Coconut Library

Sunday Salon -- Size 12 is Not Fat

 

I was at the book store, the other day, buying a gift for a friend when I came across Meg Cabot's book, Size 12 is Not Fat. Did I need this book? No. Did I want to take that title to the cash register for the clerk to see? No. {Keep in mind that I'm the girl who has a hard time even buying tampons. At 30 years-old}. Did I need a break from the very entertaining, but incredibly long The Crimson Petal and the White? Yes.

{I am really liking Crimson, by the way, but honestly-- it would be a miracle for a book that is almost a thousand pages to hold my attention {non-stop} the entire way through. So, I've read a few books while reading Crimson, and now I've decided to read a few books instead of reading Crimson... then I'll be ready to head back into it full force.} 

Okay, back to my story. So I was perusing the aisles at the book store when the title {Size 12, in case you forgot} caught my eye. I tried to put it back, but just couldn't. I really wanted something pretty brainless to veg out to. It's been awhile since I've read one of those easy, lose yourself in them, better-than-fries-and-with-a-milkshake books. Well, maybe not better than, but just as good as. So, I walked confidently up to the cash register {really, who cares what that I'm buying a book that's title is embarrassing, right? I'm 30 years old.. time to grow up}, placed the gift books on the counter as well as Size 12, and told the man behind the counter that I would indeed need gift receipts for all the books please. OK, so I'll never buy embarrassing books without either ordering them from Amazon or buying them "for a friend" and getting a gift receipt. Kuddos to you brave souls who can. 

So, I opened Size 12 yesterday and have not stopped reading since - unless I need to be doing something else. Like going to the bathroom, for example. Which I've taken to holding for as long as I can so I don't have to put the book down. Or even leaving the house for plans I have, and {seriously} considering whether I should bring the book along just in case I have a chance to read a few pages {I was heading out for a party, by the way... no instances of book reading would have been appropriate - even for me}.

What is the premise of this book? Good question. Heather Wells, residence hall assistant director, gets involved in solving the mystery of the murders of two freshman girls in the residence hall she works at in New York City. While I am THE world's most ridiculous scaredy-cat, this book has not frightened me in the least. Which is weird, because the murders are kind of creepy... but the author writes in such a light, funny way that it doesn't bother me at all. And, in fact, I am really into the mystery. Which, with only about 50 pages {ok maybe a little  more than 50 pages} left, I think I have it figured out... but I'm not positive. Which is funny because I'm usually the person who reads the book {or watches the movie} and has it figured out about half way in. Not to say that this book is going to win any crazy awards for writing and mystery plot, but it should. It should win the So-Damn-Entertaining-That-I-Hold-My-Pee-Because-I-Don't-Want-to-Stop-Reading Award. And that's an award an author can be proud of. So, it's a treat to read something fun like this that has me wondering if I should go buy the sequel before I'm finished with the first so I don't get have an {in my head, of course, not out loud} tantrum that I can't finish the series until the book store opens. Unless, of course, it is on my Kindle {note to self: check on that immediately after finishing this post}.

To end, this heroine is a likeable, not entirely ridiculous character, which is something I look for in chick-lit because I'm over the protagonists who make me want to slap them silly. The plot moves along at a brisk pace and the reader is not bogged down with heady or boring back story. It is the perfect book for a long plane ride or a day at the beach {or a night when the only break you'll have to take is to get up to go to the bathroom, assuming you'll allow yourself ;)}. 
Four Coconuts *** I changed this from 5 to 4 after reading the ending {a bit cheesy} but still kept my attention to the last page!

xo,
The Coconut Librarian

P.S. I've included this book in my shop, in the right hand column of this page, for those of you who prefer to order your embarrassing titles from Amazon. :)

P.P.S. Need I remind you that this is chick-lit, not Hemingway? I've seen some reviews of this book that are pretty intense, which makes me wonder if people were confused, or somehow missed the title, when buying the book. This is definitely a gold star, unputdownable chick-lit novel... enjoy accordingly. {And remember it has been rated accordingly, as well -- against other books in its own genre}.

Porn for Women...

 

Dining room set from Something's Gotta Give

 

I have a friend who says Nancy Meyers movies are porn for middle-aged, divorced women. Though I'd add a bigger demographic than she said, I knew she was onto something. I am not middle-aged, and I am not divorced, but Nancy Meyers movies are totally porn for me too. I adore them. I want to live in the houses, know the characters, have the music playing in the background non-stop. My heart a-flutters when I watch her movies... and I watch them mostly for the houses (though I also love the plots)-- she's an absolute genius at designing her sets. 

 

Interior of Rosehill Cottage from The Holiday

 

Here's the thing... men are visual, we know that. But so are women. We (women) may not all be wired the same way and get our joy from the same things, but don't tell me that you don't have your own version of "porn" be it shoes, bags, flowers, interior design, or whatever it may be. Show me a stack of books, an English cottage decorating magazine (or pretty much any decorating magazine), flowers at the farmer's market, or the entrance to a mega-Target and my heart leaps, my blood rushes, and I am filled with euphoria. So, while typing the word porn in this post over and over makes me a bit nauseous, I hope you get my meaning.

By the way, this thought train started because I splurged and bought Perfect English Cottage (which is now available in my bookshop in the right column of this page) from the bookstore because I absolutely could not help myself. It would have been like passing up true love, and that would just be cruel. 

So, spill the beans. What's your po... no, can't say it again, it ruins the pretty musings that are filling my head right now after looking at pictures of Nancy Meyers sets. What's your joy-giver (there, that's better isn't it)? 

Chick-Lit Lovers

Calling all chick-lit lovers (I know you're out there)! For those of you who love chick-lit all the time, in between heavier reads, or only while you're on vacation... here's a list of some of the new-ish chick-lit on the market. Each of these books that I have listed below have gotten good reviews by readers... but you'll have to be the ultimate judge. If you like it, don't like it, or know something better, let us know! Use the comment section to add your favorites!

  I Heart New York by Lindsay Kelk
June 2009
Paperback/ 305 pages
Perfect for fans of Sophie Kinsella, get ready for the summer debut of the year...When you're running away from a broken heart, there's only one place to go...Adjusting tiaras at the foot of the aisle, Angela and her best friend prepare for the wedding of the year. But events don't go as planned. And when a girl is in possession of a crumpled bridesmaid dress - and can't go home - New York (for the very first time) seems like an excellent idea. Angela's new friend Jenny Lopez gives Angela a whirlwind tour of the city that never sleeps, and a makeover. Who hasn't dreamed of starting afresh with a sassy New York wardrobe, a new haircut and a trip to the make-up counter? Before she knows it, the new Angela is getting over her broken heart by having dinner with two different boys. And, best of all, she gets to write about it in her fabulous new blog. But it's one thing telling readers all about your romantic dilemmas. It's another trying to figure them out for yourself! Warm, funny and unputdownable, I Heart New York is an unforgettable debut.

 Twenties Girl by Sophie Kinsella
June 2009
Hardback/ 435 pages
Lara Lington has always had an overactive imagination, but suddenly that imagination seems to be in overdrive. Normal professional twenty-something young women don’t get visited by ghosts. Or do they?

When the spirit of Lara’s great-aunt Sadie–a feisty, demanding girl with firm ideas about fashion, love, and the right way to dance–mysteriously appears, she has one last request: Lara must find a missing necklace that had been in Sadie’s possession for more than seventy-five years, and Sadie cannot rest without it. Lara, on the other hand, has a number of ongoing distractions. Her best friend and business partner has run off to Goa, her start-up company is floundering, and she’s just been dumped by the “perfect” man.

Sadie, however, could care less.

Lara and Sadie make a hilarious sparring duo, and at first it seems as though they have nothing in common. But as the mission to find Sadie’s necklace leads to intrigue and a new romance for Lara, these very different “twenties” girls learn some surprising truths from each other along the way. Written with all the irrepressible charm and humor that have made Sophie Kinsella’s books beloved by millions,Twenties Girl is also a deeply moving testament to the transcendent bonds of friendship and family.

 The Last Song by Nicholas Sparks
September 2009
Hardcover/ 390
#1 bestselling author Nicholas Sparks's new novel is at once a compelling family drama and a heartrending tale of young love.Seventeen year old Veronica "Ronnie" Miller's life was turned upside-down when her parents divorced and her father moved from New York City to Wilmington, North Carolina. Three years later, she remains angry and alientated from her parents, especially her father...until her mother decides it would be in everyone's best interest if she spent the summer in Wilmington with him. Ronnie's father, a former concert pianist and teacher, is living a quiet life in the beach town, immersed in creating a work of art that will become the centerpiece of a local church.The tale that unfolds is an unforgettable story of love on many levels--first love, love between parents and children -- that demonstrates, as only a Nicholas Sparks novel can, the many ways that love can break our hearts...and heal them. ** In production to be a major motion picture. 

 What I Did for Love by Susan Elizabeth Phillips
January 2009
Paperback/ 416 pages
*** THOSE OF YOU WHO LOVE THE ANGIE/BRAD/JENNIFER TRIANGLE STORY, READ ON (it's supposedly based on them)...

How did this happen? Georgie York, once the costar of America's favorite television sitcom, has been publicly abandoned by her famous husband, her film career has tanked, her father is driving her crazy, and her public image as a spunky heroine is taking a serious beating.

What should a down-on-her-luck actress do? Not go to Vegas . . . not run into her detestable former costar, dreamboat-from-hell Bramwell Shepard . . . and not get caught up in an ugly incident that leads to a calamitous elopement. Before she knows it, Georgie has a fake marriage, a fake husband, and maybe (or not) a fake sex life.

It's a paparazzi free-for-all, and Georgie's nonsupporting cast doesn't help. There's Bram's punk-nightmare housekeeper, Georgie's own pushy parent, a suck-up agent, an icy studio head with a private agenda, and her ex-husband's new wife, who can't get enough of doing good deeds and saving the world—the bitch. As for Georgie's leading man, Bram's giving the performance of his life, but he's never cared about anyone except himself, and it's not exactly clear why.

Two enemies find themselves working without a script in a town where the spotlight shines bright . . . and where the strongest emotions can wear startling disguises.

 Pretty in Plaid by Jen Lancaster
March 2009
Paperback /389 pages
Non-Fiction: In Pretty in Plaid, Jen Lancaster reveals how she developed the hubris that perpetually gets her into trouble. Using fashion icons of her youth to tell her hilarious and insightful stories, readers will meet the girl she used to be.

Think Jen Lancaster was always "like David Sedaris with pearls and a super-cute handbag?" (Jennifer Coburn) Think again. She was a badge-hungry Junior Girl Scout with a knack for extortion, an aspiring sorority girl who didn't know her Coach from her Louis Vuitton, and a budding executive who found herself bewildered by her first encounter with a fax machine. In this humorous and touching memoir, Jen Lancaster looks back on her life-and wardrobe-before bitter was the new black and shows us a young woman not so very different than the rest of us.

The author who showed us what it was like to wait in line at the unemployment office with a Prada bag, how living in the city can actually suck, and that losing weight can be fun with a trainer named Barbie and enough Ambien is ready to take you on a hilarious and heartwarming trip down memory lane in her shoes (and very pretty ones at that).

xo,
The Coconut Librarian
(all descriptions came from goodreads.com. I have not read these books, I researched and compiled the list.)

There's Something About Christmas

There's Something About Christmas by Debbie Macomber is a sweet, short Christmas novel. As with most Macomber books, it is a lighthearted, heartwarming easy read. It took me a good chapter or two to decide if I would keep reading it, though after that it was a fairly quick read. 

 Emma Collins has always believed that the world is divided into two kinds of people: those who love fruitcake and those who don't. She's firmly in the second category, so it's ironic that her major assignment for the Puyallup, Washington, Examiner is a series of articles about . . . fruitcake. At least it's a step up from writing obituaries.

Her task is to interview the finalists in a fruitcake recipe contest, and that means traveling around the state. Actually . . . flying around the state. Local pilot Oliver Hamilton, who's starting an airfreight business, has agreed to take her wherever she needs to go, in exchange for free advertising. Unfortunately Emma hates small planes -- almost as much as she hates fruitcake.

But in the weeks leading up to Christmas, Emma falls for Oliver (who's not quite the Scrooge he sometimes seems) and his mutt, Oscar (who's allergic to her perfume, which makes him sneeze repeatedly). And she meets three wise women who know a lot about fruitcake -- and even more about life. (from publisher)

I recommend this if you are looking for sweet holiday reads, though this one could be read at other times of the year as well as it doesn't strictly have to do with Christmas, but rather takes place around that time of year. 
Three Coconuts

Merry Christmas to those who celebrate it! 

xo,
The Coconut Librarian

Vision in White

I'd never read a book by Nora Roberts before. And I'm not usually one for a romance novel (except for my vampire series, mind you... which basically tricked me into reading them). However, one day while on the Barnes and Noble website the article, "In Praise of Decent Men" by Eloisa James caught my eye. After thinking about how I'm a bit tired of the movies, tv shows, and books that depict love and good men with cynicism, I went on a romance/yay love/root for the good guy binge. I watched a ton of yummy romantic comedies (well, that's not new), and picked up a few sweet books (yes, ok, they're romance novels) -- this one included. Since the article had talked about the sequel to this book, I figured I needed to start with book #1 (Vision in White) to get to book #2. 

 #1 New York Times bestselling author Nora Roberts cordially invites you to meet childhood friends Parker, Emma, Laurel, and Mac - the founders of Vows, one of Connecticut's premier wedding planning companies. 

After years of throwing make-believe weddings in the backyard, flowers, photography, desserts, and details are what these women do best: a guaranteed perfect, beautiful day full of memories to last the rest of your life. 

 With bridal magazine covers to her credit, Mackensie "Mac" Elliot is most at home behind the camera - ready to capture the happy moments she never experienced while growing up. Her father replaced his first family with a second, and now her mother, moving on to yet another man, beg Mac for attention and money. Mac's foundation is jostled again moments before an important wedding planning meeting when she bumps into the bride-to-be's brother...an encounter that has them both seeing stars. 

Carter Maquire is definitely not her type: he's stable, and he's safe. He's even an English teacher at their high school alma mater. There's something about him that makes Mac think a casual fling is just what she needs to take her mind off dealing with bridezillas and screening her mother's phone calls. But a casual fling can turn into something more when you least expect it. And with the help of her three best friends - and business partners - Mac must learn how to make her own happy memories... (publisher's description)

Vision in White is Mac's story, and it's a sweet one. This very easy read was finished before I knew it, and was as light as non-buttered popcorn. It was the great guy that kept me reading, frankly, and I have to say that Nora Roberts can sure write a good man. Kudos to her on that. He wasn't the cheesy, oily, Fabio-type muscle man I had imagined would be in romance novels... he was the actual guy I want to marry. For real. So, although Roberts sweet story didn't change my life in a profound way, it gave me hope for the good guy out there in this world of emotionally stunted, elusive, run-from-commitment-until-you-run-of-a-cliff cliches of men I am so often reading about and seeing in my entertainment. Guys everywhere should thank her for adding a positive example of their gender to the mix. I have to say also that reading about this fictional wedding planning company was also a charming story-line. Imagine living on a wedding planning compound (though, of course all of you with your own houses) with three of your best friends, doing what you love to be doing for a living, and working as a team while still having the ability to run your independent part of the business. Sounds pretty nice to me. So does the next book in the series, Bed of Roses, which I will be reading soon. Because really, who doesn't love a love story, especially those delicious beginnings?
Three Coconuts

xo,
The Coconut Librarian

The Impostor's Daughter

I had never read a graphic novel before The Impostor's Daughter by Laurie Sandell, and had never planned to. However, this book kept popping up on my computer screen while I was doing other research, and then again at the library. I was walking past a display and there it was, literally front and center. At this point I still didn't realize it was a graphic novel, but when I picked it up and opened the pages, I couldn't put it back on the shelf. I had read three pages in the course of a minute (which isn't hard to do -- remember, graphic novel basically means comic book novel). From the little I've seen, I thought graphic novels only catered to techy/ comic book obsessed guys or asian teenagers. But, like when I found Betty and Veronica in the sea of boring boy comics when I was younger and growing up with a comic book obsessed big brother, I found that I could partake in this genre as well. 

The Impostor's Daughter is a memoir. It explores the author's recovery from an unhealthy lifestyle that manifested from an unusual childhood; growing up with a con-artist father. Usually I am not interested in reading about people's lives if they aren't someone I am familiar with before-hand, but somehow the style of this book made reading it feel less like a commitment. Sandell has had plenty of experience writing for magazines (some of which I read), and therefore she knows how to hook this twenty-something's attention. Her story is interesting, but it was the genre she chose to express it through that kept me reading. Which I did. In roughly an hour. 

Grab yourself a copy and see if you aren't as entertained as I was. Worst that can happen: you've got a graphic novel under your belt and can say with authority what you think of them.

As for me, I'm sold -- well partly; as long as they are expressly written for my demographic to enjoy and have pictures of people who look like actual human beings. Next up in this department, The Complete Persepolis.
Three Coconuts

xo,
The Coconut Librarian

Undead and Unappreciated (Queen Betsy, Book 3)

Ok, I read the next installment of the Undead series before I was finished with the challenge... go figure. I will probably read the fourth one in the not too distant future as well, everyone needs a fun read after reading some heavy stuff, right? Maybe not, but I do. 

This book was cute, quick, and painless. Not much plot (unfortunately), but not much anxiety over what would happen either. I imagine that these types of series sort of develop a formula when it comes to writing them, but what do  you expect in a chick-lit/romance vampire series? I still get a kick out of them and they're good brain candy. 

Parts of the story line went in the direction I wanted them to, including the main character, Betsy, not being such an airhead. Thank goodness because that was annoying. 

Three Coconuts

xo,

The Coconut Librarian

Holly's Inbox: Scandal in the City

Holly's Inbox: Scandal in the City is the sequel to Holly Inbox, both by Holly Denham. This book has yet to be released in the United States, but can be found on Amazon UK. Fans of Holly's Inbox will be happy to reunite with Holly, Trisha, Aisha, and Jason (among others). The format is the same (e-mail), which is fun to read. The layout is different, which brings up an interesting thought: Are we so incredibly vain here, in the United States, that even our books must be packaged to perfection? The UK cover art was less colorful, but even the inside was more low-key. Different font, different layout, and a little bit less easy on the eyes (as far as organization of who was talking to whom on which day).  Saying that, I don't mean to give the impression that I couldn't understand or read this book easily, nor do I mean to deter you from ordering it. I was just surprised about the differences in marketing. We really are all about it here, aren't we? It came to my attention that I often do choose books by their cover (it's not a cliche for nothing), and, after talking to some of my friends, found out that they do too.

Enough about the physical look of the book. I enjoyed the story, though wasn't in love with it the same way I was with the first book. This one took longer for me to get into, and there were some parts where I felt an annoyance towards Holly (the main character) that I hadn't felt in the last installment. However, there were some bigger surprises this time, and several parts that had me flipping the pages so fast my brain hardly had time to keep up with my eyes. I read the last half of the (552 page) book in one sitting. I read the entire book in two days. This book is a quick, easy read and a fun one to boot! I enjoyed seeing terms and phrases that we don't use here in the US, many which I had never heard before and some I had only heard while in the UK. Those small things made an already diverting read a little extra special! They will, most likely, be edited out for the Americanized version. So, if you want to read the book in it's original format, you can order it from the UK. 

Three Coconuts

If you're not ready to open an Amazon UK account (it really wasn't that expensive to order this book, I believe it came to about $15, shipping included), you could always go to Paperback Swap and see if you can get it there.

xo,

The Coconut Librarian

P.S. This filled task 5.2 of The Book Challenge... I'm on a roll, who's with me? (Remember you do NOT have to read the same books I am reading. I only listed what I'm reading so you would know how it is set up and have an example to see). 

Undead and Unemployed (Queen Betsy, Book 2)

I did it again, I read the next book in the Undead series by MaryJanice Davidson... and loved it. What a lovely, guilty pleasure. 

Though Betsy (the main character) was a smidge ditzier in this book (and I hope the author does not take her in that direction, as her not being Bridget Jones-esque was something I really liked), it was still an incredibly fun read. Davidson only included one graphic sex scene in this edition, compared to the several in the last, which I thought would have been an improvement. I have to say, however, that it was not. I don't know, maybe I have turned into a fan of gratuitous sex in my chick-lit, or maybe I was just hoping for a bit more love between the Betsy and her recurring love interest in this book. Probably the latter. Saying that, I do realize that this is a series and the author has to keep us wanting more. I have a feeling we will see much more of Betsy and her man. 

Aside from the romantic part of the story, this book was much scarier to me; the self-proclaimed biggest scaredy cat this side of the Mississippi-- well, maybe on either side of the Mississippi. I literally was spooked and still up reading at 1:00 a.m. trying to get to a non-frightening part so I could drift off to sleep without staring at the chair, in my bedroom, waiting for some of the characters from The Sixth Sense to appear (I swear it kept getting colder and colder in my room as I read this book). 

Literally, though, this book took a day to read. Not a bad sign. I am eager to read the next installment, and will as soon as I'm done with the challenge (and possibly before if I can't resist). This book filled task 15.2 of The Book Challege for July. If you are still looking for a book to use, I suggest starting this series. It's addicting... don't say I didn't warn you. 

Five Coconuts

xo,

The Coconut Librarian

Undead and Unwed

Over the weekend I read the first book in a vampire series; Undead and Unwed by MaryJanice Davidson. Talk about a fun read. I get scared really easily, and usually can't read any kind of paranormal plotted books, but this one was paranormal in a chick-lit kind of way, if you can imagine. I can't deny... the first night I did feel a little nervous at bedtime, and I dreamt about vampires, but I am an unusual bird that way (I get scared watching commercials during Halloween time) and can almost guarantee that you will all be perfectly fine!

This book is gratifying in many ways. The heroine is not an annoying, blubbering mess like so many chick-lit authors seem to think 30 year old women need to be portrayed. She makes decisions that satisfy the reader (most of the time). The author keeps the story rolling, and maintains a light, fun approach to the vampire world. Davidson keeps all of the magic of the supernatural without adding the darkness of many otherworldly novels. I had so much fun reading this, and am so happy that there is an entire series to follow!

One thing I wasn't expecting; the sex. Apparently, vampire novels often have eroticism in them. I, however, was not familiar with that seeing that I have not been able to read any other vampire based novels out of fear. I bought this book on my Kindle, but when I was at the bookstore the other day I decided to look for the sequel-- to see it in paper form. I looked all over for it in the fiction stacks, checking the entire "D" section thinking it had been misplaced. Then I hunted through the mysteries, sure I would find it there, to no avail. I even looked in the graphic novel section, though it is nothing like a comic book, but was too embarrassed to ask the booksellers where the Undead and Unwed books would be... can you imagine their faces? Then over on the east wall of Barnes and Noble, there it shone-- the ROMANCE section. No way. I was sure it wasn't there, but went to check anyway. Just in case. I stood in the shelves of the fiction section and squinted my eyes to try to read the titles of the books 5 feet in front of me. Argh, my eyesight is getting worse, and I just couldn't do it. So, I took a few steps forward and started rapidly scanning the area where the books should be when, all of a sudden, another customer rounded the corner and I had to make a mad dash back to the fiction books (lest he think I had a thing for vampire erotica). Finally, I found it, or them, on the top shelf almost out of my reach. And it was confirmed... they are romance books; thus explaining the gratuitous sex scenes in one of my new favorite series. (I haven't read the Twilight series, but perhaps this is the grown up version of that?)

So there you have it, Coconut Library Readers, your librarian apparently likes chick-porn. Lucky for me, I have a Kindle, so I never have to face the cashier to buy the rest of the books in the series. Tell me, are you brave enough to do it?

Five Coconuts

xo,

The Coconut Librarian