Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Room

RoomRoom by Emma Donoghue

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


A creative story narrated by a five year old speaking about his life in the Room he lives in with his Mom. Jack was born in the Room and knows nothing of Outside of Room, to him it's all imagination until his Mom explains to him after he turns 5 that the things he sees on TV are for real and she once had a life outside of Room. This is hard for Jack to comprehend because to him, there is nothing that exists except for the things he has in their 11 x 11 foot Room. You'll have to read the story to see what brought Mom there...

This is a very strange, intriguing story that started out a little bit slow and confusing for me but as things started to pick up, it grabbed my attention and didn't let go. It's sad and amazing but in every right Jack makes you understand his confusion in his own words. What a sweet little boy; you will cheer for him, you will cry for him, he will steal your heart!

I can't quite give this a five star as I don't think I would ever read it again and I'm not sure this is a book for everyone. However, I really, really liked it and am curious to see how else this author writes other books.

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Thursday, February 10, 2011

Always the Baker Never the Bride

Always the Baker Never the BrideAlways the Baker Never the Bride by Sandra D. Bricker

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Darn, this could have easily been a 4 star book for me but the ending was so abrupt it lost a star right then.

Emma Rae is an award winning pastry chef and baker who is hired to work at a remodeled all inclusive wedding destination hotel in Atlanta called the Tanglewood Inn. Her boss, Drake, is a handsome yet serious widower who is slightly in over his head starting up his deceased wife's dream of owning and remodeling the inn. With the help of his eccentric older sisters and the sweet and beautiful Emma Rae, they open the inn to high praises.

There is an undeniable attraction between Emma Rae and Drake, but can he move past comparing Emma to his late wife? Can God really have a plan for him to have another love in his life?

The sweet budding romance is certainly slow to evolve and that was cute but the ending was too quick to get any satisfaction or closure. So disappointing!

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Friends or Lovers

Friends or LoversFriends or Lovers by Rory Ridley-Duff

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


Hmm, what a bold, brazen, strange read. This book seems to have an agenda with a fictional front.

The author clearly has an interest in workplace gender relations as it's also stated in his "about the author" section. I must say, I found this book to be offensive, do people really behave as the characters of this book do? Is this meant to be fiction based on firsthand knowledge or seriously over the top fantastical fiction? If the knowledge this author states he has, I'm thinking it's really supposed to be the former. If it truly was the latter, then I may have been able to like it a bit more.

Firstly, I had a very difficult time getting past the fact that it was a male author writing from a woman's point of view. I think he made the main character, Penny Leyton, a sex crazed, feminist, lonely, selfish, vain, yet weak woman. Yes, all of those in one. She was a very conflicting character to me. She acts as if she's god's gift to man by staring them down inducing them to shag her. At work she thinks her male boss, subordinate and equals alike are attracted to her and vice versa she fantasizes about them. It's either she has some serious insecurities or she's a sex addict. The whole married but shag whoever fancies you and have no faith to your spouse story-line was extremely aggravating.

By the end of the book you realize that Penny has learned much about herself but obviously she never puts faith into a lasting relationship, it's all about what feels good in the here and now. Tacky in my opinion. No, I do not feel I got to know the character by the end of the book, it didn't feel like anything was truly resolved. Seriously though, most of this went over my head. I have never worked in a large office so I haven't a first clue if everyone flirts and shags each other as much as he's trying to state they do in this book.

I won this book from Goodreads First-Reads giveaway. I'd be more than happy to pass this book onto someone else who would have an interest in reading about relationships in a horny London office.

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