Love and Other Natural Disasters

Love and Other Natural Disasters by Holly Shumas is the story of a woman, Eve, who is 8 months pregnant with her second child, who discovers that her husband is having an emotional affair. Eve must decide whether to forgive him or to get a divorce. The story follows the couple as they face these problems, holidays apart, family struggles and the birth of their daughter. I found the story and relationships very believable. It was a fairly easy read and had some humorous depictions of life with children. Overall, a good book. I recommend it to anyone who is married and has kids. 4 stars.

My Husband's Sweethearts

My Husband's Sweethearts by Bridget Asher is the story of a woman, Lucy, whose husband Artie repeatedly cheated on her and who is now dying. Lucy decides to come to terms with her husband's infidelity by meeting and inviting all of Artie's past girlfriends to come help her cope with his death so she doesn't have to go through the whole process alone. Along the way, she makes friendships and learns to forgive Artie for his infidelity and accept his death. The book had it's cute moments and it was well written. However, I just did not buy Lucy's feelings toward Artie and toward the women he cheated with. The light way infidelity was dealt with in the book did not sit well with me. I know the book was meant to be light and funny, but the subjects it covered from death to cheating were hard to take lightly. I just was slightly annoyed at Lucy's relationship with Artie and did not buy that she really loved him romantically. I did enjoy the book and I appreciated the writing. The characters were very real, likable, and had depth to them. I recommend the book to anyone who enjoys chick lit.

The Mighty Queens of Freeville

The Mighty Queens of Freeville by Amy Dickinson is a book of memoirs written by the national advice columnist who replaced Ann Landers after her death. The book is a serious of stories about the author following her early married life through the present time where she is a single mother of an eighteen year old daughter. I really enjoyed the stories. Dickinson's writing is very real and makes you feel as if you are a part of the story. She weaves the stories together easily and paints a picture of life in the small town of Freeville, where she grew up and her family lives. Her description of small town life seems very true and honest, especially her depictions of relationships between women, mothers and daughters in her family. Overall, I think it was a good book and I would recommend it to anyone who likes memoirs or reading about women's relationships.

Chasing Diana

Chasing Diana by Jack and Robin Firestone is a screenplay book written by the only American couple to witness the car accident that resulted in Princess Diana's death. I had never read a screenplay before and I was not comfortable with the format. I found myself wondering what the characters were thinking. I found the characters to be very one dimensional and stereotypical. I thought the story was overall interesting, but at times very predictable and the dialogue was somewhat cheesy. I wish there were more details about Diana in the book as well. I chose to read the book because I am interested in the mystery surrounding Diana's death, but none of my questions were answered in this book. I think if the book was an actual book, instead of a screenplay, I would have enjoyed it more. I guess to someone who is used to reading screenplays the book may be a better read. The book was a very quick read. If the book is made into a movie, I would be interested in seeing it because it would be very action packed. I do recommend this book to anyone who enjoys reading screenplays and watching action movies.

Kevin Takes a Trip

Kevin Takes a Trip by Liesbet Slegers is a very cute little board book. It is a very simple story about a boy named Kevin taking a plane trip with his Grandma. My 3 year old really likes it and asks me to read it over and over. My 16 month old likes it too.The illustrations are bright and vivid. I look forward to reading other Kevin books to my kids in the future.

Schooled

Schooled by Anisha Lakhani is the story of Anna Taggert, a fresh-out-of-Columbia-University teacher who begins teaching at an elite Manhattan private school and finds herself thrown into the world of spoiled rich kids and their parents willing to do anything to get their child an A. Due to the low salary she receives, Anna starts to tutor students on the side and gets caught up in the perks the extra money and popularity with her students provide. Soon she is overcome with guilt that she is letting her students get away with not really learning or doing their own work and she faces a dilemma over whether to continue tutoring or go back to her first love, teaching. I waited to receive this ARC for over 2 months so I was very excited to finally read it. It did not disappoint. I really loved this book! It was fresh, interesting, and I couldn't put it down. I enjoyed all the references to fashionable brands and pop culture. Overall it was a very cute story. I really look forward to reading more books by Lakhani. 5 stars!

Love The One You're With

Love The One You're With by Emily Giffin is the story of Ellen, a woman who is a happily married newlywed, or so she thought, until she runs into her ex-boyfriend and can't get him out of her head. Ellen has to decide whether to choose to stay with her husband, a perfectly nice guy who is oblivious to her dilemma, and the one that got away, who is kind of a jerk. The story is meant be light hearted and funny, but, although I wanted Ellen to be happy, her problem had me frustrated with her and uncomfortable with her possibly choosing her ex over her sweet husband. I did enjoy the book and I am a big fan of Giffin's writing, I just was a little disappointed because I had been looking forward to reading the book for a while and felt slightly let down. It was a good book and I did enjoy it, I just didn't feel it was quite as good as Giffin's other books. I recommend this to anyone who enjoys chick lit or books written by Emily Giffin. 4 stars.

Keeping Faith

Keeping Faith by Jodi Picoult is the story of Faith White, a 7 year old daughter whose parents are in the process of divorcing and who, though raised in a non-religious family, is now hearing and seeing visions of God, performing miracles, and experiencing stigmata. It is an intriguing story that makes the character's and the reader question what their religious beliefs are and what is the truth. The mother-daughter relationships in the book are very real and complicated like they are in real life. I really enjoyed the book, although I did find that it was a little slow moving in parts. I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys Picoult's work or who finds themselves questioning truth in religion and in all aspects of life. 4 stars.

The Tenth Case

I really enjoyed this book! The Tenth Case by Joseph Teller is a legal thriller in which a criminal defense attorney, who goes by the nickname Jaywalker, defends Samara Moss, an Anna Nicole Smith type gold digger whose millionaire husband is found murdered. I do not usually read legal thrillers, but I was very pleasantly surprised by this book. It had many twists and turns, a surprise ending and held my attention. The gritty characters seems very true to life and I could picture the action as if it were a movie. Joseph Teller is a great storyteller! I liked this book so much that I passed it on to my husband, who is not a big reader, and he liked it too! I look forward to reading the next book in the Jaywalker series. I recommend this book to anyone who is looking for a good mystery. 4 stars.

A Most Uncommon Degree of Popularity

A Most Uncommon Degree of Popularity by Kathleen Gilles Seidel is the story of Lydia Meadows, who discovers on the eve of 6th grade that her daughter Erin and her 3 best friends are the most popular clique at school. Lydia is shocked, because she herself was never popular, and unsure how to deal with her daughter's new found popularity. All goes well for Lydia and Erin until a new girl moves to town and turns their lives upside down when she displaces Erin from her group of friends and creates drama and havoc in the school. Lydia and Erin navigate the world of teenage popularity and angst and discover in the end how much true friendship means and how unimportant popularity is compared to believing in and staying true to yourself. This was a very well written, interesting book. I enjoyed the story and found the world of teenage drama fascinating (but also scary to look forward to as a mother of a daughter!). It was a light, easy read and I recommend the book to anyone who likes mommy lit or who has a daughter. A very cute book! 4 stars.

The Manny

The Manny by Holly Peterson is the story of Jamie Whitfield, a working mother who is trying to navigate life through high society in New York City, while balancing a needy husband, 3 kids and a demanding job in the television industry. Jamie's husband, Phillip, works long hours and rarely spends time with their children, who are beginning to suffer for make attention, especially Dylan, Jamie's oldest son. Enter Peter, a male nanny, who is able to give the children a male role model and the father figure they crave. Jamie finds herself unhappy in her marriage and soon looks to Peter to fulfill her own needs as well. This book was a really easy, enjoyable read. I identified with Jamie's feelings as a mother and found myself pulling for her. The story was quick and all of the characters were believable. I look forward to reading the sequel. I recommend this book to anyone who likes to read chick lit or mommy lit and is looking for a fun read. 4 stars.

Happiness Sold Separately

Happiness Sold Separately by Lolly Winston is the story of Elinor and Ted, a married couple undergoing problems with infertility. Elinor discovers Ted is having an affair with his personal trainer, Gina, and is unsure of whether their marriage is worth saving. Their lives become even more complicated when Ted, unable to stay away from Gina, develops a friendship with her 8 year old son. Elinor and Ted separate and get back together numerous times over the course of the book. None of the characters are particularly likable, but they were all real and believable. They all have their flaws and I found myself torn over whether Ted and Elinor should stay together or separate. I was able to identify with the feelings of infertility and sadness of miscarriages and I thought those details were true and well written. I felt the end of the book kind of fizzled out and I wasn't really happy with the lack of closure, but overall it was a good book. 3 and a half stars.

Beyond The Blonde

Beyond the Blond by Kathleen Flynn-Hui is the story of Georgia Watkins, who grew up as the daughter of a hairdresser in a small town in New Jersey and went on to become a stylist to the rich and famous at a top salon in NYC. She runs into obstacles along her journey, from wacky clients to ticked off coworkers and eventually finds love and happiness. Georgia is a likable, refreshing depiction of a hairdresser who is smart and genuine. Her friends, coworkers and customers are also believable characters. The overall story was a light, easy read. I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone who likes chick lit. I look forward to further books by Flynn-Hui. 4 stars.

Bed Rest

Bed Rest by Sarah Bilston is the story of Q, an expectant mother who is put on bed rest after it is discovered the baby doesn't have enough fluid. The book is written from the point of view of Q writing in her diary about all her visitors (or lack there of), marital stress caused by her husband working too much, family and friend drama, and her worry about her baby. Despite the rather serious subject matter, Q is an endearing narrator and her story is funny, light and interesting. I really enjoyed this book. It was a quick read and I identified well with Q. I am looking forward to reading the sequel, Sleepless Nights. This was a very good book and I recommend it to anyone who has ever been pregnant. 5 stars.

Sisters of Misery

Sisters of Misery by Megan Kelley Hall is the story of a popular high school girl, Maddie, who belongs to the cool crowd at school and is forced to bend to the (sometimes evil) will of Kate, the leader of her clique. When Maddie's cousin Cordelia moves to town, Kate and her friends let their jealousy of beautiful Cordelia take hold until something awful happens to tear Maddie and her family apart. The mysteries abound when Cordelia disappears in this small town where whispers of witchcraft fill the air. I really enjoyed this book. The suspense and mystery had me chilled at times, but I could hardly put the book down. Although the book is written from the point of view of a teenager about her life, it did not read like young adult fiction. The mystery of Cordelia continues and I can not wait to read the sequel to this book. I recommend this book to anyone who likes books about high school mean girls and mystery all rolled into one. One of the best books I've read in a long time. 5 stars.

Confessions of a Contractor

Confessions of a Contractor by Richard Murphy brings us into the world of a contractor. Henry is a contractor that sometimes gets involved with his female clients. This time he has gotten involved with two women at once, who happen to be former best friends. Drama ensues. I really enjoyed this book. I was fascinated by the details and hints on hiring and maintaining a good relationship with your contractor. The complex relationship between a contractor and his client is something I had never considered before. It was a very unique idea for a book and very entertaining. The romance aspect told from the man's point of view was refreshing. This was a fairly light read and I recommend it to anyone looking for a something different with a bit of romance. 4 stars.

First Daughter

First Daughter by Eric Van Lustbader was not the kind of book that I normally read. I do like suspense and mystery at times though so I thought I'd try something different. The book is about a loner investigator, Jack, who had a hard life growing up and has the scars to prove it. He is called to help in the investigation of the president-elect's daughter's disappearance. This book has a lot of plot twists and many characters, which made it a little confusing to follow. It was a pretty good story, although I think it fizzled out at the end. Overall, it was a pretty good book and held my attention despite the many twists. I would recommend the book to anyone who likes suspenseful crime novels. 3.5 stars.

American Wife

American Wife by Curtis Sittenfeld follows the life of Alice from girlhood into womanhood. It is the story of how she found love, lost it, found it again, got married and how her husband, Charlie, became the President of the United States and how she dealt with that. Overall, I enjoyed most of this book. I did not realize going in that Charlie was based on George W. Bush. I felt a little turned off by that. There were no clues all along until the story flashed ahead several years to the present and we are clued in that Charlie was the president during 9/11 and has a very low approval rating, along with many other things that make it obvious that he is supposed to be GWB. I felt blindsided by that. I also did not like the way the story ended. Alice betrayed Charlie while remaining true to herself and her beliefs, but we are not made aware of the consequences this has to their marriage and what happens next. I did enjoy the beginning 3/4ths of the book. I really enjoyed the characters, writing and storyline and I thought it was a very good book (minus the GWB aspect). I still think it is a book worth reading and had great potential to be an excellent book. I just wish Sittenfeld had not copped out and had not based Charlie on a real person. Especially a person who is so polar and who many people dislike. I gave the book 3.5 stars.

So Long At the Fair

Wow! I enjoyed So Long at The Fair by Christina Schwarz right up until the end. The book was written as flashbacks between the past and the present. The present day story takes place of the course on one day and focuses on a wife, Ginny, and a husband, Jon, who is having an affair with a coworker. Jon is conflicted and unsure of whether to leave his wife or breakup with his girlfriend. The past story deals with what happened many years ago, when the Jon and Ginny's parents were young and knew each other. I really enjoyed the writing style, the flashbacks, and the characters. I was really caught up in the characters and wanted to know how it would end. Would Jon choose his wife or his mistress? Unfortunately, the book had a horrible ending with no closure and left me hanging. I could hardly believe that it ended the way it did. I don't know if Schwarz was trying to let the reader choose or if I just "didn't get it", but I was very disappointed. Overall, I did like the book and enjoyed the story, I just wish it had a clearer ending so I wasn't left to wonder what happened to the characters' lives. 3.5 stars.

Tan Lines

Tan Lines by J. J. Salem was written from three characters perspectives. Liza, a left wing feminist new talk show guest; Kellianne, a southern bell mistress to a rich old man and aspiring actress, and Billie, a drug addicted pop musician trying to make it big. These women are all old friends and decide to spend the summer together in the Hamptons. The book is about all of the drama that happens to them over the course of that summer. I did enjoy the book. I enjoyed the characters of Liza and Kellianne, but I did not like the character of Billie. I enjoyed the scandal. drama, and romance of the book. It's a good beach read and it was a fast, easy read. I enjoyed the book and I recommend it to anyone who wants a quick "trashy" read. 4 stars.