Book Review: Demon Can't Help It by Kathy Love (160)

Demon Can't Help It by Kathy Love

REALLY LIKED IT

Product Description

A Demon...Not Just In Bed - Practical Josephine 'Jo' Burke has no patience for the paranormal - even if she's been having some strange visions lately. But if she is losing her mind, at least it would explain her new attraction to her co-worker, the least suitable man she could ever fall for...Maksim Kostova has no idea why he's so drawn to feisty mortal Jo, but he does know how she feels about the supernatural. Forget about her accepting him for what he really is, she'd never even believe him in the first place. Or would she? When Jo confesses to him that she's been seeing visions of a dead girl, it seems anything's possible...

About the Author:

http://www.readkathylove.com/

Product Details
Paperback: 320 pages
Publisher: Brava; 1 edition (May 1, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0758231938
ISBN-13: 978-0758231932

This is the perfect end of summer read for me. Great likable characters, hot steamy stuff and a decent plot help make this a really quick read. This could have been just a romance book with a male character that had "demon" slapped on him, but it did build nicely around the fact that Maksim had to overcome his "demonness" to match with Jo. I hope the next book in the series will go more into detail about the details.

Book Review: Would-Be Witch by Kimberly Frost (159)

Would-Be Witch by Kimberly Frost

LIKED IT

Product Description

The promising debut of a hot new voice in paranormal romance-and the first of the Southern Witch novels.The family magic seems to have skipped over Tammy Jo Trask. All she gets are a few untimely visits from long-dead, smart-mouthed family ghost Edie. But when her locket-an heirloom that happens to hold Edie's soul-is stolen in the midst of a town-wide crime spree, it's time for Tammy to find her inner witch.After a few experiences with her dysfunctional magic, Tammy turns to the only person in small-town Duval, Texas, who can help: the very rich and highly magical Bryn Lyons. He might have all the answers-and a 007 savoir faire to boot-but the locket isn't the only heirloom passed down in Tammy's family. She also inherited a warning: stay away from Lyons.

About the Author

This is Kimberly Frost's first novel. http://www.frostfiction.com/

Product Details
Paperback: 304 pages
Publisher: Berkley Trade (February 3, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0425225771
ISBN-13: 978-0425225776

I enjoyed this debut about a witch who doesn't know she is one. As Tammy Jo discovers her powers, she takes control over her life. It is nice to see a character develop and grow. The only part of the story that irked me was the down-home-isms. I love Texas, but I don't imagine all of the people there speak with so many colloquialisms. When the author stuck to witty dialogue and plot, it shined.

Book Review: It's Not That I'm Bitter . . .: Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying About Visible Panty Lines and Conquered the World by Gina Barreca (158)

It's Not That I'm Bitter . . .: Or How I Learned to Stop Worrying About Visible Panty Lines and Conquered the World by Gina Barreca

LOVED IT

Product Description
In a world where eye cream is made from placenta, Gina Barreca is the lone voice calling out “But wait, whose placenta is it?” She asks the crucial questions: Why is there no King Charming? Why does no bra ever fit? Why does are there no tutus in XL? Why do more intelligent women have trusted psychics than have trusted financial advisors? While she definitely wants everyone to know that she's not bitter, Gina does want to know why no one realizes that Anne Bancroft was only thirty-six when she played Mrs. Robinson, the quintessential cougar. In "It's Not That I'm Bitter..." Gina shouts out her message to women everywhere: “You are smart enough to conquer the world, so please stop weeping when you try on bathing suits at T.J. Maxx.” As Gina declares "The world lies to us and we want to believe. We want to believe that, if we wear a pair of palazzo pants with a latex escape hatch built into the stomach area, we’ll appear five pounds slimmer instantly… We torture ourselves, even though we are smart broads." In deliciously quotable essays on the ability of both chin hairs and tweezers to affect your life, the reason every woman believes she’s crazy, the possibility that the "glass ceiling" may just be a thick layer of men, and thoughts on intimate conversations she’d have with Michelle Obama, Hillary Clinton, Cindy McCain and Sarah Palin, Barreca gleefully rejects the emotional torture, embraces the limitless laughter, and shows other women how they can conquer the world with a sharp wit, good shoes and not a single worry about VPLs.

About the Author
GINA BARRECA, Ph.D. is a professor of English and Feminist Theory at the University of Connecticut and author of Babes in Boyland, They Used to Call Me Snow White, but I Drifted and I’m With Stupid: One Man, One Woman, and 10,000 Years of Misunderstandings Between The Sexes Cleared Right Up (coauthored with Pulitzer Prize-winner Gene Weingarten of The Washington Post). She grew up in Brooklyn and now lives in Storrs, CT. Go figure.

Visit Gina Barreca online at http://www.ginabarreca.com/

Product Details
Hardcover: 240 pages
Publisher: St. Martin's Press (May 12, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0312547269
ISBN-13: 978-0312547264

I was looking for a light, funny read and this was just what I wanted. If you like Jen Lancaster or Laurie Notaro, you will probably enjoy this one. Barreca is witty and snarky, but sometimes can be a little bit preachy. This was a very quick read.

Book Review: Her Fearful Symmetry: A Novel by Audrey Niffenegger (157)

Her Fearful Symmetry: A Novel by Audrey Niffenegger

ABSOLUTELY LOVED IT

Product Description


Six years after the phenomenal success of The Time Traveler's Wife, Audrey Niffenegger has returned with a spectacularly compelling and haunting second novel set in and around Highgate Cemetery in London.
When Elspeth Noblin dies of cancer, she leaves her London apartment to her twin nieces, Julia and Valentina. These two American girls never met their English aunt, only knew that their mother, too, was a twin, and Elspeth her sister. Julia and Valentina are semi-normal American teenagers--with seemingly little interest in college, finding jobs, or anything outside their cozy home in the suburbs of Chicago, and with an abnormally intense attachment to one another.
The girls move to Elspeth's flat, which borders Highgate Cemetery in London. They come to know the building's other residents. There is Martin, a brilliant and charming crossword puzzle setter suffering from crippling Obsessive Compulsive Disorder; Marjike, Martin's devoted but trapped wife; and Robert, Elspeth's elusive lover, a scholar of the cemetery. As the girls become embroiled in the fraying lives of their aunt's neighbors, they also discover that much is still alive in Highgate, including--perhaps--their aunt, who can't seem to leave her old apartment and life behind. Niffenegger weaves a captivating story in Her Fearful Symmetry about love and identity, about secrets and sisterhood, and about the tenacity of life--even after death.

About the Author: Visit her site: http://audreyniffenegger.com/about

Product Details
Hardcover: 416 pages
Publisher: Scribner (September 29, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1439165394
ISBN-13: 978-1439165393





If you love a good ghost story, this one will appeal to you, although it is an extremely twisted ghost tale. I finished this book several days ago and I am still thinking about it. The characters are all very different with quirks that are likable. Just when you think you have the plot figured out, it takes a left turn and makes you turn the page to find out what happens next. I didn't think that Niffenegger could duplicate the success of The Time Traveler's Wife, but she did. I can also see why this story took her several years to write.

Book Review: A Change in Altitude: A Novel by Anita Shreve (156)

A Change in Altitude: A Novel by Anita Shreve

REALLY LIKED IT

Product Description

Margaret and Patrick have been married just a few months when they set off on what they hope will be a great adventure-a year living in Kenya. Margaret quickly realizes there is a great deal she doesn't know about the complex mores of her new home, and about her own husband. A British couple invites the newlyweds to join on a climbing expedition to Mount Kenya, and they eagerly agree. But during their harrowing ascent, a horrific accident occurs. In the aftermath of the tragedy, Margaret struggles to understand what happened on the mountain and how these events have transformed her and her marriage, perhaps forever.A Change in Altitude illuminates the inner landscape of a couple, the irrevocable impact of tragedy, and the elusive nature of forgiveness. With stunning language and striking emotional intensity, Anita Shreve transports us to the exotic panoramas of Africa and into the core of our most intimate relationships.

About the Author

Anita Shreve is the acclaimed author of 14 previous novels, including Testimony; The Pilot's Wife, which was a selection of Oprah's Book Club; and The Weight of Water, which was a finalist for England's Orange prize. She lives in Massachusetts. http://www.anitashreve.com/

Product Details
Hardcover: 320 pages
Publisher: Little, Brown and Company (September 22, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0316020702
ISBN-13: 978-0316020701

I wasn't too enthralled while reading this, but once I put it down, I realized what a wonderful story it is. Anita Shreve's books are alway sublime and I never comprehend the real meaning until I read the last page. This would be a wonderful book for a book group since there are so many angles of the tale that can be discussed. The characters are all too human and the author does a good job of painting the details of each character. The only thing that bothered me was that a couple just completely dropped out of the story, but like real life, that occurs to everyone as well.

Book Review: The White Queen: A Novel by Philippa Gregory (155)

The White Queen: A Novel by Philippa Gregory

LOVED IT

Book Description
THE COUSINS' WAR
Book One
Philippa Gregory, "the queen of royal fiction,"*presents the first of a new series set amid the deadly feuds of England known as the Wars of the Roses.
Brother turns on brother to win the ultimate prize, the throne of England, in this dazzling account of the wars of the Plantagenets. They are the claimants and kings who ruled England before the Tudors, and now Philippa Gregory brings them to life through the dramatic and intimate stories of the secret players: the indomitable women, starting with Elizabeth Woodville, the White Queen.
The White Queen tells the story of a woman of extraordinary beauty and ambition who, catching the eye of the newly crowned boy king, marries him in secret and ascends to royalty. While Elizabeth rises to the demands of her exalted position and fights for the success of her family, her two sons become central figures in a mystery that has confounded historians for centuries: the missing princes in the Tower of London whose fate is still unknown. From her uniquely qualified perspective, Philippa Gregory explores this most famous unsolved mystery of English history, informed by impeccable research and framed by her inimitable storytelling skills.
With The White Queen, Philippa Gregory brings the artistry and intellect of a master writer and storyteller to a new era in history and begins what is sure to be another bestselling classic series from this beloved author.

Product Details
Hardcover: 432 pages
Publisher: Touchstone (August 18, 2009)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 1416563687
ISBN-13: 978-1416563686

I really enjoyed this one. It helps if you have a little background on Elizabeth before starting this one. I searched around and found a concise history on Wikipedia. I also went back and reread parts of The Princes in the Tower by Alison Weir. Gregory never fails to entertain me and this latest book is an interesting change of pace, introducing a paranormal element to the story that Elizabeth was the descendant of the mermaid, Melusine. I can't wait for the next one in this series.

DEAD IS THE NEW BLACK

Jazzzy won the giveaway and I have sent her a note so I can get this off my desk!

Thanks to all who entered. I have more giveaways planned for this month.