Book Review: Landline

I know this is a bookworm faux pas, but I've never read a book by Rainbow Rowell before. I actually wanted to read her others more than this one, but when I was on Audible trying to determine how to spend my credits, I was tempted by how much I love the cover of her newest novel, Landline. 

From what I understand, Rowell's previous novels were in the Young Adult genre. This one definitely felt adult to me. I wouldn't call it Adult Fiction/Literary Fiction, but maybe Chick-Lit? Probably most definitely Chick-Lit. The main character, I already forgot her name, is a writer for a popular sitcom. However, her dream has always been to be a writer for her own sitcom, which is a dream that she and her best friend Phil share. They finally have the opportunity during the Christmas season to have their show picked up, but they'll need to submit the scripts for four episodes over the course of, like, a week or so. This is great!! Butttt, she's supposed to be leaving for Omaha with her husband and two young daughters to spend Christmas with his mother. 

For some reason, the MC is shocked when her husband doesn't want to cancel the family's Christmas plans and stay in LA so she can write for her show. Instead, like a sane person who has probably just spent tons of money on plane tickets and is excited to see his mother, he takes the daughters and they proceed with the travel plans, leaving her behind to work. However, he's kinda a jerk and for some reason once he's in Omaha (actually once he's at the airport in LA) he never texts or calls her, like over the span of 10 days never once contacts his wife.

Meanwhile in LA, the MC can't even get her iPhone to work and she's in a horrible depression thinking she's made the wrong decision by following her dreams and not going to Christmas in Omaha with her family. So, she ends up living at her mom's house (which is closer to her job anyways) during the time her family is away. Lucky thing is, her mom has an old landline phone that she can use to call her husband. Odd thing is, whenever she calls her husband's mom's landline phone (remember he's not actually answering his cell phone for her) the Neal that picks up isn't the same Neal that left LA, it's college-aged Neal. The Neal she first met in the 90s.

So, this is a weird sort of time travel / Magical Realism type book. But, no one really time travels, she just calls the past somehow (which is never explained) with her magic landline phone. I liked the book, but I think if it wasn't an audiobook I probably would have been pretty bored by the story. It wasn't really exciting and I wasn't a big fan of any of the characters except her best friend and sister. I really couldn't bring myself to care about the MC's relationship. She and her husband (Neal) just didn't really seem right for each other or like they even liked each other that much. I really didn't understand why the MC was pining over this guy the whole time, he was a jerk, he had no personality, and other than when they were in college when he drove 27 hours to surprise her with an engagement, I don't recall anything romantic ever happening. 

All in all, I give Landline 3 out of 5 stars. I do plan to read Rainbow Rowell's previous novels, which will hopefully have more likable characters and better storylines.

Blog Tour: The Cost of Love and Sanity

The Cost of Love and Sanity is the story of a professional career woman who succeeds in every part of her life and has everything she wants... except for one thing a family. Alex has just never met the right man, not that she's really devoted much time to looking. At 37, Alex is a bit of homebody and prefers to focus on her career as a Recruitment Manager. She drives a Lexus and has a large house all to herself. One day she bumps into a guy she dated a decade ago, but broke up with over trust issues. In a way, she'd really like to rekindle a relationship with him and it seems like he's really changed, but has he?

I enjoyed this book and I liked the character of Alex. I felt like I had a lot in common with her, personality-wise. I found the story enjoyable. It wasn't a terribly exciting story line, but it moved along at a nice pace. The only thing that bothered me was there was no mention of a setting. I assumed the book was set in Florida, because the author is from Jacksonville. Yet, she never mentions what city or state the book is set in. I kept looking for complex and I did find some and I am not sure the book is set in Florida, but again it's never actually mentioned. Alex does mention that if she'd have a baby shower she'd like to hold it in Amelia Island or Sawgrass, both which are towns near Jacksonville. Later, Nathan tells Alex he'd like to take her to a club outside of Orlando. Even if the author made up a fictional Florida town, I just feel like a book isn't complete without mention of a setting. For people who don't live in Florida, they probably aren't familiar enough to figure out what state Alex lives in.

I also felt the character's reactions to almost any dialogue was redundant. No matter what was said someone, without fail, would "suck their teeth." I think the author should have maybe explored different reactions for her characters. I'm not being hyperbolic, the phrase "sucked his/her teeth" came up several times in each chapter!

Outside of that, the book was a nice romance about a smart, educated career woman. I appreciated that Alex wasn't a damsel-in-distress like many romance book heroines. I'm giving The Cost of Love and Sanity 4 out of 5 stars.

I received a free copy of this book from Tlc Book Tours in exchange for an honest review.

Book Review: Naughty Neighbor

7 Days of Romance

Valentine's Day Reading

Naughty Neighbor is one of Janet Evanovich's early romance novels, which she originally wrote under a different name. Just like her famous Stephanie Plum series, this book offers a humorous mystery and features a spunky and likable female protagonist. 

Louisa Brannigan is a smart and independent woman working on Capitol Hill. She has everything together and her life may be somewhat dull, but it's mostly pleasant. Except... there's her neighbor, Pete. The smells from his kitchen seep down to her apartment, he parks in her spot, and steals her newspaper. When her car is mistaken for Pete's and vandalized, she's drawn into a mystery Pete has been attempting to solve. A mystery involving a missing pig whose disappearance may be linked to a sketchy politician. 

This romance was cute and fun. The book itself is short and I wish it were a bit longer and maybe the mystery was built-up a bit more. However, it was still a light, easy read with a touch of romance, mystery, and humor. It seemed almost like the characters and story from the Plum novels sort of got their start here. Louisa was a bit more successful and less clumsy than Stephanie, but seemed like she could definitely be related to the Plums. There was even a crazy grandma, though she was definitely a bit more crotchety than Grandma Mazur, though every bit as out spoken. 

Naughty Neighbor was a fun read and I'm giving it 3 out of 5 stars and I have now passed it on to my mom who I am sure will enjoy it.

Book Review: Sushi For One?

I won this book from a giveaway on the author's blog. Yay! I think I won it over the summer and I've finally got around to reading it. I have so many book in my to-read pile, but this one got a good boost thanks to the praise of my friend Kim, who raved about how great this series is. Kim and I are both members of a Christian reading group on Goodreads, called Christian Fiction Devourers, and she and I were discussing how Christian Fiction often is so predictable. The books always seem to be the same themes and types of characters. Most Christian readers are familiar with the Wild West and prairie themes. Poor white woman who has just experienced some mildly traumatic event, must rely on her faith to propel her through life on the vast and lonely prairie where she subsequently falls in love with a kind man (and with a little bit of money to boot!) whom she probably has, for most of the book, disliked. 

Camy Tang is definitely a breath of fresh air. The first thing that drew me to this book was that the main character is Asian and not white. That is beyond unique in Christian book. Another thing that drew me towards this book is that after telling Kim how I often feel like Christian books "dumb me down" and how I feel like I'm reading a few "grade-levels" below my actual reading level, she raved about how Camy's writing does not give her that feeling at all.  She was certainly correct, Camy Tang's writing is smart, sassy, witty, and really humorous. The main character, Lex, is always finding herself in embarrassing situations. The character was reminiscent to me of Janet Evanovich's popular, accident-prone character, Stephanie Plum (whom I adore). However Lex was totally her own person, not like a borrowed, Christian version of Stephanie. 

Honestly, Lex wasn't always likable. I did like her, but she wasn't perfect and sweet all the time, which was a good thing. She was stubborn and frustrating and she herself was frustrated with how life was going. Her grandma, who is like Cruella Deville, is going to stop funding Lex's girl's volleyball team. The team is everything to Lex, she coaches the girls just as her mom did before her death. Grandma will pull funding if Lex doesn't find a boyfriend by the time of Lex's cousin's wedding, which is something like a mere 2 months away. Lex then goes on a man-hunt (literally) looking for someone to pose as her boyfriend, all the while various family members try to set her up with a myriad of total losers. None of which fit her "Ephesians List". On the top of the list is that her boyfriend has to be a Christian, which Lex soon finds doesn't immediately make a man desirable...

I certainly enjoyed this book and I'm looking forward to eventually getting around to reading the rest in the series. I think I already own one on my Kindle, but it's the third or fourth book. I am giving Sushi For One? 4 out of 5 stars. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a fun read that occasionally touches on serious subjects.

Entry: A Number Written in Letters

Book Review: My Sister's Keeper

"Maybe who we are isn't so much about what we do, but rather what we're capable of when we least expect it."

Wow.

This book was soooo good. I've been very reluctant to read Jodi Picoult books. Just the descriptions alone make them seem a bit depressing. I don't really like to feel sad on behalf of books or movies and I certainly don't like tearjerkers. I am so glad I gave this book a try though. I picked it up while it was Audible's Deal of The Day. I decided this was my opportunity to take a chance on something new. 

This book was sad, yes. Well, it's more like the circumstances and trials of the family in the book are sad. But, for some reason I didn't find the book itself to be sad. It wasn't a tearjerker for me. It was just so well-written that it ended up being beautiful rather melancholy. 

By now, most bookworms have probably read this book. It's one of those books that even people who don't usually read have read. This is the story of Anna Fitzgerald (short for Andromeda) who is conceived to be a donor for her sister Kate who is fighting a rare and often fatal version of Leukemia. At the age of 13, Anna is expected to donate a kidney to her sister, who is in dire need of a transplant. Anna then decides to see a lawyer, Campbell Alexander, and file a lawsuit against her parents for medical emancipation. 

This book was definitely heavy. There was a lot going on even with the sub-characters. Campbell, the lawyer, who mysteriously has a service dog, but no obvious disability. Julia, a former prep-school outcast who is assigned to be Anna's guardian ad litum during the trial. Jesse, the overlooked, forgotten, and troubled older brother of Anna and Kate who lives in an apartment over the Fitzgerald's garage. Sara Fitzgerald, Anna's mom, always on the edge waiting for a medical catastrophe. Brian, Anna' father, the fire station where he works is his refuge. 

Kate's leukemia has cataclysmic affects on her whole family.

I loved that the book had multiple narrators. I enjoyed every single one. I liked every character, with the exception of Sara Fitzgerald (Anna's mom). I can't imagine what her life must be like, to have to make the decisions she's made and live through what she has. However, for some reason I just never connected with her character. I think from the get-go she's kinda set out to be the antagonist, even though she only does the best with what she has to work with. I just never really embraced her though.

I loved this book. I also loved all the astronomy facts that were woven throughout the story. The twist at the end just sealed the deal for me. It was so unexpected, but it was the perfect ending. I am giving My Sister's Keeper 5 out of 5 stars.