Follow Friday and TGIF (12-16-11)

Happy Friday, everybody! I missed last Friday since I was enjoying my vacation and driving up to New York City (will have to post some pics on here this weekend). I went back to work today, which is always tough after nine days off. But I didn't forget about the Friday fun! So, without futher ado ...

Parajunkee asks:

When you've read a book, what do you do with it? (Keep it, give it away, donate it, sell it, swap it?)

Great question! The answer is a little complicated. Most of the books I read are from the library, so they go back once I have finished them. For those books that I own, it depends how much I liked the book. If I loved it, I save it (and I have a ton of books saved). If I think it's something that someone I know will truly enjoy, then I give it to them. If I didn't like it at all and don't know anyone who would enjoy it, then I donate it or sell it.

GReads asks:

Most Popular: What blog post has gotten the most comments/activity on your blog this year?

Another great question!

For the memes, the post popular post this year was ...

Top Ten Tuesday: Favorite Book Settings

(I always wonder why people like this post so much!)

For the review, the most popular post this year was ...

The Devil Wears Prada.

(I'm glad that so many people liked this review, because I loved this book so much!)

So, what were your most popular posts this year? What do you do with your finished books? Let me know, and have a great weekend! 

Top Ten Tuesday (12-13-11)

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by The Broke and The Bookish. Each week, 

they post a different topic, and you get to create your own top ten list. This week's topic:

Books I Want to Give As Gifts (and to who ... even if you won't actually give them!)

1) The Harry Potter series - one of my oldest friends has never read these books (and she's a 7th grade English teacher!). I always encourage her to read them, but she hasn't done so yet. Maybe this would be a push in the right direction!

2) Save Me by Lisa Scottoline - I enjoyed this book and think my mom would, too. I keep on telling her to read it, but she doesn't!

3) Style by Lauren Conrad - I think my sister would really like this book (we both loved watching Laguna Beach and The Hills). Plus, I could borrow it from her to get some great ideas for my own style!

4) Bossypants by Tina Fey - I would give this to everyone who hasn't read this book yet! So funny, and one of my favorite books of the year!

5) Faith by Jennifer Haigh - this is such an amazing book. Taking a look inside the Catholic Church sex scandals from a unique perspective, it's a book that will definitely make you think. There are several people who I would love to give this book as a gift.

6) In the Garden of Beasts by Erik Larson - the story of William Dodd, the American ambassador to Germany in the mid-1930s. For any history lover, this is a must-read. I would definitely gift this to my dad!

That's all that I can think of this week! Oh well ... what books would you gift to people? Let me know, and have a great Tuesday!

Audiobook Review: Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella

Confessions of a Shopaholic
Author: Sophie Kinsella (Madeline Wickham)
Published: November 4, 2001
Genre: chick lit
Narrator: Emily Grey
Audiobook: 10 discs
Source: borrowed from the library


My Rating: 3 stars


Synopsis (from GoodReads): If you've ever paid off one credit card with another, thrown out a bill before opening it, or convinced yourself that buying at a two-for-one sale is like making money, then this silly, appealing novel is for you. In the opening pages of Confessions of a Shopaholic, recent college graduate Rebecca Bloomwood is offered a hefty line of credit by a London bank. Within a few months, Sophie Kinsella's heroine has exceeded the limits of this generous offer, and begins furtively to scan her credit-card bills at work, certain that she couldn't have spent the reported sums. In theory anyway, the world of finance shouldn't be a mystery to Rebecca, since she writes for a magazine called Successful Saving. Struggling with her spendthrift impulses, she tries to heed the advice of an expert and appreciate life's cheaper pleasures: parks, museums, and so forth. Yet her first Saturday at the Victoria and Albert Museum strikes her as a waste. Why? There's not a price tag in sight. Eventually, Rebecca's uncontrollable shopping and her "imaginative" solutions to her debt attract the attention not only of her bank manager but of handsome Luke Brandon--a multimillionaire PR representative for a finance group frequently covered in Successful Saving. Unlike her opposite number in Bridget Jones's Diary, however, Rebecca actually seems too scattered and spacey to reel in such a successful man. Maybe it's her Denny and George scarf. In any case, Kinsella's debut makes excellent fantasy reading for the long stretches between white sales and appliance specials.


My Thoughts: I originally borrowed this book since it seemed like a meaningless chick lit book that I could zone out to while reading. After getting through the first few chapters, though, I found myself really enjoying Becky Bloomwood's story. Told with lots of humor and lots of heart, Sophie Kinsella tells a story about a charming, if financially aloof, girl who is tackling her shopping addictions and coming to grips with her reality. It's not the most meaningful book that I have ever read, but it does show how easy it is to get caught up in today's world where stores and banks make it so easy to get credit cards to spend money that lots of us don't have. Becky is one such person who is swept up in the many credit card offers that she receives after graduating from university and ends up spending way more than she makes. And Kinsella makes the situation even better by having Becky work as a financial journalist. It provides for many funny moments in the book.


Becky is a very likeable character, even though she may not always be the smartest. She does try to do what's right and I could definitely identify with her in certain scenarios. She did seem to be a bit over the top at times, but it didn't ruin my experience of the book. I also loved the narrator, Emily Grey. She told the story PERFECTLY! She was so dead on and I didn't feel like I lost anything listening to the book instead of reading it. In fact, I feel like I got more out of it by listening to it.


Now, I have a question for all of you. I'm not that big into series, but I do look for audiobooks that are typically chick lit. I really enjoyed listening to this book, but I don't know if I should read the next book in this series or try another book by this author. If you have read the series, I would love to hear from you! I want to know if this is a series worth reading, or if the rest of the books are basically just the same story as this first book. Please let me know your feelings!

What's In a Name Challenge 2012

This is a challenge that I saw a few bloggers participating in this past year and it seemed like a lot of fun. Lucky for me, Beth at Beth Fish Reads is hosting this challenge again this year! It's pretty simple: from January 1 to December 31, 2012, just read one book in each of the following categories:

1. A book with a topographical feature (land formation) in the title
2. A book with something you'd see in the sky in the title
3. A book with a creepy crawly in the title
   
4. A book with a type of house in the title
   
5. A book with something you'd carry in your pocket, purse, or backpack in the title
6. A book with a something you'd find on a calendar in the title

Books can be in any form (audio, e-book, or old-fashioned), you can overlap with other challenges but can't use the same book multiple times for this challenge.

I'm really excited for this challenge and think that this will be a fun one! Are you participating? Let me know, especially if you have some ideas for any books that may fit these categories. I already have a few in mind but would love to hear what you have to say!

Review: The Lost Wife by Alyson Richman

The Lost Wife
Author: Alyson Richman
Published: September 6, 2011
Genre: historical fiction
Paperback: 352 pages
Source: borrowed from the library


My Rating: 4 stars


Synopsis (from GoodReads): In pre-war Prague, the dreams of two young lovers are shattered when they are separated by the Nazi invasion. Then, decades later, thousands of miles away in New York, there's an inescapable glance of recognition between two strangers. Providence is giving Lenka and Josef one more chance. From the glamorous ease of life in Prague before the Occupation, to the horrors of Nazi Europe, The Lost Wife explores the power of first love, the resilience of the human spirit- and the strength of memory.


My Thoughts: Following the lives of two young Jewish people in Prague, Alyson Richman weaves a beautiful tale of love, heartache, loss, survival, and redemption. Lenka and Josef fall in love as their country is about to fall into the hands of the Germans. They marry, believing that they will be able to escape to America and live together, far away from Hitler and his war. But when Josef is unable to secure traveling papers for Lenka's family, she stays behind, believing that she will be able to go to America very soon. A serious of unfortunate circumstances follows, leaving Josef and Lenka to believe that the other one has died. Richman wrote this book in a very interesting manner, with Lenka's chapters being told as she experiences them in the 1940s. Josef's chapters are told as he looks back on his life. I had never read a book written this way before, where chapters were jumping between different periods of time and perspective, but it made for a whole story. I was able to see how Lenka was experiencing everything as it happened and how Josef thought things should have gone, with hindsight serving as his viewpoint of how everything could have turned out differently.


I loved Richman's writing. It was so simple and inviting and I found it difficult to put down. Reading about Lenka's time in Auschwitz is heartbreaking, but Richman tells it so simply. There are no superflous words. It is very straightforward. There was also a clear difference between the narrator's voices, which is something that many authors struggle with when writing from different characters perspectives. I just loved this story and I was crying by the time I finished it. I think this is more of a historical romance novel, but the romance is nearly secondary to the travesties of war that are happening. If you enjoy historical fiction, especially World War II, then this is something that you would really enjoy.

Waiting On Wednesday (12-7-11)

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly feature hosted by Jill at Breaking the Spine. Each week, you highlight an upcoming release that you are eagerly awaiting. This week, my pick is: I've Got Your Number by Sophie Kinsella (expected publication date: February 14, 2012).

Synopsis (from BN.com): Poppy Wyatt has never felt luckier. She is about to marry her ideal man, Magnus Tavish, but in one afternoon her “happily ever after” begins to fall apart. Not only has she lost her engagement ring in a hotel fire drill but in the panic that follows, her phone is stolen. As she paces shakily around the lobby, she spots an abandoned phone in a trash can. Finders keepers! Now she can leave a number for the hotel to contact her when they find her ring. Perfect!

 Well, perfect except that the phone’s owner, businessman Sam Roxton, doesn’t agree. He wants his phone back and doesn’t appreciate Poppy reading his messages and wading into his personal life. What ensues is a hilarious and unpredictable turn of events as Poppy and Sam increasingly upend each other’s lives through emails and text messages. As Poppy juggles wedding preparations, mysterious phone calls, and hiding her left hand from Magnus and his parents . . . she soon realizes that she is in for the biggest surprise of her life.

I really enjoy Kinsella's novels and cannot wait for this one to come out? So, what are you waiting on this Wednesday?

Top Ten Tuesday (12-6-11)

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by The Broke and The Bookish. Each week, 

they post a different topic, and you get to create your own top ten list. This week's topic:

Childhood Favorites

(I did this one a few months ago when it was a freebie week, but I will repost what my original choices are)

1) Berenstein Bears - I LOVED these bears! Each picture book focused on a topic that I could relate to as a child (jealousy of a sibling, wanting candy from the grocery store, helping your elders) and made it so easy to understand the moral without being preachy. They were wonderful and I usually always had one with me when I was little.

2) Amelia Bedelia - another great series. I always liked seeing how Amelia would do things in that story. I also wondered how she still had a job (I was pretty smart for a 5 year old). But they were always funny and made you realize how silly somethings in the grown-up world sound.

3) The Babysitters Club - Such well-written, easy chapter books that were also so addictive! I remember that I would check out one from the school library, read it that nite at home, and return it the next day so I could get the next one! The girls were real and well-written ... I just wish that there weren't so many books in that series so that I could have finished it!

4) Goosebumps series - another easy chapter book that was so great to read! I love that they were scary (at least they were to me, way back then!) and made me feel like a grown-up reading such a scary book. It was also great because it was something that boys and girls would read, and so few books can do that!

5) Goodnight Moon - I remember reading this book before bed (as I'm sure many people do). Such a simple book but one that was comforting. I look forward to the day when I have children and read this to them.

6) Nancy Drew series - really my first introduction into the world of mysteries, Nancy Drew was a series that I could dive right into and not put down. I remember reading these books and having my heart race at the excitement and tension (looking back at them now, they are really tame). But they ignited my passion for reading and always had me looking forward to getting the next one from the library.

7) The Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler - my mom bought me this book when I was younger and I thought that it looked lame. However, after reading it, I learned one of life's most important lessons: never judge a book by it's cover (or title). I remember reading it and then thinking how I could have a similar adventure with my sister. Luckily for my mother, we never ran off.

8) American Girl books - now, I realize that there are different girls in these books, but I read them all when I was growing up. My favorites were probably Molly (my love for WWII started young) and Felicity (American Revolution). They were a great way to introduce me to historical fiction and it made history seem so much more interesting.

9) Dear America series - another historical fiction series, these books were all written from the point of view of a young woman during a certain time in America's history and published as if they were a young girl's diary with a bookmark ribbon included in the book to make it really seem like this was a diary that you stumbled upon. I loved reading about these girls' adventures through some of the most dangerous times in our nation's history.

10) Santa Mouse - this was a Christmas tradition in my house growing up. Every year when we dragged out the tree and ornaments, out came Santa Mouse. Mom would read it to us before bed and each year, at the end of the Christmas season, we were sad to put the book away until the next year. It's a cute little board book and something that I still like to look at during the holiday season.

So, what were your childhood favorites? Let me know!