Friday, August 6, 2010

Friday Finds -- 8/6


Happy Friday! My Friday find for this week is Maybe This Time by Jennifer Crusie (available 8/31/10). One of my all time guilty pleasures is Agnes and the Hitman also written by Crusie (and Bob Mayer). Here is the Barnes and Noble description:

Andie Miller is ready to move on in life. She wants to marry her fiance and leave behind everything in her past, especially her ex-husband, North Archer. But when Andie tries to gain closure with him, he asks one final favor of her before they go their separate ways forever. A very distant cousin of his has died and left North as the guardian of two orphans who have driven out three nannies already, and things are getting worse. He needs a very special person to take care of the situation and he knows Andie can handle anything…When Andie meets the two children she quickly realizes things are much worse than she feared. The place is a mess, the children, Carter and Alice, aren’t your average delinquents, and the creepy old house where they live is being run by the worst housekeeper since Mrs. Danvers. What’s worse, Andie’s fiance thinks this is all a plan by North to get Andie back, and he may be right. Andie’s dreams have been haunted by North since she arrived at the old house. And that’s not the only haunting…What follows is a hilarious adventure in exorcism, including a self-doubting parapsychologist, an annoyed medium, her Tarot-card reading mother, an avenging ex-mother-in-law, and, of course, her jealous fiance. And just when she thinks things couldn’t get more complicated, North shows up on the doorstep making her wonder if maybe this time things could be different between them. If Andie can just get rid of all the guests and ghosts, she’s pretty sure she can save the kids, and herself, from the past. But fate might just have another thing in mind…

It sounds like the perfect summer read -- I can't wait! What did you find?

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

WWW Wednesdays -- 8/4


This meme is hosted by Should Be Reading.

What are you currently reading? Right now I am in the middle of Look Again by Lisa Scottoline (I started skimming -- I don't know if it's my mood, the characters, or the topic that is turning me off) and One Day by David Nicholls (less than 20 pages in -- very interesting characters so far).

What have you recently finished? Last week I finished The Wife's Tale by Lori Lansens (click on the title to read my review). Yesterday I searched the internet for word that there is a sequel in the works to this book, but came up with nothing. Very disappointing.

What are you reading next? Maybe I will try to finish The Host by Stephenie Meyer (a re-read) or The Lace Reader by Brunonia Barry (for book club in October).

What are you reading?

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Review -- The Wife's Tale by Lori Lansens


by Lori Lansens
Little Brown, 2010
353 pages
*I borrowed this book from the library.

Summary: Mary's life is filled by her hunger for food and her love for her husband, Gooch. Overwhelmed by grief and depression, Mary is morbidly obese. When Mary's husband disappears, she faces her fears and leaves her small town in Canada for California. With the help of strangers, she begins to learn who she is without Gooch.

Review: I am going to start at the end instead of the beginning. For me, the ending was abrupt and disappointing because the book was so good. I turned the last page and was upset because I absolutely loved Mary and was so proud of the transition she begun to make within. Okay, so back to the beginning. When you meet Mary, you recognize the sadness and depression in her life and her inability to sedate the hunger she feels inside. Author Lori Lansens does a great job describing Mary's fight with food and endearing her to the reader. The strongest part of the novel for me was Mary's quest to find Gooch. I just loved all of the characters who helped her with her journey and how accepting they were of her. They were able to see beyond the weight to the person she was inside and I think that helped Mary to begin the process of healing herself. Rating: **** out of 5 (Dear Lori Lansen, I will make it 5 out of 5 stars if you tell me there is a sequel in the works. Thank you, Jess)

Have you read and reviewed this novel? Then leave a link to your review in the comments section!

Monday, August 2, 2010

It's Monday! What are you reading? -- 8/2



This meme is hosted by Book Journey.


I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend. The weather here (in Massachusetts) is really beautiful -- cool, sunny, and breezy. The perfect weather to sit outside with a book and something fruity to drink. I digress! This week, I am reading One Day by David Nicholls (interesting so far) and Look Again by Lisa Scottline (kind of terrible -- maybe I am just not in the mood?). Last week I finished the wonderful A Wife's Tale by Lori Lansens (review to come) but if you want to discuss the ending then shoot me an email (jedziedzAThotmailDOTcom) because I have a lot of confusion and disappointment brewing (and I absolutely loved this novel). I also reviewed the fantastic This Must Be The Place by Kate Racculia (click on the title for my review).


What are you reading this week?