Marian Keyes - Sushi for Beginners

So i am resurrecting this blog more for me....

A lot of people derive pleasure from surrounding themselves with people, drinking, clubbing etc. But i am a loner and love nothing more than to curl up with a good book, or movie or some good music and i am good. When i hang out, i like to do quiet things - restaurants, lounges, plays et all. So here we are....

Marian Keyes is an author i enjoy immensely. I was introduced to her in my university days when i read "Lucy Sullivan is getting married". Hilarious.

In the mood for some light "chick lit", i picked up this book and it was worth every moment.

The book revolves around 3 women going through ish.....

There's Clodagh who is fulltime housewife with 2 hyper active kids, Lisa - a glamorous London magazine editor shipped off to Dublin to start a magazine instead of to New York which she expected and Ashling - a compulsive Ms Fix-it that lands a job as Lisa's assistant. Ashling is also Clodagh's best friend.

The lives of these 3 ladies intersect with hilarious and life altering results. There are men, juicy scandals, fashion tips, bitchiness and broken hearts. What i especially love about Marian Keyes is the fact that underneath all the humour, ease of reading and "lightheartedness", she touches on real issues. The most poignant for me is the fact family history play a huge part in who each of these women is...

A lovely book with all the things that make for fun reading but with a little food for thought as well..

I would rate this 7 out of 10

Catherine Coulter - Deception Point

I will not even bother putting up a picture of this. I was so disappointed with this book. I started reading romance novels again a few months ago and its really hard to find one that is awful. My favorites would be historical romance novels since i think of myself as an old soul and of course i love romance.

This book was so hard to read. The plot revolves around a plot to find some hidden treasure in the hero's manor house thing. Heroine is under duress since her father has been kidnapped and she has to act according to the orders of the bad guy. Interesting plot that has so much potential but the words dragged and the scenes dragged and it was so preachy. I barely made it through.

A 3/10

Olivia Goldsmith - The Switch

A piece of fiction that was such an easy read. This book i absolutely loved. Its an old title but i found this book on sale with a few others so i couldnt help myself.

Where do i begin? This book is hilarious, heartbreaking and serious all at the same time. A suburban housewife who thinks she has it all is excited that her 2 kids are off to college leaving her and her husband alone for the first time in many years. They have everything - house in the suburbs, husband works at her father's BMW dealership so they have twin BMWs in the 2 car garage. She doesnt work but teaches classical piano since she went to Julliard. She is close to her mom and dad. Her brother is a nutcase and his ex wife is an even bigger nut.

Her plans include romantic dinners, fabulous getaways to Mexico, sexy lingerie and rekindling sparks. Until, she realizes her husband is not interested in any of those things. Not with her anyway. He has a mistress that lives in a Condo across the way. A confrontation leaves both stunned. The mistress is a carbon copy of wife. 20 years younger. Wife is what the mistress will look like in 20 years. Capisce?

After a lot of crying and smashing of dishes and even driving a BMW into the pool, wife realises that she wants to be the mistress. To get the roses and the hot sex. Mistress just wants to be a wife and plan the perfect thanksgiving dinner. Therein: The Switch. A nip and a tuck and a strict diet for wife. Mistress darkens her blonde hair and piles on a few pounds and voila.

Hilarious consequences. But underneath all this, as a woman i felt for both parties. When i wasnt smiling and giggling, i was saddened at the potential prospects of being an old married woman. I breezed through this book in 3 days. 9 out of 10

David Baldacci - The Camel Club

This is a thriller not unlike what David Baldacci is known for. I am a huge fan of his and this book doesnt disappoint.

The camel club is actually a conspiracy club of sorts made up of misfits that spend most of their day firmly planted in front of the White House with placards and signs. One of the misfits however - Oliver Stone is a tormented man with deep secrets. The plot revolves around Islam, terrorists, the president, his chief security advisor and many government agencies. We must not forget Secret Service agent Alex Ford.

The book is slow to begin with but when it gets going, it really gets going. The action scenes are intense without being over the top. The plot is plausible especially in the United States of today where fear and the fallout of 9/11 has meant invasion of privacy and the formation of agencies like the Department of Homeland Security whose roles are blurred at best.

The only major complaint i have about the book is its slight preachiness in dealing with issues like Islam, religious tolerance, extremists etc. I understand what Baldacci was trying to do. He was trying to provide insight into the many misconceptions about Islam especially for the American people and giving reasons for the intense dislike for America but his execution comes through like sermons which doesnt work too well for me.

I would give this a 7 out of 10. Not a bad effort from Baldacci.