Easily Amused

Book Title: Easily Amused
Author: Karen McQuestion
3 out of 5 Stars

Plot Background:

Lola is about to turn 30, and when her younger, meaner sister announces that the wedding is going to be on Lola's birthday, she needs a plan to show everyone that she is not the pathetic older sibling. Having recently moved into a house on King Street, left to her by her late aunt, she is not only dealing with all of her family drama, but being immersed into the King Street lifestyle, which involves block parties, searches for lost dogs, and a group of neighbors who are in constant contact. Meanwhile, Lola's best friend Hubert moves in with her, following a messy breakup with his girlfriend. Lola finds herself torn between two men, and torn between keeping to herself or joining the King Street madness.

My Thoughts:

This book is the second novel by McQuestion that I have read, the first being A Scattered Life, which I loved, so I came into this with pretty high expectations. Expectations aside, this was a pretty good book, there were some things I wasn't a huge fan of, but for the most part, this was exactly the kind of book I needed to read right now.

The first thing I really liked about the book was that Lola is hilarious. I laughed out loud at her inner monologue at times, and I really felt I could relate to Lola's humorous view on life. McQuestion is a very witty writer, which is something I loved so much about A Scattered Life. I also felt that Lola was a good example of the modern woman, shes insecure and realistic and funny, but surprisingly strong at times when her sister is being mean. I really connected with her, which sometimes in 'romantic comedy' type books I have a hard time doing. So many times the romantic books make women look like silly swooners and it was nice to see a character so realistic.

I also felt that Lola's friends were relate-able. Her friend Piper has a small baby, and is constantly having to tell Lola that she cant talk or having to leave early because of the baby, which reminded me so much of my own friends with children. Piper's husband Mike also made me laugh a little because of how formal he is with Lola, much like my friend's husbands.These characters weren't over developed, and in a way that vagueness about them that made it easier for me to relate them to my own friends and family.

I also liked the huge contrast of Ryan and Hubert. Ryan, the suave guy with the fancy car, the money and the mysterious travels, who is going to be Lola's date is so transparent and typical. Then there is Hubert, the teacher who drives the VW Beetle, who likes to read Aunt May's diaries and cook chicken, is more mysterious to me than Ryan. Hubert has more depth, and Ryan is like a shallow puddle that looks deeper than it is. I loved how obvious their differences were.

This brings me to my next point, the obviousness of some things. The book was very predictable. I knew from the second chapter what would happen, who would end up together, and how it would go down. There were times that I was a little disappointed because the author went for the obvious, but then other times I found this a little comforting. You can always count on the rich, mystery man to say something a little jerky, and you can always count on the sweet male friend to make it all better. Personally, I felt that more depth to the story might have been added if Ryan really was perfect, Lola's choices might have been made a little harder and she might have had a little bit more personal transformation at the end than what actually happens in the book.

Overall the book wasn't bad, but when I finished it, I felt like I had just watched a cheesy romance movie. I did enjoy reading it, I needed something a little bit lighter to read, and it delivered the much needed comic relief. I would recommend this to anyone looking for a light quick read, great to read by the pool or while enjoying a cup of coffee.

Here is a link to the Kindle edition of the book, of you can use the Amazon search box for a paper copy:

http://www.amazon.com/Easily-Amused-ebook/dp/B003X28734/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1348343516&sr=1-1&keywords=easily+amused

Happy Reading!!!

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Deal of the Day!

Hello all!
I apologize that I haven't been able to post in the last few weeks as often as I would like, we have recently had a new addition to our family and she keeps everyone busy! :-) I will be back to posting at least two to three deals a week and at least one review a week starting this week, and this week I am going to be posting an a few additional deals to make up for lost time!

Today's deal is for a book titled "The Lotus Eaters" by Tatjana Soli. I am currently reading this book and you should expect a review on it by next Wednesday.

Here's a little plot (taken from Amazon.com): 

A unique and sweeping debut novel of an American female combat photographer in the Vietnam War, as she captures the wrenching chaos and finds herself torn between the love of two men. 

On a stifling day in 1975, the North Vietnamese army is poised to roll into Saigon. As the fall of the city begins, two lovers make their way through the streets to escape to a new life. Helen Adams, an American photojournalist, must take leave of a war she is addicted to and a devastated country she has come to love. Linh, the Vietnamese man who loves her, must grapple with his own conflicted loyalties of heart and homeland. As they race to leave, they play out a drama of devotion and betrayal that spins them back through twelve war-torn years, beginning in the splendor of Angkor Wat, with their mentor, larger-than-life war correspondent Sam Darrow, once Helen's infuriating love and fiercest competitor, and Linh's secret keeper, boss and truest friend.

This is an award winning book, so make sure you download this while its only $3.99!

Here is a link to the Kindle edition of the book, or you can use the Amazon search bar on the screen to locate a paper copy:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B003DYGNU6/ref=rdr_kindle_ext_tmb

Happy Reading, and stay tuned for more deals this week and a review on this novel next week! 


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Girl Unmoored

Book Title: Girl Unmoored
Author: Jennifer Gooch Hummer
4 out of 5 Stars

Plot Background:

Apron Bramhall is a teenage girl who has seen stormy seas for a long time. Her mother has passed away and her father is now dating a very pregnant and very mean nurse, and her best friend Rennie has decided not to be friends with her anymore because the very popular Jenny Pratt has summoned her to be in the cool group. Apron is lost, until she meets Mike, the owner of a flower shop and actor who play Jesus in the play "Jesus Christ Superstar," and his boyfriend Chad whom also owns the flower shop, Scent Appeal. When she learns their secret, her world changes, and she suddenly finds that she knows more about love than she thought, and she knows more than the adults in her life. Apron finds that she must get herself to calmer waters, or be unmoored forever.

My Thoughts:

This was a book that was totally unexpected for me. When I read the plot on Amazon I thought this would be a light YA book, I thought it would be funny and short and an easy read. I was wrong in the best way. This book really gripped my heart, and I felt so attached to the people in it, especially Apron, and at the end of it I found that I felt like I wanted to reread it so it would never end.

Having said that, I will start on the first thing that caught my eye about this book: point of view. I love that this  is written from a thirteen year old's point of view, and not only is it first person (which is always my favorite) but it really felt like how I saw things when I was thirteen. Apron is a little bit detached at first, but I came to see that it only felt detached somewhat because thirteen year old's do not often get the full story from adults. For example, there were times that she would overhear a fight between her dad and "M", and as an adult you can infer a little bit of why they're fighting or what they're fighting about, but Apron doesn't know because she is a kid, so as the reader you're kept in the dark somewhat. The point of view really leads to the reader having to think critically to figure out what the adults are doing or saying sometimes, and it was fun to see if I was right at the end when the dad explains some things.

This leads me to my next point, which I mentioned previously: character development. I loved getting to know Apron, getting to see her change from the bitter, detached girl in the beginning, to the strong and smart young woman in the end. Her character changes so much, and since she is a child (even though child is a loose term), she is able to see things more purely. When adults are throwing bricks through the windows of Scent Appeal with homophobic slurs written on them, Apron knows those people are wrong, but her friends parents do not see anything wrong with that. The purity of a child really brings out a lot in the characters of this book. There was so much about Apron that I loved that I could go on for a while, but I will make one more point, which is that I loved that even though her mother is dead, her mother is so present through her. From painting a new lobster for the baby at the table to having a good attitude, you could feel the mother in the book even though she was never alive in the book. If that makes any sense.

I also loved Mike and Chad's characters. I loved seeing their love for each other, because even though the world told them it was wrong, it was the most pure form of love in the book. Apron's dad and "M" had such a complicated relationship, and you learn that her mom had a complicated relationship as well before she died, but the love between Mike and Chad was just easy and honest. ***************************SPOILER ALERT*************************
With Chad, you know from the first sentence you meet him that he is sick. AIDS is mentioned in earlier, so your mind can infer that this is what is happening to him. I have never been taught much about AIDS, as far as what it does, what symptoms it can cause etc, so reading this book was an eye opener for me. I found myself feeling heartbroken, not just for Chad, and not just for Mike for having to loose the love of his life, but for every other person out there in the world that has suffered with it. I found myself thinking of Freddie Mercury when he wrote Who Wants to Live Forever, and I found myself really feeling for all the people in the world, gay or straight who have had to suffer at the hands of this terrible disease, not only having to die from it, but having to LIVE with it. It really was heart breaking. So in that regard especially, the character development played a huge role and really the author did a fantastic job getting all of these emotions across.

A less important thing about the book, but still something that I wanted to mention because it really made the book fun, was the Latin phrases throughout, and the titles of each chapter. They were cute and added something extra. Also, way to go Jennifer Gooch Hummer for learning or finding all those phrases!

There were only a few downsides to this book that I can say. One is that it had to end. Silly, I know, but author, if you're reading this, a second book would be good, maybe a book about life with Daisy! :-)
The other negative I had was that when she went to Mike's going away party near the end, it felt like she was going to a party at "the Capitol" from The Hunger Games. Perhaps I am over thinking it, but it struck me as a little weird. I also would've liked to learn a little bit more about Toby, or even the relationship between M and the mother before she died. It is mentioned briefly in the end but I would've liked a little bit more on that.

This was a great book though. I would recommend it to everyone, not just YA readers.

As always, here is a link to the Kindle edition of the book, or you can use the search bar on the side of the screen for a paper copy:

http://www.amazon.com/Girl-Unmoored-ebook/dp/B0073HNMJY/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-text&ie=UTF8&qid=1346770244&sr=1-1&keywords=girl+unmoored


Happy Reading!!!

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