Review: "The Parabolist" by Nicholas Ruddick

In a Toronto alley police officers find a female rape victim with her attacker lying dead nearby. The only clue that they have as to the person or persons who killed the attacker is a clump of Crisco shortening on the victim's body. In a nearby medical school, Jasper Glass dissects a cadaver with precision as practice for his future as a doctor with his partner, the irresistable Valerie Anderson. Robert Moreno, a parabolist from Mexico, becomes the substitute teacher for a group of medical students taking a poetry class. Marnie Kennedy, an engaged medical student, decides that she is looking for one last fling before she marries her successful yet boring fiance. All of these story lines converge in family physician Nicholas Ruddick's debut novel, The Parabolist.

Ruddick has written a novel that is part mystery, part medical drama, and part literary novel that will keep you riveted all the way to the shocking conclusion. The seemingly unrelated storylines converge in a way reminiscient of Colum McCann's Let The Great World Spin.

With his cast of colourful characters, Ruddick effortlessly draws you into the world of 1975 Toronto. I, for one, was specifically drawn to the eclectic group of people who made up Robert Moreno's poetry class. Although I don't read a lot of mysteries, the mystery aspect of this novel was subtle, yet interesting enough that it will appeal to a broad audience. This one will definitely leave you with something to think about, and I actually went back and read the ending a couple of times to make sure that I took in all of the important details.

Thank-you to Nita at Random House for sending this review copy! You can read from the book here, or find out more about the author here.

Rating: 4 stars out of 5
Recommended to: Can Lit fans, mystery lovers, those who enjoy literary fiction
Challenges: 2010 100+ Reading Challenge, New Author Challenge 2010

Review: "Cleaving" by Julie Powell

Julie Powell, author of the bestseller Julie and Julia is back, and this time she's trying her hand at.....butchering? After writing her book and changing her life path, Julie identifies a yearning within herself to try her hand at becoming a butcher and sets out to find somewhere that will hire her on as an unpaid apprentice. She finds Fleisher's, a small butcher shop that feels like home and quickly sets to work learning her new trade. As she learns how to make headcheese and cut racks of ribs, she deals with the affairs of her heart. You see, she's torn between wanting to be with her sweet, reliable husband, Eric, and with her exciting lover, D. (who, by the way, Eric is aware of). Julie spends the book learning about meat and trying to make sense of the path that her romantic life has taken.

I just did not love Cleaving. I tried, I honestly did, and I continued to read this long after I wanted to stop. Right away the tone of the book came off as indulgent to me, it was all "Julie this", and "Julie that". Of course, this book is a memoir, so it had to be about Julie, but she just struck me as being so darn selfish all of the time!

Let me try to explain why I felt this way, as I'm not in the habit of cutting up books without some reasoning to back me up. First of all, the fact that this book was about raw meat did not turn me off at all, although I'm sure that it would be too much for some. I grew up on a large chicken farm, and the chickens were being raised and killed expressly to provide the raw chicken that you see in the grocery store. This was how I was raised- certain animals are raised solely to provide meat for human consumption, and that is just the way that is. As a teenager I worked at a local butcher shop. Although I did not butcher the meat myself, it was done on premises, so again, no squeamishness for me. I suppose the reason that I really did not like this book was because in no way could I identify with the author. She's married to a pretty great guy, who loves her and encourages her and puts up with her hissy fits, and she risks it all to have wild sex with D., someone that they both knew in college. Eric finds out about it. They try to seperate for a bit, but end up living under the same roof again. Eric takes his own lover. Julie breaks up with hers, but never stops wanting him. She proceeds to go out and have sex with strangers just to try to feel closer to D. Although they discuss seperation or marriage counselling, neither Julie nor Eric seem to try to work on their marriage, yet they see little reason to offically divorce. I can tell you right now that this kind of thing would not work for me, nor could I relate to how she felt. It just seemed so farcical to me, like "you can have your cake and eat it too".

There were a few positive bits of the book for me. Fleisher's, the butcher shop where Julie apprentices seems like a pretty great place, and the people who work there appear to be warm and caring. Also, Julie's trips at the end of the book to learn more about meat are interesting for an armchair traveller such as myself. Other than those brief shining parts, I would give this book a miss. I'm not sure why I was initially so determined to read this one, but now I wish that I would have given it a miss and focused instead on reading something that I would have enjoyed more. Luckily, this wasn't my copy (it belongs to the library), so I can just give it back now.

Rating: 2 stars out of 5
Recommended to: Aspiring butchers
Challenges: 2010 100+ Reading Challenge, 2010 Support Your Local Library Challenge

Q&A With Lori Ann Bloomfield!

Yesterday I had the pleasure of reviewing Lori Ann Bloomfield's debut novel, The Last River Child (if you missed my review, you can read it here), and today she was kind enough to stop by and answer a few of my questions! Welcome, Lori!

The Book Chick: Your book centers around the myth of the river child- is this myth factual or fictional?
Lori Ann Bloomfield: I completely made up the river child myth. The seed for the idea came years ago, not long after I started writing the novel and was researching superstitions. I read this deliciously gruesome story about some poor person who had their tongue cut out. I don’t remember the reason for this punishment, but the severed tongue was tossed in a river and forever after that the river could speak. That story sparked my imagination and from it I created the Magurvey River and the river child myth.

TBC: What kind of research is involved when you write a historical novel?
LAB: That depends on the type of novel and the individual novelist, I suspect. I wanted to do just enough research to make the book come alive and be believable for the reader. The trouble is in deciding what is “just enough”? What I discovered was research can be a great excuse not to write. I also learned that history books are filled with information, but not necessarily of the type a novelist is searching for. I personally found photographs and first person memoirs from the early 20th century (the time period I was writing about) to be the most useful.

TBC: Did you know how the book would end right away, or did it come to you as your novel progressed?
LAB: I had no idea how the book was going to end until I wrote the ending. Writing for me is almost always a journey of discovery, meaning I usually begin with only a few images in mind, or the sound of a character speaking. Eventually these things become so compelling I start writing to find out the story. In the case of The Last River Child two images were with me from the very start: one was of a plane flying towards the horizon over water, and the second was of a house burning in winter and the snow melting around it. Not much to go on!

TBC: What was it in particular that inspired you to write The Last River Child? Was it a flash of inspiration, or was it an idea that came to you over time?
LAB: The Last River Child came to me slowly. And it was written very slowly over about seven years. It’s interesting though how the unconscious mind works. When I was in public school there were two students, one a girl, one a boy, both older than me, who were ostracized. They weren’t bullied in the sense that they were beaten up, they were instead almost completely ignored by everyone. This type of bullying doesn’t seem to get as much attention as more violent forms, but it is very primal and very cruel. The boy eventually committed suicide and I’m not sure what happened to the girl. But it wasn’t until I finished The Last River Child and was getting it ready for publication that I saw the connection and realized that for years I have carried those two children in my memory and imagination.

TBC: What are you reading right now? What books/authors/genres do you enjoy reading in your downtime? Are there any books that you've read in the last year that stand out for you?
LAB: At the moment I am reading “The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society” by Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows and I love it! It is an epistolary novel, which is wonderful. There is something so irresistible about reading someone else`s mail. Mostly I read literary novels, but I also enjoy biography and poetry. As for books recently read that stand out for me, last summer I read a novel called, “I Capture the Castle” by Dodie Smith that I was charmed by. I can’t imagine my life without books!


I’ve had a great time answering these questions. Thanks for inviting me to The Book Chick!

And thank-you for visiting! I love being able to gain a new perspective about a book I've read by being able to chat virtually with the author. Be sure to check out Lori Ann Bloomfield's blog if you get a chance- it's full of interesting information for aspiring fiction writers!

Review: "The Last River Child" by Lori Ann Bloomfield

In the village of Walvern there exists a legend: There is a spirit trapped in the Magurvey River. The only way that a spirit can escape from the river is if it lures another child down to the river to take its place. If a child is lured down to the river and looks the spirit in its eyes, the child will be trapped and the spirit will live on in the child's body. A river child causes untold damage among the village that it is unleashed upon, and the only way that a river child can be identified is by its pale, colourless eyes.

It is 1914 and young Peg, with her flaming red hair, is believed to be a river child. Even her father believes this, and her mother is the only one who firmly holds to the belief that her daughter is not a trapped spirit from the nearby river. When Peg's mother suddenly passes away on the day that World War I is declared it feeds the townspeople's belief that Peg is a river child and that she will only bring bad luck to those around her. Peg and her flighty older sister Sarah must learn to fend for themselves as their father frequently retreats inside himself. Sarah marries a local boy, who eventually heads off to war with some of the other young men from their village, including the only boy that has ever befriended Peg, determined to fight for their country. When Peg and Sarah's father passes away and Peg also discovers a secret that Sarah has been hiding from her, she must brush off the suspicion that follows her and she must fight for her future.

I jumped at the chance to review The Last River Child, the debut novel by Canadian author Lori Ann Bloomfield. Bloomfield captured my attention from the beginning as she introduced the endearing character of Peg. Despite the fact that Peg is kept on the outskirts of her community she continues to fight for her place in the village, refusing to leave simply because of the ignorance aound her. Her unwavering determination is one of the reasons that this book was so hard to put down.

I also appreciated how war was described from a Canadian perpective. When Sarah's husband decides to leave to fight in the war, Peg starts up a friendly correspondance with him and his letters almost broke my heart. Bloomfield does a wonderful job of conveying the homesickness that these boys felt, not to mention the horrors that they witness, as every boy who returns from the war is changed in a distinctive way. This reminded me a little of my own family history, as my father has told me that his dad was never the same after he returned home from fighting in World War II. It was wonderful to gain a better understanding of that period of great uncertainty, and to see that it was a period of not only uncertainty, but of incredible love and a sense of community.

I enjoyed this book so much, and especially loved the ending. Lori Ann Bloomfield is a new author to watch for, and I will certainly be reading her future books. A huge thank-you to Second Story Press who not only sent me one, but two copies of this book after my first one was stolen. In addition, make sure you come back tomorrow as Lori Ann Bloomfield visits The Book Chick and answers my questions!

Rating: 4 stars out of 5
Recommended to: Historical Fiction fans as well as anyone who enjoys novels by Canadian authors
Challenges: 2010 100+ Reading Challenge, New Author Challenge 2010

Mailbox Monday

Mailbox Monday is hosted by Marcia at The Printed Page. Each week we share what came in our mailboxes last week. Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to towering TBR piles and staggering Amazon bills!

Can you believe that there was absolutely nothing in the ol' mailbox last week? As in not one book. One day I opened it and I swear a tumbleweed floated on out of there! It did give me a chance to catch up on some review copies, as the last couple of weeks have been good ones for me. I also got to read a (rather horrible) book that I got out from the library. Better luck this week!

What was in your mailbox last week?

Review: "Holly's Inbox" by Holly Denham (Bill Surie)

After numerous bloggers whose opinions I have come to respect recommended this book (again and again!), I knew that I would have to pick up a copy for myself. One Amazon.ca gift card later it arrived, and I have been waiting for the right time to dive in. This past long weekend found me looking for something light and fun to read, and Holly's Inbox fit the bill!

Have you ever wanted to read someone else's e-mails? (Come on, you know that you want to!) Holly's Inbox is a collection of e-mails between the fictional Holly Denham and her collection of friends, co-workers, family members, and yes, even enemies. Despite the fact that the entire book is in e-mail form, we get a good grasp of who Holly is, and what she's been up to. We read e-mails as she starts a new job as a receptionist in a banking firm in London, falls in love, gets dumped, fights with her mother and more- all in the span of 723 delcious pages.

The only way that I can describe this book is to compare it to a box of chocolates, the really good kind. You eat one, then another, and then another and you swear that you'll stop after this one, but the next thing you know the entire box is empty. In other words, this book is extremely addictive! I warn you against starting to read this book of you have anything of a pressing nature that needs to be done, as chances are once you've started, you won't be able to stop.

I thoroughly enjoyed Holly's Inbox! I quickly got caught up in the life of Holly Denham and her absolutely charming best friend, Jason, her new friend and co-worker, Trish, her interfering mother (who really only means well) and her frenemy, Jennie. The e-mails came through fast and furious, and not once was I bored while reading this. One fellow blogger expressed to me that the book was "ruined" for her when she found out that the author was really a man who had gotten the idea for writing this book when he had seen one of his employee's e-mails. Thankfully I felt quite the opposite. It may have been a man who wrote this book, but you wouldn't be able to tell. This one screams chick-lit all the way through, and I can only hope that he will decide to write a follow-up.

Rating: 4 stars out of 5
Recommended to: Chick lit lovers, those looking for a thoroughly fun and addictive read
Challenges: 2010 100+ Reading Challenge, 2010 Chick Lit Challenge, New Author Challenge 2010, RYOB Challenge 2010

Review: "Love Struck" by Chantel Simmons

27-year-old image consultant Poppy Ross discovers that her husband, Parker, has been having an affair on the same day that he conveniently is struck by lightning and develops amnesia. Parker remembers Poppy, and that they are married, but the details of the last three months of his life are completely gone and he doesn't remember that he's had an affair. When Poppy discovers that her husband's lover is in the same hospital that he is, having received a little of the lightning current that passed through Parker, Poppy comes up with a fake name and cover story and sets out to meet her. Sienna is nothing like Poppy. Sleek, gorgeous, the owner of plump lips and even plumper breasts, Poppy is shocked that her husband would go for someone like her. Convinced that Parker's amnesia has provided her marriage with a second chance, Poppy sets out to turn herself into someone reselmbling Sienna in the hopes of holding on to her husband. Her efforts often have disastrous (and hilarious) results, but will Poppy manage to lose an important part of herself in the process?

This fun book from Canadian author Chantel Simmons kept me laughing until the end! Poppy's attempts to turn herself into something that she's not made for entertaining material, and Parker's abrupt personality change certainly helped to keep things interesting. At times I wanted to yell at Poppy and Parker as they stubbornly refused to communicate with one another, but that was definitely part of the underlying theme of Love Struck: marriages without communication are bound to have problems. Poppy was endearing as a confused wife willing to do anything to save her marriage, and Parker was entertaining as a man who almost lost his life and was determined to live his life to the fullest, given this second chance. I really enjoyed this charming book, and loved that just underneath the surface there was a great lesson to be learned.

Thank-you to Key Porter Books and Chantel Simmons for this review copy!

Rating: 4 stars out of 5
Recommended to: Chick Lit lovers, those who love funny books with heart
Challenges: 2010 100+ Reading Challenge, Chick Lit Challenge 2010

Review: "Toby: A Man" by Todd Babiak

Toby Menard is a rising television star; he has his own show on television about how to be a gentleman, his girlfriend is one of the hottest TV presenters around, and his face is on billboards all over town. Then one night everything changes for him. After he rescues his father from a suspiciously burning car, and then goes to see his girlfriend and finds out that she's been cheating on him with his boss, he is unable to sleep and messes up a interview with a local politician- big time. All of the sudden Toby has no job and no prospects for getting one, and he has to sell his house and his car. Toby moves back into his parent's house and starts helping out at their failing hot dog restaurant. When he meets single mother Catherine, Toby thinks that they are both after the same thing: a night of no-strings-attached sex. It turns out that she's looking for more than that and abandons her son Hugo with Toby as she goes off in search of her birth father. Toby knows nothing about being a parent, since up until this point in his life he has been rather selfish, but he and 2-year-old Hugo quickly bond and Toby really starts learning how to become a man.

Todd Babiak has written a novel that captures the beauty of Montreal, where the book takes place, with his scenes full of decriptions of streets and homes and people. He also offers witty social commentary on what happens when you make a mistake and everyone that you thought was your friend, abandons you. Toby: A Man is about parenting, true friends, aging parents, illness, love, and above all, what it means to be a man. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The characters were endearing, especially Hugo and Toby's father, and I would have loved to be able to have them over for dinner. Toby's search for manhood is so raw and real that I rooted for him the entire way through. The ending wasn't at all what I expected, yet it certainly ended in the way that made the most sense. I plan to read Babiak's earlier novels because I enjoyed the freshness of his literary voice; he has a quality that I don't see often enough in Canadian authors.

Thank-you to HarperCollins for this review copy! You can browse inside Toby: A Man here.

Rating: 4 stars out of 5
Recommended to: Those who love coming-of-age stories, anyone interested in reading more Canadian authors, pretty much anyone who loves good fiction
Challenges: 2010 100+ Reading Challenge, New Author Challenge 2010

Mailbox Monday

Mailbox Monday is hosted by Marcia at The Printed Page. Each week we share what arrived in our mailboxes last week. Be warned: Mailbox Monday can lead to towering TBR piles and staggering Amazon bills! I had a great week last week for books. This is what arrived:

The Little Giant of Aberdeen County by Tiffany Baker: This was a contest win from Chick With Books and I've been wanting to read this one since it came out in hardcover! I was so excited to get this one.

Rain Dance by Joy DeKok: This story is about two women who meet in a doctor's office; one woman is ending unsuccessful fertility treatments and one is scheduling a termination of her pregnancy. It's sure to be a thought-provoking read! I won this from Winning Readings.

Saving CeeCee Honeycutt by Beth Hoffman: This was a completely unexpected arrival. I had requested it, but hadn't expected it to come! This book has gotten so many rave reviews that I can't wait to dive in. Thanks Penguin Canada!

Rumor Has It by Jill Mansell: I am quite possibly the biggest Jill Mansell fan ever, so getting a review copy of this one caused much excitement at my house. Thanks Sourcebooks!

Since I missed MM last week because I had a funeral to go to on Monday I thought that I would include the books that I received last week as well. Here they are:

Toby: A Man by Todd Babiak: This arrival from HarperCollins was a thoroughly enjoyable read and will be reviewed this week sometime, as soon as I manage to catch up on my reviews a little.

The Last River Child by Lori Ann Bloomfield: Second Story Press very generously offered to send me a new copy of this one, after my copy was stolen along with our truck two weekends ago. Look out for my review and author interview later this week!

Pesto Packin' Mama by Nan D. Arnold: This ARC arrived directly from the author for review. I can't wait to read this one!

That was my (two) week(s) in books- what was in your mailbox?

While you're here, why don't you enter my giveaways for Corked by Katheryn Borel (March 6, US only) or Try Darkness by James Scott Bell (March 6, US/Can)?

Review: "The Penny Pincher's Club" by Sarah Strohmeyer

After re-visiting Strohmeyer's The Sleeping Beauty Proposal a while ago, I was determined to read more books by her and put this one on hold at my library. It recently arrived, ready to be devoured by one such as myself, and I really can say that I wasn't disappointed.

Kat is a Jersey girl at heart. She shops, and shops, and then shops some more. When she gets home she hides how much her purchases cost from her husband, Griff, a professor at the local University. She loves her job as an interior designer, but she doesn't love her manipulative boss. When Kat begins to suspect that Griff is cheating on her she finds that he has both a secret bank account and a secret Mastercard. After a consultation with a lawyer she discovers that she does not even have close to enough to pay for divorce, not to mention the ensuing life on her own. Kat joins "The Penny Pincher's Club", a group that meets in the basement of the local library made up of people who are experts on money management. Kat hope that in time she will be able to not only pay for her divorce, but be able to live on her own in the future.

I'll admit that I didn't like Kat at the beginning of The Penny Pincher's Club- not even a little! She seemed selfish and obsessed with shopping, something that I'm not. For that reason alone I had a hard time relating to her in the beginning, but luckily she began changing shortly into the book and as she changed I started warming up to her.

Maybe now would be a good time to admit that I'm a "penny pincher" myself. While my husband is most definitely a spender, I'm a saver. Nothing gets me going like getting a good deal. For example, the other day my hubby and I were browsing our local Future Shop. He had mentioned in the past week that he wanted to buy a Blu-Ray player, specifically a Sony one (in the hopes of not wearing out out PS3). We found one for $99.99, because it was an "open box special". We had $50 in gift cards, left over from Christmas. We ended up spending $62.00 for a Blu-Ray payer, and it works perfectly. That kind of deal keeps me glowing for days! I love paying less than retail. That aspect of the book worked for me. I loved the eccentric members of "The Penny Pincher's Club". I loved as they stocked up on reasonably priced shampoo and tampons. Those characters really made me love this book, as I could see myself in them to an extent.

Actually, I ended up loving this book, despite the fact that Kat's shopping habits initially made me wary of the whole thing. Strohmeyer kept me guessing as to how the whole thing would end, and I liked that. I love chick-lit, but I don't always want to know how it ends right away. It's nice when an author can keep me guessing througout. Bravo to her! It really was a satisfying read with characters that I could relate to (and root for!) and an ending that kept me guessing. Highly recommended to both chick-lit fans and those looking for a light (yet satisfying) read!

Rating: 4 stars out of 5
Recommended to: Chick-lit lovers, Sarah Strohmeyer fans, those looking for a light yet satisfying read
Challenges: 2010 100+ Reading Challenge, 2010 Chick Lit Challenge, 2010 Support Your Local Library Challenge

Giveaway: "Try Darkness" by James Scott Bell

Thanks to the Hachette Book Group I have 3 copies of Try Darkness by James Scott Bell to give away!

From the Publisher's Website:

"Ty Buchanan is living on the peaceful grounds of St. Monica's, far away from the glamorous life he led as a rising trial lawyer for a big L.A. firm. Recovering from the death of his fiancée and a false accusation of murder, Buchanan has found his previous ambitions unrewarding. Now he prefers offering legal services to the poor and the under-represented, from his "office" at local coffee bar The Freudian Sip. A mysterious woman with a six year old daughter comes to him for help. She's being illegally evicted from a downtown transient hotel, an interest represented by his old law firm and former best friend, Al Bradshaw. Buchanan won't back down. He's going to fight for the woman's rights.


But then she ends up dead, and the case moves from the courtroom to the streets. Determined to find the killer and protect the little girl, who has no last name and no other family, Buchanan finds he must depend on skills he never needed in the employ of a civil law firm."

Author Information
Read an Excerpt

How to Enter:

1. You get one entry simply by leaving me a comment! Please include your e-mail address so that I am able to contact you if you win. No e-mail= no entry!

2. *Bonus Entry* Earn a bonus entry by becoming a follower. Current followers are eligible as well, simply leave me a seperate comment letting me know that you follow!

3. *Bonus Entry* Tweet, blog about this contest, add it to your sidebar, whatever! Spread the word and you'll gain an additional entry- just be sure to leave me a seperate comment letting me know how you did it!

This contest runs until midnight on March 6, 2010. I will draw the winners and notify them by e-mail after this date. This contest is open to US and Canadian address only, no PO Boxes please! Good luck!

Giveaway: "Corked" by Kathryn Borel

Thanks to the Hachette Book Group I have five copies of Corked by Kathryn Borel to give away!

From the Publisher's Website:

"Meet Kathryn Borel, bon vivant and undutiful daughter. Now meet her father, Philippe, former chef, eccentric genius, and wine aficionado extraordinaire. Kathryn is like her father in every way but one: she's totally ignorant when it comes to wine. And although Philippe has devoted untold parenting hours to delivering impassioned oenological orations, she has managed to remain unenlightened. But after an accident and a death, Kathryn realizes that by shutting herself off to her father's greatest passion, she will never really know him."

How to Enter:

1. You get one entry simply by leaving me a comment telling me if you enjoy drinking wine, and if you do, what your favourite kind is. Please include your e-mail address so that I am able to contact you if you win. No e-mail= no entry!

2. *Bonus Entry* Earn a bonus entry by becoming a follower. Current followers are eligible as well, simply leave me a seperate comment letting me know that you follow!

3. *Bonus Entry* Tweet, blog about this contest, add it to your sidebar, whatever! Spread the word and you'll gain an additional entry- just be sure to leave me a seperate comment letting me know how you did it!

This contest runs until midnight on March 6, 2010. I will draw the winners and notify them by e-mail after this date. This contest is open to US address only, no PO Boxes please! Good luck!

We Have Winners!!!!

It's Saturday afternoon- what better time to announce the names of some lucky winners?

First of all, the winners of a copy of Denise's Daily Dozen by Denise Austin, courtesy of The Hachette Book Group The lucky winners are:

# 46 Marianna
# 12 Michelle
# 19 booklover0226
# 9 Diana
# 18 Beth (BBRB)

Now, the one very lucky winner of a copy of Spin by Catherine McKenzie, courtesy of HarperCollins Canada and the author! Congratulations to:

#30 couponmom









Winners, please check your e-mails for an e-mail from me! You have 48 hours to respond, or I will draw an alternate winner. Thank-you to everyone who entered!

Mailbox Monday (February 1)

Thank goodness for an Amazon order that I received last week, or else my mailbox would have been completely empty! These are the books that I ordered:

The Widow's Season by Laura Brodie: After Katrina at Stone Soup highly recommended this one, I knew that I would have to add this one to my wish list.

The Wedding Girl by Madeleine Wickham (Sophie Kinsella): The plot of this one sounds so fun: a woman marries to keep a friend in the country, but what happens when she meets someone that she truly wants to spend the rest of her life with?

What was in your mailbox last week?

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? (February 1)

It's Monday! What Are You Reading? is currently hosted by J.Kaye at J.Kaye's Book Blog. Each week we share what we read last week, as well as what we plan to read in the coming week.

I'm feeling a little off this week, reading-wise. Last night my husband and I went to a matinee of the movie "Legion" and when we got out of the theatre, our truck had been stolen. As angry as this made me, what was I the most upset about? Yup....my books! I had two in the truck- The Last River Child by Lori Ann Bloomfield and The Continuity Girl by Leah McLaren. I was several chapters away from finishing The Last River Child and was planning on starting The Continuity Girl next, so you could say that I am less than impressed. My hubby said that I could order replacements as soon as I want, but until then I'll be in suspense about the ending of The Last River Child. Man, what a weekend!

What I Read Last Week:

The Happiness Project by Gretchen Rubin: I thoroughly enjoyed reading this one, and found that it was interesting and helpful! Highly recommended.

I Remain In Suspense About The Ending Of:

The Last River Child by Lori Ann Bloomfield: From what I've read so far, this is a captivating historical fiction novel by a Canadian author.

What I Plan to Read This Week:

The Parabolist by Nicholas Ruddock: This is an ARC sent to me by the publisher, and I can't wait to get started on this literary fiction novel.

The Forty Rules of Love by Elif Shafak: This is another ARC, being released soon, that I can't wait to read. The story switches between a modern day story, as well as a historical one.

That's it for me for this week. What do you plan to read?