Heart

What originally drew me to author Emily Giffin's books were the covers. I'm well aware you aren't supposed to judge a book by it's cover and all but they were just so simple and cute. I read her first three books over the same weekend and now I read her new ones as they come out. I didn't even know she had a new one out but happened to chance on it at the library and then in a sleepless insomniac night, finished it in one read.

I found Heart of the Matter to be different then what I'm used to getting with this author. Different in a good way. It seemed to me that the author has grown a bit as a writer. I enjoyed the lessened fairy tale details that are usually tucked into the pages of her books. I always find the books to be quick reads and a nice escape. This time I enjoyed escaping into a bit more of a realistic picture but still an escape.

Seattle/Portland Column

Before I left on my long vacation I picked up a stack of books at the library. I happened to find Savage Love by Dan Savage on display somewhere along the way to picking up my reserves. I thought it looked cute and that maybe it would be a book that the girls and I would read in the car at random. I ended up not having room for it in my suitcase (oops) so it never made the long journey with us. I thought it was kinda cool though after the fact that Savage's column is in the paper out on the west coast where we had just been. The books slightly outdated but the information is mostly still accurate I'd say.

Savage is a gay man giving sex/love/relationship advice in a newspaper column. I'd never heard of him before and while I don't think he has all the answers, I like his writing style and his witty responses. The book is worth even just browsing through to get a few laughs.

Can Anybody Hear Me

I've always liked actress Marlee Matlin so when I saw she had written a book about herself I was curious enough to add it to my list. Marlee is deaf and though I am not deaf I am hearing impaired and I've always sort of floated between the deaf community and the hearing community, yet another place in my life where I'm stuck in the middle.

I've always sort of viewed Matlin as this deaf actress and commended her for whatever it took for her to get where she is today. I never knew that half of it. I had no idea she had an addiction problem and the many more obstacles she faced. I'll Scream Later shares her story and keeps readers interested with the hopeful and inspiring message she provides.

My one and only complaint about the book is that it reads a bit like a resume in the sense that Matlin takes readers through each of her jobs and why she took them and information that just didn't always flow. Other than the star resume hidden within the pages, I enjoyed finding out more about a person I've always admired.

Luna

You'll have to forgive me that these entries are a bit out of order because I keep having to go back and check my book list. I'm working on the whole not being perfect thing though so I'm not fixing it. Pack up the Moon by Anna McPartlin is the book I read on the return trip. Loved this book. It had me laughing, had me with tears in my eyes, and had me hoping it would never end and wanting to get to the end all at the same time. It had a few similarities to P.S. I Love You by Cecelia Ahern but I may have just read that into it. Plus overall it was very different and so very much so its own book.

The story's main character is a young women who loses the love of her life tragically. The story shares how their group of friends pick up the pieces and how she moves on in her life. The individual characters are each interesting and as a reader I wanted to continue to hear their stories as much as the main characters. The end of the novel (no I am not spoiling it this time, it's worth reading on your own!) also shocked me in a good way. At the very end of the edition I had there was a Q & A with the author which allowed me as a first time reader of hers to get to know her better.

I love this author and will happily add more of her books to my list.

90210

I can't really explain why I like Tori Spelling but I just do. I like her reality show and I've actually enjoyed her books. I guess to me for someone who grew up so "privileged" she just seems pretty down to earth. Maybe I'm being played but she seems genuine.

Uncharted TerriTORI is her third book. I have to say I enjoyed it. My one and only complaint would be that it followed much too closely to the last season of her show. I knew what was coming next. That said there were some behind the scenes or added stories that didn't disappoint. Oh and I really don't like the cover, it's a bit creepy. Wait and also I wish they would stop throwing TORI in the titles in some cutsey spin, it was okay the first time but we get it now, enough. Other than that, fast easy read and good to see mending of some relationships. Not sure why the rest of the 90210 cast seems to hate her and it would be interesting to get some of that gossip haha.

more romance

Read book three of the Bride Quartet series by Nora Roberts Savor the Moment. Cute, predictable, have to finish the series cause I'm weird like that but theres really nothing great about the books. Nothing terrible but just cute fluffy story lines with an ending you know is going to happen. And also spoiler alert do not continue if you plan to read this series...

The four friends own a wedding venue where they host weddings and each of them provides something for it, business management, flowers, cakes, and photography. Thats great but the fact that each of them is single to begin the series but by the end is going to be happily engaged or married (fourth one is out in November) is just to unrealistic for a realist like me.

I do enjoy the escape though into fantasy romance land I suppose, otherwise I would stop reading and getting so upset at knowing this could never really happen.

Thin?

The idea of ending dieting and all the body hatred and forgetting about the pounds is... well it's a dream come true for all women no? So I was very intrigued by Valerie Frankel's book Thin is the New Happy (side note: I don't think I've linked to Fantastic Fiction before and want to take a moment to talk about how awesome this site is. It really lives up to it's name and it's a not so secret reference tool librarians are using all the time!)

Frankel describes her decision to give up the weight war and just eat when shes hungry stop when she isn't and forget about the numbers on the scale. And get this, she loses weight! She gains confidence and style! She inspires!

I don't really want to go on and on about this book but it was pretty awesome. The reader is certainly able to relate to the story. It's not a sad depressing woe is me and weight war kind of story though, there is a lot of humor and hope woven in. I absolutely loved listening to it!