Deb's bookshelf: all en-US Fri, 17 Jan 2025 17:29:59 -0800 60 Deb's bookshelf: all 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg <![CDATA[The Book of Life (All Souls, #3)]]> 16054217 The #1 New York Times bestselling series finale and sequel to A Discovery of Witches and Shadow of Night

Bringing the magic and suspense of the All Souls Trilogy to a deeply satisfying conclusion, this highly anticipated finale went straight to #1 on the New York Times bestseller list. In The Book of Life, Diana and Matthew time-travel back from Elizabethan London to make a dramatic return to the present—facing new crises and old enemies. At Matthew’s ancestral home, Sept-Tours, they reunite with the beloved cast of characters from A Discovery of Witches—with one significant exception. But the real threat to their future has yet to be revealed, and when it is, the search for Ashmole 782 and its missing pages takes on even more urgency.]]> 561 Deborah Harkness 0670025593 Deb 5
Come on, Harkness... Keep the story going.]]> 4.15 2014 The Book of Life (All Souls, #3)
author: Deborah Harkness
name: Deb
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2014
rating: 5
read at: 2014/07/20
date added: 2025/01/17
shelves:
review:
I do adore the characters in this series. Although, a couple of new names cropped up in this one that seemed to have no real need for being there. Other than that, I'm so sad to have finished the trilogy. I would love to see the youngest characters grow up. In the case of one of them... just HOW would that happen anyway?

Come on, Harkness... Keep the story going.
]]> Apples Never Fall 56143578 #1 New York Times Bestseller
A Peacock Original TV Series–Streaming Soon

From #1 New York Times bestselling author Liane Moriarty comes a novel that looks at marriage, siblings, and how the people we love the most can hurt us the deepest

The Delaney family love one another dearly—it’s just that sometimes they want to murder each other . . .

If your mother was missing, would you tell the police? Even if the most obvious suspect was your father?

This is the dilemma facing the four grown Delaney siblings.

The Delaneys are fixtures in their community. The parents, Stan and Joy, are the envy of all of their friends. They’re killers on the tennis court, and off it their chemistry is palpable. But after fifty years of marriage, they’ve finally sold their famed tennis academy and are ready to start what should be the golden years of their lives. So why are Stan and Joy so miserable?

The four Delaney children—Amy, Logan, Troy, and Brooke—were tennis stars in their own right, yet as their father will tell you, none of them had what it took to go all the way. But that’s okay, now that they’re all successful grown-ups and there is the wonderful possibility of grandchildren on the horizon.

One night a stranger named Savannah knocks on Stan and Joy’s door, bleeding after a fight with her boyfriend. The Delaneys are more than happy to give her the small kindness she sorely needs. If only that was all she wanted.

Later, when Joy goes missing, and Savannah is nowhere to be found, the police question the one person who remains: Stan. But for someone who claims to be innocent, he, like many spouses, seems to have a lot to hide. Two of the Delaney children think their father is innocent, two are not so sure—but as the two sides square off against each other in perhaps their biggest match ever, all of the Delaneys will start to reexamine their shared family history in a very new light.]]> 467 Liane Moriarty 1250220254 Deb 0 to-read 3.69 2021 Apples Never Fall
author: Liane Moriarty
name: Deb
average rating: 3.69
book published: 2021
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2021/06/02
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Les Misérables 24283
Sensational, dramatic, packed with rich excitement and filled with the sweep and violence of human passions, Les Misérables is not only superb adventure but a powerful social document. The story of how the convict Jean-Valjean struggled to escape his past and reaffirm his humanity, in a world brutalized by poverty and ignorance, became the gospel of the poor and the oppressed.]]> 334 Victor Hugo 0449300021 Deb 0 currently-reading, classics 4.29 1862 Les Misérables
author: Victor Hugo
name: Deb
average rating: 4.29
book published: 1862
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2020/06/27
shelves: currently-reading, classics
review:

]]> The Gatekeepers 32059275
Meet Simone, the bohemian transfer student from London, who is thrust into the strange new reality of the American high school; Mallory, the hyper-competitive queen bee; and Stephen, the first generation genius who struggles with crippling self-doubt. Each one is shocked when lovable football player Braden takes his own life and the tragedy becomes a suicide cluster. With so many students facing their own demons, can they find a way to save each other—as well as themselves?

Inspired by the true events that happened in the author’s home town.]]> 448 Jen Lancaster 0373212615 Deb 5 3.92 2017 The Gatekeepers
author: Jen Lancaster
name: Deb
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2017
rating: 5
read at: 2017/10/21
date added: 2017/10/21
shelves:
review:
Having grown up on the North Shore, I can totally understand the kids in what is undoubtedly Jen Lancaster’s best work of fiction to date (and I’ve read all of her work). Though I’d absolved myself of many of these pressures long ago, I had my own demons growing up, and completely get where the kids of NSHS are coming from. Not to make light in the slightest of Lancaster’s incredible work on this piece, but I think she’s found a calling in the angst world of YA fiction,and I can’t wait for more.
]]> <![CDATA[You Know I Love You Because You're Still Alive: Confessions of a Middle Aged Working Mom]]> 31697647 ]]> 197 Lori B. Duff Deb 0 currently-reading 3.55 You Know I Love You Because You're Still Alive: Confessions of a Middle Aged Working Mom
author: Lori B. Duff
name: Deb
average rating: 3.55
book published:
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2017/06/26
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> Remember This 18857293 Lucy, a hard working shenanigan queen, finds evidence that her husband, Mason, cheated on her. In a heated moment, she throws a wine bottle at his head leaving him unable to remember anything from his past. Since she is responsible for her husband’s amnesia, it is her responsibility to get his memory back. Motivated by revenge, Lucy plans a way to get Mason back to normal while having a little fun in the process. This story unveils her comical attempts to sabotage him and how he tries to win her back.]]> 244 Shae Buggs Deb 4 3.42 2012 Remember This
author: Shae Buggs
name: Deb
average rating: 3.42
book published: 2012
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2016/10/15
shelves:
review:
Fun book. Not earth-shattering literature, but good chick lit. It's a romantic comedy that involves an amnesiatic would-be ex-husband. It's a great, light, travel read.
]]> <![CDATA[School, Drool, and Other Daily Disasters (Justin Case, #1)]]> 7684993
Here is third grade in all its complicated glory—the friendships, the fears, and the advanced math. Acclaimed author Rachel Vail captures third grade with a perfect pitch, and Matthew Cordell's line art is both humorous and touching. As Justin bravely tries to step out of his shell, he will step into readers' hearts.


Justin Case is a 2011 Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year.]]> 256 Rachel Vail 0312532903 Deb 5 3.93 2010 School, Drool, and Other Daily Disasters (Justin Case, #1)
author: Rachel Vail
name: Deb
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2010
rating: 5
read at: 2016/09/08
date added: 2016/09/08
shelves:
review:
I bought this book for my daughter (age 8) at a school Scholastic book fair. The writing (I'd read the first couple of pages) was funny and in journal form (which she enjoys), so I snatched it up. Little did I know I'd end up reading it before she did. I picked it up last night and was laughing out loud. The tone is a cross between Eloise and Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day. Justin (the protaganist) is the same age/grade as my daughter, and a huge worrier. Yet, he gradually finds himself increasingly able to handle the things that cause him anxiety and feeling good about himself. Whether you/your kid experiences major anxiety, or more mild worries, I think every kid can relate to Justin on some level. I can't wait to hand this over to my kid and hear what she thinks!
]]> Why Can't I Be You 15808285 Stay, with a moving portrait of friendship and identity.

When Jenny Shaw hears someone shout “Jessie!� across a hotel lobby, she impulsively answers. All her life, Jenny has toed the line, but something propels her to seize the opportunity to become Jessie Morgan, a woman to whom she bears an uncanny resemblance. Lonely in her own life, Jenny is embraced by Jessie’s warm circle of friends—and finds unexpected romance. But when she delves into Jessie’s past, Jenny discovers a secret that spurs her to take another leap into the unknown.]]> 297 Allison Larkin 0452298377 Deb 4 3.82 2013 Why Can't I Be You
author: Allison Larkin
name: Deb
average rating: 3.82
book published: 2013
rating: 4
read at: 2016/09/08
date added: 2016/09/08
shelves:
review:

]]> By the Numbers 26843347 New York Times bestselling author of The Best of Enemies serves up a hilarious new novel of the sandwich generation.

Actuary Penny Sinclair has a head for business, and she always makes rational decisions. Knowing that 60% of spouses cheat and 50% of marriages end in divorce, she wasn't too surprised when her husband had an affair. (That he did so with a woman their daughter's age? Well, that part did sting a bit.) She just made sure she got everything in the divorce, including their lovely old Victorian house. And as soon as her middle daughter has her hipster-fabulous wedding in the backyard, she's trading it in for a condo in downtown Chicago...

Well within the average market time in her area, Penny gets an offer on the house. But then life happens. Her children, her parents and her ex come flying back to the nest, all in need of Penny's emotional and financial support. Spread thin, Penny becomes the poster child for the sandwich generation, when all she really wanted to do was make managing director, buy a white couch, and maybe go on a Match.com date...]]> 304 Jen Lancaster Deb 4 3.50 2016 By the Numbers
author: Jen Lancaster
name: Deb
average rating: 3.50
book published: 2016
rating: 4
read at: 2016/08/17
date added: 2016/08/17
shelves:
review:
I love Jen Lancaster. I've even met her several times, and she's fabulous! Normally, I love everything that she writes. And I did love this book, until the vey end. Because I didn't feel like it was ready to end. Ido feel like it ended in the right place; however, I feel like the stories of all the characters were not quite finished. Wen I reached the last paragraph, I was like, "Whaaaat?" Still, I look forward to Jen's next work.�
]]> ±á´Ç°ů°ů´Ç°ů˛őłŮö°ů 13129925
To unravel the mystery, three employees volunteer to work a nine-hour dusk-till-dawn shift. In the dead of the night, they’ll patrol the empty showroom floor, investigate strange sights and sounds, and encounter horrors that defy the imagination.

A traditional haunted house story in a thoroughly contemporary setting, ±á´Ç°ů°ů´Ç°ů˛őłŮö°ů is designed to retain its luster and natural appearance for a lifetime of use. Pleasingly proportioned with generous French flaps and a softcover binding, ±á´Ç°ů°ů´Ç°ů˛őłŮö°ů delivers the psychological terror you need in the elegant package you deserve.

Designed by Andie Reid, cover photography by Christine Ferrara.]]> 248 Grady Hendrix 1594745269 Deb 5 3.64 2014 ±á´Ç°ů°ů´Ç°ů˛őłŮö°ů
author: Grady Hendrix
name: Deb
average rating: 3.64
book published: 2014
rating: 5
read at: 2015/09/08
date added: 2015/09/08
shelves:
review:
What a fun novel! ±á´Ç°ů°ů´Ç°ů˛őłŮö°ů takes place primarily over one 24-hour period in a haunted Ikea knockoff store. While I wish that the descriptions of the paranormal aspects were more vivid, they got the job done and kept the suspense (and often "eeeew factor") going. I don't want to give anything away, so I won't say more than this... pick it up for a fast read, and I will never view shopping at Ikea the same way again.
]]> Stella Brings the Family 19353809 mom to invite to the party. Fortunately, Stella finds a unique solution to her party problem in this sweet story about love, acceptance, and the true meaning of family.]]> 36 Miriam B. Schiffer 1452111901 Deb 5 4.05 2015 Stella Brings the Family
author: Miriam B. Schiffer
name: Deb
average rating: 4.05
book published: 2015
rating: 5
read at: 2015/05/05
date added: 2015/06/05
shelves:
review:
My daughter (age 7) and I loved this book. I don't often read books to her anymore - she can read on her own. But, in the event that this one prompted any questions (though we're already very open about same-sex relationships in our house), I wanted to read this one to her. When we were done, she wanted to read it again to herself at bedtime. I'd say that's a ringing endorsement! I have to say, every time my daughter does a school or camp project for mother's/father's day, I wonder about the kids who don't have the parent celebrated by the holiday. Schiffer's book reminds us (teachers, are you paying attention?) that families come in all shapes, sizes, and genders.
]]> The Royal We (Royal We, #1) 22875451 "I might be Cinderella today, but I dread who they'll think I am tomorrow. I guess it depends on what I do next."

American Rebecca Porter was never one for fairy tales. Her twin sister, Lacey, has always been the romantic who fantasized about glamour and royalty, fame and fortune. Yet it's Bex who seeks adventure at Oxford and finds herself living down the hall from Prince Nicholas, Great Britain's future king. And when Bex can't resist falling for Nick, the person behind the prince, it propels her into a world she did not expect to inhabit, under a spotlight she is not prepared to face.

Dating Nick immerses Bex in ritzy society, dazzling ski trips, and dinners at Kensington Palace with him and his charming, troublesome brother, Freddie. But the relationship also comes with unimaginable baggage: hysterical tabloids, Nick's sparkling and far more suitable ex-girlfriends, and a royal family whose private life is much thornier and more tragic than anyone on the outside knows. The pressures are almost too much to bear, as Bex struggles to reconcile the man she loves with the monarch he's fated to become.

Which is how she gets into trouble.

Now, on the eve of the wedding of the century, Bex is faced with whether everything she's sacrificed for love-her career, her home, her family, maybe even herself-will have been for nothing.]]> 454 Heather Cocks 1455557102 Deb 5 3.78 2015 The Royal We (Royal We, #1)
author: Heather Cocks
name: Deb
average rating: 3.78
book published: 2015
rating: 5
read at: 2015/06/04
date added: 2015/06/03
shelves:
review:
Jolly good fun! Seriously, though, if you are at all intrigued by Will and Kate, this is a fun read. So many details ring true to life, you have to wonder what some of the other details might have in common with reality. Also, I must say that since I married my true love, I've lost much of my sappiness. Truly, I don't even cry at weddings anymore. But, I shed several tears at various times during this tome. If you're a romantic or an Anglophile, by all means, read this now.
]]> Hugo & Rose 23014677
After a childhood accident, Rose's dreams take her to a wondrous island fraught with adventure. On this island, she has never been alone: she shares it with Hugo, a brave boy who's grown up with her into a hero of a man.

But when Rose stumbles across Hugo in real life, both her real and dream worlds are changed forever. Here is the man who has shared all of her incredible adventures in impossible places, who grew up with her, even if they aren't what either one imagined. Their chance encounter begins a cascade of questions, lies, and a dangerous obsession that threatens to topple everything she knows. Is she willing to let go of everything she holds dear to understand their extraordinary connection? And will it lead her to discover who she truly wants to be?]]> 352 Bridget Foley 1250055792 Deb 5 3.07 2015 Hugo & Rose
author: Bridget Foley
name: Deb
average rating: 3.07
book published: 2015
rating: 5
read at: 2015/05/31
date added: 2015/06/01
shelves:
review:
Holy twisted story, Batman! I could not put this one down. It was recommended by Jen Lancaster at one of her book events. I downloaded it and read it in two days. The engaging story, the vivid imagery, & the sympathetic characters grabbed me from the start. I haven't re-read a book in years, but I can see picking this one up again down the line.
]]> Miramont's Ghost 23743603 Miramont Castle, built in 1897 and mysteriously abandoned three years later, is home to many secrets. Only one person knows the Adrienne Beauvier, granddaughter of the Comte de Challembelles and cousin to the man who built the castle.

Clairvoyant from the time she could talk, Adrienne’s visions show her the secrets of those around her. When her visions begin to reveal dark mysteries of her own aristocratic French family, Adrienne is confronted by her formidable Aunt Marie, who is determined to keep the young woman silent at any cost. Marie wrenches Adrienne from her home in France and takes her to America, to Miramont Castle, where she keeps the girl isolated and imprisoned. Surrounded by eerie premonitions, Adrienne is locked in a life-or-death struggle to learn the truth and escape her torment.

Reminiscent of Daphne du Maurier’s Rebecca, this hauntingly atmospheric tale is inspired by historical research into the real-life Miramont Castle in Manitou Springs, Colorado.

]]> 328 Elizabeth Hall 1477870458 Deb 5 Ocean at the End of the Lane.

I got this on my Kindle as one of the Prime free monthly books. Usually, I've had bad luck with those, but this was a delightful surprise. While the beginning and end of the story take place in present day, near Colorado Springs, the rest is long ago in France. I was instantly swept into the sheltered world of Hall's 1800s French countryside home and the characters who lived within the walls - especially the main character, Adrienne, a clairvoyant, though there is so much more to her and her life than her visions.
]]> 3.37 2015 Miramont's Ghost
author: Elizabeth Hall
name: Deb
average rating: 3.37
book published: 2015
rating: 5
read at: 2015/03/29
date added: 2015/03/29
shelves:
review:
The style of this book reminds me of a combination of Deborah Harkness' All Soul's Trilogy and Neil Gaiman's Ocean at the End of the Lane.

I got this on my Kindle as one of the Prime free monthly books. Usually, I've had bad luck with those, but this was a delightful surprise. While the beginning and end of the story take place in present day, near Colorado Springs, the rest is long ago in France. I was instantly swept into the sheltered world of Hall's 1800s French countryside home and the characters who lived within the walls - especially the main character, Adrienne, a clairvoyant, though there is so much more to her and her life than her visions.

]]> Recipe for Disaster 22571603
To an outside observer, Anneke Stroudt is a mess—her shirts are stained, her fingernails stubby, her language colorful. But, despite her flaws, Anneke’s life is close to perfect. She has a beautiful historic house to restore and a loving fiancé who cooks like a dream.
Ěý
Until Anneke’s charmed existence falls apart when she loses both her job and her future husband in one terrible day. In need of a new start, she packs up her disgruntled schnauzer and moves into her half-finished home, where she throws her pent-up frustration—and what little savings she has—into finishing the renovation.
Ěý
But at the first step into the house’s overhaul, Anneke is sidetracked when she discovers a mysterious leather-bound book, long hidden away, filled with tempting recipes and steamy secrets from Gemma Ditmore-Smythe, the cook for the house’s original owners. Slowly, with the help of some delicious food and Emma’s life lessons, Anneke begins to realize that, just like a flawless recipe, she’s been waiting for the right ingredients to cook up a perfect life all along�

“With the perfect blend of humor and heart, Ballis’s writing is powerfully honest and genuinely hilarious.”—Jen Lancaster

INCLUDES RECIPES]]> 466 Stacey Ballis 0425265501 Deb 5 3.77 2015 Recipe for Disaster
author: Stacey Ballis
name: Deb
average rating: 3.77
book published: 2015
rating: 5
read at: 2015/03/23
date added: 2015/03/23
shelves:
review:
I just finished this book today, and though I've been a fan of Stacey Ballis for some time, this is by FAR my FAVORITE book of hers yet! From page one, I was engaged in the characters and plot, melting away the hectic reality of my own life (for me, the main reason for reading - escapism). Set in Chicago, it was fun to see my hometown showcased once again in a fun novel. Bonus: As always, Ballis included recipes from the story, with full instruction and tips for preparing the delectable sounding dishes. The only thing I dislike about that is that when I get there, it means the story is over. I would have loved just a little more at the end (won't spoil it for you, with details, though).
]]> Big Little Lies 19486412
A murder . . . a tragic accident . . . or just parents behaving badly?
What’s indisputable is that someone is dead.
But who did what?

Big Little Lies follows three women, each at a crossroads:

Madeline is a force to be reckoned with. She’s funny and biting, passionate, she remembers everything and forgives no one. Her ex-husband and his yogi new wife have moved into her beloved beachside community, and their daughter is in the same kindergarten class as Madeline’s youngest (how is this possible?). And to top it all off, Madeline’s teenage daughter seems to be choosing Madeline’s ex-husband over her. (How. Is. This. Possible?).

Celeste is the kind of beautiful woman who makes the world stop and stare. While she may seem a bit flustered at times, who wouldn’t be, with those rambunctious twin boys? Now that the boys are starting school, Celeste and her husband look set to become the king and queen of the school parent body. But royalty often comes at a price, and Celeste is grappling with how much more she is willing to pay.

New to town, single mom Jane is so young that another mother mistakes her for the nanny. Jane is sad beyond her years and harbors secret doubts about her son. But why? While Madeline and Celeste soon take Jane under their wing, none of them realizes how the arrival of Jane and her inscrutable little boy will affect them all.

Big Little Lies is a brilliant take on ex-husbands and second wives, mothers and daughters, schoolyard scandal, and the dangerous little lies we tell ourselves just to survive.]]> 458 Liane Moriarty 0399167064 Deb 5
Would make a great beach read!]]> 4.24 2014 Big Little Lies
author: Liane Moriarty
name: Deb
average rating: 4.24
book published: 2014
rating: 5
read at: 2015/03/09
date added: 2015/03/09
shelves:
review:
I've read all but one of Moriarty's books so far, and this was the best. Typical to her style, it's about catty, suburban moms, some genuine friendships, and an underlying drama. Now, I realize I'm very much an in-the-moment reader, and tend to not think too much ahead. It's how I enjoy getting lost in a story. But in this one, there were twists that literally had me gasping.

Would make a great beach read!
]]> <![CDATA[American Gods (American Gods, #1)]]> 4407
Together they embark on a profoundly strange journey across the heart of the USA, whilst all around them a storm of preternatural and epic proportions threatens to break.

Scary, gripping and deeply unsettling, American Gods takes a long, hard look into the soul of America. You'll be surprised by what - and who - it finds there...

This is the author's preferred text, never before published in the UK, and is about 12,000 words longer than the previous UK edition.

]]> 635 Neil Gaiman Deb 0 currently-reading 4.10 2001 American Gods (American Gods, #1)
author: Neil Gaiman
name: Deb
average rating: 4.10
book published: 2001
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2014/10/28
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> The Opposite of Me 6604176 377 Sarah Pekkanen 1439121982 Deb 2 3.78 2010 The Opposite of Me
author: Sarah Pekkanen
name: Deb
average rating: 3.78
book published: 2010
rating: 2
read at: 2014/08/21
date added: 2014/08/21
shelves:
review:
Such easygoing reading. I love Allie Larkin's writing. But the storyline was just dumb. Implausible. Ridiculous.
]]> <![CDATA[Shadow of Night (All Souls, #2)]]> 11559200 A Discovery of Witches� cliffhanger ending, Shadow of Night takes Diana and Matthew on a trip through time to Elizabethan London, where they are plunged into a world of spies, magic, and a coterie of Matthew’s old friends, the School of Night. As the search for Ashmole 782 deepens and Diana seeks out a witch to tutor her in magic, the net of Matthew’s past tightens around them, and they embark on a very different—and vastly more dangerous—journey.]]> 584 Deborah Harkness 0670023485 Deb 5 4.04 2012 Shadow of Night (All Souls, #2)
author: Deborah Harkness
name: Deb
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2012
rating: 5
read at: 2014/07/12
date added: 2014/07/12
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[A Discovery of Witches (All Souls, #1)]]> 8667848
Deep in the stacks of Oxford's Bodleian Library, young scholar Diana Bishop unwittingly calls up a bewitched alchemical manuscript in the course of her research. 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 daemons, 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. This smart, sophisticated story harks back to the novels of Anne Rice, but it is as contemporary and sensual as the Twilight series-with an extra serving of historical realism.]]> 592 Deborah Harkness 0670022411 Deb 5 4.01 2011 A Discovery of Witches (All Souls, #1)
author: Deborah Harkness
name: Deb
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2011
rating: 5
read at: 2014/07/10
date added: 2014/07/10
shelves:
review:
Loved it. Pretty much anything goes here, as far as witches and power, so that's fun. Plus, you know, sexy, brooding vampire as the leading man. But, most importantly, the writing was great. On to the next book in the trilogy!
]]> What Alice Forgot 6469165
Alice is twenty-nine. She adores sleep, chocolate, and her ramshackle new house. She’s newly engaged to the wonderful Nick and is pregnant with her first baby.

There’s just one problem.
All that was ten years ago �

Alice has slipped in a step aerobics class, hit her head and lost a decade. Now she’s a grown-up, bossy mother of three in the middle of a nasty divorce and her beloved sister Elisabeth isn’t speaking to her. This is her life but not as she knows it.

Clearly Alice has made some terrible mistakes.
Just how much can happen in a decade?

Can she ever get back to the woman she used to be?]]> 487 Liane Moriarty 0141043768 Deb 4 4.06 2010 What Alice Forgot
author: Liane Moriarty
name: Deb
average rating: 4.06
book published: 2010
rating: 4
read at: 2014/05/29
date added: 2014/05/29
shelves:
review:
Good, summertime read. One detail in the Epilogue bugged me - was left dangling. And I have no idea why it was so important to tell Elisabeth and Frannie's stories. To make the book longer maybe? Still, I did enjoy it.
]]> <![CDATA[The Sweet Life in Paris: Delicious Adventures in the World's Most Glorious - and Perplexing - City]]> 6055063 282 David Lebovitz 0767928881 Deb 0 to-read 3.84 2009 The Sweet Life in Paris: Delicious Adventures in the World's Most Glorious - and Perplexing - City
author: David Lebovitz
name: Deb
average rating: 3.84
book published: 2009
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2014/04/05
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Gone Girl 13261812 What have we done to each other?

These are the questions Nick Dunne finds himself asking on the morning of his fifth wedding anniversary when his wife Amy suddenly disappears. The police suspect Nick. Amy's friends reveal that she was afraid of him, that she kept secrets from him. He swears it isn't true. A police examination of his computer shows strange searches. He says they weren't made by him. And then there are the persistent calls on his mobile phone.

So what did happen to Nick's beautiful wife?]]> 422 Gillian Flynn Deb 2 4.15 2012 Gone Girl
author: Gillian Flynn
name: Deb
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2012
rating: 2
read at: 2013/11/02
date added: 2013/11/03
shelves:
review:
I'd heard lots of folks talking about this book, so I decided to see what the fuss was about. It took me months to get through it. The plot was so slow until the last 1/4 of the book. Then, when it finally picked up, I felt engaged. And then it ended. The most anti-climactic, unsatisfying, pathetically bland ending to any book I've ever finished.
]]> Here I Go Again 13585792
Twenty years after ruling the halls of her suburban Chicago high school, Lissy Ryder doesn't understand why her glory days ended. Back then, she was worshipped...beloved...feared. Present day, not so much. She's been pink-slipped from her high-paying job, dumped by her husband, and kicked out of her condo. Now, at thirty-seven, she's struggling to start a business out of her parents' garage and sleeping under the hair-band posters in her old bedroom.

Lissy finally realizes karma is the only bitch bigger than she was. Her present is miserable because of her past. But it's not like she can go back in time and change who she was...or can she?]]> 320 Jen Lancaster 0451236726 Deb 5 Here I Go Again is fun. That's the best I can do to describe it. Does she make you care about the protagonist? Of course. Are there plot twists? Sure. Are they predictable? Yep. But that does not take away from the joy of a trip (and I do mean TRIP) down memory lane for anyone who spent some teen years in the 90s. ]]> 3.53 2013 Here I Go Again
author: Jen Lancaster
name: Deb
average rating: 3.53
book published: 2013
rating: 5
read at: 2013/03/16
date added: 2013/03/16
shelves:
review:
First, I adore Jen Lancaster. She always makes me smile. Though I prefer her memoirs, I have enjoyed her fictional pieces too. Here I Go Again is fun. That's the best I can do to describe it. Does she make you care about the protagonist? Of course. Are there plot twists? Sure. Are they predictable? Yep. But that does not take away from the joy of a trip (and I do mean TRIP) down memory lane for anyone who spent some teen years in the 90s.
]]> Then Came You 9758764 The lives of four very different women intertwine in unexpected ways in this new novel by bestselling author Jennifer Weiner (In Her Shoes; Best Friends Forever). Each woman has a problem: Princeton senior Jules Wildgren needs money to help her dad cure his addiction; Pennsylvania housewife Annie Barrow is gasping to stay financially afloat; India Bishop yearns to have a child, an urge that her stepdaughter Bettina can only regard with deeply skepticism until she finds herself in a most unexpected situation. Interlocking dramas designed to ensnare; bound to be a bestseller.

]]> 352 Jennifer Weiner 1451617720 Deb 0 to-read 3.71 2011 Then Came You
author: Jennifer Weiner
name: Deb
average rating: 3.71
book published: 2011
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2012/09/13
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Fly Away Home 7227174
When Sylvie Serfer met Richard Woodruff in law school, she had wild curls, wide hips, and lots of opinions. Decades later, Sylvie has remade herself as the ideal politician's wife-her hair dyed and straightened, her hippie-chick wardrobe replaced by tailored knit suits. At fifty-seven, she ruefully acknowledges that her job is staying twenty pounds thinner than she was in her twenties and tending to her husband, the senator.

Lizzie, the Woodruffs' younger daughter, is at twenty-four a recovering addict, whose mantra HALT (Hungry? Angry? Lonely? Tired?) helps her keep her life under control. Still, trouble always seems to find her. Her older sister, Diana, an emergency room physician, has everything Lizzie failed to achieve-a husband, a young son, the perfect home-and yet she's trapped in a loveless marriage. With temptation waiting in one of the ER's exam rooms, she finds herself craving more.

After Richard's extramarital affair makes headlines, the three women are drawn into the painful glare of the national spotlight. Once the press conference is over, each is forced to reconsider her life, who she is and who she is meant to be.

Written with an irresistible blend of heartbreak and hilarity, Fly Away Home is an unforgettable story of a mother and two daughters who after a lifetime of distance finally learn to find refuge in one another.]]> 401 Jennifer Weiner 0743294270 Deb 0 to-read 3.69 2010 Fly Away Home
author: Jennifer Weiner
name: Deb
average rating: 3.69
book published: 2010
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2012/09/13
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Best Friends Forever 6066819 368 Jennifer Weiner 0743294297 Deb 0 to-read 3.51 2009 Best Friends Forever
author: Jennifer Weiner
name: Deb
average rating: 3.51
book published: 2009
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2012/09/13
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> Little Earthquakes 80536 557 Jennifer Weiner 1416528636 Deb 0 to-read 3.79 2004 Little Earthquakes
author: Jennifer Weiner
name: Deb
average rating: 3.79
book published: 2004
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2012/09/13
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> In Her Shoes 14758 Maggie is drop dead gorgeous and irresistible to men. She's going to make it big as a TV presenter, or a singer...or an actress. All she needs is a lucky break. What she doesn't need is her uptight sister Rose interfering in her life. If only Rose would lighten-up, have some fun - and learn how to use a pair of tweezers. Rose and Maggie think they have nothing in common but a childhood tragedy, shared DNA and the same size feet, but they are about to find out that they're more alike than they'd ever believe.]]> 537 Jennifer Weiner 0743495667 Deb 0 to-read 3.83 2002 In Her Shoes
author: Jennifer Weiner
name: Deb
average rating: 3.83
book published: 2002
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2012/09/13
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children, #1)]]> 9460487 9781594744761

A mysterious island. An abandoned orphanage. A strange collection of very curious photographs. It all waits to be discovered in Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children, an unforgettable novel that mixes fiction and photography in a thrilling reading experience. As our story opens, a horrific family tragedy sets sixteen-year-old Jacob journeying to a remote island off the coast of Wales, where he discovers the crumbling ruins of Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children. As Jacob explores its abandoned bedrooms and hallways, it becomes clear that the children were more than just peculiar. They may have been dangerous. They may have been quarantined on a deserted island for good reason. And somehow-impossible though it seems-they may still be alive. A spine-tingling fantasy illustrated with haunting vintage photography, Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children will delight adults, teens, and anyone who relishes an adventure in the shadows.]]> 352 Ransom Riggs 1594744769 Deb 4 3.92 2011 Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children (Miss Peregrine's Peculiar Children, #1)
author: Ransom Riggs
name: Deb
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2011
rating: 4
read at: 2012/09/12
date added: 2012/09/12
shelves:
review:
What starts out to seem like a story about a crazy kid and a haunted house ends up to be quite an interesting adventure. I wouldn't call it fine literature, but a fun read - especially in the weeks before Halloween
]]> Swim 13546695 48 Jennifer Weiner 1451690320 Deb 3 3.44 2006 Swim
author: Jennifer Weiner
name: Deb
average rating: 3.44
book published: 2006
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2012/09/12
shelves:
review:

]]> The Next Best Thing 13184572
At twenty-three, Ruth Saunders headed west with her seventy-year-old grandma in tow, hoping to be hired as a television writer. Four years later, she’s hit the jackpot when she gets The Call: the sitcom she wrote, The Next Best Thing, has gotten the green light, and Ruthie’s going to be the show-runner. But her dreams of Hollywood happiness are threatened by demanding actors, number-crunching executives, an unrequited crush on a boss, and her grandmother’s impending nuptials.

Set against the fascinating backdrop of Los Angeles show business culture, with an insider’s ear and eye for writer’s rooms, bad behavior backstage and set politics, Jennifer Weiner’s new novel is a rollicking ride on the Hollywood rollercoaster and a heartfelt story about what it’s like for a young woman to love, and lose, in the land where dreams come true.]]> 400 Jennifer Weiner 1451617771 Deb 4 3.50 2012 The Next Best Thing
author: Jennifer Weiner
name: Deb
average rating: 3.50
book published: 2012
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2012/09/12
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Certain Girls (Cannie Shapiro, #2)]]> 421549
Now Cannie's back. After her debut novel - a fictionalized (and highly sexualized) version of her life - became an overnight bestseller, she dropped out of the public eye and turned to writing science fiction under a pseudonym. She's happily married to the tall, charming diet doctor Peter Krushelevansky and has settled into a life that she finds wonderfully predictable - knitting in the front row of her daughter Joy's drama rehearsals, volunteering at the library, and taking over-forty yoga classes with her best friend Samantha.

As preparations for Joy's bat mitzvah begin, everything seems right in Cannie's world. Then Joy discovers the novel Cannie wrote years before and suddenly finds herself faced with what she thinks is the truth about her own conception - the story her mother hid from her all her life. When Peter surprises his wife by saying he wants to have a baby, the family is forced to reconsider its history, its future, and what it means to be truly happy.

Radiantly funny and disarmingly tender, with Weiner's whip-smart dialogue and sharp observations of modern life, Certain Girls is an unforgettable story about love, loss, and the enduring bonds of family.]]> 386 Jennifer Weiner 0743294254 Deb 4 3.72 2008 Certain Girls (Cannie Shapiro, #2)
author: Jennifer Weiner
name: Deb
average rating: 3.72
book published: 2008
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2012/09/12
shelves:
review:

]]> Goodnight Nobody 14756
For Kate Klein, a semi-accidental mother of three, suburbia has been full of unpleasant surprises. Her once-loving husband is hardly ever home. The supermommies on the playground routinely snub her. Her days are spent carpooling and enduring endless games of Candy Land, and at night, most of her orgasms are of the do-it-yourself variety.

When a fellow mother is murdered, Kate finds that the unsolved mystery is the most exciting thing to happen in Upchurch, Connecticut, since her neighbors broke ground for a guesthouse and cracked their septic tank. Even though the local police chief warns her that crime-fighting's a job best left to the professionals, Kate launches an unofficial investigation -- from 8:45 to 11:30 on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, when her kids are in nursery school.

As Kate is drawn deeper into the murdered woman's past, she begins to uncover the secrets and lies behind Upchurch's picket-fence facade -- and considers the choices and compromises all modern women make as they navigate between marriage and independence, small towns and big cities, being a mother and having a life of one's own.]]> 387 Jennifer Weiner 0743470125 Deb 4 3.65 2005 Goodnight Nobody
author: Jennifer Weiner
name: Deb
average rating: 3.65
book published: 2005
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2012/09/12
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Good in Bed (Cannie Shapiro, #1)]]> 14748
For twenty-eight years, things have been tripping along nicely for Cannie Shapiro. Sure, her mother has come charging out of the closet, and her father has long since dropped out of her world. But she loves her friends, her rat terrier, Nifkin, and her job as pop culture reporter for The Philadelphia Examiner. She's even made a tenuous peace with her plus-size body.

But the day she opens up a national women's magazine and sees the words "Loving a Larger Woman" above her ex-boyfriend's byline, Cannie is plunged into misery...and the most amazing year of her life. From Philadelphia to Hollywood and back home again, she charts a new course for herself: mourning her losses, facing her past, and figuring out who she is and who she can become.]]> 376 Jennifer Weiner 0743418174 Deb 4 3.76 2002 Good in Bed (Cannie Shapiro, #1)
author: Jennifer Weiner
name: Deb
average rating: 3.76
book published: 2002
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2012/09/12
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[My Horizontal Life: A Collection of One-Night Stands]]> 35982 Enter Chelsea Handler. Gorgeous, sharp, and anything but shy, Chelsea loves men and lots of them. My Horizontal Life chronicles her romp through the different bedrooms of a variety of suitors, a no-holds-barred account of what can happen between a man and a sometimes very intoxicated, outgoing woman during one night of passion. From her short fling with a Vegas stripper to her even shorter dalliance with a well-endowed little person, from her uncomfortable tryst with a cruise ship performer to her misguided rebound with a man who likes to play leather dress-up, Chelsea recalls the highs and lows of her one-night stands with hilarious honesty. Encouraged by her motley collection of friends (aka: her partners in crime) but challenged by her family members (who at times find themselves a surprise part of the encounter), Chelsea hits bottom and bounces back, unafraid to share the gritty details. My Horizontal Life is one guilty pleasure you won't be ashamed to talk about in the morning.]]> 213 Chelsea Handler 1582346186 Deb 4 Funny, fluffy summer read. 3.80 2004 My Horizontal Life: A Collection of One-Night Stands
author: Chelsea Handler
name: Deb
average rating: 3.80
book published: 2004
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2012/06/17
shelves:
review:
Funny, fluffy summer read.
]]> Spooky Little Girl 6809339 Ěý
Coming home from a Hawaiian vacation with her best girlfriends, Lucy Fisher is stunned to find everything she owns tossed out on her front lawn, the locks changed, and her fiancé’s phone disconnected—plus she’s just lost her job. With her world spinning wildly out of her control, Lucy decides to make a new start and moves upstate to live with her sister and nephew.

But then things take an even more dramatic A fatal encounter with public transportation lands Lucy not in the hereafter but in the nearly hereafter. She’s back in school, learning the parameters of spooking and how to become a successful spirit in order to complete a ghostly assignment. If Lucy succeeds, she’s guaranteed a spot in the next level of the afterlife—but until then, she’s stuck as a ghost in the last place she would ever want to be.

Trying to avoid being trapped on earth for all eternity, Lucy crosses the line between life and death and back again when she returns home. Navigating the perilous channels of the paranormal, she’s determined to find out why her life crumbled and why, despite her ghastly death, no one seems to have noticed she’s gone. But urgency on the spectral plane—in the departed person of her feisty grandmother, who is risking both their eternal lives—requires attention, and Lucy realizes that you get only one chance to be spectacular in death.]]> 293 Laurie Notaro 0345510976 Deb 5 Autobiography of a Fat Bride on the BOGO table at Borders. It was no time before I was hooked. I've read all of her memoirs to date, and have loved them all. She's absolutely hilarious. And her second novel, Spooky Little Girl is no exception. It's funny, puzzling, and touching, with a bit of my own teenage fantasy thrown in. Who among us hasn't, at one point or another, wished for invisibility or the chance to haunt those who taunted or rejected us? I know I have.

I will say, I have tried to read her first novel, There's a (Slight) Chance I Might Be Going to Hell: A Novel of Sewer Pipes, Pageant Queens, and Big Trouble, but I just couldn't get into it. Spooky Little Girl, however, grabbed me from page 1.

It's not great literature. It's not particularly thought provoking. It is simply fun, entertaining, light reading. A perfect start to a summer reading list.]]> 3.70 2010 Spooky Little Girl
author: Laurie Notaro
name: Deb
average rating: 3.70
book published: 2010
rating: 5
read at: 2012/06/04
date added: 2012/06/04
shelves:
review:
Laurie Notaro was my first funny girl memoir obsession. I was about to get married, and found her book, Autobiography of a Fat Bride on the BOGO table at Borders. It was no time before I was hooked. I've read all of her memoirs to date, and have loved them all. She's absolutely hilarious. And her second novel, Spooky Little Girl is no exception. It's funny, puzzling, and touching, with a bit of my own teenage fantasy thrown in. Who among us hasn't, at one point or another, wished for invisibility or the chance to haunt those who taunted or rejected us? I know I have.

I will say, I have tried to read her first novel, There's a (Slight) Chance I Might Be Going to Hell: A Novel of Sewer Pipes, Pageant Queens, and Big Trouble, but I just couldn't get into it. Spooky Little Girl, however, grabbed me from page 1.

It's not great literature. It's not particularly thought provoking. It is simply fun, entertaining, light reading. A perfect start to a summer reading list.
]]> <![CDATA[I'm Kind of a Big Deal: And Other Delusions of Adequacy]]> 10390031
The Author of This Book is Kind of Crazy, Kind of Delusional, and All Kinds of Hilarious

Whether she’s driving a limo for former Family Ties star Justine Bateman, dancing in the dark for a rarely seen Bob Dylan music video, or stalking a bachelor reject from TV’s Love Connection, Stefanie Wilder-Taylor is kind of a big deal—at least in her own mind. Smart, screwy, and scathingly funny, her tell-all essays capture every cringe-worthy moment of her kind-of famous life. From bombing as a stand-up comic for born-again Christians, to winging it as a singing waitress in an Italian restaurant, to posting open letters to Angelina Jolie and David Hasselhoff, this unstoppable L.A. transplant refuses to give up on her dreams—no matter how ill-advised—and shows us a side of Hollywood better kept hidden. When it comes to funny women—unplugged and unleashed—they don’t get any wilder than Stefanie Wilder-Taylor. . . .]]> 272 Stefanie Wilder-Taylor 1439176574 Deb 2 3.44 2011 I'm Kind of a Big Deal: And Other Delusions of Adequacy
author: Stefanie Wilder-Taylor
name: Deb
average rating: 3.44
book published: 2011
rating: 2
read at:
date added: 2012/06/03
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[It's Not Me, It's You: Subjective Recollections from a Terminally Optimistic, Chronically Sarcastic and Occasionally Inebriated Woman]]> 3936696 240 Stefanie Wilder-Taylor 1416954147 Deb 2 3.50 2009 It's Not Me, It's You: Subjective Recollections from a Terminally Optimistic, Chronically Sarcastic and Occasionally Inebriated Woman
author: Stefanie Wilder-Taylor
name: Deb
average rating: 3.50
book published: 2009
rating: 2
read at:
date added: 2012/06/03
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Sippy Cups Are Not for Chardonnay: And Other Things I Had to Learn as a New Mom]]> 170184
The moment the second line on the pee stick turns pink, women discover they've entered a world of parenting experts.

Friends, family, colleagues, the UPS delivery guy—suddenly everybody is a trove of advice, much of it contradictory and confusing. With dire warnings of what will happen if baby is fed on demand and even direr warnings of what will happen if he isn't, not to mention hordes of militant “lactivists,� cosleeping advocates, and books on what to worry about next, modern parenthood can seem like a minefield.

In busy Mom-friendly short essays, Sippy Cups Are Not for Chardonnay delivers the empathetic straight dirt on parenting, tackling everything from Mommy & Me classes (“Your baby doesn't need to be making friends at three months old—you do! But not with people you'll meet at Mommy & Me�) to attachment parenting (“If you're holding your baby 24/7, that's not a baby, that's a tumor�). Stefanie Wilder-Taylor combines practical tips with sidesplitting humor and refreshing honesty, assuring women that they can be good mothers and responsibly make their own choices. A witty and welcome antidote to trendy parenting texts and scarifying case studies, Sippy Cups Are Not for Chardonnay provides genuine support, encouragement, and indispensable common-sense advice.]]> 218 Stefanie Wilder-Taylor 1416915060 Deb 5 3.67 2006 Sippy Cups Are Not for Chardonnay: And Other Things I Had to Learn as a New Mom
author: Stefanie Wilder-Taylor
name: Deb
average rating: 3.67
book published: 2006
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2012/06/03
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[If You Ask Me (And of Course You Won't)]]> 9972053
Drawing from a lifetime of lessons learned, seven-time Emmy winner Betty White's wit and wisdom take center stage as she tackles topics like friendship, romantic love, aging, television, fans, love for animals, and the brave new world of celebrity. If You Ask Me mixes her thoughtful observations with humorous stories from a seven- decade career in Hollywood. Longtime fans and new fans alike will relish Betty's candid take on everything from her rumored crush on Robert Redford (true) to her beauty regimen ("I have no idea what color my hair is and I never intend to find out") to the Facebook campaign that helped persuade her to host Saturday Night Live despite her having declined the hosting job three times already.

Featuring all-new material, with a focus on the past fifteen years of her life, If You Ask Me is funny, sweet, and to the point-just like Betty White.]]> 258 Betty White 0399157530 Deb 3 3.76 2011 If You Ask Me (And of Course You Won't)
author: Betty White
name: Deb
average rating: 3.76
book published: 2011
rating: 3
read at:
date added: 2012/05/12
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Are You There, Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea]]> 40173
In this hilarious, deliciously skewed collection, Chelsea mines her past for stories about her family, relationships, and career that are at once singular and ridiculous. Whether she's convincing her third-grade class that she has been tapped to play Goldie Hawn's daughter in the sequel to Private Benjamin, deciding to be more egalitarian by dating a redhead, or looking out for a foulmouthed, rum-swilling little person who looks just like her... only smaller, Chelsea has a knack for getting herself into the most outrageous situations.

Are You There, Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea showcases the candor and irresistible turns of phrase that have made her one of the freshest voices in comedy today.]]> 264 Chelsea Handler 0061173398 Deb 0 to-read 3.85 2008 Are You There, Vodka? It's Me, Chelsea
author: Chelsea Handler
name: Deb
average rating: 3.85
book published: 2008
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2012/05/11
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> White Girl Problems 12413949 - Every job I've ever had is the worst job I've ever had.
- He's not a doctor, a lawyer, or a prince.
- I'll eat anything, as long as it's gluten-free, dairy-free, low-carb, low-fat, low-calorie, sugar-free, and organic.
In an Adderall-induced flash of inspiration, Babe Walker has managed to create one of the most enjoyable, unforgettable memoirs in years.]]> 288 Babe Walker 1401324541 Deb 0 to-read 3.75 2012 White Girl Problems
author: Babe Walker
name: Deb
average rating: 3.75
book published: 2012
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2012/05/11
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> The Help 4667024
Twenty-two-year-old Skeeter has just returned home after graduating from Ole Miss. She may have a degree, but it is 1962, Mississippi, and her mother will not be happy till Skeeter has a ring on her finger. Skeeter would normally find solace with her beloved maid Constantine, the woman who raised her, but Constantine has disappeared and no one will tell Skeeter where she has gone.

Aibileen is a black maid, a wise, regal woman raising her seventeenth white child. Something has shifted inside her after the loss of her own son, who died while his bosses looked the other way. She is devoted to the little girl she looks after, though she knows both their hearts may be broken.

Minny, Aibileen's best friend, is short, fat, and perhaps the sassiest woman in Mississippi. She can cook like nobody's business, but she can't mind her tongue, so she's lost yet another job. Minny finally finds a position working for someone too new to town to know her reputation. But her new boss has secrets of her own.

Seemingly as different from one another as can be, these women will nonetheless come together for a clandestine project that will put them all at risk. And why? Because they are suffocating within the lines that define their town and their times. And sometimes lines are made to be crossed.

In pitch-perfect voices, Kathryn Stockett creates three extraordinary women whose determination to start a movement of their own forever changes a town, and the way women, mothers, daughters, caregivers, friends, view one another. A deeply moving novel filled with poignancy, humor, and hope, The Help is a timeless and universal story about the lines we abide by, and the ones we don't.


Librarian's note: An alternate cover edition can be found here]]> 464 Kathryn Stockett 0399155341 Deb 5
It was a much easier read than I'd anticipated, but I say that in a good way. Though the story is told from the point of view of three main characters, it’s easy to follow. Not once did I feel that Stockett was talking down to her readers.

***SORT-OF-SPOILER ALERT***

I really have only one complaint, and that’s about the ending. It was the only part that brought me to tears, and I’m fine with that, but then it just ended. And not in the way I’d hoped. Sure, the “mean girl� got what was coming to her, but not all the way. I can understand why Stockett ended it with A. feeling optimistic about her future possibilities, I didn’t like the way E. didn’t stand up to H. Though I suppose that’s more realistic � leopards don’t change their spots just like that � it just didn’t feel finished to me. Not in the way that one expects a sequel, but that Stockett seemed to just want to wrap it up already and be done. It was just too abrupt.
]]> 4.46 2009 The Help
author: Kathryn Stockett
name: Deb
average rating: 4.46
book published: 2009
rating: 5
read at: 2012/05/11
date added: 2012/05/11
shelves:
review:
I'd bought this book last year, intending it to be a summer read, but I never got around to it. Then, I put it off, in favor of what I figured was lighter reading (and some of it was downright helium). But, this week, I decided to finally pick up The Help and give it a try. Oh my! I'd forgotten how much I enjoyed southern, period literature. And, with this being a bit more modern than that I'd read in the past as an English major, I was truly hooked from page 1.

It was a much easier read than I'd anticipated, but I say that in a good way. Though the story is told from the point of view of three main characters, it’s easy to follow. Not once did I feel that Stockett was talking down to her readers.

***SORT-OF-SPOILER ALERT***

I really have only one complaint, and that’s about the ending. It was the only part that brought me to tears, and I’m fine with that, but then it just ended. And not in the way I’d hoped. Sure, the “mean girl� got what was coming to her, but not all the way. I can understand why Stockett ended it with A. feeling optimistic about her future possibilities, I didn’t like the way E. didn’t stand up to H. Though I suppose that’s more realistic � leopards don’t change their spots just like that � it just didn’t feel finished to me. Not in the way that one expects a sequel, but that Stockett seemed to just want to wrap it up already and be done. It was just too abrupt.

]]> <![CDATA[Jeneration X: One Reluctant Adult's Attempt to Unarrest Her Arrested Development; Or, Why It's Never Too Late for Her Dumb Ass to Learn Why Froot Loops Are Not for Dinner]]> 12332573 Such a Pretty Fat, Jen Lancaster learned how to come to terms with her body. In My Fair Lazy, she expanded her mind. Now the New York Times bestselling author gives herself—and her generation—a kick in the X, by facing her greatest challenge to date: acting her age.

Jen is finally ready to put away childish things (except her Barbie Styling Head, of course) and embrace the investment-making, mortgage-carrying, life-insurance-having adult she’s become. From getting a mammogram to volunteering at a halfway house, she tackles the grown-up activities she’s resisted for years, and with each rite of passage she completes, she’ll uncover a valuable—and probably humiliating—life lesson that will ease her path to full-fledged, if reluctant, adulthood.]]> 352 Jen Lancaster 0451233174 Deb 0 ----------------------------------------------------
I finished, and I was much happier with the second half. Although there was some material that sounded a bit familiar, the stories went into much more detail than her blog did. Plus, I laughed harder. I wouldn't quite say that I brayed like a jackass, but I definitely had some good chuckles with a bit of a guffaw here and there.]]> 3.90 2012 Jeneration X: One Reluctant Adult's Attempt to Unarrest Her Arrested Development; Or, Why It's Never Too Late for Her Dumb Ass to Learn Why Froot Loops Are Not for Dinner
author: Jen Lancaster
name: Deb
average rating: 3.90
book published: 2012
rating: 0
read at: 2012/05/05
date added: 2012/05/06
shelves:
review:
I'm on page 137 - nearly halfway through this book on the first night. First, I'll say I'm enjoying it quite a bit. I'm not "braying like a jackass," but I'm certainly entertained. However, I'm not thrilled to report that so far 4 chapters contain material recycled from the author's blog. Now, I do thoroughly enjoy her blog, and don't mind re-visiting some stories, but when previous books have been more strongly original, I have to say I'm disappointed. I'm just not sure if I should be disappointed in Jen or her agents/editors. I'm going to hope that she's been so pressured to produce a book a year that she felt no choice but to re-use material. If that's the case, I'm hoping (for her sake) that my review, and others like it, give her the impetus to not give in to such pressures with future books. I mean, as much as I enjoy the blog, if, to make a living and keep filling pages, she needs to stop blogging, then I hope she will. As someone who also was laid off in the dot com bubble burst, and changed careers as a result, I fully support her writing career, and will continue to do so. Not just because I (somewhat) identify, but because I'm always entertained by her.
----------------------------------------------------
I finished, and I was much happier with the second half. Although there was some material that sounded a bit familiar, the stories went into much more detail than her blog did. Plus, I laughed harder. I wouldn't quite say that I brayed like a jackass, but I definitely had some good chuckles with a bit of a guffaw here and there.
]]> <![CDATA[Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, #1)]]> 5899779 “It is a truth universally acknowledged that a zombie in possession of brains must be in want of more brains.�

So begins Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, an expanded edition of the beloved Jane Austen novel featuring all-new scenes of bone-crunching zombie mayhem. As our story opens, a mysterious plague has fallen upon the quiet English village of Meryton—and the dead are returning to life! Feisty heroine Elizabeth Bennet is determined to wipe out the zombie menace, but she’s soon distracted by the arrival of the haughty and arrogant Mr. Darcy. What ensues is a delightful comedy of manners with plenty of civilized sparring between the two young lovers—and even more violent sparring on the blood-soaked battlefield. Can Elizabeth vanquish the spawn of Satan? And overcome the social prejudices of the class-conscious landed gentry? Complete with romance, heartbreak, swordfights, cannibalism, and thousands of rotting corpses,]]> 320 Seth Grahame-Smith 1594743347 Deb 5 3.32 2009 Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, #1)
author: Seth Grahame-Smith
name: Deb
average rating: 3.32
book published: 2009
rating: 5
read at: 2012/04/27
date added: 2012/04/28
shelves:
review:
When I first heard about this book, as a fan of Jane Austen, I was appalled. But, when I finally got around to reading it, I was pleasantly surprised at Grahame-Smith's command of Austen's language. It really did read like the original, with a bit of zombie apocalypse thrown in. Unlike the (later written) prequel by another author), this was not at all campy. If you love Jane Austen and zombies, do give it a go.
]]> Forget About It 186900

Then one day while riding her bike home from a particularly awful day, Jordan collides with a car door and is knocked clear off her bicycle. Coming to in the hospital, Jordan realizes she has a perfect excuse for a "do-over"; she vows to fake amnesia and reinvent herself.



And it works. Finally, Jordan is able to get the credit she deserves at work, and she stands up to her family and her jerk boyfriend. She's living the life she always dreamed of--until the unthinkable happens. Suddenly Jordan must start over for real, and figure out what really makes her happy--and how to live a truly memorable life.


]]> 368 Caprice Crane 0446697559 Deb 2 humor 3.70 2007 Forget About It
author: Caprice Crane
name: Deb
average rating: 3.70
book published: 2007
rating: 2
read at: 2011/08/14
date added: 2012/04/26
shelves: humor
review:
A fun, funny, light read. It was very predictable in the beginning. As I read on, I got caught up in the twists and turns of the plot. Maybe they should have been predictable too (as I’d read in other reviews), but I was so present in the story and enjoying it, that I didn’t think of the plot twists ahead. Towards the end, the predictability came back, if only because of the nature of the novel. But, I didn’t mind. The way Crane brought the story to a climax and close entertained me to the very last word. I’d say this was a perfect summer read. Except� I can’t help feeling like there was a loose end. She tried to wrap it up, but I still felt sorry for the poor guy. I won’t say any more. I don’t want to spoil it for you.
]]> <![CDATA[Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal]]> 446535 Lamb, you, too, can find out what really happened between the manger and the Sermon on the Mount. And, in a new afterword written expressly for this edition, Christopher Moore addresses some of the most frequently asked questions he's received from readers since Lamb's initial publication, about the book and himself.

Fresh, funny, poignant, and wise, this special gift edition of Lamb is cause for rejoicing among readers everywhere.]]> 417 Christopher Moore 0061438596 Deb 5 humor 4.45 2002 Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal
author: Christopher Moore
name: Deb
average rating: 4.45
book published: 2002
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2012/04/26
shelves: humor
review:
Whether or not your brand of faith (or lack thereof) falls in the realm of Christianity, as long as you can find humor in religion, you'll love this "memoir" of Biff, as he recounts his experiences as Christ's wingman, from their childhood, all the way to present times.
]]> <![CDATA[Bloom: Finding Beauty in the Unexpected--A Memoir]]> 11995710 Bloom is an inspiring and heartfelt memoir that celebrates the beauty found in the unexpected, the strength of a mother’s love, and, ultimately, the amazing power of perspective. The author of the popular blog Enjoying the Small Things—named The Bump’s Best Special Needs Blog and The Blog You’ve Learned the Most From in the 2010 BlogLuxe Awards—Kelle Hampton interweaves lyrical prose and stunning four-color photography as she recounts the unforgettable story of the first year in the life of her daughter Nella, who has Down syndrome. Poignant, eye-opening, and heart-soaring, Hampton’s Bloom is ultimately about embracing life and really living it.
]]> 288 Kelle Hampton 0062045032 Deb 3
I've only read two chapters so far, and already have encountered one bombshell of a story that I never picked up from reading Kelle's blog.

I'll update this when I get the chance. And yes, I'm still reading the other 3 books. What can I say? I just don't have the time or attention span I used to. :)

****UPDATE****
Ok, apparently the bombshell wasn't so bomb-y or shell-y. I guess I just missed the story earlier in the blog than when I started.

Interesting for me was reading the book of Nella's first year while simultaneously keeping up with her Kelle's blog in the present (Nella just recently turned two). Although, Kelle's tone/outlook/attitude seems the same to me (happy to the point of nearly being annoying), I get that this is how she is, or how she chooses to present herself, and re-reading about her grief when Nella was first born, and in so much detail, I'm reminded that she is, indeed, human, with all the accompanying faults, and I admire her all the more.]]> 3.90 2012 Bloom: Finding Beauty in the Unexpected--A Memoir
author: Kelle Hampton
name: Deb
average rating: 3.90
book published: 2012
rating: 3
read at: 2012/04/09
date added: 2012/04/26
shelves:
review:
Though I'd previously read the story of her daughter's birth, how she and her family were surprised to find their Nella was born with Down Syndrome, reading it again still had a huge emotional impact. Kelle writes so beautifully, so honestly, both in her blog and in this memoir. She includes gorgeous photographic images - some that I've seen before (as a reader of her blog), and many that are new to me. Her incredible photos always enhance her storytelling.

I've only read two chapters so far, and already have encountered one bombshell of a story that I never picked up from reading Kelle's blog.

I'll update this when I get the chance. And yes, I'm still reading the other 3 books. What can I say? I just don't have the time or attention span I used to. :)

****UPDATE****
Ok, apparently the bombshell wasn't so bomb-y or shell-y. I guess I just missed the story earlier in the blog than when I started.

Interesting for me was reading the book of Nella's first year while simultaneously keeping up with her Kelle's blog in the present (Nella just recently turned two). Although, Kelle's tone/outlook/attitude seems the same to me (happy to the point of nearly being annoying), I get that this is how she is, or how she chooses to present herself, and re-reading about her grief when Nella was first born, and in so much detail, I'm reminded that she is, indeed, human, with all the accompanying faults, and I admire her all the more.
]]> <![CDATA[Let's Pretend This Never Happened: A Mostly True Memoir]]> 12868761 318 Jenny Lawson 0399159010 Deb 5
"Harry Potter's vagina."

"'Oh heavenly Father: Hear our prayer!' Immediately some guy from engineering's walkie-talkie blasts out, 'COME IN, CHUCK!'"

Yes, they're even funnier in context. Read this. Seriously. Buy it. Borrow it. Just read it.]]> 3.89 2012 Let's Pretend This Never Happened: A Mostly True Memoir
author: Jenny Lawson
name: Deb
average rating: 3.89
book published: 2012
rating: 5
read at: 2012/04/22
date added: 2012/04/26
shelves:
review:
At times it was OK. At times it was effing hilarious. And when it was hilarious, I mean it was hilarious to the point that I laughed so hard that no sound came out, but tears did. Favorite quotes:

"Harry Potter's vagina."

"'Oh heavenly Father: Hear our prayer!' Immediately some guy from engineering's walkie-talkie blasts out, 'COME IN, CHUCK!'"

Yes, they're even funnier in context. Read this. Seriously. Buy it. Borrow it. Just read it.
]]> <![CDATA[Two Kisses for Maddy: A Memoir of Loss and Love]]> 9484793
Matt and Liz Logelin were high school sweethearts. After years of long-distance dating, the pair finally settled together in Los Angeles, and they had it a perfect marriage, a gorgeous new home, and a baby girl on the way. Liz's pregnancy was rocky, but they welcomed Madeline, beautiful and healthy, into the world. Just twenty-seven hours later, Liz suffered a pulmonary embolism and died instantly, without ever holding the daughter whose arrival she had so eagerly awaited.

Though confronted with devastating grief and the responsibilities of a new and single father, Matt did not surrender to devastation; he chose to keep moving forward-to make a life for Maddy.

In this memoir, Matt shares bittersweet and often humorous anecdotes of his courtship and marriage to Liz; of relying on his newborn daughter for the support that she unknowingly provided; and of the extraordinary online community of strangers who have become his friends. In honoring Liz's legacy, heartache has become solace.]]> 272 Matthew Logelin 0446564303 Deb 3
Although the book was well written and flowed well, there wasn't anything else as gripping as Liz's death. I'd like to say I'm anxious to start reading the author's blog, but I'm not. And I'm ok with that. The book was enough.]]> 4.02 2011 Two Kisses for Maddy: A Memoir of Loss and Love
author: Matthew Logelin
name: Deb
average rating: 4.02
book published: 2011
rating: 3
read at: 2012/04/12
date added: 2012/04/12
shelves:
review:
This is not a spoiler. Going into this, I knew I'd be emotional (bawling) at the point when Liz (the mom/wife) dies. I did cry, but I didn't cry that boo-hoo ugly cry. Maybe because I knew it was coming. The first night I started the book, I was so worried about getting upset, that I had to read through her death before I could go to bed. Then, I thought, I could get to the good stuff the next night.

Although the book was well written and flowed well, there wasn't anything else as gripping as Liz's death. I'd like to say I'm anxious to start reading the author's blog, but I'm not. And I'm ok with that. The book was enough.
]]> <![CDATA[Getting the Pretty Back: Friendship, Family, and Finding the Perfect Lipstick]]> 7773374 240 Molly Ringwald 0061809446 Deb 0 currently-reading 2.93 2010 Getting the Pretty Back: Friendship, Family, and Finding the Perfect Lipstick
author: Molly Ringwald
name: Deb
average rating: 2.93
book published: 2010
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2012/02/09
shelves: currently-reading
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Dawn of the Dreadfuls (Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, #0.5)]]> 7090785
Readers will witness the birth of a heroine in Dawn of the Dreadfuls - a thrilling prequel set four years before the horrific events of Pride and Prejudice and Zombies. As our story opens, the Bennet sisters are enjoying a peaceful life in the English countryside. They idle away the days reading, gardening, and daydreaming about future husbands - until a funeral at the local parish goes strangely and horribly awry.

Suddenly corpses are springing from the soft earth - and only one family can stop them. As the bodies pile up, we watch Elizabeth Bennet evolve from a naive young teenager into a savage slayer of the undead. Along the way, two men vie for her affections: Master Hawksworth is the powerful warrior who trains her to kill, while thoughtful Dr. Keckilpenny seeks to conquer the walking dead using science instead of strength. Will either man win the prize of Elizabeth's heart? Or will their hearts be feasted upon by hordes of marauding zombies? Complete with romance, action, comedy, and an army of shambling corpses, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies: Dawn of the Dreadfuls will have Jane Austen rolling in her grave - and just might inspire her to crawl out of it!





(Description from back cover of trade paperback edition)]]> 287 Steve Hockensmith Deb 4 3.49 2010 Dawn of the Dreadfuls (Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, #0.5)
author: Steve Hockensmith
name: Deb
average rating: 3.49
book published: 2010
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2012/02/09
shelves:
review:
This was definitely a Jane Austen meets Joss Whedon, the Good Parts Version. Since I've now moved on to the "original" P&P&Z, I realize how many everyday life details were left out of the writing of this prequel. Still, it was definitely a fun read.
]]> Steve Jobs 11084145 630 Walter Isaacson 1451648537 Deb 0 4.15 2011 Steve Jobs
author: Walter Isaacson
name: Deb
average rating: 4.15
book published: 2011
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2012/01/01
shelves: currently-reading, biographies
review:
It's well written, and definitely interesting, but certainly not what I'd call riveting. It's quite easy to put down, though I'm not giving up. I guess, because I know how it ends, I'm fine reading it like short stories... a chapter here and there.
]]> <![CDATA[Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 8, Vol. 8: Last Gleaming]]> 9792887
Series creator Joss Whedon writes the final story arc of Buffy Season 8, taking his greatest characters to places only he can! Teamed with series artist Georges Jeanty, Joss reunites the dysfunctional gang of Buffy, Angel, and Spike, in the thick of it together for the first time since Season 3, and gives the Scoobies their gravest challenge ever, defending reality itself from the onslaught of demons. It’s the biggest Buffy finale ever!

* Collecting issues #36-40 of the Buffy the Vampire Slayer Season Eight series.

* This volume also includes the spy-thriller Riley one-shot by Buffy series writer Jane Espenson and artist Karl Moline.]]> 168 Joss Whedon 1595826106 Deb 0 to-read 3.92 2011 Buffy the Vampire Slayer: Season 8, Vol. 8: Last Gleaming
author: Joss Whedon
name: Deb
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2011
rating: 0
read at:
date added: 2011/11/29
shelves: to-read
review:

]]> With a Little Luck 9640027 Ěý
Los Angeles radio DJ Beryl “Berry� Lambert, whose name means luck, doesn’t much believe in it—although, thanks to her dear old gambling dad, she’s a bit superstitious, certain that everything happens for a reason. She keeps a four-leaf clover in her wallet, never takes off her horseshoe necklace, and won’t tempt fate by walking under a ladder or opening an umbrella indoors. Ever.

When it comes to love, though, she could use a little luck. Two disastrous relationships back-to-back can mean only one thing to a woman who knows that everything good or bad happens in A third Mr. Wrong is imminent. But fellow DJ Ryan Riley goes against the odds. Their on-air battle of the sexes is a hit for the station and sparks some serious heat after hours. Ryan is funny and sexy, and he thinks Berry’s quirkiness is cute. Is their romance doomed by the numbers—or is a girl who leaves nothing to chance finally ready to gamble?

Caprice Crane’s witty, winsome novel about the game of modern romance proves that with a little luck and the right stakes, everybody wins.]]> 303 Caprice Crane 0553386247 Deb 3 3.45 2011 With a Little Luck
author: Caprice Crane
name: Deb
average rating: 3.45
book published: 2011
rating: 3
read at: 2011/11/02
date added: 2011/11/02
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Bridget Jones’s Diary (Bridget Jones, #1)]]> 227443 a. lose 7 pounds
b. stop smoking
c. develop Inner Poise

"129 lbs. (how is it possible to put on 4 pounds in the middle of the night? Could flesh have somehow solidified becoming denser and heavier? Repulsive, horrifying notion), alcohol units 4 (excellent), cigarettes 21 (poor but will give up totally tomorrow), number of correct lottery numbers 2 (better, but nevertheless useless)..."

"Bridget Jones' Diary" is the devastatingly self-aware, laugh-out-loud daily chronicle of Bridget's permanent, doomed quest for self-improvement � a year in which she resolves to: reduce the circumference of each thigh by 1.5 inches, visit the gym three times a week not just to buy a sandwich, form a functional relationship with a responsible adult - and learn to program the VCR.

Over the course of the year, Bridget loses a total of 72 pounds but gains a total of 74. She remains, however, optimistic. Through it all, Bridget will have you helpless with laughter, and � like millions of readers the world round � you'll find yourself shouting, "Bridget Jones is me!"]]> 288 Helen Fielding 014028009X Deb 4 humor
I remember when I interviewed for a position teaching English Lit at one of the area's better high schools, I'd mentioned wanting to create a lesson based on both novels and the movie, but I had no idea where to take it. I still have no idea, beyond asking students to draw the obvious parallels, but I never tire of the hilarity of the allusions betwixt the three.

I have read both the original Austen and the Fielding version so many times that I can't even tell you. If you haven't yet had the pleasure, please do so. First, read Austen. Second, watch the BBC movie. Third, read this (the Fielding) book. Now. Go do it. What are you waiting for? This isn't Ferris Bueller's Day Off. Just go already!]]> 3.81 1996 Bridget Jones’s Diary (Bridget Jones, #1)
author: Helen Fielding
name: Deb
average rating: 3.81
book published: 1996
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2011/08/14
shelves: humor
review:
Bridget Jones, as well as her friends, are obssesed with the BBC version of Pride and Prejudice. Particularly, the actor who plays Mr. Darcy. This book is a modern day version of Jane Austen's classic. Right there, it's kind of amusing (as is Fielding's narrative). But, when the movie came out, I nearly peed my pants. Why? Because Mark Darcy, Bridget's nemesis/love interest, is played by none other than Colin Firth, of BBC P&P fame.

I remember when I interviewed for a position teaching English Lit at one of the area's better high schools, I'd mentioned wanting to create a lesson based on both novels and the movie, but I had no idea where to take it. I still have no idea, beyond asking students to draw the obvious parallels, but I never tire of the hilarity of the allusions betwixt the three.

I have read both the original Austen and the Fielding version so many times that I can't even tell you. If you haven't yet had the pleasure, please do so. First, read Austen. Second, watch the BBC movie. Third, read this (the Fielding) book. Now. Go do it. What are you waiting for? This isn't Ferris Bueller's Day Off. Just go already!
]]> If You Were Here 9713837 If You Were Here follows Amish-zombie-teen- romance author Mia and her husband Mac (and their pets) through the alternately frustrating, exciting, terrifying-but always funny-process of buying and renovating their first home in the Chicago suburbs that John hughes's movies made famous. Along their harrowing renovation journey, Mia and Mac get caught up in various wars with the homeowners' association, meet some less-than-friendly neighbors, and are joined by a hilarious cast of supporting characters, including a celebutard ex- landlady. As they struggle to adapt to their new surroundings- with Mac taking on the renovations himself- Mia and Mac will discover if their marriage is strong enough to survive months of DIY renovations.

]]> 306 Jen Lancaster 0451234383 Deb 5 3.47 2011 If You Were Here
author: Jen Lancaster
name: Deb
average rating: 3.47
book published: 2011
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2011/08/12
shelves:
review:
As someone who has read all of Jen Lancaster's non-fiction and laughed until I cried, I couldn't wait to read her first novel - especially since it is loosely based on the move she and her husband recently made from Chicago to Lake Forest. Being from the land of John Hughes movies myself, I loved reading all of the blatant as well as veiled North Shore references. It's on par with, if not funnier than her hilarious memoirs. Even if you're not from this area, the situations in which the main character find herself are just pants-wetting funny.
]]> <![CDATA[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]]> 7090290
Readers have followed Jen Lancaster through job loss, sucky city living, weight loss attempts, and 1980s nostalgia. Now Jen chronicles her efforts to achieve cultural enlightenment, with some hilarious missteps and genuine moments of inspiration along the way. And she does so by any means reading canonical literature, viewing classic films, attending the opera, researching artisan cheeses, and even enrolling in etiquette classes to improve her social graces.

In Jen's corner is a crack team of experts, including Page Six socialites, gourmet chefs, an opera aficionado, and a master sommelier. She may discover that well-regarded, high-priced stinky cheese tastes exactly as bad as it smells, and that her love for Kraft American Singles is forever. But one thing's for Eliza Doolittle's got nothing on Jen Lancaster-and failure is an option.

Watch a Video]]> 384 Jen Lancaster 045122986X Deb 5 3.91 2010 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
author: Jen Lancaster
name: Deb
average rating: 3.91
book published: 2010
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2011/08/08
shelves:
review:

]]> Pretty in Plaid 5093760
In Pretty in Plaid, Jen Lancaster reveals how she developed the hubris that perpetually gets her into trouble. Using fashion icons of her youth to tell her hilarious and insightful stories, readers will meet the girl she used to be.

Think Jen Lancaster was always "like David Sedaris with pearls and a super-cute handbag?" (Jennifer Coburn) Think again. She was a badge-hungry Junior Girl Scout with a knack for extortion, an aspiring sorority girl who didn't know her Coach from her Louis Vuitton, and a budding executive who found herself bewildered by her first encounter with a fax machine. In this humorous and touching memoir, Jen Lancaster looks back on her life-and wardrobe-before bitter was the new black and shows us a young woman not so very different than the rest of us.

The author who showed us what it was like to wait in line at the unemployment office with a Prada bag, how living in the city can actually suck, and that losing weight can be fun with a trainer named Barbie and enough Ambien is ready to take you on a hilarious and heartwarming trip down memory lane in her shoes (and very pretty ones at that).]]> 365 Jen Lancaster 0451226801 Deb 5 3.89 2009 Pretty in Plaid
author: Jen Lancaster
name: Deb
average rating: 3.89
book published: 2009
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2011/08/08
shelves:
review:

]]> Bright Lights, Big Ass 26023
Jen Lancaster hates to burst your happy little bubble, but life in the big city isn't all it's cracked up to be. Contrary to what you see on TV and in the movies, most urbanites aren't party-hopping in slinky dresses and strappy stilettos. But lucky for us, Lancaster knows how to make the life of the lower crust mercilessly funny and infinitely entertaining.

Whether she's reporting rude neighbors to Homeland Security, harboring a crush on her grocery store clerk, or fighting-and losing-the Battle of the Stairmaster- Lancaster explores how silly, strange, and not-so-fabulous real city living can be. And if anyone doesn't like it, they can kiss her big, fat, pink, puffy down parka.]]> 380 Jen Lancaster 0451221257 Deb 5 4.03 2007 Bright Lights, Big Ass
author: Jen Lancaster
name: Deb
average rating: 4.03
book published: 2007
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2011/08/08
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Such a Pretty Fat: One Narcissist's Quest to Discover If Her Life Makes Her Ass Look Big, or Why Pie Is Not the Answer]]> 2202049 400 Jen Lancaster 0451223896 Deb 5 4.04 2008 Such a Pretty Fat: One Narcissist's Quest to Discover If Her Life Makes Her Ass Look Big, or Why Pie Is Not the Answer
author: Jen Lancaster
name: Deb
average rating: 4.04
book published: 2008
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2011/08/08
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Bitter Is the New Black: Confessions of a Condescending, Egomaniacal, Self-Centered Smartass, Or, Why You Should Never Carry A Prada Bag to the Unemployment Office]]> 27126 The Classical Origins of Western Culture: a story in which "the central character, called a tragic protagonist or hero, suffers some serious misfortune which is not accidental and therefore meaningless, but is significant in that the misfortune is logically connected."

In other words? The bitch had it coming.]]> 400 Jen Lancaster 0451217608 Deb 4 3.88 2006 Bitter Is the New Black: Confessions of a Condescending, Egomaniacal, Self-Centered Smartass, Or, Why You Should Never Carry A Prada Bag to the Unemployment Office
author: Jen Lancaster
name: Deb
average rating: 3.88
book published: 2006
rating: 4
read at:
date added: 2011/08/08
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[It Looked Different on the Model: Epic Tales of Impending Shame and Infamy]]> 9673577
Everyone’s favorite Idiot Girl, Laurie Notaro, is just trying to find the right fit, whether it’s in the adorable blouse that looks charming on the mannequin but leaves her in a literal bind or in her neighborhood after she’s shamefully exposed at a holiday party by delivering a low-quality rendition of “Jingle Bells.� Notaro makes misstep after riotous misstep as she shares tales of marriage and family, including stories about the dog-bark translator that deciphers Notaro’s and her husband’s own “woofs� a little too accurately, the emails from her mother with “FWD� in the subject line (“which in email code means Forecasting World Destruction�), and the dead-of-night shopping sprees and Devil Dog–devouring monkeyshines of a creature known as “Ambien Laurie.� At every turn, Notaro’s pluck and irresistible candor set the New York Times bestselling author on a journey that’s laugh-out-loud funny and utterly unforgettable.]]> 218 Laurie Notaro 0345510992 Deb 5 3.78 2011 It Looked Different on the Model: Epic Tales of Impending Shame and Infamy
author: Laurie Notaro
name: Deb
average rating: 3.78
book published: 2011
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2011/08/08
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[The Idiot Girl and the Flaming Tantrum of Death: Reflections on Revenge, Germophobia, and Laser Hair Removal]]> 2029834 Laurie Notaro has an uncanny ability to attract insanity–and leave readers doubled over with laughter. In The Idiot Girl and the Flaming Tantrum of Death, she experiences the popular phenomenon of laser hair removal (because at least one of her chins should be stubble-free); bemoans the scourge of the Open Mouth Coughers on America’s airplanes; welcomes the newest ex-con (yay, a sex offender!) to her neighborhood; and watches, against her own better judgment, every Discovery Health Channel special on parasites and tapeworms that has ever aired–resulting in an overwhelming fear that a worm the size of a python will soon come a-knocking on her back door.

]]> 218 Laurie Notaro 1400065038 Deb 5 3.87 2008 The Idiot Girl and the Flaming Tantrum of Death: Reflections on Revenge, Germophobia, and Laser Hair Removal
author: Laurie Notaro
name: Deb
average rating: 3.87
book published: 2008
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2011/08/08
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[We Thought You Would Be Prettier: True Tales of the Dorkiest Girl Alive]]> 7533
Her riffs on e-mail spam (“With all of these irresistible offers served up to me on a plate, I WANT A PENIS NOW!!�), eBay (“There should be an eBay wading pool, where you can only bid on Precious Moments figurines and Avon products, that you have to make it through before jumping into the deep end�), and the perils of St. Patrick’s Day (“When I’m driving, the last thing I need is a herd of inebriates darting in and out of traffic like loaded chickens�) are the stuff of legend. And for Laurie, it’s all true.]]> 223 Laurie Notaro 0812969014 Deb 5 3.90 2005 We Thought You Would Be Prettier: True Tales of the Dorkiest Girl Alive
author: Laurie Notaro
name: Deb
average rating: 3.90
book published: 2005
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2011/08/08
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[Autobiography of a Fat Bride: True Tales of a Pretend Adulthood]]> 7530
In Autobiography of a Fat Bride , Laurie Notaro tries painfully to make the transition from all-night partyer and bar-stool regular to mortgagee with plumbing problems and no air-conditioning. Laurie finds grown-up life just as harrowing as her reckless youth, as she meets Mr. Right, moves in, settles down, and crosses the toe-stubbing threshold of matrimony. From her mother's grade-school warning to avoid kids in tie-dyed shirts because their hippie parents spent their food money on drugs and art supplies; to her night-before-the-wedding panic over whether her religion is the one where you step on the glass; to her unfortunate overpreparation for the mandatory drug-screening urine test at work; to her audition as a Playboy centerfold as research for a newspaper story, Autobiography of a Fat Bride has the same zits-and-all candor and outrageous humor that made Idiot Girls an instant cult phenomenon.

In Autobiography of a Fat Bride , Laurie contemplates family, home improvement, and the horrible tyrannies of cosmetic saleswomen. She finds that life doesn't necessarily get any easier as you get older. But it does get funnier.]]> 257 Laurie Notaro 037576092X Deb 5 3.93 2002 Autobiography of a Fat Bride: True Tales of a Pretend Adulthood
author: Laurie Notaro
name: Deb
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2002
rating: 5
read at:
date added: 2011/08/08
shelves:
review:

]]> <![CDATA[I Love Everybody (and Other Atrocious Lies): True Tales of a Loudmouth Girl]]> 7529
Laurie is married, mortgaged, and now—miraculously—employed in the corporate world, discovering that bosses come in all shapes, sizes, and degrees of mental stability. After maxing out her last good credit card at Banana Republic, she’s dressed for success and ready to face the jungle: surviving feral, six-foot-plus Gretchen (“Three Thousand Faces of Eve�) before battling the overbearing, overstuffed (in way-too-small pants) new mom Suzzi, who ruthlessly cancels Laurie’s newspaper column and learns that payback can be a bitch. Laurie also explores the backstabbing world of preschoolers at a Halloween party, the X-rated madness of a family trip to Disneyland, and the pressure from her QVC-addicted mother and the rest of the world to reproduce. But while losing more friends to babies than to booze, she realizes there’s a plus side: at least for a couple of months she gets to be the thinner friend.

I Love Everybody (and Other Atrocious Lies) is Laurie Notaro at her deliciously quirky best. Can a woman prone to what her loved ones might term “meltdowns� (she considers them “Opportunities to Enlighten�) put a smile on her face and love everybody? Take a guess.]]> 228 Laurie Notaro 0812969006 Deb 5 3.93 2004 I Love Everybody (and Other Atrocious Lies): True Tales of a Loudmouth Girl
author: Laurie Notaro
name: Deb
average rating: 3.93
book published: 2004
rating: 5
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]]> <![CDATA[The Idiot Girls' Action-Adventure Club: True Tales from a Magnificent and Clumsy Life]]> 7531
She writes about a world of hourly-wage jobs that require absolutely no skills, a mother who hands down judgments more forcefully than anyone seated on the Supreme Court, horrific high school reunions, and hangovers that leave her surprised that she woke up in the first place.

The misadventures of Laurie and her fellow Idiot Girls (“too cool to be in the Smart Group�) unfold in a world that everyone will recognize but no one has ever described so hilariously.]]> 225 Laurie Notaro 0375760911 Deb 5 3.89 2002 The Idiot Girls' Action-Adventure Club: True Tales from a Magnificent and Clumsy Life
author: Laurie Notaro
name: Deb
average rating: 3.89
book published: 2002
rating: 5
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]]> Stupid and Contagious 293027 317 Caprice Crane 0446695726 Deb 4 3.85 2006 Stupid and Contagious
author: Caprice Crane
name: Deb
average rating: 3.85
book published: 2006
rating: 4
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]]> <![CDATA[Confessions of a Shopaholic (Shopaholic, #1)]]> 9416
Her job writing at Successful Savings not only bores her to tears, it doesn't pay much at all. And lately Becky's been chased by dismal letters from the bank –letters with large red sums she can't bear to read–and they're getting ever harder to ignore.

She tries cutting back. But none of her efforts succeeds. Becky's only consolation is to buy herself something ... just a little something....

Finally a story arises that Becky actually cares about, and her front-page article catalyzes a chain of events that will transform her life–and the lives of those around her–forever.]]> 368 Sophie Kinsella 0440241413 Deb 2 3.71 2000 Confessions of a Shopaholic (Shopaholic, #1)
author: Sophie Kinsella
name: Deb
average rating: 3.71
book published: 2000
rating: 2
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]]> <![CDATA[Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood]]> 137791 383 Rebecca Wells 006075995X Deb 2 3.86 1996 Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood
author: Rebecca Wells
name: Deb
average rating: 3.86
book published: 1996
rating: 2
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]]> <![CDATA[The Devil Wears Prada (The Devil Wears Prada, #1)]]> 5139
Andrea Sachs, a small-town girl fresh out of college, lands the job “a million girls would die for.� Hired as the assistant to Miranda Priestly, the high-profile, fabulously successful editor of Runway magazine, Andrea finds herself in an office that shouts Prada! Armani! Versace! at every turn, a world populated by impossibly thin, heart-wrenchingly stylish women and beautiful men clad in fine-ribbed turtlenecks and tight leather pants that show off their lifelong dedication to the gym. With breathtaking ease, Miranda can turn each and every one of these hip sophisticates into a scared, whimpering child.

THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA gives a rich and hilarious new meaning to complaints about “The Boss from Hell.� Narrated in Andrea’s smart, refreshingly disarming voice, it traces a deep, dark, devilish view of life at the top only hinted at in gossip columns and over Cosmopolitans at the trendiest cocktail parties. From sending the latest, not-yet-in-stores Harry Potter to Miranda’s children in Paris by private jet, to locating an unnamed antique store where Miranda had at some point admired a vintage dresser, to serving lattes to Miranda at precisely the piping hot temperature she prefers, Andrea is sorely tested each and every day—and often late into the night with orders barked over the phone. She puts up with it all by keeping her eyes on the prize: a recommendation from Miranda that will get Andrea a top job at any magazine of her choosing. As things escalate from the merely unacceptable to the downright outrageous, however, Andrea begins to realize that the job a million girls would die for may just kill her. And even if she survives, she has to decide whether or not the job is worth the price of her soul.]]> 384 Lauren Weisberger 0307275558 Deb 4 3.82 2003 The Devil Wears Prada (The Devil Wears Prada, #1)
author: Lauren Weisberger
name: Deb
average rating: 3.82
book published: 2003
rating: 4
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]]> Fahrenheit 451 4381 158 Ray Bradbury 0307347974 Deb 3 3.96 1953 Fahrenheit 451
author: Ray Bradbury
name: Deb
average rating: 3.96
book published: 1953
rating: 3
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]]> Sense and Sensibility 14935 Alternate cover edition of ISBN 9780141439662

'The more I know of the world, the more am I convinced that I shall never see a man whom I can really love. I require so much!'

Marianne Dashwood wears her heart on her sleeve, and when she falls in love with the dashing but unsuitable John Willoughby she ignores her sister Elinor's warning that her impulsive behaviour leaves her open to gossip and innuendo. Meanwhile Elinor, always sensitive to social convention, is struggling to conceal her own romantic disappointment, even from those closest to her. Through their parallel experience of love—and its threatened loss—the sisters learn that sense must mix with sensibility if they are to find personal happiness in a society where status and money govern the rules of love.

This edition includes explanatory notes, textual variants between the first and second editions, and Tony Tanner's introduction to the original Penguin Classic edition.]]> 409 Jane Austen 0141439661 Deb 5 4.10 1811 Sense and Sensibility
author: Jane Austen
name: Deb
average rating: 4.10
book published: 1811
rating: 5
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]]> <![CDATA[The Notebook (The Notebook, #1)]]> 15931
Set amid the austere beauty of coastal North Carolina in 1946, The Notebook begins with the story of Noah Calhoun, a rural Southerner returned home from World War II. Noah, thirty-one, is restoring a plantation home to its former glory, and he is haunted by images of the beautiful girl he met fourteen years earlier, a girl he loved like no other. Unable to find her, yet unwilling to forget the summer they spent together, Noah is content to live with only memories...until she unexpectedly returns to his town to see him once again.

Allie Nelson, twenty-nine, is now engaged to another man, but realizes that the original passion she felt for Noah has not dimmed with the passage of time. Still, the obstacles that once ended their previous relationship remain, and the gulf between their worlds is too vast to ignore. With her impending marriage only weeks away, Allie is forced to confront her hopes and dreams for the future, a future that only she can shape.

Like a puzzle within a puzzle, the story of Noah and Allie is just the beginning. As it unfolds, their tale miraculously becomes something different, with much higher stakes. The result is a deeply moving portrait of love itself, the tender moments and the fundamental changes that affect us all. Shining with a beauty that is rarely found in current literature, The Notebook establishes Nicholas Sparks as a classic storyteller with a unique insight into the only emotion that really matters.

"I am nothing special, of this I am sure. I am a common man with common thoughts and I've led a common life. There are no monuments dedicated to me and my name will soon be forgotten, but I've loved another with all my heart and soul, and to me, this has always been enough."

And so begins one of the most poignant and compelling love stories you will ever read...The Notebook]]> 214 Nicholas Sparks 0553816713 Deb 2 4.07 1996 The Notebook (The Notebook, #1)
author: Nicholas Sparks
name: Deb
average rating: 4.07
book published: 1996
rating: 2
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]]> The Time Traveler's Wife 14050 537 Audrey Niffenegger 0965818675 Deb 4 3.90 2003 The Time Traveler's Wife
author: Audrey Niffenegger
name: Deb
average rating: 3.90
book published: 2003
rating: 4
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]]> Jane Eyre 10210 Alternate editions can be found here and here.

A gothic masterpiece of tempestuous passions and dark secrets, Charlotte Brontë's Jane Eyre is edited with an introduction and notes by Stevie Davis in Penguin Classics.

Charlotte Brontë tells the story of orphaned Jane Eyre, who grows up in the home of her heartless aunt, enduring loneliness and cruelty. This troubled childhood strengthens Jane's natural independence and spirit - which prove necessary when she finds employment as a governess to the young ward of Byronic, brooding Mr Rochester. As her feelings for Rochester develop, Jane gradually uncovers Thornfield Hall's terrible secret, forcing her to make a choice. Should she stay with Rochester and live with the consequences, or follow her convictions - even if it means leaving the man she loves? A novel of intense power and intrigue, Jane Eyre dazzled readers with its passionate depiction of a woman's search for equality and freedom.]]> 532 Charlotte Brontë 0142437204 Deb 5 4.14 1847 Jane Eyre
author: Charlotte Brontë
name: Deb
average rating: 4.14
book published: 1847
rating: 5
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]]> Pride and Prejudice 1885 Pride and Prejudice has remained one of the most popular novels in the English language. Jane Austen called this brilliant work "her own darling child" and its vivacious heroine, Elizabeth Bennet, "as delightful a creature as ever appeared in print." The romantic clash between the opinionated Elizabeth and her proud beau, Mr. Darcy, is a splendid performance of civilized sparring. And Jane Austen's radiant wit sparkles as her characters dance a delicate quadrille of flirtation and intrigue, making this book the most superb comedy of manners of Regency England.

Alternate cover edition of ISBN 9780679783268]]> 279 Jane Austen 1441341706 Deb 5 4.28 1813 Pride and Prejudice
author: Jane Austen
name: Deb
average rating: 4.28
book published: 1813
rating: 5
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]]> <![CDATA[Twilight (The Twilight Saga, #1)]]> 41865
First, Edward was a vampire.

Second, there was a part of him - and I didn't know how dominant that part might be - that thirsted for my blood.

And third, I was unconditionally and irrevocably in love with him.

Deeply seductive and extraordinarily suspenseful, Twilight is a love story with bite.]]> 498 Stephenie Meyer 0316015849 Deb 4 3.66 2005 Twilight (The Twilight Saga, #1)
author: Stephenie Meyer
name: Deb
average rating: 3.66
book published: 2005
rating: 4
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]]> <![CDATA[Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Harry Potter, #1)]]> 3 309 J.K. Rowling 0439554934 Deb 5 4.47 1997 Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (Harry Potter, #1)
author: J.K. Rowling
name: Deb
average rating: 4.47
book published: 1997
rating: 5
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]]> The Diary of a Young Girl 48855
In 1942, with the Nazis occupying Holland, a thirteen-year-old Jewish girl and her family fled their home in Amsterdam and went into hiding. For the next two years, until their whereabouts were betrayed to the Gestapo, the Franks and another family lived cloistered in the “Secret Annexe� of an old office building. Cut off from the outside world, they faced hunger, boredom, the constant cruelties of living in confined quarters, and the ever-present threat of discovery and death. In her diary Anne Frank recorded vivid impressions of her experiences during this period. By turns thoughtful, moving, and surprisingly humorous, her account offers a fascinating commentary on human courage and frailty and a compelling self-portrait of a sensitive and spirited young woman whose promise was tragically cut short.
--back cover]]> 283 Anne Frank Deb 4 4.19 1947 The Diary of a Young Girl
author: Anne Frank
name: Deb
average rating: 4.19
book published: 1947
rating: 4
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]]> <![CDATA[A Time to Kill (Jake Brigance, #1)]]> 32542 This is an alternate cover edition for ISBN 9780385338608

Before The Firm and The Pelican Brief made him a superstar, John Grisham wrote this riveting story of retribution and justice. In this searing courtroom drama, best-selling author John Grisham probes the savage depths of racial violence, as he delivers a compelling tale of uncertain justice in a small southern town, Clanton, Mississippi.

The life of a ten-year-old girl is shattered by two drunken and remorseless young men. The mostly white town reacts with shock and horror at the inhuman crime. That is, until her black father acquires an assault rifle and takes matters into his hands.

For ten days, as burning crosses and the crack of sniper fire spread through the streets of Clanton, the nation sits spellbound as young defense attorney Jake Brigance struggles to save his client's life, and then his own.]]> 738 John Grisham Deb 3 4.11 1989 A Time to Kill (Jake Brigance, #1)
author: John Grisham
name: Deb
average rating: 4.11
book published: 1989
rating: 3
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]]> The Shining (The Shining, #1) 11588 497 Stephen King 0450040186 Deb 4 4.28 1977 The Shining (The Shining, #1)
author: Stephen King
name: Deb
average rating: 4.28
book published: 1977
rating: 4
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]]> <![CDATA[The da Vinci Code (Robert Langdon, #2)]]> 968 The da Vinci Code, The da Vinci Code, The da Vinci Code, and The da Vinci Code

While in Paris on business, Harvard symbologist Robert Langdon receives an urgent late-night phone call: the elderly curator of the Louvre has been murdered inside the museum. Near the body, police have found a baffling cipher. While working to solve the enigmatic riddle, Langdon is stunned to discover it leads to a trail of clues hidden in the works of Da Vinci -- clues visible for all to see -- yet ingeniously disguised by the painter.

Langdon joins forces with a gifted French cryptologist, Sophie Neveu, and learns the late curator was involved in the Priory of Sion -- an actual secret society whose members included Sir Isaac Newton, Botticelli, Victor Hugo, and Da Vinci, among others.

In a breathless race through Paris, London, and beyond, Langdon and Neveu match wits with a faceless powerbroker who seems to anticipate their every move. Unless Langdon and Neveu can decipher the labyrinthine puzzle in time, the Priory's ancient secret -- and an explosive historical truth -- will be lost forever.

The Da Vinci Code heralds the arrival of a new breed of lightning-paced, intelligent thriller utterly unpredictable right up to its stunning conclusion.]]> 489 Dan Brown Deb 3 3.92 2003 The da Vinci Code (Robert Langdon, #2)
author: Dan Brown
name: Deb
average rating: 3.92
book published: 2003
rating: 3
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]]> <![CDATA[Under the Tuscan Sun: At Home in Italy]]> 480479
Frances Mayes entered a wondrous new world when she began restoring an abandoned villa in the spectacular Tuscan countryside. There were unexpected treasures at every turn: faded frescos beneath the whitewash in her dining room, a vineyard under wildly overgrown brambles in the garden, and, in the nearby hill towns, vibrant markets and delightful people. In Under the Tuscan Sun, she brings the lyrical voice of a poet, the eye of a seasoned traveler, and the discerning palate of a cook and food writer to invite readers to explore the pleasures of Italian life and to feast at her table.]]> 304 Frances Mayes 0767900383 Deb 0 to-read 3.77 1996 Under the Tuscan Sun: At Home in Italy
author: Frances Mayes
name: Deb
average rating: 3.77
book published: 1996
rating: 0
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]]> The Memory Keeper's Daughter 10441 401 Kim Edwards 0143037145 Deb 0 to-read 3.70 2005 The Memory Keeper's Daughter
author: Kim Edwards
name: Deb
average rating: 3.70
book published: 2005
rating: 0
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]]> The Joy Luck Club 7763 Alternate cover editions of ISBN 9780143038092 can be found here.

Four mothers, four daughters, four families, whose histories shift with the four winds depending on who's telling the stories. In 1949, four Chinese women, recent immigrants to San Francisco, meet weekly to play mahjong and tell stories of what they left behind in China. United in loss and new hope for their daughters' futures, they call themselves the Joy Luck Club. Their daughters, who have never heard these stories, think their mothers' advice is irrelevant to their modern American lives � until their own inner crises reveal how much they've unknowingly inherited of their mothers' pasts.

With wit and sensitivity, Amy Tan examines the sometimes painful, often tender, and always deep connection between mothers and daughters. As each woman reveals her secrets, trying to unravel the truth about her life, the strings become more tangled, more entwined. Mothers boast or despair over daughters, and daughters roll their eyes even as they feel the inextricable tightening of their matriarchal ties. Tan is an astute storyteller, enticing readers to immerse themselves into these lives of complexity and mystery.]]> 288 Amy Tan Deb 4 3.96 1989 The Joy Luck Club
author: Amy Tan
name: Deb
average rating: 3.96
book published: 1989
rating: 4
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]]> Eat, Pray, Love 19501
Around the time Elizabeth Gilbert turned thirty, she went through an early-onslaught midlife crisis. She had everything an educated, ambitious American woman was supposed to want—a husband, a house, a successful career. But instead of feeling happy and fulfilled, she was consumed with panic, grief, and confusion. She went through a divorce, a crushing depression, another failed love, and the eradication of everything she ever thought she was supposed to be.

To recover from all this, Gilbert took a radical step. In order to give herself the time and space to find out who she really was and what she really wanted, she got rid of her belongings, quit her job, and undertook a yearlong journey around the world—all alone. Eat, Pray, Love is the absorbing chronicle of that year. Her aim was to visit three places where she could examine one aspect of her own nature set against the backdrop of a culture that has traditionally done that one thing very well. In Rome, she studied the art of pleasure, learning to speak Italian and gaining the twenty-three happiest pounds of her life. India was for the art of devotion, and with the help of a native guru and a surprisingly wise cowboy from Texas, she embarked on four uninterrupted months of spiritual exploration. In Bali, she studied the art of balance between worldly enjoyment and divine transcendence. She became the pupil of an elderly medicine man and also fell in love the best way—unexpectedly.

An intensely articulate and moving memoir of self-discovery, Eat, Pray, Love is about what can happen when you claim responsibility for your own contentment and stop trying to live in imitation of society’s ideals. It is certain to touch anyone who has ever woken up to the unrelenting need for change.]]> 368 Elizabeth Gilbert 0143038419 Deb 5 3.64 2006 Eat, Pray, Love
author: Elizabeth Gilbert
name: Deb
average rating: 3.64
book published: 2006
rating: 5
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]]> Memoirs of a Geisha 930
In "Memoirs of a Geisha," we enter a world where appearances are paramount; where a girl's virginity is auctioned to the highest bidder; where women are trained to beguile the most powerful men; and where love is scorned as illusion. It is a unique and triumphant work of fiction - at once romantic, erotic, suspenseful - and completely unforgettable.]]> 434 Arthur Golden 0739326228 Deb 4 4.07 1997 Memoirs of a Geisha
author: Arthur Golden
name: Deb
average rating: 4.07
book published: 1997
rating: 4
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]]> The Odyssey 1381 Sing to me of the man, Muse, the man of twists and turns
driven time and again off course, once he had plundered
the hallowed heights of Troy.

So begins Robert Fagles' magnificent translation of the Odyssey.

If the Iliad is the world's greatest war epic, then the Odyssey is literature's grandest evocation of everyman's journey though life. Odysseus' reliance on his wit and wiliness for survival in his encounters with divine and natural forces, during his ten-year voyage home to Ithaca after the Trojan War, is at once a timeless human story and an individual test of moral endurance.

In the myths and legends that are retold here, Fagles has captured the energy and poetry of Homer's original in a bold, contemporary idiom, and given us an Odyssey to read aloud, to savor, and to treasure for its sheer lyrical mastery.

Renowned classicist Bernard Knox's superb Introduction and textual commentary provide new insights and background information for the general reader and scholar alike, intensifying the strength of Fagles' translation.

This is an Odyssey to delight both the classicist and the public at large, and to captivate a new generation of Homer's students.

--

Robert Fagles, winner of the PEN/Ralph Manheim Medal for Translation and a 1996 Academy Award in Literature from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, presents us with Homer's best-loved and most accessible poem in a stunning new modern-verse translation.]]> 541 Homer 0143039954 Deb 1 3.79 -700 The Odyssey
author: Homer
name: Deb
average rating: 3.79
book published: -700
rating: 1
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]]> <![CDATA[Little Women (Little Women, #1)]]> 1934 This is an alternate cover edition of ISBN 9780451529305.

Generations of readers young and old, male and female, have fallen in love with the March sisters of Louisa May Alcott’s most popular and enduring novel, Little Women. Here are talented tomboy and author-to-be Jo, tragically frail Beth, beautiful Meg, and romantic, spoiled Amy, united in their devotion to each other and their struggles to survive in New England during the Civil War.

It is no secret that Alcott based Little Women on her own early life. While her father, the freethinking reformer and abolitionist Bronson Alcott, hobnobbed with such eminent male authors as Emerson, Thoreau, and Hawthorne, Louisa supported herself and her sisters with "woman’s work,� including sewing, doing laundry, and acting as a domestic servant. But she soon discovered she could make more money writing. Little Women brought her lasting fame and fortune, and far from being the "girl’s book� her publisher requested, it explores such timeless themes as love and death, war and peace, the conflict between personal ambition and family responsibilities, and the clash of cultures between Europe and America.

]]> 449 Louisa May Alcott Deb 4 4.16 1868 Little Women (Little Women, #1)
author: Louisa May Alcott
name: Deb
average rating: 4.16
book published: 1868
rating: 4
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]]> <![CDATA[The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn]]> 2956 327 Mark Twain 0142437174 Deb 4 3.82 1884 The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
author: Mark Twain
name: Deb
average rating: 3.82
book published: 1884
rating: 4
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]]> Lord of the Flies 7624 182 William Golding 0140283331 Deb 4 3.70 1954 Lord of the Flies
author: William Golding
name: Deb
average rating: 3.70
book published: 1954
rating: 4
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]]> Romeo and Juliet 18135 Romeo and Juliet, Shakespeare creates a violent world, in which two young people fall in love. It is not simply that their families disapprove; the Montagues and the Capulets are engaged in a blood feud.

In this death-filled setting, the movement from love at first sight to the lovers� final union in death seems almost inevitable. And yet, this play set in an extraordinary world has become the quintessential story of young love. In part because of its exquisite language, it is easy to respond as if it were about all young lovers.]]> 281 William Shakespeare 0743477111 Deb 4 3.74 1597 Romeo and Juliet
author: William Shakespeare
name: Deb
average rating: 3.74
book published: 1597
rating: 4
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]]> Me Talk Pretty One Day 4137 272 David Sedaris 0349113912 Deb 2 4.01 2000 Me Talk Pretty One Day
author: David Sedaris
name: Deb
average rating: 4.01
book published: 2000
rating: 2
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]]> Where the Sidewalk Ends 30119 Come in... for where the sidewalk ends, Shel Silverstein's world begins.

Shel Silverstein, theĚýNew York Times bestselling author of The Giving Tree, A Light in the Attic, Falling Up, and Every Thing On It, has created a poetry collection that is outrageously funny and deeply profound.

You'll meet a boy who turns into a TV set, and a girl who eats a whale. The Unicorn and the Bloath live there, and so does Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout who will not take the garbage out. It is a place where you wash your shadow and plant diamond gardens, a place where shoes fly, sisters are auctioned off, and crocodiles go to the dentist.

Shel Silverstein's masterful collection of poems and drawings stretches the bounds of imagination and will be cherished by readers of all ages.]]> 176 Shel Silverstein 0060513039 Deb 5 4.34 1974 Where the Sidewalk Ends
author: Shel Silverstein
name: Deb
average rating: 4.34
book published: 1974
rating: 5
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]]> To Kill a Mockingbird 2657
Compassionate, dramatic, and deeply moving, "To Kill A Mockingbird" takes readers to the roots of human behavior - to innocence and experience, kindness and cruelty, love and hatred, humor and pathos. Now with over 18 million copies in print and translated into forty languages, this regional story by a young Alabama woman claims universal appeal. Harper Lee always considered her book to be a simple love story. Today it is regarded as a masterpiece of American literature.]]> 323 Harper Lee 0060935464 Deb 5 4.25 1960 To Kill a Mockingbird
author: Harper Lee
name: Deb
average rating: 4.25
book published: 1960
rating: 5
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]]> The Catcher in the Rye 5107 It's Christmas time and Holden Caulfield has just been expelled from yet another school...

Fleeing the crooks at Pencey Prep, he pinballs around New York City seeking solace in fleeting encounters—shooting the bull with strangers in dive hotels, wandering alone round Central Park, getting beaten up by pimps and cut down by erstwhile girlfriends. The city is beautiful and terrible, in all its neon loneliness and seedy glamour, its mingled sense of possibility and emptiness. Holden passes through it like a ghost, thinking always of his kid sister Phoebe, the only person who really understands him, and his determination to escape the phonies and find a life of true meaning.

The Catcher in the Rye is an all-time classic in coming-of-age literature- an elegy to teenage alienation, capturing the deeply human need for connection and the bewildering sense of loss as we leave childhood behind.

J.D. Salinger's (1919�2010) classic novel of teenage angst and rebellion was first published in 1951. The novel was included on Time's 2005 list of the 100 best English-language novels written since 1923. It was named by Modern Library and its readers as one of the 100 best English-language novels of the 20th century. It has been frequently challenged in the court for its liberal use of profanity and portrayal of sexuality and in the 1950's and 60's it was the novel that every teenage boy wants to read.]]> 277 J.D. Salinger 0316769177 Deb 4 3.81 1951 The Catcher in the Rye
author: J.D. Salinger
name: Deb
average rating: 3.81
book published: 1951
rating: 4
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]]> The Great Gatsby 4671 The only edition of the beloved classic that is authorized by Fitzgerald’s family and from his lifelong publisher.

This edition is the enduring original text, updated with the author’s own revisions, a foreword by his granddaughter, and with a new introduction by National Book Award winner Jesmyn Ward.

The Great Gatsby, F. Scott Fitzgerald’s third book, stands as the supreme achievement of his career. First published by Scribner in 1925, this quintessential novel of the Jazz Age has been acclaimed by generations of readers. The story of the mysteriously wealthy Jay Gatsby and his love for the beautiful Daisy Buchanan is an exquisitely crafted tale of America in the 1920s.]]> 180 F. Scott Fitzgerald 0743273567 Deb 3 3.93 1925 The Great Gatsby
author: F. Scott Fitzgerald
name: Deb
average rating: 3.93
book published: 1925
rating: 3
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]]>