Thirds

Finished the third Jessica Darling book by Megan McCafferty, Charmed Thirds. Overall I enjoyed this more than the last. I don't know what it was about the second one that wasn't as interesting, perhaps the super slow predictable plot to start, but I think the third book has brought me back to wanting to finish the series. The third book was much faster and covered more time than the first two. The first two covered Jessica's last three years of high school and this book covered her entire college career. The ups and down she experienced seemed accurate and the beginning and end of friendships and relationships were very similar to what everyone goes through. I don't really have much else to say about this one, though the ending was a bit off putting so I am not sure what to expect from the fourth book. Guess I'll find out this week.

Current Read: Fourth Comings by Megan McCafferty

Cupcake

A Piece of Cake by Cupcake Brown is a wonderful memoir. This true story is heart wrenching and hard to read/listen to. I have been listening to it for a long time now and finally finished it this week. I had to continually turn off the CD and listen or read something else to be able to get through it. It is a great book in that it makes you laugh, cry, smile, and think. The entire time I was reading it I was routing for a happy ending. I had a feeling there was one as Cup is now a successful attorney and public speaker, but it took long hard work to get to that point for her.

Brown is one of the strongest women I have ever read about. She is a true survivor and an inspiration. This book was listened to at a time that I think was right for me to be listening to it. I have no idea how it ended up on my list but reading it, especially as a social worker, was very informative.

Current Listen: Son of a Witch by Gregory Maguire

JD

Second Helpings by Megan McCafferty was the second book in the Jessica Darling series by this author. The book was a quick easy read. Honestly it could have just been added into the first book and then heavily edited. It wasn't especially interesting to read. The story followed main character Jessica Darling as she made her way through her last year or so of high school. It also picked up where the first book ended but not really as dramatically as the first had ended. The plot was a bit slow and quite predictable. The fairytale ending was also a bit cliche. All that said I still picked up the third book so clearly McCafferty is hooking me somehow.

I also related to the story because of the character being the same age as me. She graduates in 2002 from high school, same as I did. The books are set up to be main character Jessica's journals and the divisions occur with each new month or time frame. September 2001 obviously already occurred when the book was published, but I found myself wondering if the author had it in her original draft or had to go back and add it in. Jessica describes her morning and the weeks that follow and although so many of my recent books mention 9/11, which seems odd but really isn't, it was in a way that seemed much more vivid to me since she was describing it as a high school senior which is where I was in life when the tragedy occurred.

Firsts

Sloppy Firsts by Megan McCafferty is a cute teen book. This is the first book in the Jessica Darling series. I can't remember why I first added them to the list but I know they came from working at the library. At some point or another the cover or amount of times I saw the book must have gotten my interest.

I liked it because it was more real than most teen novels tend to be. I also like how strong the main character is for a teen. Because it's a teen book it was a bit annoying at times. The language made me feel a bit old as well as I couldn't understand a few of the slang terms she was dropping. The problem for me is that it wasn't a great book, though it was good, but it's a series and now I feel the need to read the rest of the series. Thankfully they are quick reads.

Current Read: Second Helpings by Megan McCafferty

Match

So last week I finished So Many Books So Little Time by Sara Nelson. A couple weeks ago I went home to take care of my mom after her minor foot surgery and this book was waiting for me on my nightstand. My mom had picked it up at the library for me saying it reminded her of what I was doing. I hurried through it to get it back to her by the next weekend when I would return home.

It wasn't the most fantastically written book ever or anything but I really related to it. The authors goal was to read a book a week over the year. Mixed in with some of her reviews are stories from her personal life about her husband, a worker for SNL, and her young son. It was a cute read and overall interesting to me to see if she met her goal. I like how she answers this question as a yes and a no.

No idea yet if I will make my goal but I know I've been slacking the last few weeks so it's time to start up again. My book basket is pretty full too so I have plenty to keep me going.