BookPikks

A cute story about Jane, a thirty something New York single who is trying to break away from her domineering mother and find the right guy.  An easy summer beach read, but nothing that will change your life.  I mostly enjoyed it because we were just in New York City, where most of the book is set, so I could picture in my mind most of the places that the characters went.

After her childhood best (and only) friend Cameron suddenly disappears, Jennifer is lost.  The only way she can cope is to completely transform herself from “loser” into “cool.”  When Cameron reappears years later, Jennifer is shocked.  Suddenly the popular image she has created for herself begins to crumble as she begins to confront secrets from the past.  An excellent young adult novel.

This book caught my eye when I was in a reading dry spell–nothing good to read at home, and desperate for a little escape fiction. I finished it, and it did provide me with a break from reality for a few hours. But, they definitely weren’t hours well-spent. I just need to stop reading Luanne Rice. I loved her when I first discovered her, but after the first 10 books, I realized that they were all basically the same, and after the second 10 books, she really started to get on my nerves. And yet, I read another one of her books. . . This one will be the last.

What does it mean when you can skip whole paragraphs of a book, and not really miss anything?  I know, I know, how can I criticize Nicholas Sparks?  Who am I to question the king of modern day romantic fiction?  But honestly, I had to flip through the book to remember what it was about, and I read it last week!  It just didn’t make much of an impression on me, and I don’t really want to spend any more time writing about it.

I will say this, if you love Sparks’ typical “formula” for writing books, you won’t be disappointed in this one.  His story about a faithful husband, standing by his wife during the darkest of times is very sweet.  However, I know Sparks is a very capable writer, and I’d love to see him take it to the next level.

Cathy Kelly is my new favorite “chick lit” author. She writes interesting, funny romantic fiction. Her characters are unique, likeable and you genuinely care about what happens to them. Her books are set in modern day Ireland, and I love reading phrases like, “They tucked into dinner” or words like divan, flat or holiday (as in trip). There’s nothing deep about her books whatsoever, but if you need a novel to read at the beach, pick up one of Kelly’s books.