March Reads in Review

In March, I epically failed in the reading realm.  I only read 2 of the proposed 4 books for the month.  That's not to say I didn't start many books.  I actually started about 5 others, but I could not get interested in them at all.  I'd read about 20 pages, get bored then start something else.  It may have something to do with the amount of reading I've been doing at work in the last few weeks.  I spend my entire day reading student guides and instructor guides, that when I get home the last thing I want to do is read any more.  I'm hoping that changes this month.  I've a goal to hit in the book department.  But the good thing is I'm already ahead for the year based on what I read in January and February so I'm still on track.

What I did manage to read in March are 2 books that couldn't more different from each other.  One is a Girl Power book by a feminist and one is a kids book by 2 theatre nerds.  But both were fabulous!

"Not that Kind of Girl" by Lena Dunham: I was never her biggest fan until I started watching Girls on HBO and realized she's basically a genius.  She's a fantastic writer and is very, very funny.  She's also not afraid to speak her mind and own who she is.  I really admire her for what she's created.

"Jack and Louisa: Act 3" by Andrew Keenan Bolger and Kate Wetherhead: I've said it before and I'll say it again, these books are awesome!  I love that they're about musical theatre but also about real issues facing kids today.  I hope that kids are reading them and loving them as much as I am!

February Reads in Review

I know technically February isn't over yet, but since the only thing I did all day was lay on my sofa and catch up on shows on my DVR due to this creeping crud, I decided the books I read this month would be much more exciting.

Matilda by Roald Dahl: I'm working on a top-secret project that has me reading all Roald Dahl books.  And honestly, I hated this one just as much as I hated the show.  It's just too weird and too violent, for lack of a better word.  I much prefer James and the Giant Peach.

A Study in Charlotte by Brittany Cavallaro: I'm a sucker for a Sherlock Holmes book and this one was just creative enough to not feel like a repeat of all the Holmes story.  In these books, Holmes is Charlotte Holmes - Sherlocks Great-Great-Great-Niece, and Watson is Jamie Watson, Dr. Watson's Great-Great-Grandson.  Both are teens living in Connecticut where they're solving crimes.  Ok, it may be just a wee bit far-fetched but it was fun and if you like mysteries, it's definitely up your alley.

I Hate Everyone Except You by Clinton Kelly: The funniest book I've read in a long time.  I wasn't even a huge fan of his, but I loved the title.  He's a great writer and very, very funny. I only wish the book was longer, because I was super sad when it was through.

Martha's Vineyard: Isle of Dreams and The Fairy Tale Girl both by Susan Branch: I read these because I fell in love with "Falling in Love with the English Countryside."  These both followed the same suite - lots of fun sketches and sweet stories.  I loved them!  Of course, I liked the one about England better, but these were both fabulous!

"Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets" by JK Rowling: Of course, this is a second read for me.  But I'm loving the illustrated versions of these books.  They pictures are gorgeous and really bring the story to life - even more than JK already had.  

I'll Stick with the Cat in the Hat

Up until I read James and the Giant Peach this past summer, I had never read any Roald Dahl books as a kid.  That was pretty surprising to me, because as a kid I read all sorts of books.  I mean I loved Dr. Seuss and all of the Serendipity books.  I read Graeme Base and tons of fantasy books.  But other than seeing Charlie and the Chocolate Factory - the original masterpiece, not the creepy remake with Johnny Depp - I didn't really know much about his books aside from knowing he wrote them.

That's the main reason I chose to read James and the Giant Peach - I hadn't yet and that seemed weird.  And I have to admit, I loved it.  I thought the story was sweet and funny and I'm a sucker for cute illustrations.  Because of that I thought Matilda the Broadway show would be just as cute. Not so much.  That got too dark too quick.  But I was pretty sure that was a Broadway thing to make it more appealing.

So, since I'm working on a secret project, I decided to pick up the book instead and read what I was sure was going to be a much happier and less nasty book.  Um, not so much.  I think James and the Giant Peach might be the exception to the rule.  Matilda is just way too dark for kids!  I might be in the minority in this opinion, but I'm super curious why parents let their kids read these books.  What's wrong with happy go lucky stories where everyone is kind?  None of these characters are super nice.  Even Matilda, is sweet but kinda terrible.  I mean, her parents are awful so she has the right to be a little terrible, but really?  And having a teacher throw students, or put them in a box, or force feed them chocolate cake - doesn't that ring out a little too cruel for kids that may already be a little scared of school?

After Matilda is through, my plan is to also read Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, but after the first half of Matilda, I'm a little worried.  So help me god, if it ruins my favorite Gene Wilder movie for me, I'm not going to be a happy camper!

January Reads in Review

I'm usually a straight fiction kind of girl. But lately, I've been delving into memoirs and biographies quite a bit.  There are some seriously interesting people that are writing books these days.  And without really meaning to, I read 5 books this month about those very interesting people. 

"A Fine Romance" by Susan Branch: I don't really need to tell you about this one because I spent an entire day's post gushing about it.  But, again, it was amazing!

"Talking as Fast as I Can" by Lauren Graham: I read "Someday, Someday Maybe" by Lauren last year and loved it.  So I've been anxiously awaiting her next book, and this one did not disappoint.  Whereas her first book was fiction, her second book is an autobiography of her life so far - From Gilmore Girls to Gilmore Girls. Ha!  It was pretty much perfect, and a super quick read.  She wrote a lot about her upbringing and what got her into the business. Then she went into her life during Gilmore Girls.  In the best chapter, she binge-watched all episodes and talked about what was going on during each season - her hair, her wardrobe, what was happening behind the scenes.  Her quirkiness and sense of humor really shined through, and you can just tell, that having a cup of coffee with her would be a blast!

"The Only Street in Paris" by Elaine Sciolino: I've been wanting to read this one since it came out but I was being cheap, so I had to wait until it came out in paperback.  Even though I hated Paris, I have this weird fascination with books written about it. Don't ask.  Anyway,  Elaine Sciolino was an editor at the New York Times in Paris for a lot of her career - making me very envious (I think if I could live there a bit with an awesome job at the Times, I just might like it more...)  So her account of the Rue de Martyrs was really a love story to her little corner of Paris.  She really seemed to understand that what makes a place great is the people that are in it, so she took the time to highlight her friends and family that share her street.  It's a great book, and I'm super sad that I didn't get to see this street when I was there.  I'm pretty sure I would have liked Paris a bit more if I had.

"One for the Books" by Joe Queenan: What was supposed to be a funny book with a clever title all about books turned out to be a very sarcastic, very snobbish book about all the "great" books one man has read in his lifetime.  I was definitely not a fan!  He's a great writer, but he almost insults readers that don't have his time to read or choose to read page-turners rather than the classics - which is funny, since he's not writing any great literature here.  If you like reading about books, you might like it.  But if I were you, I'd go for "So Many Books, So Little Time" by Sara Nelson instead.  Much funnier and much less pompous.

"Voracious: A Hungry Reader Cooks Her Way Through Great Books" by Cara Nicoletti: Another book I was waiting to come out in paperback.  And I can't believe I waited so long - it was wonderful!  She is a pastry chef, a butcher and an English Major who loves to read. Her focus is on food in literature - seriously?  I can't believe that's an actual focus - why didn't I think of that in college?  Anyway, the book follows her life story through the books she loved at the time.  And after each book, she shares a recipe for something delicious that's mentioned in the book. While I haven't tried any of the recipes yet, the stories were delightful!  

Reading as Fast as I Can

Pay no attention to the disheveled appearance. Like I said,
 I've been reading all weekend

I've spent every free moment I've had since Friday night, reading "Talking as Fast as I Can" by Lauren Graham.  And I need to say, it was by far the absolute best use of my time I can think of.  I mean, I knew it was going to be good.  I read her first novel "Someday, Someday Maybe" in just a few days and loved that as well.  (If you ever feel like buying me a present, you can buy me another copy of that book - I lent it to my least likely to return it friend, and I haven't seen it since...)  Anyway, based on that novel and my love of all things Gilmore Girls, I sort of knew Lauren's memoir would be a winner.

But I didn't realize it would be this much of a winner.  It's funny from start to finish.  I'm pretty sure she's secretly Lorelai Gilmore in real life.  No actor in the history of acting has been more perfectly cast than she has.  And as a real life person, she's pretty perfect as well.  Having the book framed around her first Gilmore Girls stint through her second was an excellent idea.  She's had such an interesting life in these years, and it's fun to hear her side of it - rather than what you may read in the press.

She's also very smart, and a fabulous writer.  So there's a whole chapter on how she writes and a new way she's discovered to make her process better.  I can honestly say, if it works for her - and based on her books, it definitely works - I just might give it a try.  Who wouldn't want to be just a little like Lorelai Gilmore.  Oops, I mean Lauren Graham!

Love for the Villages

Since I woke up this morning, I've been dreaming about coming home this evening and finishing up some craft projects I'm in the middle of.  However, after 10 hours - dark to dark - the only thing I could do when I got home was curl up on the sofa, where it was warm and cozy.  

Unfortunately, the craft projects were a bust, but it's ok because I did have about 30 pages in a fabulous book to finish so I dove right in.  Let me tell you, this book might just need to go in the top 10.  It's just so wonderful!

Susan Branch is a watercolorist and primarily a cookbook writer.  I actually have tons of her stickers for scrapbooking.  But I never realized she wrote other books as well.  Apparently, this is the 3rd in a series of her journals.  She and her husband live in Martha's Vineyard, but they travelled on the Queen Mary 2 to England for a 2 month adventure in the English Countryside.  I'm not I can express just how much I wish I could have gone on their trip!  What a chance!

What's really neat about the book, is that it's not just her observations about the places she visited.  Like I said, she's a watercolorist, so all throughout the book there are little paintings and doodles and drawings.  She's also included photos of the places they visited, quotes she loves, and recipes as well.  And, the whole thing is in her handwriting.  How fun!  It's not only a great tale of a trip of a lifetime, but it's also crafty and creative as well.  It's a total package for me which I think is why I loved it so much.

The other reason is that she just gets it.  She has the same sensibility about England that I have.  She loves the people for being who they are.  She loves the accents and the turns of phrase.  She loves the simple food and the very best tea.  She loves the beauty of the countryside as well as the fun of the big cities. And she loves the history and historical figures that have contributed so much to the world, that made their home there.  It's sometimes hard for me to explain just what it is about Great Britain that I love.  Reading this book, I realized it's everything I just said.  It's all of these things together that make it such a happy place for me.  And now, I'm just itching to return more so than I usually am - good thing there's a trip coming up soon!

December Reads in Review

So based on the extreme amount of Christmas I needed to complete this month, I may have cheated a bit on my 3 book minimum.  Technically I did read 3 books - but one of them may have had about 30 words in the whole thing...

"Christmas at Little Beach Street Bakery" by Jenny Colgan: Yes it's another Jenny Colgan.  Yes it's a Christmas book.  Yes it's a sequel to another book I read this year.  And Yes I loved it just as much as I loved all the other Jenny Colgan Christmas and Beach Street Books I read this year.  So fun!  Such an easy and charming read and perfect for Christmas.

"Jim Henson's Labyrinth Tales" by Cory Godbey: This is the one I cheated with.  I LOVE Labyrinth so I was super happy to receive this one as a Christmas present.  Of course, when I saw it online, I wasn't aware that the tales were just a few words each.  But the pictures are just as adorable as the characters in the movie, so I was happy.

"Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone" by J.K Rowling (Illustrated version): Yes I've read Harry Potter before.  I love them all.  However, I couldn't wait to re-read when I saw the illustrated versions were coming out.  Luckily, I received the first 2 for Christmas.  As amazing as they are the first time around, this illustrated version might be even cooler.  The graphics are gorgeous!  I always hated the movies because they changed what I saw in the books.  But somehow, these illustrations match up perfectly to what I imagined in my head.  I can't wait until the next 5 books come out! And I'm already hoping they release "The Cursed Child" in an illustrated version as well : )

Well, that's that.  My last post of 2016.  Here's hoping that 2017 will be a bit calmer and just a bit more lovely.  Happy New Year!

Friday Five

I read a whole heck of a lot of books this year.  I'm not sure the exact number, but as long as I finish another 1.5 this month, I reached my goal of at least 3 a month.  But it was definitely more than that, because I believe in every month but 2 I read more than 3 books.  Books for the win!  Because there were so many, it was hard to choose just 5 but I think I have them narrowed down.  So here they are in no particular order...

"Harry Potter and the Cursed Child" by J.K. Rowling: I think this choice had everything to do with having another Harry Potter to read after all this time.  Also, trying to imagine just how they pull off some of the amazing feats of magic on a stage.  Whenever it does come here, I plan to be first in line (seeing as getting tickets for England next year has been a bit of a no go - it seems that Harry has reached Hamilton proportions in England...)

"So Many Books, So Little Time" by Sara Nelson: I just love reading about how other people choose books to read.  My process is so arbitrary.  I'm never sure what's going to appeal to me on any given day.  It seems other people have more of a process than I do and that's pretty fascinating.  Also, any book about people loving books as much as I do is always going to be up there on the list of faves.

"The Rise and Fall of a Theater Geek" by Seth Rudetsky: I love Seth and I love the way he writes.  He's so funny in interviews and his books are written in exactly the same way as he speaks.  He's great at writing the way people speak. He's not too formal or stuffy.  And like I said, he's very, very funny! I flew this one because it was so fun and such a great beach read. I can't wait to read his others!

"The Traveling Tea Shop" by Belinda Jones: This one is an English book and we all know how I feel about English books.  However, I think I liked this one so much because it's about a girl who takes a risk on a job doing something crazy and it pays off.  I mean, how much fun would it be to drive around in a traveling tea shop?  I'm already dreaming of the possibilities.

"The Little Beach Street Bakery" by Jenny Colgan: I read so many books by Jenny this year, that it was hard to choose my favorite - they're all pretty much my favorite. But this one stood out because I breezed through it in about 24 hours.  I couldn't put it down.  It's also one of the main reasons I want to visit Cornwall.  Just hearing the way she speaks about the beauty and the people totally gets me in the mood to explore all the little villages that make up this part of England.  And if I were to see lots of little puffins around, it definitely wouldn't be a bad thing...

November Reads in Review

Yet another slow month for reading, but I have an excuse - loads of Christmas crafting! However, I did finish my 3 allotted for the month - so yay for that!  

"The Day the World Came to Town": A friend on Facebook saw that I had posted about the musical "Come From Away" and asked if this was the story of Gander on 9/11/2001.  When I told her it was, she said she had read a book all about that, and that she'd send it to me.  I was super excited because if I haven't said it enough - "Come from Away" is the best show I saw this year.  The book wasn't as fabulous as the musical - afterall, there was no music - but it was really good.  The book is basically all of the stories of the people that landed in Gander and the people that lived in Gander at the time.  It jumps back and forth a lot and gives you an idea of just how stressful and remarkable those 6 days in 2001 were. It's just a happy story and one that so deserves to be told.

"My Ideal Bookshelf": The setup is that authors, designers, artists, actors, etc. all write about the books that make up their "ideal" bookshelf, then a painter paints that bookshelf.  It was a cute look at what people thought of as ideal when it came to books.  Though, I do admit to feeling terribly bad about what I read.  My books are nowhere near as intelligent as the books painted in this book.

"El Deafo": I've been hearing about this graphic novel for months, and when the bestie told me she had it, I jumped at the chance to read it.  I blew through it in about 2 hours and LOVED it.  The main character is a little girl - who's some sort of animal - who goes deaf when she's about 4. She makes herself into her very own superhero - El Deafo - to get her through rough patches.  She goes through  lots of different hearing devices and learns sign language and lip reading, as she grows.  It's a great intro to disabilities for kids but it's also fun.  The main character is snarky and adorable, and I just loved the way the author wrote it.  

October Reads in Review

October was another slow month in bookish pursuits.  I'm not sure why.  There wasn't much else going on.  Anyway, the 4 I did manage to read were very, very good!

"Is it Just Me?" by Miranda Hart - She's hilarious!  And this book is basically a written version of her television show.  I think even more than I already did, she's definitely the 6 foot British version of me.  Just too funny!

"Class" and "Rules" by Jenny Colgan: I loved these too!  They're just fun and I'm hoping that the next 4 she wrote will be released, because I'm a big fan.  Of course, everything she writes I'm a fan of so there's that.

"Mr. Churchill's Secretary" by Susan Elia Macneal: I'd heard a lot about this one and thought it would be really interesting.  I'm a sucker for a good spy novel set in England.  And it was good, but it was just a bit slow.  For the first 75 pages or so, I wasn't sure anything interesting was going to happen.  But then it picked up a bit.  It's definitely not a thrill a minute, but if WWII spys are your thing, you'll probably enjoy it.

September Reads in Review

There's not much to say about the month of September's reading selections other than they were quite all over the place.  For some reason, I couldn't concentrate this month and it took me a long time to get interested.  There were a few other books that I started but just couldn't get interested in so I tossed them.  Hoping to up the game in October and be better about my selections - and hopefully clear out the must read pile.

"Educating Esme" by Esme Raji Codell - This was read way back in the beginning of the month before I got antsy.  It took all of about 3 hours to finish it.  It was a great story of a first year teacher in Inner City Chicago.  Such a great book for new teachers and old teachers alike.

"The Island of Dr. Libris" by Chris Grabenstein - This was a follow-up to "Mr. Limoncello's Library." It was a cute story with lots of literary references but not as good as Mr. Limoncello.  

"The Creature Department" by Robert Paul Weston - I will fully cop to only purchasing this book because of the cute cover.  It was chock full of neon monsters that looked a lot like Jim Henson monsters.  Unfortunately, the story wasn't as great as the cover.  It had a great message for kids - believe in the impossible - but the story sort of dragged.

"Big Magic" by Elizabeth Gilbert - I'm one of the very few girls in the entire world that never finished "Eat. Pray. Love." It just didn't capture my attention.  But so many people had talked about how wonderful she was as a writer, I just had to give her next book a shot.  Also, I was craving a way to get more creative in my life.  It was a fabulous book, but I'm not sure she wrote about anything groundbreaking.  In the end the major message was, choose to be creative and just do it.

"Key of Light" by Nora Roberts - Honestly I haven't even finished this one yet but I've been carrying it with me for most of the month.  My boss raved about this trilogy and she's been dying for me to read it.  The downside of this is that I hate it.  I just can't get into it.  It's all about Celtic mythology and legend.  So not my thing, so even though I've been carrying it around, I've been avoiding reading it.  Though, since I'm a good employee, I've resigned myself to finish at least this first book.  I'm not sure I have the will power for the next two...

August Reads in Review

August was the month I finished my Book Depository order (except for the Christmas book that will of course be read at Christmas : ) and Harry Potter. It was also a month of indecision, seeing as I started 3 other books and abandoned them before choosing the ones I actually finished.  Sometimes it "be's" that way.

Harry Potter and the Cursed Child by JK Rowling: LOVED it!  My only complaint after reading it is that it wasn't written in novel form so it could have been longer.

Fun Home by Alison Bechdel: Seeing as the show on Broadway is closing, I won't get the chance to see it live.  So I thought the book was the next best thing.  It was my first graphic novel, and that part was pretty cool.  It was the story itself that's fairly depressing and very, very strange.  I was definitely not a fan.

The Little Shop of Happy Ever After by Jenny Colgan: Also LOVED it! I'm dreaming of owning a book bus now and I'm anxiously awaiting Christmas at the Little Shop of Happy Ever After which is coming out in just a few months. Yay!

The Good, The Bad, and The Dumped by Jenny Colgan: Cute story but not my favorite Colgan book.  

Vivien's Heavenly Ice Cream Shop by Abby Clements: This book would have been so much better had the Ice Cream Shop portion of the story would have started a bit earlier than 100 pages in... 

July Reads in Review

The reads this month were all England with a little Kale thrown in for good measure.  Thanks to Book Depository.com, I was able to purchase all the British books I've been coveting for months, with no crazy shipping charges AND at a reduced rate.  This site is due to be quite dangerous.

"Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend" by Jenny Colgan: Not my favorite by her, but a so-so Jenny Colgan book is much better than some others I've read.  

"Little Beach Street Bakery" & "Summer at the Little Beach Street Bakery" by Jenny Colgan: In just about 48 hours I had finished these both.  I loved them!  In fact there one of the reasons I'm pushing for a trip to Cornwall next year.  As follow-ups to these 2 standouts, I purchased the children's books based on Neil the Puffin (a major character in the story) - "Polly and the Puffin" & "Polly and the Puffin: The Stormy Day." So cute!  And also, I'm pretty much determined to scope out some puffins on my future Cornwall trip...

"Bonjour Kale" by Kristen Beddard: I'm not particularly fond of Kale.  The real reason I purchased this story of a woman who starts a project to bring Kale to France after she moves there, is that I was curious how someone would A) write a book completely about Kale in France and B) make money and a career focused solely on Kale.  She somehow managed to do both which is pretty inspiring.

"A Cottage by the Sea" by Carole Matthews: My least favorite this month.  The book was about 150 pages too long and was much too melo-dramatic for my liking.

"The Best Thing That Never Happened to Me" by Laura Tait & Jimmy Rice: This was the story of 2 people's friendship throughout the years told from each of their point of views.  Tait wrote the woman's POV and Rice wrote the man's.  So clever!  And aside from getting  bit lost in the timeline, I loved this story!

" The Cosy Teashop at the Castle" by Caroline Roberts: I liked the idea of this book more than I actually liked this book.  The setting and characters were lovely, and even the story was sweet but the writing wasn't fabulous.

June Reads in Review

When compared to last month's list of 9 books, June was fairly pathetic.  I'm supposed to be reading more in the summer and based on this stack, I'm reading WAY less.  However, I'm reading less because I'm getting to do WAY more exciting things.  So I'm ok with it.  I achieved the 3 books for the month, which was the goal, and it looks like I'll be back on track to read a few more than 3 this July, considering I'm about half-way through my first book of July already...

"The Weekenders" by Mary Kay Andrews: I'm a big fan of her books because she always releases one just as summer is hitting, and it usually takes place in the South - sometimes on the beach, and sometimes not.  They're perfect for the summer reading list.  This one was good - chick lit mixed with a mystery.  I do feel it could have been about 100 pages shorter.  Overall good as usual, but not as good as my favorite of hers "Deep Dish."

"The Philharmonic Gets Dressed": This is a kids book that I picked up at Lincoln Center because I realized I've never purchased a kids book that was NY themed.  Anyway, this one is a beginner's guide to an orchestra which is just as cute as it sounds.  Such a great book for kids who love music!

"Broadway Nights" by Seth Rudetsky: Can I just say I love Seth Rudetsky?  Can he be the Will to my Grace?  The best thing about reading books written by him, is that you can hear him saying pretty much every single line of the book. His main characters are just a slightly skewed version of him, and since he's so delightful, that's definitely a good thing.  So darn funny and a great guide to insider Broadway terms - I even learned a few things.

May Reads in Review

May was a bit busy or not busy depending on how you look at it.  There was obviously no rhyme or reason to what I chose to read and no rhyme or reason to why I had my nose stuck in a book the entire month.  Just one of those things I suppose...

"Peter and the Starcatcher": I'm positive this would have been much better if I was seeing it live.  As it was, it was just a little hard to follow.

"Better Nate than Ever": I read this one because it was in an article about "Jack & Louisa" which I loved.  This book was nothing like that one.  It was much harsher than I expected and much harsher than a kid's book should be.  I definitely don't plan on reading the next.

"Amanda's Wedding": Oh how I love Jenny Colgan books!  They're fantastic and fun and the perfect distraction.  If I could find the rest of her collection here in the states, I'd be a very happy girl.

"Radio Shangri-La": Loved, Loved, Loved!  I'm still stuck on the idea of Bhutan.  

"Fully Committed": I read in preparation for seeing the show and it was almost as fantastic as it was seeing it live.  The funny part is that even though it's a one man show, the play reads like a play with 40 different characters.  That makes picturing them all quite fun and useless once you see the show since they're all played by the same person.

"Vanya and Sonia and Masha and Spike": I have no idea what this play even was.  I'm not sure it had a storyline or a plot.

"Falsettos": After tearing up just reading it, I'm now very worried about seeing it live.  Also, because of the insane amount of music in the round, and characters speaking over other characters, it was quite hard to follow.  I have no idea how the actors are able to memorize the songs - so very intimidating!

"No Baggage": It was all about 2 people who had basically just met online and their 3 week adventure to multiple countries, with only the clothes on their back.  An insane idea, one that I would never even think about attempting but such a great read.  I won't be darting off without luggage any time soon, but it definitely made me re-think the way I pack.

"So Many Books, So Little Time": A writer vowed to read a book a week and write about the experience.  So interesting to hear why others choose to read certain books.  Also, I feel a little like a terrible reader because she read some hard-core literature and I'm over here reading kids books sometimes...

"The Nest": I had heard this was the book of the summer. What I heard was wrong.  It was good, and I was determined to finish it - stealing away every minute I could - but it wasn't fabulous.  It was supposed to be sarcastic and funny.  What it was, was a lot of rich people complaining about not having enough money.

"As Time Goes By": Not the best book she's ever written, but good enough that I finished it in about 12 hours, so I suppose it was pretty great.