I joined a summer reading program again this year, so my book reviews here will be going up a lot more regularly. I don't like writing book reviews, so I put them off. I need to stop that.

SHOPGIRL: A NOVELLA

Shopgirl by Steve Martin

I saw the movie based on this book sometime last year, and I've had a copy of the book, borrowed from my sister about ages, and I finally got around to reading it. I started it on my way to the airport, and finished it before I came home, so I could finally return the book. Anyway ... while I did enjoy this story, I had a hard time picturing Claire Danes as Mirabelle. The character as written just didn't jive with her face or mannerisms. I had the same problem with her boyfriend, played by Jason Schwartzman in the movie. Amazingly enough, Steve Martin made a perfect Ray Porter. Still, it was a sweet little story, and worth the read.

Big Boned (Heather Wells Mysteries)

Big Boned (Heather Wells Mysteries, book 3) by Meg Cabot

I like Meg Cabot's book because they are light and fluffy. Sometimes I don't want to have to think very hard about what I'm reading and these books are perfect for that.  I'm sad that this is the last Heather Wells book, she was a fun heroine and I was able to identify with her neuroses and insecurities. Since this is the end of the series, Heather ends up happy and everything is tied up in a neat little bow. I also loved most of the supporting characters in this series and I would love to read more about them. Perhaps we can lobby Meg Cabot to write more about Sarah, Heather's Dad, and maybe even Jordon.

Switching Time: A Doctor's Harrowing Story of Treating a Woman with 17 Personalities

Switching Time: A Doctor's Harrowing Story of Treating a Woman with 17 Personalities by Richard Bear

When I was in junior high I read everything I would get my hands on about multiple personality disorder: When Rabbits Howl and Sybil are the two that I remember most. They were fascinating yet disturbing but I couldn't not read them. At some point the phase ended and I moved on. Recently a friend listed this on her current reads and I got curious. Just like the other books, it was fascinating, disturbing, and heartbreaking all at the same time. It was good that at the end she was able to integrate everyone and make all of these personalities into a fully functioning and mentally healthy woman.

I Heart You, You Haunt Me

When I read my first novel in verse, I thought it must be an easy thing to do. Fewer words, lots of white space and a very simple plot. But with this one, I realized how freaking hard it must be to wrote these novels. Fewer opportunities for description, not many words to get your reader to care about your characters, and having to actually tell a cohesive story through poems\. In this story, Ava boyfriend dies and in her subsequent depression, he starts to appear to her, but only when she's at home. Trying to hold onto Jackson, Ava withdraws from her friends and her life in order to stay at home and be near his ghost. Only when her parents force a family vacation at the beach does Ava start to live again and enjoy life.

A Prisoner of Birth

A Prisoner of Birth by Jeffrey Archer

It didn't occur to me until I was about a third of the way through this that I was reading a modern retelling of The Count of Monte Cristo. I loved the story as a child, and the Richard Chamberlain movie version was of my favorites for years. It's a wonderful story of revenge and I was quite angry when Hollywood gave it a happy ending a few years back.  This retelling was so close to perfect and such an enjoyable read that I almost didn't want to finish it. I tend to get mad at the endings of a majority of the books I read and I did not that to be the case here. I risked the ending and I'm happy to say that I was not angry or disappointed. Hooray!!!

Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy (Gallagher Girls)

Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy (Gallagher Girls, book 2) by Ally Carter

The first book in this series, I'd Tell You I Love You, But Then I'd Have to Kill You, made me laugh but I thought the ending was rushed and way too contrived. On the recommendation of goddesslibrarian, I decided to give the second one a try. I'm glad I did. The story was tighter than the first one, the girls were a little less annoying, and the ending did not suck. I can't wait to see what the Gallagher Academy girls get up to next.

Jumper: A Novel (Jumper)

There were things about the movie version of this that I really liked, mainly the idea of teleportation. But the execution fell flat for me. So I went to the source, and I enjoyed it a hell of a lot more than the film. Now I want to read the other books in the series to see how much was pulled from those books, because so much of the movie was just not in the book. The main character had the same name, he had parents, and he could teleport, and that's pretty much where the similarities ended. There was no secret force chasing him, he did not find another jumper, and his mother's back story was completely different. So maybe the film is a composite of the three novels? This must be partly the case as Griffin does not make an appearance in this first book. I'm reserving judgment until I get the rest of the story.

The Third Circle (Arcane Society, Book 4)

The Third Circle (Arcane Society, book 4) by Amanda Quick

While I enjoyed this, I wanted to know more about the shady society the main villain was trying to join. I know we'll get more about that as the series unfolds, but I want it now! *stomps foot* I'm not generally a fan of historical romances because I think the female characters are idiots, and sadly, this was no exception. I'm only reading the historical novels so that I will know what's going on when I read the contemporary ones in the series. I did like the supernatural nature of the stories and the characters, but the author uses the term psychical to refer to their powers and I find that quite jarring. I know it's dumb to have one word make a story less enjoyable, but that's what it does for me.

Resistance: A Novel

Resistance by Owen Sheers

I wanted to like this alternative history World War II novel, I really did, but I hated the ending. I know, I know, that's a theme for me, and I do wish this wasn't the case. I just get so invested in the books I read and have this idea in my head of the way the characters should act that when they do something else I get mad. I also can't stand rushed endings or ones where everything is too nearly wrapped up. I'm not doing a very good job of explaining this, it's just the way I feel. After getting wrapped up and involved in this novel, I didn't believe that the main character would have done what she did at the end. It didn't fit. As I've said before I need to someone with similar taste to read things first and tell me if they are worth my time and energy. This was not.