A Dog's Journey: W. Bruce Cameron

A Dog's Journey: W. Bruce Cameron
Genre: Fiction
Published: 2012
Pages: 331

The lovable dog from A Dog's Purpose is back, this time as Buddy and then as Molly, and Max. This time, though, the puppy is consistently going to serve as a loyal companion to the little girl he plays with by the pond on the Farm. He knows that she needs a dog, even if her mother objects. Years later, he will be by her side as her loyal companion as she navigates some very difficult teenage and young adult years, and even through the rest of her life. Perhaps it is through her that he'll truly find his purpose. 


*Pronoun wise, I will be referring to the main dog character as a he, because they most strongly identify with the character of Bailey from the first book.*

What I really liked about the original novel was how it looked at everything from a dog's perspective. This book does the same, but the biggest problem I had with it was that it seemed to focus a lot more on the people. Sure, the dog's point of view is still there as he tries to figure out new experiences that are obvious to readers. (He believes that kissing noises are those of someone eating chicken, for example).

Still, there was a LOT of focus on the people in the story. The dog spends much of his time observing their lives. Clarity, or CJ, is our main character. She's clearly dealing with a lot of challenges in her life. Then there's her mother Gloria, the one readers will love to hate--a diva who's revealed to be narcissistic and the source of CJ's problems. Her friend Trent ends up becoming her love interest. It's clear why she could need a doggy companion. I wondered, though, if her life was a little too challenging. She goes to jail. She's in an abusive relationship. She's a runaway. Her mother is controlling and abusive. She tries to kill herself, leading to serious illness. She's stolen from. She's broke and practically homeless. And the calamities just keep piling on. Seems a little much! It also left less room to explore the mindset of the dog narrator. And would it have killed the author to have some happy moments? Part of the love for A Dog's Purpose came from the heartwarming tone and the setting of familiar places and people. A Dog's Journey doesn't really have a lot of that, or a lot of action on the dog's end. It's a lot more observation.

There are doggy moments too, much like the ones in the first book. Many Cameron fans will notice patterns throughout his books in the dogs' adventures and thoughts. Getting separated from Clarity leads to more of his personal story. He ends up at a foster home, and meeting a cat named Sneakers. He has his moments and once again, the thought processes of a dog are researched very nicely.

This book is definitely a continuation of A Dog's Purpose, so I would suggest reading that one first. Is this second one worth reading? Yes, because we see where the dog finally ends up. It's sweet and sappy, if you like that kind of thing. I promise you that you will have all the feels. The humans manage to find their endings as well. Still, I felt like the book didn't focus enough on the dogs. Read it if you'd like, if not just for the ending. I just didn't feel like it was as strong as some of his other novels.

3 stars

A Beautiful Work in Progress: Mirna Valerio

A Beautiful Work in Progress: Mirna Valerio
Genre: Memoir
Published: 2017
Purchased from Amazon

Mirna Valerio is not your typical runner. For one thing, she participates in a lot more big events than your regular jogger. For another, she's not stick-thin. One day, realizing her health was as risk, she decided to take up running. What started as a journey to get into shape became a passion, and then a blogging adventure, and then plenty of time in the spotlight inspiring runners across the country. Throughout the book, she shares experiences running at school, participating in ultramarathons, and so much more in the name of believing that every body has the right to be appreciated and that stereotypes should be shattered. 


*I give some fair warning: this review may or may not be a teensy bit biased. Because the best part of all? I’ve known Ms. Valerio for four years and she was my Spanish teacher for 3 of those years, so I can assure you that she is just as awesome as she sounds. As a result, I won't give a final rating or get critique-y.*

One day in the land of Society, some people gathered to decide on a new Norm: that “skinny” was the only acceptable body type. It didn’t matter whether the fat ones were healthy. The ones who decided on this Norm felt that competition was healthy. The rest of Society, being the blind sheep that they were, decided to follow along with this idea, even though they likely would not be able to come up with a reason for why skinny was better than anything else if asked. Enter trail runner and blogger Mirna Valerio, who challenged all of these ideals. Through 26-ish chapters, Valerio recounts her journey to becoming a trail runner. She was told that, unless she didn’t care to see her son grow up, that she needed to adjust her lifestyle now. The rest was for the history books…this book, anyway. Now of course, knowing the author, I knew about a few stories and characters mentioned. I enjoyed reading about classmates, my math teacher, and Valerio’s son Rashid in the pages of the book, and I smiled to myself as I remember how he once got mad at me for not buying him Cheetos in the school vending machine. But even if you don’t know her personally, followers of Valerio’s blog will be familiar with her writing style and some of the people and places mentioned. As a reader of her blog, I appreciated reading about races in greater detail. Because she is a blogger, chapters do jump around from period to period, topic to topic, in blog style. Sometimes she recounts a trail race she completed. Sometimes she tells us about a family member who she honors with her running. And other times, she speaks to us about why fat shaming is so stupid. (It is!) But no matter where you are in this book, each chapter leads back to her fitness journey in some way or another. Also entertaining were the side stories about her life in Brooklyn, at boarding school (how strange was it to see my former school in the pages of a published book, along with characters I recognized??) and elsewhere. I always had to laugh at how in my days at boarding school, she would stand up at dinnertime announcements, inviting everyone and anyone to join her on her 6AM run…and genuinely meant it. But I learned a lot of new things about her running experience that I didn’t learn from school. I especially loved her experiences playing field hockey and how that was essentially the very beginning of it all. I enjoyed hearing about the runs themselves. As someone who enjoyed reading a few hiking memoirs a few years back (A Walk in the Woods; Wild; and the blog of a local teacher hiking the Appalachian Trail), the idea of being in the woods wasn’t all unfamiliar to me, but Valerio introduced me to the world of the sport even further. I know that not all readers appreciated these side bits, but they made the story well-rounded. By showing us another side to her life, Valerio proves that she is not just another runner; someone who has personality and aspires to do good for the rest of the running community and for the society who judges those who “shouldn’t be running.” Need I mention that Valerio also doesn’t care what anyone else thinks? This is evident throughout the book. But once readers come to the end and see her taking part in professional photo shoots, we know that progress is being made, no matter how slowly. I would hope that judgmental body shamers would take a look at what is said here, if they even bother to pick this up, but I learned a couple things as well. Like, the goal of a marathon isn’t necessarily to finish in first. Mirna Valerio was often coming in last or close to last, but who cared because SHE DID IT, GOSH DARNIT. And that’s more than I could probably ever say about running a marathon. Another thing was the trend of trail running, something I’ve barely heard of before she started her blog, Fat Girl Running. I think everyone in society should read that last chapter, which ends on a quasi-final yet non-preachy note about the stupidity of shaming anyone for their body. Acceptance is cool, people. If you’re an athlete, a “bigger” person who feels shamed in society, a nature lover, or if you just like a fun, inspiring read, be sure to pick this up. I would also recommend getting the audio book if that’s your thing, because she has a great “reading voice.” Well worth the time I spent reading it.

The Hypnotist's Love Story: Liane Moriarty

The Hypnotist's Love Story: Liane Moriarty
Genre: Chick Lit
Published: 2011
Pages: 440 (large paperback)

Ellen is enjoying her own hypnotherapy business right on the coastline of Sydney. The only imperfection? Her love life can't seem to settle down. Then she meets Patrick. Things seem to be going well, and then he reveals that his ex-girlfriend is stalking him. But Ellen isn't scared; rather, she's fascinated. It turns out that they've even met before and that Saskia will make quite a few appearances to try and disrupt their lives. Ellen doesn't know what Saskia's motivations are, but they don't help to add to her own insecurities, in particular replacing Patrick's ex-wife. Despite these setbacks, Ellen hopes to finally overcome her stormy relationship history in what looks to be a promising new relationship. 




Interestingly, Big Little Lies was not the first Moriarty book I picked up. Neither was The Husband's Secret. It was this one.

What we have here is a chick-lit story with elements of suspense. It's not an all-out thriller, but because of Saskia's nature, there's a constant tingle through your spine as you read it, because she could be there at any possible moment. Fun!

This book was fascinating, and I loved how relatable the characters were. In between a cast of characters that are Ellen's hypnotherapy clients, there are the main players. This relatability can partly be attributed to how Saskia got to share her viewpoint with us in the first person. The two stories added a thrilling element, like there was something about to be brewing beyond Ellen and Patrick's "idyllic"-ish life...I couldn't stop thinking about them, and in the first half especially this was very hard to put down. Part of the fun of being a reader is also learning more about a different lifestyle that you might know about. In this case, it's hypnotherapy. Obviously some readers will be skeptical, but from what I can tell it seems pretty legitimate. Ellen herself has to deal with some skeptics and some people who are making light of the field by throwing mass "hypno-parties." Most importantly, though, it's the job that allows her to come in contact with Saskia easily.  Adding to the interest was the cast of characters. Like Jack, Patrick's son who was (and is?) good friends with Saskia. Saskia herself is actually pretty sympathetic. Moriarty does a great job making you feel for her antagonist and the reasons behind her actions. (I liked the two points of view, very well done. Saskia's in is the first person and Ellen's is in the third.) I especially liked it because I've been in her shoes. When you're trying to move on from someone you really want to spend time with, especially when you have few friends of your own, that's challenging. Then there are the families, who are just charming, even Ellen's uptight mother in her own way. And I thought Patrick's insecure nature was adorable also. What stopped this from being a perfect score was how Moriarty handled the conflict. She piles on SO MANY possible plotlines...and then throws them away! Or, in one case, they get handled by a secondary character so Ellen "doesn't even have to worry about it." Gaaahh! That's frustrating. Don't waste our time if you're not going to follow through. It's sad, too, because at points through the second half it just seemed like nothing was happening. The extraneous "almost plots" also distracted from Saskia, whose story I was actually there for. I wish there had been more of a focus on her rather than Moriarty trying to find plot opportunities in every nook and cranny and following through on hardly any of them. She employs several trite subplots that made me lose interest. Authors love to go to these when they feel the book needs more. The first is an unplanned pregnancy, but that ends up fitting in with the story and not much comes of it. The second is an estranged father. That had no business being in the story, and it took time away from Saskia's story as well. That's who I wanted to hear about. Also, estranged fathers are very boring by now and I wish Moriarty could have at least added a tie-in to the central story for something new. Maybe Mamma Mia! has been on too much in my house, but I just don't care about disappearing dads anymore. There is also the threat of an angry client wanting to shut the business down (which disappears), another client's publicity problem, and her mom's dating life. If Moriarty had focused more of the second half on resolving Saskia's plot rather than a bunch of random issues that fade away, she would have had a better book.  Overall, this is a good book that makes me wonder why this idea hasn't really been explored yet. The ending is a bit of a predictable one, but it will leave you feeling good I think. If it didn't lose focus and get cluttered with subplots, this might have very well been five stars. 4 stars

A Dog's Way Home: W. Bruce Cameron

A Dog's Way Home: W Bruce Cameron
Genre: Fiction
Published: 2017
Pages (hardcover): 327

Bella begins her eventful life as a stray puppy in an abandoned building. She lives with a litter of cats, including a mother, and likes her life just fine. When the building is about to be demolished, she is rescued by new owner Lucas. In her new home, she loves playing games like Tiny Piece of Cheese and Go Home. Other times, she enjoys visiting the local VA hospital and bringing cheer to the patients there.

Then one day, Bella is picked up by animal control because pit bulls (or dogs that even look similar) are banned in their community. After sneaking out of her new owner's fence, Bella finds herself in the big Colorado wilderness alone. The only thing to do, she knows, is to find her way home.




I don't have a lot of favorite authors. Usually I just pick up any books I like and find interesting. However, I have to say that Cameron is starting to cement himself as one of them.

The story's style is similar to that of A Dog's Purpose: we have a dog living out different "lives" in order to achieve a purpose. In that case, it is returning to her owner. Although a considerable part of the book features Bella in her new home rather than her journey, it's necessary to establish what she is missing when in the wilderness. She meets many different characters along the way and spends time with each. A cougar. A gay couple. A troubled woman. A homeless man. But I think the cougar, of all people, was my favorite. At first I was hesitant to believe that so much time could be spent on a dog actually finding its way home, but I also recall similar things happening in real life. Believable or not, the author's thorough research makes it plausible for this journey to happen.

I was also impressed with the handling of the non-human characters, particularly the cougar, aka Big Kitten. When an author has me caring that much about an animal, and takes the time to give them realistic character traits, that is an impressive feat.

You'd expect a book about a dog walking home to be pretty dull, but fortunately the dull moments are few and far between. Bella has several brushes with death, and there's even a drowning cat rescue! Most of the conflict arises, of course, from Bella trying to get back home. However there is also a cast of characters standing in her way. For example, the demolition crew that's trying to demolish the building her cat family is still living in. The officers going after Bella because she's not allowed in their community. These people did come across as a little corny. Have you ever read an environmental-themed story where the bad guys are usually property developers who love to pollute? It's that type of premise. I wish their motivations had been thought out more. One character in particular seemed to have no other reason for existing than to "get the evil pitbull."

Even though it's not that kind of environmental tale, Cameron doesn't skimp on the social issues. Without preaching, he uses Bella to show readers the impact of dogs on those in difficult situations like abusive relationships or homelessness. Whether their situation turns out well or not, Bella touches a lot of lives on her journey. That's what I love about Cameron's books.

Heartwarming and heartbreaking at once, fans of this author animals must pick this one up. I'd even argue it's better than A Dog's Journey, the sequel to Cameron's original hit. It features the best of both dogdom and of humanity, and that's a good thing.

4.5 stars

Meet Me at the Cupcake Cafe: Jenny Colgan

Meet Me at the Cupcake Cafe: Jenny Colgan
Genre: Chick Lit
Published: 2013
Pages:  plus bonus recipes
Bought at Barnes & Noble

Issy's life is going along fine- normal, but fine- until she loses her job. To make things worse, her boyfriend Graeme was the one who got rid of her in the first place. Struggling with a relationship that isn't going well and a lack of income, Issy wants to find a way to get back on her feet.

That is, until she remembers the days spent at her Grampa Joe's bakery and decides to open a cupcake shop. Employing help from another woman from her redundancy course and a cute local banker, she is determined to find some success. But when things start smoothly clicking along, Grampa Joe's health begins to decline and Graeme's company wants to take back her bakery for development projects. Suddenly everything Issy's worked for (including a new relationship) is in jeopardy. Will her cafe be the success she hoped it would be?


If you're looking for a book that will remind you of how fun chick lit can be, this might be a good choice. That's what it did for me, anyway. Especially once I got past some of the British lingo. I eventually took "yummy mummy" to mean a finicky mother that enjoys her social status, and wants only the very finest for her child. I didn't even know that was a thing, but apparently it is.

The cast of characters is enjoyable. Issy is a fun, yet insecure character who is very hesitant to leave a bad relationship and left me wanting to scream at her. There's her quirky roommate Helena. There's the lovely but forgetful Grampa Joe (what is it with Grandpa Joes in British books about food? Willy Wonka much?) Pearl has her own set of problems with wanting her child to fit in. Graeme himself seems like he had good relationship potential but doesn't quite get there. But then of course Colgan had to use the old "evil developer" trope to make him seem even more the bad guy. Surprisingly, though, that trope actually works quite well for the story's context and leaves room for a love triangle that actually makes sense and wasn't included just to appease YA-vampire fanatics. Only this time, it's a banker and a developer going head-to-head for the fate of Issy's bakery. This is a lot more exciting than it sounds, I assure you. ;)

I always enjoy the awkward-guy love interest, too. Austin does a good job of filling that role and we get to hear about his struggles to care for his son. It's a slow-burning love story, one with misunderstandings and one that's interrupted by Issy's desire, for some reason, to get back together with Graeme. In true Colgan style, we get to hear his story as well. Some readers are turned off by occasionally-changing points of view, but I thought they enriched the story and let us know more about the other main players.

There are the usual set of tropes here as well. The dying old guy, the love triangle (though as said above, one that actually works), the main character owning a store, etc. And you know things will end well eventually. But that's what makes the story luscious and fun. Sometimes you just need a book where you can escape into someone else's life for a while. In reality, the Cupcake Cafe isn't just Issy's story, but everyone's story of how the cafe brings them all together. Birthday parties for Pearl's son take place here. Accident victims gather here. Even good (and bad) news is shared among friends here. This is one that should be enjoyed with a cupcake in hand. If you don't have any, be sure to pull out a recipe from the book and make one.

I should also mention that the last pages open the doors for a Christmas novel. I can't wait!


4.5 stars


Want more treats by Jenny Colgan? Check out my review of The Loveliest Chocolate Shop in Paris. 

My Not So Perfect Life: Sophie Kinsella

My Not So Perfect Life: Sophie Kinsella
Genre: Chick Lit
Published: 2017
Pages: 434

An Adventures By The Page 2018 Best Book Nominee
2018 Best Plotting Winner 

Katie likes to pretend that her life is perfect but in reality, it's the opposite. She lives with lousy roommates and her job is boring. If only she could be like her terrible but cool boss, Demeter. Although not terribly liked by her subordinates, Demeter oozes a rich, cool lifestyle. But then Katie is let go.

She decides to return to the family farm, where her dad and his wife are setting up a glamping business. The farm is nice, but the life she envisioned is nowhere in sight. Then Demeter shows up with her family as guests, and it turns out that her life isn't so glamorous after all. Soon they'll find themselves somehow bonding over the camping experience and the struggles they've been sharing. And maybe they'll even be able to help each other find the success they've been looking for.


You wonder about a book like this that has an obvious message and whether it will get preachy on you. It does, but not to the degree you hope it won't. Actually, from a writing perspective, I was impressed with the structure. The subplots, the initial problems all characters are dealing with, and the climaxes at all points all flow really nicely and it reads like a movie. It's also fairly humorous, especially in the first half. I didn't feel like Kinsella tried too hard to elicit laughs by forcing wacky situations. (Okay, there are some. Especially with the plotting near the end. But it comes with the chick lit territory and sometimes you have to suspend belief for wacky stuff to happen. Actually, I think that cycling with a bunch of Santa Clauses seems awesome.)

One part I enjoy about reading is watching the characters and situations evolve. I really like the idea of feel-good family Amsters Farm and seeing it come to fruition, following the cast of guests as I do so. I also like the character development. Katie's mistakes and choices all seem to come from her personality, and by the end some comes to realize some things about her life. Mainly, it's not perfect. Even the ending isn't a given- Katie uses her prowess to earn the final result.

There's also a bunch of stuff going on that never gets hard to keep track of. Katie feels the need to lie to her father about losing her job so he doesn't get angry about people not seeing Katie's potential. She had to hide herself from Demeter in the beginning once she arrives at the farm, and reinvents herself in the beginning as well. It doesn't go well. And she must navigate a potential relationship with a colleague. All of these stories, hopefully, will blend together to form that so-called perfect life.

Yes, there's a love story. It's Kinsella chick lit. But that can be a good thing, because it makes sense and isn't forced like so many other non-chick lit books I read. It's not inappropriate for the book and make sense. I can't say that some authors, like Jodi Picoult, know to do the same (I'm sorry. I've been complaining about that certain book a lot lately, but it made me so mad because it was so good until a stupid chick-lit romance that didn't belong ruined it). In fact, I wasn't even sure this one was going to happen, and it added some welcome suspense.

Chick lit fans will eat this one up. In addition to a descriptive, rich story that lets readers "be" the character, it has a good message that isn't preached too much- in fact, it barely mentions the ideal Instagram life. It's a good blend of humor, fun, and a realization that nobody is perfect- just as long as readers are okay with a bit of chick lit silliness.

5 stars

The novel also comes with this useful information. I find these hysterical.

Unnaturally Green: Felicia Ricci

Unnaturally Green: Felicia Ricci Book Review

Genre: Memoir

Published: 2011

Pages: 254

Felicia Ricci never expected to become a star of the stage. But when she auditions for the Elphaba understudy role, that's exactly what she gets. For forty-something performances, she will encounter rehearsals, famous fellow Elphabas, and so much more. Broadway fans will delight in this memoir that informs readers what life in the theater is really like. For example, what is the difference between an understudy and standby? How much time does one get to rehearse? What are the hardest parts of learning the Wicked music? What goes on backstage? And what happens after the show if Broadway isn't your career? Time to pull back the curtain in Oz to find out what theater is really like. 

I love the Wicked "Fly Girl" blog series by Lindsay Mendez, courtesy of Broadway.com. That business publishes many a vlog series, but "Fly Girl" is far and away the best series in regards to telling you what it's really like to work there. Would this book do the same?

So it does. This book takes you through the audition process, from initial dance combinations and song excerpts to the orientation period to actually performing. I liked hearing the insider secrets. For example, each time I hear "The Wizard and I," I can't help but think of how, for the last line, actresses actually sing "ah-NAAA" instead of "and IIIIII!" (Singing trick courtesy of Felicia. In fact, I believe she puts out her own YouTube video lessons consisting of various singing tips.) She even gets to meet Eden Espinosa and they party together. The cast of characters make things interesting also, from her boyfriend to her castmates to some other familiar names. Meanwhile, she hangs out backstage with fellow understudies and does workout tapes, among other things with castmate Libby. Chapters are interspersed with Felicia's blog entries, though I don't know if those are authentic. 

Admittedly, it's not the best writing, nor the worst. Felicia interrupts her narrative a lot with parenthetical statements. I also would have liked to know a little more about what performing was like in itself. Felicia's story mostly focuses on rehearsals and backstage antics. And...*gnashes teeth, for this is one of my biggest pet peeves in books*....useless romance. Felicia dedicates a whole chapter to her dating history. We obviously need to know this in a book about the theater. She calls it her "dating history museum" and it has no relevance to Wicked whatsoever. In the meantime, though, I like how chill she is. Many Broadway stars are, so the authenticity here is fresh.

I haven't the slightest idea of why authors are so dang desperate to put romance bits in every single book. Especially when, in this case, it would have been better spent talking about what it was like to perform onstage. Still, it doesn't last terribly long or dumb down the entire book (unlike a certain other book I recently read, Jodi Picoult...) Anyhoo.

A fun adventure with a bittersweet ending, Unnecessarily Green is a fun book that any Wicked or theatre fanatic should pick up. 

4.5 stars

You Will Know Me: Megan Abbott

You Will Know Me: Megan Abbott
Genre: Suspense/Thriller
Published: 2016
Pages: 340

2018 Adventures By The Page Worst Overall Book Winner 

The Knox family has almost always been about gymnastics. Their daughter Devon is a prodigy, hopefully on her way to the Olympic team. Life doesn't really have time for anything else. Then a death rocks their community, and parents start asking questions. Who did it, and why? The parents must start asking questions about their own motivations, too. Is there anything they won't do to let Devon reach the top? This book follows the families of the local gym, particularly Katie Knox, as they struggle to find their own motivations and wonder if life can ever move on.


One thing that I do enjoy about books is getting to experience the lives of others that I don't know about. In this case, it was gymnasts. Still, the book focuses more on the suspense than worldbuilding. That would have worked better if there was action in most of the book.

In the words of Dwight Schrute, when it comes to mysterious storylines, the whodunit is "usually the person you most medium suspect." I've been into the suspense genre for a little while but by no means am I a star detective. I have very mixed feelings about this story, because it was exciting, predictable, and strange all at the same time. And Dwight's words rang true....the whodunit was who I most medium suspected. (Not because I wasn't sure who it was, but because in the story's world it would probably be who the authorities would medium suspect. I personally wasn't surprised.)

Besides the predictability, the writing wasn't that good. A few examples:

-It's much too descriptive, to the point of often trailing off or going on tangents. Sometimes it got so lost in description that I lost track of where the story was going.
-The author seems to make up her own odd phrases. I don't like when I have to reread pages because of over-the-top obscure language.
-Repetitive, repetitive, repetitive language. How many times do we hear Devon referred to as "extraordinary?" Among many other things.
-Fourth grade boys speaking in riddles. I hated how Drew's dialogue always implied something bigger. Kids don't talk like that!
-If the story centered around Devon, shouldn't we learn more about her? She falls kind of flat and I feel like there was a LOT more to her that just wasn't explored. She was an emotionless robot. Too boring, in fact...



It does have its good points. Just when I thought this book would go down the pits it grabbed my attention and became a page-turner for a while. (Sadly, though, that is the point when most readers will figure out what might have happened given the interaction between the characters.)  Then it got slow again. I wanted to find out what happened, so I pulled through, but the interim was pretty dull when there wasn't any active conflict. The ending was also disappointing, especially because it's pretty easy to guess who was behind everything. But where it really fell flat was the lack of consequence. Their lives just move on, huh?


In short? Ehhhh. I don't think "You Will Know Me" deserves the heaps of praise it got. The storyline was interesting enough but the writing was just completely off-putting, some characters were flat, and the story itself could have been more developed. If you don't mind books that try for dark aesthetic, though, you might enjoy this one. 


2.5 stars

The Loveliest Chocolate Shop in Paris: Jenny Colgan

The Lovliest Chocolate Shop in Paris: Jenny Colgan
Genre: Chick Lit
Published: 2014
Pages: 352 plus bonus recipes 

When Anna meets up with her former French teacher, Claire, after an accident, she finds herself receiving the French lessons she never paid attention to in school. The reason behind this is that Claire knows of an opportunity to work in a chocolate shop in Paris that would be perfect for the (English-speaking) Anna. But unbeknownst to Anna, Claire's motivation for sending her there is the owner of the chocolate shop- that is, her former lover. And with a little luck, maybe they'll meet again before Claire's health runs out.

But when disaster strikes, Anna finds herself in the position of needing to head up the chocolate shop even though she knows nothing about gourmet chocolate making. She's not even fluent in the language around her. Will she be able to rise to the challenges of meeting high expectations and of adjusting to Paris life?

Admittedly this book can be hard to get into. It's a bit drab and nothing much really happens until we meet Thierry, the shop's owner. But there's a lot to deal with- health crises, love stories for Anna and Claire, Anna figuring out what she's supposed to be doing, Thierry's evil wife Alice, father/son feuds, etc. There isn't really ONE singular plot problem; rather it's just daily life drama and the need to get the shop under control with all the STUFF going on. Hopefully, Anna will sharpen her skills enough to be able to do that.

I didn't know going in that Claire was such a big character in the story-almost more important than Anna- and the summary didn't let on about it at all, but I was pleasantly surprised. The book usually flips from 3rd person POV flashbacks (Claire) to first person POV (Anna), alternating the story of Claire's experience as an au pair with Anna's experiences in the shop. Colgan's style of storytelling, especially for Claire, is natural and makes it seem like a very plausible event. 

The characters themselves are very human and I fell in love with them as time went by and as I got to know them. I especially enjoyed Sami, Anna's quirky roommate. Everyone is pretty much flawed, but yet decent at the same time, and it's hard to tell quite where everyone falls. I wished I could have learned more about Anna, though. She was a Nick Carraway of sorts- observing and telling us what happened. She seemed to lose her quirky voice as the book went on. 

And the final 50 pages. How perfect...though they made me terribly nervous! Some may say "too perfect" but that's chick lit for you. I actually wish there was one more chapter in between the end and the epilogue just to wrap things up a bit more. But yeah, the fact that Claire was living on borrowed time and yet had so many experiences to cover make the book unputdownable and heart-wrenching at once. 

A good book even if it's mildly flawed. It gets better as it goes on, so stick with it...if not for the delicious recipes in the back! 


4/5 stars

The Storyteller: Jodi Picoult

The Storyteller by Jodi Picoult
Genre: Historical/Contemporary
Published: 2013
Pages (paperback): 460

First there was Josef, a young man being groomed to be a German officer. There was also Minka, a young girl sent to the concentration camps where Josef is working. Today, there is her granddaughter Sage, a bread baker as per the tradition of Minka's family. When Sage encounters Josef (who asks her to kill him, believing that he deserves to die after his past), she is faced with many questions. Should she kill him? Or should she forgive him? As she embarks on a mission to persecute Josef, she explores these questions and learns about her grandmother's experiences along the way. The story is also interspersed with snippets from a story Minka wrote during her childhood, which has some parallels to the horrors she experiences. 


One of my biggest problems with many books is how the author insists on giving their main character a romantic relationship when the book doesn't really call for one. That is because they often a) are distracting b) add nothing to the novel or c) are really inappropriate for the story being told. The Storyteller's annoying love story accomplished all those things. I want to discuss it in detail just because I feel like it really dumbed the book down.

The relationship between Sage and Leo (the government official she's working with to bring Josef to justice) was random and unnecessary. It's like Picoult said, "Oh look, my main character is single. Oh look, here's a male main character! They clearly are meant to be!" The last 25% of the novel mostly focuses on their relationship, which is jarring considering readers have just finished with reading about Minka's experiences in the camps...just another reason why their relationship is so inappropriate here. The superficial love story also lessens the seriousness of the book as a whole. Previously, they had worked well and were intense about what they wanted to get done in bringing justice. But then we get to the last 25% of the book and their mission is filled with flirty banter. So much for this book tackling serious issues; now going after Nazis is just a fun game to them because they are MADLY AND CRAZILY IN LOVE!!!!

Even if the book was going to be solely about their relationship, it wasn't written well. Picoult is already dropping constant hints about them starting a family on the second day they meet, and the hints appear a few times. Did I mention they hardly know each other? Is this Disney? Leo's appearance as a significant other also automatically puts Sage in good standing with her sisters, who she wasn't getting along with. Yep, in the book all about forgiveness, that's how she resolves her sibling relationships. She lands a boyfriend who's cool. Generally, this type of love story all seemed really inappropriate in a book dealing with the Holocaust, especially considering parts of their flirty banter occur during funerals and their mission to bring Josef to justice. Not that it might end well for them after all- Picoult isn't clear about what happens next, but it seems like Sage could be off to prison. 

I'll say it one time for the authors in the back: just because a character is single does not mean they need a love interest. I really just wanted to hear about Minka, Josef, Sage, and the power of history and forgiveness on our lives. 

That was a shame, because otherwise I really liked this book. The historical flashbacks were my favorite I think, and it was obviously well-researched. Minka's story had me hooked from the beginning. I wanted to look away, but couldn't. It was both terrible and unputdownable at once. The dialogue about the difficult forgiveness concepts was really interesting too, especially approached from various belief systems, but Picoult still allows readers to decide for themselves. Even Sage's Christian boss, Mary, has some interesting perspective on the situation. The final ending was a thriller in itself, although I would have liked a little more rationale for having the "twist" other than Picoult wanting to include shock value. I'm beginning to realize that I'm not sure I like this author's style of endings. 

There really was no easy answer for the ending, though; forgiveness is a complicated concept. It's worth reading for the Holocaust narrative and the interesting theme. But I think that many readers, myself included, will be miffed that it turns into frivolous chick lit.

This book had me hooked but will ultimately earn 3 stars out of five (because of the ridiculous, inappropriate romance). If it weren't for that, it would have been 4.5 stars.