Another group of books

I was on vacation last week (well, not last, but the one before) so I had a lot of time to read...here are all the books I read while on vacation. I was afraid I wouldn't remember all the titles so I took a picture before I returned them all to the library yesterday:


Already wrote about GirlCook in the last post. The day after GirlCook, I read Dedication by Emma McLaughlin and Nicola Kraus (the pair who wrote The Nanny Diaries). Dedication tells the story of a young woman whose heart was broken by a boy who went on to become a pop sensation. It's a fun read, a great vacation read - and the BEST PART OF THE BOOK (in my humble opinion) is the section in the middle that describes the main character's years at the illustrious University of Virginia! The book describes UVA as only a student could - using words like O'Hill and the Corner, First year and Second year - but I checked and neither McLaughlin or Kraus attended the University. In fact, they met when they were both attending NYU. I'm not sure who they know who was in fact a Wahoo, but it added a lot to my enjoyment of the book. Yes, I would have preferred that they draw that portion of the book out a little longer, but just like Nanny Diaries, the story was dishy enough to keep my attention beyond the portion set in Charlottesville (ah, Charlottesville). Recommended to readers in general, highly recommended to fellow Cavaliers.


After Dedication, I read There's No Place Like Here while sitting on the beach in Hilton Head (mmmm). There's No Place Like Here was written by Cecilia Ahern - daughter of the Prime Minister of Ireland and author of PS I love you (previously made into a movie). I read PS I love you a long time ago, but from what I can recall, this book was completely and utterly different - which is something to be said for a modern author. Recently I've found that an unfortunate trait many modern authors share is the inability to create multiple unique works (more on that later)...but it seems that Ahern has managed to accomplish that feat. At age 28, or something similarly ridiculous that makes me kind of hate her. My petty hatred aside, the story was interesting - about a private investigator obsessed with finding the Place where all the Lost Things go. Whimsical and occasionally moving - all in all a good read.

And, most recently, I finished Things I want my Daughters to know by Elizabeth Noble. The story of a mother who has four daughters...as well as terminal cancer. She writes letters to each of her daughters leaving them with her final words of wisdom. The story follows the girls after their mother passes away...and I am partly but not wholly embarrassed to say that I was left crying on the beach, on the plane, and at the pool when I returned to Columbus. There are a number of funny parts of the book, but overall it's just a touching story.

So I really liked the book - but the problem is that I just started reading a 2nd novel by Noble and it appears to use almost exactly the same contextual details to familiarize the reader with the characters as she did in the other book...which just makes me squirm a little bit. I guess Noble didn't intend for her readers to read the books back to back, but still, I don't like wondering if I'm thinking about the characters from the first book or the second. I guess I should stop reading books by the same author one after the other, but if I liked the author's work, why wouldn't I want to continue reading it as soon as possible?

Anyway. Will keep you posted.

Gah, another one of those times...

Ok so let's see if I can recall the books I've read since I last posted...

I know I was reading Dear John by Nicholas Sparks as I flew back to Columbus one night...so I guess that means I was reading it as I flew back from DC where I spent Mother's Day wknd. So, Dear John - a reliable Sparks book. You know what you're getting when you pick up one of his books. I'm not quite sure I have to write much more. Boy meets girl, complication, see each other again after a period of time, etc. I will say that this one isn't quite the same as all the rest, there is a bit of a twist, but it still won't change your opinion of Sparks as an author - which isn't necessarily a bad thing.

I'm relatively sure that there was a book between the last one I posted about and Dear John but if I can't recall it I'm not really sure that it's a big deal that I don't post about it.

So in Vegas I read two books on my Kindle - I was a little more than excited about the fact that Ruth Reichl and Jennifer Lancaster were releasing new books and knew I'd buy both - so it was perfect to download them on the Kindle before jetting off to Vegas - not lugging books in a carry-on = good.

Pretty in Plaid by Jennifer Lancaster:
I hate to admit it, but this was my least favorite of all of Lancaster's books so far. It was kind of a prequel to the rest - telling the reader about her life before she got it all and then lost it all - a lot of stuff about the 80s. The basic premise of the book was that you are not what you wear...I've gotta be honest, Jen - I liked it more when you wrote snarky but ultimately meaningless commentary on society. That's your bread and butter. Why try to change? Anyway, I suppose I should remind you how much I liked Lancaster's first three autobiographical novels - so that you realize that "not as good" does not necessarily mean bad. It just means not as good.

Not becoming my mother by Ruth Reichl:
Eeeh, sorry, but same as above - the least favorite of all of Reichl's books so far. I was relatively more disappointed in this book than Lancaster's, though. Reichl's first three books (reviewed separately on this site) were so obscenely good that I probably shouldn't have hoped for something quite as good at this point, a few years later...but I so desperately did. Ruth, how could you do this to me? This book wasn't about Ruth Reichl or her relationship with food at all. It was about her mother, her mother's life, her mother's influence (or lack thereof) on Reichl's life. And - I must say - I'm pretty sure it was a pamphlet rather than a book...(I just checked amazon.com and it is 128 pages. wtf). Anyway. Check it out at the library rather than buying it.

So that was the Vegas trip. Since Vegas, I've been to Nashville and back (will write about my trips on my other blog). I'm on vacation all this week and intend to read a few books - today I read Girl Cook by Hannah McCouch.

Girl Cook -- must admit I considered putting this book down at page 55 and not looking back. I found the description of an erection early on in the book and its comparison to a certain vegetable unnecessary and crude. I felt that McCouch lost herself in the first hundred pages of the book and relied upon shocking descriptions to convince the reader that she was an edgy and sensational author...it didn't work for me. Anyway, I pushed on and finished the book in one day (so, no mind-bending challenge between the covers, but not so horrible that I did end up abandoning it). Obviously, being a book about a girl in the food industry, I enjoyed it - but I got the sense as the main character (Layla) made her way through her confusing career and even more confusing love life in Manhattan, that McCouch had written this book as a thinly veiled autobiography meant to wound some loser from her past (the inspiration for the character Frank in the book). Kind of like going to a new restaurant, ordering your favorite meal, and wishing you had just ordered something new because this version does not live up to the standard in your mind.

A few books on tap for this weekend and my trip to Hilton Head. Do I travel as much as I read? Apparently.