Remember Me by Sophie Kinsella

Well, this is long overdue, but I believe in being late rather than never doing anything about it. Although my friends have not yet tackled the assigned book, I would like to go on ahead and post my review. Hopefully, they will still read the book when they have the time.

If you haven't read the book yet, I advice you to skip reading so as not to spoil your fun.

Plot Summary (taken from website):

When twenty-eight-year-old Lexi Smart wakes up in a London hospital, she’s in for a big surprise. Her teeth are perfect. Her body is toned. Her handbag is Vuitton. Having survived a car accident — in a Mercedes no less — Lexi has lost a big chunk of her memory, three years to be exact, and she’s about to find out just how much things have changed, Somehow Lexi went from a twenty-five-year-old working girl to a corporate big shot with a sleek new loft, a personal assistant, a carb-free diet, and a set of glamorous new friends. And who is this gorgeous husband—who also happens to be a multimillionaire? With her mind still stuck three years in reverse, Lexi greets this brave new world determined to be the person she…well, seems to be. That is, until an adorably disheveled architect drops the biggest bombshell of all. Suddenly Lexi is scrambling to catch her balance. Her new life, it turns out, comes complete with secrets, schemes, and intrigue. How on earth did all this happen? Will she ever remember? And what will happen when she does?


My view(s):

I don't know about the rest of the girls, but I loved this book. The others who I have shared this good find also found it a really good read. In fact, I finished it in a couple of hours after assigning the book. And even today, I feel so giddy when I think about what transpired in the book.

Lexi, in all intents and purposes is funny. Although she comes face to face with a whole lot of embarrassing situations, she never fails to find a somewhat smoother way out of her predicament. I could not blame her. If I were in her shoes, not knowing what went on for the past three years, and more or less being thrust in a world that just does not look like the one you had, well, I think I would enroll myself in a psychiatric facility of sorts.

Eric, her husband, is... robotic. LOL. It does not hurt to think that he is rich and utterly handsome, but to give you a handbook on how to go about your marriage - and include a chapter on sex(!) - is scary. Lexi and Eric's relationship becomes somewhat strained since obviously they should be the ultimate power couple - but maybe not. On, and the Mont Blanc! ROFL. Seriously, you have to read about this one.

And the architect? He's adorable. But of course, he knows something about Lexi that Lexi does not remember. Wouldn't you panic if some guy you have no idea who knows something that could perhaps destroy you but you have no idea what? I know I would.

And then there are those heartbreaking moments... Despite the good laughs and good time I had as I read the book, I have to admit that my heart got broken. I think that was the first time I could seriously visualize and feel my heart break in two halves. Odd, yes, but it could just be my reaction.

Now, I've read a lot of Sophie Kinsella books. I actually started with Confessions of a Shopaholic, and I liked it. But for me, this book tops the Sophie Kinsella cake. :D

Even now, I really do feel giddy about the whole story. LOL.

I give it five stars. How about you?

Read more...

Eragon By Christopher Paolini

Here is a review on Eragon as assigned to us by our Head Bookworm, Ezrah. The reading was assigned last September 6.

If you haven't read the book yet, I advice you to skip reading so as not to spoil your fun.

Plot

(Taken from book jacket)
When Eragon finds a polished blue stone in the forest, he thinks it is the lucky discovery of a poor farm boy; perhaps it will buy his family meat for the winter. But when the stone brings a dragon hatchling, Eragon realizes he has stumbled upon a legacy nearly as old as the Empire itself. Overnight his simple life is shattered, and he is thrust into a perilous new world of destiny, magic, and power. With only an ancient sword and the advice of an old storyteller for guidance, Eragon and the fledgling dragon must navigate the dangerous terrain and dark enemies of an Empire ruled by a king whose evil knows no bounds. Can Eragon take up the mantle of the legendary Dragon Riders? The fate of the Empire may rest in his hands. . . .

My View(s)

First off, I would like to say that I admire Paolini as he surely conquered what most of us dream at his age. I know I certainly wish I could create a masterpiece as this.

As for the book itself, I loved Eragon. Compared to the movie, well, the movie was not exactly the same - having seen the movie first hand, I could not help but relate both.

I like the plot as it evolves itself in a way that the reader keeps on asking what is going to happen next, or with a series of "who's he?" "what's that?" and other questions. Of course, one would have to read more in order to learn the answers.

The flow of the story is filled with vivid details, names, places, and languages which would take a bit of memorization but the maps and bibliographies help a lot. And while there are other story lines that branch out here and there, Paolini manages to create a bigger vein as the main storyline, but I just could not help but wonder about the other people in the story.

As for Eragon (character), I could not help but sometimes feel like I could choke him. Too cocky and hardheaded for my taste, but I guess that is where his appeal lies. I do think it is his cover for his insecurities and other feelings that he would rather not share.

For Saphira, well, I could not help but be mystified. I have this like for huge creatures such as dinosaurs and the like, so yeah, I liked Saphira a lot! I would like to have one dearly. Anyway, like her shiny blue coat, I think she's cool.

The person I like the most is Brom. To me, he's like a jester with sad eyes and good memory. I think he died too early, but then again, what more could he have added to the story? Perhaps if he stayed longer I would have paid more attention to him than to Eragon.

Overall, I think that Eragon was a very, very good book. It shows an impressive first book, promising much more from Paolini. However, I did feel like I was reading Tolkien. Although it was lacking the uniqueness, depth, and mastery that Tolkien has, I believe it was a good read for the generation which missed Tolkien. Nevertheless, I am pretty sure that even though Paolini is no Tolkien, many Tolkien readers will still enjoy Eragon a lot.

I give it four stars.

Read more...

Good In Bed by Jennifer Weiner

Just around the time this blog was set up, I was almost at the end of reading "Good in Bed" by Jennifer Weiner. Of course, I did manage to finish it before Z assigned the first book. I must admit that this was the first chick-lit novel that I wanted to read back when I was in college, but I never got around to read it until now.

If you haven't read the book yet, I advice you to skip reading so as not to spoil your fun.

Plot Summary

(Taken from cover)

For twenty-eight years, things have been tripping along nicely for Cannie Shapiro. Sure, her mother has come charging out of the closet, and her father has long since dropped out of her world. But she loves her friends, her rat terrier, Nifkin, and her job as pop culture reporter for The Philadelphia Examiner. She's even made a tenuous peace with her plus-size body.

But the day she opens up a national women's magazine and sees the words "Loving a Larger Woman" above her ex-boyfriend's byline, Cannie is plunged into misery...and the most amazing year of her life. From Philadelphia to Hollywood and back home again, she charts a new course for herself: mourning her losses, facing her past, and figuring out who she is and who she can become.

My View(s):

I found "Good in Bed" to be a delightful read. The fact that Cannie is a plus-sized lady gave me that "real" texture to the storyline. Her feelings towards her weight is something that I can relate to, as well as her constant battle with it.

The characters were greatly developed over the course of the story. I really believe that at some point Cannie and her experiences were based heavily on Weiner's personal life, and that is what gives the story great points which many people can relate to.

Cannie narrates pretty much throughout the whole book, which enables readers to see and feel what she is going through, how she feels, what she sees, and even her jokes.

Being plus-sized myself (I think I am much bigger than Cannie though), I can "hugely" relate to her feels and self-consciousness, and that need to prove something to the world.

I do not know about others, but the part that touched me the most was when the sole of Cannie's running shoes came off, and somebody helped her, and taped her sole back on using packaging tape. She had been walking then, to the point where she had no idea where she was, and she had not taken a bath for days, and she lost considerable weight. I believe she was at the height of her anger, frustration, and grief then, and she needed a lot of help. Who would have thought that somebody like the person who helped her would be integral to making her realize certain things. This part proves to be a pivotal point in the story as things finally start falling into place.

In a way, the novel had its "fairy tale" leaning where girl somewhat gets a better man in the end, but somehow the way Jennifer Weiner wrote Cannie makes one see a whole other "heroine" out there. Sometimes we just imagine sexy women with long flowing locks and doe eyes tempting men here and there - or even stories of models and their escapades. But not this book... its not quite common for me.

Overall, I would suggest it for those who need a boost in life, love, and even for the soul. Makes one think, really...

Read more...