When the Elephants Dance

When the Elephants Dance - Tess Uriza Holthe

World War II in the Philippines - not fun. My sister passed this one on, too, and it was good, albeit depressing in places. Children living through war is horrifying, and the children who were slaughtered were no less upsetting. The neat twist to this one was the storytelling amongst the main characters, as they hid from the Japanese occupation. Lots of folklore and illumination of the Filippino culture. The pregnant sister-in-law will enjoy this, I think.

June 2007.

Devil May Care

Devil May Care - Sheri McInnis

My sister passed this one on to me. I liked the twist on the usual chick lit formula - girl falls in love with her dream guy, life gets better, girl worries she's dating the devil. Was he the devil? I kept going back and forth, but now that I'm done, I'm convinced he was. Worth reading - I plan to pass this on to the sisters-in-law.

June 2007.

Stuck in Downward Dog

Stuck in Downward Dog - Chantel Simmons

Thank you Key Porter and Chantel Simmons for my lovely signed copy of this book from BookExpo 2007. It was pretty good. The beginning was slow, and the parenthetical explanations of Canadian references were frustrating. When you read a book set in the UK, they don't keep saying things like the equivalent of Wall Street, etc. to explain local references. Anyway, that tapered off quickly, and I stopped being peeved.

I loved when Mara deluded herself into thinking she was losing weight, and her clothes were all tight because she kept wrecking them in the laundry. When she wore a maternity dress as a top, it was too funny. The ending was highly satisfying.

June 2007.

Confessions of a Beauty Editor

Confessions of a Beauty Editor - Linda Wells and the editors of Allure

Loved it! I love Allure magazine - I read it every month, and it influences my makeup purchases tremendously. So I was excited to score a discount on this book because the dustcover was torn. My only complaint is that the hardcover edition is too heavy to read in the tub. If you like Allure, you'll like this. If you don't like Allure, but you need simple advice on hair, makeup, grooming, etc., you still should give this a try.

June 2007.

A Model Summer

A Model Summer - Paulina Porizkova

If you were a teenager in the '80's, you probably remember Paulina Porizkova. She was a gorgeous model - she did the Estee Lauder wedding dress perfume ads (I think the scent was Beautiful) and she even appeared in Her Alibi with Tom Selleck that had the funniest bow and arrow scene (funnier than the one in Emma). And now she's written a book about a teenager becoming a model in the '80's. I signed this out from the library because I read a review in Entertainment Weekly that suggested the writing was good. They were right. The story is perfectly plotted and paced, and you ache each time the heroine makes a bad choice, even though it seems impossible for her to do otherwise. I recommend this to anyone who ever fantasized about being a model to get back at all the people in high school who made you feel miserable - apparently, the revenge isn't all sweet.

June 2007.

The Lost Garden

The Lost Garden - Helen Humphreys

Book club pick. It was okay. I didn't think I liked it very much, because of all the gardening. However, during the discussion, I realized I enjoyed the potato nicknames and the different perspective on WWII. It was about a woman who volunteers for the Land Service Army and supervises a bunch of young women in growing crops for the troops. Easy to read. I'd recommend it to some people, but it is not for everyone. Sis, pregnant sister-in-law: you might enjoy it!

June 2007.

The Amber Spyglass

The Amber Spyglass - Philip Pullman

The final book in the His Dark Materials trilogy, and certainly the weakest of the three. Still a very good read, and quite well plotted. The final temptation I found to be a letdown, but the resolution was very good. I think it was a letdown because of the characters' age, and also because there really wasn't any question of how they would react.

This was my 7th book for the month, bringing me to 40 YTD.

May 2007.

The Ex-Girlfriends' Club

The Ex-Girlfriends' Club - Rhonda Nelson

Okay Harlequin. The staples: meddling, quirky aunt and crotchety meddling grandfather. Ex-boyfriend makes good and returns to town, for the second time. I miss Love and Laughter. I miss Duets. I almost miss Flipside. This just reminded me why I don't buy Harlequins every month anymore - they don't have a line that speaks to my exacting standards for romantic comedy.

May 2007.

The Four Seasons of Marriage

The Four Seasons of Marriage - Gary Chapman

This was okay. I liked his book about the 5 love languages much better. Picked it up at the 2006 Book Expo. For people who want Christian marital counselling, without actually having to go to a counselling session, this might be just the ticket.

May 2007.

The Subtle Knife

The Subtle Knife - Philip Pullman

Second in the His Dark Materials series. I really enjoyed it, but the betrayals at the end had me crying and shaken. It was just horrible. Poor Lee Scoresby! Lyra continues to be quite the plucky heroine, and the linking of physics to religion was an interesting development. How did I miss this series for so long?

May 2007.

Shopaholic & Baby

Shopaholic & Baby - Sophie Kinsella

Ahh, pure humourous bliss! "She's a redheaded bitch and I hate her" is a classic line, destined to live on my memory for a very longtime. Poor Becky decides she wants an OB/GYN to the celebrities, and it turns out to be her husband's ex-girlfriend. When she fakes being in labour to confront the conniving doctor, I couldn't stop laughing. Lighthearted, funny, and highly recommended. I plan on picking up a paperback copy for my library, but I borrowed this from the dog-owning sister-in-law, who borrowed it from her mom. It's now being circulated amongst the other female readers on hubby's side of the family.

May 2007.

The Golden Compass

The Golden Compass - Philip Pullman

This is the first one in the series, His Dark Materials. I don't know how I missed it for so long! I picked this up because Kai Meyer's The Flowing Queen was compared to this series, and I really enjoyed Meyer's books. Well I love this! And, they are releasing a movie version this winter. The preview looks fabulous. I can't wait to see it - I'm hoping it will be another LOTR style adaptation; faithful to the book, but beautiful to watch.

The hubby and I debated whether someone who enjoyed Harry Potter would enjoy this. I'm not convinced. The otherworld aspects are slightly less accessible than Hogwart's, and there is a complicated theological structure which might turn some people off. I loved it, though, and would recommend it to anyone who likes fantasy writing, not just Harry Potter.

May 2007.

Life Among the Savages

Life Among the Savages - Shirley Jackson

I read this because my book-a-day calendar last year made it sound pretty funny. And I loved "The Lottery" and We Have Always Lived in the Castle, so I thought it would be neat to read something by Shirley Jackson that wasn't freaky or disturbing. It reminded me of Please Don't Eat the Daisies by Jean Kerr. Funny, domestic anecdotes of the Leave it to Beaver period (okay, it may have been a different era, but it reminds me of the Beaver). An easy, droll read for mothers to remind us that families are chaos.

May 2007.

Children of My Heart

Children of My Heart - Gabrielle Roy

My second bookclub read. This was good. The shorter vignettes were much more moving than the main drama (will she fall in love with a student??). Set during the Canadian depression, the narrator is a schoolmarm. Some of the stories about the children being separated from parents, having to shoulder the responsibilities of adults, etc. made me weep. I'm a sucker for the innocent victims making the best of horrible circumstances. It was a nice light read - I'd recommend it to Can Lit lovers and people interested in something for the beach or cottage that isn't just summer smut. This was my 7th book for the month, bringing me to 33 YTD.

April 2007.

bloodletting & miraculous cures

bloodletting & miraculous cures - Vincent Lam

Canadian collection of interconnected stories. Written by a doctor, so not surprisingly, the stories focus on med students and doctors. It was okay - I didn't love it. Gift from the pregnant sister-in-law for my birthday. Got to meet Vincent Lam at the 2007 Book Expo. He signed an audio CD of the book that I'm plan to give my pregnant sister-in-law (might be a nice break from Disney tunes when she's driving).

April 2007.

There's a Boy in the Girls' Bathroom

There's a Boy in the Girls' Bathroom - Louis Sachar

This was a good read for the middle-school crowd. The author also wrote Holes, which was turned into quite an enjoyable family movie. The book made me teary-eyed, because the main character is so socially inept and so desperate not to reveal that he wants to have friends. Also, very pro-counselling, which might be a plus for parents whose children need to go to counselling for some reason. Passed it on to the 2nd cousins.

April 2007.

How to Make Your Child a Reader for Life

How to Make Your Child a Reader for Life - Paul Kropp

This was an excellent book. I saw it in the stacks at the library, so I signed it out. I would recommend it to any parent, and I want to buy a copy for us. Huge gift hint there, family! It has suggestions for avid readers, reluctant readers, sorted by age, sex, and interests. It also addresses "aliteracy" when kids who love to read stop reading (usually in the 4th and 9th grades). This guy has done a ton of research, and his tone is excellent. Robert Munsch's intro summed it up: he didn't want to read it, because he thought it would be boring. Once he picked it up, he couldn't put it down. Highly, highly recommend this one.

April 2007.

the portable conundrum

the portable conundrum - Featuring over 30 contributors

Conundrum Press put together this lovely compendium of some of their most interesting work. The short stories I really enjoyed. The posters, comics, and various collected illustrations I skipped, but they might appeal to more visual readers.

April 2007.

everyone worth knowing

everyone worth knowing - Lauren Weisberger

My sister mentioned this in a comment back in March - she read it on the beach in Cuba. Perhaps on the beach in Cuba it was more fun. It was a fast read, and there was absolutely nothing wrong with it, but nothing stuck with me either. This is the same author who wrote The Devil Wears Prada, which I really enjoyed. But why does she only know how to write about women who end up in jobs they aren't suited to, or put another way, non-glamourous women in "glamourous" jobs? I guess we're supposed to enjoy living vicariously, since I know I am unlikely to end up at a PR firm or fashion magazine.

April 2007.

The Villain's Guide to Better Living

The Villain's Guide to Better Living - Neil Zawacki

Cute satire of how-to lifestyle books. Picked it up in the bargain books pile. Very light reading - may end up residing in the powder room.

April 2007.

The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency

The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency - Alexander McCall Smith

Good book. It's been on my To Be Read list for a while, and I finally bought it at the Cincinnati airport when my flight was delayed for hours and I finished reading everything I had packed. I look forward to reading the rest of the series. This was my 11th book of the month, bringing me to 26 YTD.

March 2007.

Cloud Atlas

Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell

Complicated novel. The book jacket described it as "the novel as a series of nesting dolls", and that was pretty accurate. There were multiple, tenuously connected stories spanning centuries. If you took each story and assigned it a value, the pattern looked something like: A,B,C,D,E,F,E,D,C,B,A. So you started with a story, switched to something else, switched to something else again, and then eventually worked your way back to complete them. It was the connections between the stories that irked me the most - I found they contradicted other parts of the book.

This was my first book club read - I saw a newspaper ad and joined the book club at the public library. There were only 2 other people at the meeting, and one was the librarian. Not the most auspicious welcome. Apparently, the other members don't bother to come if they didn't like the book.

This also prompted interesting debate between me and the hubby: if a book contains sci-fi elements, does it automatically become a sci-fi book? I argued no, but hubby was unconvinced. A question to ponder for the ages...

March 2007.

Miss Sarah's Guide to Etiquette for Dogs & Their People

Miss Sarah's Guide to Etiquette for Dogs & Their People - Sarah Hodgson with Arthur Greenwald

Easy read. Gave some good tips for dealing with our devil dog. Something I found fascinating was her use of the command "follow" instead of "heel". Not that we were able to implement it. It also came with the cutest doggy notecards. This was a birthday gift from the dog-owning sister-in-law for my birthday.

March 2007.

To Have and To Hold

To Have and To Hold - Jane Green

Pretty good chick lit. This one belonged to a Californian colleague, who lent it to another coworker, who left it with me to courier back, and then never gave me the address to send it. So of course I read it eventually. I think the best bit was when the husband and the mistress end up together, and he starts cheating on her because she becomes too much like his wife. Much more realistic than a sudden happy ending for everyone.

March 2007.

Revved

Revved - Harry Paul & Ross Reck, Ph.D.

This was okay. I can picture managers who would absolutely love it, but I didn't think it had anything new to offer. Be nice to your co-workers and subordinates, be true to yourself, be sincerely interested in people...blah blah blah.

March 2007.

Citizen Girl

Citizen Girl - Emma McLaughlin & Nicola Kraus

Pretty good. This was a birthday gift from the pregnant sister-in-law. They also wrote The Nanny Diaries, which I haven't read. If it was left in front of me, I'd probably pick it up, but based on this novel, I didn't add it to my To Be Read list. Something that bothers me: what happens to the people who don't have strong networks and connections? What machina ex deus swoops in for the average person and helps them salvage their career, personal life, etc.? I don't have wealthy patrons or relatives, and I don't think most people do. So why do we keep reading about people who have these massive safety nets?

March 2007.

Six Weeks to Toxic

Six Weeks to Toxic - Louise McCormick

I loved this one. I couldn't wait to pick it up each night after work. The ending did peter out, in the sense that there was a total psychotic break for the best friend's character. And the book didn't live up to the description on the cover - it didn't really show you what women do when they break up with their best friend. It just catalogued the end of the friendship, and devoted a few pages to the post-friendship era. So, the bait and switch of the subject matter aside, I loved the main character, I loved the dog, and I loved the Canadian setting. I passed it on to my sister, who didn't love it as much as I did. I'd still recommend it to anyone, especially with summer reading season upon us.

March 2007.

The Little Red Book of Sales Answers

The Little Red Book of Sales Answers - Jeffrey Gitomer

The Git is back! This one was pretty good, and, if I had a sales department, I'd probably make them read it. I thought my dad might enjoy it, so I tossed it his way. No word yet if he actually cracked the cover.

The Git really believes in selling your personal value, and could not hype email newsletters, websites, etc. more than he does. It comes up in every chapter, every example. It's easy to read, and it seems valid. I'm just not a sales type person.

March 2007.

Supermom - A Celebration of All You Do

Supermom - A Celebration of All You Do - Kathy Buckworth

This was okay, mainly because it was a 2006 Book Expo freebie. I liked her first book of musings, The Secret Life of Supermom, better than this. I passed it on to the pregnant sister-in-law, as there were a few laughs in it.

March 2007.

The Rational Guide to Google Blogger

The Rational Guide to Google Blogger

This was a gift from the hubby; I think he secretly hopes this will become a famous blog like Bookslut or something. Anyway, it was okay. Some of it was too basic even for me, but it did give me some ideas on how to handle my "To Be Read" list, and introduced the site counter. Neither of which I've implemented yet, but I have high hopes to accomplish that before the end of the month.

March 2007.

Drums of Autumn

Drums of Autumn - Diana Gabaldon

Another in the Outlander series. It was good, but the Wakefield vs. Mackenzie plot felt a bit contrived. And of course we'll miss Young Ian now that he's been traded to the Indians. This series was more fun in Scotland. There's more than enough literature out there covering the colonial Americas.

March 2007.

Little Black Book of Connections

Little Black Book of Connections - Jeffrey Gitomer

This was free at the 2006 Book Expo. It made me feel horribly inadequate socially - why aren't I a networking maven, hosting fabulous parties and connecting muses with artists, artists with patrons, and patrons with new business ventures? It was an interesting book, and certainly if you are a salesperson (his target audience) or a people person in general, you would find this easy to read and full of good ideas. The constant plugs for the Gitomer brand (he is his own commodity) can get a little tedious, but obviously, the blatant self-promotion is working for the Git. This brought me to 6 books for the month, and 15 year-to-date.

February 2007.

Birding Babylon - A Soldier's Journal from Iraq

Birding Babylon - A Soldier's Journal from Iraq - Jonathan Trouen-Trend

Very fast read - in another time, this might have been called a slight tome. The concept was interesting - what sorts of birds could a birdwatching soldier posted to Iraq observe? He does a great job cataloguing the various birds, setting up the circumstances of his opportunities to birdwatch, and commenting on the war only as it relates to or interferes with his ability to birdwatch. I like books that explore wars from different perspectives, and this did that. The only criticism I have is that I'm not a bird lover, and this didn't change my opinion of the vicious creatures at all. Perhaps a great book would have convinced me to appreciate, if not love, the foul winged beasts.

February 2007.

Daily Candy A to Z - An Insider's Guide to the Sweet Life

Daily Candy A to Z - An Insider's Guide to the Sweet Life - the editors of DailyCandy

OK, I am pop culture savvy enough to have heard of DailyCandy, but not enough of a consumer to actual read it. So, this book was a perfect find for me. It gave the fun, sassy flavour that I imagine the website is famous for, and was in my beloved print medium so I was motivated to read it. Also, you know I am sucker for an overarching organizational structure, and the alphabet is a classic! Entries for every letter, focusing on fashion, modern etiquette, and lifestyle. It was a very enjoyable read, and I recommend it to other women who don't want to be left behind by pop culture.

February 2007.

Dogs Don't Bite When a Growl Will Do

Dogs Don't Bite When a Growl Will Do - Matt Weinstein & Luke Barber

Life lessons you can learn from dogs. Pretty accurate, and pleasingly written. Unfortunately, I've already lent it to my sister-in-law, so I can't flip through for a pithy quotation to include here. Not for spinster cat owners, but you don't need to own a dog to get the point. You just have to like dogs enough to buy into the premise that they lead a good life and we could learn from them.

February 2007.

Ping: A Frog in Search of a New Pond

Ping: A Frog In Search of a New Pond - Stuart Avery Gold

Now, you need to know that I love management theory books. I've got books on the management styles of Shakespeare, Captain Jean-Luc Picard, and Carolyn from the Apprentice. I soak up texts on how to get along with your coworkers (or outwit, outlast, and outplay them). So I definitely approached this with an open mind. Unfortunately, it was platitude-laden and the central story was stupid. You might disagree - perhaps plucky Ping's adventures spoke to your frog-loving heart. However, I doubt that very much. I suggest instead that you read Spencer Johnson's Who Moved My Cheese, and forget this book was ever published.

February 2007.

Voyager

Voyager - Diana Gabaldon

The next Outlander novel. Better than Dragonfly in Amber, and still enough swoon-inducing Jamie to keep me hooked. Also, curiously, a strong dental lesson here about the importance of caring for your teeth (like flossing) in case you are ever sent back in time. It is easy for Claire to be a hottie when women half her age are already well on their way to being toothless. The things you can learn by reading!

February 2007.