Category Archives: Book Review

What I’m Reading: The Next Best Thing

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What I'm Reading

Synopsis from GoodReads.com:
Blockbuster #1 New York Times bestselling author Jennifer Weiner returns with an irresistible story about a young woman trying to make it in Hollywood…
At twenty-three, Ruth Saunders headed west with her seventy-year-old grandma in tow, hoping to be hired as a television writer. Four years later, she’s hit the jackpot when she gets The Call: the sitcom she wrote, The Next Best Thing, has gotten the green light, and Ruthie’s going to be the show-runner. But her dreams of Hollywood happiness are threatened by demanding actors, number-crunching executives, an unrequited crush on a boss, and her grandmother’s impending nuptials.
Set against the fascinating backdrop of Los Angeles show business culture, with an insider’s ear and eye for writer’s rooms, bad behavior backstage and set politics, Jennifer Weiner’s new novel is a rollicking ride on the Hollywood rollercoaster and a heartfelt story about what it’s like for a young woman to love, and lose, in the land where dreams come true.

My Review:
I’m a pretty big fan of Jennifer Weiner’s, so when I heard that she was writing a new novel, I was pretty excited for it to hit the bookshelves. (Or, in my case, the eBook-shelf)

I was rather amused to find out that an eBook short story that Weiner had written, Swim, was the inspiration for this book. I actually didn’t realize it until after I started reading The Next Best Thing, but that’s all beside the point. I was looking forward to learning more about Ruth and her past, as well as how her career would take off.

I found The Next Best Thing intriguing to read. The way Weiner made Ruth a “regular” woman trying to make it appealed to me, that and the fact that she wasn’t an actress trying to get a break in Hollywood. It was refreshing to read about one of the lesser-known (or talked about) show-biz jobs. I can’t help but wonder if Ruth’s character was at all inspired by Tina Fey, and I amused myself by trying to draw parallels to the celebrities Weiner mentions and real-life celebs.

As much as I did enjoy it, I’m only giving The Next Best Thing 3 out of 5 stars. Why? Well, I found it to be a little predictable, and sometimes confusing. There’s A LOT going on, character-wise. Maybe too many characters? I really enjoyed her last book, Then Came You, and so I was expecting something a little better this time around. Oh well, I suppose you can’t have everything, can you? This definitely isn’t going to make me jump off the Jennifer Weiner Bandwagon – I still love her work regardless :)

Have you read The Next Best Thing? Thoughts?

What I’m Reading: The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel

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What I'm Reading

Synopsis from Goodreads.com:
When Ravi Kapoor, an overworked London doctor, reaches the breaking point with his difficult father-in-law, he asks his wife: “Can’t we just send him away somewhere? Somewhere far, far away.” His prayer is answered when his entrepreneurial cousin sets up a retirement home in India, hoping to re-create in Bangalore an elegant lost corner of England.
Seven retirees are enticed by the promise of indulgent living at a bargain price, but upon arriving, they are dismayed to find that restoration of the once sophisiticated hotel has stalled, and that such amenities as water and electricity are . . . infrequent. But what their new life lacks in luxury, they come to find, it’s plentiful in adventure, stunning beauty, and unexpected love.

My Review:|
The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel was the first book I purchased to read on my Kobo! I had a discount code and was itching to read a full-length book on my eReader, so I figured I give this one a try. It wasn’t a book that would normally grab my attention, but after hearing a couple of decent reviews of the book, and with it being turning into a movie, I figured it couldn’t be too bad.

And it wasn’t! It took me a while to get through it, mostly because I read it while nursing Isla in the middle of the night, but I quite enjoyed it! Following the different characters and reading about their lives and different backgrounds was amusing, especially reading what they thought about the other guests at the hotel.

I don’t know if I could pick a favourite character from the book, but I think I’m leaning towards Norman. He’s the epitome of a dirty old man, and who hasn’t come across one of those in their lives? I’ve come to know two or three in my day, although none quite match up to Norman.

I’m not sure if there’s anything I didn’t like about the book, other than the way the different characters’ sections were broken up. Maybe it was a glitch in my Kobo, but the sections would suddenly switch from one character’s story to another’s and I had to go back and re-read sections because I got lost a couple of times. (Although that could be the lack of sleep and falling asleep while nursing/reading too, lol)

I don’t think I’ll watch the movie, but I definitely liked the book. I just have a thing with movies that star all English-speaking actors. It’s a British-accent overload for me.

I gave this book 3 out of 5 stars. It was good for something that’s slightly out of the normal for what I usually read.

Have you read this book? What are your thoughts on it?

 

What I’m Reading: I’ve Got Your Number

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What I'm Reading

Synopsis from GoodReads.com:

 I’ve lost it. The only thing in the world I wasn’t supposed to lose. My engagement ring. It’s been in Magnus’s family for three generations. And now, the very same day his parents are coming, I’ve lost it. The very same day. Do not hyperventilate, Poppy. Stay positive!!
Poppy Wyatt has never felt luckier. She is about to marry the ideal man, Magnus Tavish, but in one afternoon her ‘happy ever after’ begins to fall apart. Not only has she lost her engagement ring but in the panic that followed, she has now lost her phone. As she paces shakily round the hotel foyer she spots an abandoned phone in a bin. Finders keepers! Now she can leave a number for the hotel to contact her when they find her ring. Perfect!
Well, perfect except the phone’s owner, businessman Sam Roxton doesn’t agree. He wants his phone back and doesn’t appreciate Poppy reading all his messages and wading into his personal life.
What ensues is a hilarious and unpredictable turn of events as Poppy and Sam increasingly upend each other’s lives through emails and text messages. As Poppy juggles wedding preparations, mysterious phone calls and hiding her left hand from Magnus and his parents… she soon realises that she is in for the biggest surprise of her life.

My review:

I’ve only read two of Sophie Kinsella’s books – Remember Me? and this one. I’m not ashamed to admit that I’ve never read any of the Shopoholic books – they never really appealed to me. So, why pick up this one? Well, I heard about it through other bloggers and via Twitter, so I decided to put my name on the waiting list at the library. After reading the jacket cover at the bookstore, it wasn’t something that intrigued me into buying it.

It took a little bit of trying on my part to get into the book. I thought it was going to be all about Poppy just trying to find her ring, which was rather ho-hum to me. Nothing in the book really surprised me, but I did find it slightly entertaining; mostly the banter and brewing relationship between her and Sam. Everything else though – pretty much predictable.

I also found the book to drag on a little longer than necessary in some ways – maybe it’s just me, but I thought it “flowed” funny. It was almost two stories in one – Poppy loses the ring, then finds the ring, and then a whole new series of events arises. It just seemed inconsistent.

So – overall – I somewhat liked the book, but I don’t think I’d recommend it to anyone. I’m glad I didn’t cough up the dough to buy it and just borrowed it from the library. I give this book 2 out of 5 stars.

Have you read this book? What are your thoughts?