Bitter Is The New Black

 The next time you think that you are a snobby bitch, read this. This is a memoir following the author's life from riches to rags. Based on I'm assuming her real life, Jen was a Vice President at some dotcom place who was rude to everyone and spent more money than she had, as all chick lit girls to. Just for once, I'd like someone to actually not be some shopaholic and actually save their money. Every chick lit book I have read has the same main character and to read that this girl was the same, made me a little mad. Goodness woman, you aren't fiction, so why not make yourself look a little better. You seem to have the education and the smarts, so why dumb yourself down to acting like all the other air-head chick lit girls out there. What worries me the most, is that maybe all us woman are really like this. The flakey, shopaholics who just want a great pair of shoes and a hot guy. I really hope not. Anyway, at the start of the book she's bitchy, rich, and way into herself. Then karma comes along and she loses her job, and can't find another. Slowly one bad thing turns into more. Soon, both she and her husband (even the bitchy people get married, and I'm still single. What?!) are out of jobs and have to move to the 'ghetto' of Chicago and sell their cars to get by. She was unemployed for like 2+ years and it took her up to a year to actually look into a temp agency, and another year to even consider retail. Ok, I know to an ex-VP of a big wig company that may seem like the end, but to the rest of the world, if you need work bad enough, you don't wait 2 years to go to a temp. In the end her hubby (who seems like a nice guy) got a job and she got a book contract. Wanna take a guess on how she did that? She made her own website and blog and people read it and thought she was funny. I have a blog, and no one has ever offered me a book deal. I guess I'm not bitchy or poor enough. It was an interesting read, kept me wanting to read it. So, she can clearly tell a story, but really, next time someone calls you a bitch or a snob, have them read one chapter from this book and they will think differently.

Skipping Christmas

I thought that I had written a blog about this book before, but I'm not sure, so you get another one. I love this book. Read it every year. It's about a man who's daughter joined the Peace Corps so she wont be home for Christmas so he gets the idea to just skip the whole thing and spend the money that he and his wife would've used on decorations, presents, parties, etc and take a cruise. Everyone thinks his crazy. You can't skip Christmas. Or can you? It's a quick little jolly read that I would gladly give everyone as a present. So watch out Elisa, you might get a copy. :o)

Playing For Pizza

 Holy crap. I havent finished a book since September? What have I been doing? Even this book took me like a month or something to read and its not even very long. This is a football book. Now, I like football so I thought I'd like it. But reading about people playing football is not nearly as exciting as actually watching the game. This book is about a guy who screws up his NFL career and gets hired on by a team in Italy. They do have football over there. While there, he kind of rediscovers his values and himself. It wasnt a bad book, but reading about him and his teammates playing the game, was kind of a snooze. Maybe a guy would like it more, so its a gift idea of all of you who have a football loving, reading, guy.

Sex, Drugs, And Cocoa Puffs

 I really don't know what makes me buy the books I buy, except I think for this one, I've seen others carrying it around and was courious, which is usually why I get the books I get. This book is packed full of essay-chapters where the author just goes off on the different things that are pop culture. The Real World, Saved By The Bell, The Sims, serial killers, porn, etc. All the stuff that are around us. It was entertaining. A bit wordy as most essay-type things are. But funny. I really want to pass it along to everyone and get into deep conversations about the things he talks about. So, someone read it and let's talk.

Just Sex

 As trashy as this book may sound, it really wasn't. It's about a woman whose husband cheats on her claiming that it was 'just sex' and tells her to give it a try. Well, instead of being all slutty and hooking up with lots of guys, Ellen has a problem feeling that sex could be anything other than something more. So her friend sends her to a getaway called Sizzle which is pretty much a free for all sex island. Ellen trys to find someone who she can have sex, but being the good girl that she is, she can't. What I liked about this book is that she stays true to herself, she doesn't do what everyone tells her to because its not who she is. I liked it. Go figure.

Decaffeinated Corpse

 This is the latest book in the Coffeehouse mystery series, and I really wasn't a fan. I had to push myself to finish it. I'm starting to think that the author is loseing her touch, lets hope not. Maybe the next book will be better.

The Year of Yes

 This was a very interesting book filled with creative characters, and even though its a memoir, I still wonder if she made some of these people up. The story goes that a 20-something female wakes up alone on Valentine's Day and decides that for the next year she's going to go out with whomever asks her out. And in her many dates she meets new and unusual people. The whole time I was reading it, I just had to wonder if there are actually people like this in the world. But it does take place in NYC, so maybe there is. She apparently is from my hometown, but kept bashing on it saying that there's nothing to do in Idaho but look at cows. That made me mad. So, aside from the Idaho bashing, it was a funny and interesting read. And I would very much say yes to every guy who asked me out, if guys would ever actually ask me out, aside from the semi- creepy Mexican who can't decide if hes married or not, and of course there is the married guy whos having marriage problems, but that's just trouble, so he gets a No everytime he wants a booty call. And yet, he still trys.

Harry Potter And The Deathly Hallows

 So I finished reading this book and would love to spill the secrets and deaths and ending to you, but I won't, unless you really want me to. For the last book (hopefully) of the series, it was well written and thought out. It cleared up everything that needed to be cleared and let the reading in behind the curtain of what really happened at the end of the last book. What I really enjoyed was how she brought back every place and character that had been involved in the other books. Like it was one big reunion to reunite everyone that had been featured before. But of course, there was a war going on, and some good people had to die, as they do in a real life war. And it didn't have a dark gloomy ending like it thought it would, everyone seemed pretty happy. I didn't like the epilogue though. But that's just me.

Harry Potter And The Half-Blood Prince

Ok, so I'm pretty sure that we've all read this book by now, and if not- how is that possible? Because the 7th (and last) book of the series came out today (I paused from reading it to write this), I re-read this book to get me ready for it. I thought that I had written about it the last time I read it, but can't find it, anywho, it was far more interesting than the 5th, but the ending makes me mad. And sad. Even reading it again I had to ask myself 'what was the author thinking?'. But it did make me wonder how the 7th was going to continue, and as soon as I finish it (which better be soon before someone spoils it for me) I will let you know what I think. But really, as far as series goes in books, the first is always the best, it's so innocent and fresh, so you can't beat that.

You are in luck! I found the entry I wrote when I first read this book:

I just got done reading the latest Harry Potter book. Like most of the other books it kind of got off to a slow start, obviously it was a bit dark, because they keep on getting darker and darker, but this one was covered with love. I swear, everyone hooked it up with everyone else. It was kind of cute actually. The word 'snogging' was used for when people are making out. Remind me to use that word whenever possible. It had a interesting story going for it. A goal. But then the end came. I am not happy with how it ended. Someone dies. Someone I didn't think would die until maybe the last book. Geez, the way this one left off, it might as well be the last book. Except of course Voldemort is still out and about. It'll be interesting to see how book seven turns out, in like 100 years when she finally writes it. If you're a fan, you'll be shocked by how it ends, or maybe I'm just being dramatic, but if your not, then maybe you shouldn't be reading these books. I'd love to go into it deeper, sharing all the secrets, but I won't. Just in case someone out of the three readers I have on here want to read the book. But once you have, talk to me. I like talking about books. Until then, be careful with who you snog with. :o)

The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes

 I've been reading a lot of mysteries lately, and thought that I should include the most famous detective into my reading list. I love the whole idea of Sherlock Holmes, he just seems like a good guy who is sharp and witty and wants to help people. I love his name. There's 12 short stories in this book, and really, only about half of them were interesting. With 30pages a story, you can't get greatly in depth with the mystery, so it kind of isn't in as detail as a whole novel would be, but then again, Sherlock usually figures out who 'done it' as soon as the person in need tells their story. Is he really that cleaver? I'd like to think so. It's not a bad read, but just don't expect all the mysteries to be super exciting.

The Green Book

The cover speaks for itself. This is an easy to follow book with endless tips on what you and I can do to help keep this earth in the great shape that it deserves to be in. We are all aware of Global Warming and I'm scared about it, and want to do my part in helping to make sure that it doesn't happen. This book shows you how. So read it, learn, and do. If we don't start now, it might be to late.

The Sunday Philosophy Club

This was a mystery like no other mystery that I've read. A woman witnesses a man fall to his death at the opera and takes it upon herself to find out what really happened. But she goes all wrong trying to figure this out. I've read my share of mystery novels and most people actually ask questions and follow people and do what they can to figure out if the person the suspect is who did it, but she sat around and asked philosophical questions about things that had nothing to do with anything. And you don't even know who actually pushed this guy over the balcony until the last page. As far as mysteries go, this one was pretty weak.

A Charmed Death

This is the second book in this little magical mystery series, and it wasn't nearly as good as the first one. I just couldn't seem to focus on it. I hate books where someone the main character barely knows dies, and the character feels the need to act like Sherlock Holmes and solve the mystery. And it's even worse when you figure out who did it with 50 or so pages left in the book. I like the ones where I'm surprised. So, needless to say, I wasn't impressed and don't recommend it. The only plus to it was the all the talk about spirits and ghosts freaked me out a little, but that's not very hard to do.

The Trouble With Magic

I don't really know what drew me to this book. It's a mystery and mysteries make you think, so I think that I just wanted something that would get my mind working. Plus, in the day and age of Harry Potter, magic just doesn't seem so unrealistic anymore. The story is about a girl who gets a job at an antiques shop and the owner is a witch who's sister is murdered, and everyone thinks it's the witch, so the girl tries to clear her name and in the process realizes that she is becoming part of the magical world. In a few parts they talk about ghosts and spirits and of course I read this in the middle of the night so it freaked me out. If a book can give me the shivers, then it's well written. I'm reading the second book in the series, and if I remember, I'll probably grab the 3rd when it comes out.

The Good Good Pig

My mom picked this book for her bookclub choice and wanted me to test it out first. It's a true story, where the author ends up raising a runt pig that no one expected to live. But he fooled everyone. He went from being the size of a cat to 700 lbs and living for 14 years. During his lifetime, Christopher, affected the lives of everyone in the little town that he lived it. He made friends, and made people realize the joy of life. As one person put it- 'he was a buddah'. It was a good tale, and made you realize just how much an animal can change a person's life. It always made me feel bad for eatting pork and bacon, and after reading this, I really am going to try and stop eatting it, because a pig is a good animal and should be raised to bring joy to people, not just dinner.

The Best Place To Be

So, I didn't really like or hate this book. The reason I bought it is because I liked the title and because it follows the main character throughout different parts of her life, which is the type of book I love to read, because you really the get feel of a person when you can see how they have changed throughout the years. But I think that my problem with this book was that I was never really sure what age she was during the chapters. Clearly the one where she's in college made sense, but it felt like for the most part, the story just focuses on her adulthood, when she's married, not so much as to her younger years. And there wasn't an ended. A chapter ended, but whether it was during the same age as she was when she started telling the story, or before or after, I have no idea. It confused me. So maybe I didn't like it. I'm not sure.

Harry Potter And The Sorcerer's Stone

Since the new HP book is coming out soon, I decided to re-read all the Harry Potter books, which I'm sure that I don't need to explain what happens in them, as everyone and their grandma has read them. But it was kind of fun to go back to the first book, back when Harry seemed so young and innocent and had no idea who he was and what was in store for him. And it didn't take very long to read, seeing as how it's the shortest of all the books. 17 chapters?! That's nothing.

The Sisterhood of The Traveling Pants

 I really don't know why I had this on my bookshelf. I guess the first time I read it, something about it touched me. Maybe it was because I was one of four best friends who spent tons of time together, even though we didn't share a pair of magic pants. That's what this book (and the movie) is about. Four best friends who find a pair of pants that fit them all, and they share the pants over the summer while each spends time away from the others for the first time. It was a good book, and I might have liked it alot more if I was sixteen as they are, but the characters are just different enough that you get the feeling for how each one acts and what they are going through. Bridget is my favorite. She's the tall blonde who get's all the guys and has tons of energy that she puts forward in soccer. Just reading about her running around and catching guy's attention makes me want to start running, and if I didn't live downtown just a few blocks away from the homeless shelter and it wasn't after midnight, I would start running. But she's not perfect, she's hurting inside as we all are and doesn't know what to do about it. Then again, she is sixteen, and just how many of us knew anything about life back then? Or now for that matter? I've read the other books in series, but this by far the best one. So start off with this one if you are interested.

When I first read this book years ago, this is what I had to say about it:

I read this book because it has become a motion picture movie and I was curious to see if it was worthy enough to be a movie. I didn't hate it but I didn't feel that the characters where nearly as different as the author wanted them to be. I wish I had a pair of magical pants.

Save Karyn

This is the second time I've read this book, and I swear, as the years go by and I get a little more smarter, when I reread books, I understand them a bit better. And the fact that I can relate to the endless shopping and worrying where the rent money is going to come from, it just made the story seem more realistic. It's a true story of a girl who got into a great deal of debt and thought up the idea to start up a website asking people to help her pay it off. And it worked. Of course there were mean people, like there is in the world, but mostly a lot of nice people donated money to help her. Isn't that nice. It's a good book to read for anyone who loves shopping and needs a little wake up call when it comes to your money. And check out her website http://www.savekaryn.com

The Christmas Train

I'm in the process of weeding through all of my books and ran across this one. I had read it years ago, and was just planning on reading a few pages to see if I still liked it and I got pulled into it and couldn't stop reading. It's a story about a man who takes a train across country during Christmas time to see his girlfriend on L.A., but while on the train, his love from the past happens to be on it to. He quickly realizes the mistake he made with her and trys all the can to get her back. It's a love story mixed in with train info, that makes me want to take a train trip. I've never been on a 'real' train, and should put it on my Life's To Do List, because it sounds like you'll meet lots of interesting people and see some great land in this country.

Life Is Short-Wear Your Party Pants

I'm a sucker for Self Help books. I know that they all pretty much tell you the same things, but I'm drawn to them. Years ago I was drawn to this one, because I liked the title and the cute colorful pants on the cover. I read it, kept it on my bookshelf for a few years, and last night when I was all sad and depressed (mostly about a boy), I remembered that I had it and decided to read it. Its a pretty quick read and has helpful tips mixed in with humor, so you don't get bored. Now, I'm not saying that it's going to change your life (or maybe it will), but it will help you see how to start wearing your party pants and having fun.

The Nanny Diaries

I've read this book before, and when I heard that it was going to be a movie that is coming out this month, I decided to read it again, to see if it was worth being a movie. I think that I actually enjoyed it more the second time, because it's been a few years since I last read it, and I understand more just how people can be and just what they need to do in order to make money. The story follows Nanny, who is a nanny to a little boy who's parents have way to much money and are never there. Are the wealthy really like this? Do they really just give their kid to someone else to raise and do nothing all day while the nanny is putting her life on hold so that she can make sure that the kid gets the love and attention they need? The parents in this book made me mad, because they just treat the people who work for them like crap, and Nanny made me mad to because she put up with their crap. Aside from that, it was still a good read and I'll probably go see the movie when it comes out.

Mr. Maybe

Dispite me assuming that this was going to a predictable book, and it was in a way, I couldn't help but enjoy. Its your typical chick lit book where the 20 something single has trouble finding a man, and decides to just have a fling with a hottie, but ends up falling for him even though he is nothing like she wants in a guy. Enter the guy who has everything that she does want (ie money), but she's not attracted to him, but he's got money and treats her like a princess, so of course she convinces herself that she loves him and almost marries him despite her friends telling her that hes not 'the one'. I didn't really like the guy either, and the hottie fling seemed fab even though he didn't have money. It's a story about how even though we think we know what we want in 'the one' when that person actually appears we realize that maybe its not what we wanted, but wanted something different. So ladies, don't make lists of what you want your dream man to be and have, because when it all comes down to it, you might pick the guy who doesn't meet your list and you won't mind.

Shopaholic And Baby

I love the Shopaholic series. Or at least I used to. The books follow a woman who loves to shops, she's a bit flaky, but fun and carefree. And now she's having a baby. My problem with this book is that I felt like the character hadn't grown up any. After moving from London to New York, getting married, moving back to London, finding out that she has a lost sister, and now is having a baby, clearly which happened over a number of years, the character is still written as she was in the first book. After going through all these changes, I'd hope that a person no longer thinks like a 25 year old who loves to shop, so an actual adult. It bothered me. It was like reading about Jessica Simpson who comes off as a dumb blonde. Surely parenthood would straighten her up a bit. And the book, which was suppose to be funny, had quite a few dramatic bits. Her husband's ex girlfriend comes back and tells Becky that she and her hubby are having an affair. The house they were suppose to buy gets sold to someone else, etc. All while being pregnant. It just didn't seem really realistic. So now I'm wondering if I've matured in my reading, and will no longer like the previous books. I'm gonna have to read them again. My advice is to read the first book Confessions of a Shopaholic. And go in order.

Little Earthquakes

I actually liked this book. It's about 4 woman and their ups and downs with having their first baby. It made me want to have a baby, and to not. As cute and fun as they seem, you read these stories and realize that maybe some people should have waiting. What made me like this book was that the characters were just different enough to be interesting. They all were going through different things that new moms have to go through. You go moms! I think it would be a good book to read if you are having a child soon or just had one, because you could probably relate to these woman better than I could. It was a good read, a bit long, but it kept my attention, which lately has been hard to do.

Forever In Blue

It might seem weird that a 25 year old would be reading a book that was written for teens, but that's how I am. I'll read anything, so it only felt right to read the fourth book in the Sisterhood of The Traveling Pants series since I had read the first three, and I'll stick to what I've said before, the first book is still the best. In this one, the girls have just finished their first year of college and are realizing that things aren't always going to be the same, that it's going to be harder to get together with friends because everyone is somewhere else doing new things, which is true. I remember when my friends and I first started college, one was in Indiana so we never saw her, and it really tests how strong your friendships are with someone. And I think the girls in this book realized that, and the ups and downs of having sex, which 3 out of the 4 girls did. Poor 4th girl got no loving. It wasn't a bad book, I just think that I might have enjoyed it more if I was 19, but being 25 and living through all the stuff they stressed about, it really didn't seem as dramatic as the author might have wanted it to be. Let your teenage friends read it, they might get something out of it.