Fiction

The Daughters by Joanna Philbin. A pretty good teen angst book. Three friends who happen to all be rich teens of famous New York people struggle to find their own identities separate from their parents. Written by Joanna Philbin, real-life daughter of Regis Philbin, the story drops the names of many famous fashion designers and products. It was pretty innocent and I read it with my 9 yo daughter. I got a little nervous at one point when there was an allusion to teen drinking but I think Chickee didn't notice the subtle reference. At least, the reference was that teen drinking was not a good thing. It wasn't glorified. This is the first book of a new series and the next book is now available on pre-order. We will likely read it together (or I will read it first, just in case the girls aged too much from the first book).

True Confections by Katharine Weber
From a literary point of view, I'm guessing this is a pretty interesting book. The main character narrates as is if she is giving a legal affidavit. There is very little dialogue but plenty of interesting characters and relationships. The main character (I can't remember her name) marries into a family owned candy business. The story begins with a subtle reference to a divorce and a fire. The character tells the story about how everything got to this point. I used to work in the court system and there is frequently at least one player who is desperate to tell their long, detailed, drawn-out point of view even if it lasts a week. This character seems to be one of those people who resorts to writing a book to finally get her story out. Of course this is fiction and the narrator, of course, tells the story from her own skewed point of view. By the end, it's pretty comical how through the course of explaining, she only digs herself deeper in the hole. Very inventive.

One for the Money by Janet Evanovich I read book number 11 and enjoyed it, so I thought I should go back and read book number 1. I enjoyed the quick wit and fun colorful characters. I think number 11 was better, but that leads me to believe that the author only gets better the more she writes. Makes me want to go get book number 2.... A Stephanie Plum novel, Stephanie is a reluctant bounty hunter who gets caught up in a murder mystery and places herself in many dangerous spots.

Covet by JR Ward
I really enjoyed this book so much that I immediately went to my library web-site to hold book number 2... which isn't out until October! It's dark, it's got questionable morals. Here's the premise... the main character has a shady, questionable past. Clearly he is a tough guy but we don't know if he is good or bad. He encounters some age old mysteries regarding death/afterlife/angels/demons redemption and damnation. He is sent on a mission and we don't know exactly what he is fighting, who is on his side and who is sabotaging him. Clear as mud, right? I don't want to give it away but it was compelling. There was violence and "adult situations", questionable business establishments, etc, but all of it is presented in a way that the characters question their own morality along the way.

My Name is Memory by Ann Brashares
This was really a fascinating premise. The main character, Daniel, believes that he has been reincarnated multiple times and remembered in great detail all his past lives. He remembers his first true love from his first life, Sophia. He chronicles all the lives in which he has searched for Sophia and encountered her briefly in some of them. Sophia never remembers him. Their love story is complicated by another character who was Daniel's brother in an earlier life and has held a grudge over the centuries. The only thing I didn't like was the ending, which felt like a sequel was coming. Ok, if she writes a sequel, I'll read it, but I'm not happy about it...