Half Broke Horses by Jeanette Walls

Walls’ much anticipated follow-up to her bestseller “The Glass Castle” failed to impress me. While many have been heralding this as a wonderful book, I felt it lacking. Coined a “true life novel”, the story centers around Walls’ grandmother, Lily. Only aged five when she passed, Walls obviously does not have any autobiographical information, but rather relies on first-hand accounts and in-depth research to construct her grandmother’s life in the Midwest on cattle ranches, in schoolhouses, and as the general wild gal she is. A good story, Walls maintains her skill of establishing a strong empathy with the reader and her characters. But when finished, I felt utterly underwhelmed by this book.

-Liz

The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown

Another riveting Dan Brown thriller involving conspiracies and Masonic lore. Much awaited, and thoroughly enjoyed, I only wish it was longer; it only took me a day and a half to read because I couldn’t put it down. Although religion is one of the main reasons, I’m sure, that Brown’s readers enjoy his writing, this newest novel did not involve nearly as much religion as The DaVinci Code and Angels and Demons. The ending was okay, but dropped off pretty quickly, but the twists and turns of the story keeps Dan Brown in a special place in my heart.

-Alex R.

Hotel Babylon by Anonymous

Anonymous is the manager of a 5-star London hotel, and has the stories to prove it. This quick read takes place in the time of a double shift – but enough goes on to account for months of the typical worker’s job. At some points in this book, I was so incredulous of the happenings that I literally laughed out loud. It seems that when people check in, they leave their reservations (no pun intended) at the revolving glass, gold-inlaid doors. Told with English wit that I find amusing regardless of topic, and a quick parade of characters, Hotel Babylon is a sneak peek into a decadent – and downright dirty – world most of us can only laugh at.

 

Co-author Imogen Edwards-Jones has since published Air Babylon and Fashion Babylon, which I am eagerly perusing. Also, Hotel Babylon was turned into a series show in England on BBC...which I will be searching out as soon as I can!

 

-Liz

Secret Diary of a Call Girl by Belle de Jour

Ah, the French. I admit, I am a sucker for call girl memoirs. I know, weird. But after delving into the smutty and simultaneously hilarious world of Nancy Chan’s “Diary of a Manhattan Call Girl” and the follow-up “Diary of a Married Call Girl”, I was hooked. A French take was exactly what I needed to dither away a weekend. Written in diary form, as only a classy call girl could do, we enter Belle’s seedy world, her friends (heavily populated by ex-boyfriends), and love of fashion – even if it is underneath her clothes. Pretty scandalous, this is a book to keep at home…and perhaps away from the boyfriend J

Showtime had a short-run series inspired by this work with Billie Piper – an underappreciated actress if there is one - as the much-loved main character. With more outrageous things on TV nowadays, this show was definitely not tame, to say the least, and the book is the same.

-Liz

Hotel Babylon by Anonymous

Anonymous is the manager of a 5-star London hotel, and has the stories to prove it. This quick read takes place in the time of a double shift – but enough goes on to account for months of the typical worker’s job. At some points in this book, I was so incredulous of the happenings that I literally laughed out loud. It seems that when people check in, they leave their reservations (no pun intended) at the revolving glass, gold-inlaid doors. Told with English wit that I find amusing regardless of topic, and a quick parade of characters, Hotel Babylon is a sneak peek into a decadent – and downright dirty – world most of us can only laugh at.

Co-author Imogen Edwards-Jones has since published Air Babylon and Fashion Babylon, which I am eagerly perusing. Also, Hotel Babylon was turned into a series show in England on BBC...which I will be searching out as soon as I can!

-Liz

The Doctor's Wife by Elizabeth Brundage

The Doctor's Wife is a novel revolving around the assassination attempt of an abortion doctor whose liberal wife is having an affair with a conservative artist who’s wife and muse is completely insane. A pretty quick read, the book is somewhat predictable, but nevertheless has you wanting to flip through the pages to see what happens next. While fiction is not my preferred genre, occasionally I need a break from the usual heaviness of the memoirs I favor, and this novel was a quick fix.

-Liz

So Yesterday by Scott Westerfeld

Ever since I picked up a copy of Uglies in the book store and decided to take it home, I've been absolutely hooked on Scott Westerfeld. I've read all of the books in the Uglies series, as well as many of his other books. This book, published in 2004, was an interesting read. Part of Westerfeld's charm is that I can't tell if he is (to use the book's lingo) a "cool hunter" or an "innovator." His books are interesting and forward thinking (as trends go) and that is one of the things that always makes my heart flutter when I pick up one of his works: I know I'm in for something exciting, something good. This particular book is a mix between thriller, mystery and a teenage popularity contest. This book is about the people who innovate trends, and the people who popularize trends. It's about shoes - not just any shoes but really COOL shoes. It's about "sticking it to the man." It's about the bad guys being the good guys. It's about billboards and advertising and name brand. Most of all, though, it's a book about finding someone to share adventure with.

This book can seem a little dated at times - The phones that take photos and EVEN snap a bit of 10 second video - well... the release of the Iphone that could date ANY book with that cell phone description. But don't read this to try to catch up on the latest trends. Read this one if you loved the fast pace and anticipation of Uglies. Read this one if you love good books.