Big Boned by Meg Cabot

I should mention now that my library habit causes me to frequently read books in a series completely out of order. In this case, the "Heather Wells mystery" series by Meg Cabot, I read book 1, then book 3, and now posses book 2 (it sits on my kitchen table waiting patiently with the rest of its library friends, but now that I have figured out that I managed to read them in that order, I'm not quite sure that I'm going to read book 2 in the end anyway). So, keep that in mind. Learn from my mistakes. 

I'm not really going to say much about the Heather Wells series...or Meg Cabot in general. That's not to say that Meg Cabot isn't worth commenting on, but in terms of level of seriousness, I'm going to put her at the bottom of the totem pole of authors I'm trying to build. Of the books I've read so far, I'm going to say Cabot is the least serious author, followed by Keyes, Lancaster, and Gregory (but keep in mind I'm only ranking fiction authors at this point). Anyway, that's immaterial. 

Cabot is a hugely successful author - most notably author of the Princess Diaries series - and I think it's because of her ability to create fun, lighthearted fiction with believable characters and creative story lines. 

The thing is, Cabot's writing isn't brilliant. She'll entertain you, but she won't transport you to a new time and/or place...she doesn't rank up there with JK Rowling or CS Lewis (did anyone else just realize that those two have two initials as their names? If I ever try to launch a career in fiction, I will officially write under the name of  BE Barry). 

I don't want to discount her talent, I'm just trying to tell you that it lies in a realm of the literary world inhabited by a number of other authors. Final thoughts? Entertaining and fun...but not the kind of book that will make you fall in love with reading, or with Cabot. 

The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory

I'd like to refuse to acknowledge the month of no posting, but I must acknowledge this lapse as it is rather characteristic of myself and my personality...but...I will at least promise to make a concerted effort to stop lapsing in this way. 

So, The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory. I must say that the most challenging thing about this book was learning to spell the title...which I confess I still haven't done. I just looked it up on Amazon again. I did something I rarely do, and I saw the movie before I read the book. I was disappointed to have to do so, but I had been waiting for it to be my turn in the line to check this book out the library for so long, and I really wanted to see the movie, etc...and you get how it turned out. So, my recommendation to you, if you haven't seen the movie, is to read the book before you see the movie. I think the book will enrich the movie more than the movie enriched the book. The movie, as movie adaptations so often do, took liberties with the plot of the book that I wish it hadn't. Anyway, read the book/see the movie to see what I mean. 

I'm not going to lie, this book is about as trashy as trashy historical fiction comes...and it's awesome. It's full of sibling rivalry, courtship, jealousy, royal intrigue...everything you could wish for in a book you read in order to get cheap drugstore novel thrills mixed with somewhat educational historical details thrown in. 

To summarize...the thing I want to communicate in this post is to read the book. Read it if you've already seen the movie, read it first if you haven't seen the movie yet...it's better than the movie. It's delicious. 

Oh, and I now hate Natalie Portman. 

love the one you're with by Emily Giffin

The fact that I'm posting this less than 12 hours after I posted about the first book should tell you something...because I started this book after finishing the last post. Granted, I did almost nothing other than read all day, but still...this book was not rocket science. 

That's not necessarily a bad thing. I doubt that Giffin set out with the intention of producing a thought provoking and noteworthy piece of literature...rather I believe that she set out to produce an engaging and entertaining work...which she succeeded in doing. 

My opinion might be biased by the fact that I discovered from the book jacket that she attended the University of Virginia School of Law (Wahoowa). 

Anyway this is the story of a woman who takes the time to fully consider "What Might Have Been." The one who got away, the path not taken, etc. As a 24 year old I can't say that I really have too many paths not taken stacked up in my mind that I'd like to think about yet, but maybe someday I will understand the temptation that the main character in this novel did. The criticism that I have of this book - any maybe of Giffin's works in general (she also authored something borrowed, something blue, and baby proof) - is that I am left without a clear idea of what exactly she was trying to communicate. 

All of her novels (so far, at least) have dealt with friendships intertwined with romantic relationships and the suggestion or reality of unfaithfulness. I find myself wondering if it's a lazy trick to introduce sensation and intrigue into otherwise unremarkable stories. That said, Giffin's skill lies in her gifted narrative...the reader always effortlessly sees the story through the eyes of the protagonist, but (and this is something i appreciate) does not always agree with their choices, like them, or understand why they are doing what they are. I think it is a confidently risky move on an author's part when they make the main character less than entirely likable, as is the case in love the one you're with. 

The story was interesting but not enthralling; I found myself tempted to skip entire paragraphs of description at a time, looking ahead for more dialogue. It wasn't boring, though...a good read but one that didn't cause me to forget what time it was or how many hours had passed since I had picked it up (despite the fact that I spent all day reading it...I just don't really have a life). All in all, a solid piece of chick lit, but one that leaves you with the feeling that the author - much like the main character - wasn't quite sure of what she was going to do, what she was going to say, what she was going to mean, until the very last page. 

This Charming Man by Marian Keyes

This book is the story of the influence that one man has on the lives of multiple women...with different parts of the story told from the perspective of each of those women. 

I'm not sure yet if I'll develop some sort of rating scale to rate each book that I read relative to one another, but what I can say about this book is that I stayed up until about 3:30 this morning to finish and briefly considered not leaving the apartment to go to dinner with friends last night so I that I could continue reading. 

Is this book going to change the way you look at the world? Probably not. But it will entertain you while also introducing an idea that you may not have taken the time to seriously consider in the past. This book follows the classic Marian Keyes formula - lull the reader into a less serious cognitive state with a chick lit introduction while slyly drawing a topic with more gravity into focus. In that way, the book is indulgent in a way that other chick lit books are not - it allows you to tell yourself (and maybe others) that you're reading a book about domestic violence...when in reality you're reading a thoroughly entertaining book about relationships in which domestic violence is one of the supporting characters.  

I don't mean to criticize Keyes - or the book - for taking a less than serious look at the concept of domestic violence...rather, I support her formula because it brings important ideas into view that devoted chick lit readers otherwise may not have considered. That is exactly where Keyes' brilliance lies - you'd think that the idea of an entertaining book dealing with domestic violence would be impossible...but she doesn't introduce the serious topic until you're already devoted to the characters...and she balances gravity with levity in perfect measure to make sure you don't abandon her cause.

I honestly think that this book communicates the exact message that Keyes intended - it develops a number of characters thoroughly and independently and shows the reader how people so different can really be the same. It may not cause you to champion a local movement against domestic violence, but it will probably cause you to visit a few websites and educate yourself on the topic...which I consider to be an accomplishment. 

I think this book would be perfect for a read on a long plane ride - it draws you in and keeps you entertained, keeps you thinking...but it's not so serious or grave that it couldn't also be a beach read. Maybe I'm the only one with the antisocial reading problem, but beware of the fact that this book may cause you to sacrifice sleep...and for me, that's saying something.