The fifteenth installment in the much loved Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich was every bit as exciting and funny as its predecessors. The characters are as usual up to some ridiculous hijinks's, but that's why we love them!
Fans of Stephanie Plum will generally classify themselves as "Team Morelli" or "Team Ranger", this book will be extra exciting for all those team Ranger folks out there.
Stephanie finds Lula as her most recent house guest, saws logs like no one shes ever heard before. She is already working for Rangeman so she figures why not move into the Batcave, temporarily. Nothing is ever safe at the Batcave, temptation is always around the corner, so she knows she can't stay long. Stephanie has declared herself "off of men" so she figures sleeping in Rangers bed shouldn't be an issue.
Ranger enlists Stephanie to help him find out who has been getting around his systems and robbing his clients. She has an eye for details, and a lot of dumb luck. In exchange for her help with his problems, he rides along with her as she goes to pick up some challenging skips.
Keep up the good work Janet Evanovich!
In our giveaway I asked you if you were a soul, what host body you would want to be placed in. I have gotten a lot of interesting responses. Read this MTV interview to find out who Stephanie Meyer would want to be placed inside. Also find out her plans for sequel books.
MTV Interview
And Meyer's fans have done exactly that for the 34-year-old stay-at-home mom, who has transformed herself into America's J.K. Rowling.
Emerging from her busy schedule for a rare chat, the affable author spoke exclusively to MTV News about stepping outside her safety zone, and her dream of snatching Charlize Theron's body.
MTV: Give us a synopsis, if you could, of "The Host."
Stephenie Meyer: Well, one of my pet peeves is doing a synopsis, because I work best in long explanations — and after writing a 600-page book, it's kind of hard. But basically, the easiest way for people to get it in a nutshell is that it's "Invasion of the Body Snatchers," if the aliens had won. That gives you a sense of the horror, but these body snatchers are so kind and so good, and the world is such a good place when they're in charge, it makes it hard to hold their colonizing against them. Then there's the main [story] — that people don't give up even after [their bodies] have been given away as a host — and there are two entities with one body to share between them.
MTV: Your name is Stephenie Meyer, and your main character's name is Melanie Stryder. Should we be reading something into that?
Meyer: No, that wasn't on purpose. With names, for human characters that aren't 100 years old, I tend to look for people around me. Melanie is one of my cousins, and Stryder is actually someone I knew in high school.
MTV: Your fans know about how "Twilight" started with a dream you had in 2003. Did you dream "The Host" as well?
Meyer: No. I wish I had a better story for how I came up with it, because I don't. ... I was on this really horrible, boring drive from Phoenix to Salt Lake City, just desert and ugliness, and my kids were in the back watching a movie. I was completely on my own and bored out of my mind. I tend to tell myself stories in those situations, and I just caught myself in the middle of this idea about two people sharing a body, both in love with the same guy.
MTV: Do you plan on writing "Host" sequels?
Meyer: I hope. If I were to continue on with "The Host," which is a possibility, there are characters and stories that could continue. ... If I went ahead with that, it would be two more. ... Next would be "The Soul," and then "The Seeker."
MTV: Before the "Host" fans invent their name, do you have any suggestions?
Meyer: Oh, I hadn't even thought about that.
MTV: Hosters?
Meyer: Hosters. [Laughs.] It depends on who you're rooting for, because I've had some people who are really pro-souls. Soul Fans maybe?
MTV: You've said that when you write, you cast actors in the roles in your head. Would you like to see a "Host" movie? Who are your dream stars?
Meyer: I would. ... With "Twilight," I felt the actors needed to be up-and-coming artists that haven't been recognized yet. ... With "The Host," I think the actors could be really big names. That would be cool. I'd love to see Robert Redford put on a beard and be Jeb; he would be amazing. ... Matt Damon has some very Jared-esque qualities, and then [I'd love to see] Casey Affleck as Ian and Ben Affleck as Kyle. Imagine the interplay.
MTV: If you could invade anyone's body, à la "The Host," who would it be?
Meyer: I'd really like having a couple days of being a rock star, although I'd rather be a backup — like maybe the drummer for Muse. ... It would also be fun to be gorgeous, like be Charlize Theron, just for a couple of days.
I had the opportunity of meeting Janet Evanovich today and having her sign my brand new copy of Finger Lickin' Fifteen, as well as my old tattered paperback copy of One for the Money.
Hey Everyone!
We've got several giveaways ending on Tuesday! Holly will be posting her winners for one of three copies of The Host. Still have time to enter here
Interested in memoirs, and cooking? Enter for a chance to win one of five copies of Julie and Julia and read it before the movie comes out. I adore Amy Adams and Meryl Streep and can't wait to read the book!
I also can't wait for How to Score, which looks like the perfect beach/car ride companion. We've got five copies of this to give away as well.
Lastly, we have five copies of a novel set off the coast of Maine during the summer months. Off Season by Anne Rivers Siddons is something I'm looking so forward to. Siddons always writes very haunting stories that stay with me long after the book is closed.
Don't forget to enter for a chance to win a copy of The Host by Stephanie Meyer. Enter here. Contest ends on June 30th at 8am.
To say that I was disappointed with this book would be the understatement of the year. Undiscovered Gyrl could have been a great book, but the ending, combined with the character development left quite a bit of room for improvement.
While researching an article, Anna Matteo stumbled upon stories about her father's death. Finding numerous references to alleged mafia ties, Anna begins to search through the archives of the library, the lawyers on both sides of the trial of his alleged killer, and her memory to piece together the man her father was and reconcile that with the image she had of him.
I loved the travels down memory lane, and the story of her father and his brushes with shady characters was fascinating for me. Unfortunately some of that was overshadowed for me by her tales of the present. The conversations came off as stilted to me, the talking to a picture of Amy Tan and arguing with it was a hard concept for me to grasp, and I didn't feel like the romance aspect fit in much with the story.
I mean, it was a memoir of sorts so it was obviously not a plotline, but I felt like the overall tone of the story was a tale of love and devotion to her father and family, and I felt that the prose written regarding the past was beautiful. Unfortunately, the now fell flat for me. I would have rather heard about Anna finding Gloria and finding out why she never showed up to the funeral to bid her goodbyes.
The Night Gardener reads like a prime time television drama. This isn't so surprising, seeing as the author George Pelecanos is a writer for the critically acclaimed hit "The Wire". This guy has a knack for dialogue, because of this the book is a unique experience. The story unfolds as a televisions show might, it flows easily and is believable.
Another Giveaway! Off Season is by Anne Rivers Siddons. I LOVE her books. Nobody weaves a story like she does.
From the book blurb:
Acclaimed novelist Anne Rivers Siddons's new novel is a stunning tale of love and loss.
For as long as she can remember, they were Cam and Lilly--happily married, totally in love with each other, parents of a beautiful family, and partners in life. Then, after decades of marriage, it ended as every great love story does...in loss. After Cam's death, Lilly takes a lone road trip to her and Cam's favorite spot on the remote coast of Maine, the place where they fell in love over and over again, where their ghosts still dance. There, she looks hard to her past--to a first love that ended in tragedy; to falling in love with Cam; to a marriage filled with exuberance, sheer life, and safety-- to try to figure out her future.
It is a journey begun with tender memories and culminating in a revelation that will make Lilly re-evaluate everything she thought was true about her husband and her marriage.
You can read an excerpt on Hachette's site.
One entry if you're a follower, plus one for telling me your favorite summer destination spot.
Thanks to Valerie @ Hachette for letting us run this giveaway!
We'll run this one through July 24th. Open to US and Canada, no PO Boxes.
Sure enough, I decided to immediately read Bridget Asher's next book, and found out Bridget Asher is a pseudonym for author Julianna Baggott, author of The Miss America Family, which I've seen on several occasions and toyed with the idea of picking up, but never have. Next time I see it, I am absolutely picking it up.
Gwen is out with her husband on an ice cream run, when she runs into the Elliot, who she dated for a few weeks as a senior in college, before slapping him in a bar and never speaking to him again. After she orders, he orders two scoops of Gwen Merchant, which isn't on the menu according to the peeved scoopist, and he manages to rankle Gwen again. She tells him she's married and he laughs and says she's lying. She holds up the ring to prove it, and is gratified by the shocked look on his face. When Peter, her husband, comes up Elliot tells him Gwen has invited him to a party as he's new to town, thus insinuating himself back into her life. Gwen knows she can't handle this as she's used to the love in small doses that Peter and she have. His overwhelming, enveloping love isn't something she's prepared to deal with. Her mom died when she was five, and her dad has never shown her the kind of love Eliot offered. When Eliot saves her life at the party, Peter offers him anything he wants. What he chooses is Gwen as his pretend wife for a weekend at the lake house with his dying mother.
I loved this book as well. Asher has this quirky off beat character development and voice in her novels that is pretty fascinating. And no matter how much it fits the chick lit genre, and I found myself correctly predicting a couple of things in this book, the twists were entertaining and not quite expected.
Six months after leaving her husband Arnie Shoreman after he admitted three affairs during their five year marriage, Lucy is back to tend to a dying Arnie. Her heart is broken, but she can't deny that she still loves him, whether she lets him know that or not. Understandably her walls are up and her conversations with him are at times caustic. As she throws his black book in his face, saying his exes should have to pull duty at his bedside too, Arnie tells her that's a good idea and that she should call them. He also puts in another request: find his son and try to get him to meet Arnie before it's too late.
This book was amazing. I tore through it in less than a day and a half. I admit I've been eyeing this book for about a year but decided to wait for it to come out in paperback. Ms. Asher created several very interesting characters, all of whom you couldn't help but root for. From cheaters, to cheated on, to addicts. I'm not ashamed to admit that nearing the end, I cried a bit. One of the conversations between Artie and Lucy was so open and fragile that I couldn't help it. I look forward to many many more stories to come from Ms. Asher. I've already received the Pretend Wife and don't know if I can hold off on reading it for very long.
Museum curator Sammi Matthews isn't just in a dating slump, she's putting men on the injured list. After giving one date a black eye and cracking another's rib, Sammi decides she needs professional help. Enter life coach Luke Jones, who advises Sammi on how to overcome her klutziness. And their phone sessions work! Sammi soon meets a sexy FBI agent who seems to know just what she needs.
“Robin Wells writes a laugh-out-loud funny contemporary romance in which readers get inside these quirky characters’ heads…” –MyShelf.com
Thanks to Anna again @ Hachette, we have five copies of this book to give away. It sounds like a fun quick breezy read, I'm looking forward to it!
We'll run this through the end of June. 1 entry for comment + 1 possible for following. 2 possible!
Contest open to US and Canada, sorry no PO Boxes
Julie & Julia, the bestselling memoir that's "irresistible....A kind of Bridget Jones meets The French Chef" (Philadelphia Inquirer), is now a major motion picture. Julie Powell, nearing thirty and trapped in a dead-end secretarial job, resolves to reclaim her life by cooking in the span of a single year, every one of the 524 recipes in Julia Child's legendary Mastering the Art of French Cooking. Her unexpected reward: not just a newfound respect for calves' livers and aspic, but a new life-lived with gusto. The film version is written and directed by Nora Ephron and stars Amy Adams as Julie and Meryl Streep as Julia.
Here's the trailer again for the movie which opens later this summer!
Anna at Hachette is letting us give away five copies of the book. I'm so excited to read this myself before the movie!
To enter, tell me your favorite chef, current or past.
I love Giada De Laurentiis, and watch her religiously.
1 entry for answering + 1 for following- 2 total possible entries
Contest is open to US and Canada only, and no PO Box addresses. Last day to enter will be June 30th!
This book was hilarious. Anyone who is a mom, or even a nanny can fully appreciate this book. If you are a new mom, or a mom to be, run right out and pick up a copy. You won't want to miss out on the advice this book has to offer.
Stefanie Wilder-Taylor holds nothing back in her candid tales from the first year of her first child's life. Each short story is a bit of advice that you might not hear at the local mommy and me classes. She talks about everything from nipples nearly falling off trying to breastfeed, to mommy personality types on the playground (avoid alpha mom, you will never be good enough for this one).
Her advice isn't researched per se, she has more of a hands on experience. She learned that the most important lessons you can find outside of a book, just by using your own common sense.
Stefanie also warns her readers of the many differing and strong opinions a new mother will face. From being bombarded at Babies R Us with questions about her views on breastfeeding (while only 6 months pregnant), to being scolded while at a stop light for not having the bar on her child safety seat fully lowered, Stefanie has seen and heard it all.
This book is written by a friend of Chelsea Handler. Its clear to see that they get along famously in their snarky commentary. Check this book out if you liked "Are You There Vodka? It's Me Chelsea" by Chelsea Handler.
I am so excited to announce that I have signed up for my very first reading challenge! Its hosted by Beth Fish Reads. Stop by her blog to find out more about the contest. Here is a little bit of info to get you guys started.
The Rules:
1. Between July 1, 2009, and June 30, 2010, catch up on Charlaine Harris's Southern Vampire series. No matter if you're starting with book 1 or book 8, you have a year to read all about Sookie.
2. Sign up at Beth Fish Reads
3. After July 4, you can link your reviews so everyone can read them track your progress.
The Books:
Dead Until Dark
Living Dead in Dallas
Club Dead
Dead to the World
Dead as a Doornail
Definitely Dead
All Together Dead
From Dead to Worse
Dead and Gone
OK, I know that's a pretty brief synopsis that tells nothing, but seriously? I can't recommend this book enough. It's short (just shy of 250 pages), and compelling enough that I read it in two hours. It pulls at so many heartstrings. Alternately displayed in the story are hope, love, betrayal, trust, anger, sorrow, and albeit very briefly, joy. Not in that order. It's very neatly woven together, and I was disappointed in the book only because I didn't want it to end.
The premise of this book was an intriguing one, and cashed in on the trendiness of knitting and quilting in novels right now but bringing in a sobering topic as well. I thoroughly enjoyed the book, but wasn't pulled in until very near the end. It was nice to be able to put down the book and leisurely stroll through it. The stories of friendship, trust, and love in A Thread of Truth are very endearing, and the power of the three help bring the end to a tidy, happy end. This is the second book in the Cobbled Court series by Marie Bostwick, the characters are very well-developed, and I look forward to reading more. Specifically, I'm excited to see what becomes of Margot's hopes and dreams. I have no doubt that it will be a happy story to tell, and hopefully there is lovely follow up on Ivy as well.
Big thanks to Kensington Fiction and Ms. Bostwick for the autographed copy!
Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
*Grab your current read
*Open to a random page
*Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
*BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS!
*Share the title and author as well please.
Ashley Teaser:
"It was Hodge! It was all his idea! I just made the deposits! He talked me into
it, all of it! It was never supposed to go this far. he promised me that all i
had to do was make the deposits. That was all! I never agreed to the rest of it.
The stuff with his wife. Altering the records and saying she'd taken drugs. That
was all Hodge's idea! He made me do it!"
Page 311, "A Thread of Truth" by
Marie Bostwick
Holly Teaser:
"When I see women out on the town with their babies, looking as nimble as Batman
and Robin on a crime-fighting mission, I have to say that I feel jealous.
There's a way these women have of hopping out of their Lincoln Navigator,
swinging around to open the trunk, unfurling their stroller while collecting the
baby as if the whole thing was choreographed by Bob Fosse."
Page 159, "Sippy
Cups Are Not for Chardonnay" by Stephanie Wilder-Taylor
PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT with either the link to your own Teaser Tuesdays post, or share your 2 ‘teasers’ in a comment here (if you don’t have a blog). Thanks
I am currently a Nanny and I can tell you first hand, that I have never experienced anything like what the Hollywood nannies have to put up with. Thank god for that!
The smell of e-books just got better!
Charlotte Greig puts forth quite an effort with "A Girls Guide to Modern European Philosophy". The novel is well thought out, an insightful version of chick lit.
Susannah is a Philosophy student that takes her studies very seriously. She loves to participate in extracurricular activities such as rallies as well. The setting is the 70's when the women's liberation movement was gaining ground.
Susannah realizes that her long term boyfriend isn't who, or what she wants out of life, yet feels powerless to leave the safety of the relationship. She also finds that she fancies another Philosophy student. She winds up carrying on a relationship with both of them and finds herself in quite the situation when her doctor tells her shes pregnant.
Newly pregnant she finds that she has no idea who the father is or what she wants to do about her "situation". With her friends promoting women's liberation and the right to choose she feels pressured to make the most forward thinking decision of the time and have an abortion. On top of that she feels like a woman all of a sudden, like she could be fulfilling her greatest calling by having this child.
She turns to the Philosophy greats for some inspiration and some answers with what to do with her life. She finds herself facing the toughest decision of her life and unable to take any advice that isn't from a page of a library book.
People that enjoy chick lit will enjoy the relationship and life struggles that Susannah faces throughout the story. People who like novels that give them a chance to think about some of lifes big questions will also like this novel.
I could totally see this book being made into a movie. It has a bit of a "Mean Girls" edge to it that is irresistible. Author Jen Calonita worked at Teen People before starting her life as an author. She obviously got the inside scoop while she was there. She seems to know all about Hollywood politics.
The story is a breeze to read, I finished the book in a days time no problem. Reading it so quickly was partly due to the fact that I was really sucked into the story!
Kaitlin Burke is one of Hollywood's top 25 under 25, actually shes number 1. The girl is a force of nature. She is known for being a sweet girl, a prime time soap star who grew up in front of the cameras. Her on screen sister is a living nightmare, Sky likes to step on as many toes as she can to get to the top of the Hollywood food chain.
When Kaitlin decides she wants to be a normal girl and go undercover to one of her friends high schools, she finds out that high school isn't so different from Hollywood.
Taylor Henning is about to fulfill her dreams of making it in the movie business. Inspired by his movie Journal Girl to pursue film, she's been writing to the reclusive director of the movie for 7 years about her life and receiving nothing back in return but that doesn't stop her. She's landed the job as second assistant to a creative exec at a studio, and is determined to succeed. What she doesn't realize is the atmosphere is permeated with cattiness and assistants willing to set others up for termination. Taylor's never been popular, but she's never been unpopular either. She was categorically the "nice girl" in school, getting along with everyone. After being set up to be fired after only her first week, Taylor realizes she needs help to play the game. So she enlists Iris' daughter Quinn, the head of the popular girls in her elite school, to help make her over. Quinn agrees with the stipulation that she may call on a favor anytime.
Quinn's lessons involve faking it 'til you make it, never accepting blame, and stealing first assistant Kylie's (she of the firing attempts) boyfriend Luke. What she doesn't anticipate is falling for Luke. When a really good script falls into Taylor's lap, she sees an opportunity for promotion all of the assistants are vying for, and leaps in without thinking it all through. What she doesn't realize is for as much as she loathes Kylie's mean girl attitude, Taylor's slipped into her shoes pretty easily.
This was a really cute novel. Quick, easy, fun to read. Again, even during the periods of Taylor becoming more Hollywood and cocky, you really root for Taylor to succeed as Taylor. The story arc with Taylor and Michael, the director of Journal Girl, is interesting, as is the storyline with the first-time screenwriter who is so eager to get notes for her script and make something good.
The story dragged me in more than expected too. I really wondered if Taylor had burned all her bridges, work, love, and friendship wise and was pleasantly surprised at the ending, even though I should have anticipated it. I really enjoy Zoey Dean, and I loved the show Privileged which was based on her novel How to Teach Filthy Rich Girls. I look forward to much more from her!
Teaser Tuesdays is a weekly bookish meme, hosted by MizB of Should Be Reading. Anyone can play along! Just do the following:
*Grab your current read
*Open to a random page
*Share two (2) “teaser” sentences from somewhere on that page
*BE CAREFUL NOT TO INCLUDE SPOILERS!
*Share the title and author as well please.
Ashley Teaser:
"What director wants all his shots laid out for him already? Or her, of course. And I don't think the paraplegic guy is a very sympathetic character. I mean, okay he's got a bum deal, but he doesn't have to go around throwing rocks at puppies." They both just stared at me, and my heart thumped wildly in my chest. I'd said the wrong thing again.
Page 38, Hollywood is Like High School with Money, Zoey Dean
PLEASE LEAVE A COMMENT with either the link to your own Teaser Tuesdays post, or share your 2 ‘teasers’ in a comment here (if you don’t have a blog). Thanks
Upon finishing this book I sat and thought "What the heck did I just read?"
It was the most unique book I have read in a long time. The entire premise behind the book was creative and exciting. I felt like I just took a crash course on how to make a career of robbing homes of unnoticeable items, such as toilet paper, all while looking out for the greater good of the "clients".
This book won't be what you are expecting, keep an open mind when you read it. It doesn't read like a typical fiction novel. The story seems to be more linear than having a noticeable arc.
Overall an excellent book, absolutely worth picking up.
Broadway Books says
A career criminal with OCD tendencies and a savant-like genius for bringing order to his crime scenes, Martin considers himself one of the best in the biz. After all, he’s been able to steal from the same people for years on end—virtually undetected. Of course, this could also be attributed to his unique business model—he takes only items that will go unnoticed by the homeowner. After all, who in their right mind would miss a roll of toilet paper here, a half-used bottle of maple syrup there, or even a rarely used piece of china buried deep within a dusty cabinet?
Even though he's never met these homeowners, he's spent hours in their houses, looking through their photo albums and reading their journals. In essence, Martin has developed a friendship of sorts with them and as such, he decides to interfere more in their lives—playing the part of a rather odd guardian angel—even though it means breaking many of his twitchy neurotic rules.
Along the way Martin not only improves the lives of others, but he also discovers love and finds that his own life is much better lived on the edge (at least some of the time) in this hilarious, suspenseful and often profound novel about a man used to planning every second of his life, suddenly forced to confront chaos and spontaneity.
Read the Excerpt
Ellie has been with her college sweetheart for years now, and they have an adorable toddler daughter. As far as she's concerned, everything is perfect, except for her dress size, but Michael doesn't seem to mind.
Jen is nearing her fifth anniversary with her husband, and so what if things between them are strained? He swore he'd love her enough to make up for the fact that she was not in love with him when they married. Her business is perfect and he's her best friend.
Mara is engaged to Josh and things are going well, except for the pre-nup he doesn't want to sign without adding in some stipulations of his own.
Suddenly the rug is pulled out from underneath all of them. Mara thought she'd been forgiven for her mistakes, but his added clauses indicate otherwise. Jen finds herself fearing for her marriage and realizes she have felt more than she thought, but is it too late? Ellie is in for the biggest shock of all. The man she loved, the perfect husband and father doesn't seem so perfect anymore.
I love Beth Kendrick. LOVE HER. I can tear through a book of hers in less than 2 hours. The writing is light and humorous and so quick to buzz through. Her characters jump off the page and you empathize with their plights. I can't recommend her books enough!
I love love love this book! Its an excellent way to keep an inventory of your books, as well as write a little review or a synopsis about each book.
Willow's a happy 5 year old girl with an older sister she looks up to, a loving mom and dad, a head for trivia and useless knowledge, and over 65 broken bones since she was born. She came into the world with four healing fractures, and entering the world added 7 fresh breaks. Willow was diagnosed in utero at 27 weeks, with Osteogenesis Imperfecta, or brittle bone disease. Whether she was Type II, which would mean virtually no chance at survival upon birth, or Type III, which would afford her a life, albeit no guarantees of a long life, was unknown. After a traumatic incident for all in the family at Disney World, Sean decides to see a lawyer and begin litigation against Disney World for the way they were treated. He's told they have no case there, however a wrongful birth suit is something they could very possibly triumphantly pursue.
To do this, Charlotte will need to get on the stand, suing her obstetrician/best friend, and say that it was not diagnosed early enough to have the option of termination.
Wow, the thing about Jodi Picoult is she never disappoints in her skill as a storyteller. She very clearly devotes so much time and energy to the research of the tale, and weaving the novel together. While I found this a fascinating story, I wasn't able to get into this one as easily and deeply as I generally do with her tales. There was just SO much going on in Handle With Care. In the end, all the loose ends pulled together, but there was just a lot of emotion to take into account in this one. Charlotte's attorney, Marin is a woman searching for her birth mother and has a hard time not letting her personal hurt at being given up seep into her judgment of Charlotte saying that abortion should have been brought up as an option. Sean's devout Catholic stance on abortion, and his love for his daughter is pulling their marriage apart because he can't reconcile what Charlotte is saying with how they feel, and what Willow will hear. That doesn't even bring into account older sister Amelia, whose story is wrought with frailty, anger, and sadness also.
While I can't say this was my favorite of hers, it was definitely not a disappointment. I honestly don't think Ms. Picoult can write a book that won't captivate many readers.
Thanks to Atria for the review copy!
This novel is a powerhouse. It took me a few chapters to get into it, but once I was about 50 pages in I was hooked. Each short story is set in a different time, surrounding different characters, yet they all seem to intersect each other. If I had to pick a lead character I would say that Rosie is the central character. She seems to be the linking character in the stories. The links are surprising and believable.
The stories deal with issues such as sexual abuse, drug use, alcohol, coming of age, growing old, friendship and family. Nothing is as it seems in the pristine looking community of Newport. Money doesn't change lives or make things better, the issues persist despite an inflated bank account.
The book is a quick and easy read, with eye opening themes. It made me uncomfortable at times due to the raw emotional content. Worth reading.
I have the review of Lust, Loathing and a Little Lip Gloss here, as well as the winner of a copy of this fabulous book!
Lust, Loathing and a Little Lip Gloss is the fourth novel in a series about a novelist turned amateur detective. Sophie Katz has no idea how she keeps finding herself in these situations, her mother has taken to calling her "the mortician", due to the fact that she is forever finding dead bodies. Can you imagine what this would do to a nice Jewish mother? oy!
Sophie has a bit of help on her side, her boyfriend just happens to be a P.I. kind of like Magnum. He gets hired to catch cheating husbands in the act, and to stop employees from robbing their bosses blind. He also maintains a full time job trying to keep track of what trouble Sophie has gotten herself into.
Her best friends never let her down either, Marcus the gay dreamboat hairstylist seems to always be a partner in crime, willingly or not. Then there is Dena, the owner of a sex shop with a wandering eye and a yen for excitement. Lastly there is her sister Leah, but shes a story whole other story in and of herself.
When Sophie starts finding bodies while house hunting, she finds herself the suspect of a murder. Granted, she is one of many suspects, but she must work to clear her name and snag an amazing Victorian for an unbelievable bargain. The only problem is, her slimy ex-husband is the real estate agent for the house, and the person selling the house is a bit crazy. She has no idea why she is so drawn to this house, and when Kane (the seller) tells her she has to contact ghosts for him because the house is haunted, she finds herself in the most hilarious and unpredictable situations yet.
Kyra Davis scores another hit with the fourth instillation in the Sophie Katz series. The book has a great balance of relationship drama, mystery, suspense and family issues. This would make a great beach read!
Congratulations to... Dina of Just Another New Blog
She was randomly picked using Random.org. Thank you to all who entered. I consider this to be a highly successful first contest! Looking forward to many more!
Be sure to check out the ones currently running in our sidebar.
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