Round-up of Book Reviews

I've been reading as much as ever but too busy to feel motivated to review anything. Here are a bunch of short and overdue reviews, in no particular order:


Can't remember how I heard about this one, possibly the library newsletter. This book was a thick one, and it was told from three perspectives, getting progressively earlier in the timeline, but centering on the same people. I disliked the first narrator the most, but he sets the scene for the book. The last narrator is the gentleman whose death the first narrator is investigating (got that?). It's well-written and, perhaps it's just me, but I didn't see the end coming at all (and I typically figure these things out in advance. So it's either bride brain, or a good mystery). I enjoyed this book but didn't adore it. However, I'd recommend it.


Another library newsletter pick (actually, all of the books in this post are, now that I think about it! I love the library.) This was a fun one to read right now because it focuses on Salem during the witch trials, interwoven with a modern-day story. I enjoyed it a lot right up until the end, where the author lost me. I just couldn't buy it. Still, I'd probably recommend it to a friend, with caveats. If you were interested in historical fiction and/or witchcraft, you might like it. I was reading a novel about plague times for my book club around the same time and the two books had some similarities in their descriptions of witchcraft, which was a funny coincidence.


I just finished this one. The cover references Harry Potter, which of course got my attention, and it makes sense the novel centers around a college for magicians in upstate NY. The characters themselves talk openly about Hogwarts and Harry from time to time, which I thought was a nice touch. The author also borrows heavily from the Phantom Tollbooth (I think, I'm not as familiar with that one) and The Chronicles of Narnia. Actually, the central theme of the story is a series of books centered around a world called "Fillory" but which bears a strong resemblance to Narnia. All of the characters read these books as kids and wish they could visit Fillory, even though it's fictional...and as you've figured out by now, they do actually visit it.

This book was interesting in that I was prepared to adore it, sink into it, and immerse myself into it, and what I found was a cast of awkward, disgruntled, very real characters, who wouldn't let me use their novel as an escape. I appreciated how real the characters were, but on the other hand, they were also miserably unhappy for large chunks of the novel. So, no happy escapist fiction there. I really liked it, though, and would recommend it...just be prepared to dislike the characters, particularly the main character, who's whiny and spineless a lot of the time. Still, there were some fascinating moments.


This was another thick one. I really liked it. I was prepared for this to be very "guy" fantasy...like China Mieville or someone like that, not that there's anything wrong with that, I just have a hard time reading it. However, the characters were well-sketched, empathetic, and warm. It's told as a narration from a warrior who has achieved a certain level of infamy and is, for an as-yet undisclosed reason, hiding out as an innkeep in a remote village. A biographer hunts him down and gets him to recall his life story, growing up as a gypsy kid in a caravan to being orphaned to attending a college for magicians at a very young age...he is brilliant and cocky and arrogant and yet still lovable. This is obviously the first in a series, and left me wanting more even after reading 700 pages, so that's a good sign. I'd recommend it to those who like a good old-fashioned fantasy epic.



This was my fave of the bunch. LOVED it. I admit I was pre-disposed to like it after reading the William Gibson quote on the cover about it being a dirty-ass masterpiece. And then in the acknowledgements the author thanks Tom Waits and David Lynch. I knew I was on to something!

The book reminded me of the Dresden Files a bit, in that the main character is very snarky, but he lacks Harry's geekiness. He is a magician, like Harry, and he's cocky, but he backs up that cockiness. Also like Harry, there's a lot of heart in the story, so you don't end up hating him, even though the driving plot is that he's seeking to kill a bunch of people for revenge. I liked him enormously, actually. At one point he meets up with an angel who hates him but is trying to enlist him to fight with her legion, which she calls "The Golden Vigil". He tells her the name sounds like a community-college goth band. That made me laugh aloud!

I would recommend this one without reservations to fans of "dirty-ass masterpieces" and hard-ass yet lovable bad boys.

45 Days to go, and counting...

...and all I have to say about that is GAH.

Today I bought our ring bearer (Mr. T's nephew) and flower girl (my niece) a couple of books each, as their wedding party gift. They're both almost 4.

For the ring bearer, I thought Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs would be fun, and then his parents could take him to see the movie!


For the flower girl, I got Beatrice's Goat, which is based on a true story. I like to annoy my brother by giving my niece ultra-liberal message books. The last one was about environmentalism.



And I thought it would be fun to give them a couple of Halloween books, and these looked cute and not too scary:



I haven't decided who gets what yet. I might have to read them first!

This weekend we're going for our final tasting at our venue, where we're nailing down the vegetarian entree and one of the appetizers. I was happy to see that the apps menu is much longer than it used to be, so it should make choosing much easier. Last time there was a lot of deep fried stuff. Not that deep fried doesn't equal yummy, but my thought is that one deep fried app is enough.

After the tasting I'm going on a whirlwind shopping spree with the MOH, to buy makeup, lingerie, and earrings. I can't wait. After saving for so long, it feels naughty and forbidden to plan a shopping trip, which makes it that much more fun.

Last weekend we went to a friend's wedding in Sonoma, and this weekend we go to another in Saratoga. It's wedding season! After Sunday we're done, until ours, that is! I'll try to blog about the weddings later, but I've been a crappy picture taker lately, so they might be short posts.

Finally, we got our first wedding gift!!! It's official, we're getting married! Or that's how it feels, anyway. My lovely friend bought us a food processor. I'm sending off our first thank-you card to her today (we bought some Martha Stewart ones at Michael's last month; that woman is a genius!).

Review of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies

I think I liked the idea of this book more than I liked the actual book. I thought it would be laugh out loud hilarious, but really I only laughed once (when Elizabeth Bennett defeats three ninjas blindfolded, rips out the last one's heart, and bites into it). There was a lot of guy humor about having "balls", but this was just okay for me.

It did make me want to re-read the original, so that's something. I wonder what Jane Austen would have thought of it. I've always thought she was ahead of her time...

Review of Financially Ever After

Mr. T was amazed that I was reading a financial book of my own accord, but this one was recommended on Offbeat Bride, so I checked it out of the library.

This was an excellent book; very well-written and full of useful tips. Of course, most of the questions he says to ask your partner have already long since been discussed in our household, but I didn't mind the review. Perhaps more useful to me were his thoughts on joint bank accounts: don't do it till after you're married, which we haven't. His other opinion was that having one joint bank account offers the most financial transparency in the relationship. He offered that you could each keep your own individual account, but that having the joint one, period, keeps everyone honest and is more of an investment into the partnership of the marriage. Mr. T and I have been debating about this and it's likely we'll combine our finances into one joint checking and several joint savings, depending on what we're saving for--vacation, emergency fund, yearly expenses, etc. One thing that this seems to preclude is surprising each other with gifts, though. I'd be curious to hear how you all manage this in your relationships: One account? Three accounts? If it's one, how do you surprise each other? With a credit card purchase? Even that's tricky, assuming you have transparency when paying the cc bills...

Regardless, buying gifts for each other isn't any kind of reason not to combine finances, so we're probably going for the one joint account.

The book also has a section on how to create a household budget, which I took notes on! Mr. T and I have not had to really formally budget for a household, and I think it's a good idea when two people are dipping into the same bank account. I volunteered to do this since I do budgets for work and I've also been keeping up our wedding budget.

Anyway, the book offers much, much more and I totally recommend this one to any couples--married or to-be married--who want a healthy financial future.

Review of The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie

I can't remember how I heard about this book, but I enjoyed it thoroughly. It's set in England in the 1950's, but it feels like it takes place even earlier. The main character is an 11-year-old girl named Flavia who has two sisters; they live with their father in a family manor with two servants. Flavia's a self-taught chemist and prankster; she and her sisters are constantly "getting even" with each other for various slights (in one scene, we watch Flavia distill the essence of poison ivy into her sister's melted-down lipstick, then re-form the lipstick and place it into her sister's drawer).

Flavia, then, is not your average 11-year-old girl, and when a man dies in their garden late one night, she is delighted to have a crack at the mystery. She travels all through the town and beyond, eventually coming up with all the pieces to solve the puzzle (involving postage stamps, the royal family, conspiracies, magicians, and her father, among others) and at the end, she explains the whole thing to the bemused police.

Flavia may be devious and mischevious, but I quite enjoyed reading her, and am looking forward to the next installment.

Review of: Lots of Books

I've been reading up a storm as usual but having trouble finding time to post about all of them. Here's what I've been up to:



I found out about this book on Offbeat Bride. It is a great book, but was so general that it didn't help me out at all at this stage. I would've loved to have read this 17 months ago, or so! Wonderful, funny writing.


This book was more useful, although pretty traditional in its approach to wedding vows. I copied some pages to use as inspiration for our ceremony. Eek, we need to write that soon.



BO-RING. I felt like I was cramming for a mid-term on Halloween. Dry and scholarly.


This one was more interesting and had more fun pictures and poems and such, but I didn't even finish it, I suspect because I'd read the other Halloween book first.

What I learned: Halloween was born from the Celtic holiday Samhain and combined with All Saints' Day and even Guy Fawkes Day. The Irish and Scottish brought it to America, where it took on a life of its own. The end.


I read this awhile ago but apparently I never reviewed it. It's a creepy mystery about an old house, and family secrets, and spooky experiments. I enjoyed it, but I don't remember a ton about it, so that's not a great sign. Still, for fans of Victorian mystery, I'd recommend it. Here's a review I pulled off Amazon:

From The Washington Post's Book World/washingtonpost.com Many of the creepy late Victorian familiars abound in The Seance: the dark woods of the English countryside, the ruined mansion with secret passages and hidden chambers and fog on the moors. There's even a sarcophagus in a dead fireplace, a tricked-out suit of armor and some apparatus for collecting electricity when lightning strikes. Drafts blow out candles at the most inopportune times.

The literary conventions of the Victorian suspense novel are present as well: the nested narratives that arrive in mysterious packets, abandoned diaries and even a family tree -- complete with married cousins. Australian John Harwood, whose Ghost Writer won an International Horror Award in 2004, writes with Poe and Dickens peering over his shoulders, shaking their wizened heads perhaps over one modern twist: The strongest characters in The Seance are two women of action.

This was a fun, trashy read about a succubus making her living by managing a bookstore and trying to avoid feeding on nice men. Other local immortals start getting killed off, and she gets pulled into the investigation...and of course into danger. Really quick read, and I'll likely check out the others in the series.


I read this for my book club, so I wouldn't normally review it, but I really loved this book, which is set in post WW 2 England and is told through a series of letters. It has that sort of Anne of Green Gables feel about it, where all the characters are quaint and lovable, and even if something dramatic happens, you know you're in for a happy ending. I totally recommend this one--make sure to curl up with a cuppa tea as you read it.



I read this one on the plane to Hawaii. My book club had read one of her previous titles, and somehow I managed to forget that although her writing is lovely, her subjects are completely depressing. This one was no different and made that flight a very long five hours. It's interesting from a historical perspective, as it starts in Shanghai in the 1930s and follows two sisters as they flee China and land on the Bay Area's own Angel Island. But there's not much joy in it, which made it a very heavy read.

Loved it! I've been referring to this one as Million Dollar Baby meets the Xmen. It's about the daughter of a genetically modified human and her eventual quest to revenge her brother, who was killed in a boxing ring. That may not sound like much, but there's so much to this novel, including a believable relationship between the protagonist and another woman, which was beautifully and lovingly rendered.



The same author wrote this book, but this one is set in the same world as the Kushiel series, only a few generations later. Like that series, this book has an Indiana-Jones type adventure vibe (mixed with lots and lots of sex) as the heroine travels the globe in search of her destiny. The end pretty much promised a sequel, to my mind, and I can't wait! Carey writes believable, smart characters.

My only complaint with Carey's writing is that the protagonist is always extraordinary. I mean, you expect that out of your hero, I guess, but even Harry Potter is a so-so wizard. Carey's heroines (and hero, if we're looking at Imriel) are always beautiful, articulate, and possess extraordinary powers. It's at once satisfying reading and also a bit like a diet of nothing but candy--sometimes too much of a good thing. But really, her writing is quite addictive, and I can't wait to read the next one!

Catching Up on Book Reviews

Right now I'm reading a book on Halloween and it feels like it's taking forever. I don't know why I'm so determined to finish it. It feels like I'm cramming for a mid-term on Halloween!

Here are some of the library books I've read lately:


The latest in the Harry Dresden universe. I think I've mentioned before that Jim Butcher is one of the few authors I read where his books get better and better; he seems genuinely invested in improving his craft. This latest was no exception--totally entertaining, action-packed, funny, and addictive. It was interesting to see Harry working with someone he disliked so much. I wish that Murphy had been in the book more, but I think Harry's relationship with Luccio probably prevented Murphy from being around much, and I wonder if we'll see more Murphy in future books? Also, Thomas's character took an interesting turn. It'll be interesting to see how that plays out.
For those of you who don't know what the heck I'm talking about, but might be interested in a wizard detective series, check out the first book in the series and then get back to me!


Pretty in Plaid was surprisingly sweet, deviating from the unrepentantly snarky tone of all of the author's other books. I still like Such a Pretty Fat the best, but perhaps that was because it was the first book I'd read of hers. Still, this was a quick, fun read. Now that she's covered all of her past, however, I wonder if she'll have more material to write about? It seemed like she went to the past because she'd already mined the present, so now what's left?
I could see some of Jen Lancaster's books as movies, so I wonder if that's her next avenue?



The Manual of Detection was awesome. It reminded me of the Thursday Next books, but without all of the literary references. It definitely had all of the absurd and self-referential moments, though.
I wasn't as endeared to the characters as I would've liked to have been, and so it took me awhile to get into the book. However, the premise was so great that I wanted to know what happened next.
The main character is a clerk in a detective agency who's suddenly promoted after the star detective whose reports he's been filing disappears. The clerk has no prep to be a detective, so he resolves to try and find his detective and bring him back, thereby going back to his safe life as a clerk. However, during the course of his search he discovers that the cases that the detective has solved to such city-wide acclaim have actually been solved incorrectly. The clerk meets dangerous and colorful characters along the way, uncovers another plot to take over the city by the nefarious villain, and in general gets into a lot of trouble.
The cover of this book is modeled after the "Manual of Dectection" instructional manual that the clerk is given upon his promotion. I loved that detail--the book within the book that has a cover modeled after the book within the book. So geeky and fun.
Also, the website for this book is great. It has a haunting mp3 playing that I would totally buy if it were available, but alas, the song was written specifically for the site.
Very fun read!

Review of Shadow Kiss

Just a quickie review; I'm about 4 books behind! Note: Spoilers ahead!

This is the third in the series and was way better than the second. Rose finally hooks up with Dimitri, who promptly dies...but not really. She figures out he's been turned into an undead, so the end of the book shows her dropping out of school to track down and stake her ex-lover. Romantic, huh?

In this book Rose also realizes that she's taking on Lissa's madness when Lissa uses her powers. That realization certainly took long enough, but you can't complain when you read YA fiction, I guess. Yet I persist.

It was fun and trashy and a really quick read. And everyone knows vampires are the new black, right?

Review of The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work

I read about this book on Wedding Bee and figured it was worth checking out. Look at me, I'm turning into a new-age self-help addict or something! Yeah, probably not.

Actually, I quite enjoyed the book and am considering actually buying it! It was well-written, and came at relationships in a different way than I've heard about before.

Basically, the authors have studied thousands of couples (and you hear about how they've done these studies many times...I know the academic way is to prove you've done your homework, but sheesh, we get it already) and figured out what the couples with successful relationships were doing differently than the ones with unhappy relationships. It's not whether you yell while you're fighting, or even if you communicate about every single thing, which I thought was interesting.

I don't remember all seven principles (because I'm so behind on book reviews, and at this point it's been awhile since I've read this book!), but the first one was knowing your partner--their background and interests, and then staying up to date on what's going on in their lives. There are little activities for you to complete with your partner, so I asked Mr. T one of the questions as we were laying in bed one night: "Where was I born?" and he had no idea! We laughed and laughed. Mr. T was joking that he'd failed on the first question, which of course wasn't true. It's actually nice to think there are things we can still learn about each other after nearly 12 years!

Anyway, even though I'm lame and can't remember all the principles, I do think I'll buy this one and I recommend this book highly, to anyone who's curious about improving their relationship or keeping it strong. And you know I can't stand most self-help books, so that's saying something!

Review of Eclipse and Breaking Dawn (Spoilers!)

I'm way behind on book reviews, so I'll make these short and sweet. I actually bought both of these, so I shouldn't be reviewing them as part of my budget library bride series, but I did review the first two, and I like to complete things.



Eclipse: Jacob and Edward fight over Bella, but in a whiny, snarky way. Really terrible dialogue. Big vampire showdown at the end between two rival clans.


Breaking Dawn: Contains more action than the first three books combined, but that's not saying much. Bella and Edward finally get married, have sex, and spawn a half-vampire, half-human child. The birth kills Bella (I think her refusal to abort the kid that's killing her is a religious anti-abortion message) and Edward just barely manages to turn her into a vampire before she's all the way dead. Jacob falls in love with the child, who ages abnormally quickly, and he also forms his own werewolf pack. Big vampire showdown at the end.

I'm glad I read these, but I can't see re-reading them; nor do I think I'll pick up this author's next book, since I don't think she's that great a writer. Still, these were entertaining, if frustrating. The second one was the worst!

Review of Frostbite

It was just alright. Mostly set up for the next books, it felt like.

Doesn't that look like Summer Glau on the cover, though?

Review of Wishful Drinking

Isn't this cover awesome? This cover made me want to read the book, so it did its job. Good work, cover designers and marketing team!

However, I'm sad to report the content was not as good as its packaging. You really shouldn't judge a book that way, it turns out!

It was surprising; I read Postcards from the Edge, which was a fictionalized account of Carrie Fisher's life, and I really enjoyed it. So, the question is: what happened? Was that book edited within an inch of its life to make it publishable? And if it was, what happened to that editor when it came time to release this one?

I think part of the problem is that the book is most likely a (close to) verbatim script from Carrie Fisher's one-woman show. And while the jumping around, non-linear style might work when spoken in front of a live audience, it really didn't work on the page.

Some of the tidbits she relays were awesome--like how George Lucas told her she couldn't wear a bra with her white gown in Star Wars, because "people don't wear underwear in space" (but apparently they do wear bikinis?). Most of it was just sad, although you can tell she meant it to be funny--one of those laugh about it or you'll cry kind of stories. She talks about the string of awful men her mother dated and married, about her own struggles with mental illness, her failed marriages, her drug addictions, electroshock therapy...and on and on. It was pretty bleak.

So, I'm sad to say I don't recommend this one, but I am still a fan.

Review of White Witch, Black Curse

I typically love these books, but this one didn't really do it for me. Basically there was a lot of action but nothing got accomplished. If you have a long-running series (this is maybe book 5 or so?), you need to have stuff happen in each book or your readers get bored.

I got bored.

Ivy and Rachel are still on uneasy terms. Ivy still hates being a vampire. Jenks's wife is still dying. Rachel and Trent are still not speaking. Rachel still doesn't have a love interest. Rachel is still being blacklisted for supposedly dealing with demons (in this installment the community literally shuns her). It all felt like setup for future novels, in which hopefully things will actually happen.

So, I'm not entirely done with the series, but I wasn't impressed, either. And, as you all know, I have pretty low standards. ;-)

Review of Magic Bites and Magic Burns

I read these books in a couple of hours apiece! They were not the most challenging reads, but they were fun, and they kept me entertained. I liked the first one slightly better than the second.

The premise is that the main character, Kate, my usual badass heroine, is a mercenary living in Atlanta...but some alternate Atlanta where magic and technology trade off in waves. Either the tech is up or the magic is. It's hard to explain, but is interesting to read about. Actually one of the things I liked about these books was the "show, don't tell" approach...there wasn't a lot of spoon feeding about the world's background, just enough to keep things from being totally confusing.

Kate is not only skilled with her sword but is also adept at magic...and she keeps hinting at her paternity (the hints were so forceful in the second book you'd have to be really dense not to guess who her dad is...that was a little disappointing). In Magic Bites, Kate takes an assignment to find out who killed her guardian and ends up working with vampires, shapeshifters, and all sorts of other (typical urban fantasy) creatures. The vampires in these novels are interesting--they are mindless undead, sort of like zombies, who have to be piloted by another person. In the second book, Kate starts by looking for a young girl's missing mother and ends up uncovering a coven of witches who have inadvertently let something really nasty loose.

I'm looking forward to reading the third in the series as soon as it's available at the library--these books are fun. Hopefully the third is as good as the first was.

Review of Bone-Crossed

Yes, yes, another badass supernatural heroine book. I do have a type. However, some of these urban fantasy authors are better than others, and Patricia Briggs knows how to write them! I read this one very quickly...devoured it, really.

Mercy Thompson is just your everyday mechanic/shapeshifter (she can turn into a coyote) who talks to ghosts and is friends with werewolves, vampires, and fae. In this latest installment, Mercy is still recovering from being attacked by a lunatic (from the end of the last book in the series) and has also just consented to be the mate of the Alpha of the local werewolf pack. While dealing with all of that, she learns that the local vampire seethe (which is really such a cool term for a gang of vampires) is out to kill her. And finally, Mercy hears from an old friend with a ghost problem; her investigation of that problem of course lands Mercy into deeper waters.

I loved it. It was a very fun, fast read, and you know how I like the bad girls. ;-). Recommended for urban fantasy fans. I'm actually considering introducing Mr. T to this series, the books are that good.

Review of Fool

I heard about this one from a number of sources, but I think the first was the library newsletter, so I put myself on the reservation list and waited. It finally came in!

Mr. T and I are both fans of Christopher Moore. I read Lamb for my bookclub and I was hooked. I loaned that one to my dad and he said, "That book was actually funny!" Which says a lot about what my dad thinks of my tastes. Sigh. ;-)

So anyway, Fool. It turns out this one is very loosely based on Shakespeare's King Lear, which I surprisingly never read, although all English majors at my university were forced to spend a semester studying Shakespeare. I mean, I like his stuff and all, but it's not exactly light reading, you know? Still, after reading Fool, I'm very curious about the original. I bet there are no mentions of "dog's bollocks", "wankers", the "fucking French", or "shagging," for example. Moore takes all of the bawdiness of Shakespeare and updates it so that Fool is very definitely NOT PG-rated.

Also, I doubt that King Lear was a comedy. Actually, one of the characters notes this, asking the main character (Pocket, the fool in question), "Wait, aren't I supposed to be in a tragedy?" and Pocket confirms that they are in fact in a black comedy. I enjoyed the breaking of the fourth wall (or whatever it's called). I also liked all of the Shakespeare references and quotes sprinkled throughout, not just from King Lear but the whole Shakespeare catalog.

I would recommend this one. Christopher Moore is interesting in that his sense of humor is distinguishable in each book, but you never feel that he is writing the same novel again and again. Refreshing.

Review of Bones of the Dragon

I also heard about this one courtesy of the library's newsletter. As teenagers, my brother and I were obsessed with the Dragonlance series. Those characters loomed larger than life in our imaginations. Raistlin was just so scary and complex and cool, Sturm was so noble, Kitiara such a bad girl, Tanis so tortured. Anyway, I've read this author team's other books, but haven't loved them in quite the same way. Still, I thought I'd give this one a try.

I actually thought it might be set in the same world as the Dragonlance series, but I was glad to find out it's in a new world altogether. The people seem to be some sort of Native American/Viking hybrid (heavy on the Viking). It has an interesting premise for a fantasy novel with pretty conventional themes in general: The gods are battling with a new set of gods, and the old gods are losing. This throws the worshippers of the old gods into some disarray, as you might imagine. Other than that, as mentioned, the themes are pretty typical: young warrior, brawny and handsome but not so into thinking before he acts, meaning his brash actions get him into a lot of trouble. His best friend, the smart one, who tempers some of the dumb stuff. The love interest, who has no interest in the warrior but instead prefers the smart one. The two keep their mouths shut because they don't want to hurt their friend, but of course it comes out in the end.

And of course there is a quest: to retrieve a sacred torque from the ogres, who are worshippers of the new set of gods. We don't get to the end of that quest in this book (clearly this is meant to be at least a trilogy), but some interesting stuff does happen along the way.

While not entirely original, the writing is decent, and it kept me interested (I actually finished it in just a few days, which is always a good sign...it means I wanted to keep reading!). So, I'll probably check out the sequels too. Still, no match for Dragonlance, which is probably better in my mind than it is in reality...but some things make a big impact when you're a teen!

Review of The Tale of Hill Top Farm

I found out about this book from the library's newsletter. I love the library!

This book is a fictional account of Beatrix Potter's life right after she purchased Hill Top Farm. It's also a mini-mystery, covering the missing School Roof Fund, the missing parish register, and why poor Miss Tolliver passed away so suddenly.

This book reminded me a bit of Anne of Green Gables. Not in content, but in feel--nothing uber-dramatic happens, but there are little mysteries to be solved, and it's set in a small village, so you "see" a lot of town gossip throughout.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book and would recommend it to folks who like sweet, quaint English books. I'm going to check the rest of the series out once I get through more of my current stack!

Review of Vampire Academy

It's been awhile since I posted a book review, but it's not for lack of reading! I was reading Watchmen for my book club (I bought that one, so it doesn't count as being good for my bridal budget), and another book a friend lent to me.

Vampire Academy is my first library book in awhile, then. I can't remember how I heard about it; probably Amazon recommendations. You know me and trashy urban fantasy novels--I can't resist them. Look at how the girl on the cover totally looks like Angelina Jolie! Shame, shame.

Anyway, this book is about what you'd think--questionable writing skills, but totally entertaining. There weren't any super new ideas here but the author rearranged them in an interesting way. The lead character Rose is half-vampire, half-human (dhampir) and she's going to school to become a guardian to a living vampire (in this book they're called Moroi). There are also the usual dead kind of vampires (Strigoi) who are the enemies of the Moroi and hunt them down.

The other interesting part is that the lead character and her best friend (Lissa, a Moroi whose thoughts and emotions she can sense) are in high school at an academy only attended by Moroi and dhampir, so you get all of the high school intrigue, but in an interesting way. Rose trains to become a guardian while Lissa trains to become Moroi, which includes learning to use magic and specializing in one element.

Of course, it turns out that Lissa's specialty is rare, which gets her kidnapped from the school at the end of the book, leading to the usual chase and rescue scenario.

Still, although there wasn't a lot that was surprising here, it was a fun, easy read and I enjoyed it.

Review of Quantum Wellness

Well, I finally made it through this book. I had to renew it twice, meaning I had it out of the library for over two months, which must be a new record for me.

Really, though, what did I expect? I found out about the book when I was reading US Weekly at the gym...one must consider the source, I guess! I was reading about Oprah's vegan cleanse and thinking that sounded interesting, and the article mentioned that the author's appearance on her show was the reason Oprah did it. So I checked the book out. Sigh.

First, I couldn't find any credentials for this author other than that she's written other self-help books (I checked her website). She talks about being a former model in the book, and no offense to models, but I'm not sure how modeling qualifies a person to advise people how to live their lives. The book cover is riddled with blurbs from other self-help gurus like Deepak Chopra and Marianne Williamson (sp?), so I guess those are her credentials? I wasn't sure.

Second, I really should have known myself better than to think I could read a self-help book successfully. I was rolling my eyes the whole time. I hate the patronizing, new-agey tone employed in the self-help books I've picked up, and this one was no exception. The writing was just okay, and in the beginning of the book, after a bunch of poorly-constructed sentences, I thought, "Am I really going to be able to read this?" But I did. I had to skim, but I read it.

Third, I was put off by all the talk of religion and "Spirit". It was like she was trying to appeal to everyone with these blanket statements, but I couldn't see it appealing to anyone. But that's just me.

And finally, even though I didn't have an entirely open mind about this book, I could see the value in some of her advice. The problem is, the stuff I agreed with, I'm already doing. I have already cleaned out my house to get rid of stuff I'm not using and create a better home environment. I already know how to figure out what's really bugging me when I'm worried about something. I'm already trying to eat better, exercise, etc.

One thing she brought up was keeping a journal, which I often think about but never seem to do. She recommends keeping a food journal as well as a journal of just random thoughts/what you're worrying about, so you can pick out patterns. I might try doing that.

She also talks extensively about the meat industry and what happens to animals...awful, awful things. I already knew a lot about it, which is why I've cut down on meat consumption and tried to eat at restaurants or buy from grocery stores that get the meat from local farms...I may eventually go vegan, but I'm not quite ready for that. And that brings me to the one message that I really appreciated about this book: that just because you're not ready to do everything, doesn't mean you can't do something. I am not ready to go vegan and give up leather, etc., but I am ready to eat less meat, so that's what I'm doing. She calls it "leaning into" your goal. I agree with her that by taking small steps toward a goal, you're much more likely to commit to a change. If you did it all at once, it would be overwhelming, and you'd revert.

The cleanse, which was the reason I picked up the book in the first place, was one of the most interesting parts of the book for me. She advises doing a cleanse (up to three weeks, as long as you can manage within that time period) where you don't ingest any animal products, alcohol, caffeine, sugar (or chemical sugar substitutes, either!), or gluten. Ulp.

I'm still thinking about doing this, but my biggest stumbling blocks, I've found, are the gluten and the caffeine. Not that I'm drinking a pot of coffee a day, but I so enjoy a nice warm cup of tea or a nice soy latte in the morning. I love holding the warm cup in my hands and sipping a sweet (from Splenda or Equal, not sugar) creamy caffeinated beverage to start my day. Especially on a cold rainy day like today. I must be more addicted than I think I am, because the thought of giving it up, even temporarily, is a little alarming!

Re: gluten, I am a total carb girl. I love to snack on pretzels; I love noodles; I love peanut butter sammies on whole wheat bread, I love bagels, etc. That one would be really hard too.

So, also as she advises, I'm just sitting with the idea for awhile to get used to it, and I may decide to do it at some point in the future. I will need a backup plan for how to replace what I'm cutting out, though, or I'll be off the cleanse after one day!

She gives vegan recipes in an appendix at the back of the book, which I found disappointing. I think they are meant for folks who have never tried eating vegan food before, because she calls for a lot of fake meat in them. Anyone who has ever tried grocery store fake meat knows that (most of) it sucks. You're much better off getting your protein from beans, or sources like quinoa, etc., than you are eating tasteless approximations of meat...nothing makes me miss meat more than grocery store faux chicken or beef! (There are some exceptions, but they are typically found in more specialty stores, not your average grocery store.)

I have also simultaneously checked the Veganomicon (a huge vegan cookbook...I love that the title blatantly refrences Evil Dead!) out of the library, and am enjoying it...this one might be an owner. A book like this would be much more helpful to me than those other recipes, I think!

So, while this was not my favorite book ever, I did find some value in it. Imagine that!