So far, Weiner has really hooked me!

The Debutante (4 out of 5 stars)
Harper Collins/ by Kathleen Tessaro

I received this book from the lovely folks at Harper Collins with the promise that it would be a great summer read. I had read Kathleen Tessaro’s Elegance and quite enjoyed it so I looked forward to getting lost in this one. And while it kept me engrossed, something about the book just didn’t fly with me.

Let’s explain. The story begins in London in the office of Deveraux and Diplock, Valuers and Auctioneers of Quality where the firm’s owner, Rachel Deveraux is sending her long standing employee, Jack Coates off to an English estate in the country on a valuing job with her niece Cate who has recently (and mysteriously) returned from New York. They get to the estate (called Endsleigh) and there Cate find a locked room with a hidden box of treasures (sparkly shoes and a Tiffany bracelet among others) which immediately capture her imagination. Here is where the story of the Blythe sisters starts weaving into the story through letters written by Diana (Baby) Blythe.

Cate starts to research the story and starts finding out about the Blythe sisters tragic past. Here is where the novel flattered a bit for me. I much would have preferred a book about the Blythe sisters themselves. Period. I didn’t care too much for the Cate/ Jack storyline and found their conversations very forced and manipulated. I LOVED the Blythe story. The mystery really sucked me in and intrigued me. I think the book would have been a complete winner if it had taken place in the 1930s and just explored that tale.

The ending is quite satisfying but there is one element I found missing which I can’t really write about without giving it all away. But perhaps you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about when you read it. Because I do recommend you read it. It’s a lovely story and the mystery is incredibly well thought out and put together. Just when I think I know where it’s going I was surprised. Recommended.

The Modern Girl’s Guide to Sticky Situations (3 out of 5 stars)
Harper Collins/ by Jane Buckingham

I’m a magazine whore. I buy about 7 a month and read them cover to cover even though (naturally) the content really starts to repeat itself. Reading The Modern Girl’s Guide to Sticky Situations, felt to me like reading a magazine article (but without the pretty pictures).

The premise of the book is to help a gal out when she finds herself in a pickle, such as the following:

• Send an e-mail you instantly regret
• Botch your self-tan
• Discover your best friend's husband is cheating on her
• Break your corkscrew while opening your only bottle of wine
• Run into your ex and need to look hot, fast!
• Are expected to name your baby after a family member with an awful name

All sounds like possible magazine articles, no? I was entertained while reading. Buckingham is solid and has a great sense of humour. I giggled at a few parts, and wrinkled my nose as some situations aren’t just sticky they’re icky.

But did I really learn anything? Not so much. Is this a book I ever would have purchased? Not so much. It’s sort of a novelty book. It would make a great gift for that friend of yours who always has a drama of some sort and is complaining about it. So bottom line—it’s cute and would make a cute present for someone, but it’s not a must-have or must-read by any means. I’m pretty sure 90% of the info was in this month’s issue of Glamour.

My Alphabet Playbook (5 out of 5 stars)
Little Simon/ by Romero Britto

I realize my daughter is a little young at 18 months to be learning the alphabet but she’s just such a genius (oh yeah)I thought I’d take a shot. Luckily for me, she was just fascinated by the colours and pop-out letters in Romero Britto’s My Alphabet Playbook.

It’s a board book that has a picture of something that starts with the letter for each one. I appreciate that once you’re popped the letter out, it goes neatly back in and stays in thanks to these little extra slivers of cardboard. Well designed, friends.

Sure, the items aren’t very original (H is for House, L is for Lion) but it’s cute enough to entertain me and colourful enough to make Charlotte pay attention. In the back of the book are these little stands you can pop out and use to create sculptures with the letters which is also sort of coolio.

I like this one, I rate it “A”…for….what else? Apple.

Heart of the Matter (4 out of 5 stars)
St. Martin’s Press/ by Emily Giffin

Whoa. What is with Emily Giffin and cheating? I think someone seriously has some issues. Most of her books involve it in some way, her newest being no exception. Don’t get me wrong, I still loved it, and the day a new Giffin book shows up is a happy happy day in my household.

I have to be vague with details here because no one wants to give anything away for my lovely readers. Tessa Russo is the mother of two young children and married to a skilled pediatric surgeon. She has recently quit her job so that she can stay at home and focus on being a mom, but her decision has left her with a vague dissatisfaction. Valerie Anderson is a single mother to six-year-old Charlie, as well as an attorney. She's fairly satisfied with her life, but can't shake the feeling that something is missing. One night the lives of these two women intersect, and nothing will be the same for them again.

Where Giffin is seriously skilled, is bringing issues that you think would be black and white and making you peer into both sides of a story. You feel for both women, although I certainly sided with one over the other. I was completed engrossed from the get-go and couldn’t put it down. So while it’s not a literary feat, it’s a well-written and fascinating work from a very very talented writer.

This is Why You’re Fat (4 out of 5 stars)
Wellness Central/ by Jackie Warner

I reviewed a circuit training DVD by Jackie Warner a few months ago where I stated that she scared me. She’s quite an intimidating lady. And I couldn’t get the fear out of my head while I read this book! But I think that’s a very good thing…
She’s actually a good writer (or has a good ghost writer). She laments over the state of society today and I totally agree with her. She writes: “"We are a nation of sick, unhealthy people wasting away and mutating into sad, fat, and lethargic people, just getting fatter and sadder by the second. We are an out-of-control nation with out-of-control waistlines. I have noticed that a mass panic is setting in. I see it every day in the faces of people and desperate e-mails from around the country. So many people are tired, always dragging and feeling exhausted. Many are a walking medicine chest, dependent of pills to control everything from high blood pressure to sleep deprivation, and are chronically fatigued and depressed. Others can't climb a flight of stairs or walk a block without gasping for air. Millions of people are alive, but hardly living." So sad, but so true.

In this book, Jackie lays out an eating and exercise plan to get you in shape and get you healthy. It’s very clear and easy to follow, which I liked a lot. The food consists of clean eating (no crap) and she tells you why. You’re also allowed two cheat meal son the weekend which is kind os a trick I think because if you’re eating clean all week you’ll get to a point where a calorie-laden binge just won’t sound good anymore.

The workout is circuit-training combined with cardio. It’s a fabulous program, but TOUGH. I took off one star because I can’t be in the gym five days a week. I can do three. And she mandates cardio five days a week which to me just sucks. Also, she says her workouts are 20 minutes and they’re not. They’re 50 three times a week and 20 the other days. So I don’t get that. But I guess it works.

I did the workouts and they’re really really good. They keep things fresh and moving without those boring rest periods (I hate those). Overall, this is a great book for those who are looking for a lifestyle change. It’s not a diet, it’s not a fad but it is a recipe for good healthy living. And who doesn’t want that?