REVIEW for The Treasure Map of Boys

Thank you to Knopf Delacorte Dell Young Readers Group for sending this book along to me.






TITLE: The Treasure Map of Boys

AUTHOR: E. Lockhart
GENRE: YA

RATING: 3 Stars




The Treasure Map of Boys features our main character Ruby Oliver - her life is a bit of a disaster - having lost her best friend, she has panic attacks and she is sharing a lot of time with her therapist. I am not sure what to make of this book. The main character was cute and funny, despite all her melodrama (and there is lots of it here). It certainly reminded me of how dramatic I would get in high school at a time when EVERYTHING seemed to make me go over the top.


I think the problem I had with this novel is that it felt as though it was aimed at a much younger audience than YA. Some of the writing felt a little juvenile and the social issues tackled here felt as though only the surface was scratched. This is not a horrible book in the least, but it just did not measure up to my expectations compared to so many other YA social issues books that I have read in the last year.

REVIEW for The Cutting

Thank you to James Hayman for sending me a copy of his great book!

TITLE: The Cutting

AUTHOR: James Hayman

GENRE: Thriller

RATING: 4 Stars

Although I seem to have stayed a little from my love of thrillers (this was mainly due to the fact that I wasn't finding many good ones) I have to say that I am happy, happy to have discovered The Cutting. This book is absolutely thrilling (yes, pun intended).

Our main character Mike McCabe was a NYPD cop - he has seen it all and frankly, he is tired of it, add to this the fact that his personal life is a mess considering his wife has just walked out on him and their daughter, he decides to needs to move to a quieter and more civilized place - he thinks he has found this in Portland, Maine (which always makes me think of Stephen King-land!!). However, the horror seems to have found him again. A victim is found murdered, with their hearts surgically (and professionally done?) and now, a young woman is missing - McCabe knows that he is in a time crunch to find her - before this maniac removes her heart and leaves her for dead.

Of course, as Murphy's Law would have it, this is also the time where McCabe's "former" wife re-enters his life and demands custody of their daughter. There is alot going on in this novel and all of it is compulsively readable. I like that McCabe has lots of personal problems going on, while he is trying to deal with a maniac, it made him very down to earth and human to me - I hate it when I read a story about a detective that seems to walk on water somehow. This is a flawed man trying to find a maniac and the lines can get a little blurry at times - great stuff! The descriptions of the murders and the details of the condition of the victims is just enough to make me engrossed in the storyline without being totally grossed out.

The author is very good at pushing his story along at a good pace without rushing it too much or without slowing it down too much with useless details. I loved the way the author mingles his main character's life as center stage AT THE SAME time as the murder story.

This book is one of those books that I had a hard time putting down and kept saying "one more page". I loved it

MUSINGS on OWNING A USED BOOKSTORE - part 4

Today, I thought I would talk about the two "touchy" subjects for me when I owned a bookstore.

The first one is that many people seemed to think that I made tons and tons of $$$ owning a bookstore. They would bring in their books - say a paperback that they paid $8.99 for and I would give them $1.50 for it (if it was recent). I would then turn around and put a price of $4.00 for it (which is half the cover price and pretty standard for a used bookstore!). Somehow, because of this, people always thought that I was making a ton of money.

However, the price difference between what I paid for it and what I am selling it for ($2.50) has to pay for: the GST (Canadian tax which is NOT waived on books in Canada - this is 7% - because believe me, the government expected to get this money back even on a used book). Yes, I know that this could be debated for years - the question being just how many times should the GST be charged on that one same book!!!! but the Canadian government didn't care and did expect their $$$$. Then, of course, I have to pay rent, city taxes (which unfortunately tripled when I bought the store), insurance (and because my store was next to a restaurant AND was in a tricky part of the neighborhood) was extremely high (I am talking in the thousands of dollars each year). Then I also had to pay for my electricity, water and garbage tax (which was NOT part of the city tax bill) and I also had to have $ to buy more inventory and oh yeah! to pay my own personal rent, eat and pay my own bills. So, really that $2.50 had to go a pretty long way.

I think one of the problems is the misconception of people and books - I think that many people have heard of these "found an old book in the attic and it was worth a bizzillion dollars" and they now all think that every book is valuable. Unfortunately, this is really not the case. I think that some of my clients thought that I had a stash of "precious and extremely expensive books" somewhere that I was liquidating on the side and making a fortune with - this was soooo not the case.

One of the problems is that Montreal is NOT known for being a "hidden treasure trove" for old and antique books. I mean, I am thinking that places like New York and Boston (where English books have alot more value and also that literature has a whole history) would be the places to go. Montreal is NOT known for its literature (especially in English) and frankly, one of the reasons we have the most horrible libraries in Canada is because Quebecois people do not read very much (I think we have some of the lowest numbers in Canada). So, really, how many great, great, antique finds am I going to make? especially competing with those guys who really only buy and sell antique books and actually have some market for them???

So, the answer is that although I did an okay living financially (and I am not talking about passion here - strictly financial) I certainly was not racking in the $$$$.

The second pet peeve I have is when I am buying books. I have noticed that there are two types of booksellers. Those that think their books are worth a mint (any book) and those that just want to get rid of their books. For those who want to get rid of their books, they often will leave them with me (or just take any offer that I make them). However, the real problem comes in when I find myself face to face with the other type of seller.

I have noticed that, in most cases, when these sellers comme in the door, they have already calculated in their own heads how much $$ I should give them AND they have already spent it in their minds. So, imagine their reaction when I say "sorry, there is not really any book here that I need for my inventory" or.... "I will give you.....$....for these" (and it turns out that this amount is way below the amount they wanted). Yikes!!! this was always the most difficult and touchy part of owning a bookstore. I can't tell you how many times I have been called a "bitch" or some other kind words because I would not buy a book from someone.

My most vivid memory is that of a guy who I would see passing on the main street at least 2 times a day every day. He was a big guy and was in his 30s or early 40s. He did not have a job. He was also not a client of mine. One day, he walked in with a box full of Buffy the Vampire Slayer books and although they were in good condition, I had not market for these at all. I told him that unfortunately I would not be able to buy his books. Well, first he got all red in the face, then he spat (spit????) at me! I mean he aimed right at me and spit!!!! He got me on the chest and it was disgusting. I immediately told him to leave as I reached for the phone to call the police (we were in the store alone). He grabbed his box and threatened to come back and break all my windows.

I was stunned and pretty scared AND on top of that, I really believed that he might break my windows - and this was a very, very scary threat - I had 4 windows and each of these were over $2000.00 each to replace (not to mention that once these were broken anyone could get into the store and do more damage or steal books). So, I have to tell you that for the next few months, I kept expecting the police to call me to tell me that my windows had been broken - and every morning when I came to work, I kept expecting to see broken windows. That was tough and very, very scary.

Needless to say, he never came back again. I have seen him once or twice on the street since then and I want to go right up to him and smack him in the face with my fist - but I am thinking that is probably not such a good idea.

REVIEW for The Citi Commonsense Money Guide for Real People

Thank you to Sarah at ECW Press for sending me this very important and topical book!!!







TITLE: The Citi Commonsense Money Guide
for Real People

AUTHORS: Dara Duguay and Bill Knight

GENRE: Personal Finance

RATING: 4 Stars

I like the title of this book "Commensense" which seems to escape many people (including myself) when it comes to anything to do with money. I have become more and more intrigued over the years at the way we spend our money and more speficially "why" we feel a need to spend. Although this book does not look at the in depth psychological reasoning behind the "buy, buy, buy" mentalit (it does not claim to) - this book does take another important look at money i.e. what is the best way to handle our money and, more importantly, what is the best way to ensure that we hold on to our money and make it work for us in the best possible way.

This book was written by Citi - which is a pretty major company in the US - and I like that they created a book for both US and Canadians. I read the Canadian version and loved that all the financial terms and various aspects were aimed at Canadians. Although I have read many financial books, I usually end up skipping entire chapters when they start talking about 401K's etc.... This book is all Canadian and includes a very interesting and detailed look at issues such as the cost of education and a very honest look at how much it really does us to own a home.

This book strips away alot of the "glorified" look at the issues of homeowning for example and tells us honestly that owning a home can/is more expensive than we think and that although it can be the best course of action - we need to look at owning a home from many different points of view before entering into this long term goal.

There is an interesting section on how to get out of debt which I thought was informative (although I tend to read the sections that affect me directly). But here again, I like that the book basically tells you that "yes" you can get out of debt, but you have to work at it. In other words, this book was not written with "pie in the sky" hopes and dreams.

It is a down to earth and realistic look at the world of personal finance today and is aimed at everyone (including those with $1.00 in the bank and those with one million dollars).

A very, very informative look at the state of our personal finances in these difficult times.

REVIEW for Girl to the Core

Thank you goes out to Knopf Delacorte Dell Young Readers Group for sending me this book






.

TITLE: Girl to the Core

AUTHOR: Stacey Goldblatt

GENRE: YA

RATING: 3 Stars



I am a big fan of YA and I especially like any type of novels that encourage "girl power" which is why I was extremely attracted to this book.

We meet Molly who is dating Trevor, but she is not liking the direction this relationship is heading into, especially since she feels some peer pressure to go further than she is willing to go. Trevor is caught making out with his ex and Molly walks away from him - but she feels guilty inside, thinking that it is her fault that he went back to his ex - at the same time feeling hearbroken and scared.

Molly finds some comfort at a Girl Corps Club and the more time she spends with these young girls, the more she starts finding herself and her inner strength. Unfortunately, this is not liked by everyone around Molly and the second part of this novel focuses on Molly trying to find her voice AND her place in her life.

I thought the message here was very well portrayed. Molly has felt penalized for standing by her convictions and, later as she finds inner strength, she realizes that she is allowed to stand by her convictions and do what she feels is best for her.

The stories of Molly and the little girls and the interaction between them was cute and very well written and certainly gave a clear voice to this novel.

The one problem I had with this novel was the speed - its kind of slow pace and I knew that I was in trouble from the first few sentences - I am glad that I read through the book because it is fun, but it could have moved at a wayyyyyyy faster pace.

REVIEW for Access Denied

Thank you to Little, Brown Young Readers for sending me a copy of this book.








TITLE: Access Denied

AUTHOR: Denise Vega

GENRE: YA

RATING: 4 Stars




Access Denied is the second book in the series, but fortunately, you do not have to have read the first book to get up to speed. Eric Swift had a rough school year, I mean how would you feel if everyone got to read your private blog - I mean, everyone at your high school (and probably other high schools as well). Well, this year she is determined to have "the" best year. She is surrounded by her friends, her cute and cool "ex" as well as a bit of a mystery thrown in - Erin has a new "locker" partner and this girl is everything Erin is not (i.e. cool). This is, no doubt, why Erin is drawn to her - but Erin will find herself having to make some tough choices this year - or risk being the center of attention once again.

I am am adult who enjoys reading YA and this book was extremely entertaining. As I read it, it brought me back to how absolutely angst-ridden being in high school can be. Every little thing seems like a major life choice and I have to say that Erin has a knack for finding herself in some ackward situation to say the last. I liked that this book was NOT all about sex, sex and more sex, but rather about a young girl who is trying to find her way and is trying to fit in, without compromising her principles (too much anyway).

There are some seriously funny passages, as well as some more touching and deep messages to all YA. I really enjoyed this one

REVIEW for Cemetery Dance

A big thank you to Miriam at Hachette Books for sending me this great novel!









TITLE: Cemetery Dance

AUTHORS: Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child

GENRE: Thriller

RATING; 4 Stars



I actually discovered authors Preston and Child in a bit of an off way.

From 2001 to 2005, I owned a used bookstore (with a pretty big inventory) and I had so many of my clientele asking me if I had any books written by these two that I thought it was high time that I discovered what all the fuss was about.

I read "The Relic" and I was hooked - which is kind of interesting because I usually like my thrillers, for the most part, to be pretty straightforward and down and gritty, but with anything written by Preston and Child, I found myself salivating at the thought of reading their stuff!

Cemetery Dance is another absolute winner in the "this book is bizarre and I can't figure out how its gonna end - but I love it, love it" category. Indeed, we find an "old" "friend" returning from "The Relic" - who will be killed by someone who is already dead! Enter Police Officer Vincent D'Agosta and FBI Agent Aloysius Pendergast who make it their mission to find out how a dead man, could have possibly murdered - and this time its personal - as the murder victim was a personal frined of D'Agosta!

It is difficult to write this review without giving away any of the "wow" moments and, believe me, there are many in this book.

This storyline has twists and turns and I found myself saying, on many occasions, "I can't believe that just happened". These two authors have a way with spinning a story that gives me the chills - everything and I do mean everything is possible with them.

I really loved this book - its exciting, supernatural and creepy. LOVED IT.

REVIEW for Divorce Party

A big thank you goes out to FSB Associates

www.fsbassociates.com for sending this book to me!

TITLE: The Divorce Party

AUTHOR: Laura Dave

GENRE: Contemporary Fiction

RATING: 4 Stars

I am a fan of chick lit and usually don't really enjoy reading contemporay fiction written for women - but I made an exception for The Divorce Party because I thought the premise sounded so intriguing. I am soooo glad that I did. Author Laura Dave is wonderful, wonderful and creating characters that are touching, realistic and pure joys to read.

In Divorce Party - we get to read about two women who are, technically, at exact opposite places when it comes to their love life. Gwyn has been married for 35 years and instead of celebrating her 35th year, she is planning a divorce party. Gwyn is at a place in her life where she needs to re-evaluate herself and her own belief system about love, companionship and men in general and where they fit into her life.

Basically where does love for the man in your life end and where does the love for yourself begin?

At the same time, her soon to be daughter-in-law Maggie, who is supposed to be in the early stage of her relationship with the man that she wants to marry and this is supposed to be the best time of her life. She is in love and nothing can stop her - but yet, Maggie seems to be at a place in her life where she needs to re-evaluate herself and her own belief system about love, companionship and men in general and where they fit into her life.

Basically where does love for the man in your life end and where does the love for yourself begin? This premise had me completely involved and Dave manages to tell both of their stories, in alternating chapters, in such a respectful and moving way that I fell in love with this whole storyline and the two strong characters who are not afraid to look at what they really want/need in their life.

This is definitely a book written from a woman's point of view and it is extremely touching (and I HATE to cry when I am reading).

This is a definite read.

SAY NO TO BOOK BANNING

I was just checking out the Net today and came across this article and I could not believe it!!! I got so mad!!!!!

Wow! this is still happening in 2009?

I hate, hate people who think they are "holier than thou"........



http://suburbanjournals.stltoday.com/articles/2009/02/09/west/news/doc4990569ab10ab448957930.txt

What do you think???????

REVIEW for Easy on the Eyes

Thank you Miriam for sending me this great book!

TITLE: Easy on the Eyes

AUTHOR: Jane Porter

GENRE: Chick Lit

RATING: 4 Stars

Although I am a huge fan of chick lit, for some reason, I had never read any Jane Porter and was not certain what to expect.

Let me say that Easy on the Easy caught my attention immediately because the main character Tiana Tomlinson is actually 38 years old - which is kind of "positivity old" in the chick lit world - although this is slowly changing thank goodness! Not only is Tiana 38, but she is 38 AND is in the daily spotlight in a world where youth is EVERYTHING.

I loved this plotline and could not wait to read the rest of the storyline. I really loved the character of Tiana - who is a strong female character who actually embraces all the lines on her face and refuses to have "any work done" as the studio executives suggest (at which point my own blood was pretty much boiling!). I like that although she was tough, she was also very realistic and honest with herself - knowing full well that life for her, was not about to get any easier, as she gets older.

There is an interesting look at the shady world of youth and beauty in the "public eye" and I found this to be as interesting as what happens to the main character. Somewhat predictably, she is given a male "protogonist" who just happens to be a doctor - which gives for some interesting dialogue and some fun "situations".

But what really clinched this book for me was the "meeting" that happens towards the end of the book in which Tiana is forced to look at her own reality - this part of the book brought tears to my eyes at times and kind of put the whole concept of beauty and youth into perspective for me. I thought it was a nice touch to the storyline.

This book was great fun to read and actually had a strong message attached to it.

REVIEW for Twenties Girl

A very, very special thank you goes out to the wonderful Jess at Random House Canada for sending me Twenties Girl.


TITLE: Twenties Girl

AUTHOR: Sophie Kinsella

GENRE: Chick Lit

RATING: 3 Stars

http://www.randomhouse.ca/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780385342025

I am a fan of Sophie Kinsella's out of series books - for some reason the "Confessions" series never did much for me (although I do read each book that comes out), but I found myself loving Kinsella's out of series books - and this is why I was sooooo thrilled when I got a copy of Twenties Girl.

Twenties Girl is different from anything Kinsella has done before - yes, it is still chick lit and yes, the great writing is still there, but this time, Kinsella decided to incorporate a ghost as a main character.

As the book opens, we find one of our main characters Lara - dealing with her mother's questions, as they head to a funeral for Lara's great aunt, Sadie, at the age of 105 - a great aunt, that apparently nobody knew or liked very much if we go according to the number of people attending her funeral. Because I did not want to give anything away to myself, I had refrained from reading the jacket flaps and therefore initially thought that somehow Sadie would end up leaving poor Lara some money or something like that. But no, Kinsella had other ideas and decided to make Sadie's younger self, rise up from the coffin and speak to Lara. This becomes the premise of the book - Lara and Sadie make an unlikely duo and as they both quest for closure and direction (not to mention a necklace) they find themselves deeply drawn to each other.

There are some truly funny moments in this book and Kinsella's writing is, as always, top notch. Kinsella knows how to write a chick lit novel - but I have one question! A GHOST?????????????? Yeah, I know that chick lit is, for most of the time, stretching it a bit, but Kinsella kind of totally lost me when she introduced the ghost. I mean, this story would have been extremely interesting without this, what I consider to me cheap ploy. What is it with authors these days???? everything is about the paranormal - and it just does not work for me.

I loved the passages in the book when we discover about the twenties and about all the beautiful clothes, etc - I love reading about London and finding out all kind of great little tidbits, but everytime "Sadie" came into play, I felt completely cheated and frankly, a little bored.

I am sorry, but I just don't buy this whole paranormal thing in novels - best left to the non fiction writers in my opinion.

MUSINGS on OWNING A USED BOOKSTORE - part 3

Although I sold my bookstore 4 years ago (actually it was on June 24, 2005 to it is close to the anniversary of the sale) I have often thought about all the things that I missed about owning a bookstore and all the things that I don't!

One definite thing that I miss are my clients. Each bookstore owner ends up "creating" their own used bookstore. Although I tried to buy all types of books, my character was reflected in my store - I know this because the person I bought the store from had a different personality than I did and therefore the store, although situated in the exact same place, had a different character, different stock, etc. The person who bought the store from me actually moved locations (and took all the inventory) and her store looks and feels wayyyy different than mine did.

I totally miss my clients the most. I had some of the best clients in the world. As I previously mentioned, so many of them offered to help me clean up right after my "first" flood :) I had an older lady, who took the bus in to the store, about 3 times during the summer and stocked up on all type of romance books. She would do this because she did not like to come out in the winter and would stock up all summer for the long winter months. On one of her last visits in September, she brought me some Christmas ornaments that she made herself that she wanted me to have. They were beautiful!!!

I had a client that was a former circus MC - his son actually works as a clown and together they created a "Circus Archive" in which they are collecting everything they can find on the circus - starting with PT Barnum (which I now know more about than I care to :) The father is also an author and wrote a series of books on the circus and asked me to edit one of his books (he wrote it in English and his English is not great). It was called "Les Freaks" which was about all the different "odd" things you see in a circus ( like the bearded lady, etc.) I HATED seeing these pictures, so I would edit the text by putting my hand over the pictures so I would not have to look at them.

One of my other clients was actually a published Sci-Fi author with a real publishing house (not self-published). I actually had some of her books and she signed them. I won't mention her name because she came in with her hubby one time and I caught him stealing a book right off the shelf. They were both very odd.

I also had a 26 year old man who had just lost his job and his wife and discovered, thanks to me, Harlequin romances. He would come in every day and buy tons and tons of them - which is a little unusual since most men do not read these. He was on unemploment insurance so he had lots of time to read and would just empty out my shelves. At one point, I bought about 500 Harlequin (all in boxes) and invited him to the store to help me price and shelf these - he was so thrilled - he got first dibs on anything in the box. I still see him sometimes and he tells me that he nows reads books online (not sure how he can do this - I HAVE to touch the book).

I had a client who was a very well known heart surgeon at the Montreal General Hospital.

I also had a client who wanted to own every Harlequin (in French) ever printed. She would come in with a list of all the numbers she had and would just buy all the books she did not own. She was keeping them all in her home and her dad kept having to build her new shelves. When I sold the store, I believe she said she had over 3000 books!!! and was still looking for more.

I had clients who never bought books - they just came in to say "hi".

I really, really miss my clients :)

REVIEW for Three Men and a Maybe

Thank you goes out to author Debbie Carbin for sending me a copy of her book!

TITLE: Three Men and a Maybe

AUTHOR: Debbie Carbin

GENRE: Chick Lit

RATING: 3 Stars

I am a huge fan of chick lit and I was absolutely delighted when I got the opportunity of reading and reviewing this novel. First off, the title is very clever - in describing very effectively the main storyline. Our main character Beth is in love with Richard - except that Richard is her boss, living in Portugal with another woman and basically clueless about the fact that Beth is in love with him. None of this deters Beth however - as she knows that one day - one faithful day, Richard will wake up and smell the coffee (so to speak).

In the meantime, Beth is not without her beaus - all of which she, in turn, is fairly clueless about. I really enjoyed the set up of this book. Kind of one clueless person leading another one. While Beth is pinning for Richard, she is missing out on 3 different men (Brad, Rupert and Sean) each bringing their own personalities and qualities (and faults) to the storyline.

This book was a little slow for me in the beginning - however, I did persist and found that as we get to know Beth, the storyline becomes more interesting. I found myself a little frustrated by Beth and, at the same time, reminded of something that I often say - "Many women are stupid when it comes to men (and I include myself in this)". At times, I was so extremely frustrated by Beth and her actions and this took away some of the fun for me in this novel.

On the other hand, the humour was wonderful and I found myself laughing out loud quite a few times. I realize that in order for this novel to move forward, Beth had to go through all the trials and tribulations - to finally "get her man" in the end (or did she???). This was an overall good read.

REVIEW for The Caliphate

Thank you to the author for sending me a copy of his book.


TITLE: The Caliphate

AUTHOR: Jack (Mike) Stewart

GENRE: Financial Thriller

RATING: 3 stars






I really enjoy reading thrillers that involve high finance and corrupt CEO - Stephen Frey comes to mind as one of my favorites (most of the time). I was, therefore, thrilled to get the opportunity of reading The Caliphate by Jack Stewart. I have mixed feelings about this book.

The basic premise is good - a CEO who has so much power that he can actually affect the currencies of other countries - this same CEO who has a kidnapped son and is hesitating about contacting the FBI because he is being investigated for fraud. Up to this point, I follow the storyline - but I got completely confused when the author started inserting wayyyyy too much information about currencies and more specifically the functioning of currencies of other countries.

Really, I found myself jumping entire pages because there was way too much information for a layperson who just wants to enjoy a good thriller to understand. I liked the characters and the storyline was fun, but as I mentioned, the whole "financial" aspect felt way over the top for me.

REVIEW for And Then Everything Unraveled

Thank you goes out to author Jennifer Sturman for sending me a copy of her book!





TITLE: And Then Everything Unraveled
AUTHOR: Jennifer Sturman
GENRE: YA
RATING: 3.5 Stars






And Then Everything Unraveled is part YA contemporary fiction and part YA mystery. We meet Delia who is a typical young woman - she is not quite as old as she thinks she is and she thinks that she basically has it all figured out. She finds out from her mother's business partner that her mom - T.K., who is a world traveller and "do gooder" is missing. Apparently, the ship she was travelling on has mysteriously disappeared! This means that Delia, according to her mother's wishes, will go and live in New York with one of her aunts (while the other aunt will be responsible for Delia's financial situation as well as her schooling). However, Delia, who has always had some "connection" problems with her cannot believe that she is actually dead and this will become a major focal point of this novel.

What worked very well for me in this novel is the relationship that Delia develops (or doesn't) with her two aunts who are very different from each other. I loved the dialogue when all three characters were in the room together. I also liked that Delia is smart and bright and she was fun to read.

I also really liked the writing which was very down to earth and a joy to read.

However, I felt as though the book gets bogged down a little too much with the "mystery" - especially towards the end of the book. I know that this is a key part of the plotline - but it felt a little contrived to me and I could actually see the storyline coming a mile away.

Overall, this book is fun and clever - however a little predictable!!!

REVIEW for Castration

Random House Children was kind enough to send this book to me!

TITLE: Castration

AUTHOR: Jake Wizner

GENRE: YA

RATING: 2 Stars

I am not quite certain what to make of this book. First off, the title is a little misleading or maybe its perfect for this story, it depends on how you view this storyline. The storyline is triggered by Olivia who walks in on some very "undad" like behavior on the part of her dad - this sends Olivia into a tizz - which inspires her to write a play while she is in the arts program for the summer. She enlists the help of her somewhat dysfunctional and odd friends and as time and events develop between these teens, a musical is born.

This book is written for YA and is meant to be funny in a raunchy kind of way. I have no problem with this, but I just could not connect with any of the characters - they all felt somewhat self-serving to me and using the summer as a excuse to basically get raunchy.

I just could not get into this one at all, although it seems to have been highly appreciated by many other readers.

REVIEW for Freudian Slip

Once again, a huge thank you goes out to Adam at Harlequin!

TITLE: Freudian Slip

AUTHOR: Erica Orloff

GENRE: Chick Lit

RATING: 3 Stars

I am a fan of Erika Orloff - she is one of my favorite chick lit authors. I was very excited to read Freudian Slip, but was a little put off when I discovered that it was not her usual type of book. Unfortunately, I am not much into the paranormal - although I have to say that this one was hilarious and not your usual "highly serious" paranormal stuff. So, I thought I would give it a chance.

The main storyline is actually pretty interesting. Shock Jock Julian Shaw is shot and realizes that he is now dead - he meets his grandmother at the pearly gates as well as a demon with a deal. Julian is now responsible for Katie Darby. If Julian can help Katie, then maybe he can prove that he is, indeed, a good guy! Indeed, Katie is going through some rough times and apparently needs a guardian angel - even if she does not think she does. Many facets of this book were interesting to me. The concept of Higher Powers (guides), the belief that there is someone watching over you! if only you will let go and let things run their course. This book was also hilarious! Julian is really clueless as a guide and manages to spook instead of inspire for the most part!!! I also thoroughly enjoyed the (not so obvious at times) serious looks at the spiritual side of life - this was a nice touch.

However, having said all of this, I still prefer my books to be grounded in the day to day and not so much in the "other world" unless I am reading a spiritual book and not a novel. So, for this reason, I am on the fence about this particular one.

REVIEW for Best Friends Forever

Thank you to Simon & Schuster for sending me an ARC of this book!

TITLE: Best Friends Forever

AUTHOR: Jennifer Weiner

GENRE: Contemporary Fiction

RATING: 3 Stars

I have been a fan of Jennifer Weiner since her first book. However, in the last few years, I have felt as though she has walked away from her "chick lit" writing and has created more contemporary fiction for women and although I have seen Best Friends Forever referred to as chick lit, I would have to disagree.

Best Friends Forever is the newest book by Weiner and features Addie and Valerie who were best friends in primary school and ended up at opposite ends of the popularity chain in high school, which pretty much separated them until they meet up again as adults. Although they haven't kept in touch at all, Valerie will show up on the other's doorstep, in full bloom trouble - asking for help in this whoddunnit type of mini-mystery, intertwined with the two women trying to find themselves and each other throughout the storyline. There is a message here - which basically is that you never know what will happen in your life and looks and appearance can be deceiving and that, in your life, friendship and support are extremely important and worth fighting for.

While there are some cute episodes and some actually touching moments, I did not find this book all that interesting. The premise is kind of usual and I feel as though I have read this story, in different installments, throughout the years. The main characters are okay and the writing is fine, but I just did not find myself getting all involved and committed to this book and I certainly would not qualify this one as chick litty at all.

REVIEW For Silver Falls

A big thank you goes out to Adam at Harlequin!!!








TITLE: Silver Falls
AUTHOR: Anne Stuart
GENRE: Romantic Thriller
RATING: 2.5 Stars





I had never read a book by Anne Stuart before and did not really know what to expect. I have to say that this book was okay, but nothing exciting. I just did not really think there was much suspense in this one. For one thing, we kind of know who the "bad guy" is almost right from the start - which is something I don't normally like in this type of thriller. The main characters Rachel and Caleb were okay, but nothing to get excited about.

I just could not find any excitement in reading this one.

REVIEW for Dune Road and a quick interview with Jane Green

A great big thank you goes out to Barbara at Penguin Group for sending me this book!!!


TITLE: Dune Road

AUTHOR: Jane Green

GENRE: Contemporary Fiction

RATING: 4 Stars





It has been extremely difficult for me to wrap my head around the fact that Jane Green (who I considered to be, along with Helen Fielding "the masters when it comes to chick lit" has all but deserted us when it comes to writing more chick lit. I absolutely adored ALL of Green's chick lit books, Jemima J. being my absolute favorite. I have, however, read all of her other books and while I can't say that any of them touched me as much as Jemima J., I have enjoyed them. I am happy to say that Dune Road has become a favorite of mine - even though its not a chick lit novel (I won't use THAT against it :) Dune Road is a fun beach read.

By this I mean that all the characters, especially Kit are extremely interesting, but live a life that is just slightly over "the top" - which gave this book a delicious feel of "I get to see how the other side lives". This is what I liked most about this storyline - it felt as thought I was privy to some great gossip and got to live through the characters in the book. These are all affluent women (thanks, for the most part by their working husbands who make ridiculous amounts of money and who are NEVER there) and these women don't have a clue what to do with themselves for the most part - so they shop, do yoga and complain alot! and i loved it.

I also like the general theme running through this book - which is that you never really know a person, least of all yourself and that life is about growing and discovering who you really are and, hopefully, at the same time, develop a tolerance and understanding for the people around you.

I think I like this book, in part, because these women live a life that I, at times, wish I had - it must be great to be able to "lunch" 3 days a week, spend my days in the yoga studio and basically do what I want to do all the time - with someone else's $$$ - so I think that this storyline is close to our hearts in many ways (most of us working women or stay at home moms, etc.) so kudos to the author for giving us a glimpse of this life - only to realize that its not quite as magical as we may think (of course, the grass always beeing greener on the other side....).

The love story between Kit and her estranged husband is interesting - and I thought it managed to work well in propelling Kit to find out who she was and what she really wanted out of her life.

I still miss Jane Green's chick lit writings - but I have to say that I was delighted to have read Dune Road and I definitely look forward to more Jane Green books.

I ALSO HAD THE OPPORTUNITY OF ASKING JANE THE ONE BURNING QUESTION THAT I HAVE BEEN WANTING TO ASK FOR A WHILE NOW.....

Tina's question:

I am wondering what Jane's "take" on Chick lit is? and also, in my opinion, she has wandered away from the genre in the last few years and I am wondering if this is a conscious move on her part (and I would love to know if she will consider doing 'chick lit' again - she was soooo great at writing it).


Jane's answer:

It all depends on how you define ‘Chick Lit’. If you define as funny, fluffy tales of a twenty or thirty-something single girl looking for Mr Right, then yes, absolutely I have moved away. I started writing when I was twenty seven and single, and have continued whilst getting married, having children, getting divorced, marrying again. Many years on, my books have charted the course of my life. I just couldn’t write about young single women anymore because I’ve been there, done that, and it just isn’t reflective of where I am in my life…I hope those readers who aren’t in the same place, will get there eventually…

There you have it! I liked Jane's answer about "growing" but I must admit that I still love chick lit and I would love, love for Jane to consider writing another chick lit, more specifically maybe a sequel to Jemima J.????

REVIEW for Second Skin

A big thank you goes out to Knopf Delacorte Dell Young Readers Group for sending me this book!

TITLE: Second Skin
AUTHOR: Jessica Willman

GENRE: YA

RATING: 3 stars

I thought the basic premise of this book was great. A young girl is unpopular and wants to be part of the "in" crowd, she sets up to discover how the "popular" girl Kylie the "it" girlie of the high school manages to be so perfect and so comfortable in her own skin.

It turns out that Kylie is not actually using her own skin, she actually is wearing a magical second skin that makes her secure, happy and sure of herself, so Sam steals it and instantly gets what she wants or is it really what she wants?

As I mentioned, this is a different premise and although I thought this book was great because it gently, with humour asks the YA reader to seriously consider what they want in life and to also realize that being popular MAY not always be what they think it is or actually it may not be what they really want in the end. This book has a clear message - don't compare someone's outside with your insides.

I also liked the way the author writes, very down to earth and to the point and her writing is obviously directed towards a ya audience. The problem I had with the book was that the premise, while different felt a little silly to me - and a tad gross. I kept imagining this skin floating around and attaching itself to the girls - I am not sure why I kept having this image, but I could not seem to shake it. Also, I am kind of a down to earth person myself and I have to say that the whole "magical skin" thing was reallllyyyy stretching it for me.

However, as I mentioned, this book is important as it has a message that cannot be told enough times - be yourself!

REVIEW for Whiskey Gulf

A big, big thank you goes out to Vanguard Press for sending me this great book to read and review!

TITLE: Whiskey Gulf

AUTHOR: Clyde Ford

GENRE: Thriller

RATING; 4 Stars

People often ask me why I bother reviewing books in the first place and one of the reasons is "because I get to discover great books that I would, perhaps, never would have read had I not been a book reader and reviewer".

Whiskey Gulf is the perfect example of this! I am not a big fan of sailboats or anything that basically happens on the water, however, I received Whiskey Gulf for review and immediately (as I always do) read the inside covers. Then I thumbed through the opening sentences and was immediately hooked. I have to be honest, had I seen this book on the shelf of a bookstore, I probably would not have bothered to read the first few sentences. I am so glad that I did.

First of all, I love the main character Charlie Noble! I have found that through my years of reading, I have to somehow connect to the main character for the story to be entertaining and interesting to me and I connected with Charlie who was a former Coast Guard Officer who never seemed to be able to completely get away from his love of the water - hence becoming a private investigator who is asked by the local yacht club to investigate an incident that is highly disturbing and will, in the end, put Charlie face to face with a mortal enemy - one that use to be a friend.

I also loved the fact that the author chose to meld the US AND the Canadian governments in this thriller. As a Canadian, I love it when our government gets embroiled with the US and the author uses this quite convincingly in his storyline.

Although this book is obviously aimed at a more male audience, the author never forgets that he is writing a story that is aimed, mainly, at the layperson and therefore, keeps the maritime jargon (as well as the military one) to a minimum (thank goodness!).

But what I loved most about this book (other than the non-stop suspense - which there is a abundance of) is the dialogue. Everyone in this storyline has witty and fun dialogue - and I would even venture to use the word "sarcasm" in some places - which I LOVE in any storyline.

This book kept me on the edge of my seat. I read it in 2 days and I loved, loved it.

The other great thing about being a blogger is that I now get to review this great book and hopefully, will be able to help someone else discover this author!!!

MUSINGS on OWNING A USED BOOKSTORE - Part 2

After all my mishaps on my first day, I was seriously wondering about what I had gotten myself into!!!

Predictably, I had some major battles with the insurance company - since secondhand books are very difficult to assess price-wise - they wanted to give me .10 cents per book that was damaged - which was ridiculous (I won't even mention to you how HIGH my insurance premiums were because of a) the neighborhood (which has a reputation for fires b) because I was right next door to a restaurant and c) because insurance companies DO NOT like to insure used bookstores (as a matter of fact, I had a heck of a time finding one that would).

We ended up arguing for weeks and going back and forth until they came up with a somewhat better (still ridiculous) offer plus they offered to replace my carpet.

Next, they wanted to know how many books (exactly) were damaged. This was also incredibly ridiculous as a request since, as you may know, when books are on a shelf and they get hit with water, they bloat and basically merge into the next book - we used a crowbar to remove the books off the shelf and they would come off in large chunks - we also had to put them in green garbage bags and put them in the garbage because wet, dirty books are non recyclable!

We counted 203 garbage bags!!! I really regret not having taking pictures of all the bags - stacked up in the back yard - it was sad and felt a little bit like Ripley's..... Finally, after what felt like months of bickering, I got my money!!!! and my new carpet which looked very nice in the store.

I thought I had seen the end - but over the course of the 4 years, I would have ANOTHER water damage (in the exact same manner) AND a fire!!! But I thought I would share, with you today, some good things about owning a bookstore.

One of the very best things about owning a used bookstore (as opposed to a bookstore that sells new books) is the hidden little gems that I have found over my 4 years at the store.

Yes, one of my favorite parts was ALWAYS when a customer would walk in with a box and say "I have a box of books to sell or give away". Usually they wanted to sell the books, but sometimes, they just wanted to leave the box with me for free.

What was a little odd about that was that usually when people were selling their books, the books were average in terms of resale value or rarety (is this even a word?) but often, when people just gave me books, the box ended up being full of great little treasures. There is no better feeling than opening up a box - all those great books to discover and they are all MINE!!! MINE!!! MINE!!! (he! he!).

Contrary to what some of you might think, these boxes rarely contained "precious, rare 1st editions", but that was fine with me as I dealt mainly with bestsellers and various other types of used books. However, over the 4 years I was at the store, I did manage to snag a few rare books and these included:

- Two gentlemen came into the store on a rainy, summer day, after telephoning me asking me if I was interested in Nancy Drew books. Since I do have some young clients who liked the Nancy Drew series, I told them to come on in. Usually, I just sell the hardcover version of this series for $2.00 each or something like that - because, of course, they are not collectible because of the later editions. Well, these gentlemen arrived with a box full - and as I opened the box, I realized that these books were ALL 1st editions WITH intact dust jackets. Of course, I tried to keep myself from squealing - there was a total of 14 books - all in excellent, excellent condition. The guys told me they wanted $40.00!!! no sooner had they finished their sentence that the $40.00 was in their hands. They left totally happy and I cannot even begin to tell you how thrilled I was.

Of course, selling these precious books in my bookstore was out of the question as I did not have the market for it. So, I sold them on Ebay for a lot more than $40.00. But I also loved, loved having these books in my hand. The dust jackets were beautifully done and the books themselves were older than I was (and in better condition!!!!). I love the feel of books, but I think there is something magical about touching a book with so much past history.

Another great "find" happened to be in a box full of Harlequin romances. Surprinsinly enough, Harlequin romances were actually HUGE business for me as I had a very big seniors home a few streets away - and these ladies were always looking for Harlequin romances. So many of them told me that they never learned how to read when they were younger, so they learned by reading Harlequin (these types of stories were priceless to me and I heard tons and tons of these while at the store). So, I just took a quick peek into the Harlequin box and offered the seller a few dollars - which she took and left. As I was pricing the books, I saw a lonely little hardcover book at the bottom of the box and was annoyed - I do not buy hardcover fiction as it does not sell at all. I picked it up and it looked in great shape (no dustjacket though). It turned out to be a 1st edition of Hemingway's "For whom the Bell Tolls" - needless to say I was beside myself. I was even afraid to touch it - but, here again, I HAD to open it up and touch it.....such history.....

These are two of the "finds" that really stick out in my mind. I came across lots of cool little things while searching these boxes, including great blank journals (a personal favorite of mine), bookmarkers and lots more.

Of course, I also came across some pretty gross stuff like books that had cat urine on it (disgusting), dust bunnies, family photos (tons and tons of these over the years), some books even had a few dollars inside (unfortunately I never found a book with lots of money tucked into it), although the previous owners once told me that they found a book with $100.00 inside of it.

This was definitely one of the best parts of owninga bookstore!!!!!

What great "finds" have you made throughout the years, searching for books? at sales, auctions, etc?

REVIEW for The Penny Pinchers Club

Thank you! thank you to Tala at Penguin Group/Dutton
for sending me this great, great new discovery (for me!)


TITLE: The Penny Pinchers Club

AUTHOR: Sarah Strohmeyer

GENRE: Fiction

RATING: 4 Stars

For some reason, I had never read anything by Sarah Strohmeyer before. Imagine how delighted I was when I started The Penny Pinchers Club. First off, I am weirdly fascinated by the concept of "penny pinching" so the subject matter, itself, would have attracted me to the book. However, while the subject matter was very interesting to me, what definitely kept me reading was the writing AND the main character Kat. Strohmeyer has a wonderful, wonderful way of writing - it feels as though she is a girlfriend, sitting next to you at the table - chatting and gossiping just a little (!).

I felt as though I was talking to my friend and this is how I felt about Kat. Before discovering her "inner penny pinching" Kat had a $200.00 a month Starbucks habit (my kind of girl). But, through some series of weird events, she thinks her hubby is cheating on her -and she decides to mend her "financial" ways in order to save enough $$$ for a divorce. How does she do it? Through the Penny Pinchers Club which attracts some weird, but adorable characters.

As the author tells us more about this Club and Kat's involvement, I felt myself being drawn in and actually laughed out loud at some passages. It was such fun to read about their "goings on". Husband Griff definitely remains a mystery until the very end of the book and I thought he was the least interesting character although he is the main reason for pushing the storyline forward.

I loved the way Kat faces up (most of the time) to her stuff and does it in a "can do" "this is not reallllllyy the end of the world" type of way. She is a strong and engaging character. There is a slight twist at the end of the storyline that felt a little too "pat" for me, but otherwise, this was an absolutely wonderful and uplifting read. I read this one in just under two days - one of those "just another chapter" type books :)

REVIEW for Red Hot Lies

I owe a huge thank you to Adam at Harlequin!! for sending me this great book!

TITLE: Red Hot Lies

AUTHOR; Laura Caldwell

GENRE: Thriller

RATING: 4 Stars

I discovered author Laura Caldwell through the now defunct Red Dress Ink series and was thrilled to discover that she had decided to write a trilogy. I am now an official fan of the main character in Red Hot Lies -Izzy McNeil. This is my type of whodunit!

Although my passion is chick lit, I love sinking my teeth into a great murder mystery and this book does not disappoint. Izzy is in love, planning her wedding to Sam and things are going great at work - as Izzy has the opportunity of representing Forester Pickett - one of her "big" clients who also happens to be someone that she respects and admires. But Izzy's good tidings are about to start crumbling around her - Sam mysteriously disappears and her friend and mentor - Forester suddently dies of a heart attack - which is very odd since he had recently been for a battery of tests that confirmed that he was in very good health. Izzy is devastated and to add insult to injury, she finds out that a substantial portion of Forester's portfolio is missing. Izzy cannot do anything but associate the disappearance of the shares with Sam's absence. Although Izzy is going through a personal hell, she decides that she cannot let this one slide, that she needs to get to the bottom of all the lies and deceit.

I loved, loved this main character. Although she is completely heartbroken, her spirit never wavers and she is determined to find the truth despite her pain and suffering. The twists and turns in this novel come at you non stop and just when I thought I had it figured out - the author throws a monkey wrench into my theories! I could not stop reading this book and finished it in less than 24 hours!

I highly recommend this one!

REVIEW for How to Avoid the Investment Rip-Off

A big thank you goes out to Wiley & Sons for sending me this great book!

TITLE: Stop the Investing Rip Off

AUTHOR: David B. Loeper

GENRE: Personal Finance

RATING: 4 Stars

Unfortunately, I am at the age where retirement is looming in the future (okay, its still 12 years away - but still it feels pretty close). I have been reading up on retirement and more specifically on how to make every penny of my retirement money work for ME instead of for my broker, government or bank. This has proven to be quite the challenge as it seems as though every where you turn, someone is sticking their hand out wanting a chunk of your savings.

I was thrilled to discover Stop the Retirement Rip-Off. This is one of the best books I have read on this subject to date, especially since it takes a very step by step look at one of my huge pet peeves - hidden and not so hidden extra fees in the banking systems, governement or elsewhere. In fact, using 5 specific steps (which are all clearly explained in this book) author Loeper encourages us by telling us that WE ARE responsible for our money and that it is up to us to stay informed and on top of our money - and that by following his 5 steps and keeping our eyes open and keeping informed - we can avoir being ripped-off when it comes to our retirement.

This book is written for the lay person, there are no fancy financial terms here and the steps, suggestions and recommendations are all very logical and easily done. I highly recommend this book - it is very well worth the investment

REVIEW for Rattled!

Thank you, thank you to Jess at Random House Canada for sending me this great memoir!

http://www.randomhouse.ca/catalog/display.pperl?isbn=9780767930826

TITLE: Rattled!

AUTHOR: Christina Coppa

GENRE: Memoir

RATING; 4 Stars

I knew that I would love this book, based in great part, by the cover. Yep! I am a cover freak and I just fell in love with this cover and, of course, the storyline!Meet Christina Coppa - she is about to get some amazingly scary news that is going to change her life forever and proving, once again, that nothing happens for nothing and that while somethings are unplanned, in the end they are the best things to happen to you.

Christina has been dating A for a few months when we find her locked in her bathroom praying to the gods that be - that her pregnancy kit is wrong, that is somehow expired and that is why it is showing a "yes" to the pregnancy question.Surprisingly Christina informs A right away - which I thought was a refreshing development, I have read a few of these types of memoirs and, for some reason, the woman always seems to delay telling the man and this has always annoyed me to no end. Initially A seems to be okay with it - but it is Christina's frantic state of mind that we experience.

Her hearturning back and forth between joy and fear is never more obvious than when she is in her car, in the early part of the book.One of Christina's biggest fears is sharing this news with her family and co-workers who are surprisingly supportive and non-judgmental.

As Christina stills finds herself going back and forth between joy and sheer terror, she admits that the pregnancy is actually becoming a reality for her, especially when she hears the heartbeat of her child. Interestingly, as we read about Christina embracing her pregnancy more and more, it is also painfully obvious that A is distancing himself and during the whole storyline I kept thinking "what an a--" - it is soooo easy for some men.

But the strength of this storyline is really how Christina and her family unite in order to give her baby all the love and support he will need to grow up to be a happy person. Christine's relationship with her brothers is touching and I loved that her macho-cop brother becomes the surrogate dad for this child (once he tells Christine - okay I have now processed the news of your pregnancy).This is really a touching story and I loved every minute of it. I am glad that wonderful little baby Jack is in the midst of a loving family, despite his a------ of a father

REVIEW for Priest in Hell

Once again, a huge thank you to Sarah from ECW Press for sending me this book!

TITLE: A Priest in Hell

AUTHOR: Randall Radic

GENRE: Biography

RATING: 4 Stars

I was extremely intrigued by Priest in Hell. I could not phantom how a man could go from priest to jail. So reading Randall's experiences, thoughts and reasoning (no matter how confused) was very, very interesting.

In the first chapter, we discover his crimes. One day, Radic decides that he is tired of living in poverty and wants money (lots of it) so!!!! he has the brilliant idea to sell the parsonage and church he is responsible for. My first thought (and the one that basically followed me throughout the entire book was) "how stupid can someone be" and following this thought was "who, on earth, would be stupid enough to buy a church and parsonage without first making sure to double check ownership, etc.). So, basically I felt as though the stupid was leading the stupid here. Needless to say, I was even more intrigued now. I needed to know how on earth Randall Radic could have thought he could pull this off and more to the point, what happened to him after he discovered (obviously the hard way) that he could not! Also! can someone please tell me how the congregation and the people involved in the day to day management of the church never managed to get a clue about this???? until it was way tooooo late in the game?

For me, the most interesting part of this book was when we are privy to Radic's thoughts and emotions regarding a situation. As he described his act as the mother of all stupid acts!!! I would have to say "no kidding". It was enticing to me to be able to read about this man's inner turmoils. These thoughts and emotions become more present as the book details his incarceration and his feelings towards being in jail and more to the point, his feelings about some of his cell mates and their own goings on. Up until this point, very little is made about him being a priest, but in jail, this as well as his more advanced age will make him the "peson to confide in". He will end up listening to more and more jailhouse confessions which, in the end, will be his ticket out of jail - as he decides to "rat" out another inmate.

This book reminded me of a mixture of bravado, fear, self preservation and sheer stupidity. What was lacking was any sign of spirituality - which is what I would have hoped to see Radic seek. Yes, there are moments of "looking inwards" but they are usually overshadow by some external happening.

I loved the writing style here - very honest, direct and to the point. I don't get a strong sense of remorse here - but I don't think this was the point of the retelling of this story.

Radic manages to make me feel as though he is right there with him while describing some of the jailhouse events - and he does have a gift for detailing a situation.

For some reason, while I thought this man was, for the most part, an idiot, I also really enjoyed this book greatly. Go figure!