Category Archives: What I’m Reading

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: Before I Go to Sleep

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What I'm Reading


Synopsis from Goodreads.com:
“‘As I sleep, my mind will erase everything I did today. I will wake up tomorrow as I did this morning. Thinking I’m still a child. Thinking I have a whole lifetime of choice ahead of me …’ Memories define us. So what if you lost yours every time you went to sleep? Your name, your identity, your past, even the people you love – all forgotten overnight. And the one person you trust may only be telling you half the story. Welcome to Christine’s life.” 

My Review:
I bought this book on kind of an impulse buy at the bookstore. I really wanted some new reading material, but I wasn’t sure what I was in the mood for. I had heard about the book from someone (although I can’t remember who exactly) so I thought I’d pick it up and give it a read.

“Before I Go to Sleep” is the diary of Christine, a 40-something(?) year old woman who suffers from amnesia. It’s so bad that as soon as she goes to sleep at night and wakes up the next morning, the majority of her life’s memories are erased. The result of the memory loss is because of an accident. In her diary she writes of her daily going-ons so she knows who she is, what has happened and where she’s headed the next day. With the help of a doctor, Christine is slowly starting to make headway in remembering who she was.

Overall, I enjoyed the book. It wasn’t a super easy read like most chick-lit, but again, I wouldn’t file this book under that category. It was harder for me to get into, but once I had a hard time putting it down because I wanted to find out whether or not Christine gets her memory back.

I really don’t want to give a review that will give away the ending, but in the back of my mind, I KNEW something was fishy. The ending, sadly, didn’t surprise me completely. I feel the book was missing something, but I’m not entirely sure what that something was. Part of me wishes that Christine’s character was developed a little bit more, but perhaps it was the author’s intent not to because of the “lather-rinse-repeat” life of hers due to the amnesia.

Overall, I gave this book 3 out of 5 stars. I felt it could have been a wee bit better, I’m just not sure how.

Have you read “Before I Go to Sleep?” What did you think of it?