Faux Book

If you really really like to read and you own a MacBook, I may have found the most awesome laptop case yet! It's call the BookBook and it's a one-of-a-kind, hardback leather case designed exclusively for MacBook and MacBook Pro. It's available in Classic Black or Vibrant Red and it's pictured above. Seriously, how cute is that? Everyone will think you are carrying around an old book, when in fact you are carrying around your super cool laptop!

Mailbox Monday - Feb. 1 - 6, 2010

It's Mailbox Monday time! Hosted by Marcia over at the Printed Page, Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house last week (checked out library books don’t count, eBooks & audio books do). Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists!

This week I got an extra special treat. Marcia sent me a book from her Read it Forward program and I am thrilled to recieve it! Once I read it I will pass it along to one lucky reader, so keep your eyes out when I read this book in the near future:

1. 'The Sonnet Lover' by Carol Goodman

And from PBS, this week I got:

2. 'Perfect Timing' by Jill Mansell

What did you get?

Gypsies, Tramps, and Earls...

'Open House'

By Jill Mansell

Format: Paperback

Published: 2003; Headline

Pages: 448

Synopsis: Nell O'Driscoll's known Marcus Kilburton for years - according to her diary, she even had a crush on him as a teenager. When he decides to open Kilburton Castle to the public, Nell takes a job as his assistant - and soon sparks are flying between them. But is Nell free to pursue Marcus, when a figure from her past refuses to let go?

My Take: If you've been following this blog you know that I've recently become obsessed with the back catalog of author Jill Mansell. This actually is advantageous for me, as it plays right into my need to read books for the Typically British Reading Challenge too! 'Open House' is now the third book of hers that I've read and if I'm not mistaken, it hasn't been re-published here in the US yet under Sourcebooks new campaign for Mansell with the cute covers that they did in 2009. I think what is great is this book was originally written in 1995 (as a lot of these books that have been reprinted for Sourcebooks were written in the 1990s) and they don't read as if they are dated with a bunch of pop culture references that make you check the date. Maybe it helps that they are British so you normally gloss over the names of famous Coronation Street actors anyway but I digress...let's get to the story!

This is a classic story of class divides. Our heroine, Nell O'Driscoll is from a family of gypsies. Her mother had an affair with the Earl of Kilburton and the whole town knew about it so her family has quite the reputation but Nell is trying to make a different name for herself. She went to Oxford and is really smart. However, she also discovered that she can read people's futures...so she's independently wealthy too!

Now there is Marcus (Nell's mom was bonking his dad). He is now the Earl and the castle he owns is broke. He decides to make it wealthy again by opening it to the public which is where Nell comes in. Classic class divide issues ensue but Mansell manages not to make it trite.

In classic Mansell style the supporting characters are just as interesting as the main ones. There is Nell's best friend Hetty who's cheating husband left her and she needs to get her confidence back. There's Hetty's daughter Rachel who needs to learn how to deal with her parents divorce and her raging emotions. There is Jemima, Marcus' sister, who just needs to grow up!

All of these characters rolled into one book make this a delight to read!

(I got this book from paperbackswap.com)

Winter Reading

This week's Booking Through Thursday asks:

The northern hemisphere, at least, is socked in by winter right now… So, on a cold, wintry day, when you want nothing more than to curl up with a good book on the couch … what kind of reading do you want to do?

I'm not sure I actually read with the seasons. Believe me, having an incredibly rainy winter here in San Francisco makes me want to spend my weekends doing nothing more than curl up on the couch with a blanket and a book. But what kind of book? I'm not sure I'd pick a different book now then I would if I was to be spending the day at the park lying in the sunshine. I guess maybe in the winter I can handle darker books but lately I've been reading a lot of chick lit so, like I said, where ever the mood takes me! Now beach reads, those I like to be lighthearted :)

Do you have specific reading requirements for the winter? Am I weird for not?!

Bookend Mashup

Do you have a fondness for bookends like I do? Granted, I keep most of my books in bookshelves, but in certain spots, like the kitchen or on dressers, these spots call for bookends, and who doesn't want them to be stylish? One of my favorite style blogs, Design*Sponge, did a great guide to bookends. There are a ton of stylish options here, the majority under $100. Happy shopping!

Could You, Would You, Without A Bookstore?

This article was recently brought to my attention. Laredo, TX will soon be losing its lone bookstore, making it the largest metropolis in the United States without a bookstore. This begs the question: Could you live in a town or a city without a bookstore? Citizens of Laredo will now have to drive 150 miles to reach their nearest bookstore.

Of course, we have online bookstores like amazon at our disposal, libraries, and stores like Walmart and Costco that sell books but what if you lived in a town that had no bookstores? Would it matter?

I'd like to think it would. Living in San Francisco we have lots of bookstores but we are quickly losing our independent bookstores to the chain bookstores. Where I live, in the Mission, we only have used bookstores. These are great for personal use, but when I want to buy a gift, I already have to go out of my way or online to purchase a gift. I freely admit that for my own personal library I mainly only swap books through online sites because my reading habit just gets too expensive. However, knowing how valuable bookstores are to a community, I readily purchase books for friends and family as gifts so you can often find me buying many books a month regardless. I use bookstores to find what to read next and whenever I see them full of people it makes me happy.

My point is, I understand that we are becoming more of an online society, but a town without a bookstore makes me sad.

What do you think?

Mailbox Monday - Jan. 25 -30, 2010

It's Mailbox Monday time! Hosted by Marcia over at the Printed Page, Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house last week (checked out library books don’t count, eBooks & audio books do). Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles and humongous wish lists!

My main source of books each week is through paperbackswap.com. This week I only got one book. This ended up being a blessing because my ever growing TBR pile needed a break since I went a little crazy at the bookstore last week!

Here's what I got:

1. 'One Good Affair' By Tess Stimson

What did you get?

Dark Humor

'How to Talk to a Widower'

By Jonathan Tropper

Format: Paperback

Published: June, 2008; Bantam Discovery

Pages: 400

Synopsis: Doug Parker is a widower at age twenty-nice, and in his quiet town that makes him something of a minor celebrity - and the object of sympathy, curiosity, and in some cases, even unbridled desire. But Doug has more urgent things on his mind, such as his sixteen year old stepson, Russ, a once-sweet kid who now is getting into increasingly serious trouble on a daily basis. As Doug starts dipping his toes into the shark-infested waters of the second-time-around dating scene, it isn't long before his new life is spinning hopelessly out of control, cutting a harrowing and often hilarious swath of missteps and escalating chaos across a suburban landscape.

My Take: This is my first Jonathan Tropper book. It was recommend to me from a couple of sources. First, my friend Angie, an avid reader, loved this book and had chosen it for our book club (of which I am, of late, a delinquent member) and it got rave reviews. Second, I saw it on many lists around the Internet for being a popular book and I thought to myself that I should check it out. When I saw on the cover that Mr. Tropper was likened to Nick Hornby, one of my favorite authors of all time, I knew that there was no going back. I was not disappointed.

'How to Talk to a Widower' is that difficult mix of extremely sad, yet heartbreakingly funny. If there wasn't the funny you almost wouldn't be able to keep reading. Doug, your main character, loses his wife of 3 years Hailey in a plane crash. She is older then him and has a son, Russ, from a previous marriage. The book opens a year after her death. Basically, everyone has given Doug a year to grieve and at this point they are ready for him to move on and you kind of want to agree with them. He starts to feel a little pathetic but that is also what makes this book so real because there is no expiration date on grief.

Doug is also a magazine article writer and has found fame writing about his grief. Fame he doesn't actually want because he'd rather have his wife back than be famous for writing about his grief.

His teenage stepson, Russ, was probably my favorite character in the book. He is struggling so much with the loss of his mother and being forced to live with the father he doesn't even like. Doug feels, now that Hailey is gone, he has no ownership over Russ and they have to somehow come to terms with their relationship and what it means to each other.

Doug's whole family is a hysterical cast of characters that helps to bring the much needed comedic relief. They love Doug and are there to help him try to rebuild his life.

What this book shows is that its ok to move on. That is doesn't hurt or dishonor the dead. It was a beautifully written book.

(I got this book from paperbackswap.com)

Books Bought - I Usually Have So Much Self Control!

Books Bought is a meme hosted by Cindy's Love of Books. I've never had to participate in this before because I rarely, rarely buy books for myself. I swap books on paperbackswap and patiently wait until mine become available and that is enough. I get my book buying fill with the myriad of birthdays I buy for each month. Alas, I was in Borders this last weekend and they had some great books on their buy one, get one 50% off table that I've been 'wishing' for on PBS forever so I broke my rule and went for it! Oh well! At least they'll all count for my challenges this year. Ok here's what I got!

1. 'The Female Brain' By Louann Brizendine, M.D.

2. 'The Sugar Queen' by Sarah Addison Allen

3. 'The Botany of Desire' by Michael Pollan

4. 'My Life in France' By Julia Child with Alex Prud'homme

So I shouldn't feel guilty for breaking my ban, right because this was a good deal I think! How about you? Bought some great books recently?

Twisty

Today's Booking Through Thursday is a question in two parts. It asks:

Jackie says, “I love books with complicated plots and unexpected endings. What is your favourite book with a fantastic twist at the end?”

So, today’s question is in two parts.

1. Do YOU like books with complicated plots and unexpected endings?

2. What book with a surprise ending is your favorite? Or your least favorite?

Ok well to answer your first question, yes. I love a book with a complicated plot and unexpected endings. I love it when a book keeps me guessing until the very end, when I get swept up in a book and don't know what's coming next.

Now the second part is the harder part to answer. What is my favorite book with a surprise ending? It might be 'Mrs. Kimble' by Jennifer Haigh or 'Notes on a Scandal' by Zoe Heller. Both of these books ended with me shocked. In case you haven't read them I won't say much more but the links will send you to Amazon where you can read a synopsis. They are great books both.

You?