Damn Lauren Willig – she’s in the suburbs this evening and I can’t be there. So not fair, since I just finished The Garden Intrigue and she made me forget to be grouchy about the name of the book, made me like bad poets and bad poetry more than I should, and be grouchy that we have to wait for the next book. Thankfully, it’s a Miss Gwen book – that will be worth waiting for, since we have to wait. Almost as good as a Turnip book.
The Garden Intrigue Read More »
This book is a BlogHer Bookclub book but I did not officially read it for the BHBC. Just a bit of a coincidence, really.
I can’t decide if I want to rant about The Underside of Joy or rave about The Underside of Joy. Even the ranting is rally a kind of raving – because I wouldn’t be ranting about the book itself or about the author’s writing or anything else. I want to rant about these characters – particularly about men like Joe. And while ranting, I’ll of course be nice enough to point out that Joe (and men like him) are in part, products of their parents and their childhood who in turn are products of their own childhood etc.
It’s a vicious cycle. That rant would turn into men, like Joe, who are even worse than Joe and I don’t even want to go there, do I?
Nope, I don’t.
So let me just say – great book, quick read, not quite the tearjerker I expected but emotional just the same. And – it ended well.
The Underside of Joy Read More »
The Secret Life of Dresses was a wee bit sadder than I expected it to be. I really wanted a slightly different ending because… sad! I loved the dresses and Mimi, I just wish I’d gotten to know her better – ya know?
I do love how the stories of the dresses came to be – that was fabulous. And I am dying to just surf A Dress A Day for awhile – but I have work to do. Maybe this weekend. J
The Secret Life of Dresses Read More »
Three things about Ivy & Intrigue:
– I’m glad I didn’t read it when it first came out. Reading it close to Christmas and close to the next book made me happy.
– Lauren Willig should have written one holiday novella every year, in between books. That would have been awesome.
– I cannot wait for the next book (even if it is titled badly – a garden is not a flower!)
I picked Mama Ruby from the shelf at the library because I thought it looked interesting. I didn’t think I’d get to read it because I’m so far behind on my stacks – but TW said it was good so I decided to deviate from my plan and read it.
It was… ok.
I’ve never read The Upper Room, which this was a prequel to. Maybe I’d have liked Mama Ruby better if I’d read it and been wondering about the history of the characters in that? I don’t know. I just didn’t find myself liking any of the characters.
Finally – finished another book for the #readathon – who knew it would take so darn long to finish 428 pages Fitzwilliam Darcy, Rock Star? If I’d known, I probably would have NOT read it for the readathon for goodness sakes.
It was amusing – very amusing. Darcy & Elizabeth. Charles & Jane. Charlotte & Richard. Lots of fun and confusion – just like a re-write of Austen should be.
And now – 18 hours after I started the #readathon – I’m calling it a night.
Fitzwilliam Darcy, Rock Star (#readathon) Read More »
The Kitchen Daughter is about a young woman with Aspergers. She lived with her parents … until they died in a freak accident while on vacation. She’s left with a younger sister who doesn’t think she can live on her own… no friends… no job… she just cooks and when she cooks, sometimes ghosts come to visit. Real ghosts. I mean as real as ghosts can be? You know what I mean, right?
It’s a good book – I wasn’t sure I was going to like it at first, but I definitely did. I even liked the ending. And the cover is fabulous.
The Kitchen Daughter Read More »
It’s much harder to write about If You Were Here than I thought it would be. I have some issues with Jen Lancaster and those issues make it hard to write about her writing. Those issues make it a little hard to read her writing too, but I manage it and generally enjoy it because no matter what I might say about Lancaster (don’t worry, I’m not going to say much…) I have to say that she is a pretty darn good writer.
I still read her blog.
Which is why when I happened to pass her newest book sitting on the library shelf, I went ahead and picked it up. I wasn’t sure I would read it (see above Lancaster issues, and my TBR pile is HUGE) but I knew TW would and I knew she would think it was funny and that she doesn’t have Lancaster issues so it would be fine (for her.)
But Friday, after a very long week, I needed something I could laugh about (or at) – Jen Lancaster’s book fit the ticket perfectly. I laughed. (And I cannot imagine anyone who lives in the north suburbs of Chicago NOT laughing.) I snarked about Lancaster a bit in my head, which was fun for me.
We actually ate at the green barn McDonald’s on Saturday as we quite often do and I laughed some more.
I’ve seen the Jake Ryan house and several of the other John Hughes houses. I think I need a John Hughes movie marathon now, too.
I’ve also found the book to be a nice reminder of why I do not really want to buy a house.
And a nice reminder of why I do like Stephenie Meyer and Twilight and why Vampires are better than Zombies (even though I wish it weren’t so.)
The book – funny. Very funny.
Like chick lit – you should read this.
Like John Hughes – you should read this.
Familiar with the north suburbs of Chicago – you should read this.
Like to snark about Twilight – you should read this.
Love home improvement TV – you should read this.
I should also say to Lancaster, should she read this… cut it out with the footnotes. That got really old, really quickly. I mean really really old really really quickly.
I like the American title better than the Canadian… just thought y’all should know that. Home to Woefield is funny. Funny. Funny. Funny. But not stupid funny.
A boy blogger who hasn’t left his house pretty much since he was 17. He blogs heavy metal and celebrity gossip and he has a bit a drinking problem.
An old dude who is a member of a legendary bluegrass music family – but he hasn’t seen is still very famous brother in years.
An 11 year old girl who raises chickens, gets sucked into church, and has a really crummy family life.
A 20 something woman from New York who has always wanted to be a back to the land kind of woman and she just happens to inherit a “farm” on Vancouver Island.
Hah. Funny. Funny. Funny.
TW said Cleaning Nabokov’s House wasn’t very good. I ignored her and started reading it anyway and immediately liked it – depressing though it was in the beginning. I’d like a sequel but I guess that won’t happen. I’d like to know what happens to the kids – and the dogs.
I would also like to read a book about Babe Ruth written by Nabokov. What WOULD that be like?
Cleaning Nabokov’s House Read More »