Wednesday, August 29, 2012

Friends with Boys by Faith Erin Hicks

Loved, loved, loved this graphic novel.  This is a story about trying to fit in in high school and find your place, something everyone can relate to.  I really liked the relationship between all the siblings ...Maggie with her brothers...and Lucy and Alistair...it is nice to see a book where siblings are looking out for each other.  This is a Young Adult graphic but I would definitely recommend it for middle school (there is no sex and a minimal amount of bad language.)

Book Description via Amazon.com

February 28, 2012

Friends with Boys
A coming-of-age tale with a spooky twist!
Maggie McKay hardly knows what to do with herself. After an idyllic childhood of homeschooling with her mother and rough-housing with her older brothers, it’s time for Maggie to face the outside world, all on her own. But that means facing high school first. And it also means solving the mystery of the melancholy ghost who has silently followed Maggie throughout her entire life. Maybe it even means making a new friend—one who isn’t one of her brothers.
Funny, surprising, and tender, Friends with Boys is a pitch perfect YA graphic novel full of spooky supernatural fun.
 
 


Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Where We Belong by Emily Giffin


Meh.  I am not sure if it is because I have been reading too much fluffy stuff lately (most of which I have liked,) but this just fell short.  The characters were just ok...I just couldn't find myself caring about either one very much.  It was also a tad too predictable and tidy.  This is worth a library rental but definitely not one to add to the collection.
 
Book Description via Amazon.com
July 24, 2012
Where We Belong
The author of five blockbuster novels, Emily Giffin, delivers an unforgettable story of two women, the families that make them who they are, and the longing, loyalty and love that binds them together
 
Marian Caldwell is a thirty-six year old television producer, living her dream in New York City. With a fulfilling career and satisfying relationship, she has convinced everyone, including herself, that her life is just as she wants it to be. But one night, Marian answers a knock on the door . . . only to find Kirby Rose, an eighteen-year-old girl with a key to a past that Marian thought she had sealed off forever. From the moment Kirby appears on her doorstep, Marian’s perfectly constructed world—and her very identity—will be shaken to its core, resurrecting ghosts and memories of a passionate young love affair that threaten everything that has come to define her.
For the precocious and determined Kirby, the encounter will spur a process of discovery that ushers her across the threshold of adulthood, forcing her to re-evaluate her family and future in a wise and bittersweet light. As the two women embark on a journey to find the one thing missing in their lives, each will come to recognize that where we belong is often where we least expect to find ourselves—a place that we may have willed ourselves to forget, but that the heart remembers forever.

Tuesday, August 21, 2012

Dream Lake by Lisa Kleypas


Lisa Kleypas brings us back to Friday Harbor with her newest installment, Dream Lake. I brought this with me on vacation and it was absolutely perfect. I loved it as much as the first in the series.  The characters are wonderful and she continues to infuse her stories with a touch of magic...which makes for a fun, light, romantic read.  

Book Description via Amazon.com

August 7, 2012 Friday Harbor
Dream Lake (Friday Harbor)
Dream Lake takes readers once again to the exquisite setting of Friday Harbor, and tells the story of Zoe Hoffman, an innkeeper who has all but given up on love. She’s a gentle, romantic soul, but has been so hurt in the past that she dare not trust her heart with anyone. Especially not Alex Nolan. Alex is the most haunted of all the Nolan brothers. He drinks to keep his demons at bay and not only has he given up on love, he has never, ever believed in it. Zoe and Alex are oil and water, fire and ice, sunshine and shadow. But sometimes, it takes only a glimmer of light to chase away the dark. Dream Lake is classic Lisa Kleypas: romantic, powerful, emotional, and magical.

Thursday, August 9, 2012

Off the Menu by Stacy Ballis

This is my idea of a perfect summer, beach read...it was funny, and sweet and I didn't want to put it down.  I *heart* Alana - she is talented and funny and insecure and perfect; and then there is RJ...if only a man like this actually existed, sigh....

Book Description via Amazon.com

July 3, 2012
Off the Menu
As the executive culinary assistant to celebrity Chicago chef Patrick Conlon, Alana Ostermann works behind the scenes—and that’s just the way she likes it. But with developing recipes for Patrick’s cookbooks, training his sous chefs, picking out the perfect birthday gifts for his ex-mother-in-law, and dealing with the fallout from his romantic escapades, she barely has a personal life, much less time to spend with her combo platter of a mutt, Dumpling.

Then a fluke online connection brings her RJ, a transplant from Tennessee, who adds some Southern spice to her life. Suddenly Alana’s priorities shift, and Patrick—and Dumpling—find themselves facing a rival for her time and affection. With RJ in the mix, and some serious decisions to make about her personal and professional future, Alana must discover the perfect balance of work and play, money and meaning, to bring it all to the table—one delicious dish at a time…