REVIEW: I Can't Tell You (Hillary Frank)

Title: I Can't Tell You
Author: Hillary Frank
Reading Level:Easy reading, young adult, but has you reading between the lines
Amazon Average Rating: 4.5 stars (based on 11 reviews)
My Rating: 2.75 (Bonus points for creativity, though. Seriously.)

Keeper Status? Not for me, but am glad I read it!

No sample writing style this time around, (1) because I'm not sure it would capture the essence of the book, and (2) said book is in another room and I am too lazy to go get it. I'll give you one guess which is the main reason....  Anyway, I'm not sure how or why I wound up with this book on my shelf, but I put off reading it for a while. I was drawn to it, because the author pushes the boundaries of what you can do on written page.

REVIEW: Bright Lights, Big Ass (Jen Lancaster)

Once again, it's been a while. I plan on doing a bit of an overhaul of my rating system soon, which I'll semi-start with this post, but since I haven't done much here and right now I'm essentially just writing for myself at this point, I'll put that off for another day. After finishing this most recent book though, I had to put everything down and get myself going. So. Here goes.




Title: Bright Lights, Big Ass: A Self-Indulgent, Surly, Ex-Sorority Girl's Guide to Why  It Often Sucks in the City, or Who are These Idiots and Why Do They All Live Next Door to Me?
Author: Jen Lancaster
Reading Level: Easy, quick read. Lots of anecdotes. Possibly a good commuter book, but only if you have the self-control to contain your giggling in public.
Amazon Average Rating: 4 stars (96 reviews)
My Rating: 4 stars
Keep/Borrow/Pass: Keep

Sample writing style:  I huff on the couch for another minute, which is just enough time to vow that the TV cooking chick is now my sworn enemy. You, missy! Yes you with the EVOO and GB and LMNOP and the rest of the stupid abbreviations. Enough with your toothy Joker smile and al the giggling. If you’re going to chop, dice, or practically puree something, use one of those descriptive words and not “gonna run myknife through it,” because that doesn’t tell me anything. And how about a specific unit of measure and not just “eyeball it.” […] And please either turn up the heat in the studio or wear a looser shirt. ‘Cause I ordered the arugula, not areola, thanks (124).

First of all, that excerpt is from one of my most favorite parts of the book -- when Jen Lancaster goes off on Rachael Ray. Anyone who knows me knows that I am not much of a fan. Apparently, neither is Jen.

REVIEW: Island of Lost Girls (Jennifer McMahon

Uh oh. Slap me on the failboat and ship me off full steam ahead. I have certainly not kept up with my goals of posting my reviews. That said, here we are, back and rolling again.

Title: Island of Lost Girls

Author: Jennifer McMahon

Reading Level: Easy, fast read, nice commute book

Amazon Average Rating: 3.5

My Rating: 3.5


Sample writing style: "Rhonda Farr had two Peters in her life: The Peter she loved but could not have, and now the white rabbit, which she, not unlike Alice in Wonderland, seemed destined to chase down the hole. But Alice's rabbit was not named Peter."

Island of Lost Girls was a fast-paced story that I was able to read in about two days during my hour-long commute to work each way. It had enough suspense and mystery to help me ignore and avoid all the crazies you run into when riding public transportation, and I liked that it was so easy to read; various distractions did not interrupt my enjoyment or understanding of the book. There's nothing I hate more than having to reread paragraphs multiple times because someone next to me is yakking loudly on a cellphone.

Eat Cake (Jeanne Ray)

Well, after going back and forth and promising that I would start this "soon," the need to send this book out for Paperback Swap credit has kicked my butt into high gear. So here goes nothing, and structure, format, etc. will be fixed once I'm smart and think this through a bit more thoroughly. :) Onto my very first post!

Title: Eat Cake

Author: Jeanne Ray

Reading Level: Fast, easy read

Amazon Average Rating: 4.5 stars

My Rating: 3 stars

Sample writing style: "Cakes have gotten a bad rap. People equate virtue with turning down dessert. There is always one person at the table who holds up her hand when I serve the cake. No, really, I couldn't, she says, and then gives her flat stomach a conspiratorial little pat" (2).

I suppose I should first state that I think I am so, so, so far outside of the target audience for this book, and I knew this when I decided I would read it. Why did I bother? Well, anything centered around the joy of eating cake wins my vote, although I was prepared to face a gigantic sweet tooth after reading this. (Turns out, the style of cakes weren't really my preference, so the diet is safe for another day. We'll chat about this point in a little while...)

So who should read this book? Given the nature of the story, readers who are in their 30s or 40s and have a family would certainly find humor and perhaps points of common interest with Ruth, our domestically talented baker-protagonist. Liking cake doesn't hurt. Enjoy baking? Even better. Whatever. That had been my assumption when I read the back cover, but I found that I pretty much enjoyed the characters for what they were worth.

So let's talk about Ruth for a second. Poor Ruth finds that her life and family is crumbling faster than a big slab of coffee cake. No matter how hard she tries, she just can't connect with her angsty teenage daughter. Her husband just lost his job and is on his way to what seems like a pretty serious midlife crisis. Her father, after breaking both wrists from a fall, joins the family as well, despite the very loud protests from Ruth's mother, (who is also living in the house). Yes, that's right, mom and dad, the separated couple from way back when Ruth was a child, is forced together again under the same roof. This is a recipe for more drama than you could find on the latest episode of Survivor. With such a crazy premise, there simply has to be moments of hilarity. And there were! After all, quite seriously, the one thing that can save the family is Ruth's talent for baking extraordinarily amazing cakes.

Can I also just say how refreshing it was to read a book that was not about a writer, writing, editing, etc.? The irony does not escape me as I'm sitting here writing about writing. I just get so frustrated when every main character has some sort of writing career. It's easy to write about what you know, but the truly talented writers should know how to research what they don't know and present it so convincingly, you never would have known otherwise. Right?

I wouldn't be my typical self if I pretended this book was all gumdrops, gummy bears, twizzlers, hershey kisses, or whatever your sweet tooth preference might be. I had a few big problems with the text. First, while the characters interacted with each other quite convincingly, and Jeanne Ray did a wonderful job with the dialogue, I felt that they were entirely one-dimensional. The husband, while having his midlife crisis issues, was still Mr. Prince Charming, for example. Everyone had his or her role within the story, and stuck to it like flour and water. Don't get me wrong, there is enough character development within the story to show that each one journeys to a better self by the end, but I wouldn't exactly describe them as the most realistic representations of the human character.

The other major weakness, which was most disappointing to me, was the pacing of this story. We see our Ruth struggling, whipping up bowls and bowls of batter, and meeting each challenge with a platter. And when we're certain that we're just about ready to save the day...we're into the epilogue. Now I know I'm taking the cake analogies a little too far, but this book just begs for it. To me, it was like sitting there watching her make the whole thing, but then you look away for one brief second, only to find a plate of a few crumbs when you look back. I understand that to discuss the ending in more detail would detract from the happily ever after fairy-tale ending, as Ruth would certainly encounter many challenges in real life. I think that by skipping ahead in time, the author knowingly avoids writing about anything that might take away from that perfect, blissful ending.

All in all, this book is escapist fiction through and through. A fun little story with witty moments, a nice refreshing writing style, and an ending that makes you feel good, even if it is disproportionately rushed.

And hey...the author even includes complex recipes for cakes at the end, which I will never, in my craziest state of mind, ever attempt to make. But they are:

Almond Apricot Pound Cake with Amaretto

Black Espresso Cake with Bittersweet Glaze

Coconut Pineapple Cake

Golden Grand Marnier Cake

Lady Baltimore Cake

Lemon Layer Cake with Lemon Cream Frosting

Oateal Stout Cake with a Chewy Oat Topping

Pistachio Cake

Ruth's Carrot Cake

Sweet Potato Bundt Cake with Rum-Plumped Raisins and a Spiked Sugar Glaze

Upside-Down Pear Gingerbread Cake

Hm...I don't know about these, but I'd be fine with just a slice of vanilla...