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I was dissapointed with this book. I love Gawker so I was hoping the Gawker Guide to Conquering All Media would be as witty and hilarious as the columns. But its was sort of lame. It read like it was trying waaay too hard with sections like how to name drop: Mix famous names at pareties to bluff that you know people. For example "Anderson DiCaprio tell the most hilarious penguin story..." Le sigh. Le lame. Le no buy.
Breaking Dawn (5 out of 5 stars)
Little, Brown/ by Stephenie Meyer

The other day, I had my students write a journal about whatever topic they wanted. One of the girls chose to write a letter to Stephenie Meyer, begging her not to postpone the release of her new book. Apparently, half of her working manuscript was leaked onto the internet and now she’s threatening to delay publishing for a long time as a punishment. My student was completely distraught. Having started the Twilight series, she had read the latest, Breaking Dawn, and loved it. This series is incredibly popular with tweens and teens and is being turned into a movie. It’s sort of the girl’s Harry Potter with more sex. I think anything that gets kids reading is the bomb but when I read Breaking Dawn myself I fell under the spell as well. These novels are for kids and adults alike. The characters are interesting and although this book is the weakest of the series, it’s still great. Sure everything gets tied up into a nice bow but that’s what people want in final entries.

 

Inside Out Girl (4 out of 5 stars)
Harper Collins/ by Tish Cohen

Cohen throws all kinds of obstacles at her characters and while some are a little over dramatic, the end result is a charming novel by a Toronto author (woo!). Rachel Berman is an overprotective mom who meets a single dad with a learning-disable daughter. They fall in love and of course things don’t run smoothly. I won’t give anything away and the novel reads quickly and the children in it are quite real. The main character of Rachel however had some flaws to me. Perhaps that’s what makes her real but at times I was very annoyed by the woman. Still, it’s a great book, especially if you’re a parent of a learning-disabled child—you’ll really get the frustration. This would be good for a book club.

 

The Cellist of Sarajevo (5 out o f 5 stars)
Knopf Canada/ by Steven Galloway

This little book is huge. Telling the story of the siege of Sarajevo through three characters’ eyes, the book is moving, uplifting and extremely powerful. The novel centers around a cellist of witnesses 22 people killed while standing in line for bread. He decides to go out every day, risking death, to play Albinoni’s Adagio every day for 22 days for each of the victims. My favourite of the characters was Arrow, a female sniper who I could see in a movie—she’s strong and determined despite all the horror going on around her. She’s also fiercely intelligent and is hired to protect the cellist as he plays. But all three characters taught me something, as did the book in general. Even though it’s a work of fiction, this book and its people stayed with me for some time and I think it’s one I will recommend for a long time.

 

Remembering the Bones (4 out of 5 stars)
HarperCollins/ by Frances Itani

Frances Itani holds a special place in my heart for her novel Deafening—one of my all-time favourites. This one is quite different but does share her gentle writing style. In Remembering the Bones, we meet Georgie, an 80-year-old woman who shares a birthday with the queen and is invited to England for a special birthday dinner for those who do so. As she sets out on her own, her car swerves and falls into a ravine. There, she waits to be rescued and reminisces about her life.
The story is quiet and Georgie’s life, while not thrilling and full of excitement, is still remarkable. The ending is a surprise and the book in general is a warm treat. Curl up with some tea and take your time. It’s a pleasure.

 

The Smart One and the Pretty One (3 out of 5 stars)
5 Spot/ by Claire LaZebnik

I don’t have a sister so I have no idea how it feels to live with one and to be compared to one. This new novel by Claire LaZebnik tries to get the idea across in a chick lit was with a smart sister and a pretty sister. That’s kind of a cliché though, no?
Anywho, the smart one is single and miserable (of course) and the pretty one is airheadish and flighty. The pretty one decides to find the smart one a boyfriend and hilarity ensues. The book is pretty weak although it does entertain to a degree. I found the characters to be quite lame and the smart girl was odd and unrealistic. So if you’re looking for sister chick lit, there are far better titles out there than this one.

 

My husband is a huge James Rollins fan. So when I ran out of books at the cottage earlier this month he had The Last Oracle with him. I started reading with some doubt in my mind but ended up completely engrossed. Rollins takes you on a scientific adventure with this cool realistic but not idea of breeding prphets through austitic children. I love that so much is true and there is a Fact or Fiction section at the back of the book that explains what is. I'm going to read me some more Rollins!

 

Schooled (5 out of 5 stars)
Hyperion/ by Anisha Lakhani

With school starting so soon, I thought it was fitting to read and review the newest trendy private school novel, Schooled. Being a teacher, I know all about the trials abd tribulations we go through including unruly students and pushy parents. Teaching in an affluent small town in Alberta was definitely an eye-opener compared to working in the Jane-Finch corridor where I am now. But Schooled, which follows a brand new teacher into private school in incredibly wealthy Manhattan was something totally new.
Anna Taggert thinks she’s going to be one of those teachers that changes the world when she starts at Langdon Hall, a posh private school in Manhattan. She soon gets caught up in the world of tutoring, charging $250 an hour to basically do her students homework and papers for them. She gets sucked into the posh life and starts shopping at Barney’s and Chanel. Sounds good right? It did to me, who knows first-hand how little teachers get paid. Of course, she then realizes the world isn’t all she thought it would be, bla, blab la.
I don’t know if non-teachers will enjoy this novel as much as I did, but I’m basing my review on my experience with it. Now, if only I could find tutoring clients willing to shell out that kind of cash.

 

Up For Renewal: What Magazines Taught Me About Love, Sex, and Starting Over (4 out of 5 stars)
Atria Books/ by Cathy Alter

I’m a magazine whore. I read ten a month and devour them like candy. They offer a shiny, pretty world so very different from my own it’s like vicarious living. But I don’t take them too seriously and often scoff at the advice they offer. Cathy Alter decided to live by the magazines for a year—following their info without question. She aimed to get rid of upper-arm jiggle, get out of debt, host a perfect dinner party, become a sex goddess, etc. The result is a funny book about her experiences.
By biggest issue with Cathy is that she didn’t realize she was the one screwing her life up to begin with. She was working a job she hated, screwing a jerk co-worker even though she didn’t really want to, and eating crap. You don’t need some huge magazine-fueled epiphany to realize you’re doing some bad shit.
Still, the book was entertaining and although I wish she had gone a little deeper and further with it (she seems to follow things on the surface but doesn’t throw herself in completely) I found myself enjoying the read. It’s not going to change your life, but it might give you a few laughs.

 

The Third Angel (3 out of 5 stars)
Random House/ by Alice Hoffman

So you have a story of three women: Madeleine Heller who becomes obsessed with her sister’s fiancé, Frieda Lewis, who becomes obsessed with a druggie rock star and Bryn Evans, who is set to marry an old rich fart but loves a young hottie. Then you have Lucy Green, who witnessed a horrible accident when she was twelve and then is completely changed. It’s all well-written and engaging but as I sit here to write the review, I struggle to see the point of any of it.
The characters are only somewhat likeable ( I liked Madeleine the least of all) and while their stories are interesting, I didn’t leave the book with a sense of a purpose, or theme or lesson. I’m sure there is one but it just all seemed so scattered. Because she skips through the characters, none of them get a fully finished story except Lucy. It’s still a good read (Hoffman is a very talented writer) but it’s not as satisfying as some of her previous work.

 

The Beach House (5 out of 5 stars)
Viking Canada/ by Jane Green

I’ve never been to Nantucket but after reading The Beach House, man do I want to go. Jane Green is not literature. She’s fluff. But she’s enjoyable fluff for the most part. This is the type of book I normally hate. A bunch of different people with problems come together and then emotional crap happens and then they all “heal.” Ugh, right? But whether it’s the setting or the fact that I’m preggo and a bit sappier, I really got a kick out of this one.
Nan is an eccentric sixty-five year old woman living in Nantucket in a huge house that’s starting to be quite run down. She decides to take in some boarders to help her pay for the house and repairs and so all these troubled people come to Nantucket and become like a family in this house and bond. But it’s enjoyable and not overly-hokey (although it certainly has it’s moments.) My fave are Bee and Daniel, the seemingly perfect couple who have to deal with a divorce now that Daniel has realized he’s gay. It’s a very interesting storyline handled very well. Sure there are some plot holes and fragmented narratives and easy plot wrap-ups. But its’ called the Beach House! It’s fluff so read it as such and call my if you’re going to Nantucket.

 

Chasing Harry Winston (4 out of 5 stars)
Simon and Schuster/ by Lauren Weisberger

This book is getting bashed by all kinds of critics so I’m going to go against the grain here and admit that I liked it. It’s not deep and it’s not particularly well-written but I love the books where I can throw myself into a glam life I don’t have which I did here. I read this while I was supposed to be taking a religion course earlier this summer and it sucked me in enough to tune out my professor which is saying something I guess.
The three characters here are Emmy, Adriana and Leigh, each of whom has some issues. The one character I didn’t like was Adriana but I’m not sure we’re supposed to like her. She’s kind of a superficial, full of herself but yet insecure bitch. I don’t really get the trip portion of the book but otherwise it was jolly good frothy time. Read it in the last days of summer, it suits it.

 

Aw man. I tried really hard not to like this book. I'm not inot sap. I'm not into feel-good fuzzie-wuzzies. But I guess this was laced with just enough sadness for me. The Last Lecture by Randy Pausch is his story, his last lecture, as he is dying. It's sweet and full of messages to help you realize that life is short and we're all blessed in our own ways. Call me sappy, but I loved it.