Finished

• The Know-It-All by A. J. Jacobs

  Rating: *****
  
  I love being ahead of the curve. It pays to browse! Not only did I find some great used books in the library, but I also found this sitting on the new nonfiction shelf, even before the review was in TIME. It's really not a subject I would have chosen to look into - it's pretty random, this quest for enlightenment by reading the Encyclopaedia Britannica from a-ak to Zyeiec. Actually, not so random - I've always liked reading encyclopedias, but for different reasons than this author. His motivations are personal and funny, and this is really a haphazard memoir segued into via strange trivia he picks up while reading the hefty volumes over the course of a year.
  
  The real story behind the story is the Jacobs' struggle to conceive. The book is immediately private and more serious than, say, the discussions about René Descartes' cross-eyed fetish. Also, AJJ delves into his family's overachieving history and his feelings of inadequacy (unbeknownst to anyone else, he was once THE smartest boy in the world). The book begins as a crazy quest of an ego trip and then it becomes a journey that is really about the bonds of family, from his practical joker father to his Harvard genius brother-in-law to the wee Jacobs he and his ever-patient wife, Julie, are hoping to have. Of course, the trivia bits are wacky and cute, especially as AJJ tries to use them unsuccessfully as small talk and as a way to impress people. He is very funny in a self-deprecating, sad-dog kind of way. He's like Bill Bryson living in Manhattan. A hapless, but hilariously articulate man clinging to some odd little ideas that do make sense in the end. He doesn't actually find the meaning of life in the 33,000 pages of the EB, but I think he comes close.
  
  

  In Progress

  
  
• Something Rotten by Jasper Fforde
• Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norell by Susanna Clarke
• Diary of a Mad Mom-to-Be by Laura Wolf

Finished

• Diary of a Mad Bride by Laura Wolf

  Rating: *****
  
  Often you hear that a person, book, or show is witty, but it's loosely bandied praise. True wit is always a bit surprising. It's the uncommon perception, the bull's-eye shot that makes you pause and marvel for a moment. It makes you content and gleeful that someone has gotten it just so - a communion of minds with words. Laura Wolf is witty. Amy, her first person narrator channels Bridget Jones, albeit with a higher IQ. Having never been party to the inner workings of a wedding, disaster or otherwise, I don't know how likely it is for plans to go this insane, but the author creates a creditable progression of bridal events and subsequent mental disintegration.
  
  Amy is hilarious. She's by turns snide, wise, paranoid, sensible, and sarcastic. Most of the humor doesn't come from things or situations that warrant passive, observant humor, but from her own particularly bizarre thoughts on the mundane that are always unexpectedly funny and perfectly apt. The sharpness that goes with being witty balances out with the acceptably sweet bits about her fiancé and why she is getting married. Her friends and family provide the bride-to-be with challenges and support, tears and laughter, Valium and insomnia. LW skillfully, believably captures the extreme dichotomy and stable equilibrium that co-exist in real life. Mad Bride is a diamond (or should it be an emerald?) in the chicklit rough. Fluff was never so good.

In Progress

• The Know-It-All by A. J. Jacobs

Finished

• The Borrowers Afloat by Mary Norton

  Rating: ***
  
  I'm compulsive about continuing series and while the Borrowers are still charming, the stories seem to be written just so another can follow it up. Not much happens in this book that couldn't have been condensed into the first half or even third of a livelier plot. I also don't feel one way or the other about the characters besides Spiller. That is probably the greatest crime. When a book makes you indifferent to the players, what is the point? This still gets three stars for being well-written and imaginative in details, if not scope, but I'll be dragging my feet to get to the next one of the series, which is the penultimate one, thank goodness.

In Progress

• Angels and Demons by Dan Brown


• Diary of a Mad Bride by Laura Wolf

Finished

• Last Chance Saloon by Marian Keyes

  Rating: ***
  
  I'm taking a break from MK's books for a bit. Not that this book wasn't good, but the plots are feeling repetitive. I am also predicting what will happen and I'm right - too right - and that's no fun.
  
  As a stand-alone without a trail of finished MK books in its wake, this might deserve another half-star. What I admire most about all these books are the characters and this one doesn't disappoint. In fact, there are more characters than usual, with a whole cast of loosely connected people around the best-buddy core of Katherine, Tara, and Fintan. This is also not in first-person like most of her previous books. It creates a not unpleasing sense of detachment, which matched my lukewarmth (I know it's not a word, but doesn't it make sense?) toward the characters.
  
  I'm not being contradictory, though. I enjoy the diversity and detailedness of the people and they all feel very real. The development of relationships and establishing of old ones are excellent, which is none too easy given the great dearth of it in contemporary fiction. I like how MK always draw you in and then knocks everyone for a loop with a disaster or crisis. I appreciate her insight into human nature and its awesome resiliency, but I didn't find myself feeling like one of the characters. A good book, especially if you do get into Marian Keyes, but not her best.

In Progress

• Last Chance Saloon by Marian Keyes

Finished

• Rachel's Holiday by Marian Keyes

  Rating: ****
  
  This book has the distinction of making me cry for the first time in ages. Rachel isn't my favorite Keyesian heroine, but she is certainly the most fascinating one so far - and not just because she's a crackhead. Truly. Rachel's titular holiday is only one in her drug-enfeebled mind. She's actually in a rehab center for any and all addictions, peopled with fellow drug addicts, overeaters, smokers, alcoholics, and gamblers. Her journey from the enabler that is NYC back to the land of quiet desperation (at least according to Rachel, whose word usually means the opposite of whatever she says) that is Ireland. It would all be pretty depressing, but Rachel's quirky point of view and her eccentric, sweet family create moments of lightness. The inhabitants of Cloisters, the treatment facility, are also an endearing motley crew. Keyes is always impressive in the characterization department, but what really makes this book a superior read is the portrayal of addiction. I wondered if the author had been an addict or worked with them, she wrote so minutely and scarily of the recovery process. While I didn't love Rachel uneqivocally, her struggles capture the bitterness (and necessity sometimes) of setbacks, but also the unparalleled achievement of making a comeback. It's a good thing to be able to root for a character.

In Progress

• Rachel's Holiday by Marian Keyes
• The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown

In Progress

• The Proposition by Judith Ivory

Finished

• The Proposition by Judith Ivory

  Rating: ****½
  
  Call me a believer and cue the Monkees music. In the great juggernaut that is the romance novel business, there are a few great writers among a lot of merely overactive imaginations. Judith Ivory, fortunately, has both. Her command of language is excellent and offers a story between the introspective, emotional Julia Quinn and the adventurous suspense of Amanda Quick (and most romance authors). There is a dilemma, quandry, impediment, but it neither takes over the crux of the novel, nor turns the heroines into simpering misses. The action is rational and the characters original.
  
  This novel is a spin on the George Bernard Shaw's take on Pygmalion albeit with a gender role-reversal. The linguist here is a confirmed bachelorette who has two months to pass off a ratcatcher as a duke at an upcoming gala. Ivory peoples her world with vivid characters, from the cook and butler to the dowager ladies. The ending stretched even my willing credulity a bit, but this is a romance and happy endings are de rigueur, so don't think about it too much. Like they say, it's not the destination, but the ride.

Finished

• Lucy Sullivan is Getting Married by Marian Keyes

  Rating: ****
  
  I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It has its obvious moments, but is very sweet. MK's books all revolve around a young woman's fairly good situation that reaches a crisis. She presents a convincing picture of what life is like during those trying times, with a particularly knowing hand when it comes to writing about depression. Actually, it's a motif in her work. That and writing exquisite drunken dialogue. Let's not forget, though, that these are romantic comedies we are talking about, so naturally life and love and ladies triumph.
  
  The lady of the moment is the eponymous Lucy Sullivan. She's a Light Young Thing with minimal ambition or grand plans. Her immediate concerns revolve around showing up sober-ish for work, finding a new young man, and waiting for the weekend (rather similar to Ashling in Sushi for Beginners). A trip to the psychic has her married in a year and a half, along with a few lesser predictions. When these latter prophecies appear to come true, Lucy starts to panic. In her attempt to embrace her destiny, she latches onto the charming, broke Gus. There is some drama with her nutsy diva roommate, her superlatively dysfunctional parents, and her womanizing best friend. I like to think that the plot isn't completely foregone from page one, but maybe that's just me in denial. I want to be surprised and charmed, which hardly ever happens together in any one book. However, I am not blind, deaf, and mute, so I pretty well knew how the tale of Lucy Sullivan was going to conclude. I wasn't disappointed one whit for noticing, though. Tickled pink.

In Progress

• Lucy Sullivan is Getting Married by Marian Keyes
• The Borrowers Afloat by Mary Norton

Finished

• Watermelon by Marian Keyes

  Rating: ***½
  
  MK's debut novel is quite different from her last one, which I loved. However, I'm a woman of varied tastes, so I can like chocolate AND vanilla, thank you very much. The first person narration is the most salient difference, and has the advantage of being more accessible and immediately empathetic. The presence of a snarky, but loving family keeps the protag from becoming self-pitying or insane, given her circumstances (her husband leaves her the day of their child's birth). All the same, I didn't exactly warm to Claire. Nothing bad, but nothing really charismatic either, although she is funny in a neurotic way that most women can relate to. The other characters are more clear, in terms of love-hate. Hate James. Love Adam. Love Claire's family. A plot doesn't really exist, but brings one woman's early-life crisis to life with humor and emotional truth. Also a precursor of Bridget Jones's inner monologue writing.

  
  
• The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon

  Rating: ****
  
  A curious book. A quick read, despite the strange logic that rules Christopher, an autistic teen, and the first person narration. Christopher is a wonderful character. He's so straightforward and clear, sweet and vulnerable. How many people are afraid of the color yellow? Okay, so he's not totally rational, but he's also very true to his established character. I mostly forgot that he was fifteen because, although he's precocious - a math prodigy, he is emotionally very innocent. Even though the book begins with a tragedy and continues to unearth more lies and secrets (all that icky realism), Christopher's slightly skewed view on life makes each page a pleasure to read. Really, he's a just an adorable kid who has some tough breaks, but comes out a winner, groaning and all.

In Progress

• Watermelon by Marian Keyes
• The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time by Mark Haddon

Finished

• A Scholar of Magics by Caroline Stevermer

  Rating: ****½
  
  It's always gratifying when a writer gets better with successive works. The earlier readings seem more worthwhile in retrospect and you can rely more on the author's quality in the future. This sequel is a decade coming, but well worth the effort. It's also dissimilar to the original, being more of a spin-off with a supporting character from the first book, rather than a strict continuation of the previous plot.
  
  That being said, who says different is bad? While I enjoyed the prequel, the years or experience in the meantime have done CS some good. ASoM is delightful alternate reality fantasy adventure that is entirely unlike its predecessor in tone or feel. This book is cheerful, sparkling, and charming. CS makes better use of the historical time setting, the principles that govern this magical England, and the complexity of characterization. Perhaps this is due to the author herself or a better caffeinated editor that didn't sleep through the writing of this book. The story has excellent continuity, coherence, charisma, and control (apologies for the alliteration), which were somewhat lacking in the more ethereal and dramatic Book One.
  
  The characters steal the show here. The sensitive American cowboy and the independent British professor with a flair for fashion are charming and original, not to mention hilarious. CS again displays her knack for creating strong secondary characters, without losing the narrative thread's credibility. Also, if these books are appealing, ASoM follows very well with the Victorian period alternate reality books that Patricia Wrede has written (two of them with CS, not coincidentally).

Finished

• A College of Magics by Caroline Stevermer

  Rating: ****
  
  A lovely bit of alternative reality period fantasy. This takes place in the very early 1900's where magic and imaginary countries exist within Europe. The feel of the novel has fleeting impressions of Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials (incidentally, published after ACoM), Tolkien, J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter series (also published after Stevermer), Lloyd Alexander (particularly the Westmark trilogy), and Robin McKinley, as well as others I can't recall. The story remains very original, but comes closest to those particular fantasy classics, which was an unforeseen boon as the sixth Harry Potter is nowhere in sight. I really only read this to get to the newly released sequel. So this was another unexpected, pleasant surprise.
  
  I had some issues with the book, though. I never really got a firm grasp of the temporal setting, which would feel like something from the Middle Ages and then the Victorian Era. There are time-markers like trains and a rare car, but generally, I was confused. This was also a case of DiNoE - Desperately in Need of Editing. What happened to the editor? I'm thinking s/he went on vacation and this was harriedly skimmed by some underpaid recent college grad. This could have benefited from a tighter pace, a clearer plot, and an economy of words. Also odd but not really negative, the secondary characters were more vivid and more interesting than the driven, but slightly aloof protag, who was uncharismatically named Faris. Fortunately, the overall book charmed me enough to give this its four stars. I took a shine to the characters, their passion, their mission, but I don't expect everyone to. The ending had me reeling for a while, although that simply may be because I haven't read a fantasy in a long while. I found the adventure stimulating, authentic, and well worth the read.

In Progress

• A Scholar of Magics by Caroline Stevermer

Finished

• The Egg and I by Betty MacDonald

  Rating: ****½
  
  What a find! Some of my reading inspiration comes from a movie I may have seen that is based on a book. I heard about this while looking up something else, and it just goes to show you that life works in tiny but significant ways that are usually overlooked in the grand scheme of things. Actually, this happens pretty often with reading. One thing leads to another, another reader leads to more reading.
  
  Betty MacDonald is my idol. Literarily, anyway. She's a wonderful writer, with a fantastic ear for storytelling. The chapters are episodic, but create one narrative thread, while the characterization brings the people around her to life. Her take on the Pacific Northwest is reminiscent of the Little House books by Laura Ingalls Wilder. She and her husband battle weather, fire, bone idle neighbors - the memorable Kettles, and wild animals. They live without indoor plumbing, electricity, or running water. All this just to raise some chickens, a truly thankless job from day one. I confess I have always thought farm life a little romantic, despite the hard labor. I shudder to think what might have been if I hadn't met this book. MacDonald bitches mightily and hilariously about the surreal life she walked into as a young bride. It's the rueful laugh of bitterness, mellowed by the years. I couldn't turn the pages fast enough, although the racist comments regarding Native Americans are unfortunate and difficult to read placidly. They sadly keep this from being a perfect piece of work.

Finished

• Please Don't Eat the Daisies by Jean Kerr

  Rating: ***½
  
  Kerr's observant essays on children, the theatre, writing, and life as an almost sane woman sparkle with humor and intelligence. Her writing is astute, but so smooth, you almost miss the satiric or rueful spin that completes her sentences. My only reason for not giving it a higher rating was because I didn't feel the essays flowed well. They're excellent singly, but reading them together didn't enhance Kerr's brilliance.
  
  Reading her take on living in the modern age is refreshing and fascinating, particularly as this was written in the mid-1950's. JK didn't let motherhood and suburbia swallow her identity or personality. Her social life with her husband overlaps her professional life as a writer since they both worked in drama, but isn't overwhelmed by her role as a mother/citizen. Also, you get the distinct impression that she didn't have two personas - what you see is what you get. Her energy and perspective project a well-rounded image of a woman who manages to have it all. Not easily, but successfully all the same.

In Progress

• A College of Magics by Caroline Stevermer

Ten Steps to a Better...

Reader. Not exactly self-help, but certainly helpful. At some point, everyone gets into a reading rut or tends to choose from a favored genre. At worst, reading loses its appeal and nothing seems to fill that void. Being a well-rounded reader can help. I read an article on Chicklit that addressed this very well. It brings up some key points for the endless, though worthwhile, practice of bibliophilia. There are just too many treasures out there that get ignored, postponed, or forgotten while the "latest and greatest" clamor for immediate attention. These ten steps are a gentle reminder of quality over quantity or popularity.

In Progress

• The Egg and I by Betty MacDonald

Finished

• Sushi for Beginners by Marian Keyes

  Rating: ****½
  
  This is my first MK book and I find that my impressions of an author evolves quite a bit with each reading. It's like grading on a curve for the first-timers, so consider yourself forewarned. At any rate, I'm pleased because I think I've found the answer to one of my biblio-conundrums. Irish authors, much as I like them, have a beautifully sad style that can really bring a girl down. Bittersweet - I love it, but it haunts me for a while. That's why I've stopped reading Maeve Binchy. She always has an O. Henry twist in every story, delicious but painful. Marian Keyes combines the great storytelling with a satisfying ending (as in, it has a point and gets there - closure is a good thing!).
  
  Although there are romantic elements, the essence of Sushi for Beginners boils down to three interconnected women: Ashling, Lisa, and Clodagh. Empathy is optional, but the people and action breathe. The book starts off a little awkwardly, but soon rights itself. The plot is believable and well-paced, the dialogue is witty, and the characters are distinctive and develop nicely. Call me blind, but I wasn't entirely sure how it was going to end or what characters were going to mix, so that element of semi-suspense kept me up reading late. It's a perfectly balance of lightness and purpose.

Treasure Hunting

Books I bought this summer at library sales here and there. Sort of a warm-up for the annual Attic Sale dash in September where I get my year's fill of used books. The best spent fifteen minutes of my shopping year.

• Fun With the Famous 5 by Enid Blyton
  
• The Color of Water: A Black Man's Tribute to His White Mother by James McBride
  
• My Name Escapes Me: The Diary of a Retiring Actor by Alec Guinness
  
• Kitchen Confidential: Adventures in the Culinary Underbelly by Anthony Bourdain
  
• The Silmarillion by J. R. R. Tolkien
  
• Second Person Rural by Noel Perrin

I also found this charming used bookstore housed in a lovely, old Victorian. The rooms are intact, except they're filled with bookcases, so there is an odd arrangement where a room flows into another into another, as well as smaller alcoves. The store, which inhabits the whole first floor, is divided in two by the front entrance/staircase. After you are done exploring one side, you cross the front hall to get to the other half. It would be an awesome place to restore and live in, creaky floors and all. Having it filled with books is just icing.

In Progress

• What Your Handwriting Says About You by Mike Edelhart
  
• Sushi for Beginners by Marian Keyes

Finished

• Wicked by Gregory Maguire

  Rating: ***½
  
  Strange, really bizarre novel. Fascinating fantasy, provoking moral discussion, huge scope, and meticulous structure, but just a lot to take in. It was a truly original, literate, seductive read. Maybe I've wandered a bit from the literary milieu, but this is not fluffy entertainment. I guess you can take the face value of the plot and characters, but that would cheapen the experience of the book because there is more fathoms deep. This is the kind of book that begs to be read again as there is a lot to digest in one go. Allegory and some satire - unfortunately, my least favorite lit devices - veil issues such as racism, absolutism, religion, power, love, and the meaning of good and evil, naturally. Hello, Glinda the Good and the Wicked Witch of the West? While the writing easily drew me into the story, I didn't read it continuously and lost track of the huge web of connections. I forgot much of the detail in the previous sections that trigger or shadow later events. It's very readable - so much so that when I would flip back to refresh my memory, I'd find myself getting immersed in the earlier part. I need to read this again sometime when I have time to be serious about it. It's unsettling in a good way and I know I missed some key points this time. It's odd that this has been turned into a big Broadway musical. Their adaptation is nothing like the book. It's more like Wicked Lite, very condensed and simplistic with only superficial quirkiness. I still like the music, though, which is why I read this sooner rather than later.

Finished

• The Broke Diaries by Angela Nissel

  Rating: ***½
  
  This Penn grad puts a whole new spin on the starving-student model. Like living on $10 a week with no meal plans. While paying her way through college, Nissel began to document her broke ways in a proto-blog as a way to escape the reality of living in dire straits. She's unapologetic and brutally honest about the embarrassing, annoying, and maddening episodes of brokeness. Sound glum? Not the way Nissel writes. She is funny and sharp and takes no crap. Although I found her slang a bit harsh, it does capture the flavor of a native Philadelphian. There isn't much about her day-to-day student life, but focuses on the basic human needs of hunting (for change in sofa cushions) and gathering (with fellow broke friends in events with free food). Her adventures of ramen noodles, check cashing, and the Great Textbook Scam are hilarious and witty. Who says you don't learn anything in college?

In Progress

• Please Don't Eat the Daisies by Jean Kerr
  
• The Broke Diaries by Angela Nissel

Finished

• The Paid Companion by Amanda Quick

  Rating: ****
  
  This was a typical Quick novel, I'm learning. Strong, linguistically-blessed heroine meets domineering alpha male. Then they have adventures fixing some problem with a bad guy. The plots are interchangeable and fairly predictable, although she does hold out on identifying the villain until the latter half. What makes AQ a real standout is her writing and her heroines. They rock, and they rock all the more because she creates an authentic world with her writing. AQ has mastered the Regency historical's language and style, without sacrificing wit or believability.
  
  

• Sixty Million Frenchmen Can't Be Wrong by Jean-Benoît Nadeau and Julie Barlow

  Rating: ****
  
  You know, I really want to like the French. I learned the language and still retain more than I have any right to considering I prefer German and only fudged French in high school. Still, the country, the history, the language - they're all so romantic and inspiring. So why do the people and their way of doing things rub others the wrong way? This book, which is deeper than a travelogue but not really an academic text, is a crash course in all things francais.
  
  I think I respect the French more having read Sixty Million Frenchmen, although I'm not one iota closer to liking them. It is extremely difficult to empathize with the French side because there is no compromise in their stance. This was not helped by the authors' nearly belligerent tone towards the US in any comparison with the French. Perhaps they were writing for their audience with a view they can relate to, but I got the impression that they used the US as a model when it showed France to an advantage and the former in a negative light. I understood and even admired the French ways, but rarely agreed with them. At any rate, Nadeau and Barlow embrace the idea of French superiority, but are mostly objective because they are bound by historical facts to prove their points.
  
  The development of the French national personality is a product of many tumultuous years, from the amalgamation of tiny ethnic groups to the Revolution to WWII and to the colonial conflict in Algeria. Their obsession with federalism, linguistic purity, and Paris is explained in a cohesive way. The political and educational aspects of French society are explored in great detail, but was a bit tedious. I've been reading this intermittently since May, but found the subject fascinating enough to keep at it, even through the dry patches. All in all, the theories they put forth about understanding the French character and spirit are built on sound logic and offer an illuminating, if smug, read. I can honestly say, Vive la France!

In Progress

• The Paid Companion by Amanda Quick
  
• The Pecking Order: Which Siblings Succeed and Why by Dalton Conley

Finished

• Save Karyn by Karyn Bosnak

  Rating: ****
  
  Very readable. Also very scary in a way. Every girl has probably done the whole shopping rationalization hurdling: "Ooh, I'll own it longer if I buy it now at retail and from a daily cost point of view, that's really saving money!" KB took it to an absurd level, but I felt her pain. Well, when I wasn't being turned off by her utter lack of self control. The excessiveness didn't totally work against her, though. She gets points for being honest...and funny! Her writing is a little unpolished and valley-girl-ish, but it improves as the book goes on (and the bills start piling up). I identified with her on shopping on a basic level, but the second half is what earned this little memoir its stars. She struggled through joblessness, depression, 9/11, massive criticism, but came out of it all a better person for it. The old Karyn was cute, fun chick like any number I have known, but it's the new one that is worth knowing.
  

• Splendid by Julia Quinn

  Rating: ***
  
  This is JQ's first novel. The infamous one she started a month after graduating from Hahvaaahd. And it shows. Though it's fairly good for a debut, her grasp of the Regency era's language and customs is a bit shaky. Actually, the dialogue is terrible. It kept throwing me off to hear/read, too often, contemporary expressions. The story arc (damsel in distress interlude) isn't my favorite either, although the author definitely kept it plausible, for which I thank her. What saves this book is its foundations. The plot is pretty good and there are some very memorable characters - ones I would look forward to seeing/reading about again. Stay tuned for more retro JQ.

In Progress

• Splendid by Julia Quinn
  
• The Anxiety of Everyday Objects by Aurelie Sheehan
  
• Save Karyn by Karyn Bosnak
  
• Wicked by Gregory Maguire

Finished

• In Full Bloom by Caroline Hwang

  Rating: ****
  
  Engaging and surprisingly wise. I would like to think that chicklit is slowly headed toward something like this, somewhere between literary and fluff. It was doubly interesting to me because many of the characters, including the protag Ginger, are Korean Americans. The struggles of Ginger felt very familiar. I loved that while she lives through all the normal issues of twenty-somethings, she also comes to an evolving understanding of her identity and ethnicity. It's a bittersweet hand that the second generation gets dealt. What makes this great reading is how well Hwang combines this with the lighter elements of finding love and friends and living in the City. Stereotypes and stock characters are well avoided in most cases, with the presence of complex and unexpected personalities. In an Amy Tan vein, the interactions with Ginger's mom are sweet and funny and poignant. Hwang is also a better writer than most novices out there, so while the topics could be weighty, the overall tone of the book is bright and hopeful.

In Progress

• In Full Bloom by Caroline Hwang

Finished

• Can You Keep a Secret? by Sophie Kinsella

  Rating: ****½
  
  Okay, I remember that I once said I'd never read another Kinsella after those car-crash Shopaholic books (horrid protag, but perversely readable), but like that (now regrettable) instinct that told me that I should get Olivia Joules while it was available on the library shelf, I just did. Fortunately, this is a vast improvement over Becky Bloomwood and her entirely self-absorbed delusions of grandeur. And it goes almost without saying that it's light years from Helen Fielding's last offering. Can You Keep a Secret? seems like what Fielding wanted to do with Olivia Joules. It's fairly typical chick lit and has a romance-novel arc (boy meets girl, conflict, happily ever after), but all the characters were original and fun, which is really pretty rare these days.

In Progress

• Can You Keep a Secret? by Sophie Kinsella

Finished

• Olivia Joules and Her Overactive Imagination by Helen Fielding

  Rating: *
  
  Good God, where to start. A massive disappointment? That might be strong enough. Or let me put it this way, I only got through a third of it before I just flipped/skimmed through it for the mediocre bits - and I obsessive-compulsively read everything to the bitter end! The premise was bizarre and illogical (which I could deal with, having read her Bridget Jones books after all), but the writing was very self-conscious, uneven, and unsophisticated. Her stereotypes were also bordering on the racist. It read like a hackneyed romance novel and also like how a middle-aged woman imagines cool, single people live (lots of cloying and annoying clothes/setting descriptions). What a gulf from her wonderful debut (Cause Celeb), and even the last BJD, which was borderline schizo, but still amusing. Oh sadness.

Finished

• Spotted in France by Gregory Edmont

  Rating: *****
  
  I've never been one for Dalmatians, but this made me want to go out and get one. Or at least a dog as brilliant and blessed as JP. I loved how Edmont and his dog traveled through France (no small patch of land) on a Vespa. Besides the fact that I love those weird little mopeds, I think the image of JP riding on the footrest with goggles on is too adorable. Edmont's methods are odd - top notch restaurants and cheap lodging - but their adventures, such as being arrested, aided by a coven, and sent to a doggie bordello, really take the cake. Rationally, I know that no one has as many coincidences as the pair seem to have, but part of me knows it can happen. It made the whole book a surreal pleasure from the moment I got hooked by the precocious and, at times, prescient JP's adoption by the financially strapped Edmont, to the utterly perfect ending, complete with wedding.

In Progress

• Spotted in France by Gregory Edmont
  
• Ambulance Girl by Jane Stern

In Progress

• Olivia Joules and Her Overactive Imagination by Helen Fielding

Finished

• Once Upon a Town by Bob Greene

  Rating: ***
  
  I had high hopes for this one. One of my favorite reading interests is WWII testimonials (not about military history though) and there isn't much about the home front. The relevant content of this book could have been condensed into a magazine or even newspaper article. When Greene found an original player, he basically wrote a transcript of his/her speech. It made some sense, since they are a dying generation, but it doesn't make for enthralling reading. The North Platte Canteen is an amazing piece of disappearing history and tells a beautiful story about the kind of Americans we should all be. The best part of the book highlights the pure patriotism and compassion of a seemingly average town.

In Progress

• Kissing Kin by Elswyth Thane

Finished

• The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

  Rating: ****
  
  Very interesting novel. Parts of it are beautifully written, but remarkably free of pretension. It falls into that category of passionate (not necessarily romantic) novels for women that have a bittersweet, if not outright tragic, ending. Think Anita Shreve or Alice Sebold. I don't know that I like those as a genre. You can't really enjoy them unless you're in a dark mood. The unusual thing about this novel is the time travel element. Towards the middle of the book, Niffenegger made good use of the advantages by foreshadowing the climax and denouement of the novel. In this case, I'm grateful because it would have been too much to take all at once in the end. It was rather artfully done. Generally, the action was all over (between the 1960's to the 1990's), but her gradual intentions were pretty easy to follow. I think that that is why I liked this book much more than I thought I would - the author isn't trying to play games with you. Unfortunately, the characters were not that appealing. I think they were too human, too much like people you'd meet at school or at work. Bleh. I like my realism to stay where it is and out of my books, thank you. What's the point of reading for pleasure if the people you meet on paper aren't any better than the people that depress you in the news? They'd make for an interesting movie, though. This book was made to be a movie. I can imagine Jude Law or Robert Sean Leonard playing Henry and Jennifer Connelly or Naomi Watts as Clare.

In Progress

• The BFG by Roald Dahl
  
• Once Upon a Town by Bob Greene
  
• Bob Hope: My Life in Jokes by Bob Hope

Finished

• The Borrowers Afield by Mary Norton

  Rating: ****
  
  I think I've always had a fascination for miniature life in a big world. I loved how the Borrowers used doll furniture and adapted human size objects into usable things for their lives. This second book was set outdoors, which was more confusing to picture, but fairly creative too. The characters inhabit familiar roles, which is not to say that I liked them in the first place, but there is something to say for consistency. Like a lot of other children's books from the past, this is wholesome and calming in a way recent writing has abandoned. Sometimes it good to mix it up a little.

In Progress

• The Borrowers Afield by Mary Norton

Finished

• Bet Me by Jennifer Crusie

  Rating: ****
  
  I loved this one! It's so much better than the only other Crusie I read. Okay, the prerequisite girlfriends and villains were like caricatures instead of characters, but it didn't really detract from the light, fun tone of the book. The heroine, Minerva, is a gal I wouldn't mind having as a buddy. It's not too often you find a strong, sensible, and sexy protag (in reality, it's always two out of three: the Jane theory, which I personally think should be a postulate) that you can like. The hero was definitely acceptable. A sensitive, hot, modern man, of course. The premise is what hooked me into getting this one. Crusie sets it up well, too, since it could have easily degenerated into something corny and contrived. An excellent beach read.

In Progress

• Bet Me by Jennifer Crusie

Finished

• Number 10 by Sue Townsend

  Rating: ***
  
  Very British. It took me a little while to get into that whole dry humor that is so prevalent in Brit writing. Townsend seems to revel in the absurd of daily, modern British life. First she takes on the Queen and now it's the Prime Minister. She's a very clean, evocative writer, who creates mental pictures. Number 10 is primarily a buddy book, but makes some social commentaries without becoming wrapped up in the secondary mission. The characters aren't endearing or relatable, but are distinctive. Probably will read more of her work.
  

• What Einstein Told His Cook by Robert Wolke

  Rating: ***½
  
  I love this chem prof! I wish I had had one like him. I may have stayed a chem major. Well, probably not, unless my college had offered a minor in culinary arts...Anyway, Wolke is charming and fairly down-to-earth. His explanations are a lot of fun to relate to my own cooking experiences. Good advice, but not really a reference since you can't really look up specific topics as needed. He covers a broad range since, I believe, the sections were all originally questions he answered for his column in a newspaper. It's just a very interesting read if you like to cook.
  

• Alton Brown's Gear for Your Kitchen by Alton Brown

  Rating: ****
  
  Fun stuff, literally. Electric appliances, gadgets, pot and pans, tools, and even storage. His advice is a little biased because he usually only highlights things he uses after some trying a few test options, but by no means is it scientific or comprehensive. There are a few areas where he has exhaustively researched, experimented, and chosen, but that is occasional in a book that covers as much this tries to. I love his style, though, and I respect his opinion since I've learned a lot from him previously, so I found it a helpful reference for the kitchen.

Finished

• Entre Nous: A Woman's Guide to Finding Her Inner French Girl by Debra Ollivier
  

  Rating: ****½
  
  Surprisingly insightful. Granted, it's quite biased (pro-French) and full of advice, but it's not preachy. I thought it captured cultural differences in an interesting way that made me want to know why the French (women) behave they way they do. The tips on living à la francais felt admirable, although I can't imagine them working anywhere but their native land.
  

• Sex and the City by Candace Bushnell
  

  Rating: **
  
  I don't quite see what would have made a producer think this was sitcom material. It's an intriguing slice of modern life, that is often funny, but in a pathetic way. Actually, I found it a really depressing and morally shallow protrayal. I can't help thinking it would have come off better as a satire, à la Jane Austen. I suppose I could have appreciated it as is, if there weren't two blinding flaws. The first, the writing, is inexcusable. Stylistically, SATC was flat and uninspired mostly, a little too simplistic for someone who writes for a living. The second isn't Bushnell's fault. It really threw me off to read about Carrie, for example, and find her not at all like the TV Carrie. It's twofold, I guess. Producers kept the original characters' names and then the show developed their characters so well, that the latter became mentally indelible. A remarkable phenomenon, but it doesn't help the reader any.

Something Old, Something New, Something Borrowed...

Alas, nothing blue.

Renée and I went to a flea market on Saturday, where I got three books, Faust with German and the English translation on facing pages, The Chicago Manual of Style in hardback, and The Swiss Family Robinson. Total=$2.50. Renée picked up a pristine copy of To Sir Philip, With Love for a buck.

Went to the library to renew some of the books I'm still reading and also happened upon Diane Johnson's newest in her Francophile series, L'Affaire. Bien sûr, I had to check to see if my library had the second (after Le Divorce), Le Mariage. They did - so grows my pile to read.

Barnes and Noble is on my list for this week, so we'll see if I have anything to add. Doubtful, though, since I only go there to get ideas about new books and buy elsewhere.

In Progress

• Swiss Family Robinson by Johann Wyss

Finished

• The Pursuit of Alice Thrift by Elinor Lipman

  Rating: ****
  
  Strangely compelling novel. I had read a Lipman book before, but wasn't overly impressed. She appears to deal with a class of people who are mature, professional, and settled. So not chick lit-ish, in other words. Alice Thrift was quirky and unpredictable for a number of reasons. For one, Alice is such a dark horse. She's so innocent, but not sweet, clever, but not wise. The side characters are odd, but mostly endearing.

In Progress

• The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
  
• Sixty Million Frenchmen Can't Be Wrong by Jean-Benoît Nadeau and Julie Barlow
  
• Entre Nous: A Woman's Guide to Finding Her Inner French Girl by Debra Ollivier
  
• The Pursuit of Alice Thrift by Elinor Lipman
  
• Number 10 by Sue Townsend
  
• Sex and the City by Candace Bushnell
  
• What Einstein Told His Cook by Robert Wolke
  
• I'm Just Here for the Food by Alton Brown
  
• Alton Brown's Gear for Your Kitchen by Alton Brown