HAPPY 2011 TO ALL!

I can't quite believe that 2010 is almost over.   It seems as though I just finished my last blog post of 2009 and here I am writing the last one of 2010.

Every year, I like to take stock of  "my year" and while I am thrilled to say that 2010 was much, much better than 2009, it somehow still did not really measure up to what I had planned for myself. Yet, as I have often said, "we plan and god laughs" so maybe its a good thing that 2010 did not go as I planned ?

2010 was a more uneventful year than 2009 for which I am grateful.  I started off the year by looking for a job and while I did spend most of the summer off, I did find a contract position in August of 2010 that has kept me busy.  However, the contract is ending soon, which means I will be back to looking for something new.  The problem?  I have no idea what I want to do jobwise anymore - I just know that I don't want to be in a job that will make me crazy! - good luck with that :)

One of my biggest disappointments in 2010 was my view of food.  As you may know, I suffer from an eating disorder and unfortunately, I have seen it roared its ugly head in 2010 and basically slowly, but surely start to take control again.  The good news? I know what to look for now and I am working towards finding my balance again when it comes to food, weight and spirituality, which includes finding my love of yoga again.

On the book front, things were very interesting.  I continue to work with some of the most wonderful publicists!  some in Canada and some in the US.  One of the things I truly enjoy about blogging is to see my relationships develop.

I read 128 books this year which is average for me - and when you consider that I was off for a few months, I don't think this number is very high.  Having said that, I am not including the dozens and dozens of books that I started and did not finish.  Yes, I am one of those people who cannot get through a book if I don't like it and unfortunately, for some reason, I found myself reading quite a few of those types of books this year - including a few from authors that I have always enjoyed in the past. 

The good news is that I discovered a few great, great authors in 2010, mainly debut authors that I will definitely follow from now on.

Speaking of authors, I have also had a great working relationship with a few favorite authors.  While I, of course, am not in contact with each and every author I like, I have to say that I have been lucky enough to exchange emails and notes with a few of them and it has been a treat.

Finally, I had the opportunity of going to BEA in 2010, along with Cindy, Donna, Avis and Linda from our Montreal Blogger Group (yes, we are still meeting each month! and are now going on our third year!!!!).  The BEA experience was quite amazing and a little scary.  Of course, a huge part of the thrill for me is that it is in New York City and I took full advantage of my time there to visit.  Yet, trying to describe BEA is almost impossible - except to say CRAZY.

BEA was also exhausting.  Lots and lots and lots of walking and a truly scary amount of people rushing around to get free books and meet authors.  Thankfully, I am not someone who really puts a lot of value in autographs (except for one signed book that I received which carries a very personal message from its author) so I did not spend any time at all waiting in line to get any books signed.  But, I have to say that BEA needs to work on those "in booth" signings because they were, for the most part, a huge disaster.

Also, BEA is so big that meeting the publicists you work with is tough.  They are so busy and being pushed all over the place that trying to have a conversation is really hard - although it is great to put a face to the emails :)

Finally, we all know that being at BEA means getting a lot of free advance reading copies - and this year was no exception - and the one thing you need to "hope" for is that the books are in the genre that you read - which, in my case, was not really the situation.  BEA 2010 offered a lot of "supernatural/undead/dystopia type ARCS that are simply not the types of books that I read and since I am not the type of person who picks up a book "just because it is free", I found myself walking by quite a few freebie tables.  For this, my arms and broken suitcase were grateful :)

Overall, 2010 was a so-so year with some good and some bad and some mostly ordinary stuff - whatever the year, I know that I am grateful that my family and friends are healthy.  Namaste and have a great healthy and happy 2011.

REVIEW for Something Old, Something New Treasury

This is definitely one of the best Christmas presents ever! Thank you to the wonderful people at Simon & Schuster Canada for sending it to me - I am sooooooo grateful!!!!!!!!!!!

TITLE:                Something Old, Something New
                             Treasury (For Better For Worse)

AUTHOR:          Lynn Johnston

GENRE:             Comic Strips

RATING:            5 Stars

For Better or For Worse and Lynn Johnston - what can I say except - I LOVEEEEEEEE both!!! I have read, in the past, every comic strip at least 3 times and it never gets old.

This is why I was so thrilled with this beautifully created Treasury called Something Old, Something New. Firstly, the book has a hardcover which is great. Although I do like softcovers for my novels, I much prefer hardcovers for coffee table books, as well as books that I hope to keep and cherish.

Secondly, many of the strips are in color, which always, in my opinion, adds to the depth and richness of the strip.

The `look' is perfect and so, of course, is the content. Taken from various strips over the years, this Treasury is loaded with `must read' comic strips featuring each and every member of the Patterson clan - including, of course, my beloved Farley. Interestingly, the author adds little notes to many of the strips - giving us a little "tidbit" about the creation of the particular strip. This was also a favorite part for me - I felt as though Johnston was giving us some very personal information - something that came directly from her heart and then translated it on paper.

I am trying to pace myself as I read this. If it was up to me, I would plop down on my bed and work my way through the entire book in one sitting. Instead, I have chosen to slowly savor each strip. Reading these are making me a little nostalgic, but at the same time, I love the way the author has made her characters (her children) grow and progress. It is a wonderful feeling to be able to `meet up' with these characters anytime you want and to know their back story, as you watch them grow into adults.

These strips are at times funny, sad, poignant and everything else you can think of.

I love, love this beautiful Treasury - what a gift.

REVIEW for Once in a Full Moon

Another big shout out to Melissa at HarperCollins Canada for being so kind :)

TITLE:                Once in a Full Moon
AUTHOR:           Ellen Schreiber

GENRE:              YA

RATING:            2.5 Stars

Most of my blog followers know that I am a chick lit and YA chick lit type of girl, gimme a good prom situation and I am thrilled.


Having said that, you might also have heard me complain (actually rant) about the fact that in the last year or so, YA chick lit has seriously been replaced by a ton (and I do mean) a ton of books featuring fun subjects like the undead, vampires, ghosts, dystopia and werewolves.


The reality is that, for the most part, I don’t like reading those types of books for many reasons – starting with ‘they are just too far removed from reality’ for me to actually identify with any of the plotlines. On the other hand, I figure that unless I want to completely stop reading (which is not even an option for me), I was going to have to start to at least make an attempt at picking up these types of books and reading them.


Once in a Full Moon attracted me because I fell for the cover (yep, I can judge a book by its cover and regularly do!).


Once in a Full Moon also features a ‘normal’ character by the name of Celeste who finds herself falling for Brandon (first love and all that entails) which somehow means that she is now involved with wolves.

While I thought the romance part of the book was fair (there I go with the chick lit part again), I found that I could not really get into the whole plotline once Celeste finds herself in a snowstorm and ends up being surrounded by wolves (oh yeah, and Brandon is there also playing the hero).

While there is a lot of YA angst – chief among them that Celeste must keep her attraction to Brandon a big fat secret, because her friends would ‘not approve’ of this ‘wrong side of the track guy’, the overall story and connection between the two characters just did not work for me – certainly not enough to rate this book higher than a 2.5 stars!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL MY FRIENDS!!!!

Wishing you a wonderful holiday season and alot of health and joy in 2011~ with love from Montreal, Canada~!

REVIEW for Uumajut

TITLE:                      Uumajut

AUTHOR:                 Simon Awa

GENRE:                   Children's Book

RATING:                 4 Stars

As a little girl, I was always fascinated by books that described, in illustrations and word, the wonderful world of animals – and, of course, the more exotic the animals the better.


Unfortunately, when I was reading these types of the books the selection was limited and like Uumajut did not exist.

However, the good news is that Uumajut is now available for anyone – big and small who want to learn more about wildlife in the Artic.

Firstly, this book is beautiful. I love the entire presentation – made to last through many, many tiny hands. The illustrations are lovely and the storyline is perfect for the youngest of readers.

This book is about instructing in a fun and loving way – showing us the wonder of nature, while taking your child on an adventure that will challenge his/her imagination.

Never have issues such as the ecosystem been more important and thanks to books such as this one, your child will grow up being an informed one, who has been taught at an early age to respect nature, but most of all to love it.

REVIEW for Catching Time

Thank you goes out to Fitzhenry for sending me this beautiful book.

TITLE:                Catching Time

AUTHOR:          Rachna Gilmore

GENRE:             Children's Book

RATING:            4 Stars

As I read the book Catching Time by author Rachna Gilmore, the one thing that kept coming to mind was the word “whimsical”.


This book features a loveable and character named Sara who decides that spending time with her family is the most important thing in her life and stops at nothing to make sure that her family is together which means somehow capturing time itself.

What follows is a beautifully enchanting storyline – gently showing readers just how important it is to put family first, without losing your love of life or your imagination for what could be possible, even if it is only in your dreams.

Lovingly illustrated and an absolute delight to read, I loved, loved this book.

REVIEW for Goodnight Tweetheart

Thank you to Simon & Schuster for sending me a copy of this novel.

TITLE:                  Goodnight Tweetheart

AUTHOR:             Teresa Medeiros

GENRE:                Fiction

RATING:               3 Stars

I have to start off by saying that I loved the coffee of this book - the cup of coffee with a heart really "hit" the spot for me and for this reason (yeah, I do judge books by its cover) I wanted to read this one.


Goodnight Tweetheart was both interesting and irritating and I kept alternating between these two feelings throught the entire book. Although I enjoy some of the social sites on the Net, for some reason, Twitter has never really attracted me - probably because I need to always express myself with more than 140 characters!

Having said this, this book is written almost entirely in "tweets" which can make the reading a tad tedious if you are not comfortable with Twitter.

What I liked - our main character Abigail is in a rut and discovers Twitter AND a potential mate in the form of MarkBaynard who shows interest in Abigail. In fact, both of these "lonely" people seem to share many interests that slowly develops into a very serious "relatinship" through the Net.

This, to me, was the most interesting part of the book - an honest and down to earth look at how lonley people "meet" each other through the Net - while keeping their distance and anonymity. The writing in Goodnight Tweetheart are sad, funny and poignant, clearly showing how hard it is to truly discover who you are and who the other person is.

What i did not like - the Tweet format is annoying - especially since I was looking for depth in the writing - which is hard to do in 140 characters.

Overall, this was an okay read, although I find that the Twitter gimmick was not needed. The story would have stood on itself.

REVIEW for William and Kate, A Love Story

Thank you to Simon & Schuster for sending me a copy of this book.

TITLE:                 William and Kate, A  Love Story

AUTHOR:           Christopher Andersen

GENRE:               Biography

RATING:             3.5 Stars

Although I have never been a huge fan of the Royal family, I have to say that I did admire Diana and, throughout the years, I have made a point of keeping tabs on how her sons were doing.


In fact, I always felt that William was somewhat fascinating and it always amazed me how he seemed to have such a strong relationship with Charles – the man who basically made his mother’s life on earth a living hell.

Having said that, I admit that I, obviously, was not privy to the ‘insider’ information and should probably not judge, but I was praying that William would turn out more like his mother and a lot less like his father (physically and otherwise).

Thankfully, William seems to be quite down to earth and I was happy to discover that he chose NOT to be the philandering ‘future prince’ – constantly making certain that he and his antics show up in the press.

I was also very happy to hear about his upcoming nuptials and when I was asked to review William and Kate, the Love Story, I happily did so.

Firstly, this book is incredibly well researched and it is obvious that the writing was done by someone who has more than just a passing interest in the subject matter. All too often, a ‘cheesy’ book will be hastily put together in order to capitalize on the splash of ‘publicity’ (15 minutes of fame?) but this is not the case here.

The author takes us meticulously through the Kate and Will story – with the good and the bad and did a wonderful job of putting the readers in the moment – making us feel as though we were sharing in on some confidences.

I also enjoyed the pictures in the book – many of which I had never seen before.

Although I am sure this book will not be the only one covering Will and Kate, I have no doubt that it will be considered informative AND entertaining.

REVIEW for Five Flavors of Dumb

I received this book through Good Golly Miss Molly's website!

TITLE:                Five Flavors of Dumb

AUTHOR:           Antony John

GENRE:              YA

RATING:             4 Stars

Five Flavors of Dumb was actually a very good read - which is great news as I wasn't quite certain how good the writing would be as I had never heard of the author.


I loved that the main character was so strong - despite some physical limitations which, turned out to be NOT a limitation at all.

I also thought that the humor in this book was fantastic, especially when it comes to the various members of the band - and their limited (in some case) talent.

A fun read and prefect for this time of year - for those of us who are feeling stressed about "all the things" that need to get done before the holidays.

MY FIRST CHALLENGE OF 2011

Chicklitplus is having this great challenge - and, of course, I have to participate in a chick lit challenge!!!!

Now, if I can get my hands on 12 good chick lit books for 2011, I will be in heaven.

Stay tuned!!!!!

REVIEW for Lying Game

I love HarperCollins Canada - they are so generous with their books!  Thank you, thank you!

TITLE:           The Lying Game

AUTHOR:      Sara Shepard

GENRE:          YA
RATING:         4 Stars

I had never read any of Sara Shepard’s books before, mainly because I never seem to find any good YA novels that offer up a good mystery. In fact, I have stopped reading mysteries and thrillers in general for the same reason – after awhile, they all start to sound the same.


Fortunately, I can say that while Shepard’s storyline is not particularly original, it is a lot of fun to read, which made me breeze through The Lying Game in basically a few days.

Our main character is Emma – who is basically a foster kid who has seen her share of hardship, mainly thanks to the fact that she has pretty well been sent from one foster home to the other. Of course, at the polar opposite is Sutton who has lived a charmed life but encounters a sad end.

What follows is an entertaining story in which Emma discovers that she has a lot more in common with Sutton and will actually be asked to impersonate her. Throughout the storyline, the mystery of Sutton’s death and the fact that someone (the murderer????) knows very well that Emma is not Sutton and yet, Sutton is still around in ‘ghost’ form.


The author does a fine job of showing just how opposite the two characters are and manages to keep the suspense moving along at a good clip – without giving up the ghost (so to speak) and giving us the solution to the mystery too early in the game.


The Emma character is great and very likeable and the Sutton character is perfect as the ‘other’ less likeable sister.

I enjoyed this book and will probably end up reading the rest of the series front and back.

REVIEW for Dancing with the Devil

Thank you to Simon & Schuster for sending me a copy of this book.


TITLE:                    Dancing with the Devil

AUTHOR:               Louis Diaz and Neal Hirschfeld

GENRE:                 True Crime

RATING:               4 Stars

I went through a period a long while ago when I read a ton of true crime stories - but got bored with it all because they all started to sound exactly the same.


Having said that, I wanted to read Dancing with the Devil because the story sounded intriguing and I was not disappointed.

Dancing with the Devil features Louis Diaz - this his story about growing in a rough part of New York where you learned how to survive on the street - which made you the perfect candidate for either side of the law - and Diaz chose the "right" side - he hunted criminals, especially tough Mafia guys.

The book is riveting. Diaz makes a likeable main character who describes his youth in minute detail clearly showing us how difficult and challenging growing up in that era and in that part of the world can be.

However, what works best, for me, was his retelling of his experiences dealing with the bad guys - with everything from guns to drugs and everything in between especially violence, violence and more violence.

It is truly amazing to me how Diaz managed to survive and I have to say, that while this book was compelling, I really, really admired the author.

REVIEW for The Twelve Days of Christmas

Thank you goes out to author Trisha Ashley for so kindly sending me a copy of her new book!

TITLE:                         Twelve Days of Christmas

AUTHOR:                   Trisha Ashley

GENRE:                      Chick Lit

RATING:                     4 Stars

I have read just about everything author Trisha Ashley has written and have always loved her storylines.



Twelve Days of Christmas, I have to say, is THE perfect holiday read – although I have to admit that I read it in November.


What I loved about this novel is that while it is pretty romantic and, yep, I have to admit it, at times a tad corny, Ashley STILL manages to make it all work, without giving us a novel that is dull, predictable or boring.




The main characters are both very smart – having to deal with heartbreak and the holidays coming – all at the same time. Both try to escape, only to find out the hard way that they don’t really get to decide it all – that fate will be the deciding factor.



Through trial and error and a lot of funny (and some less so) experiences, we get to discover Holly and Jude as they discover each other and themselves.


All of this is, of course being surrounded by blizzards, Christmas decorations and lots and lots of interaction with a host of characters – some of which advance the storyline and others just there for the fun of it.


I loved, loved this book and I really think it would make a perfect holiday gift – especially if it gets read during the “season to be jolly”.

REVIEW for Mercy

Thank you to the wonderful Melissa at HarperCollins Canada for sending this book to me!


TITLE:            MERCY

AUTHOR:       REBECCA LIM

GENRE:           YA

RATING:          4 Stars

As a rule, I am not a big fan of books where the ‘main character’ inhabits another body. In fact, I don’t normally read books about angels and/or devils.




Having said that however, I have to admit that two things attracted me to the book Mercy. Firstly, I fell in love with the cover which I find to be whimsical and actually perfect for the storyline. Secondly, I have heard some very positive things about the book and it made me want to find out for myself just how good (or bad) it was.

While the basic storyline of the Angel Mercy who finds herself, from one second to the next, inhibiting the body of Carmen, an average teenager with one great sill – signing, might seem, at first glace a tad predictable, what really endeared me to the characters was the fact that Mercy now finds herself (for better or worse) having to live Carmen’s high school life – and it is really not as easy as one might think.

This makes the reading of this book fun and at times touching, with its funny moments and its less funny ones where Mercy/Carmen try to navigate through the sometimes difficult waters of being a teenager. If this wasn’t enough, the author chooses to add an odd plot twist – in which a missing person adds some intrigue to the plot (not sure this was actually all that necessary as I would have been happy reading about Mercy/Carmen’s daily interactions and struggles) but, nonetheless, it did add some “spice” to the storyline.

Overall, this book was quite good. I thought the author tended to go on longer than needed in some instances, which made me want to skip a few pages and, to be honest, although it was a fine read, I wasn’t quite sure what all the fuss was about in the end.

If you are looking for a book that is entertaining, with a message aimed at young adults, then you will want to pick this one.

REVIEW for The Woman I Was Born to Be

Thank you to the people at Simon & Schuster for sending me a copy of this book.

TITLE:                     The Woman I Was Born to Be

AUTHOR:                Susan Boyle

GENRE:                   Memoir

Rating:                      3 Stars

Of course, I had heard about Susan Boyle - who hasn't? Although I have to admit that I have never laid eyes on any of the "Got Talent" shows so I had never really sat down and listened to her singing.



When I saw this book, I can't say that I was overly excited as I kind of thought that Susan was vanilla.

Surprisingly, The Woman I Was Born to Be was actually kind of inspiring and more interesting than I thought it would be. While Susan has had a fairly ordinary life (which is okay), I found myself kind of rooting for her through her various "life experiences" - especially, of course, when she starts talking about Britain's Got Talent and how it and her voice changed her life (not necessarily for the better at times).


This memoir is honest and although I still can't really say that I am enthralled by this woman, she has certainly earned my respect.

REVIEW for Priceless

Thank you goes out to Simon & Schuster for sending me a copy of this book!

TITLE:                Priceless

AUTHOR:          Nicole Richie

GENRE:              Fiction

RATING:            4 Stars

I have been reading for many years and the book Priceless actually reminded me of the good old days in the 1980's where books of this type and genre were extremely popular and alot of fun to read.


Actually Priceless is about money, greed, ambition, reality check and making the best out of a bad situation. It is loaded with amusing anecdotes which you just know the author, Nicole Richie, has actually exprienced either first hand or some other way as the descriptinons are way to vivid and detailed to be "made up".

This novel is about the glitz and how easily it can all come outdone - although it truly is alot of fun to read about. I love reading about the excesses of the rich and I love to read about their undoing - fun! fun!

The story centers around a rich "brat" - Charlotte who in a matter of hours/days becomes an outcast with no money and nowhere to go. She moves in with her "former" nanny and discovers that she has no skills to do anything and while this is disconverting it does not stop her.

She meets a friend and a man - both of whom may or may not be saviors - which adds to the fun of the read.

I thought that Richie did a fine job of telling us about her world. Her writing is engaging and I have to say that I even fell in love with the book cover.

There is absolutely nothing to dislike about this thoroughly entertaining novel.

TIME TO GO SHOPPING!!!!

I am not a huge fan of shopping - except for books of course.  However, I have recently been doing some renovations in my home and I just bought a new TV set that I love - but it also means that its time to shop for TV stands for flat screens.



Finding the perfect TV stand can be quite challenging, especially since I don't want to go through store after store finding something that I like.

Fortunately, the Web has come in very handy - as I browse the Net and their offering of great TV stands I have found the perfect piece of furniture for me, at a great price, without ever having to leave my house.

Thank goodness for online shopping and the best part, I will be all set for the upcoming Holiday Season - bring on those good old Christmas TV shows, I am ready :)

REVIEW for All I Can Handle

TITLE:         All I can Handle

AUTHOR:   Kim Stagliano

GENRE:      Memoir

RATING:     4 Stars (for the honesty)




I read a lot of memoirs and I am not afraid to hear about the harsh realities of life.  It is obvious that life can be hard at times, so, when I started reading All I Can Handle by Kin Stagliano I was ready for a hard look at a life with autism.

However, to my surprise, I found myself reading one of the only books that has evoked both anger AND sadness in me at the very same moment.

Author Kim Stagliano is brave in writing her story - I have said this before, writing a memoir leaves you open and exposed and I admire anyone who is willing to do this.  It takes a special kind of courage to write your life story, especially if it is a hard one to write about and All I Can Handle is definitely in that category.

The author starts off by saying that she, like most other little girls, wanted a life of "happily ever after" and while she may have gotten the Prince, she certainly did not get an easy and sheltered life with this prince.  In fact, what she got was three beautiful daughters who suffer from autism.

I liked that Stagliano writes her memoir in a down to earth manner - giving us the good and the bad of her life experiences with her beautiful girls.  Some moments are wonderful and while some are downright scary.

However, throughout the entire book I kept thinking (actually my brain was screaming "WHY ON EARTH DID YOU KEEP HAVING BABIES????".    According to the book, Stagliano first daughter showed some very definite signs, at an early age, that something was not quite right and while autism was not diagnosed until later, this may have been a bit of a tip off that maybe continuing to have babies might not be the prudent move at that point - at least until you had more information on what may be happening.

Yes, I am aware that this comment will make me unpopular in some crowds, but I have a cousin who has had severe neurological issues since birth and she is now a 55 year old woman who has never lived a full life, who has relied on her father (and her stepmother - my aunt) all of her life.  The end result?  my uncle is now quite old and incapable of tending to her anymore as he is almost blind and her stepmother (who is afraid of this girl because she can be violent) is worried about how my cousin will deal with the death of her father when it happens).  Oh, there is also the little matter of who will take care of this girl when her father and her stepmother pass away?

I look at my cousins life and I have never seen any joy in it.  Each and every little thing has always been a struggle and reading this memoir actually made me cry - for the life these girls (who did not ask for this) are going to have.

So, I ask again, why on earth did these two people continue to have children?  The author goes as far as to say that after the second child, they started questioning themselves on this very issue - yet, after a particular party they just 'oops" accidentally got pregnant with the third child.  Come on people - take a little responsibility here.  Ever hear of adoption?

Maybe I am missing the point of this memoir - which is, after all, about autism and its causes and hopefully a cure.  While I believe in the fact that 'modern science" might very well end up being more a detriment to us in many ways (drugs, drugs, drugs) and that, in a beautiful world, a cure for autism will happen, it does not negate the fact that we, as adults and potential parents need to make some responsible and, at times, hard choices of our own - which starts with - putting the needs of any future child ahead of our own desire to "have a family".

I also found that the author ranted and raved against the medical establishment as being responsible for autism as well as for not being responsive to it - as I said, I believe there is alot of validity in this statement, however, here again, I think the author needs to share some of the responsibility for the situation she is in.

Finally, I think of those girls - who may very well never have a full and happy life with all its ups and downs and I want to cry all over again because in the end, they are the ones that are truly paying the price for all the poor choices that brought them to where they are today.

Their lives are precious, they are beautiful and deserve to be loved, but they also deserve to enjoy their life without the heavy burdens they face for the future - I feel as though they have been cheated.

REVIEW for Keep the Change

Thank you to the wonderful people at Harper Collins Canada for sending me a copy of this book!

TITLE:             Keep the Change

AUTHOR:        Steve Dublanica

GENRE:           Memoir

RATING:         3 Stars

I fell in love with this author’s first book and thought it was hilarious. It is always truly amazing to me to see just how “the real” work actually operates and I love getting all these “hush” “hush” inside secrets about trades that I know nothing about – such as the waitress/waiter profession.



In Keep the Change, the author tackles a similar subject, but with a wider view – instead of it being about (mostly) his own experiences, he broadens his horizons to include the world of tipping in general with some interesting anecdotes that are quite engrossing.

In fact, that is what I truly enjoy reading when I find myself with this type of book and, unfortunately, at times, the author manages to make his book sound more like some kind of dissertation paper on the subject matter – instead of relying on a good old formula that worked so well in the first book.

Where the first book made me feel like a voyeur, privy to some great stories, this second one makes me feel as though I am reading a research paper. This is not to say that there aren’t some great tidbits, but overall, I have to admit to being a bit disappointed with this one.