BOOK #70

Booyah! Seventy books for 2010! And I just got this one in under the wire. So for our 'book pledge' of 2010, I think I actually read about 50 of my 90+ books that I was trying to finish for the year. Not bad since we all fell off track somewhere in the spring. Oh well.

And this author, well, I can't resist her work. I always buy her newest on the day of release. She has two series: one is about a psychic detective and then there is this one - a psychic ghost getter. And the author herself is a psychic who lives in Austin - and I happen to follow her on Twitter. She's fun in real life as well. I can always tell when an author invests their own personal experiences in the writing as it always develops a strong ring of truth. And being fascinated by the whole 'ether' world and those that communicate with it, I'm naturally drawn to these types of books. Again, it's that 'magick' feeling that I love.

Unfortunately, for this book, I was seriously disappointed. The plot revolved around her and her crew 'busting' a big bad phantom in a very haunted castle on a cold, rainy Scottish island. Nothing new there. The plot was endless in its circles of going back and forth to the castle and battling the big bad phantom. And then finally (for us readers that is) solving the mystery that never seemed to ever be there in the first place. This book seemed to have less humor and more sturm und drang than her previous pieces. And I think that's what dragged me down for most of my reading. I hung in there though, only if to see if it might get better but alas, it really didn't. It ended. Oh well.

I highly recommend all of Victoria's previous books. Just not this one so much. And I will definitely be there when she releases the next one though. Here's to 2011, kids!

BOOK #69

Chick lit break! Took me about 2 hours to read it. Amusing, funny, silly.
Just what's it's supposed to be. Nothing to get excited about. But if I found some more of Plum Sykes' work for a couple of bucks, I'd buy them. Perfect for a no-brainer type of read.

BOOK #68

Having 90+ books lying around my house finally paid off! Martin Scorcese just released a documentary about this author, Fran Lebowitz, on HBO titled "Publicly Speaking". She is a very funny woman. After watching it, I dug out her book. I remembered I had ordered it by its colorful cover. Does her humor translate to her essays? Yes and no. I thought she was more charming and funny in person than in her essays. Yet, this book was published in the late 70s so there is a huge difference between the Fran of the 70s and the Fran of 2010.

She's been compared to Dorothy Parker and some other great wits of the past. I think she has developed her own niche of NY smugness, high intellect and the always obvious refusal of modern technology. She drives a fifty year old restored cab, for god's sakes (which is very cool, BTW).

Some of the essays are dated and only mildly amusing. While the others are hilarious and highly quotable. I am sure somewhere there is more than one website devoted to exclusive Fran Lebowitz quotes. I know I put up a number of her quotes on my FB page.

I think, if you are traveling to New York, then take this along for the read on the plane. That would be about perfect.

BOOK #67

As stated before, I'm slowly working my way through this excellent Travis McGee series. But for some reason, I got stuck on this one. For months. I know I started reading it in like August or September and I just NOW finished it. Which is so unlikely for his books. They are always a fast, well written, well paced, smart mystery thriller. This one was a bit longer than his previous books and the scenario changed about 3 times so that was a bit off putting for my attention span.

By the time, I got back to it, I had no idea what was going on but finished it anyway. These are the kinds of books you find in someone's fishing cabin and once you pick them up, you can't put them down. Thank god for PaperBackSwap as I can find most of the collection on there.

They are a must read series for anyone trying to read all the books you MUST read before you die. John D MacDonald is the one author all the rest of today's authors wish they could write like.

BOOK #66

Even in 2010, I find there is absolutely nothing wrong with keeping a clean, good vibed, warm, charming home. Some days, it gets away from me but mostly, I do OK. And I believe in magick. All kinds. This book mostly talks about feng shui (the art of keeping good energy flowing through the house) and charms and recipes for keeping the house 'alive.' There wasn't a whole lot of new information for me. I already smudge my house about twice a month and keep things alive and charming with books, plants and animals.

But I did enjoy her section on crystals and the power that can be unleashed in the home and on unsuspecting people. So beware!!

book #65

I found this author when I saw work on one of Isaak Mizrahi's webisodes. She was enthusiastic and funny and helpful. This sat on my shelf for a while, I believe. And then I dragged it out when it was time to make myself feel better. I had no idea she was one of the "Housewives of Wherever".

Her theory is all about a little bit of this, a little bit of that but never alot of any one thing. Really makes sense. Just a more creative way of talking about portion control. She has some great recipes in here, as well.

I think this is a good book for anyone looking to change their way of eating enough to make a difference but nothing to make them feel like they are dieting. I enjoyed it.

BOOK #64

Ooh, such a source of controversy in my book club! Two of us loved it. Everyone else HATED it. Found it stupid and ridiculous and a waste of time. One of the members used the pages to wrap a Christmas gift. And you know I love it when this kind of drama goes down in book club. It's healthy for the book club to hate something every now and then.

I'm infamous for rarely hating any book. I figure anyone who actually gets a book published deserves some sort of credit. I do get angry at myself for getting sucked in to read an over-hyped book that doesn't deliver (hello Jonathan Franzen's "Corrections") and will hate a book for that reason.

I liked this book because it was such a dramatic departure from anything I had ever read. Was it well written? Probably not. It jerked around from scenario to scenario that I found skimming his words the best way to keep up with the story. He was a metaphor happy kind of author which, as a hobbyist writer, I found amusing yet annoying. Enough, already! We get it, you have a good grasp of the English language. Less is more, dude. Less.is.more.

I picked it for book club as I had heard more than once that it was fantabulous. And it fit our criteria of dark and twisted and batshit crazy. Which it was. But for all the wrong reasons.

Sorry, I can't recommend this to anyone. I gave it 3 bookmarks.