather to cheer on a football team called The Cornhuskers.
In the end, Larken couldn't SIGN HERE -- Not today,
maybe never, because selling her father's small territorial holdings within that
Saturday country would be exactly like selling the family farm."

Having recently attended my first Cornhusker football game in Lincoln, I can very easily understand what a treasure it is to have those season tickets. And obviously so does Stephanie Kallos. Sing Them Home is an excellent, well written study at life, death, living, dying & small town America. It is not an easy read, nor is it a fast read, but it is a book that will leave you a better person at it's conclusion.

Snowed In is a book that I picked up last year during our employee appreciation days & just now got around to reading. I had to wait for the right mood to read a book titled Snowed In.
Sophie & Paul are just past the honeymoon phase of their wedding when Paul's work transfers him to Portland, Maine. While Paul becomes immersed in his work & his new secretary. Sophie finds herself listless & unsettled in their new home. It is when she joins a walking club & meets Ned & Stephen, two brothers also "from away", that she truly begins to feel as if Portland is a place she can call home. But as her friendships grow, her marriage deteriorates.
Christina Bartolomeo has written an interesting booking about personal growth. And doing things that challenge us to step outside the comfort zone. Whether it be learning to do something new or joining a club, without personal growth, we become stagnant. Sophie is a perfect example of that.
Snowed In isn't a "fluffy" Chick Lit book. There are too many meaty issues at the heart of this story, but it would be a good book for a book club discussion. There is a reading group guide in back to help lead discussion.

And then I got sick.
I still am fighting the crud, but I do feel a little better, but not much. I missed work yesterday in an effort to kick it to the curb. Getting sick during the holidays is not possible for a Retail Manager. *sigh*
Apart From The Crowd is another book to feed my Irish obsession. The book tells the story of Kenmare. A small village in Ireland. Full of inhabitants that have lived there all their lives. At the center of the book is Mary, Sam, Penny, & Ivan. Sam is the newcomer to the village, but is quickly made to feel like one of the family.
They all have "stuff" they are dealing with. Some of them deal with it better than others. But they get through with the help of each other. And in the process they learn a lot about themselves & what they want from this life.
Apart From the Crowd is not your typical chick lit. It is a well written novel with great character development. You feel as if you are a part of the community. And it is a wonderful place to be.

I haven't read the series, because I don't really like starting a series that have a million books & I didn't start with the first one. Like the Born In Death series, or the John Sanford series. I know I would enjoy them, but committing to reading the whole series at once is overwhelming.
When I read the synopsis for The Bodies Left Behind & saw that it wasn't a Lincoln Rhyme novel, I decided to give it a shot.
The book is action packed, a little too much so. Just when you think things are going to have a conclusion, he throws another thing into the mix. I can see the book becoming a movie. But other than the Husband Stealer, I can't think of a good female action star.
But, back to the plot. Deputy Brynne McKensie is cooking dinner at home when she gets a call from work. A 911 call from one of the nearby lake homes. She is asked to go check things out. And that is when all hell breaks loose. Brynne enters the fight for her life & the struggle to find her way back home. And of course there are enough twists & turns that will leave you dazed, but you will enjoy the end! I promise!

For the record, I want to state that I read the book long before it became the huge phenomenon that IS Twilight. For years, I have hand sold this book & the sequels to anyone who is wanting a good romance, to anyone buying for teen girls. And there are always those people who are hesitant to purchase a vampire love story. Twilight is written by a practicing Mormon Mother. There is absolutely nothing questionable in this book. Heck, there is barely kissing.
So, why has Twilight & Edward Cullen taken over the hearts & minds of millions of women? Well, I think it is because we all want to be loved & cherished by a man like Edward loves & cherishes Bella. One of the girls at work, just finished the whole series. And she told me that while reading the series, she broke up with the guy she was dating. Just because the books reminded her what she wanted in a relationship & what she won't compromise. GOOD for her!
Expecting men to be like Edward is a bit unrealistic, though. Edward is a fictional character. Heck, he is a mythical character. Yet, it is not the mythical part that is so attractive. It is the fact that he loves Bella unconditionally. It is the fact that he would fight to the death for her. It is the fact that he puts her wants & needs above his at all time. We all hope that those qualities in a man are not as mythical as Edward.
If you are one of those few females left on the planet that have not read Twilight, I do encourage you to do so. It will not raise your IQ or solve the world's woes. But it will be an opportunity to escape for a few hours & remember what it is like to fall in love for the first time.

Three women have been best friends since college. Mara, Ellie, & Jen. All three are at varying stages in their relationships. And at the center of each relationship problem is a little document called The Pre-Nup.
For Ellie, her marriage is over. There is no hope of a reconciliation. But the Pre-Nup as stated will leave her destitute & possibly losing custody of her daughter. Can she plead her case & save her divorce?
For Jen, her marriage to Eric is on the rocks, but the Pre-Nup could cause her to lose everything she has worked so hard for. But will it all be worth it without Eric?
And there is Mara. Mara is engaged to Josh. She is planning her wedding & looking forward to their future together. But Mara, the high powered lawyer may lose it all when a Pre-Nup is introduced, they may not make it to the alter.
Beth Kendrick writes a fun little book about three friends. Three friends who stick together when the chips are down. Three friends who take care of each other when they are at their lowest point. The Pre-Nup is not only a book about relationships, but more a book about friendships. And no matter what happens, your truest friends will always be there for you.

What would you do if you won $34 Million dollars?
Let's see. I would first of all, set up trust funds for all of my nieces & nephews. I would write a check for a million dollars to both sets of my parents. And then I would hire a financial consultant & invest a chunk. After a spending spree, of course. A house in the Shoal Creek area & a new Lexus SUV. That would be my spending spree. *grin*
Lucy Parker is having a hell of a day. She was just accused of sexually harassing a student, which resulted in her losing her job. Her beloved VW broke down & she walked in on her boyfriend having sex with a random girl with fake books. It is, without a doubt, the worst day of her life. And then she wins the lottery.
After the shock wears off, Lucy tries to figure out what to do next. The media has made her a prisoner in her own home. So when an old college friend offers her refuge in her Palm Beach mansion, she goes. She finds herself entrenched in a world she does not know. A world of Porsche convertibles, personal stylists & $900 pair of jeans. She finds herself being turned upside down & inside out. Will she ever find her way back to the person she was before?
Whitney Gaskell has written a fun little book. We all have played the "What If..." game. Whitney Gaskell just put it on paper. And I would be remiss to not point out the props she gives to Barnes & Noble. Her description was spot on in regards to selling the Membership card, that I actually laughed out loud. She MUST have been a bookseller in a prior life. It seriously cracked me up.
Check out this essay by Whitney Gaskell regarding the back story. http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v489/charlotteg/January30048-1.jpg. I would like to say that you could buy the book at B&N, but for some reason we were told to pull the book as "defective" with no reason. But I was able to snag a copy before they were pulled. No matter where you buy it, just buy it. You won't be disappointed.

W-O-W
Anita Shreve has hit it out of the ballpark with her new book, Testimony. It is an insightful, 360 degree look at what happens when a scandal erupts at a prestigious, upper crust New England private school.
The story is told in alternating voices. And it took me several chapters to realize that the chapters were being told as if it were truly testimony in a trial. (yes, I am a dork). From the Headmaster, who tried to keep the situation involving three upper class boys & a fourteen year old freshman, within the four walls of the school. To the roommate of the girl involved, to the parents of the students involved. The book tells the Testimony of all those involved.
Some readers may find it a bit confusing, because each person's Testimony starts at a different point in time. For the Headmaster, it started when his car flipped over on the icy road several years before the incident. For the girlfriend of one of the boys, her Testimony starts when she & Silas first discovered each other. But all of the testimonies come together to tell the story of what happened that Saturday night.
Testimony explores the privileged world of New England Private Schools and the communities they are set in. And how to the two, very different worlds, sometimes collide, wreaking havoc on many in the process. Well written & easy to read, once you start to read Testimony, you won't want to stop.

I am likely the only person on the planet who did not like The Shack.
The book started out interesting enough. The story of the Great Sadness was really & truly sad. I kept thinking back to Kelsey Smith, a local girl who made national news when she was abducted from Target & found murdered a few days later. What Mack went through, is what I imagine the Smith's went through. And I can't even begin to imagine what that kind of anguish feels like.
Sadly enough, they did not find Mack's daughter, Missy. And the next few years take a toll on his entire family. One day Mack receives a note in the mailbox. A note from "Papa" (his wife's name for God) calling him back to the Shack. It starts a series of events that will change Mack's relationship with God.
And that is where I lose interest in the book. The rest of The Shack is basically the author's interpretation of what God is to him. I mean, we all have a vision of what God would be like if we were to run into Him & having a chance to "hang out" so to speak. Well, this book is Paul Young's vision & it did nothing for me.
I can see why people like this book. People who have had a hard time putting a face to the name, so to speak. Mack spends his time with "Papa" (a big black woman) trying to make sense of his tragedy & why God would put him & his family through that.
The ending wraps everything up nice & neatly, which is just another reason for me to groan & mock. I told you I was going to Hell.

The 100th book that I read of 2008 was a Christmas book!! YAY for Christmas!! Things are really gearing up at work for the Holidays. Between the Holiday Changeover & talking about Holiday Scheduling, well Christmas will be here before you know it.
Tis The Season was a FAST read. It is written in email/letter format. And those always read fast. I think it took me an hour from start to finish.
The story itself is a heartwarming tale of a Party Princess made good. Think Britney Spears mixed with Paris Hilton. Caro Dixon has spiraled out of control with her drinking & partying. She has alienated friends, family, & several hotel chains. She finally hits rock bottom & after coming out of rehab, she finds herself more isolated than ever.
In the spirit of making amends, Caro emails some people from her past. People who had always been kind to her. And with their help her life gets back on track.
Tis The Season was really a cute book. The message was great & just wanted I needed to really get me in the mood for the upcoming season.

Home is the Keeper House, an English Manor in the English countryside. Keeper House has been in the family for many generations. It is where Lizzy's dad grew up with his sister & brothers. Keeper House is where Lizzy grew up with her sister, Jess.
Christmas Eve is when Uncle Mike springs a surprise on them by bringing his new wife all the way from America. Christmas Eve is when Aunt Chin introduces them to her boyfriend, Gibbo. Christmas Day is when Lizzy runs into her ex-boyfriend, the love of her life, at church. Christmas Day is when Lizzy's father announces that they must sell Keeper House.
Lizzy spends the next few months agonizing over the thought of losing her home. But most of all, she agonizes over what could have been with David. (What IS it with men named David?? Seriously, if I have learned nothing it is to NEVER date another man named David!)
Going Home is not your typical Chick Lit book. It isn't fluffy & lighthearted. It is real & intense. Lizzy's emotions jump off the page & sucks you in. Harriet Evans did a great job & has found a loyal reader with me. I look forward to reading her next book.

The 98th book I read of 2008 was a book I had first read several years ago.

As you know, I am a Sookie Stackhouse fan. I have been a fan for many years. And I have also been very entranced by the HBO series, True Blood. So when I found a stripped copy of Dead Until Dark at work (which, for the record was A COLOSSAL mistake, given the fact that is our number one bestselling paperback right now) I decided to read it again. To refresh my memory.

Dead Until Dark is just as fast of a read now, as it was when I first read it. And I remembered it fairly correctly. And even better, HBO is staying very true to the story. With one minor exception. The Tara/LaFayette storyline was introduced earlier on the show than in the book. Other than that, they have almost stayed true to the original story.

But, I admit that I had forgotten who the killer was. I wasn't shocked, but I didn't have it figured out either. I just hope that HBO sticks with Charlaine Harris on this one.

If I were to run into Claire LaZebnik on the street, there is one book I would encourage her to read. Boundaries by Dr. Henry Cloud. http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Boundaries/Henry-Cloud/e/9780310585909/?itm=1
I was absolutely horrified by the lack of Boundaries that Lauren & Ava displayed in the book The Smart One & The Pretty One. Let's forget the stereotypes that the title perpetrates, and move onto the fact that these sisters need some serious boundaries.
I have a sister. We are relatively close & have even lived together before, not to mention sharing a room as we were growing up. And not once. In our 25 years of being sisters have I EVER dreamt of getting into her purse to get money to give the neighbor girl peddling a fundraiser. And never would I think it was OKAY to do that. NEVER in a million years would I EVER think that it would be okay to hire a debt consolidator for my sister without her knowledge or permission.
Good grief. I just wanted to reach through the pages & set these girls down & shake them silly.
I purchased this book, because I saw that it was about Sisters. And it looked interesting because it involved a childhood "sweetheart". Holy cow, was the blurb misleading. There was the frumpy intelligent sister. And then the careless, irresponsible sister. There was absolutely nothing about this book that makes me willing to recommend it to women. I imagine that there are some women out there that can relate to the lack of boundaries between sisters. But, having grown up in a large family, boundaries were established early & (I am eternally grateful for that) this books just makes me want to kiss my mother for that.

Honestly, if the author would have addressed the issues in the story. And have the Sister's have their "moment of truth" moment, where they both realized that they were out of line & would never cross the "Boundaries" line again, I might be able to rec it. But that didn't happen. There wasn't really any "aha" moments about their relationship. About themselves, yes. But not about their inappropriate relationship.
Bottom line. SKIP it. Hopefully the next book on my TBR pile, also about sisters will be a better read.

Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World made me very homesick for my childhood and my hometown. My hometown is a small town, also in Iowa. In Southwest Iowa, as opposed to Northwest Iowa, where Dewey lived.
Dewey was found on a bitterly cold January morning in the overnight book drop at that Spencer Public Library in Spencer, Iowa. I have never been to Spencer, but a very dear friend of mine is from a very large, somewhat well known Spencer family. Her Grandfather was the High School Principal for many years.
But I digress. After being rescued from the drop box, Dewey became the apple of the town's eye. Visitor traffic increased & everyone looked forward to spending time with Dewey at the library.
I liked this book because of the Iowa connection. Dewey was found in 1988. And the author, Vicki Myron, does an excellent job of setting the scene for small town Iowa in the winter of 1988. I remember it quite well, anybody associated with farming & agriculture remember it quite well. It was a dark & scary time.
I also liked the book because Myron referenced Iowa "things" that Iowa people know about. For example, she mentions the articles that "Iowa Boy" Chuck Offenburger wrote about Dewey for the Des Moines Register. Not only was Chuck Offenburger the "Iowa Boy", but he was from my hometown, Shenandoah. His family attended the same church as mine & his older brother, Dan, did a lot to breathe life into my dying hometown.
Another example, was her mention of the magazine called CountRy. For those who live in or long for the country. The founder & publisher of that magazine(and many others) grew up on the farm across the road from my Grandparents farm in an itty bitty Iowa town, Auburn, Iowa.
Those little pieces of my past, being mentioned in this heartwarming little book was thrilling. The story of Dewey, Vicki Myron, & the entire town of Spencer, Iowa warmed my heart on this chilly fall day. The story made me proud to be able to say that I am from a small town in Iowa, it may not have been Spencer, but the similarities between the towns are astounding.
Fans of Marley &Me will enjoy this book, even if they are not cat people. Because, while this is a story about a cat, it is also a testament to how pets get into your hearts & touch your lives. We should all be so lucky to have a Dewey or a Marley grace us with their presence.

From Dead To Worse is the newest book in the Southern Vampire season. You catch up with Sookie, Bill, Eric & Jason after Hurricane Katrina. There is Were War going on & of course Sookie is right in the middle.
As a fan of the show, it is a bit weird to pick up book # 8 when so much has happened since where True Blood is at now. But things have happened & From Dead to Worse does not disappoint in it's plot or it's characters. In fact, I do believe the beginning of something good happens to Sookie in this book. And it involves Eric.
That is all I am going to say!! Once you new fans get caught up with the others, don't forget to check out From Dead to Worse.

Disclaimer: This Post actually contains spoilers!! Read at your own risk!

To a bibliophile like me, authors are like rockstars. Especially successful authors. So when Daria Snadowsky contacted me through this blog & offered to send me a copy of her book Anatomy of a Boyfriend, I was like HECK YEAH!! I have seen her book on the Teen table at work, but I had a chance to read the book. I was thrilled to receive an autographed copy of Anatomy of a Boyfriend. So, Ms. Snadowsky, I thank you for the opportunity to read your book.

Anatomy of a Boyfriend is a book about Dominique & Wes. High School Seniors who meet at a football game right after Christmas. Dom takes us with her as she & Wes develop their relationship. From their first kiss to their first intimate encounter, to their graduations & journey to college. This part was a little hard for me to stomach. I KNOW kids are having sex at such a young age these days. Whether it was because I was a late bloomer or because of my hand, I don't know. But I was 21. TWENTY-ONE before I even had my first kiss. And I do believe it was just last year that I found out what a dental dam was. LOL. So in that aspect, I can NOT relate to Dom & Amy.

But the break up. Break-ups are the same no matter what age you are. And for me, that is where Snadowsky & her characters get REAL for me. I can relate to getting sick to your stomach after a break-up. I can relate to the utter despair that Dom felt when she realized that her boyfriend was dumping her. I can relate to the counting of minutes between the moments that Dom thinks of Wes. I can relate. Break ups are break ups no matter how old you are.

I really liked Anatomy of a Boyfriend. It was a bit more explicit for a Teen book, than I expected, so I would be careful about the age & maturity level of the people I recommend it to. But it is well written & realistic. Daria Snadowsky did a great job & I can't wait to see what she comes up with next. But you can keep an eye on her at her official website, http://www.daria-snadowsky.com/

I did not start out with this weekend in mind, but I am having one of those weekends. You know, one of those weekends where you don't leave the house and do nothing but read. Or watch movies. Or sometimes both at the same time. I hope to get at least one more, if not two more books read before I go back to work tomorrow.

Most recently, I read Ask Again Later by Jill A Davis. http://www.jilldavis.com/. Ask Again Later is the story of Emily. Emily & her relationships. And how the functionality of every relationship that she has today can be traced back to her childhood. Most specifically to the divorce of her parents.

Emily is just drifting through life. She is a lawyer working an obscene amount of hours. Her boyfriend, Sam, also works at the same firm. And the only time they see each other is at work. Does Emily work so much to be able to see Sam? Or to avoid developing a real relationship with him.

But that all changes when Emily's mother calls & says that she is dying. Emily drops everything & rushes to her mother's bedside.

Emily takes this time to evaluate her life. Her career. Her relationship with Sam. Her relationship with her father & sister. She takes this time to evaluate her life as it is.

Ask Again Later is a poignant story with a quirky character. Emily is flawed in ways that so many of us are. She is a character that is struggling to deal with emotions that have been buried for most of her life.

The book is a fast read with an ending that doesn't come out of left field. The back of the book also has a Readers Group Guide and an interview with the author. Making it the perfect Book Club choice!

Enjoy!!

Struggling with weight issues seems to be the hot topic for memoirs these days. I read Such A Pretty Fat by Jen Lancaster, and laughed my arse off, ok not in the literal sense, but wouldn't that be nice?? Moose Camp by Stephanie Klein was out recently. I wanted to read it, but still haven't gotten around to it. And now Thin Is The New Happy by successful Chick Lit author, Valerie Frankel.

Having read books by Frankel, I was expecting a little more humor in the book than there actually was. Instead of writing the book as if it were happening "Real Time", the book truly is a memoir. It reads as if Frankel were sitting down & telling you the story of her life.

The book is not just about her weight issues, but about the relationships she has had in her life where weight was an issue, or condition of the relationships. Specifically with her mother.

Growing up with a "fatphobic" mother certainly shaped Frankel's body image & feelings about weight. She tells it as she remembers it & even has a chapter about the conversation (argument?? confrontation??) she had with her mother about her childhood while writing the book. In the end, her father made her apologize to her mother. The things Frankel writes about her mother's behaviors & comments are not flattering in the least, but Frankel makes it very clear that she still is her mother & she still has a relationship with her mother.

Frankel also goes into detail the various romantic relationships that she had throughout her life. Including her late husband, Glenn & her current husband, Steve. And how their offhanded comments, no matter how infrequent, resonated even years later.

Thin is the New Happy is a book many women will relate to. But it is a departure from her usual books. Readers will be very disappointed if they pick it up expecting "fluff". They will also be very disappointed if they expect Jen Lancaster type of humor.

It is the story behind the stories that we have grown to love. It is worth the read!

Chelsea Cain is one twisted sister. And I mean that in the most positive way possible. *grin*

Chelsea Cain has given new meaning to the term "psychological thriller". In her new book, Sweetheart, Cain has continued the story of serial killer, Gretchen Lowell & her only living victim, the man who put her in prison, Archie Sheridan.

Still suffering from psychological problems as a result from the time he spent as Gretchen's hostage, Archie has taken a break from his weekly, mandated, visits to Gretchen in prison. His "break" has, unknowingly, set Gretchen's plan into motion. And the series of events that follow may cost Archie, and everyone who loves him, their lives.

I finished Sweetheart in one sitting. I just couldn't put it down. In fact, I actually got chills towards the end. This book is just so psychologically THRILLING, that it is downright scary. You may even want to sleep with the lights on after reading Sweetheart.

</p> There is no doubt in my mind. Chelsea Cain has proven herself to be one of the best writers of psychological thrillers on the planet. If you have not read her books, you are depriving yourself of the ultimate scare.

I am so sorry that it is has been almost two weeks since I last posted. But, it has been almost two weeks since I last finished a book.

We are going through a design project (ie ... we have been rearranging the ENTIRE store). While, I haven't been doing the actual relay, we have been extremely short-staffed so the "team" can do the relay on overnight shifts. When I have been getting home from work, I have been so exhausted, it is all I can do to blink. It has been worse than the holidays. But it is almost over.

Now I get to tell you about this wonderful book. American Wife is going to be "the" book of the fall & holidays, I suspect. It has a very timely subject matter, with this being an election year & the Conventions being in the news the last couple of weeks.

American Wife is the story of Alice Lindgren, the only child of Democrats. Her child was pretty typical of most Wisconsin girls in the 50's & 60's. Until one night when she was a Junior in high school. A tragic accident set forth a series of events that would haunt Alice for the rest of her life.

Alice was 31 and prepared to live the rest of her life alone when she met Republican Congressional hopeful Charlie Blackwell at a friend's BBQ. He was incorrigible & charming & the man she would spend the rest of her with. From Wisconsin to the White House, American Wife takes us on a journey of an American Political family.

The similarities to the Bush family are certainly recognizable. Charlie Blackwell buying the Milwaukee Brewers, for example. Yet there is enough of a difference, that there won't be a lawsuit. The Blackwells are from Wisconsin, not Texas. And there are a few things in Alice's past that would certainly cause some tongues to wag. I will the first to admit that I don't know much about Laura Bush's childhood, but I guess it is possible that some of the story could be true. Shocking, but true.

American Wife is a well written book. I will admit that I was disappointed that it was after 400 pages when the Blackwell's finally moved to the White House. I was hoping to read more about life in the White House. I know it would have been a little more speculative, but American Wife is fictional, not biographical.

American Wife is an excellent book, that I see as being the book club book that everyone reads in November. Or better yet, January for the inauguration. It is well written, well thought out book that will generate hours of discussions at book clubs for months to come.

Through another wesbsite I discovered a little place called Shelf Awareness.
http://www.shelf-awareness.com/.

When you visit Shelf Awareness and sign up for their newsletter, you get daily emails about what is going on in the book industry. From bookstore openings & closings, to author appearances, to what's new & hot. Publishers also offer up Advanced Readers Copies from time to time. It is a neat little newsletter that I look forward to everyday.

Well, I received this book in the mail last week. It wasn't an ARC, but a finished, hardback book.

And it was a good book.

Marina had a rough life growing up. Her mother went from man to man, living off anyone and anything she can. On a whim she takes Marina to see a psychic, who says that Marina has "the gift". And from there, Marina's life is nothing but one long grift.

1.
(sometimes used with a plural verb) a group of methods for obtaining money
falsely through the use of swindles, frauds, dishonest gambling, etc.
2.
money obtained from such practices. –verb (used without object)
3.
to profit by the use of grift: a man known to have grifted for many years.
–verb (used with object)
4.
to obtain (money or other profit) by grift.

Even after Marina's mother passes away, Marina continues the Grift. Her finely tuned skills of observations & ability to read body language like a book , has made her a very successful "psychic". She drifts from town to town, from state to state. Making a very lucrative living by, essentially telling people what they want to hear.

Marina finally lands in California. But her past soon catches up with her. She falls in love & suddenly, she really does have "the Gift". But when someone tries to harm her & she "sees" a murder, her life starts spiraling out of control.

While a bit predictable, The Grift was a good mystery, full of new (to me) concepts and plots. Overall a good mystery.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I didn't think I would, but I did. So much in fact that it might go on the "Best of 2008" list.
The Waiter Rant is a book based on this blog. http://waiterrant.net/ Which is apparently the online Bible for all waiters great & small. The Waiter is a man in his thirties who stumbled into the restaurant business by mistake. He is Seminary educated & has a degree in psychology. But he makes his living waiting tables in New York City.
I will be honest. I have never been a waitress, I will never be a waitress. This one armed bandit does not have the dexterity necessary to carry multiple plates of food or pour beverages without getting somebody or something wet. Just because I have never been a waitress, does not mean that I can't empathize with what servers go through on a daily basis. I work retail, remember?
I picked up this book fully expecting it to be written by a pompous asshole who does nothing but make fun of his clients and co-workers. Yes, there is a healthy dose of that,

"Mr Green's y our typical yuppie food Nazi living in a cocoon of
self-entitlement."

but there is also a chapter called Heaven & Hell that nearly brought tears to my eyes. People can be your hell, but they can also be your heaven.

The book is peppered with one-liners that had me laughing out loud. Here he is discussing the dedication of restaurant staff.

" Armando pops so many antihistamines & Tylenol when he gets a cold I
worry that his liver will pop out of his navel before the end of the shift"

And this line, I can relate to this line from a chapter entitled If It Can Go Wrong, It Will Anyone who has been in management can relate to this line.

"I am headed for a rifle-in-the-clock-tower moment"

Like I said, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The Waiter has written a great book with great tales of life from the kitchen and the front of the house. While his cynical side is often displayed page after page, he has a soft side, too. A side that worries about his wait staff, a side that takes care not to humiliate a drunken regular down on her luck. A side that makes him human. It was just overall a great book. For anyone who has ever dined in a fine restaurant or even if you just dine at Applebee's, it may very well be the eye-opening book you need!

Do you think money can buy you happiness? Do you think if you were married to a man with a $97,000 car and a trust fund that you could be happy?
Lily Bartholomew has the dream life that most girls (not women, girls!) dream about. She met & married one of the most eligible bachelors in New York. She married into the Bartholomew family. With their trust funds & vacation homes, she is sure that her life will be nothing but "happy ever after".
But then reality sets in. She gets pregnant on their honeymoon. Her husband quits his job in her third trimester & her mother in law would rather see her dead than say anything positive to her or about her.
Flash forward a bit. The baby is five months old. She has not lost an ounce of the baby weight. Her husband STILL doesn't have a job. The debt is piling up fast. And when he decides to trade their sensible SUV in for a $97,000 Porsche. Lily is at her wits end. Will she ever lose the weight? Will things ever go back to the way they were before the baby? Will her Mother in Law ever treat her like a human being? Will they EVER pay off the debt they have accumulated?
Lily decides it is time to go back to work. Instead of writing about Hedge Funds she finds herself writing about the social elite that she so desperately wants to be a part of. And that is when the story really starts to get good.
I actually cried when I read this book. I felt so horrible for Lily so many times through out the story, that I just had to cry for her. Especially when dealing with her horrible, evil, wicked Mother in Law. And even worse when her husband took her Mother In Law's word over hers.
Somewhere in this tale of the New York High Society is the story of rocky relationships. The story of a woman fighting to be accepted by so many people. Her husband, her mother in law, & her "friends". It is a different kind of "coming of age" stories, but it is a story that you will find engaging & touching.

This is when Mike's life gets interesting. She is forced to do some serious soul searching and with the announcement of her father's engagement, she realizes that some things just can't be avoided. And rather than face the disappointment of her new stepmother, she attends a job interview at an all girls school. And is completely shell-shocked when she is offered a job.
This book has everything a girl is looking for in a good "chick-lit" book. There is the life challenge, the vulnerable heroine, the rocky relationship with family, and there is even a ruggedly handsome Aussie to satisfy the Romance portion of the book.
Everything Nice is a fun book with a likeable heroine and a plot that will hold your interest. Perfect for those of you needing a break from Vampires & Werewolves.