Rumors

I've been looking for this book for a while now, but every time I go to Borders it seems to be sold out. That being said, I was really excited when I went to Barnes and Noble this week to spend the last of my Christmas gift cards and found they had "Rumors." I loved the first book in the Luxe series and Rumors definitely did not disappoint.

This book picks up a few months after the happenings in The Luxe. As not to spoil the first book for anyone who hasn't read it yet, I won't get into too much detail, but this really was a great (and fast) read. It features all of the same scandal, backstabbing and romance as the first book, with some especially dramatic events toward the end. I was especially pleased to see the character development in Lina, the maid, who is becoming one of my favorite characters in the series.

I will say that the ending was a bit of a shock (a little upsetting), but I can't wait to find out what happens in "Envy," the next book of the series. Even though this is a YA series, I think anyone who enjoys historical fiction and/or chick lit will love these books, they are a great combination of the two genres.

Highly recommended!

Gossip Girl Prequel: It Had to be You

Ok, I admit I was skeptical about reading these books for years, even after I started watching the show (and I LOVE Gossip Girl on TV!) ... but finally I broke down and grabbed the prequel when I was at the library.

And I am now obsessed.

The prequel takes place when Serena and the gang are 15, before she takes off and mysteriously leaves NYC. A lot of things that happened are totally different than the show, and some of the characters are different too (Vanessa is a badass punk girl with a shaved head!) but I still loved it. Seriously read it in one sitting.

So what if I'm practically 30 - these books are great!! Total guilty pleasure. I'm definitely going to read the rest of the series.

Quentins

I've heard good things about Maeve Binchy, but this is the first time I've ever read one of her books. I was at Borders and this one happened to catch my eye, but then I thought I'd just get it at the library...I'm trying not to spend as much money on books as I usually do, and figure if it's an older one, I can likely just find it at the library for free. (I was going to check out Circle of Friends as well, but it looked gross. You know, like it had been in the library for 20 yrs and the cover was all nasty looking and falling apart. Gah).

Anywayyyy....I really loved this book. Quentins is a restaurant in Dublin, and the book talks about all the stories of people who frequent the restaurant and most of their lives all connect somehow. There are quite a lot of characters to follow, but it never got confusing. The book mainly follows Ella Brady, who falls in love with an older, married man (Don). Don ends up screwing up her whole life (and the lives of half the other people in Dublin). She decides to make a documentary about Quentins over the years, in part to help make money since she's totally broke.

Basically, the book goes between Ella's story, and the people who run the restaurant, and then there are some random chapters that are sort of short stories about different people and things that have happened in the restaurant.

Apparently Quentins features a few of the characters that were in early books, so when I returned this, I checked out "Evening Class," which features one of the more minor characters in Quentins. I'm excited to read it!

Love the One You're With

I loved Giffin's first 3 books (Something Borrowed, Something Blue, and Baby Proof - go read them!) and was really looking forward to this one. However, the main character is so unlikeable I could barely get through the book. She's selfish, spoiled and basically a huge brat. I felt myself rooting AGAINST her and hoping she'd end up alone and her husband would dump her miserable ass.

Ellen, the main character, is newly married to Andy, her best friend's brother. Their relationship is happy, but a little bland (her sister describes it as "pleasant"). Andy is a sweet and likable character, however, you'd think he was a jerk the way Ellen acts in this book.

Exactly what is wrong with her life? Her husband is seriously loaded, his family is wonderful, she has everything she could want or need (great photography career, nice place in NYC, good friends) yet she feels the need to ruin it all by starting this obsessive flirtation with an ex (Leo) who dumped her 8 years ago and was never good for her in the 1st place. You can see the attraction to Leo from his physical description and if you're into the whole brooding artist type, Leo's your guy. But he was such a jerk to her before, I don't understand why she'd even want to talk to him at all.

The best friend/sister-in-law Margot is a somewhat lovable yuppy type who moves back from NYC to Atlanta, where Andy and Margot's family lives, to start a family and do the whole "ladies who lunch" thing. Ellen looks down on anyone who leaves New York and is really critical of Atlanta (which I think is funny because the author lives in Altanta). When Margot finds out that Ellen's talking to Leo again, she understandably freaks out, to Ellen's surprise. Um hello! YOU'RE MARRIED TO HER BROTHER!!! Do ya really think she's going to be cool with this?

The writing in this book is not up to par with her former works, either.

And for some reason, Giffin must hate Pittsburgh because she bashes it every chance she gets (Ellen is originally from Pitt). Not that I'm a huge fan of the city, and some of what she says is true, but she seriously makes fun of Pittsburgh throughout the whole book. Although I did love the part where Margot has a party where Ellen brings "Pittsburgh wine" and Margot's snobby best friends make fun of it, not knowing that Ellen brought it.

I'm glad I got this as a christmas present b/c I would have been freaking pissed off if I paid 24.95 at Borders!!!

The Sweet Far Thing

Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed The Sweet Far Thing, but it wasn't what I had hoped for. As a whole, the book was well-written. but much like the last book in the Twilight Series (Breaking Dawn), I had some issues with the way the series ended.

The good: Gemma and Felicity are about to make their debut in London society, so there's a lot of talk about balls and whatnot, which I always enjoy. The parts where they go to London were my favorites, and I really liked getting into Gemma's family dynamic, especially when Gemma tried using magic to change some of their situations. At Spence I love the interaction between the girls and with Mrs. Nightwing, this book did a good job with making you wonder which teachers were good vs "bad" (kind of like Snape). The final fight in the realms was also really well-done.

The bad: In general, I think the book was too long. At 800+ pages, there were certain pages where I started to skim ... which I definitely wasn't doing with the first two books.

I won't ruin it for you, but all I have to say is you'll likely be disappointed by the ending. I guess I have to commend Libba Bray for not going the "expected" route, but judging from most of the reviews I read on Amazon, most others who read the book felt the same way as I did. I'd describe the ending as more "bittersweet" than happy, although everyone seems to get what they want for the most part. At least the characters experienced some setbacks and suffered (minor) consequences, unlike Breaking Dawn where everything was wrapped up in a happy little package, where no one suffered or had to give up anything for what they wanted. I thought that was weird because Gemma always made references to the silly books Ann read and how they were so cliche because nothing bad ever happened, the poor girl always triumphed and they just werent realistic.

Also, even the "bad"characters never really were truly evil - there was always a good side of them or some slip that made them seem more likable or at least made you realize where they were coming from. I guess she was trying to show that everyone has a dark side (even Gemma) but I would have liked for at least one character to be SERIOUSLY evil.

Anyway, I'd still recommend reading this one, even just to find out how the series ends, because the first two books are amazing.

From book to movie

I recently found out several books I really like are becoming movies: A Great and Terrible Beauty, Something Borrowed and Something Blue. I'm always afraid that the movie's going to suck and totally ruin the book (like A Series of Unfortunate Events)...but you never know. Twilight was pretty decent. I'm looking forward to seeing the Shopaholic film in February, definitely one of my favorite series! From the preview, they completely changed the book (it's not even set in London, and Becky's not British, annoying) but it still looks like it could be decent. I love Isla Fisher, at least.

Then today I read that Baz Luhrmann bought the film rights to my favorite book of all time, The Great Gatsby. I don't quite know what to think about that. I do LOVE his re-make of Romeo + Juliet and Moulin Rouge was cool, but so weird. I'll definitely go see it either way of course.

Mademoiselle Boleyn

I borrowed this book from my friend Nicole, who also shares my love of historical fiction, and totally loooved it.

Mademoiselle Boleyn is particularly interesting because it's set in France and covers the time that Anne is sent to live in the French court as a young girl along with her sister, Mary.

For anyone who enjoyed The Other Boleyn Girl (also highly recommended) it's fascinating reading. You do end up sympathizing with Anne and by the end I was pretty sad knowing what eventually happens to her.

The details about the French court are definitely a little shocking (and very risque!! i mean, seriously RAUNCHY) which of course makes the book all the more interesting, haha. Besides the raunchiness, the author paints a really vivid scene of court life in Paris, I was totally absorbed in the elaborate balls and gowns and the parties. It would be pretty cool to go back to that time period.

I'm definitely going to check out some more by Robin Maxwell! I was on her Web site and found a lot of other interesting books.... I know I am going to want to get the Secret Diary of Anne Boleyn.

Rebel Angels

The 2nd book in the Gemma Doyle trilogy, Rebel Angels, was definitely just as good as the 1st. I read it in one sitting today and I'm eager to pick up the final book in the series (hopefully tomorrow) so I can find out what happens next!

As not to spoil what happens in A Great and Terrible Beauty, I won't comment too much on the plot of Rebel Angels. The book starts out at Spence (the boarding school) but it's mostly set in London when the girls are sent home for the Christmas break. Gemma continues to go into the magical world of the realms, but this time she's on a mission that could change everything.

Since it's not entirely set at the school, there are some great historical details about Victorian London, and the girls are invited to a few balls, operas and whatnot over the course of the holiday season. There is also a lot more detail about Gemma's family, including her father's affliction. You also find out a shocking secret about one of the girls, which I definitely did not see coming. It definitely explains a lot about why this character behaves as she does.

All in all, I really loved Rebel Angels and enjoyed seeing the character progression from book to book. I'm definitely looking forward to seeing what else Libba Bray comes up with in the future.

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

A Great and Terrible Beauty

I am completely obsessed with the Gemma Doyle trilogy right now - I finished A Great and Terrible Beauty a couple of days ago, and read the entire sequel (Rebel Angels) today. These books are amazing!

Similar to Harry Potter, the books involve a magical world and a boarding school, although it's a ladies' finishing school and not a school of magic that Gemma and her friends attend ... and Gemma is the only one who holds special powers.

A Great and Terrible Beauty is set in 1895. After 16-yr-old Gemma's mom dies, she's sent from India to Spence, an all-girls boarding school in England. From the time her mother passes away, Gemma starts having scary visions which she tries to ignore, but then discovers she has powers to enter a secret world called the realms.

Besides the magic, the friendships and boarding school social politics are equally interesting ... especially the interactions with Gemma and the seemingly evil popular girls, Felicity and Pippa. Although she has extraordinary powers, Gemma still has the same concerns as other girls in school: trying to fit in as the "new girl," the confusing world of boys, and worrying about her family, especially her father, who is in declining health after the death of Gemma's mother.

Similar to the Luxe, there are the themes of women's oppression in a man's world. Although the girls in the book mostly feel that their fates are chosen for them by their families, Gemma feels there has to be a way to take control and choose your own destiny. The girls in this book are definitely more proper and sheltered when it comes to men than in The Luxe, though. Although England is by nature more proper, I feel like this series is probably a bit more historically accurate versus the extreme (for that time period) behavior of the girls in The Luxe.

I'm really excited because I just found out (when searching for a photo to post on the blog) that they're making a movie out of A Great and Terrible Beauty next year! The whole time I read this book I kept thinking what a great movie it could be, so I can't wait to see how it turns out.

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

The Luxe

If you like Gossip Girl, you'll definitely enjoy The Luxe. I LOVED, loved, loved this book. It's definitely a fast, light read. To sum it up, The Luxe is pretty much Gossip Girl set in the late 1800s with all the same back stabbing, scheming and romantic trysts. Just add in some bigass ball gowns. It's a young adult novel, but I tend to enjoy YA books just as much as "grown up" ones.

The main character, Elizabeth Holland, is from an old, wealthy Manhattan family. The book mainly focuses on Elizabeth and her sister, Diana, Elizabeth's friend Penelope, and Henry Schoonmaker, one of NYC's most sought-after bachelors. Each chapter focuses on a different person, so it's interesting to dive into each character's head...especially the servant girl, Lina, who turns out to be just as spiteful and tricky (if not more so) than the wealthy girls.

The book definitely comments on a woman's place in society at that time: lack of choice, family commitment over personal happiness, marriage for love vs. money. Elizabeth especially, is the most reluctant to stray from the norm and do what her heart wants versus what her family and society expects of a girl in her position, but even she has some pretty dirty secrets.

The only thing I didn't like about the book was that I never really felt that connected to Elizabeth, and the only character you really like in the book is Diana, who is the most free spirited and interesting of the group.

I have to admit I was a little shocked at how the girls in this book acted at times, given the extremely strict standards of conduct for ladies in that time period. I think the author is pushing the envelope a bit to make it more scandalous/Gossip Girl like, which definitely makes for interesting reading. I liked the "clippings" from the society pages in front of the chapters, totally like Page 6.

I can't wait to read the next book in the series (I went to Borders to get it immediately after finishing The Luxe, but they didn't have it - grr). I'll update as soon as I read it, of course!

Rating: 5 out of 5 stars

Tales of Beetle the Bard

I was really excited to read this one since I'm a huge Harry Potter fan. I received the book for Christmas and ended up reading it in one sitting since it was so short (just about 100 pgs). That would be my only complaint about "Beetle" -- it's much shorter than I had hoped. But, it's a fun, quick read and I would definitely recommend it for any Potter fans.

The book is sort of like Grimm's fairy tales for wizards (it's referenced in the last HP book, the Deathly Hallows). The concept of the book is pretty cool because each story has commentary from Albus Dumbledore, complete with footnotes to other Wizarding books, etc. Dumbledore's commentary also gives insight to some of the characters in the HP books and a few other details that weren't included in them. I'll re-read Deathly Hallows before the movie comes out in July, so it will be interesting to cross-reference this with that book, especially where they reference the Tale of the Three Brothers.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

1st post

I've spent the greater part of my two-week holiday break from work reading ... between all the books I received for Christmas and the ones I bought with Borders giftcards, I have a pretty good stack under the tree. Having finished my 6th book today, my husband commented that maybe I should start a book blog since I read enough of them and I'm always talking about how I want to write a book of my own.

So...here we are. Being the new year and all, I figured I should stop procrastinating and do some actual writing (even it's only writing about other people's writing...shut up. I know.)

I'll aim to update the blog at least weekly (as you can guess, I read pretty fast so it may be more frequently) with a post dedicated to each book as I finish along with a rating.

Happy New Year!