Real Life & Liars tries hard not to be emblazoned with a "chick lit" tag. It's about Important Stuff, like Cancer, Family, Unplanned Pregnancy (and juReal Life & Liars tries hard not to be emblazoned with a "chick lit" tag. It's about Important Stuff, like Cancer, Family, Unplanned Pregnancy (and just a tiny bit of Love).
But for all it's trying, it's just another book about a not-quite-dysfunctional family whose problems are not-quite real.
For that, it's an enjoyable enough read. The characters are a little quirky -- not TOO quirky, of course, just enough to make you notice. And the book is a little funny -- but not TOO funny, because that might undermine the Importance of it all.
And in trying to convince readers it should end up i the Lit Fiction category, Riggle doesn't wrap everything up in a Neat Bow. She leaves some ends dangling, sort of like a kid's shoelace after gym....more
A friend loaned it to me, and it languished on my shelf until all of the library books were gone.
I figured given all the I wanted to hate this book.
A friend loaned it to me, and it languished on my shelf until all of the library books were gone.
I figured given all the hype, it couldn't be that good. Turns out, it wasn't that bad, either.
Jodi Picoult raises an interesting ethical dilemma -- and never really answers it, which is appropriate. And though I never really got into the characters -- didn't come close to shedding a single tear and was annoyed a little at the lawyer/advocate subplot, because really, did we need a whole 'nother plotline? -- it's well-written and interesting.
Plus that whole twist thing. Didn't see that coming.
So, all in all, a decent read. But I don't see myself renting the movie anytime soon....more
If Mary Downing Hahn had been around when I was a kid, I could've waited a year or two longer to start Stephen King.
(This is the second book of hers tIf Mary Downing Hahn had been around when I was a kid, I could've waited a year or two longer to start Stephen King.
(This is the second book of hers that I've read, and both have been supremely creepy and right for the 8- to 12-year-old set. I'm glad they've got them!)...more
Still love book club with the kiddo, but this YA Hiaasen didn't have the snap of Hoot or Flush.Still love book club with the kiddo, but this YA Hiaasen didn't have the snap of Hoot or Flush....more
I was already writing the review in my head: "Turns out Pride and Prejudice and Zombies is about PridI'm glad I didn't give up on this book early on.
I was already writing the review in my head: "Turns out Pride and Prejudice and Zombies is about Pride and Prejudice and zombies." I'm not a HUGE Jane Austen fan anyway, so I was I'm sure missing the subtle changes.
But then the deviations got much less subtle (SPOILERS AHEAD!): Charlotte gets stricken, Elizabeth and Darcy's patter gets a tad racy and the ninja skills heat up.
It was much, much funnier than I'd have guessed after the first 30 pages. These Victorian women are some I'd like to meet. And just be careful not to piss off....more
When my husband asked, "Haven't you been reading that book awhile?" at the dinner table this week, he probably could've told you my review wasn't goinWhen my husband asked, "Haven't you been reading that book awhile?" at the dinner table this week, he probably could've told you my review wasn't going to be incredibly positive.
It's not always an indication -- because sometimes life gets in the way -- but you can often tell how much I like a book by how quickly I plow through it. I inched through School on Heart's Content Road for more than two weeks, an eternity for a reader like me.
I had no idea what the book was going to be about. I'd seen a ton of positive press, so I labeled it "to read" without learning anything more. I love the thrill of going into a good book blind.
Stumbling around through the entire thing, though, is less fun.
Ostensibly about both a commune and a militia in Egypt, Maine, the book meanders through time, space and characters. (Literally -- there are translations from beings in Pluto.) I should've known better when there was an icon key (each tiny section starts with an icon, and you have to flip to the front to figure who is talking and when) and an extensive section of character bios in the back (along with constant footnotes through the opening pages to remind you to check them out).
It ends up mostly being about four characters: the leaders of both the commune and the militia and two kids, 16 and 7, who get caught up in both. Unfortunately, though, there's so much else laced through it that School doesn't go anywhere, at all. ...more
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