Diana Lee's Posterous

1. Prince of Fire by Daniel Silva ****
2. Special Relationship by Robyn Sisman **
3. Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal by Christopher Moore *****
4. The Amber Room by Steve Berry **
5. Cartwheels in a Sari by Jayanti Tamm **
6. Room by Emma Donoghue ****
7. The Swan Thieves by Elizabeth Kostova ****
8. Witch and Wizard by James Patterson **
9. Promises to Keep by Jane Green ****
10. Listening Is an Act of Love by Dave Isay ****
11. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (Kindle version) *****
12. How to be Sick by Toni Bernhard *****
13. The Miracle of Mindfulness by Thich Nhat Hanh *****
14. A Test of Wills by Charles Todd ****
15. Everything Is Going to Be Great by Rachel Shukert ****
16. Chocolate & Vicodin by Jennette Fulda ****
17. A Clash of Kings by George RR Martin ****
18. The Magicians by Lev Grossman ***
19. The Year of Fog by Michelle Richmond ***
20. Bloodsucking Fiends by Christopher Moore ****
21. House Rules by Jodi Picoult ***
22. Zeitoun by Dave Eggars *****
23. Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel ***
24. Murder on the Orient Express by Agatha Christie ****
25. You Suck by Christopher Moore ***
26. Unchartered TerriTori by Tori Spelling ***
27. The ABC Murders by Agatha Christie ****
28. The Imperfectionists by Tom Rachman ****
29. The Book Thief by Markus Zusak *****
30. Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie ****
31. A Storm of Swords by George RR Martin ****
32. The Messenger by Daniel Silva ****
33. The White Queen by Philippa Gregory ****
34. The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie *****
35. Sing You Home by Jodi Picoult ****

*     = didn't like it
**    = it was okay
***   = liked it
****  = really liked it
***** = it was amazing

Currently Reading:

The Virgin in the Garden by AS Byatt

The Heart of the Buddha's Teaching by Thich Nhat Hanh

GOAL:

35/50 books read. 70% finished.

Heart of the Matter by Emily Giffin
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

A lack of character development was my main beef with this book. After the "incident" I felt like we got a lot more in depth information about the two women, but still not enough about Nick. However, I really liked how she ended the book and acknowledged the complexity involved in such a loaded situation. Most of us say we'd leave, no questions asked. But what about the kids? What about all the years together and the life you've built? I don't know if I could forgive, but I can understand why some people do. Or at least try to.

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Amy and Isabelle by Elizabeth Strout

This is a quiet, melancholy, powerful book.

The story reminds me of how we all think everyone else has fabulous plans on New Year's Eve. A party with dancing and champagne and a kiss at midnight like something you see in a movie. In reality most of us are curled up with a significant other or friend watching a movie with snacks when midnight rolls around. We feel perfectly content to be where we are when we don't compare ourselves to others.

Isabelle thinks everyone around her is living a vastly more interesting, happy life while she is lonely and sad. Though many of us aren't alone as much as she is (as a single mom of a teen daughter) we all feel that loneliness and disconnectedness, but no one talks about it.

The thing I truly loved about the story was that when Isabelle opens herself up to the world and the people around her, her experience in life completely changes even though no major aspect of her life has. Her relationship with her daughter even takes on a different shape because she lets her daughter see who she really is.

It's a surprisingly powerful little novel.

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Some critics recognized Aimee Bender's The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake as derivative of Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel. While I don't see a lot of resemblance between the two, they share the themes of experiencing emotion through food and quirkiness. This ought to help you know right up front if it is the kind of book for you. As with Like Water for Chocolate this is a love it or hate it kind of story.

The story follows 9 year old Rose Edelstein into adulthood through all the typical tween and teen experiences of friendship, crushes and family issues while she also deals with a bizarre, isolating secret.

I enjoyed something about the story that is hard to put into words. Something felt very old fashioned about these characters and this story. I had to remind myself it was set in present day many times throughout the book. Ultimately, I loved that almost everyone found a way to a satisfying life despite their personal challenges. Rose is a wonderful main character and despite her always feeling she was an afterthought compared to her older brother, she was truly the rock that held the family together.

The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake feels very much like an indie fairytale for grown ups. If you let yourself be carried away by the weirdness, whimsy and unknowns, it's an incredibly enjoyable story. If GoodReads allowed members to give half stars I'd rate it a 4-1/2, but I bumped it up to a 5 because I enjoyed it enough to round up.

Despite its clumsy structure and (often) tedious concept, Tim Gunn's new book is highly enjoyable as a vehicle for revealing Tim's insider stories from Project Runway and the fashion and celebrity worlds. In Gunn's Golden Rules: Life's Little Lessons for Making It Work, Tim offers uses anecdotes from his life to share his version of the "golden rules".

Tim dishes on all kinds of behind the scenes Project Runway moments and shares polite versions of his experiences with many former contestants. Season 4 winner Christian Siriano is just as kind as he seems. Yay! Santino "sucks all the air out of the room." A bunch of designers in season 7 had a completely relaxed approach to the challenges that drove Tim crazy.

Through his own rise into celebrity his proximity to quirky personalities has increased exponentially. Martha Stewart is definitely weird and seems to have a bizarre relationship with her daughter Alexis (the whole "I loathe you but choose to work with you" deal). He was even a fly on the wall for their Thanksgiving meal at the Four Seasons. Yup, Martha and her daughter celebrated at a restaurant that year. American Vogue Editor in Chief Anna Wintour is just as lazy and weird as all the insiders claim. Izzak Mizrahi is a obnoxious, moody queen and a giant pain in Tim Gunn's ass.

I pink puffy heart Tim as a person, but not as a writer or self editor. I'd probably get this from the library or borrow it from a friend. I'm sorry I spent money on it because it's definitely not something I envision myself keeping in my library until the end of time, though the insider stories make it well worth reading.