Koko Be Good by Jen Wang

The artwork is heart-stopping, but the story is lukewarm. I cannot speak enough about Wang’s artistic style and eye. I even got a bit envious. However, when it came down to the writing, pacing, and clarity of the story, I winced. That’s why I’m ambivalent.

I want to tell you to run out and buy it just so you can stare at the pretty pictures, but I fear you’d hate me when you got around to reading the convoluted and mediocre story. So, for now, I’ll just say if you’re going to buy it, get it used.

Wicked Lovely by Melissa Marr

There was something about this book that dug into me and made me continue reading, but there’s something else that made me say meh when I finished. The writing was adequate (though it could have used some more editing), and so was the storyline. ‘

I think where this book failed for me was in the characterization. None of the characters truly felt genuine and I never did latch on to the plot. In ways it felt too convenient and had too many holes. Still, it wasn’t the worst book I’d ever read, plus it was quick. I’d recommend this when you’re bored and just want something quick and fluffy with a slightly dark edge.

The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins

I did it. I finally drank the Kool-Aid. I don’t even know where to begin with this series. I saw the first book while I was walking through a department store, it was $6 and I’d been hearing so many people talking about it that I just plopped it down in my cart. And for about a week it sat unread and unloved on my bookshelf. Then, out of the blue, I saw it and grabbed it and devoured it.

I was near tears because I was coming up on the last few pages and didn’t have the second book. But I couldn’t stop myself, I had to finish and when I did, I was numb. It was three whole days before I was able to pick up another book to read. Eventually I read all three of the books with the same zeal (the third book less so mostly because I was afraid of what was coming).

This series is raw, bleak, and unforgiving. Collins held no punches and I think that’s why I was so enamoured. I laughed, I cried, I balked right along with Katniss. I felt all of her emotions so vividly. The books sucked me right in.

The third book, I will admit, took some prodding since I was reluctant to read more than two chapters at a time. Everything in it was so bleak. I just didn’t understand how anyone was to recover. Then it picked up toward the middle and I simply couldn’t put it down. I’m going to have a hard time putting into words everything these books have done to me. I can’t wait for the movies to come out and I hope they don’t frack it up.

Radiance by Alyson Noel

This is my first book by Alyson Noel and only grabbed it on a whim. The cover looked interesting, the synopsis grabbed me (to be honest, because it sounded similar to a short story I’d written), and I pegged it for a light read. Ultimately I made a good decision. The book was a quick, light read although it dealt with some heavy subjects (death and coping).

It was also interesting to learn that it was a spinoff of the Evermore series I’ve been hearing about, but never felt compelled to read. Even after reading Radiance I still don’t feel compelled to read it, but probably will eventually.

The writing was well done, spare and evocative; the protagonist was spunky and felt natural; and the storyline held my interest, but I didn’t care much for the heavy new-age spin. Overall though I have few complaints about this book.

The House of Dead Maids by Clare B. Dunkle

Perfect book for the Halloween season. It’s a prequel to Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte, but you needn’t have read it to enjoy The House of Dead Maids. This book stands well on its on and is truly a chilling gothic ghost story—well-written, and strange.

It’s a rare thing when a contemporary horror novel, especially written for children, can get me to think twice about the sounds I hear outside my window, but this book did exactly that. Worth every penny.

The Amulet Books 1-3 by Kazu Kibuishi

I have a new favorite graphic novel series. Or, at least it’s in the Top 5. The illustrations are amazing, as is the coloring, as is the story. OK, I’ll admit the story is a bit reminiscent of some other hero tales of the past, but the other areas of the graphic novel series makes up for that. Plus the characters are quirky and entertaining. Plus, the editing and pacing are worthy of note.

With as many graphic novels as I’ve seen published with shoddy writing and inconsistent stories and art, it’s clear that Kibuishi takes his time and carefully crafts his graphic novels before sending it off to the masses. I cross my fingers and hope that it doesn’t change with future issues.

Mrs. Kimble by Jennifer Haigh

This is the product of a commenter’s recommendation. And I’m glad I listened. This book held my interest from the beginning to the very end.

It starts on a strange note, with a mysterious man dying in his car while waiting for a drawbridge to lower, and then travels back through time and shows us who this man is and how he affected the lives of three (actually more) different women.

This book is a tapestry. All of the lives, though separate, are connected. Though there were some editing faux pas, noticeable writing quirks, and few areas where the thread was dropped, it was still an expertly woven story.

This is a book for people who enjoy gawping at the lives and inner workings of others rather than plot-driven tales. It’s languid in its telling and will leave you with much to ponder afterward.

Back Cover of Boy Meets Girl

Meet Kate Mackenzie. She:

• works for the T.O.D. (short for Tyrannical Office Despot, also known as Amy Jenkins, Director of the Human Resources Division at the New York Journal)
• is sleeping on the couch because her boyfriend of ten years refuses to commit
• can’t find an affordable studio apartment anywhere in New York City
• thinks things can’t get any worse.

They can. Because:

• the T.O.D. is making her fire the most popular employee in the paper’s senior staff dining room
• that employee is now suing Kate for wrongful termination, and
• now Kate has to give a deposition in front of Mitch Hertzog, the scion of one of Manhattan’s wealthiest law families, who embraces everything Kate most despises…but also happens to have a nice smile and a killer bod.

The last thing anybody–least of all Kate Mackenzie–expects to find in a legal arbitration is love. But that’s the kidno f thing that can happen when…BOY MEETS GIRL.

Three Quick Points About Boy Meets Girl

• Point 1: Voyeurism on a whole new level. The entire story unfolds via correspondence such as office emails, forms, IMs, phone messages, lists, and journal entries. Very clever.
• Point 2: Where’d the time go? Since the story unfolds via correspondence, it’s difficult (if not completely impossible) to track how much time has passed. That also contributes to the disingenuous evolution of Kate and Mitch’s relationship.
• Point 3: Predictable ending with a nifty twist. This being the type of book that it is, it won’t be a surprise that girl ends up with prince charming, but it’s the twist at the end that makes it worthwhile.

Full Review of Boy Meets Girl

Before reading the full review, please note that there may be some spoilers. I tried to keep it vague enough not to spoil the entire story, but be warned. If you’d rather not take any chances, skip the synopsis and go straight to the final thoughts.

Boy Meets Girl Synopsis

Boy Meets Girl opens with Kate Mackenzie working on a warning letter for an employee named Ida Lopez, the company’s dessert lady, because she sometimes refuses to serve dessert to certain people whom she deems to be undeserving. These people, of course, find it necessary to complain.

Kate, however, does not get a chance to finish this letter of reprimand because Ida decides she will not serve another piece of pie to Stuart Hertzog, part of the company’s legal staff. Stuart happens to be dating Amy Jenkins (aka the Tyrannical Office Despot, Kate’s boss) and he requests that Ida be fired. Wanting to be a good girlfriend, Amy complies and tells Kate to stop working on the letter and terminate Ida.

After Ida is let go, she files suit against the company and names both Amy and Kate as part of the suit. In the course of the suit, Kate meets Mitch Hertzog, who has been assigned to the case because Stuart, his brother, has a conflict of interest (seeing as how it was his fault Ida lost her job in the first place).

Kate expected Mitch to be as shifty as his brother Stuart, but was pleasantly surprised to find out that he was nothing like she expected. Unfortunately, due to one of his chivalrous acts, Kate ends up losing her job. Luckily, with a bit of help from Kate’s friends, he’s able to set things right again and sweep Kate off of her feet.

Final Thoughts On Boy Meets Girl

This book was infectious. I thought I would pick it up to pass a couple hours, but ended up reading it straight through. First, the fact that this book evolves through correspondence and journal entries was clever and well done. There are so many ways I could have seen such a format crashing and burning, but in this story, it worked. One quirk I did happen to catch, however, is that sometimes individual personalities weren’t completely respected.

For instance, Kate often clarifies who she’s talking about by tacking on a fragmented sentence, such as “Mitch, I mean” and as the story continued, I caught other people doing the same thing, even when their previous correspondence wouldn’t have suggested that it wasn’t one of their idiosyncrasies. It didn’t detracted greatly from the story or the reading though.

The handling of Ida was beautifully done (until the end). If you’re just breezing through the book, it would be easy to miss, but aside from making delectable treats, she’s also a bit psychic. And the whole reason Kate and Mitch were able to find each other was because of Ida. Another clever aspect of the book was the recipes sprinkled throughout. I haven’t tried any of them yet, but they actually do look like recipes you can use. My only quarrel was with Ida’s ending. I understand why and was glad for her, but I just didn’t like the how.

But you’re probably wondering about the juicy bits, the actual romance that unfolds through the story. What I liked about this particular romance is that it was cute and seemed like a natural unfolding. What made it unnatural, however, was the lack of time transpiring. Love was declared, but it seems odd considering Kate and Mitch could not have known each other very long—or it just seemed as though it wasn’t very long. In essence, it seemed rushed.

For the most part, each of the characters were very well drawn. What I found surprising (and pleasantly so) was the depth of evil that dwelled within some of the characters’ hearts and that they were rendered without censure onto the page. Kind of like getting to peer in the minds of people when they think no one is looking.

On a final note, this book may cause hysterical laughter.

Rating: Worth Every Penny [TPB] (?)

Get Boy Meets Girl by Meg Cabot at Amazon

Back Cover of Dating da Vinci

A gorgeous young Italian, with nowhere to go…

His name just happens to be Leonardo da Vinci. When he walks into Ramona Elise’s English class, he’s a twenty-five-year-old immigrant, struggling to forge a new life in America—but he’s lonely, has nowhere to live, and barely speaks English…

She knows she shouldn’t take him home…

Picking up the pieces of her life after the death of her beloved husband, linguist and teacher Ramona Elise can’t help but be charmed by her gorgeous new student. And when he calls her “Mona Lisa” she just about loses her heart…

Three Quick Points About Dating da Vinci

• Point 1: Leonardo da Vinci is hot. Really hot. I have to admit that his character was well-crafted to make the ladies (and possibly some men) drool. Drool like a rabid mangy mongrel and make no apologies for it. Up until he peed the bed.
• Point 2: Unfortunately, the remaining characters (except a few) had trouble finding their voices. For the most part, they’d be traveling along quite nicely when a piece of stray dialog that rang absolutely false for the character would present itself.
• Point 3: Feel good at its finest. Despite the ending being highly predictable, it still elicits that warm and fuzzy feeling inside.

Full Review of Dating da Vinci

Before reading the full review, please note that there may be some spoilers. I tried to keep it vague enough not to spoil the entire story, but be warned. If you’d rather not take any chances, skip the synopsis and go straight to the final thoughts.

Dating da Vinci Synopsis

Ramona Elise Griffen was a grieving young widow (aged 36) when Leonardo da Vinci, the Italian immigrant 11 years her junior, walked into her ESL classroom. Knowing only a few words of English, having even less money, and no friends created a soft spot in Ramona’s heart (plus, it didn’t hurt that he was excruciatingly hot) and she decided to bring him home and allow him to stay in the studio behind her house. This was unusual for Ramona and this spontaneous act was the catalyst to her healing process.

Over time, da Vinci became a fixture in her family and helped her learn to live again by attending her children’s extracurricular activities with her, going out on dates (though she was initially unwilling to use that word), jogging in the mornings, and eventually having lots of passionate sex.

As the How Stella Got Her Groove Back-esque romance continued, Ramona began realizing there were a number of emotions and unanswered questions that she needed to confront if she truly could move on. The biggest one of all was that of her husband’s fidelity.

Before Joel Griffen died, Ramona had confronted him about his relationship with Monica, the previous love of his life which left him a week before he and Monica were to be married. She had made an appearance back in his life just before Joel’s life ended and her incredible beauty coupled with Joel’s feelings for her brought out Ramona’s insecurities full force and it had lead to one of the last arguments she’d had with him.

As if adjusting to the first romance since her husband passed away and trying to confront her husband’s ex-fiancee weren’t enough, another man tumbles into Ramona’s life and she happens to be developing feelings–real feelings–for him. Dr. Cortland Andrews was older, more mature and stable than da Vinci, plus he was a handsome doctor (which I’m sure helped greatly). There was just one major problem to overcome: Cortland was dating Ramona’s sister.

Though I’ll spare you the ending, I’ll venture to say that it’s rather predictable, but it will still leave you with a warm gushy feeling.

Final Thoughts On Dating da Vinci

Where to begin? Starting the book I was hooked. Then halfway through the second chapter, I wanted to set the book down and not really pick it up again. Seriously. Reading through that second (and halfway through the third) chapter was excruciating. But, all in all, I’m glad I pressed through it–more on why in a minute. Let me back up and explain the hitch.

In the first chapter, we’re introduced to Ramona and her plight, then we have the glorious da Vinci thrust upon us with as much surprise and zeal as he was thrust upon Ramona. Then, we’re no longer nowhere near the same scene, da Vinci is nowhere to be found, and we’re listening to Ramona’s incredibly depressing internal dialog as she cleans out the pantry with her friend Anh. The transition was a bit jarring to put it mildly. Luckily, it recovered at the end of the third chapter going into the fourth.

The novel did have a few other shortcomings with the character development. With the exceptions of Ramona and da Vinci, the remaining characters seemed conveniently two-dimensional. Even her two young boys seemed incredibly well-adjusted to the death of their father and their mother’s dating. A little too well-adjusted. (This is coming from experience.) The remaining characters, even Ramona’s arrogant and borderline evil sister Rachel, was too tame for the character being painted.

That aside, those shortcomings weren’t enough to make this novel a bad one. The novel’s redeeming qualities were found in the well-painted descriptions and the vague passage of time throughout the story. You knew that months were floating by and, the clunky transition in the second chapter notwithstanding, it complimented the murkiness of the emotions being experienced.

Also, the great message cannot be overlooked either. I’m sure that anyone who’s ever lost someone close to them can relate to Ramona’s grief, if not her character. The feelings and emotions were poignantly illustrated and I often found myself nodding in agreement. And just when you think it’s too heavy to bear any longer, a bit of humor is injected to disperse the tension. By the end of the book, you’ll believe in miracles again (or, at least, you’ll want to).

Finally, I found it rather clever that language and the langue d’amour (language of love) was a common thread throughout the story. Some chapters began with quotes, others with a word and its definition, and some with sections from Ramona’s dissertation (The Language of Love).

This book would be especially good for those who enjoy academic discussions on language or language in general and although I did wonder about the slick product placements in a couple places (who works priceline.com nonchalantly into conversation?), it was a nice quick feel good read. Perfect for a rainy day afternoon curled up under the covers with a mug of hot chocolate. And if for no other reason, read it to fall in love (or lust, take your pick) with da Vinci.

Rating: Get it used (?)

Get a copy of Dating da Vinci from Amazon.com

From the Back Cover of Can You Keep a Secret?

Meet Emma Corrigan, a young woman with a huge heart, an irrepressible spirit, and a few little secrets:

Secrets from her boyfriend:
I’ve always thought Connor looks a bit like Ken. As in Barbie and Ken.

Secrets from her mother:
I lost my virginity in the spare bedroom with Danny Nussbaum while Mum and Dad were downstairs watching Ben-Hur

Secrets she wouldn’t share with anyone in the world:
I have no idea what NATO stands for. Or even what it is.

Until she spills them all to a handsome stranger on a plane. At least, she thought he was a stranger…. Until Emma comes face-to-face with Jack Harper, the company’s elusive CEO, a man who knows every single humiliating detail about her…

Three Quick Points About Can You Keep a Secret?

• Point 1: Emma Corrigan bears a striking resemblance to Bridget Jones–not necessarily in appearance, but personality, deed and sheer life circumstances.
• Point 2: This book redefines the statement laugh out loud funny. From beginning to end, I found myself pausing to have a good belly laugh at some of the antics and situations in which Emma found herself.
• Point 3: The British quips and expressions were rather charming from my Americanized viewpoint. Although I’m still not entirely certain what a jumper is, am still unsure whether snogging is kissing or having sex, and it took me a few pages to recognize that having a row meant having an argument, I found reading through it all added to the amusement.

Full Review of Can You Keep a Secret?

Before reading the full review, please note that there may be some spoilers. I tried to keep it vague enough not to spoil the entire story, but be warned. If you’d rather not take any chances, skip the synopsis and go straight to the final thoughts.

Can You Keep a Secret? Synopsis

From the onset, it seems that Emma Corrigan’s life is on the fast track to nowhere and she just can’t catch a break. After the worst day imaginable, just when you believe nothing could get much worse in Emma’s world, a flight attendant takes mercy on her and upgrades her to business class.

When her irrational fear of flying, combined with the turbulence flinging the plane every which way, Emma truly believes she’s going to die and starts prattling off all of her little secrets to the gentleman sitting next to her and she doesn’t stop until they land–still very much alive–and they part ways, expecting never to see one another again.

No big deal until she gets back to work on Monday and finds out the founder of the company, Jack Harper, has scheduled a visit and Jack turns out to be the stranger on the plane–and he remembers everything. As you can imagine, much hilarity ensues as he uses the knowledge gained “under duress” to keep Emma on her toes. But he does far more than that, he completely changes her life.

Since meeting Jack Harper, Emma broke it off with her seemingly perfect boyfriend, told her parents how she truly feels about her cousin Kerry, and had all her private secrets laid out on display and became the ridicule of all her friends and co-workers. Then, to make an already stressful situation even more stressful, she realizes that she knows nothing about the man who knows everything about her. And with the help of her roommate, Jemima, who has absolutely no redeeming qualities that I’ve been able to find, weaves Emma into an even more tangled web with Jack.

Luckily Emma does end up getting the guy. Now, if you believe that I’m giving away the biggest spoiler possible by telling you that, you’re probably not very familiar with the modern fairytale genre. It’s not so much about the end (because you already know there’s a happily ever after), it’s more about how we relate to the protagonist and how she copes with the hills and valleys she encounters on her way to the happily ever after. And trust me, our heroine is quite sympathetic and there are plenty of hills and valleys for her to conquer.

Final Thoughts On Can You Keep a Secret?

From the very beginning, this book was fraught with unfortunate circumstances, miscommunication, misunderstandings, and illogical decisions which all add to the hilarity of this novel.

The main character, Emma Corrigan, who narrates the story in a spunky, and sometimes bitingly sarcastic, way is very sympathetic. More than once, I found myself feeling utterly sorry for her and praying she would get a lucky break or find a secret stash of courage somewhere.

Sometimes, however, the novel became a bit predictable. For instance, when Emma wants to impress Jack by taking him to a posh secret nightclub, she ends up forgetting where it is. It wasn’t difficult to see that coming from a mile away. But, for the most part, the situations that crop up keeps the reader on her toes as it does Emma.

The cast of characters was delightful. Lissy, Emma’s priggish, quirky, and smart best friend/roommate, Jemima, Emma and Lissy’s selfish gold-digging vixen of a roommate, Connor, Emma’s really good looking, but slow on the social uptake boyfriend, and even Emma’s co-workers were all well crafted. The notable exception, however, was Sven who seemed to be Jack’s shadow. It’s not entirely clear who Sven is or what purpose he serves–he just seems randomly placed in the story for no apparent reason.

(Confession: Every time Jemima’s name came up, I couldn’t help imagining Aunt Jemima which made it difficult to connect with her. I finally got over it by mentally renaming her Gemma. She still had no redeeming qualities and frankly, I wondered why Emma and Lissy even put up with her.)

Although the storyline is farfetched–meeting the founder of the company where you work on a flight and blurting out every single one of your secrets to him and then later falling madly in love with him?–it’s a smooth and entertaining read. All the pieces, except a very glaring one–Jack’s big secret which, quite frankly, made me roll my eyes–fit together quite well.

If you enjoyed the movies How to Lose a Guy in 10 Days, The Holiday, Bridget Jones’ Diary, and Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason, then there’s a 99.9% chance you’ll enjoy Can You Keep a Secret?.

Rating: Worth every penny (?)