33: Good Enough to Eat

Good Enough to Eat, by Stacey Ballis, is a very feel-good story. Melanie Hoffman has been married to her husband, Andrew, for ten years. They are both lawyers and both happy, but Melanie is extremely overweight. Through exercise and diet she manages to lose over 145 pounds, but then her husband announces he is leaving her… for someone equally as heavy as she used to be! So, Melanie does what any typical lawyer would do (ha!)… she quits law and opens up a bakery of healthy foods. 

The book goes through her foray into a  new relationship, and Melanie also starts making friends and takes on a roommate. While the book was good, I did not necessarily love it, but I thought it was a good and fun read. I give it a 6/10 stars.

30: My Fair Lazy

My Fair Lazy, One Reality Television Addict's Attempt to Discover if Not Being A Dumb Ass is the New Black; Or, A Culture-Up Manifesto, by Jen Lancaster, is about her desire to make herself a better person through wine tastings, operas and other “cultural” activities.

Full Disclosure: I like Jen Lancaster. I think she’s funny, I read her blog and I follow her on twitter. I loved her first book and have laughed at each of her subsequent ones. However, I feel like her books are forgettable. I like them, but they don’t stay with me. And I’m okay with that. They entertain me, make me laugh and then? I put them away and dive into something else.

Anyway, I liked this one. It was cute, and made me think about things that I make fun of, mainly because I DON’T UNDERSTAND IT. Heh. Maybe I should try once in a while!

In the spirit of Jen, I ordered a wine tasting date night for Jeff and I… I’ll keep you all posted as we try wine that costs more than $4.99 a bottle J

I give this one a 7/10. Not her best, but enjoyable nonetheless.

23: Playing House

Playing House, by Patricia Pearson, was a cute enough book. It was one of those books that I picked up on a whim at the library one day. It had an interesting enough premise, but by the end, I didn’t have enough interest in it to really care one way or the other about the characters.

Frannie finds herself unexpectedly pregnant, throws up in a sweater display in the Gap, goes back to Canada, where she is from, to take advantage of the free health care and finds herself unable to return to NYC due to an expired visa. She rides out the remainder of her pregnancy, breaks the news to the baby daddy, Calvin, and “house sits” for her brother while learning to become a mom.

The book was not developed enough for me to like. It lacked details and by the end I thought Frannie was annoying and whiny. I’m tired of authors not giving their characters strong opinions, strong backbones and strong personalities in book (hello, Shopaholic series). I give this book a 5/10.

13: The Sleeping Beauty Proposal

The Sleeping Beauty Proposal, by Sarah Strohmeyer, is a lighthearted and easy read. It was perfect for after my last book (in fact, I MAY have started it that same night because I was all freaked out and needed something girly and easy to put my mind at ease. MAY HAVE.). In all honesty, I've read a lot of her books and I've always liked them, and this one is no different.

Genie is an admissions counselor at a university that lives in Harvard’s shadows. She’s dated the same guy, Hugh, for years. Hugh writes a very wonderful and bestselling novel and during his press tour and interview with Barbara Walters, he proposes to the love of his life. Except… it isn’t Genie. However, to everyone around her, it certainly should be her! So, she fakes it. She pretends that yes, he DID propose, and lets her mother plan a wedding and registers for presents and buys a fake ring and then Hugh comes back…

It’s cute. It’s easy to read. It’s funny and you feel for Genie. She’s dated Hugh for four years and he proposes to someone else on national TV?! He’s lucky he lives, is what I’m thinking! This would be a great book for when you need something light and easy to read. Airplanes, beach vacations, after you read a book that scares the socks off of you. Whatever :)

I give it a 7/10. Easy to read, but drug a little in parts. Still, a great book to make you smile.