Sex and the City

Sex and the City by Candace Bushnell

My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Once I got used to the format this book was written in, it was an entertaining read. Witty and wry - sometimes crude. It was disappointing in comparison to the TV show, but on its own I think this book was good.

Pub. Date: August 2006 (reissue)

Synopsis: In her search for love amidst an endless stream of lunches and cocktail parties, Bushnell paints a bleak but funny portrait of her sisters in heels as they get everything they want except for a husband and children. We follow the intrepid, hungover "reporter" from a swingers' club (where the hottest thing was the buffet table) to a male forum on threesomes; from dinner with men who bed models to a bawdy ladies' tea where a serial dater is dissected. During the last third of the book, the voice shifts from the first person to that of Carrie (aka Bushnell). As she chronicles her relationship with Mr. Big (aka cigar-chomping Vogue publisher Ron Galotti), you may begin to understand why these womens' relationships fail.

Recommended Reading:
Because She Can by Bridie Clark

The Fourth Bear

The Fourth Bear by Jasper Fforde

My rating: 2 of 5 stars
Despite the pace that I read this book, I didn't enjoy it as well as the first book. I felt the plot was too complicated and took too long to develop. Some of the nursery rhyme references were too obscure to really catch the humor intended by the author.

Pub. Date: July 2007
Series: Nursery Crime Book 2

Synopsis: The Gingerbreadman—sadist, psychopath, cookie—is on the loose in Reading, but that's not who Detective Jack Spratt and Sergeant Mary Mary are after. Instead, they've been demoted to searching for missing journalist "Goldy" Hatchett. The last witnesses to see her alive were the reclusive Three Bears, and right away Spratt senses something furry—uh, funny—about their story, starting with the porridge.

Recommended Reading:
The Big Over Easy by Jasper Fforde
First Among Sequels by Jasper Fforde
Something Rotten by Jasper Fforde

The Big Over Easy

The Big Over Easy by Jasper Fforde

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Fforde's wit and humor always amaze me. A fun fantasy adventure that had me flipping pages eagerly.

Pub. Date: July 2006
Series: Nursery Crime Book 1

Synopsis: It's Easter in Reading - a bad time for eggs - and no-one can remember the last sunny day. Ovoid D-class nursery celebrity Humpty Stuyesant Van Dumpty III, minor baronet, ex-convict and former millionaire philanthropist is found shattered to death beneath a wall in a shabby area of town. Evidence points to his ex-wife who has met with an accident down at the Yummy-Time biscuit factory.

But Detective Inspector Jack Spratt and his assistant Mary Mary remain unconvinced, a sentiment not shared with their superiors at the Reading Police Department, who are still smarting over their failure to convict the Three Pigs of murdering Mr. Wolff. Before long Jack and Mary find themselves grappling with a sinister plot involving cross-border money laundering, bullion smuggling, problems with beanstalks, titans seeking asylum and the cut and thrust of international chiropody.

And on top of all that, the Jellyman is coming to town...

Recommended Reading:
The Fourth Bear (Nursery Crime Book 2) by Jasper Fforde
First Among Sequels (Thursday Next Book 4) by Jasper Fforde
The Eyre Affair (Thursday Next Book 1) by Jasper Fforde
A Dirty Job by Christopher Moore
Fool by Christopher Moore

Lady in Waiting

Lady in Waiting: Developing Your Love Relationships by Jackie Kendall

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Although I found this book a little too preachy (I think it is intended for women more secure in their faith), I thought the book had great advice. I especially liked that this book acknowledged that not all of us are born secure in our faith, we've had messed up lives and we can rebuild and renew our lives in better ways despite the past.

Falling Behind

A quick summary of the Clear Off Your Shelves Challenge:

Goal: 5 books or 100%

Accomplished: 4 books and 100%

I'm not sure how reading is going to go in November. I have a full plate (and then some) at work, home, learning German and I'm trying NaNoWriMo.

I may not be back until December - which is a shame because I got a few new books in October that I have been dying to read. (Post coming in a few minutes.)