Kisses and Lies by Lauren Henderson

From inner flap~

In Kisses and Lies, the thrilling sequel to Kiss Me Kill Me, talented gymnast and amateur sleuth Scarlett Wakefield is hot on the trail of the murderer of Dan McAndrew, her first crush. Dan mysteriously dropped dead at Scarlett’s feet at the first exclusive party she ever attended- just moments after kissing her. Scarlett and her tough American sidekick, Taylor McGovern, follow a trail of clues that lead from a posh private club in London to a Chelsea mansion. Could Plum Saybourne, socialite princess and Scarlett’s sworn enemy, be the owner of the designer handbag that might be the key to solving the mystery? Or does the bag belong to Lucy Raleigh, another girl in Plum’s elite circle? Scarlett must cast a wide net to catch the right suspect--and to clear her own name.

Back at Wakefield Hall Collegiate, Scarlett’s prestigious boarding school, delicious groundskeeper Jase Barnes is doing his best to take Scarlett’s mind off her secret troubles. But a startling discovery means that she must drop everything- including her budding relationship with Jase- and travel to the McAndrew family’s Scottish castle to hunt down Dan’s killer. Will Scarlett become the target of a dangerous predator who has no intention of stopping at just one murder??

If you haven’t read the first book in the series, Kiss Me, Kill Me, that is okay. (Even though I do recommend reading it first..J ) This book does recap briefly and catches you up to speed. It was a nice refresher for me because I tend to read so many books, I start to forget what happened in every book. I can honestly say that I was surprised at who the killer was and why they did it. I love when that happens because usually I can see it coming a mile away and I didn’t with this book. I enjoy the author’s writing style and really like how she doesn’t leave you hanging completely at end. Her next book, Kisses in the Dark, is due out in April 2010.

The Help by Kathryn Stockett

Three ordinary women are about to take one extraordinary step…

Twenty-two-year-old Skeeter has just returned home after graduating from Ole Miss. She may have a degree, but it is 1962, Mississippi, and her mother will not be happy till Skeeter has a ring on her finger. Skeeter would normally find solace with her beloved maid Constantine, the woman who raised her, but Constantine has disappeared and no one will tell Skeeter where she has gone.

Aiblileen is a black maid, a wise, regal woman raising her seventeenth white child. Something has shifted inside her after the loss of her own son, who died while his bosses looked the other way. She is devoted to the little girl she looks after, though she knows both their hearts may be broken.

Minny, Aibileen’s best friend, is short, fat, and perhaps the sassiest woman in Mississippi. She can cook like nobody’s business, but she can’t mind her tongue, so she’s lost yet another job. Minny finally finds a position working for someone too new to town to know her reputation. But her new boss has some secrets of her own. Seemingly as different from one another as can be, these women will nonetheless come together for a clandestine project that will put them all at risk. And why? Because they are suffocating within the lines that define their town and their times. And sometimes lines are made to be crossed.

What a stunningly good book! This is definitely in the top 10 best books I have read this year. The character and plot development is some of the best I have ever read. You actually feel the same emotions right along with the characters. You are angry at the injust treatment of the maids, frightened when you hear about the consequences of speaking out, and you feel the love that they have for their “white babies” Each chapter is told from one of the 3 main characters point of view and the transition between characters was flawless. I totally got caught up in each character’s story and was excited to start each chapter. The descriptions are so vivid, you swear that the author actually lived through these times. I had to keep reminding myself that this book was a work of fiction, because it really reads like a nonfiction book. What is the most shocking thing is that this is the author’s first book! I can’t believe it! This is a very inspiring book that I am sure will stay with me forever. If you have not read this book, you are truly missing out on a great work of literature!

Twenties Girl by Sophie Kinsella

From Inner Flap, Lara Lington has always had an overactive imagination, but suddenly that imagination seems to be in overdrive. Normal professional twenty-something young women don’t get visited by ghosts. Or do they?When the spirit of Lara’s great-aunt Sadie----a feisty, demanding girl w/ firm ideas about fashion, love, and the right way to dance---mysteriously appears, she has one last request: Lara must find a missing necklace that had been in Sadie’s possession for more than seventy-five years, and Sadie cannot rest without it. Lara, on the other hand, has a number of ongoing distractions.Her best friend and business partner has run off to Goa, her start-up company is floundering, and she’s just been dumped by the “perfect” man…Sadie, however, could care less.

I really enjoyed this book! In typical Sophie Kinsella form, it was a funny and light hearted read. I really enjoyed the character of Sadie, she was so fun and sassy that she really added something special to the book. It does have a little mystery going on within in the book for all you mystery buffs and I found myself eagerly turning the pages and trying to guess what was going to happen next. I was myself laughing out loud quite often (Especially at the part where Sadie dresses Lara in what she considers “proper dress attire” for her big date) Also, I found the references to the 1920’s very fascinating and enjoyed reading about that time. All in all, if you have read any other of Kinsella’s books, you will love this one as well. If this is your first book you are reading by her, you will not be disappointed.

Italian for Beginners by Kristin Harmel

From Back Cover

Cat Connelly plays it safe. She’s an accountant with no debt who lives near her family in Manhattan. She’s also thirty-four, unmarried, and with nothing promising on her romantic horizon. After a humiliating incident at her sister’s wedding, she throws caution to the wind and flies off to Rome to find Francesco, the man she’d fallen in love with thirteen years earlier on a trip to Italy. When Francesco turns out to be a dud, Cat is adrift on the streets of Rome, no safety net in sight. With the help of an eccentric waitress with a spare apartment to rent, the handsome restaurateur who calls her Princess Ann, and the family secrets only Rome can unlock for her, Cat discovers that happiness can be found on the back of a speeding Vespa….. But only if you’re willing to take a few risks.

From the time I read about Cat’s grandmother humiliating her at her sister’s wedding, I could totally relate to Cat. She plays it “safe“ in life and is more concerned w/ the needs of others than w/ making herself happy. I think this book is a little bit more emotional than Harmel’s other two books. You really root for Cat as she goes on her journey of self discovery and want things to work out okay for her. I really enjoyed reading about her time in Italy, the descriptions are fantastic, I really felt like I took a mini-vacation there without ever leaving the house! I could literally see the beautiful sites that she was describing and almost taste the delicious food. I loved that the author included some of the recipes of the wonderful food described in the book, and I can’t wait to try one out. I highly recommend this book to anyone want that wants to take a trip to Italy from the comfort of their own home.

Heavenly by Jennifer Laurens

Heavenly tells the story of Zoe. Zoe has a lot going on in her life, including her autistic sister Abria. Because Abria is autistic, Zoe and her brother Luke have to make time to help out more around the house. Zoe's only escape is through partying with her best friend. When Zoe's sister gets put in a dangerous situation, Zoe sees Matthias. Matthias is Abria's guardian sent from Heaven to watch over her. But something starts to happen between Zoe and Matthias that shouldn't and then there's a change in everything.

The story line of Heavenly is definitely different from any of the others books that I've read lately. It felt like a breath of fresh air. Heavenly also goes through many emotions with Zoe having to carry such a weight on her shoulders. You can feel the emotion throughout the story. It's also a book that you're not going to want to put down once you start it. Jennifer Laurens is a great story teller and never disappoints! If you want to find out more before you buy, you can visit the book's website if you want to find out more!

Take Off Your Shirt by Nancy Balbirer

In this strikingly candid memoir, Nancy Balbirer distills two decades of drama school, auditions, bit parts, cameos, and off-Broadway plays into an account by turns hilarious and horrifying. From studying theater in college under the searing purism of David Mamet (“In show business, women who are lucky enough to find employment as asked to do only two thinks in every role they ever play: take your shirt off and cry”) to weathering advice from her brazenly insensitive L.A. agent (“I didn’t think it was possible. But you managed to bore Luke Perry”) to scoring a Saturday Night Live audition based on a drunken Debra Winger impersonation, Balbirer’s adventures are sometimes bizarre, sometimes painful, and always unforgettable.

Between run-ins with an eccentric cast of all-too-real characters, including an infatuated acting teacher who introduces Nancy to the joys of firearms, a former sex symbol desperately seeking a toilet, and a jazz musician who fancies himself a reincarnated Jack Kerouac, Balbirer wrestles with her own ambitions and disappointments, struggling to determine what she really wants and who she really is. She may not be destined for Hollywood stardom, but as Take Your Shirt Off and Cry makes clear, she is definitely a one-of-a-kind talent.

From making her mother laugh in the kitchen with her Joan Crawford impersonations when she was 9, to playing “Psycho Ex-Girlfriend from Hell” on MTV’s Remote Control and co-starring in a couple of episodes of Seinfeld (Wait…Jon Voight bit you?) plus everything in between and beyond, Nancy Balbirer writes a hilarious tale of the ups and downs of trying to “make it in Hollywood”. Anyone who dreams of making it big as an actor/actress definitely should read this book. I am a huge memoir junkie and finished this in a day. I highly recommend it to all you other memoir junkies out there, you won’t be disappointed. Also, after reading this, you will learn why only people who are full of sh*t whisper.

TMI by Sarah Quigley

(blurb taken from back of the book)

Becca’s tendency for over sharing-confessing all of her business to anyone willing to listen- never seemed like a problem to her until she gets into serious trouble blabbing about her sweet, band-geek boyfriend’s sloppy kisses. Becca wonders: is it better to resist the temptation to talk? Can she break her over share addiction? And how does someone kick a lifelong TMI habit??She simply must spill, but rather than over share face-to-face, Becca decides to blog anonymously about everything else instead.

On her blog, too much information, Becca unleashes her alter ego, Bella. Bella tells it like it s…though perhaps with a bit more drama. After all, no one she knows is actually going to read it, right?

Oh my goodness, did this book ever take me back to my high school days!! I think adults and teens alike can relate to Becca and her innocent oversharing. Who amongst us hasn’t been guilty of giving out just a little bit TMI? My favorite character was Jai and, without giving away his secret, think that the subject was handled wonderfully and the ending conveyed an important message about friendship and excepting others as they are. Becca’s blog entries as “Bella” are hysterical and I found myself laughing out loud reading them. I also love how one of my favorite movies “Grease” plays a large part in the book. (Plus all the 80’s movies references were great!) I highly recommend this book to all teens and especially to adults that just want to take an afternoon and get lost in their high school memories! I truly hope that Sarah Quigley writes a sequel to this!