If you come over to my house on the weekend, odds are pretty good that the TV is tuned to HGTV. I’m totally addicted to shows like House Hunters International and Property Virgins. Mia, the main character in If You Were Here by Jen Lancaster, suffers from this same addiction, although hers is way worse than mine. She and her husband, Mac, have deluded themselves into thinking that buying a fixer upper and doing the work themselves is a great idea. Things are only made worse by Mia’s obsession with all things John Hughes. When she discovers Jake Ryan’s house from Sixteen Candles is for sale she pretty much loses her mind with excitement. Never mind that the house is practically falling apart, is at the upper end of their price range, and that they’re not exactly experienced at DIY home repair. The lure of Jake Ryan is too strong for Mia to resist.

While the home repairs turn Mia’s life upside down, she still has deadlines to meet for her day job. She’s the author of a popular YA series about teenage Amish zombies in love. There’s also a subplot involving their vapid ex-landlady, a wannabe reality star named Vienna. And then there are the new neighbors, who don’t exactly roll out the welcome wagon for Mia and Mac.

I had heard that Jen Lancaster’s books were funny, but I was not fully prepared for all the hilarity in If You Were Here. It’s laugh out loud funny. I loved all the references to shows on HGTV and, of course, to John Hughes movies. As a YA writer, Mia is jealous of Stephenie Meyer and takes every opportunity to snark on her, which had me cracking up (Lancaster assures readers in the prologoue that she actually loves Meyer). And just the idea of someone writing Amish zombie novels is hilarious to me.

If You Were Here is silly fun for anyone who has experienced the headaches of home ownership. Let me emphasize the silly part—the story itself is crazy ridiculous, but there are elements of truth in there that make it funny and relatable. My only complaint is that Lancaster is a big fan of footnotes, which I really liked at first, but they quickly became annoying to read on my ereader and didn’t always add to the story.

Apparently this is Jen Lancaster’s first novel, though she has written five non-fiction books. This was my first experience reading her books, and I look forward to reading more. I’d recommend If You Were Here to anyone obsessed with HGTV and 80s pop culture, as well as fans of books like Bridget Jones Diary or the Shopoholic series.

Here are a few quotes from If You Were Here:

I’d be lying if I said I didn’t want to make my design divine with Candice Olson or see if Carter really can. Mac and I both have a tiny, sexless crush on Holmes on Homes, and we’d adore having him get all self-righteous and blustery over shoddy masonry before he saved our bacon from the fire.

…Our income exponentially increased after my novel It’s Raining Mennonites unexpectedly hit the New York Times bestseller list, which meant my next book, Rumspringa-ding-ding, recently sold for a tidy sum. Like I said, teenage zombies in love are fairly lucrative. I mean, they’re not teenage-vampires-in-love lucrative, but I’m satisfied.

Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars | Publisher: NAL Hardcover | Pages: 320 | Source: Purchased | Buy on Amazon

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TEXTUAL HEALING by Eric Smith is quirky. In fact, I have a funny feeling when he sat down to write this book that word was first and foremost in his mind. Textual Healing has the feeling of an indie film, one of those feel-good small budget films like Ten Inch Hero, full of interesting characters, almost real-life situations and a sweetly romantic comedy.

Andrew “Ace” Connor is thirty, a former bestselling author whose one-time bestseller is now languishing in the bargain bin at the local Barnes and Noble. To add to his woes, his girlfriend and “muse” (not that he’s written a word in years) has left him for greener pastures. The bookstore he owns is full of interesting employees and he has to deal with a ninja florist who speaks in haiku.

Like I said, quirky.

There is a lot to like in Textual Healing, like those indie films, I found myself drawn into Ace’s world for the most part. There are times when his inner dialog is a little… hmm… annoying, but I am almost ready to forgive him that, because for the most part I like him. I sympathize with his plight and his frustrations as he stumbles through his life. The ancillary characters are a definite plus to the story and keep it from becoming just a bit too much.

The problem with Textual Healing is it’s kind of like a nice, slightly unusual dessert. It’s sweet and has a bit of character, but when all is said and done, what you remember is the sweet, the slightly unusual flavor and not much else. This is not the kind of book that I pull off my shelves to read again and again. It was nice, I liked it. If asked I would say, sure, read it, there are points that will make you laugh out loud, but don’t expect anything deep, no revelations about life and the universe.

But then again, maybe we need a few books that are just that. Quirky, funny and sweet.

Rating: 3 out of 5 Stars | Publisher: Authorhouse | Pages: 280 | Source: Publisher | Buy on Amazon

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All the sugary sweetness of old-fashioned treacle can be found in A DARCY CHRISTMAS by Amanda Grange, Sharon Lathan, and Carolyn Eberhart. The book is actually three short stories featuring Jane Autsen’s famed lovers Fitzwilliam Darcy and Elizabeth Bennett, written by three of the more prominent authors in this oddly growing genre. (It is amazing how many books Jane Austen’s character’s have spawned.) I have mixed feelings about the book. Call me a Scrooge, but bah and maybe a little humbug too.

It was the first tale that nearly did me in. When the opening pages of the book have you wanting to toss it across the room and into a nonexistent fireplace, it’s not a good thing. “Mr. Darcy’s Christmas Carol” by Carolyn Eberhart is what caused the reaction, and I think it was the collision of two authors in a wreckage of mixed language that stopped me dead on the first page. The mimicking of Dickens’ Victorian A Christmas Carol is a little too close and, honestly, it didn’t get better from there. I plowed on, though, like a plucky Austen heroine facing her first London Season, I went on.

The other two stories, “Christmas Present” by Amanda Grange and the title piece “A Darcy Christmas” by Sharon Lathan, were sweet, a little witty and almost there. Almost, not quite. For me, they lack what I love in Austen, the social commentary, the dialogue, everything, because there is so much more there than just the love story, although that serves as the backbone of the novel. These tales, all three of them, are just sweet. Sweet to the point of whipped honey covered in treacle studded with candied flowers dipped in sugar.

Don’t get me wrong, I am a fan of Jane Austen, and actually like, even love, a few of the modern Pride and Prejudice based books, which is why I wanted to read this one. I just was really not expecting the unrelenting sweetness without a break of anything – well except for a a few ghosts on Christmas Eve – that I am sure left both Dickens and Austen spinning in their respective graves.

If you are a fan of Jane Austen, or buying a gift for a fan, maybe think twice about this book. However, if you are a fan of these authors, you might want to give A Darcy Christmas a try, just sit far enough from the Christmas fire that the book is not in danger of being chucked into the flames.

Rating: 2 out of 5 Stars | Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark | Pages: 304 | Source: Purchased | Buy on Amazon

 
If you are looking for a cute romance, look no further than All I Ever Wanted by Kristan Higgins.

As hard as Callie Grey tries to create the perfect life for herself, she has to face the facts: she’s just turned thirty and the man she’s been crushing on for years, Mark, is dating someone else. She needs to let him go, but she can’t resist the idea of making him jealous by dating the new veterinarian in town, Ian. Unfortunately, Ian is frosty, standoffish, and not at all receptive to Callie’s advances. He might, however, be interested in hiring her to promote his practice since he doesn’t really know anybody in Georgebury, Vermont and Callie, the former prom queen, is Ms. Popularity. Love life aside, Callie is also dealing with her wacky family, a couple of contentious friends, and a new rival at work. In All I Ever Wanted, Callie has to learn that if she spends her life making everyone else happy, she’ll never find her own happily ever after.

All I Ever Wanted is a cute story with plenty of likeable characters and a picturesque setting. Callie lives with her grandfather, Noah, and the crusty old boat builder was probably my favorite character. Both her kooky family and the colorful townspeople were a lot of fun and added charm to the book. Warm and vivacious, Callie is pretty darn likeable too. She’s one of those perpetually happy, upbeat people that usually annoy me, but she’s so down to earth and relatable that I was rooting for her. Although, her habit of constantly referring to her uterus (as in “my uterus twitched in response” or it “caught me right in the reproductive organs”) made me want to barf. Who talks like that? While that annoyed me, I thought the way Callie referred to the extra weight she carries around her middle as a “food baby” was hilarious, so I guess it all evened out.

All I Ever Wanted blends romance and chick lit into a funny, sweet story. I recommend it to anyone who likes those genres.

Quotes from All I Ever Wanted:

As the man I loved approached my office, the image of a deer being hit by a truck came to mind. I was the deer, metaphorically speaking, and Mark Rosseau was the pickup truck of doom.

It was as if there were two Callies…the smarter, more sensible self (I pictured her as Michelle Obama), and the dopey in love part…Betty Boop. Would that Michelle could give Betty a brisk slap, followed by some vigorous shaking.

Me? I looked…oh, just past my first trimester, I’d guess. Unfortunately, I wasn’t pregnant. Not with a child, anyway. With Betty Crocker vanilla supreme. That’s right. I had a food baby.

Love made you a better person. Made you feel protected and precious and chosen. Chosen.

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Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars | Publisher: Harlequin | Pages: 384 | Source: Purchased | Buy on Amazon

I’ve been looking for the perfect beach read all summer and I finally found it, Stay by Allie Larkin.

It’s about twenty-something Savannah “Van” Leone who is heartbroken when the love of her life, Peter, marries her BFF, Janie. If that wasn’t bad enough, she’s also dealing with the recent death of her mother and her subsequent loneliness. So Van is truly at a low point when, after an evening of drinking kool-aid and vodka mixers, she accidentally orders a German shepherd puppy off the Internet. She’s expecting a fluffy little pup, but when Joe arrives he turns out to be a ginormous animal that will only listen to commands in Slovakian. Joe is lovable, though, and he might be just what Van needs to regain control of her life.

I fell in love with Stay because it’s a cute, engaging story. I thought Van was funny and totally relatable. She made me laugh and even tear-up a few times because her heartbreak felt so real. Even though she does irrational things, you get the sense that she’s a levelheaded girl going through a really rough time. She reminisces about her mother a lot, and the two of them reminded me of Lorelai and Rory from the Gilmore Girls. A few of the plot developments seem a little predictable and convenient, but, other than that, I thought Stay was perfect. I especially recommend Stay to fans of Emily Giffin’s Something Borrowed, as the two books have similar themes. This is Allie Larkin’s first book, and I can’t wait to see what she will write next.

If you are interested in Stay, be sure to watch the book trailer below.

Quotes from Stay:

The wedding was perfect, except for two things. The satin bridesmaids’ gowns that were ordered in deep, rich cinnamon showed up two days before the wedding and were bright Halloween pumpkin. And instead of standing across from the groom, beaming, I was standing across from his first cousin, Norman, smiling a hollow smile like a jack-o’-lantern.

Alex: “Well, who’s gonna forget a dog named Joe?”

Joe obviously was not the stellar wingman I’d thought he was.

He talked about having kids with the same level of comfort that he might talk about a movie he planned to see. He seemed so easy with his picture of his future. I couldn’t even think past getting out of the car in his parents’ driveway. At the time, I was in awe of his certainty. Now, I think it had more to do with the fact that he was never allowed to make any choices. Being certain of your future is easy when there’s only one path out in front of you, and it’s well lit and clearly marked.

Check out the book trailer for Stay by Allie Larkin.

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Rating: 4.5 out of 5 Stars | Publisher: Dutton Adult | Pages: 320 | Source: Purchased | Buy on Amazon

Over the weekend I was looking for some light reading and, since I never get sick of vampires, I picked up Insatiable by Meg Cabot. It’s the first adult novel in some time for the author of the popular Princess Diaries series.

Insatiable is about Meena Harper, a soap opera dialogue writer and psychic who can see how people will meet their death. Much to her dismay, her bosses at the network want to add a vampire storyline to the show to compete with a rival soap. Meena thinks vampires are ridiculous, but then she meets—and falls for—real life vampire and Romanian prince, Lucien Antonescu. He’s in New York because dead bodies are turning up drained of blood, and, as prince of the vampires, he has forbidden the murder of humans. Unfortunately for Lucien, vampire hunter Alaric Wulf is also in New York to stop the murders and is eager to slay the so-called Prince of Darkness.

Insatiable struck me as chick lit with some vampires thrown in, so even though it’s a fun book, it’s probably not for diehard urban fantasy fans. I think Meg Cabot tried to put a contemporary spin on Bram Stoker’s Dracula by mashing it up with True Blood, but it just didn’t work for me. Meena’s psychic gift is a little too similar to Sookie Stackhouse’s, and her brother, Jon, is practically a carbon copy of Jason Stackhouse (seriously, Cabot better hope Charlaine Harris isn’t the suing type). Alaric Wulf nicknaming his sword Senor Sticky (as opposed to Buffy’s Mr. Pointy) also had me rolling my eyes.

While the vampire storyline was weak, the rest of the book was actually pretty good. Meena reminded me of a competent Bridget Jones, and all her workplace drama was very relatable. Cabot has a wonderful sense of humor and parts of Insatiable were really funny. She takes a swipe at Twilight (“Say it!”) that made me laugh out loud.

I want to caution that though Insatiable is billed as being an adult novel, it’s written more like YA fiction—with a few sexy scenes thrown in. It’s more for older teens and adults who enjoy YA books.

As you can probably tell, I had a bit of a love/hate relationship with Insatiable. Since some parts were cringe-inducing and others made me laugh my butt off, I decided to split the difference and give it 3 stars. I wouldn’t necessarily recommend buying it, but it’s worth checking out of the library.

Quotes from Insatiable:

In the cult of monster misogyny, vampires are king.

Even though these guys admit over and over to wanting to kill us,” Meena went on, “the idea that they’re nobly restraining themselves fro doing so is supposed to be attractive? Excuse me, but how is knowing a guy wants to kill you hot?

Shoshona was taking vampire fever—which, yes, gripped the country, there was no denying that; it was obvious enough that even Consumer Dynamics Inc. was aware of it, and they were so oblivious to trends that they still thought having a MySpace page was cutting-edge—too far.

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Rating: 3 out of 5 Stars | Publisher: William Morrow | Pages: 464 | Source: Purchased | Buy on Amazon

Emily Giffin fans will be interested to know that filming has begun on SOMETHING BORROWED, the movie based on her bestselling book. The movie stars Kate Hudson (Darcy), Ginnifer Goodwin (Rachel), Colin Egglesfield (Dex), and John Krasinski (Ethan). Something Borrowed is about a nice girl who has always followed the rules until she begins a passionate affair with her best friend’s fiancé.

Something Borrowed is one of my all time favorite chick lit books, and I am so excited about this movie. The casting is just perfect, in my humble opinion. Kate Hudson doesn’t physically resemble Darcy, but I think she will be ideal as the fun party girl. And John Krasinski as nice guy Ethan? Genius! In the books, Ethan has a larger role in Something Blue, the sequel to Something Borrowed, so I’m curious if they’ve augmented his role in the movie.

The cast has been spotted filming all over the Hamptons, which makes sense because in the book the characters all rent a beach house together. It’s one of those books that is just so perfect that I would hate to see anything change, so I’m really hoping the movie stays true to it. Something Borrowed is slated for June 2011.

Emily Giffin also has a new book out, Heart of the Matter, and you can read my review here.

Emily Giffin is known for writing emotional stories about flawed, yet sympathetic, characters and their messy relationships, and she does it again with Heart of the Matter.

The story is about two different women, Tessa Russo and Valerie Anderson, who are connected by their separate relationships with Dr. Nick Russo. Tessa is a stay-at-home mom to two young children and is married to Nick, a successful plastic surgeon in Boston. Valerie, a lawyer and single mom, meets Nick when he treats her injured son. Told from both Tessa and Valerie’s perspectives, Heart of the Matter is seemingly about marriage and what happens when good people are caught in an impossible situation-but that’s not the whole story. Giffin also offers up endless thoughts on motherhood, focusing on the challenges facing a professional woman who gives up her career to stay at home with the children.

At times, Heart of the Matter is reminiscent of an episode of Desperate Housewives, which made me desperately want to fast-forward through the audiobook. This is primarily thanks to Tessa and her group of shallow, rich friends who spend their time lunching, gossiping, and playing tennis. She seems to think that she isn’t like these friends, that she somehow has more depth, but I wasn’t convinced. In contrast, I found Valerie more down to earth and very sympathetic, though slightly boring. Ultimately, the reader can see what is going to happen from a mile away, so it becomes about whether you are interested in the characters’ nonstop self-absorbed thoughts on marriage, love, infidelity, private schools, and motherhood. Personally, I just didn’t find these musings all that interesting.

On a positive note, Cynthia Nixon narrates the audiobook and she is just fantastic. She has the ability to convey a lot of emotion with her voice and I was impressed with her performance.

Unfortunately, I have to say that this is my least favorite of Giffin’s books. Something Borrowed remains my favorite and the best part of Heart of the Matter is an appearance by Dex and Rachel. So die hard Emily Giffin fans might want to get the book from the library just to catch up with Dex and Rachel, but I can’t really recommend the book to anyone else.

Rating: 2.5 out of 5 Stars | Publisher: Macmillan Audio | Length: 10 Hours and 18 Minutes (Unabridged) | Source: Purchased | Buy on Amazon

This week I did something I’ve never done before. I finished an audio book and then immediately hit play to listen to it over again.
Can You Keep a Secret? by Sophie Kinsella (read by Kate Reading) is one of the most enjoyable books I’ve read in a very long time. If you are a fan of chick- lit/romantic comedy then this is a must-read for you.

Here’s the plot: Emma Corrigan is a 25 year old young professional living in London. After some failed career attempts, Emma has finally gotten on her feet as a Marketing Assistant with the Panther Corporation, a company that makes a popular energy drink. During a flight home after a business meeting gone horribly wrong, the plane begins to experience extreme turbulence. Emma already has flight anxiety and this sends her over the edge. Thinking she’s going to die, Emma spills all her secrets to the man sitting next to her. For example, she lied on her resume, she’s really a size 4, and she killed her parents goldfish while they were out of town and replaced it with a new one. This is just the tip of the iceberg, Emma tells this man every personal detail of her life thinking she’ll never see him again…until she does.

Kate Reading does a phenomenal job reading Kinsella’s excellent writing. She nails the accents, attitudes and timing of her characters and narrates the novel smoothly. If they ever turn this book into a movie (as they did with Kinsella’s “Confession of a Shopaholic”), I could see it becoming one of my favorites.

Here are some quotes from “Can You Keep A Secret”:

“I have no idea what NATO stands for. Or even exactly what it is.”

“I come over to the desk and look Doug Hamilton right in the eye. When the Panther consumer opens that can, he is making a choice that tells the world who he is. I’m asking Glen Oil to make the same choice.As I finish speaking, I plant the can firmly in the middle of the desk, reach for the ring pull, and, with a cool smile, snap it back…and a volcano erupts.”

“It’s just like Julie Andrews said. When the dog bites, when the bee stings . . . I simply remember I have a boyfriend and suddenly things don’t seem quite so completely shit.”

Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars | Publisher: Books on Tape | Source: Audio Book | Buy on Amazon

Lately I’ve been in the mood for some lighter reading, so I picked up Firefly Lane by Kristin Hannah. I wanted the literary equivalent of turning on a Lifetime movie and it fit the bill. Firefly Lane is the story of two women who first meet as teenagers when their families live on the same street in the Pacific Northwest, and it follows the ups and downs of their friendship through the 70s, 80s, and 90s. Kate is an awkward teenager from a strict family who can’t believe her luck when Tully, the coolest girl in school, befriends her. Tully has no curfew and sexy clothes, but Kate soon learns that this is because she is neglected by her pot smoking, hippie mother. Kate’s family looks out for Tully as the girls grow up together and go to the same college, both majoring in journalism. Eventually their paths begin to diverge and it becomes evident that they have different priorities. Tully is incredibly driven and works hard to become a successful journalist, while Kate chooses a domestic life as stay at home mom. Each woman is happy with her choices yet feels pangs of jealousy over the other’s life. Firefly Lane looks at how a generation of women who’ve been told they can have it all struggle with actually making that happen.

Firefly Lane isn’t very original or fresh in its perspective, yet I simply could not put it down. In the first two-thirds of the book we see the girls mature into women and I was totally hooked on seeing the drama of their lives unfold. Unfortunately in the last third of the book the drama turns into melodrama that had me rolling my eyes and checking to make sure I wasn’t reading a Nicholas Sparks novel. It was also around this point that I realized the characters just weren’t going to develop enough for my liking (Kate needed to grow a backbone, dammit!). The thing is, even though I didn’t like Kate or Tully that much, Hannah’s writing is so good that I felt compelled to see how their story ended. She’s clearly a talented writer and I’m interested in reading more of her books. Even though I didn’t love Firefly Lane, I actually think it would be a good choice for book clubs because it’s the kind of book that elicits strong opinions and lively discussions.

Quotes from Firefly Lane:

They used to be called the Firefly Lane girls. That was a long time ago—more than three decades—but just now, as she lay in bed listening to a winter storm raging outside, it seemed like yesterday.

For more than a year she’d been telling herself it was okay, that she could go on without a best friend. Sometimes she even believed it. Then she would hear the music. Their music. “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road.” “Material Girl.” “Bohemian Rhapsody.” “Purple Rain.” Yesterday, while she’d been shopping, a bad Muzak version of “You’ve Got a Friend” had made her cry, right there next to the radishes.

Rating: 3 out of 5 Stars | Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin | Pages: 528 | Source: Purchased | Buy on Amazon