In a nutshell: Shy, awkward Jirina, only fifteen, travels to Paris to embark on a career in modelling, with all the drugs and sex you could imagine. Addictive stuff: I couldn’t put this book down. While the writing isn’t stellar, the story is completely gripping (I love the trashy stuff) and when you keep imagining that this is what Paulina’s life was (sure, sure, it’s a FICTION, we get it) it makes all the dirt all the dirtier. Love the character of Evalinda and can’t for the life of me figure out who she was based on. And I must comment that the ending was completely unsatisfying. I’m guessing they’re setting us up for a sequel? What’s creepy: Jirina has sex with older men. Like, thirty. And when he finds out she’s fifteen he’s grossed out because he thought she was at least 17. Ew.

In a nutshell: The huge phenomenon about how we attract what we ask for. It’s all about positive thoughts and staying happy and optimistic through life. The Secret is, if you ask for and think positive things, the law of attraction states the Universe will give them to you. Why it will change your life: I’m naturally sceptical of these self-help trends, but this one makes sense and it’s something you’ll realize people already do. And once you try it, it gives you an entirely new outlook on life. It won’t make you a millionaire overnight, but it will make you feel happier. So who can complain? What bugged me: The author is Rhonda Byrne but the majority of the book is written by contributors. Hate that.

In a nutshell: Makeup guru Bobbi Brown penned this hardcover about aging gracefully. Why it’s useful: There are great tips I here about not just makeup, but various cosmetic procedures, clothing to suit your body and exercise. What isn’t great: A lot of the advice is very generic and can be found in any other book or fashion magazine out there. Also, there is an entire section on Menopause that mainly advocates Hormone Replacement Therapy, recently linked to a higher risk of Ovarian Cancer. Yikes!

In a nutshell: A man obsessed with the alphabet learns he has one month to live. He sets out with his wife around the world, from Amsterdam to Zanzibar. Why it’s good: Richardson’s writing is simply lovely and the entire premise is highly original. I read it in two sittings! Why it’s only so-so: It’s only 139 pages and it’s hard to get to know the characters in that short a time span. We’re looking forward to his next novel!

In a nutshell: The tawdry and glitzy lives of the students, parents and headmistress of an expensive private school. Why it’s delicious: Jackson’s writing is addictive, making you keep the pages turning right until the end. Plus, the characters’ stories are perfectly interwoven. We loved the evil headmistress that gets herself into a whole lot of trouble thanks to a certain handsome teacher. What’s weird: Why is the cover art and title so close to last year’s hit, Prep?

In a nutshell: Well, we are destroying our planet and it is heating up at an alarming rate. Basically, we have no idea how to deal with the monster we’ve created. Why people will listen: Kolbert doesn’t rant or rage in an alarmist fashion—she’s all about the facts. Why it’s also a great read: The writing here is simple and easy to understand, and very engaging. There is no excuse now to say you don’t “get” global warming. And if anyone says it—get them a copy of this book and a copy of An Inconvenient Truth on DVD and wrap them in recycled ribbon.

My favourite over-spender is at it again, this time discovering the world of shopping that opened up to you when you’re pregnant. Of course, that’s not all that’s going on—she finally gets a n appointment with the obstetrician to the stars Venetia Carter and finds out the glamorous red-head with swishy hair and Gucci heels is her husband’s ex-girlfriend.
Suddenly, Luke is spending a lot of time with Venetia and Becky begins to get nervous. Luke starts acting very strange and as always, she starts to concoct ways to find out what the deal is.
Sure, by now the Shopaholic books are getting very predictable, but that’s part of their charm, I guess. I wouldn’t want to read all of a sudden how Becky suffers a tragedy or loses her appetite for the mall. That’s not the point of these books. They’re a bit of frosting on your blah day. I read this one while very stressed out from work and was able to escape for a few hours, leaving the everyday doldrums behind.
I do wish Kinsella would pick up with the character from Can You Keep a Secret though. It would be a refreshing change of pace.

Ever wonder why the super-sweet Hannibal Lecter became the way he is? Thomas Harris’s new novel gives readers that back story and ends up ultimately as unsatisfying as Ellen Pompeo’s arm would be as a snack.
Not giving too much away, Hannibal had a very sucky childhood and endured a lot of painful things during World War II. Uh—didn’t a whole bunch of people? And they don’t eat humans.
Anyway, ultimately the book sort of feels like it was forced, a new cash-cow if you will, since the movie came out already and even that wasn’t very good. There are glimmers or Harris’s brilliance here and there but they’re not that common. It’s an interesting read for fans of the character but doesn’t provide that extra insight into him the way I was hoping it would. Fans will probably enjoy it but others should read the original books instead.

So wedding season is coming up and all the crazy bridezillas are freaking out that they only have about four months left to make their personalized lace crocheted cozies to hand out as favours. Of course, I’m getting married on July 28th and am nothing like all those people. I think. Anyway, I loved looking through this beautiful hardcover to get ideas for mine.
Michelle Rago is the next big thing in weddings and she really does have some nice ideas and colour palettes in here. The people she works with obviously have lots ‘o money and I don’t but still, it was fun to check out what other people did for their weddings. Some things seemed quite ridiculous and I disagree with her about having a “theme,” but I guess these types of books are just meant to be inspirational. The point she really tries to drive home is that your wedding should express your individuality and be unique to you. She suggests looking at season, setting and situation to help you choose what your day will look like. Cookie-cutter weddings are boring. Change it up.
The photography in here is gorgeous and the book itself is large and glossy. Flip through it at Chapters first and if Rago reflects your style, it’s probably worth buying.

I am a makeup whore. I have tons and I just can’t stop buying it. But I’d never tried Laura Mercier. After reading this book, I too wanted the flawless face. After years of red cheeks I always wished I could have that smooth supple skin I saw on my friend’s faces.
The book is great. It gives you step by step instructions on how to use products, what order to go in, how to contour, etc. I headed out to Holt Renfrew and bought her Secret Camouflage. I had versions of everything else she suggested. You know what? It works. Her steps are effective, which is really impressive. The book also has a great, positive tone. She never pushes her products or even mentions them by name, which is refreshing. She also focuses on letting women know it’s their quirks that make them beautiful. I really enjoyed this book with its stunning photography and very much recommend to any lover of beauty.

Synopsis: Laura Mercier's philosophy is simple. A perfect face -- radiant, flawless, and soft -- is the first and most important step in achieving your best possible look. For years Laura has been transforming celebrities such as Sarah Jessica Parker, Julia Roberts, and Mariah Carey with her hallmark Flawless Face method. Her signature product line, Laura Mercier Cosmetics, is an international success, and her editorial work frequents the covers of the most chic fashion magazines. Her products are loved by everyone from makeup artists to real women, people who appreciate straightforward products that deliver what they promise. Now, for the tenth anniversary of Laura Mercier Cosmetics, Laura's handing her time-tested tricks over to you. The New Beauty Secrets presents the techniques that she's mastered and honed through an extraordinary life in beauty in a simple, professional manner.
Alongside Laura's easy-to-follow, step-by-step advice you'll find the straight beauty talk that has made her the trusted confidant of so many. Whether she's exploring the pros and cons of plastic surgery, divulging the secrets of perfect lip liner, or sharing her recipe for the most relaxing bath, Laura's warm, expert voice welcomes you into her world -- a world brought to life with personal snapshots, elegant sketches, and glamorous photographs of renowned beauties wearing makeup by Laura. Read along as Sharon Stone, Julianne Moore, and others reveal what makes Laura such a genius. The New Beauty Secrets is the ultimate handbook for every woman who loves makeup and wants to look her best.
In The New Beauty Secrets you will learn how to:
• Streamline your skincare routine to get the best complexion
• Replicate the Flawless Face Method that Laura uses on her celebrity clients
• Find the eyeshadow hues that best complement your eye color
• Prevent your lipstick from feathering, bleeding, or fading
• Design an eyebrow shape that's perfect for your face
• Indulge in at-home beauty treatments that will help you glow, de-stress, and detox.
--Simon & Schuster

This book was the winner of the Man Booker Prize of 2006, a fact that made me pick it up with some trepidation. After all, to win that it must be super-intelligent and smarty-pants and was I really in the mood to make my brain work? Instead, I found myself immersed in the story, brain working and all, without even realizing it.
Yes, it’s a smarty-pants book, but you don’t even realize it. The characters in The Inheritance of Loss are so interesting you don’t want to put the book down. A beautiful read, and a great way to spend an afternoon on the couch.

Synopsis: In a crumbling, isolated house at the foot of Mount Kanchenjunga in the Himalayas lives an embittered judge who wants only to retire in peace, when his orphaned granddaughter, Sai, arrives on his doorstep. The judge’s cook watches over her distractedly, for his thoughts are claimed by his son, Biju, who is hopscotching from one gritty New York restaurant to another. When an Indian–Nepali insurgency in the mountains interrupts Sai’s exploration of the many incarnations and facets of a romance with her Nepali tutor, and causes their lives to descend into chaos, they are forced to consider their colliding interests.
In a generous vision, sometimes funny, sometimes sad, Desai presents the human quandaries facing a panoply of characters. This majestic novel of a busy, grasping time—every moment holding out the possibility of hope or betrayal—illuminates the consequences of colonialism and global conflicts of religion, race, and nationalism.

Michael Crichton has a great imagination and a talent for writing. They are full of original ideas and have served him well. But with Next, the writing part faltered. The best character is a talking parrot. ‘Nuff said.
While full of great ideas, the novel ended up disjointed and lacking in character development. Leaving the reader wanting, Next does not have a pleasing narrative. It doesn’t make you want to read more. The ideas are remarkable, but the book doesn’t follow though on them properly. Perhaps Crichton was too focused on making money, or creating an awesome action movie, but I’ll give this one a pass and see what he comes up with “next.”

Synopsis: Is a loved one missing some body parts? Are blondes becoming extinct? Is everyone at your dinner table of the same species? Humans and chimpanzees differ in only 400 genes; is that why a chimp fetus resembles a human being? And should that worry us? There's a new genetic cure for drug addiction—is it worse than the disease?
We live in a time of momentous scientific leaps, a time when it's possible to sell our eggs and sperm online for thousands of dollars and to test our spouses for genetic maladies.
We live in a time when one fifth of all our genes are owned by someone else, and an unsuspecting person and his family can be pursued cross-country because they happen to have certain valuable genes within their chromosomes . . .
Devilishly clever, Next blends fact and fiction into a breathless tale of a new world where nothing is what it seems and a set of new possibilities can open at every turn.
Next challenges our sense of reality and notions of morality. Balancing the comic and the bizarre with the genuinely frightening and disturbing, Next shatters our assumptions and reveals shocking new choices where we least expect.
The future is closer than you think.

I am all about Canadian authors. It was my specialty in University and I’ve loved them ever since. But once in a while I’ll come across one who is trying was too hard. That’s what I found here.
The premise of the book sounded really cool—a family curse causes the Herve children to be born either as brutes or runts. Sounds like the basis of a great story. But it falls flat. The characters are interesting but the writing around them is too flowery, overly poetic, interfering with the story. While I love me some great writing (hee), it doesn’t work here and ends up causing the book to suffer as a whole. I kept putting it down and turning to something else for a while before I could pick it up again. It’s not a bad book, but it’s not a page-turner for me.
On a side note, read this review someone from the Edmonton Journal wrote that excerpted on the back: "Lyrical, compelling, moving (both figuratively and literally) the characters in Vandal Love drift and converge and procreate and take flight like birds on the wing." Ew. I’m guessing this is a failed writer? Who writes like that? I got a laugh out of it and thought you might too.

Synopsis: An astonishing novel, Vandal Love follows generations of a unique French-Canadian family across North America, and through the twentieth century, as they struggle to find their place in the world.
A family curse – a genetic trick resulting from centuries of hardship – causes the Hervé children to be born either giants or runts. Book I of Vandal Love follows the giants’ line, exploring Jude Hervé’s career as a boxer in Georgia and Louisiana in the 1960s, his escape from that brutal life alone with his baby daughter Isa, and her eventual decision to enter into a strange, chaste marriage with a much older man.
Book II traces a different kind of life entirely, as the runts of the family discover that their power lies in a kind of unifying love. François searches for years for his missing father; his own son, Harvey, flees from modern society into spiritual quests. But none of the Hervés can abandon their longing for a place where they might find others like themselves.
In assured and almost mystically powerful prose, D.Y. Béchard tells a wide-ranging, spellbinding story of a family trying to create an identity in an unwelcoming North America. Political, poetic, and philosophically searching, and imbued throughout with a deep sensitivity to the physical world, Vandal Love is a breathtaking literary debut about the power of love to create and destroy – in our lives, and in our history. – Random House