Chick Lit

I needed something easy to read after making my way through Hard Choices … since One Hundred Names was due back to the library soon and TW enjoyed it and I’ve enjoyed Ahern’s books in the past, I decided this was a good choice.

It was. Sort of. I pretty much hated Kitty from the first page and never really warmed up to her. The rest of the characters in the book saved it. I really loved everything else about the darn book.

If you read this and you’re just hating Kitty — hang in there til she starts the interviews. The people she’s interviewing make it worth reading.

Oy.

TW picked up The Last Original Wife at the same time that she picked up the Fannie Flagg novel. If we’re going to be on a novels about Charleston kick, we might as well go all out, right?

Except, I’m not really a very big fan of Dorothea Benton Frank. I don’t HATE her books but I don’t generally love them, either. She does write well about Sullivan’s Island, and I appreciate that but… no. I just don’t love her books. And, anything called The Last Original Wife should have been a clue that I was not going to be in love, right?

Right. I wasn’t in love.

I appreciated that Leslie finally figured out that her marriage was crap. Her husband was an ass. And Atlanta wasn’t where she belonged. I laughed out loud twice — once when she bought the red Benz and I can’t actually remember the other time (probably something about the damn dog or the interesting gay brother) but hell. I just didn’t love the book.

I appreciated the Josephine Pinckney story thread but that was about it. I’d have been happier with a book about the gay guy in Charleston than I was about this one. Ho hum.

I’m on a Karen White roll and finished The Strangers on Montagu Street last night. I liked it. I really liked the dollhouse story line, that was excellent. But I’m dreading the next book because I accidentally saw a spoiler. Not a spoiler I wanted to know about (or wanted to happen.) Gah.

NOT happy about what comes next at all. So not happy that I’m considering not reading the next book… that’s crazy, right? Yea, it’s crazy so I’ll probably just go ahead and reserve the book and get it over with. Maybe I’ll end up liking it more than I think I will?

I didn’t feel like reading graphic novels a couple of days ago and another Jennifer Crusie novel sounded like a good idea, luckily Trust Me on This was still on the library cart.

It took me longer to get into this Jennifer Crusie novel than it usually does. I think it was the setting up of all of the major characters, particularly the con man and his g/f. Once I got settled, I was amused — particularly by Harry and Vic. It’s not often you see older characters given these roles in books that are primarily about 30/40 somethings. Nice touch.

I saw a review of the fourth book in the Tradd Street series and thought I’d fallen behind on this series. Turns out, I hadn’t actually started it. (Sometimes I get my series’ confused, particularly when they’re set in Charleston or by authors who typically write about the south.)

So I figured what the heck, I’d reserve the first one, The House on Tradd Street, since I like Karen White anyway.

I can be pretty picky about books set in Charleston. Get one thing wrong and I’ll hold it against you for the whole book. That didn’t happen in this one. Nothing was really out of place or so wrong that it irked me. And, you mention Jestine’s and Blossom and Magnolia and I’m yours for life… well maybe not quite, but it makes me very happy.

The book itself, the storyline and characters, was pretty good. I like a good Charleston ghost story and this was one of those. I’ll probably try and keep up with the series throughout the year — these will be nice easy reads during travel periods or high-stress times.