LIZ: BOOK #30

Five Men Who Broke My Heart by Susan Shapiro

240 pages

Completed 7/7/10


This memoir was one I had wish-listed, but it had been so long that I had no idea what I was getting myself into when it finally arrived. I wasn't blown out of the water, to say the least. Chronicling Shapiro's short dive into her past and the lovers that accompanied said past, I found it a whiny and un-entertaining trip down memory lane.

Approaching 40 (why was I even drawn to this book?) and wanting a child (DEFINITELY confused as to why I chose this one...), Shapiro visits/emails/interviews five ex-boyfriends, all of whom annoyed me. Even her husband, who she seemed to be throwing under the bus the duration of the book, was obnoxious to me.

If you're feeling nostalgic about old boyfriends, are pining for a baby, or envy the lives of women who are, this is the book for you. For a twenty-something single girl who doesn't like kids or women whining about them, skip this one.

LIZ: BOOK #29

Girls in Trucks by Katie Crouch

272 pages

Completed 7/3/10

A story of a Southern debutante's life told in varying perspectives and focusing on a variety of topics - love, friendships, family, relationships, jobs, sex - you name it, it's in this book.

Sarah, the self-sabotaging main character, grows up in front of the readers' eyes - loving and losing almost everyone. A cute summer read with a little more intelligence and substance to it than most first-time fiction books.

I enjoyed Crouch's writing so much, in fact, that I searched on Amazon to see if she's released anything since. No, but I cant wait!

LIZ: BOOK #28

Hell Is Other Parents: And Other Tales of Maternal Combustion by Deborah Copaken Kogan

224 pages

Completed 6/27/10

A cute summer read, this combination reflection and motherhood drama memoir read easily. A former war photographer, Kogan is now the mother of 3 young children; an actor son, a middle daughter struggling to find her place, and a late-in-life toddler. Throughout the book, Kogan entertains with heartfelt stories of her everyday life, and occasionally we get a glimpse into her past (my favorite part).

I currently have on order Kogan's first book; not because her writing so impressed me, but because I am intrigued by this woman's life - a life I would give my left arm to lead.

Dotted with both humor and sadness, this book is a good beach read for those of us who don't go for murder mysteries or romances.

LIZ: BOOK #27

Fashion Babylon by Imogen Edwards-Jones & Anonymous

336 pages

Completed 6/13/10

The third book I've read in the true-account Babylon series by composed by Edwards-Jones, this book didn't disappoint. More entertaining than "Air Babylon," but still not quite up to "Hotel Babylon," I still thoroughly enjoyed it. Featuring a fairly new English fashion designer, her flamboyant partner, her gorgeous muse, and a stylist as wacky as they come, this book features names and designers in the fashion world that would make any Vogue reader swoon.

I know this book is a composite of many fashion industry stories the author gathered, but nevertheless, I tried to figure out who this designer was. In fact, I may have enjoyed it more if at the end, her identity was revealed. Speaking of the end, it was disappointing. Unless a sequel is planned (which it is not), the conclusion was too open-ended.

If you've read either Air or Hotel Babylon, I highly recommend this book. Edwards-Jones sticks to her same tried and true writing formula, which makes for an easy, but entertaining read.

LIZ: BOOK #26

Air Babylon by Imogen Edwards-Jones & Anonymous

386 pages

Completed 6/3/10

A few years ago I read Hotel Babylon and immediately put myself on the waiting list at paperbackswap.com for the other two similar books; Air Babylon and Fashion Babylon. This book follows the same format of Hotel Babylon; a period of 24 hours, written as if one character is experiencing everything but actually is the result of composing the stories from dozens of airline employees.

Surprises, debauchery, and annoying customers that could only be found on an airline, are all requisetely present, but with limited humor. The main character, who was probably meant to be dryly sarcastic, instead read as annoyingly depressing. No situation was so shocking, though, so I was kind of bored throughout.

Fashion Babylon is on it's way, so hopefully that will read a bit more humorous as Hotel Babylon than Air Babylon was.

LIZ: BOOK #25

The Carrie Diaries by Candace Bushnell

400 pages

Completed 5/31/10

The prequel to Bushnell's oh-so-popular Sex and the City, this book is definitely at a young adult level. Given the tame subjects and story lines throughout, I guess I cant say I'm surprised.

I am a die hard SATC fan...I can recite episodes, I actually DID read the original book, and annoyingly refer to things said as "remember when Carrie..." So I was excited for this cute little book. Introducing us to high school senior Carrie and her misfit group of friends and broken family, requisite bad boy, and chain smoking habit, nothing really blew me out of the water when reading this. But then again, I don't think I was really expecting much; this was just one of those books you HAVE to read because it comes out.

That being said (and be prepared, this is going to reveal just how corny the SATC girls make me feel), when Carrie's introduction to one of the other 3 women who plays an intrinsic in her NYC adventures, I legitimately got goosebumps. The way Bushnell made this book just about Carrie but also led the reader into her infamous future was done wonderfully, in my opinion.

LIZ: BOOK #24

Too Close to the Falls by Catherine Gildiner

400 pages

Completed 5/24/10

An account of Gildiner's own 1950s childhood, full of town characters, her religious school-based upbringing, and the challenges that came along with those, shapes this book from the very beginning.

Employed at her father's pharmacy at four, put on delivery duty with the one African American man in town soon after, Gildener's sharp humor amuses throughout this memoir without being predictable.

A good memoir about coming of age in a time before my own, with an undercurrent of self-discovery, this memoir was good, but not one that I'd recommend.