Finished: Jeneration X

This book rocked. I love Jen Lancaster and have read almost all she's written, and I think this was one of my favorites. It's a collection of short stories, so it's perfect reading when you have just a few minutes at a time. Some of it was laugh-out-loud funny but all of it came from where all of her writing does - her heart. She is someone I wish I could hang out with. I know I'd love her.

Finished: Bond Girl

This book has been described as a cross between "The Devil Wears Prada" and "Wall Street." I guess I see that. It had good reviews in a few magazines, and I thought it would be a good little diversion from some of the heavier stuff I've read (and failed to review) lately.

If I had to pick a word to describe this book, it'd be "meh." Not even sure that's actually a word, but I thought this was cute but very predictable. It's the story of Alex Garrett, a girl who dreamed not of becoming a doctor or a lawyer but of entering the boys-only club of Wall Street. She takes an entry level job doing demeaning and ridiculous things in order to earn her way. She begins to excel and becomes a part of the boys club and proves she's more than just a pretty girl. While I appreciated her using her smarts to get ahead, I felt like the book just fell flat. Thankfully it was a pretty quick read and I didn't devote too much time to it.

Finished: The Hunger Games trilogy

I picked this up on a whim, and like many other things I've read lately, I couldn't put it down. The Hunger Games is a young-adult science fiction novel written by Suzanne Collins. It introduces sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives in a post-apocalyptic world in the country of Panem where North America once existed. This is where a powerful government working in a central city called the Capitol holds power. In the book, the Hunger Games are an annual televised event where the Capitol chooses one boy and one girl from each district to fight to the death. The Hunger Games exist to demonstrate not even children are beyond the reach of the Capitol's jurisdiction. The other two books in the trilogy are Catching Fire and Mockingjay.

The story is very dark. They are currently getting ready to make a movie based on the first book, and I really don't know if it's something I'd want to see played out. The books are hard to take in at times, with children's lives being viewed as disposable by the President of the Capitol. The last book, especially, is very difficult to process due to some pretty intense fights and deaths. I really have a hard time understanding how they could stay true to the books and still produce a movie for teens. Collins has remained very close to the film project so they will be representative of the books, but I just don't know if I'd want to see things played out on screen that I had a hard time reading.

Regardless, Collins has created a riveting story and I am glad I read through and finished the books.

Finished: A Discovery of Witches

I had added this to my Kindle before we went to Hawaii in April, but I never got around to reading it. I'm sad I waited because I LOVED this book. It's been called "Twilight" for grown-ups, but I don't agree. While it does involve vampires, witches and demons, that's about the only similarities between the two. This is a book for people who love books. It brings in everything from Darwin's "Origin of the Species" to the Bible. 


The story revolves around a young scholar named Diana Bishop. She unwittingly calls up a bewitched alchemical manuscript in the course of doing research at Oxford. Descended from an old and distinguished line of witches, Diana wants nothing to do with sorcery; so after a furtive glance and a few notes, she banishes the book to the stacks. But her discovery sets a fantastical underworld stirring, and a horde of demons, witches, and vampires soon descends upon the library. Diana has stumbled upon a coveted treasure lost for centuries-and she is the only creature who can break its spell. 


Debut novelist Deborah Harkness has crafted a mesmerizing and addictive read, equal parts history and magic, romance and suspense. Diana is a bold heroine who meets her equal in vampire geneticist Matthew Clairmont, and gradually warms up to him as their alliance deepens into an intimacy that violates age-old taboos. 


What I didn't realize when I started the book is that it's the first in a proposed trilogy by Harkness. The second book won't be out until next year, and my biggest complaint is that the book really leaves you hanging and wanting more - and that "more" won't come for a long time.

Finished: If You Were Here

I listened to this audiobook last week during a rather prolonged work roadtrip, and it didn't disappoint. This is Jen's first foray into the world of fiction, having previously penned several hilarious books based on her life experiences. Having read several of her books and following her on Facebook, there are definitely hints of her real life in this great read/listen.

The book is about a couple who decide to move out of their amazing rental home in a horrible neighborhood to buy "Jake Ryan's house" which is in desperate need of renovation. Any child of the 80s should know exactly what this is. The book is full of references to John Hughes' movies as well as current pop-culture nuggets. It was actually fun to listen to it while reading the Rob Lowe biography I just finished because they overlap with their references and stories.

I loved this book. I wanted more. It also made me very glad that we bought a new home and never had to go through a major renovation.

If you are looking for a fun and easy summer read, get this book today!

Finished: Stories I Only Tell My Friends by Rob Lowe

I love Rob Lowe. I always have. There were pictures of him hanging in my room when I was a teenager. I absolutely adored him as Sam Seaborn on The West Wing, and I think the show suffered when he left (which I found out was because they wouldn't give him a raise while everyone else got significant ones over the first four seasons).

When I saw that he'd written an autobiography, I knew I had to read it. He has so many great stories to share, like filming amateur movies with Chris and Sean Penn, Emilio Estevez and Charlie Sheen. How he was able to get a tour of the Star Wars set before anyone even knew what the movie was. How Cary Grant befriended him as a kid and many other wonderful stories.

He writes with candor and gives enough gossip to slightly satisfy (but doesn't really get into the dirty stuff you know went down in the 80s as he partied it up with Charlie Sheen). He talks about the women in his life - Darryl Hannah, Princess Stephanie of Monaco, Melissa Gilbert and others - and then the one woman who stole his heart and gave him the life he'd always wanted.

I loved finding out that Mike Myers wrote the part of the young Number 2 in the Austin Powers movies after he did an impression of Robert Wagner on the golf course. Or that Patrick Swayze actually wrote "She's Like the Wind" and begged the producers of the movie "Youngblood" but they wouldn't use it. I cried a little when I read his recount of how he was actually on the "rehearsal" American Airlines flight 77 between Washington DC and LAX on August 30, 2001 with the terrorists that eventually crashed that same flight into the Pentagon a few weeks later.

If you are a child of the 80s, this is a must-read book. It will make you laugh and even cry a little, but in the end you'll wish that you could just sit down with Rob Lowe and hear the stories firsthand - and also stare at him because the man has seriously aged very well!

Finished: Bringing Home the Birkin

I read this book while on a work trip to Ruidoso and Alamogordo. My wonderful best friend Amy had suggested it a while back, and it didn't disappoint. The plot line is this: Michael is a fashion stylist who moves to Barcelona on a whim to market a friend's jewelry line. He gets there, and the job doesn't pan out and he's stuck with a five-year lease (apparently that's the norm over there). He resorts to selling off old designer scarves and such on ebay, eventually realizing he can make good money tracking down out-of-circulation Hermes scarves for a tidy profit. He becomes e-mail pen pals with several of his customers, one of whom tells him that if he can get his hands on the Hermes Birkin bag, she'll gladly pay him a nice profit.

These bags are legendary. They cost $8-10k and up to start yet Hermes has waitlists for them that span several years. Michael figures out a "formula" to get his hands on these bags, and a new and profitable career is under way. Along the way, Michael finds love, experiences great loss and realizes that life isn't about the things and more about the memories and experiences.

This book has much more heart at the end than you expect, and it reads more like a work of fiction than a memoir. It's fun and fast-paced, and it has several laugh-out-loud moments. It's another great summer read.

And for those of you wondering what these bags look like, here's Michael and a few of them.

Finished: Sookie Stackhouse/Southern Vampire Novels

I know that below I wrote a short review about book one, but now that I've finished all 11 in about five months, I decided to lump sump review these together. I love these books. I'm sad I don't have another one to read right now. I love them more than the show (maybe because I've learned more about each character versus the few seasons of the show). I do, however, picture in my head what the scenes in the books will look like when acted out on the show because I have a super crush on the guy who plays Eric. I mean come on, how could you not?!

These are the perfect diversion for life. They are fun, fast reads and they sweep you away to another world and give you a break from the things that may drive you nuts - like traffic, figuring out what's for dinner, work, etc. If you are looking for some fun reading this summer, I suggest you pick up Dead Until Dark and get started!

Finished: Dead Until Dark

Yes, I know I'm late to the party on these books. I wanted something pretty light to read after the last few books I'd tackled, and this was perfect. I watched the first few episodes of True Blood while I was on bed rest with Madeline, but once she got here I never went back and watched any more. I'd like to get a few of the books finished before I start because I have no idea how fast they move through the books, although I know they're probably creating much more story in order to fill a multi-episode, multi-season tv show. I really enjoyed this, and have already started the second book in the series.

Finished: Home

I listened to the audio book of Julie Andrews' biography "Home", and it was like she was in the car there with me telling me her story. I loved this book. My only complaint is that it stopped off right as she was cast for Mary Poppins, and I desperately wanted to know more. Some of the fascinating things I learned about here are:

1) She is great friends with Carol Burnett, and Carol is the godmother to her first daughter.
2) She turned Bing Crobsy down when he invited her to go to the Rose Bowl game and sit in his private box because she was very shy and didn't want to embarrass herself.
3) She wasn't born Julie Andrews. Her parents split when she was about 10 years old, and her mom remarried and changed her name.
4) She was great friends with T.H. White, who wrote "The Once and Future King." She met him when she was getting ready to star in Camelot, and she became friends with him, even buying a summer home on the small island where he lived.
5) Her family relied heavily on the money she made as young as the age of 15 to help pay for their home. When she turned 19 (I think that's the age), she actually bought the house from them to keep them from losing it.

Just a few of the tidbits I learned listening to this wonderful woman tell the first part of her story. I can only hope there's another book coming that picks up where this one left off.

Finished: World Without End

Wow. Where do I begin? This is seriously one of the best books I've ever read/listened to. I say read/listened because I switched back and forth from the Kindle edition to the unabridged audio version. This book is 1056 pages long, and I think it's worth every page.

I found this book after watching the mini-series for Pillars of the Earth on Starz over the summer (thank you Brian for making me sit down and watch it). The mini-series was so good and the story so fantastic that I thought I'd read the follow-up book, and I'm so glad I did. I started the audio-book during a recent road trip for work, and I'd switch to the Kindle when sitting with Madeline or during my lunch breaks.

The Pillars of the Earth is a sweeping epic novel set in twelfth-century England centered on the building of a cathedral and many of the hundreds of lives it affected. After it came out, fans begged Follett to write a sequel, and that's what this book is. However, it takes place two centuries after that book ends. Characters from Pillars are mentioned, but the only real carry over character is the town of Kingsbridge.

Follett is a master story teller. I literally hung on every word. I listened to it every minute I was in the car and was reading it on the Kindle whenever I had a chance. Now that I'm finished with it I'm sad that there's not another one to start.

If you are looking for a book that just draws you in and leaves you craving more, this is the book for you. Don't let the length intimidate you. It is worth every word.

Finished: Star Island

I have been a fan of Carl Hiaasen's for a long time. He has a great sense of humor, and he has developed some great characters. This book was really a fun read. The story focuses on a girl who is a stand-in for an out-of-control, talentless pop star (think Lindsay Lohan). Some old characters make a return on this great, quick, funny read.

Finished: The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest

This was my first Kindle book, and I have to say that while I do miss having an actual book, I love having the ability to read so easily. I did most of my reading during my lunch breaks when I go over to feed Madeline.

This is the third (and final) book in the Millenium series. The author passed away before things really took off, which is so sad because he never got to see his works become worldwide successes. I loved this book and the entire series. While I did tend to get some of the names confused (the books are based in Sweden and the names blend together), I think that together the books tell a great story.

I highly recommend the series to anyone looking for good books; however, be forewarned that they do take a little to get into. His style is quite distinct and he is very detailed in his writing - maybe too much in some spots.

What I'm Reading and What's on My Reading List

I started this yesterday:

Here are a few others on my reading list for the summer:

My Fair Lazy: One Reality Television Addict's Attempt to Discover if Not Being a Dumb-Ass Is the New Black, or, a Culture-Up Manifesto by Jen Lancaster. I loved her first four books and look forward to diving into this one once I finish my current obsession.

I saw this one in People magazine and it sounds pretty interesting.

As a child of the 80s, this one seems very appealing and interesting.

I have a minor obsession with Henry the VIII and his wives and I blame Philip Gregory for it. This one will be on my list til I get around to reading it.

I also have a few memoirs on the list that I'd like to tackle at some point:

I'm Gonna Get Organized (or so I thought)

I bought this book a few weeks ago.

 Well, to be honest I bought it more than a month ago. I saw it at Lowe's and promptly ordered it on amazon, thinking "I'm going to get my entire house in order before I go back to work." Basically it's a week-by-week approach to getting your home in order. Brian was very excited at this thought as I know my clutter-tendencies sometimes drive him a little crazy.

I read the first two chapters which talked about the psychological impacts of clutter. I was all revved up to get started and have a good portion of it done before I went back to work. Well, I went back to work today and so far those two chapters are the only ones I have read. The only action the book has seen is being moved from the bedroom to my desk downstairs.

However, I did do the following (which I'll excitedly check off when I eventually get to those chapters):

• Thoroughly organized the garage and have most things in labeled bins
• Cleaned and organized our storage closet under the stairs, which had become the catch-all for anything and everything
• Cleaned and organized our second storage closet off the downstairs bathroom, with all the shelves labeled with what's supposed to be on them. I also added some bins and a small drawer system, which has each drawer labeled for its contents.

I guess that's not a bad start since I was trying to keep the munchkin happy, too. My new goal is to tackle one chapter every two weeks. I think it's fairly realistic as I get back to work.

Finished: The Girl Who Played With Fire

Book two in the series definitely did not disappoint. I inhaled this book because I wanted to know what happened to the heroine, Elizabeth Salander. As I read more, I had a harder time imagining Kristen Stewart playing the title role. She bugs me so much and I love the character that Larsson has created.

Finished: Percy Jackson and the Sea of Monsters

This is book two in the series and was just as fun as the first one. It's another easy read and a good distraction to pregnancy pains and bedrest.

I Tried: Under the Dome

I gave this one the good ol' college try. First of all, it's LONG (like 800 pages). I had checked it out from the library and it was unbelievably heavy in hardback. It's the story of a town trying to cope when it's all of a sudden trapped under a mysterious dome. I don't know if it was the intimidating length or the sheer weight of carrying it around (coupled with the fact that the library only gave me 10 days to read it), but I scrapped it about 100 pages in. It has great reviews but it just wasn't for me.

Finished: Percy Jackson and the Lighting Thief

Think of this book as the first in a series that could be described as Harry Potter meets Clash of the Titans. Percy Jackson is a 13 year-old boy who attends a boarding school and has always had problems, thus resulting in being kicked out of multiple schools. He finds out he's one of Poseidon's sons and that all the myths surrounding Greek mythology are true. It's a fun, easy read and worked well to keep me distracted during my many, many doctor's appointments while I wait to become a mom.

Finished: The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo

I had seen this book at Costco and was always intrigued by the title. So when it came time to take a three-day car trip, I started looking for books on tape to get me through. I love that you can download them for free from the library, and selected this one for my journey. I'm so glad I did! I literally could not stop listening to it. It's a really exciting, fascinating murder/mystery story that takes place in Sweden. It's the first in a trilogy of books, and I definitely plan on reading them all.