Friday Finds -- 5/13

This meme is hosted by Should Be Reading.

Happy Friday! My find for this week is Heads You Lose by Lisa Lutz and David Hayward. The premise is very interesting. The authors took turns writing chapters with no outline or ending in mind. Here is the Barnes and Noble description:

Meet Paul and Lacey Hansen: orphaned, pot-growing twentysomething siblings eking out a living in rural Northern California. When a headless corpse appears on their property, they can't exactly dial 911, so they move the body and wait for the police to find it. Instead, the corpse reappears, a few days riper . . . and an amateur sleuth is born. Make that two. When collaborators Lutz and Hayward (former romantic partners) start to disagree about how the story should unfold, the body count rises, victims and suspects alike develop surprising characteristics (meet Brandy Chester, the stripper with the Mensa IQ), and sibling rivalry reaches homicidal intensity. Think Adaptation crossed with Weeds. Will the authors solve the mystery without killing each other first?

I am really looking forward to reading this. What did you find?

My Favorite Reads -- 6/24

This meme is hosted by Alyce over at At Home With Books.

My Favorite Read this week is the fantastically funny The Spellman Files by Lisa Lutz. Here is the Barnes and Noble description:

Meet Isabel "Izzy" Spellman, private investigator. This twenty-eight-year-old may have a checkered past littered with romantic mistakes, excessive drinking, and creative vandalism; she may be addicted to Get Smart reruns and prefer entering homes through windows rather than doors -- but the upshot is she's good at her job as a licensed private investigator with her family's firm, Spellman Investigations. Invading people's privacy comes naturally to Izzy. In fact, it comes naturally to all the Spellmans. If only they could leave their work at the office. To be a Spellman is to snoop on a Spellman; tail a Spellman; dig up dirt on, blackmail, and wiretap a Spellman.

It is a such a great book! I even gave it 5 stars in my review! What is your favorite read?

It's Monday! What are you reading? -- 7/6

Currently Reading:
The Welsh Girl by Peter Ho Davis (Library Book Club Selection -- July 2009)
The Late, Lamented Molly Marx by Sally Koslow (Barney's Online Book Club Selection -- July 2009)
The Bronte Project by Jennifer Vandever
Lust, Lothing, and a Little Lip Gloss by Kyra Davis
Read / Reviewed / Reviews To Come:
Passion, Betrayal, and Killer Highlights by Kyra Davis-- review
Curse of the Spellmans by Lisa Lutz -- review
The Divorce Party by Laura Dave -- review
Obsession, Deceit, and Really Dark Chocolate by Kyra Davis -- review to come

The Frog Prince by Jane Porter -- review to come

Something Rotten by Alan Gratz -- review to come

Review -- Curse of the Spellmans

Curse of the Spellmans
by Lisa Lutz
Simon & Schuster Adult Publishing Group, 2009
448 pages
Spellman Files Series (Book 2)

Summary: Izzy Spellman is in trouble with the law again as she investigates her parent's suspicious new neighbor.

Review: Lisa Lutz writes another fantastically fun novel filled with the fabulous Spellman family. All the family members are back and up to their old investigating tricks in this sequel to The Spellman Files. The plot was fast paced but didn't pack the emotional punch that first book had. I did enjoy the larger role of Henry Stone as Rae's best friend and (possibly?) Izzy's new love interest. Actually, my favorite parts of the novel were Henry, Rae, and Izzy hanging out together because the dialogue between them was hysterical. Overall, a great addition to the Spellman series and I can't wait to read #3. Rating:****1/2 out of 5.

It's Monday! What are you reading? -- 6/1

Currently Reading: The Luxe by Anna Godbersen and Beach Trip by Cathy Holton

Read Last Week (reviews to come): Without a Backward Glance by Kate Veitch, Love Walked In by Marisa del los Santos, Tantalize by Cynthia Leitich Smith, and Wicked Lovely by Melissa MarrReviewed last week (click on title to read review): Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side by Beth Fantaskey, The Spellman Files by Lisa Lutz, and What Would Jane Austen Do? by Laurie Brown

What are you reading this week? (What to play along? Go to J.Kaye's Book Blog)

Review -- The Spellman Files

The Spellman Files
by Lisa Lutz
Published by Simon & Schuster Adult Publishing Group, 2007
368 pages

Summary: Izzy Spellman has worked for her parent's detective agency since she was a young teenager. P.I. work seems to be in her blood -- at the expense of her personal life. When she starts secretly dating a dentist, her parents hire her teenage sister Rae to spy on her and all hell breaks loose.

Review: This has to be one of my favorite books of the year so far. The Spellman Files is funny, fast paced, and amazingly entertaining. Izzy is the perfect main character, part of a completely dysfunctional family yet a unique individual on her own. All of the Spellmans are intriguing characters whose antics will make you laugh out loud. A wonderfully comedic character piece filled with action, The Spellman Files is not to be missed. Rating: ***** out of 5.