"A Reliable Wife" Robert Goolrick

It is the early 1900's and Ralph Truitt, a successful businessman in a small town, has it all. He has everything except for a wife so he advertises in the paper for a "reliable wife"- someone who will live with him and provide him with companionship, with no expectation of love ever developing. Out of all of the replies that he receives he chooses to marry Catherine Land. Their new relationship starts out on the wrong foot, though, as she sends him a picture of her cousin India instead of herself, fearing that her natural beauty will scare him off. When she gets off of the train in his small town in Wisconsin he is appalled that he has been lied to and is determined to send her back the way which she has come. In a turn of events, Truitt finds himself falling in love with her and getting used to her gentle companionship. Although he comes to discover that she is not the woman that she has presented herself to be, he finds that sometimes love alone is enough to overcome these obstacles.

I enjoyed this book. It really is one of those books that you pick up and can't put down. The story flows from page to page, and as the plot deepens you find yourself unable to wait to find out what happens in the end. I found the plot twists to be quite predictable (the first one I had figured out quite early in the book) but perhaps this was what the author had intended. This book was full of deceptions and lies, with everything not exactly as it seems. In the end we learn that the events that have occurred in a person's past don't definitively shape what their future becomes.

For more on this book you can browse inside it here. Thanks to HarperCollins Canada for this review copy.

Herbal Essences Hydralicious Giveaway!

I was thrilled this week to receive an Herbal Essences Hydralicious promotional package courtesy of Herbal Essences and Matchstick Inc. The package contained a bottle of each of the new shampoos and conditioners for me to try as well as coupons to share with my family and friends!


Herbal Essences new Hydralicious shampoos and conditioners come in three great versions, all designed to adress your hair's hydrating needs. They have Featherweight for fine hair (yellow), Self-Targeting for normal hair (pink) and Reconditioning for dry/damaged hair (purple). The shampoos' swirl technology wraps around your hair to hydrate it. My personal favourite is the Reconditioning version. Since I've started to use it I've noticed that my hair is softer and far less dry- plus I love how it smells!

I wouldn't want to be the one having all of the fun, though, so I'm giving away four coupons for a full-sized bottle of Herbal Essences Shampoo or Conditioner of your choice!

How to enter to win 1 of 4 coupons for a full-sized bottle:

1. E-mail me at jonitathebookchick@gmail.com with "HE Giveaway" in the subject line and include your full name and mailing address.
2. *Bonus Entry* Become a "follower" of this blog and leave me a comment stating that you've joined (if you are already a follower just leave me a comment stating that you are).

This contest is open to residents of Canada only, and P.O. Boxes are acceptable. Winner will be chosen randomly and notified by e-mail. Prizes will be mailed out within one week of contest closing. Contest closes on April 12, 2009, winner will be chosen April 13, 2009.

"Fifty Is Not a Four-Letter Word" Linda Kelsey

It's New Year's Day 2003, and also Hope Lyndhurst-Steele's dreaded 50th birthday. She's been long dreading this birthday in particular because she thinks that 50 is not the new 40; turning 50 just makes her old. As the editor of popular women's magazine Jasmine she's spent the last 20 years telling women that getting older is simply a badge of honour, yet she doesn't believe that herself. Little does she know what her fiftieth year will bring her: her son leaving home, being fired from her job, her mother's death, a close friend's unplanned pregnancy, and her husband's leaving her. As she struggles through her fiftieth year Hope learns a lot about who she really is and the tough stuff that she's made of. It turns out that turning 50 isn't that bad at all.

I enjoyed this book. It was more in depth than I was ancipating and it really brought home the point that regardless of your age, women need to be true to themselves and refuse to simply accept the status quo.

My only complaint would be that at times Hope would switch from talking about the present to talking about the past, without so much as a tense change or a change in font. When this happened I would be confused and would have to go over the last paragraph to try to figure out what was going on. Other than that this was a well-written, well thought-out read about women striving to make the best decisions that they can for their future. I would recommend it to anyone who's wondered what their own future holds, regardless of age.

Thanks to Hachette Book Group for this review copy!

"Advice for Italian Boys" Anne Giardini

Last night at 2 am I woke up with horrible jaw pain due to an ongoing toothache I've been battling. After getting up and popping some Advil so that I could hopefully get back to sleep this side of 5 am I finally got to finish the absolutely wonderful "Advice for Italian Boys". I started this one not quite knowing what to expect. Actually, I think what I was expecting was something light and carefree. What I actually got was lyrical prose and vivid imagery. I got a book that flowed from sentence to sentence, character to character. I actually don't think that I've even read a book that flowed in quite this way, and I enjoyed discovering it.

"Advice for Italian Boys" is primarily the story of Nicolo Pavone, the middle son in an Italian-Canadian family. Nicolo's older brother Enzo is married with two kids; his younger brother is in his first year of law school. Nicolo is working as an instructor and personal trainer at a nearby gym and he doesn't quite know what path he should be following. He's 24, with no formal college education, and he's still living at home with his mom, his dad, and his Nonna from Italy. He's never been in love, and although he has a large savings account, he has nobody that he wants to spend it on. He's doing well enough on the outside, yet internally he feels as if he's wandering aimlessly.

As Nicolo discovers what path he should be on in life we hear stories from his childhood that have shaped the way that he is now. We are also able to familiarize ourselves more intimately with a few of the characters in Nicolo's life: his Nonna, his father, his younger brother Enzo, and his clients at the gym. What I took from this book is that there are so many different paths that can be taken in life, and so many choices to be made along the way, yet none of these is explicitly right or wrong. All of the choices that we make, both good and bad, band together to form who we are at any given stage in our lives. I finished the book with a sense of whatever choices we make in life will eventually lead us to the path that we need to be on.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book; so much so that I would say that this is one of my favourites so far in 2009. I can't say enough about it: the message was beautiful and profound, the writing elegant, the descriptions vivid. Do yourself a favour and make the time to pick this one up. We could all use a little "Advice for Italian Boys". You can read the first few pages here using HarperCollins' Browse Inside feature.

Teaser Tuesdays

Teaser Tuesdays is hosted by Should be Reading and asks you to:

Grab your current read. Let the book fall open to a random page. Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12. You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given! Please avoid spoilers!

This week's teaser is from "Fifty is Not a Four-Letter Word" by Linda Kelsey.

"Maddy sniffed and tried to speak, her voice barely above a whisper. "I'm so wicked. So wicked. I will never be able to live with myself.""

(From page 64)

Mailbox Mondays

(Hosted by The Printed Page)

The Printed Page asks: What was in your mailbox this week?

Today UPS dropped off a brand-new copy of Robert Goolrick's "A Reliable Wife" to read and review. Thanks to Harper-Collins Canada for the copy!

Yesterday the power was off in our neck of the woods for several hours. They must have been having problems with something because the power was off on Saturday night for about 45 minutes as well. Jay and I played outside with the kids for an hour or two and then decided that we would go and browse at Wal-Mart for something to do. Our Wal-Mart is on the other side of town so we were hoping that they hadn't been affected by the power outage. We loaded up the kids and our neighbor, Karan, who was bored too and went off to shop!

I picked up a few things that we needed and then happened to pass by a table full of books for 30% off. I found a copy of "Slumdog Millionaire" on the table and decided to pick it up. I've been wanting to read this one for a while and was excited to find a discount copy! It would have been cheaper online, but then I would have had to wait to read it until I had a rather large order so that I didn't have to pay for shipping. So, two new books this week!

This Week in Books

Florinda raised the question last week of "Where do you get your books from?" That one question really got me thinking- how many programs to I participate in? There are so many great programs out there for Canadian book fanatics and I thought that I would take the time to link to all of them for in case someone else is interested in participating.



The first programs that I signed up for were from HarperCollins Canada. They used to give away ARC copies of select books every month in their Facebook Group but have since discontinued that program for economic reasons. They continue to offer select books free online courtesy of their "Browse Inside" feature. It's a great way to read both new and old favourites. I also participate in Harper Collins' First Look Program. Every month select ARC's are up for grabs, and you can sign up for any that interest you. The winners of the books are chosen by random draw. Some months there are a whole bunch that interest me, so I sign up for them all, and other months there's nothing that really interests me, but it is a great way to get in on upcoming Harper Collins releases. I get a book every other month or so on average from this program (this program is also available for Americans through http://www.harpercollins.com/). I also participate in HarperCollins' reading challenges. Although the books aren't free for the challenge, I enjoy reading books that I may not have otherwise have read, and by particpating you are entered for a chance to win a book from their next challenge.


Canadians can also participate in the Mini Book Expo for Bloggers. Although the site is on a temporary break as they gear up for their 2009 book releases, the rules are simple. There are a select number of titles and books available (usually one or two are released per day). If you see one that you would like to read and review, you can request it through the comments, and if you request it while there are still copies left, you will be sent the book. Bloggers can have up to two books requested at any given time. Once you review a book that you've been sent and send in the review, you are eligible to request another book. I've read lots of great titles from this program.


Simon and Schuster has a group on Facebook that offers a select number of titles per month. Leave a comment and send an e-mail as instructed and you'll have a chance to receive a copy of their featured book. I've also recently started participating in the Hachette Book Group's programs hosted at http://www.bookblogs.com/. I also just signed up for the Early Reviewer's Library Thing program, and although I have no received any books personally yet (I just signed up a couple of days ago) I have read on other blogs that people have received books from them.

It's important to remember, though, that most of these programs have a set of rules that need to be followed in order to participate. Most of the rules are simple: books received are not for re-sale, reviews need to be honest, and reviews need to be posted once the books have been read. These rules are in place so that people don't abuse the programs and the programs can continue. I enjoy receiving books from all of these places and discovering new authors. What about you? Where do you get your books from?

Mailbox Monday
(Hosted by The Printed Page)

What was in your mailbox this week?

Last week I received a copy of the recently released "Advice for Italian Boys" by Anne Giardini from HarperCollins Canada (thank-you!). Yesterday I received a copy of "Fifty is Not a Four-Letter Word" by Linda Kelsey from the Hachette Book Group (thanks!). I can't wait to read both of them!

Teaser Tuesday
(Hosted by Should Be Reading)

TEASER TUESDAYS asks you to:
Grab your current read. Let the book fall open to a random page. Share with us two (2) “teaser” sentences from that page, somewhere between lines 7 and 12. You also need to share the title of the book that you’re getting your “teaser” from … that way people can have some great book recommendations if they like the teaser you’ve given!

"Nicolo hears the doors to the stereo cabinet pulled open, the snick of the magnetic clasp being pulled apart, a reverberation of the doors of the veneered wooden cabinet as they reach the outerlimit of their hinges. The sound of hands fumbling with a record or tape."

From page 92 of "Advice for Italian Boys" by Anne Giardini

That's it for this week in books! What new books have you discovered this week? What are you reading now? What was in your mailbox?

"Fool" Christopher Moore

It's no secret that I adore Christopher Moore. He has the ability to change perspectives. Take death for instance. It's not something that I think about often if I can help it. Well, I at least try not to think about it. In "A Dirty Job" Moore takes the idea of death and turns it on its head. And he manages to make it funny while he's at it. He's also tacked the tricky subjects of vampirism, Jesus, demons, and whales and managed to make them all look different by the time he's done with them. With "Fool" he's done it again, and this time he's tackled Shakespeare. And he's done a brilliant job.

"Fool" is (very) loosely based on Shakespeare's play "King Lear". Pocket of Dog Snogging is King Lear's personal fool, called upon when one of the royal members of the castle needs cheering up. His specialty is cracking vulgar jokes at inopportune moments, which are not always appreciated by the various members of and visitors to the castle, many of whom would like to see him hung for his flawless comedic timing. Pocket has an apprentice fool, Drool, whom he has grown quite attached to, despite the fact that he's big and stupid. Besides being King Lear's fool, Pocket also performs for King Lear's three daughters, Goneril, Regan, and Cordelia, all three whom he's grown quite affectionate towards over time.

When King Lear starts feeling his age he decides to divide his kingdom among his daughters. He asks all three in turn to profess their love for him, and as a result of their speeches he will decide who gets which parts of his kingdom. When his youngest daughter, Cordelia, gives the most honest speech of the three Lear has her banished from the kingdom, setting off an irreversible chain of events that can only end in bloodshed. Pocket manages to set some of these events in motion with the help of the castle ghost (there's always a bloody ghost) and three witches (making a guest appearance from Shakespeare's Macbeth). The result of these characters coming together is nothing short of hilarious.

I really loved "Fool". I would even venture to say that this is my favourite Christopher Moore book to date. This book is truly intelligent, subtly borrowing characters from many of Shakespeare's plays and bringing them all together to result in a laugh-out-loud novel. The plot is interesting, you can't help but love Pocket, and the whole thing comes together quite nicely in the end. This was a thoroughly enjoyable read, and I will recommend it to anyone who asks. I've read other reviews and this seems to be one of those "you either loved it or hated it" kind of books, and I decidedly loved it. Browse Inside and find out for yourself what all of the hype is about.

Up Next: I'm poised and ready to begin reading my recently acquired copy of Anne Giardini's "Advice for Italian Boys".

"Marley & Me" John Grogan

"Marley & Me". How exactly can you sum up "Marley & Me"? It's a daunting task, as this book made me laugh, made me cringe, made me cry. This book was truly about "life and love with the world's worst dog" (the sub-title).

This book follows the life of Marley, a Labrador Retriever, and his owners, John and Jenny Grogan. John and Jenny decide early in their marriage that they want to add a dog to their brand new family. They both grew up with well-behaved, loving dogs as part of their families and they figure that they would like to have their future children grown up with one as well. Plus, they live in a sketchy area of Florida and wouldn't mind the extra protection. They answer an ad in the paper by a woman selling puppies. She's just breeding them for the love of the breed, which John and Jenny approve of, so they drive out to her farm just to take a look at the litter. There they find Marley, who's not even "Marley" yet, just begging to come home with them. They make the mistake of not meeting Marley's dad, although his mom is docile and gentle. Unfortunately for the Grogan's, Marley takes after his dad. John and Jenny get Marley home and soon find out that he is no ordinary dog. He's terrified of thunder storms, eats like a horse, strains on his leash, and flunks out of obedience school. Regardless of all of this, they love him, and by the time they find out that he is a "bad" dog they are beyond the point of return and he is now part of the family.

What follows is the story of the Grogans, and of Marley, as they add three beautiful children to their family, change jobs, and move several times. We as the reader are greatly entertained by the energentic Marley's antics, yet we can clearly tell that above all he is a loyal, loving dog. This book is funny (be sure to read the part of the book when the Grogan's try outdoor dining- I laughed until I cried), it's heartwarming, and it's heartbreaking. Be warned: have an entire box of tissues ready for the last chapters- you'll need them. I loved the story of Marley the bad dog, and had to laugh as I compared the Grogan's experiences to my own with my very own "bad dog".

This is going to make one heck of a movie. I'm sure that most people have already seen it, and hopefully loved it (who can't help but love a movie with a cute dog, Owen Wilson, and Jennifer Aniston?) but I rarely have the chance to see a movie in the theatres so I'll have to wait until it comes out on Blu Ray. You can browse inside this book on HarperCollins' website here.

Up Next: I'm several chapters into Christopher Moore's "Fool" and am absolutely loving it. Some people who have read it so far have loved it, some have hated it, but I'm definitely in the former group. Now if only I had less housework and more time to read...

"You: The Owner's Manual" Michael F. Roizen and Mehmet C. Oz

After finishing two books over the weekend, I finally have time to blog about them. And blog I will! "You: The Owner's Manual (Updated and Expanded Edition)" is a big book. Like huge! I honestly thought that it would take me the better part of the week to get through, considering that I don't have a lot of time to read through the week, but I was actually finished in about two days!

Essentially this book is based around the concept of "Real Age", meaning that you can be 50 years old, but by doing the right things to your body, your body could be that of a 40 year old! "You: The Owner's Manual" offers up information, tips, and suggestions to help you live as young as you feel. Each chapter concentrates on informing the reader about a different part or function of their body, with tips and suggestions at the end as to what you can eat and do to keep your body healthy. This book is packed with interesting information (I kept interrupting Jay to read him parts of the book. Did you know that only 1% of the gas that your body emits actually smells??? Hmmm.....), as well as helpful suggestions. According to the book, the most important things that you can do for your body is to quit smoking if you are a smoker (it adds years to your life!), exercise daily, even if the only thing that you do is walk for a half an hour, take vitamins and supplements to keep your body's levels up, and eat the right foods. Follow their advice and you'll add years to your life and take years off of your Real Age.

I've already started to take some of the advice offered in this book in the hopes of keeping healthy and prolonging my own life. The advice given is so easy to follow that anyone can do it. Although I borrowed this book from my library I have plans to purchase my own copy; reading it once is a great start but this is a book that is handy to have on hand for future reference. There is so much useful information contained within the pages that it would be nice to be able to review it once in a while. Hopefully with the help of this book I will be the healthiest me that I can be! You can read the first part of this book here using HarperCollins' new "Browse Inside" feature.

This is my fourth entry into the Warm Up for Winter Reading Challenge.