Category Archives: Books

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?

And Then I Ate My Words

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Once upon a time, I said that I’d never buy an e-reader, that I love the smell and feel of real books and nothing was more satisfying that flipping though the pages of a novel.

Well, on Sunday, after a couple days of hard deliberation, I went out and bought myself one of these:

A Kobo Touch eReader!

Man, those words taste funny…

I originally had thought about getting one after playing with my Grandpa’s Kindle Fire. I thought to myself, “Self, you read a lot of books. You’d probably save a lot of money if you bought the eBook version.” I also figured that once the baby gets here, it will be a lot easier to read a book with one hand if I only had to flick my finger to turn a page. I’d be mad if I dropped an actual book and lost my page while nursing.

I mentioned the idea of an eReader to Kyle, and he did a little bit of research on the different readers for me. There’s a lot of options!

I had originally thought of getting the Kobo Vox, which is very similar to the Kindle Fire. It has a colour screen, downloadable apps, web access and more. Actually, the Vox, Fire and the Barnes & Noble Nook were all pretty equally ranked, with the Fire coming in slightly ahead of the rest. I was leaning towards the Vox based on the in-town availability (I would’ve had to order the Fire or Nook online). I also had a $100 gift card to a big-box electronic store, so that would cut back on the cost of things.

Then I thought about the Kobo Touch. It doesn’t have the pretty colour screen or apps, but it does have Wi-Fi capabilities. I didn’t think I needed yet another wireless device. I already have a laptop and a smartphone, so why get an eReader with a bunch of bells and whistles when I just want to read books? I was certain that I was going to go with the “bare-bones” Touch but THEN Kyle did this:

Thanks, dear! This did not help and only made my brain hurt more. An iPad2 would be pretty amazing. I could pick whichever reader I wanted (iBook, Kobo, Kindle or the Nook) and I’d get full access to all the apps available through Apple (The Kobo only offers a “portion” of the Android apps). But they’re a little pricier than what we wanted to spend and the “yet another wireless device” dilemma came back.

After another night of contemplation, I decided I’d go to said big-box electronic store and try to make up my mind while I was there. The iPad2 was plenty alluring, with it’s pretty screen and über trendiness, but dang – it was just too much for what it was. I think if I were to own an Apple product, it would be an iPhone or a Macbook before a tablet. And – my brother had mentioned that the iPad has horrible visibility in sunlight. Not ideal since I like reading outside. (If it ever gets nice again!)

So, after looking at the Kobo Touch and getting a feel for it, I decided to go for it. It was in my budget and it’s going to do what I want without all the bells and whistles, which is fine by me.

So far, I’m pleased with it. It has Wi-Fi capabilities so I can download new books wherever there’s wireless internet access, plus I can plug it right into my computer and sync it that way. The screen is pretty awesome and it’s easy to read. I’ve downloaded a couple of the free books available from Kobo, and I’m trying to decide what my first actual purchase should be. (I’m leaning towards 50 Shades of Grey – thoughts?)

Perhaps I’ll do a full device review once I finish my fist book. Until then, I’m pretty excited for my new toy :) I’m considering it a “Congratulations on Carrying a Child to Term” gift to myself, lol

Do you have an eReader? What brand? What made you pick it? Do you love 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?