Love Reads!

By Jane Porter

September 27, 2007

5 Spot

ISBN-10: 0446699233

ISBN-13: 78-0446699235

Recently, I started reading Mrs. Perfect, a story about an overachieving soccer mom whose world burns to the ground. That book is actually a sequel to another book by the name of Odd Mom Out.

Marta Zinsser is not you’re your everyday mother. She prefers combat boots to sensible shoes and prefers to wear jeans and a T-Shirt as opposed to clothes you would find at Lane Bryant. She has a nine-year-old daughter Eva who is desperate to fit in with her peers and constantly nags her mother about why she doesn’t act or present herself like the other mothers do.

Marta moved from New York to her home of Washington for a promotion, but was sacked soon after the company merged with another. Now she owns her own advertising firm called Z designs and is about to embark on her biggest opportunity yet, designing a ad campaign for Freedom Bikes a classic motorcycle company. She also moved back to be with her family, her mother was recently diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and she wants to be closer to be able to help and give Eva some quality time to make memories of her grandmother/

Things are starting to get very messy, however, as key parts of her life seem to be slowly slipping out of her grasp. Her mothers symptoms are getting worse, she is often wandering the neighborhood now at all hours. Eva is starting to approach that age where she begins to challenge authority and their once super-tight relationship is now becoming strained. Plus, she is trying to help Eva by making more of an effort to be a classical mom, but balancing these new duties with her parental and work ones leaves her often catching her breath.

I thoroughly enjoyed Odd Mom Out. Jane has a great way of storytelling where she interweaves the past with the present rather fluidly and the ending is harder to guess then is usually the case with chick lit. Reading this book is not necessarily a must to enjoy the sequel, but it is one I recommend to give you a fuller picture as a character she interacts with is profiled.

5 out of 5

By Lisa Daily

March 2008

Plume

ISBN-10: 0452289130

ISBN-13: 978-0452289130

She may not be as loud as Dr Phil, but in the relationship arena Darby Vaughn is the go-to dating guru for many who are lacking in the love department. Darby recently finished her latest relationship book Dream Girls Academy and is commencing her latest book tour. One of her first stops is a huge deal; she is speaking with Matt Lauer on the Today show! The segment is anything but hearts and roses, however, as she almost immediately is asked her opinion on the recent filing by her husband for divorce, which she hadn’t even heard about until that very moment. As you probably can guess, internal panic ensued and it got a little messy.

The rest of the tour stops have pulled the plug on her appearances after hearing the news. She spends the next twenty-four hours in bed with only junk food and liquor to keep her company. Finally, after a few days she is encouraged by her friends (the original dream girls) to head back home and pack her things. The next day her best friends join her and along with them and some hunky models turned movers they vacate the place.

For the next few months she tries to salvage what is left of her career. Not that many people pay attention to you when they think you’re a hypocrite, but she seems to find a way care of an upcoming reality show she is the star of. Will she ever get her career back on track again?? How will she dig her way out of this messy divorce? Will her heart ever be the same, let alone be able to love again?

This is a good book and a bit shorter then most but worth every penny. The sometimes sarcastic and funny wit lightens the darkest of situations and by the end you may believe that sometimes even a dating expert doesn’t know everything when it comes to matters of the heart.

5 out of 5

Leah McLaren

April 2007

Warner 5-spot

ISBN-10: 0446699594

ISBN-13: 9780446699594

Meredith Moore is the most organized person you will ever meet, which makes her job as a continuity girl the perfect career. Recently though, something has come along that was never a part of her plan ……….. the biological need to have a baby.

At the beginning of the story we find Meredith working on her latest movie working with an insufferable director who changes his mind more then most people change clothes. After a very callus exchange of words she decides enough is enough just gets up and leaves into the great unknown that is unemployment. Her mother a hippie poet comes to her rescue and sets her up to be the continuity girl that a friend of hers has put in production. This is not just any friend; it is the Donald Trump of this story, a man by the name of Osmund Crouch, whom she has always had a connection to but never exactly understood why. Meredith packs her bags and moves to London into her mothers flat for the duration of filming.

Also on her mind around the same time as her becoming unemployed is the fact that she is getting older and yearning to have a child of her own. Her recent doctors visit to check on the freshness of her eggs further sends her into a worrying abyss when she finds out things have started to go downhill.

Will this movie put her back on top? Will she ever find someone suitable enough to be her sperm donor? Why is that one doctor she met showing up everywhere?!

This story is a good one, though maybe a little exaggerated at times and stays appealing throughout. A lot of people no matter what their age can relate to balancing your work life and every other one in between.

4 out of 5

By Laurie Horowitz

May 2006

William Morrow & Company

ISBN: 0060875267

As a treat to you all I have decided to post a review about one of my
favorite books. The paperback version will be coming out at the end of this
month and I thought since it is now cheaper it is even easier to pick up!

Jane Fortune is a true literati, there is nothing better in the world to
her then finding a comfy spot and reading a good book. She has even gone as far
as reviving a literary journal for aspiring authors to get their big break
which was started by her great-grandmother and aptly named The Euphemia
Review. After finishing college she took over the foundation and was able
to snag and amazing unknown named Max Wellman. Max’s story was in her debut
journal and thanks to Jane’s help he is now one the best authors in the Market!

Max was also Jane’s first love, he even went as far as asking her go go
away with him. This however was not to be thanks to her meddling aunt who
convinced the naive twenty-three year that such a match was not to be. She is
now thirty-eight and still single. Thing have been going smoothly since her
younger days, her journal is a well respected publication and she is content by
all intensive purposes living her life the way it is.

Her live abruptly makes a 180 when her high-class Boston families money
is suddenly kaput, forcing them out of their prestigious family home. Also
going on at the same time is another drama involving her newest lucky candidate
to be featured in her journal. The only problem is she cant find him! The
address he sent along with his submission is valid and so begins a chase to
track down her newest star author.

Though many larger book reviews have panned on The Family Fortune I
enjoyed it immensely. Especially when she spoke of her love for reading and how
it made her feel. I realized I am not so weird after all! It’s categorized as a
contemporary novel so look in your bookstores regular fiction section. I hope
some of you decide to pick up this book, you will not regret it.

4 out of 5

By Holly Peterson

June 2007

The Dial Press

ISBN 10: 0385340400

ISBN 13: 978-0385340403

In Manny the story is exactly what it sounds like right after reading the title; its about someone employing a male nanny.

Jamie Whitfield is thirty-something television news show producer living in Manhattan. As is usually the case when it comes to some chick lit she, along with her husband own a sizable apartment in as she calls it “the grid” more often called the Upper East Side. She thinks herself to be beyond the whole scene however doing the bare minimum required to fit in. She unlike many of her peers tries her best to make herself a part of children’s lives. She has to this point has been fairly successful balancing both that and work, but has recently discovered, at least when it comes to her son Dylan, there is only so much she herself can do.

Her husband Phillip spends almost no time at home, let alone with the children and because of this Dylan has never had a strong positive male influence in his life. This lack of bonding has made Dylan over the years very introverted. After trying to talk this through with her husband having gotten nowhere she decides to talk it over with some friends. They quickly tell her about the finer points of having what is called a “Manny” or male nanny. A Manny they say unlike their female counterparts do not do laundry or cleaning, instead they spend time with the children assimilating themselves as the male role model that has been absent. Taking the children to sports events, the park and most importantly be there to listen to the problems that may not be told to the parents because either they do not have time, or are not “cool” enough.

After some searching Jamie is quickly realizing she may have to throw in the towel as it is harder then she imagined to find someone to fill that role. Thankfully though she is served a miracle in the form of Peter a man in his late 20s trying to make ends meet while he develops computer software that provides homework help. He becomes more then just the hired help as time progresses.

This book is too utterly predictable and follows too long of a time line for the inevitable end result. The characters were engaging which is why I was disappointed the story played out as it did. Unfortunately with this book, all you need to do is read the title and your pretty much done.