Book Review: Millie's Fling by Jill Mansell

Millie's Fling by Jill Mansell

After reading Perfect Timing, I knew I had to try another of Jill Mansell's books. I'd heard great things about Millie's Fling and it didn't disappoint. Millie is in a rut. A job rut, a boyfriend rut, and she needs some change. Little does she know that change will come about with her decision to speak to bestselling romance author, Orla Hart. Orla immediately takes Millie "under her wing" and sets about trying to find the perfect man for her....and while she's at it, she's going to write a book about Millie's romantic woes and hopefully the finding of her perfect guy.


Millie's roommate and best friend, Hester, is having her own romantic problems as well. With a boyfriend far away for work and a past crush coming back into town, she is torn as to what she should do. Throw in handsome eligible bachelors of every sort and things start happening. But will Millie be able to find the man of her dreams?

4/5

Book Review: The Next Queen of Heaven by Gregory Maguire

The Next Queen of Heaven: A Novel by Gregory Maguire

This book has one of the most diverse cast of characters I've ever seen. We start out with the rebellious teenage girl (Tabitha) and her super religious mother (Leontina - a Pentacostal). The two brothers of the family - one an attention starved young man that would do anything to please and the other surprisingly like Tabitha. Next we meet the Catholics (they share a parking lot with the mother's chuch). The way we meet them is rather interesting. Leontina sneaks into the Catholic church one morning to "borrow" some cream and gets knocked out by a falling virgin Mary statue.


This is where things really get interesting as Leontina seems to have lost her mind and is left at home with her three children to care for her. But back to the Catholics. My favorite was Jeremy, the gay choir director, and his two friends are trying to find a place to practice for an AIDS benefit concert. Well, the only place they can find is a nunnery. A nunnery full of old retired nuns that ask only for some conversation in exchange for letting the boys used some space there.

Somehow Maguire manages to get all these people tied up into the same story line as Christmas is quickly approaching. I won't want to say too much more or a lot of the surprises would be spoiled. An amazing book, that actually has you looking at a few serious issues of the world in a new way without even realized it until you're finished.

5/5

Book Review: Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler

Twenty Boy Summer by Sarah Ockler

Anna has been best friends with Frankie and her older brother Matt for as long as she can remember. They go and do everything together until one awful day when the unthinkable happens. There is an accident and Matt dies, while Anna and Frankie live. As the girls and their families mourn and try to move on with their lives, Frankie has an idea. When they go on vacation, they make every effort to have a summer fling - to have fun and leave their sadness at home for a few weeks.

Anna reluctantly agrees. In their search for a summer fling they become different people. They lie and sneak around not only from other people but from themselves. Both have secrets they struggle to keep hidden. 

While this was a touching story with some lively characters, much of it seemed disjointed or overly stereotyped. An enjoyable read, but could have been better.

3/5

Book Review: The Writing Circle by Corrine Demas

The Writing Circle by Corrine Demas

This review was probably one of the hardest I had to write. I was so torn on what I thought of the book overall. I loved some of it, but at the same time I found it rather annoying and frustrating. The story follows a group of writers that get together to share their thoughts and their stories with each other. The story follows their lives as their lives quickly become intertwined on a variety of levels - from romance, to hate, to respect, to lasting friendship.

The book is rather confusing at first. It was very difficult to follow the changing narrators at first, but as the story continues and you begin to know the characters, it becomes a wonderful way to tell the story. I think the part that threw me off the most was when people from outside the writing circle became narrators and also became very central to the story. There was almost too much going on to know where you were supposed to be.

After thinking on the book for a few days, I literally could not get it off my mind, I decided that I enjoyed the book enough to be glad that I read it, but not enough to try and read another like it.

3.5

Book Review: The Heart of the Buddha by Elsie Sze

Marian and Ruth may be twin sisters, but they do not always see eye to eye. Such is the case when Marian decides to go to Bhutan, a small country near India, to work in their library for 6 months. During her time in Bhutan something happens to Marian. After a frantic call home from Bhutan to Ruth, several weeks after she was supposed to be back, Ruth decides to go find her twin sister. Her search leads her all across the small country and into neighboring countries as well as she tries to put the last few weeks of her sister's whereabouts together.


Marian and Ruth are both very richly developed characters. They are subject to the whims of their very unique emotions and viewing the country of Bhutan (which I admit to never having heard of before), through both their eyes was fascinating. It was a country rich in culture as well as people. It was also a wonderful look into the Buddhist religion for me.

Throughout the book, you will read of two separate journeys that while vary drastically follow the same path...through love, life, faith, and family.

4/5

This book was received in exchange for a review.  All reviews I give are my honest opinion of what I thought.

Book Review: Seahorses Are Real by Zillah Bethell

A provoking story of Marly and her fiance David. Marly is "damaged" inside and can't seem to find a way to be fixed. David is her lifeline and her outlet of anger and disappointment (in a very bad way). She nags, yells, demeans, and damages him thoughout the story only to regret it seconds later. The pages took the reader into Marly's mind and thoughts as she struggled with, what appears to be, depression and abuse, although they are never named.




4/5

Book Review: The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown

Another typical Dan Brown book, this time leading us on a 10 hour tour of Washington DC's monuments and their ancient symbology. The capital comes to life as Brown describes in exquisite detail the nation's monuments and the artwork found within. This aspect of the book is always what I have found most fascinating in his novel, and The Lost Symbol did not disappoint in this regard. Langdon's long time friend and mentor, Peter Soloman, has summoned him to Washington to speak at a conference. Much to Langdon's suprise, when he arrives he finds that a mysterious man has kidnapped Peter and was actually the one to invite him, but not to speak at a conference, but to solve an ancient mystery in exchange for Peter's life.


I was disappointed a little by Robert Langdon himself. I'm getting a bit tired of his character. I enjoyed him in Angels and Demons and Da Vinci Code, but he has not grown thoughout these stories and he needs a little something extra added to his character if Brown intends to continue the series.

The journey through the capital is fast paced and draws you in, I had a hard time putting the book down when I needed to. The cast of characters are wonderful, but the suprise twist is was a little too easy to figure out if you paid attention. While I greatly enjoyed the story, the last 50 pages or so seemed more like an addition to the story after the fact. They did not quite fit with the rest of the story and kind of ruined the ending for me.

3/5 stars

Review: The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseini

The Kite Runner is the story of Ali, how his actions as a child growing up in Afghanistan before the Taliban took over shaped not only his life, but the life of his childhood friend Hassan. Having grown up together they were best friends, they were like brothers, but their social standings prevented them from ever considering themselves as such. A shocking attack splits their friendship apart, driving them away from each other. Ali's response to this sets the stage that overcomes both of their lives.

This book opened my eyes to how life was like in Afghanistan before and after the "bad times". It is a wonderful story of a culture, a people, and a family. I was drawn into their lives from the first page and longed for more of them after I finished the final page. The story is full of harships overcome and losses that are profound, family lost and found, childhood ruined only to be built back up again. I met several generations of Ali's family from different walks of life and different beliefs. The book is well worth all the accolades it has received.

I'm adding Hosseini's book A Thousand Splendid Suns to the top of my to be bought list. He has a skill with words and a way of telling stories that is one of the best I've ever seen.

5/5 (A memorable read for the year)

Perfect Timing by Jill Mansell

This book was a contest win from Source Books.

The book follows the life of Poppy as she meets a strange man in a bar on the night before her wedding and decides she just can't go through with it.  Too late, she also realizes she has no idea who this mysterious "Tom" is or where to find him.  Now right about here I started thinking this was going to end quite cliche, but the story is full of nothing but surprises.

Poppy moves to London and finds herself sharing a flat with people that you just can't help but love, hate, want to scream at them for being so stupid, and hug when they hurt.  Mansell brings these people to life and slowly fills in the side characters that become more important as the story goes on.

I will definately be picking up another of her books and if it is even half as good as this one I'll be completely hooked on her.