The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo

Wow! Okay, get excited! I just finished The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Steig Larsson for my March Book Club. Two of the girls had read it already and LOVED it and really wanted us all to read it. At first, I didn't really get what all the hype was about...it was quite a slow start and included a LOT of information and was a bit "over my head" (there's a financial scandal that was brought public by the main character, who is a journalist), or so I thought...sticking with it definitely paid off, because once it got interesting...it REALLY got interesting! I don't want to give anything away because you deserve to read it for yourself :)

Family secrets, computer hacking, murder mystery, sexual violence, seriously disturbed characters, etc...it's got it all! Enjoy!

Stieg Larsson also has written The Girl who Played with Fire (I am reading now) and The Girl who Stepped on the Hornet's Nest (will be out soon)...there were to be 7 books in the series, but Larsson died in 2004 before any of the books were published, so now it will only be a trilogy. Sad. They are also making a movie and I'd suggest watching the thrilling trailer after you read the book!

Heart and Soul by Maeve Binchey

 If you have the opportunity, listen to this book.  The narrator is excellent and the accents are enchanting.  I have read another book by Maeve Binchy and she has a very distinctive style -- very pretty writing.
This involves a heart clinic, romance, immigrants, and satisfaction with the blessings we have, whether great or small.  If you are stressed and need a respite -- plunge into this one.

The Last Song

Young girl, doesn't talk to her dad, forced to spend summer in North Carolina with her dad she doesn't talk to rather than in New York with her mom she doesn't get along with, meets a boy, dad's secret is exposed...you see where this is going. It was quite predictable, but entertaining and heartfelt like most of Nicholas Sparks books. :)

Movie coming out with Miley Cyrus :( and Greg Kinnear :)

Her Fearful Symmetry

Hmmm... I was super excited about this one because I love The Time Traveler's Wife so much. Plus she got paid a whopping advance so I had high hopes (as did the publisher I imagine).

The writing was beautiful, thoughtful and descriptive. However that's all the good I've really got to say. The beginning was slow, the middle was a little skeevy and the end was incredibly dark. The Time Traveler's Wife had glimmers of darkness but overall the story was about characters you loved. Her Fearful Symmetry was exactly the opposite, so maybe the title is more ironic than even intended.

What I Did For Love; A Novel by Susan Elizabeth Phillips

A novel?  Well, that's sort of like calling the National Enquirer a  Newspaper.  However, if you like to laugh about the Hollywood nonsense, this will be fun for you.  The story parallels a well-known love triangle in Hollywoodland, and is told from the perspective of the person who lost her man.  The author obviously sides with J.A., so much so that it is comical and a bit ridiculous.
Save it for the beach chickies.

Julie and Julia

Cute story! You're thirty, you're bored and you like to cook...why not spend a year of your life cooking every single recipe in Mastering the Art of French Cooking! It's lighthearted and quirky and it makes you want to cook, though I never can see myself cooking an aspic or using bone marrow in my sauces and I'm not sure the amount of butter in these recipes is acceptable anymore, I like buying mayonnaise, rather than making it myself, and I like my minute rice just fine (no "bitch rice" here!). Bon Appetit!