Christmas Shopaholic may be the best Christmas book I've read in a long time. It might also be the best book in Sophie Kinsella's Shopaholic series I've read in a long time. On both counts, nothing could have surprised me more. What's Christmas Shopaholic about? This newest installment in the Shopaholic series stars our girl Becky Brandon (née Bloomwood). Becky is a loveably ditzy but well-meaning woman with a slight...
Even though The Merriest Magnolia sounds like a Christmas book, and the beautiful cover makes it look like a Christmas book… it’s not what I would call a true Christmas book. And, I really liked that about it. What's The Merriest Magnolia about? Author Michelle Major’s newest installment of The Magnolia Sisters series kicks off just before Thanksgiving. The Merriest Magnolia ushers us into the Yuletide season by letting...
Clear your weekend, Tartlets. In fact, clear your week. Because Winter Solstice is a book you want to read slooooowly, savoring every word and turn of the page. I discovered this 2011 novel by Rosamunde Pilcher on a list of holiday reads from Modern Mrs Darcy. It was the most recommended book by her readers, and it didn’t take me long to figure out why. What's Winter Solstice about? Winter Solstice starts off...
House of Salt and Sorrows is aptly named: there's a heck of a lot of Salt, and there's way more sorrow than necessary plaguing the Thaumas family. The more you read, the more you're like, Sheesh, hasn't this family been through enough??? What's House of Salt and Sorrows about? House of Salt and Sorrows is author Erin A. Craig's reimagining of the Twelve Dancing Princesses fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm. We...
Dixie Wheeler, the main character of Theme Music, is a little odd. She gets a pass, though. You would, too, if your whole family was brutally slaughtered in front of your eyes. YEAH. You heard me. What's Theme Music about? The prologue of Theme Music is an incredibly graphic replay of when Dixie Wheeler's father pulled a Lizzie Borden on his family, taking an axe and chopping them into pieces one Thanksgiving morning....
First of all, can we all just take a moment to acknowledge how much the cover for The Girl in the Mirror looks like the cover for Desperate Girls? Click on the links to see what I mean. Second of all... is it weird that I called the entire story, from beginning to end? Nothing about The Girl in the Mirror surprised me. Like, NOTHING. Sigh. What's The Girl in the Mirror about? Despite The Girl in the Mirror...
I was giddy with anticipation about The Book of Longings from the moment its publication date was announced. And, I'm thrilled to report that author Sue Monk Kidd did not disappoint with her newest novel. What's The Book of Longings about? It's long been debated whether Jesus (yep, as in "Christ Superstar") had a female partner. (Hello, The Da Vinci Code.) The Book of Longings takes this controversial idea and runs with...
I devoured The Whisper Man by Alex North in one weekend. I started on a Friday night, and then I just didn't want to stop. When I finally did, I had to take several deep breaths, then shake my head to clear away the intense, mesmerizing world I'd gladly lost myself in for hours on end. The Whisper Man eff'd me up Every cliché you hear about a good thriller should be applied to The Whisper Man-- because it actually deserves these...
I feel like Blanky is a cautionary tale about trusting people who can't spell. I mean, would you buy something from a shopkeeper advertising "BABY CLOSE" (i.e., "clothes") for sale? Nope. I sure as hell wouldn't. If for no other reason than on the principle of being a proud (and snobbish) English major who mastered second grade spelling. Unfortunately, main character Steve and his wife weren't as bothered about this obvious portent of...
I didn't think I was spooked by The Graveyard Apartment. I really didn’t. Then I had a dream that I was trying to herd my Japanese family (which I don't have) out of our high-rise apartment building (which I don't live in) that's teeming with ghosts. THAT'S when I knew this intensely creepy, Japanese horror story had really gotten to me. What's The Graveyard Apartment about? The premise of The Graveyard Apartment is admittedly...
