REVIEW for Girl on the Other Side

A huge thank you goes out to author Deborah Kerbel for sending me a copy of her wonderful book!

TITLE: Girl on the Other Side

AUTHOR: Deborah Kerbel

GENRE: YA

RATING: 4 Stars

I have said it before and will continue to be amazed at the quality of writing in the YA genre. I just finished reading Girl on the Other Side and was blown away by the sensitive, realistic and engaging writing of this book.

Author Deborah Kerbel wrote an extremely poignant and, at times, extremely difficult to read story about bullying, being the “it” girl and how, in an instant, everything can change your life forever.

I believe that this book could not come out at a better time – where bullying in school has become an epidemic and those doing the bullying are either clueless or just plain mean and cruel and immature teens with too much time on their hands and not enough brain power!!! I was actually feeling sick as I read the horrors that were being done to Lora – who seemed to shrink into herself with each beating and unkind word.


This novel features two main characters Tabby and Lora. Lora has been picked up for most of her school life and has chosen to retreat deeper into herself – until one day – its all too much and she ends up crying in the bathroom stall at school.

Tabby is the polar opposite (or so it seems) of Lora. Tabby is popular and rich and although she is not cruel, she certainly does not stand up for Lora and, in fact, can’t understand why Lora just does not stand up for herself. Yet, all is really not what it seems as Tabby’s rich lifestyle is about to fall apart – and one day-its all too much and she ends up crying in the bathroom stall at school.

This novels truly and honestly explores the lives of two different girls who, although, appear to be extremely different are not so different in the end. Both have secrets that they bring to school each day and both are miserable and lonely – and life will somehow bring these two together.

I loved, loved this book – full of realistic dialogue and scary moments which are made all the more scary because they are happening to YA all around the world.

REVIEW for Black Friday

A big, big thank you to one of my favoritie publicists! ADAM!!!!

TITLE: Black Friday

AUTHOR: Alex Kava

GENRE: Thriller
RATING: 4 Stars

I am hot and cold on Alex Kava - although, for the most part, I have enjoyed them. The firs thing I noticed about this book was the cover - its perfect and absolutely creepy and scary! The down escalotor into a blaze of fire!!! Perfect.

This novel once again features Maggie O'Dell - who is called in to assist after an absolutely horrific act of terrorism (domestic) is committed at one of the busiest malls in the country, on the busiest shopping Day of the year (hence the title).

This book is seriously scary and had me thinking that this could happen absolutely anywhere at anytime - especially if we factor in the idealistic and easily influenced young adults - which is what this book is partly based on. This mass murder is actually committed by a group of young adults who have been influenced by the Project Manager - a mysterious figure who somehow gets away with the deed. There are alot of dead bodies and although the author does not go into huge, huge details, she gives us enough to make us use our imagination about what the end effect of bombing a mall would be. This is a strength with this author - less is more as she asks the reader to use their imagination.

Maggie, as always is very likeable and between herself, Nick and a supporting team, will work towards finding the "mastermind". There are some neat little twists in this story and I thought that was a nice touch. I could have done with less romance between Nick and Maggie as I thought it removed from the core story.

I am also a little confused as to the ending which gives us the "whoddunnit" but had me wondering about some of the loose ends. Still, this was a weekend read that I enjoyed and look forward to more books by Kava.

Having said that, I am not sure that I will be entering any malls between now and December 31, 2009 - too scary.

REVIEW for What We Say Matters

I love every book that is published by Rodmell Press and a big thank you goes out to Linda for sending me this book!







TITLE: What we Say Matters:

AUTHOR: Judith Hanson Lasater and Ike Lasater

GENRE: Spiritual

RATING: 4 Stars



I love anything written by Judith Hanson Lasater and this book was a very pleasant surprise as it deals with a subject matter that I really read about - Empathy and nonviolent communication. Ever since I have discovered yoga, I have also tried to listen more to my inner voice and realized just how negative and at times, hurtful, my thoughts can be. I seriously believe that this translates into my thoughts affecting my moods, my body, my spirit and everything outside of me - i.e. how I deal with people and situations.

Reading What We Say Matters was an eye opener and actually confirmed alot of things that I always suspected. I like that the authors compare speech to spirituality and argue that both can be combined in a nonviolent and loving manner.

They encourage us to use compassion and to cultivate this compassion in every interaction that we have both with the outside world and with our internal communications.

Written almost from a personal level, the authors share some of their stories and give us englightment as to how to apply a kinder, gentler way in our communications - which starts internally with ourselves.

REVIEW for Leviathan

Another big thank you goes out to Michelle at Simon & Schuster for sending me this book!





TITLE: Leviathan

AUTHOR: Scott Westerfeld



GENRE: Sci-Fi



RATING: 4 Stars



I have to say that Leviathan first attracted me because of the absolutely beautiful cover - yes, I am a "judge a book (partly) by its cover" kind of girl and Leviathan gets my vote for "best cover" of the year. Having said that, I also have to own up to the fact that I felt completely intimidated by this novel - just opening it up and leafing through it was a little scary - considering this is not the type of novel I normally read. Having said that, I had heard so much good stuff about this book, that I HAD to read it.

It took me a while to find my bearings especially since this novel is set in WW1, but not the actual WW1 that we (I) know, but rather a bit of alternate reality type of WW1. I found the author's imagination riveting - he managed to take actual situations and give them each his own special spin and take. I especially liked the storyline involving the Clanker and Darwinists. I loved the revisionist history which was incorporated into the Clanker and Darwinists "battles".

As I mentioned, there was alot going on in this book and I am sure that I missed some of the more subtle writing. I did enjoy some of the main characters (and there were many, many characters here). Particularly Alek who seems to be the one who grows (matures) the most during this story. I liked the Deryn character, although I found her a tad annoying at times and was not sure what exactly her role was.

Still, this was a very good read and I thoroughly enjoyed it.

REVIEW for Hush Hush

A big thank you to Michelle at Simon and Schuster for sending me a copy of this book!








TITLE: HUSH HUSH

AUTHOR: Becca Fitzpatrick

GENRE: YA

RATING: 3 Stars



Hush Hush is not the type of book I usually read (as my previous reviews no doubt show). However, this book had a few things going for it - among them - the cover. I am a "judge a book by its cover" type of girl and I enjoy good covers very much - this book had one!

Secondly, people have been talking about this book all over the place and I just had to see what the big deal was. Lastly, I like novels that are set in weird, creepy like towns and this one was set in Maine - which was a definite attraction to me (can you save Stephen King?).

I will start with the things I liked. The writing is excellent, author Fitzpatrick does a great job of moving the narrative along at a good pace, introducing to the main characters and fleshing them out just enough to make the storyline interesting. She does not include too many useless details and I appreciate that. As mentioned, this story is perfectly creepy and vascillates, for me, between a horror book and a thriller - with some supernatural thrown in for good measure. Now, for the things that I had a bit more of an issue with. I did not really connect with either of the main characters. Nora seems either naive or just plain dumb to me. She spends alot of time being manipulated by either Patch (the other main character) or her BFF Vee.

Patch is creepy, creepy - although some people really got into him, I found him to have all the perfect qualifications for being a cross between a stalker and a class A-1 jerk. I know that part of the storyline revolves around his mysterious past and exactly who (or what) he really is - but somehow that did not work for me all that well.

However, I like that this book is dark and creepy and at times, made my hair stick up on end. Some of the weird stuff that happens to Nora was seriously bizarre and well written, if only I had connected more with the main characters.

Nonetheless, it was a good read and I am happy that I did read it.

REVIEW for Chosen to Die

Thank you to Joan Schulhafer for sending this one to me!!

TITLE: Chosen to Die

AUTHOR: Lisa Jackson

GENRE: Thriller

RATING: 2 stars

Chosen to Die is the sequel to Left to Die, although you can definitely read these independent of each other.

I don't know why I sometimes feel "hit and miss" with Jackson's books. As much as I liked Left to Die, this one kind of left me a little blah about the storyline and the book.

We find our main character Regan being kidnapped by a serial killer that everyone else (or just about) seems to think is already in jail. What follows is basically how the police will try to track down Pescoli before she is killed.

This is a whoddunit type of storyline that just left me cold and I can't really seem to get a firm handle on why.

REVIEW for Not Suitable for Family Viewing

Once again, a huge thank you to Melissa at HarperCollins for sending me this great YA novel!






TITLE: Not Suitable for Family Viewing

AUTHOR: Vicki Grant

GENRE: YA

RATING: 4 Stars

When I first started reading Not Suitable for Family Viewing I thought it was going to be yet another one of those books where the celebrities teenaged daughter would be a Paris Hilton type and the storyline would be all about her and her equally rich friends doing stupid things.
I was extremely surprised when I discovered that this is not the direction this book was heading into at all.

Robin is supposed to be on top of the world, she is the daughter of talk-show host Mimi - they have it all, yet Robin can't seem to get it together, not even long enough to get out of a dark room - Robin is obviously depressed and nobody seems to be "getting" that.

However, life has something in mind for Robin when she discoveres, purely by accident a ring that will send Robin on a quest to find out about a much hidden past history belonging to her family - in the process Robin will also discover much about herself and her role in her own family.

This book was absolutely delightful. Although it is entertaining and a fun read, it is also loaded with both hidden and open messages about ife and how to never judge a book by its cover.

Author Grant does a fine job of showing the growth process Robin will go through as she discovers more about herself and her family - making her understand who she is a little bit more.

Very well written, without ever being too preachy.

REVIEW for Riverside Park

Thank you goes out to the wonderfully funny Adam at Harlequin.







TITLE: Riverside Park

AUTHOR: Laura Van Wormer

GENRE: Fiction

RATING: 2 Stars


I once use to read Van Wormer a long time ago and then I just stopped. I thought I would pick some of her newer books and decided on Riverside Park. My first thought after finishing this one is "WOW" there is a lot of cheating and sex going on in this one - nobody and I do mean nobody seems to be who they are.

This book is loaded with melodrama - showcasing the facade and basically deceit of 4 couples, who should have the world at the feet, but instead seem muddled down with cheating spouses, pregnant children and debts, debts, debts.

I just found this book waayyyy to melodramatic for my taste and was hoping to read an interesting book on people's life - this one felt like a soap opera to me.

REVIEW for Little Black Lies

Another big, big thank you goes out to Melissa!!!








TITLE: Little Black Lies

AUTHOR: Tish Cohen

GENRE: YA

RATING: 4 Stars



I am such a fan of YA and I was thrilled to be able to add this author to my list of must read authors. Indeed, with Sara, our main character, author Cohen introduces us to a complex, basically good intetioned girl who has lived a difficult home life with the result that she now feels she must do anything and everything in order to protect herself and more importantly, be accepted by her new bunch of snobby school friends from her elite school. If this means lying - than so be it.

At first, I had a hard time understanding the motivation behind much of Sara's actions, but as we find out more and more about her, I found myself understanding more - if not agreeing with her actions. She is dealing with OCD - which he father suffers from and this alone would be hard enough, but she also has to contend with alot more personal stuff that is slowly revealed to us throughout the book.

I like that the author did not make Sara this perfect little girl - or this rich little girl or this total horrible person - which has kind of been done to death in novels lately. Sara is somewhere in the middle - trying to find her own way.

The writing is good and kept up at a good pace, although I must admit that the first chapter was a little slow - but soon moved on quickly. I also liked that the author made sure to add a little dose of romance for good measure.

Overall, a very good read.

REVIEW for The Christmas Cookie Club

A big thank you goes out to Michelle at Simon & Schuster Books for sending me this book.






TITLE: The Christmas Cookie Club

AUTHOR: Ann Pearlman

GENRE: Women's Contempory Fiction

RATING: 3 Stars




I like reading books about Christmas or that are centered around Christmas so this book attracted me, mainly because of this - however, reading about Christmas in September made me a little nostalgic for the holiday season.

The Christmas Cookie Club is actually a group of women who bake, bake and bake and then get together and eat their baked goods (some of the rules of this club were pretty funny! and some of the food descriptions made me drool). On the surfce this is what this book is about -however, it is actually much more than just a bunch of women getting together to show off their baked goods.

Rather, this book is about life and about how powerful sharing with each other can be. As each woman talks describes her baking experiences, she is also intertwining this with the story of her life over the last year - with all the good, sad, funny and scary tales that come with it.

I liked that this book shows the ups and downs of life and that these women are there for each other over the course of the years - throughout the good and the bad.

However, the reason I only gave this one 3 stars is that it feels to me as though I have read this story so many times before. It felt as though there was nothing really new here.

If you like this type of book, then you will love this one, however, I was kind of looking for something a little different and did not really get it with this one.

REVIEW for Eat Your Feelings

Thank you goes out to Penguin books.








TITLE: Eat Your Feelings

AUTHOR: Heather Whaley

GENRE: Recipes/Humor

RATING: 4 Stars



I am a huge fan of humor books - especially if they are combined with another fave - food!!! Eat your Feelings (Recipes for self-loathing) was a perfect fit for me. This book is hilarious - if you have a certain type of humor. This book is not really for the people who get easily offended, some of the recipe titles for example are: "You farted in the elevaor green curry chicken" or "Your birthday is September 11 chocolate mud cake".

The premise of this book is that the author takes a situation of life, comment on it (in her own unique perspective) and then she includes a black and white photo and a recipe. The recipes are okay - kind of fatty or sugary at times, but what i really liked was the author's take on the life situation.

This book is fun and kind of different and if you are in the mood to cook and laugh then this one is for you.

REVIEW for Addicted Like Me

Thank you so much to Andie East from Perseus Books for sending me this wonderful and touching book on addiction and recovery.


TITLE: Addicted Like Me

AUTHORS: Karen Franklin and
Lauren King

GENRE: Memoir/addiction

RATING: 4 Stars

As a person suffering from an eating disorder, I always feel a special connection with memoirs on addiction and recovery. I feel as though it takes a special courage to actually open up and tell your story and it is thanks to these people sharing their stories that other people can feel as though they are not alone AND also find hope at the same time.

Addicted Like Me is one of the most touching and honest memoirs on addiction that I have read. Based on the story of the mother and the daughter, both sharing their lives of addiction - showing us that addiction DOES, in many cases, run in families.

Addicted Like Me is a very difficult book to read. Both mom and daughter are extremely honest about their lives of substance abuse and you can definitely see the spiral in which daughter Lauren is finding herself in - while mom's story is just as scary.

I loved that both of these women found the strength to write this memoir and I am grateful to them. Their ongoing recovery being from chemical dependencies is touching and full of hope.

This book is an important book to read - although different generations are represented here - it is obvious that addiction does not discriminate.

REVIEW for Social Lives

Thank you to St-Martin's Press for sending me a copy of this book.

TITLE: Social Lives

AUTHOR: Wendy Walker

GENRE: FICTION

RATING: 4 Stars

When I was in my early 20's and 30's, I remember reading many novels featuring married women who were struggling with their lives - these novels often felt very involved to me and I remember i use to devour them. Then, along came chick lit and I deviated to reading mostly chick lit when it comes to women's fiction.

However, reading Social Lives reminded me just how much I enjoyed reading these types of books.

Indeed, Social Lives features quite a cast of characters, with a cornerstone on Roslyn, Caitlin, Sara and Jacqueline. Although Caitlin is still a teen, her life reflects many of the issues that her adult counterparts are facing - and I found it a very interesting "take" on the part of the author to include Caitlin in with these women.

Additionally, Social Lives does a great job of showcasing the fact that wealth and being happy truly have no connection as we can easily see that although these women have wealth (or at least perceived wealth) they are NOT happy and each has their own private hell.

I have often been told "do not compare your insides with someone else's outsides" and this is something that I was reminded of time and time again while reading this novel>

I really enjoyed reading about the lives of these women and it was a joy to go through all the emotions that they were living. The author does a wonderful job of soundly conveying their pain, joys and fears.

This was a very enjoyable read and I will be reading lots more Wendy Walker books in the future.

REVIEW for The Hate List

Thank you to Little Brown for sending me this book!








TITLE: The Hate List

AUTHOR: Jennifer Brown

GENRE: YA

RATING: 4 Stars




I live in Montreal, where one of the most horrendous school shootings happened over a decade ago. I can tell you that we can still feel this event very deeply. Reading The Hate List brought me right back to that horrible day when we found out that this madman had walked into a school and just starting shooting all the "feminists" who took his place at the school.

The Hate List is extremely well written and proof of this, in my opinion, is that I felt anger, resentment, fear and every other feeling I could on this topic. This is such a horrible subject matter and the author manages to write about it in a sensitive, yet true and frank way.

I don't know how I feel about the involvement of Valerie - even after finishing the book and interestingly enough, Valerie does not know how to feel either.

This book is a gut wrenching look at a mind gone and how society deals with the aftermath.

REVIEW for Love Lies

Thank you goes out to Barbara at Penguin books for sending this to me!

TITLE: Love Lies

AUTHOR: Adele Parks

GENRE: Chick Lit

RATING: 4 Stars

I use to read Adele Parks a long, long time ago and then, for some reason, I stopped. I was wondering why I ever did this, especially after reading Love Lies which is a book that just attached itself to my romantic side as well as my vivid imagination of "what if".

This book looks at the "one" thing that most women have thought about at one point or another in their life - "what would it be like to be with a famous guy and to live "the" life", instead of staying home with hubby/boyfriend who has become predictable and, let's face it, a little boring. Well, hang on to your hat, you are about to find out.

The one thought that kept coming through my head as I read this book was "watch what you asked for, you might get it". Fern is our main character - she has an average life, with an average boyfriend of four years and, oh boy!, she is about to turn the big 3-0(why is this considered such a bad thing anyway? 30 is pretty young as far as I am concerned). So, for her 30th b-day, Fern does the unthinkable - she gives her boyfriend Adam an ultimatum - gimme a ring for my 30th or else!!! now, we ALL know how much guys LOVE ultimatums... and predictably, on her 30th birthday, Adam (who works in the world of rock and roll) gives Fern an "all access" pass for a show - where she meets Scottie Taylor.

There are sparks and Scottie and Fern become the "it" couple. He is a huge sensation in the music world and she gets to live the life of "the pop god's girlfriend". Fern takes full advantage of it and loves that women are jealous of her - she is Scottie's girl and he is the man she has always wanted - but wait! is he?

This is where the novel gets very, very exciting. There are some great descriptions of life in the limelight, lots of overindulgence and even some kind of sad and creepy moments. But what works best is that Fern's mind and heart won't shut up - although she "wants" to believe that this is the answer to all her problems, I mean what a glorious life and what a glorious guy, Fern realizes that, perhaps, some of her problems cannot be cured by simply changing locations or boyfriends and that sometimes, things may be way better in your imagination than in real life. Yet, there are some great, great moments with Scottie - what girl would ever want to turn away from this.

Parks writes beautifully - and makes all of the characters come to life. At times, I felt as though I was right on the stage - watching and listening to Scottie - made me dream my own thoughts of romance in the world of rock and roll. Yet, Parks also makes some valid points, behind the words and this is the best part of her novel.

I loved, loved, this book and no, I will not tell you who Fern ends up with - its up to you to read this great book :)

REVIEW for Wasted

A big thank you goes out to Orca Books and author Brent Sherrard for sending this book along to me!

TITLE: Wasted

AUTHOR: Brent Sherrard

GENRE: YA

RATING: 4 Stars

I am a huge fan of Canadian YA - Canadian authors have produced some excellent YA novels over the course of the last years and I am thrilled to include Brent Sherrard in this category.

Wasted is not a thick book - but it packs a punch. Exploring one of the most topical subjects today - alcoholism and the absolute ripple effect that it can cause to the family and everyone involved.

This book opens with a disturbing scene - a dad and a son - both drinking, both trying to forget - but the son is trying to forget that his dad is an alcoholic and that he seems destined to follow the path - the father - well, the father is a lost cause at this point.

Almost immediately, we get a feeling for the family dynamics. A frustrated, scared and put upon mother and wife, a son who hates his dad and loves him at the same time and lives in fear that he will become his father and a younger sister who hides away in books in order to escape - until tragedy strikes. This, to me, is where the novel really picks up - as we get to uncover the various layers to each personality and to realize that we should not be judging what we don't know - because, really, appearances ARE deceiving.

This novel is perfect for any YA - it is not preachy, but at the same time manages to deliver its message and does it well.

TIME TO RANT!!!

My friends know that I tend to speak my mind alot about things - this is both a blessing and a curse! However, I have found myself being pretty good on this blog - I have kept my ranting to a dull roar :)

However, there is a "book" rant that I have felt coming on for some time now and I am just going to post it here and I would be curious to read your views on the subject. Just a quick disclaimer - this is MY opinion and does not mean that I speak for anyone else!!!! :)

I visit quite alot of bookstores, not to mention read tons of other blogs. I also spend time on Amazon.com and Chapters.ca (because I am, after all, a book addict and that IS what book addicts do).

The other day, I was at Indigo which is one of two big bookstores in Montreal (not as big as I would like - but that's ANOTHER rant for another day).

I visited the "fiction" section and frankly, found absolutely nothing of interest. Then, I walked over to the YA section (here comes the rant) - between the two sections (fictiona and YA), I counted 47 different titles that deal with either: vampires, werewolves, witches or dead people speaking through some earthly form. WHY??????

I know that the book world is like any other "media" and that there are spurts of genres that become popular - but it seems to me that sooooo many authors are getting on this bandwagon that its getting a little annoying for those of us, who don't normally read these types of books.

I have a few favorite authors who have completely abandonned their regular genres to write about people biting other people's neck for their blood! This is especially true in YA - can someone PLEASE tell me the fascination with this type of book? I have tried, on a few occasions to read these, including the first few Harry Potter books which I have NEVER managed to get pass the firs few chapters - the story is just too out there for me and I struggle to find one little piece of reality in a story that is completely impossible and therefore, the storyline gets boring, boring! Maybe that is the point? that readers want to explore a world that they can never be in? Yes, I know fiction is about escapism, but I am really at a lost to understand why anyone would want to escape into a world of vampires and witches.

I guess what really bugs me about this is that while the authors are writing these new genre books and while the publishers are actively buying them, publishing them and pushing them on us, this leaves less $$$$, less author time and certainly less shelf space to write, publish and actively promote those books that the rest of the population enjoys!

I have a friend who absolutely freaked out when she found out about Twilight (both the book and the movie) and when i asked her why she answered - "cauz the whole thing is sexy"?????!!!!!!

I think I am completely missing the boat on these new genres. So, I would love for you guys to give me your opinions :)

End of rant.

REVIEW for Mariposa

A big thank you goes out to Vanguard Press for sending me this book!






TITLE: Mariposa

AUTHOR: Greg Bear

GENRE: Sci-Fi/Thriller

RATING: 4 Stars

Mariposa is the second Greg Bear novel that I have read and I am truly enjoying this author.

In this one, we find ourselves slightly in the future and things are no looking good for the US economy - and there is someone waiting in the wings to take over control of the US - Alex Price is rich beyond belief and is only interest in dominating the world! when the President is shot, all hell breaks loose and the government is about to be toppled, the FBI agents (last seen in Quantico) are the country's only hope. So, working together with a man "on the inside" of Price's corporation, they must run up against the clock in order to bring Price down.

However, Price proves himself to be a strong adversaries, having created his own army of soldiers through experiments conducted through a project called Mariposa.

It will be up to FBI agents, among them Rebecca Rose (who has issues of her own) to make sure that Price goes down.

This novel is an absolute thrill ride. The pace never stops and you are never really sure who the good guys and who the bad guys are. I found myself confused a little bit at times because there are quite a few characters being introduced here, but once you get all the players in place, you will be able to follow the storyline.

I kept wondering just where the heck this book was going to end up? never certain that the good guys would win in the end.

This one was a wild, wild ride.

REVIEW for The Bright Side

A big thank you goes out to Poolbeg Press for sending along this great little book.







TITLE: The Bright Side

AUTHOR: Alex Coleman

GENRE: Chick Lit

RATING: 4 Stars



I had never read anything by Alex Coleman so it was quite a treat to find out about The Bright Side. Jackie has not been doing very well lately - especially with all her problems keeping her relationships with her family - but she still has her gorgeous husband - OOOPPS! wait, she doesn't have that anymore since she found him having sex with the sexy blond next door. But wait! maybe Jackie can milk this for all its worth? This book is hilarious and at the same time poignant. Here is a very lonely woman, who is incapable of keeping relationships with the people in her life -- until life forces her to take a good look at herself and at all that she is capable of - if only she believes it AND is willing to put her share in.

Her husband's infidelity acts as the "thing" that will slowly, but surely make Jackie realize all that she has in life. I loved this book because it is written in a way where the heroine (or main character thinks she is manipulating the situation and has it all figured out - but really she is clueless that life is about to help her get what she needs).

This was a very, very clever book, written in a humorous and touching way - never hitting us over the head with the "life lessons". I really enjoyed it.

REVIEW for The Truth About Cheating

Thank you to John Wiley & Sons Canada, Ltd. for sending me this book!







TITLE: The Truth about Cheating

AUTHOR: M. Gary Newman

GENRE: Self-Help

RATING: 3 Stars



I thought this premise was intriguing. While, of course, nobody has come up with the "definitive" reason why men cheat, I am always interested in the theories that are offered.

This book, to be honest, does not really offer up any new or earth-shattering theories and frankly, I am not quite sure what it was offring as suggestions other than to say that women, for the most part, should look for "the signs" that a man is cheating, then discuss them with him and then, hopefully encourage some communication (two way) and forgiveness.

I thought this book was a little simplistic and not necessarily based in a lot of reality. It seems to me that by the time men have cheated, they are at a place, not all of course, but many - where they don't care anymore about much - with the exception of getting caught. So, how realistic is it to do the whole "discuss and communicate and forgive" thing? I am not sure - perhaps this works in some cases, but for the most part????

Also, I have often wondered myself if human beings are meant to be with only one person and, unfortunately, this book never even considers this as a possibility.

The writing is down to earth and the subject matter is interesting which is why I rated this 3 stars - but frankly, there is nothing new here.

REVIEW for The Debt-Free Millionaire

Thank you to the wonderful Erika at John Wiley & Sons Canada for sending me this book!


TITLE: The Debt-Free Millionaire
AUTHOR: Anthony Manganiello
GENRE: Personal Finance
RATING; 4 Stars

The Debt-Free Millionaire takes an interesting look at how an average individual can go from being highly in debt - to becoming a millionaire. The author's main premise being that everyone can be a millionaire and this book spends approx 80% of its content on discussing various debt reducing (to eventually eliminating) debt in order to progress to saving, investing and accumulating wealth.

What I liked about this book is that the author is highly encouraging and acknowledges that debt is a very real part of life for many consumers today. I also thought his comments about how the "pay yourself first" may not be in the best interest of the average person in this day and age because of the fact that the concept of credit has changed dramatically since the "pay yourself first" suggestion was started over 60 years ago. There is a very deep look at debt and how many people get into it and there is alot of discussion about the debt traps and how to get out of it.

I liked this book because of its somewhat different approach to debt and I also thought it was extremely well written for the average layperson who is not into trying to decipher financial statements. I suggest this book for anyone who is in debt or overwhelmed by debt.

REVIEW for Bundle of Trouble

Thank you goes out to author Diana Orgain for sending me a copy of her book!

TITLE: Bundle of Trouble

AUTHOR: Diana Orgain

GENRE: Mystery

RATING: 4 Stars

I was a little hesitant about reading this book because I don't normally like mysteries all that much - I usually find them slow moving. Also, I find that books with a child storyline are usually also kind of slow moving and often are focused too much on the "parenting" habits.

I did not have to worry about that with Bundle of Trouble. I loved the fast pace of the storyline and the author manages the tricky task of balancing extremely well the "parent/child" side of the story and the "mystery" side of the story.

The main character created by Orgain is a joy - she is smart, sassy and intelligent - who manages to be both a new mother AND a PI at the same time (I am impressed by woman who managed to parent and work - I can imagine adding the PI component to this).

There was also alot of humour in this story which added to my pleasure. A strong leading character, humour and a quick pace storyline with a wonderful whodunnit! What else can you ask for?

REVIEW for Forever Friends

A huge thank you goes out to Niamh at Poolberg Press for sending this book along to me!

TITLE: Forever Friends

AUTHOR: Kate McCabe
GENRE: Contemporary/chick lit fiction

RATING: 3 Stars


Poolberg Press is actually an Irish publishing house that I have recently discovered - they have good chick lit and Forever Friends is a good read.



Forever Friends introduces us to Maddy Pritchard who is my kind of main character. She is tough and believes she can do everything that her male counterparts can do - and she sets out to prover herself in the highly challenging world of high finance (can you say: "old boy's networks!!!"). Except that she is also looking for love and finds it then all of a sudden, it is taken away - and this coincides (or because of it?) her life starts falling apart. However, Maddy will no go down without a fight.

Surrounded by good friends, this is the story of a girl who finds her strength inside. This is the story of what true friends really mean to our lives - and this is the story of survival and rebirth.



It is highly inspirational and I loved the writing. This is not really a chick lit book per say because there is an overall tone of serious that is not usually found in chick lit books - however, it is a book for women - about women and I felt empowered reading it.

This was a good read.

REVIEW for Viola in Reel Life

A big thank you goes out to Melissa who sent me a copy of this YA novel!!!

TITLE: Viola in Reel Life

AUTHOR: Adriana Trigiani

GENRE: YA

RATING: 4 Stars

I have read Adriana Trigiani's chick lit and enjoyed it and I was extremely pleased to read her debut YA novel which features an absolutely delightful main character that I instantly connected with.

Viola is now in boarding school - at the aptly?? named Academy for Young Women (can you imagine saying you go to a school with that name?). So, now she must make do for a whole year, living in Indiana. Of course, she completely misses New York (who wouldn't) and is feeling despondent and more than a little challenged.

Yet, from the opening lines of this wonderful YA novel, you can feel the positive attitude and survival instinct that Viola seems to instinctly have.

Although, she is not happy about the change, she tries to make the best of it, using all kinds of different tools, which include humour, sarcasm and a healthy dose of acceptance.

Although Viola tries to pace herself, she finds herself making some BFF friends, who will become incredibly important to her and she will also find a guy that becomes much more than a friend.

This novel is heartwarming and I love the message that the author chooses to send through Viola - be happy! learn to go with the flow! and live your life to the best of your abilities.

I also enjoyed the writing - easily recognizing Trigiani's trademark writing style.

This was a joy to read.

REVIEW for Wrapped-Up FoxTrot

Thank you to Andrews McMeel Publishing for sending me this great, great comic strip.






TITLE: Wrapped-Up FoxTrot
AUTHOR: Bill Amend
GENRE: Comic Strip
RATING: 5 Stars




I love, love FoxTrot and Bill Amend. I was thrilled to receive this new compilation of comic strips and it was a joy, as always, to read and savor.

FoxTrot features an everyday family - laugh out loud Jason who is a computer geek who hates "girls" and feels as though they have "cooties". Peter who can eat three times his weight and never gains an ounce, Paige who is Jason's main victim for all his pranks and the parents - the mom who keeps cooking healthy and horrible food like tofu loaf and the dad who has two hairs on his head and keeps looking for someone to play chess with.

I never, never get tired of reading this strip. I laugh all the time, no matter how many times I read these.

This book had 192 pages which is one of their bigger compilations. There are a few color strips, but most of these are in black and white.

I look forward to much more from this strip.