Month: July 2014

Review: Where’d You Go, Bernadette

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Where'd You Go, BernadetteMaria Semple, Where’d You Go, Bernadette

Bernadette Fox is a middle-aged wife and mother who is having so much trouble coping with daily life that she outsources all her errands to a virtual Indian assistant. Her loving husband, Elgin, has made a fortune working for Microsoft but is never home as a result. Her 15-year-old daughter, Bee, is always a source of joy, but the other parents at Bee’s school for gifted children drive Bernadette crazy. As Bernadette struggles with social anxiety, hostile neighbors, a house that’s falling apart, and an unexpected visit from the FBI, things slowly begin to slip through the cracks — until one day she vanishes. Devastated, Bee sets out on a quest to find her mother, compiling all the documentary evidence she can find that might give her a clue to Bernadette’s whereabouts. Bee’s search for her mom eventually takes her as far as Antarctica, and it also gives her a greater understanding of Bernadette’s personality by unearthing secrets from her past.

I was a little nervous to read this book, fearing that it wouldn’t live up to the hype, but luckily there was no need to worry! Normally I would have little patience for someone like Bernadette, who doesn’t seem to realize how priveleged she is, with a loving family and plenty of money. But Bernadette is just self-aware enough to realize the ridiculousness of her behavior, so I was able to look past the more obnoxious aspects of her personality. Also, this book is really funny; I especially enjoyed the e-mail conversations between Audrey and Soo-Lin, two of the other parents at Bee’s school, who both hate Bernadette. I loved the book’s quasi-epistolary format — it’s basically a collection of the documentes Bee finds while searching for her mom, with some narration by Bee — and I loved that there was a plausible reason for how Bee obtained all these documents. All in all, this book went much more quickly than I thought it would, and I’d definitely recommend it as a fun vacation read!

Giveaway WINNER: Mortal Heart

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Mortal HeartHappy Independence Day, my fellow Americans! As you know, I’ve decided to give away my ARC of Mortal Heart by Robin LaFevers, and it’s time to announce the results! The winner, picked by random.org, is…Doing Dewey!

Congratulations! Please email me at youbookmeallnightlong(at)gmail(dot)com with your address so that I can send you your book! I’ll get it in the mail by next weekend at the latest.

Thanks to everyone who entered! There weren’t many of you, so obviously I need to publicize better and/or get more followers. 🙂 Better luck next time!

Review: Love Irresistibly

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Love IrresistiblyJulie James, Love Irresistibly

Brooke Parker is a smart, tough-as-nails lawyer with a very demanding job. As general counsel of an up-and-coming food & beverage provider, she works long hours doing everything from drafting employment contracts to wining and dining new clients. As a result, Brooke has no time to spend on other aspects of her life, especially not a relationship. Meanwhile, Cade Morgan is a former college football star who now works as a federal prosecutor after sustaining a career-ending injury. He dates a variety of women but doesn’t like to get serious with anyone. But when an investigation of a corrupt politician brings Cade and Brooke together, sparks immediately fly between them. At first, they seem to be on the same page, both wanting nothing more than a casual fling. But as they spend more time together, Brooke and Cade start to develop genuine feelings for one another. Will they be brave enough to go beyond the superficial and really commit to each other?

Julie James is the author who convinced me that not all romance novels are terrible, and she’s been on my auto-buy list for a long time. But for some reason, I wasn’t terribly fond of this book. It’s certainly a fun, quick read with a lot of good points. For example, I liked the fact that there were no contrived obstacles or Big Misunderstandings keeping Brooke and Cade apart; their hesitations seemed genuine and realistic. I also loved Brooke’s friend Ford (give him his own book, please!) and Cade’s FBI buddies. They may be there for sequel fodder, but they’re also fun characters in their own right. However, I just couldn’t get invested in the romance betwen Brooke and Cade. Maybe it’s because they’re both annoyingly perfect, with supermodel good looks and prestigious, high-paying jobs. Even though they each have a backstory that provides them with a smidgeon of depth, they just seemed like generic hot people to me. That said, I haven’t given up on Julie James and will definitely be reading her next book!

Tune in Tuesday with Katelyn: There but for the grace go I

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Tune in Tuesday-pinkSo when I was in college, I was a member of the pep band (yes, I was that cool). We played at all the home games for men’s basketball, and also occasionally for men’s hockey and women’s basketball. It was a ton of fun, and we played music from a lot of different genres, including my pick for this week’s Tune in Tuesday! I’m sure you’ll all recognize this song, which still gets played on the radio sometimes — and if not, you should at least recognize the band from “Clueless”! Here is “The Impression That I Get” by the Mighty Mighty Bosstones — and if you’re watching the video, look out for the guy in the background who is neither singing nor playing an instrument!

Top Ten Tuesday: Classics

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Top 10 TuesdayThis week’s topic asks for our ten favorite “classics,” which obviously can be defined a number of different ways. When I think of a classic, what comes to my mind are: (1) books you’d be assigned to read in school, (2) books that have won awards and/or acclaim, and (3) books that have become an integral part of the culture. Of course, that’s not a comprehensive definition — heck, it’s not even MY comprehensive definition — but it’s a start! So here, in no particular order, are ten of my all-time favorite classics:

1. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen — Honestly, I’m tempted to fill slots 1-6 with Austen novels, but instead I’ll just mention this one, my absolute favorite book of all time!

2. A Room with a View by E.M. Forster — This is another of my very favorite books. I love Forster’s writing style, and it’s really interesting to see how Lucy grows throughout the course of the novel.

3. Much Ado About Nothing by Shakespeare — Beatrice and Benedick! Oh my heart.

4. The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien — This is undoubtedly one of the most influential fantasy novels of all time, and it creates such a vivid picture of another world. There’s a tiny part of me that believes this book is true.

5. The Princess Bride by William Goldman — The movie is, of course, amazing, but I think the book doesn’t get enough love! It gives so much more information about Inigo’s and Fezzick’s backgrounds, and it’s much more satirical than the movie. Also: Zoo of Death!

6. North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell — I sort of feel like I’m cheating, since this is basically another variation on P&P, but with more labor strikes. I love how both Margaret and John are so stubborn in holding onto their beliefs, yet they are ultimately able to see each other’s points of view.

7. The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy — I don’t know if this really deserves to be called a classic, since the writing style is (in my opinion) clearly inferior to most of the other books on this list. But it’s still one of my favorite books, and the plot has definitely made its mark on popular culture. If it can be spoofed by Looney Tunes, it’s a classic, dammit!

8. The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare — This won the Newbery in 1959, so I think it can legitimately be called a children’s classic. It was also my very favorite book before I discovered P&P, and it still holds a special place in my heart.

9. Brave New World by Aldous Huxley — The ending gives me chills.

10. The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky — I actually found this enormous Russian novel to be a real page-turner! There’s so much about philosophy and religion and the meaning of life packed in here; I think it’s a book that everyone should read once in his/her lifetime.