Jennifer Weiner~book club review~ Good in Bed

Paperback: 400 pages
Publisher: Washington Square Press (April 2, 2002)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0743418174
ISBN-13: 978-0743418171

I belong to a parenting forum called mom2mom. We have a book club that I belong too and the latest book was Good in Bed by Jennifer Weiner. At first it took me awhile to get into the book. It wasn't that I disliked the book or anything. I think it was just getting used to reading a non-paranormal novel.

I really liked the main character Cannie. She reminded me a lot of myself. The apparent dislike for her body and feeling larger than everyone else is exactly how I feel. Her quirky family reminds me of mine. My mother isn't gay or my parents weren't divorced nor are we Jewish but we are a close family who care for each other.

This book is centered around Cannie Shapiro who is a writer who was on a break from her boyfriend Bruce when she reads an article that Bruce wrote about her in a magazine called Moxie. Bruce, wrote an article about loving a larger woman. Cannie is devastasted and can't believe he would do something like this to her. The book goes on to explain their relationship and where it went wrong. Without giving too much away the secondary characters were just as quirky as her. Peter, her Doctor, from the Diet study; Sam, her best friend; Maxi, actress friend; her mother and her partner Tanya and Bruce, the evil Satan ex.

I hated Bruce for what she put her through during her pregnancy. I could relate because I know how hard it is to be alone during a pregnancy. True, we both had family and friends around us but it is not the same as a partner. The pregnancy was how she truly found herself. She realized that it doesn't matter what weight you are, what clothes you wear or who you know but rather who you are as a person.

I would definitely recommend this book to others who like this genre of light-hearted coming of age books. Yes, it is not the typical coming of age novels where the main character grows up during grade school or high school but it is a book of learning to love yourself and becoming who you are in your 20's. As someone who is in her last year of her 20's I know that who I am now is drastically different than who I was when I was 20. I've change so much and really came into my own. It is not a book I would normally read lately since I've been on a parnormal romance/urban fantasy kick but I'm glad I did. I laughed in parts and cried in parts. I give this book 4 out of 5 . I look forward to reading the sequel to this book Certain Girls.

YA books and my reluctance to read them

I'm not sure if its because I started reading books by King, Koontz, Steel etc. by a very young age or if its because when I was considered an YA there weren't that many authors writing in this genre, but either way I've had this anti-YA book stance for a long time.

I don't like that I do and its not that I look down on those who read from this genre I just don't see how they would appeal to me.

But I'm ready to give my reading mind a shake. Please send me recommendations on your favourite YA books. I love series but they don't have to be in a series.

Jenn my co-blogger has read a lot of YA books. So I will be asking her for recommendations as well.

I will also be checking out my favourite authors who write in both genres.

Review~*~ Halfway to the Grave by Jeaniene Frost

# Mass Market Paperback: 384 pages
# Publisher: Avon (October 30, 2007)
# Language: English
# ISBN-10: 0061245089
# ISBN-13: 978-0061245084

I really enjoyed this book and was laughing at parts but really I could not put it down. It is the first book in Jeaniene Frost 's The Night Huntress Series in which Cat is the main character. She is such a feisty and sassy person. She knew what she wanted and went after it not caring about what got in her way.

She is part vampire and part human. Her mother was raped by a vampire. She does not need to drink blood to survive but has extra abilities because of her part-vampire status. Her mother hates vampires which led to Cat becoming a vampire slayer. She was content killing vampires on the weekends till she met Bones. A vampire who knew what she was doing. They made a deal and became partners. Partners who became lovers.

Without giving up too much of the story line I will say that it was a great read. Frost interjected new life into vampire lore. However, I do think it took a bit too long for the romance to start. It took to page 159 before the romance started. It was not a bad thing that the romance took so long because it certainly kept me reading at a fast pace to figure out when it would happen.

I like the fact that Cat finally realizes that maybe vampires are not so bad after all. Considering that she is part vampire and dating one. Bones is the one who got her to see what she really does have instead of what she does not. Life for her is not as hard as she sees it.

The secondary characters were well thought out and funny as heck. I loved Timmie who was Cat's neighbour in her new apartment. He had the best line that gave her an epiphany about her relationship with Bones. Her mother would have not liked that she was dating a vampire and she told Timmie that she didn't like foreigners because she didn't want him to know she was in fact dating a vampire. He said Everyone's go something in them that somebody's going to have a problem with, but your mom should be more concerned about whether he makes you happy than where he's from. This quote simply means it doesn't matter if he's English or a vampire as long as she's happy everyone else should be too.

I read this book for the NAC Mini-Challenge: Battle Royale | Literary Escapism but would have read it anyways since it has been on my TBR pile for weeks. I'm glad I did and now I see what all the fuss was about. I will recommend this book to others and can't wait to read the rest in the series.

I'm giving this book 5 because it will be on to be read again shelf!

Contests!!!!

Bloody Bookaholic is having a**Ridiculously Awesome Contest** that is open internationally!

Today's Adventure is having her Blogoversary giveaway go here quick to enter the contest Today's Adventure: Blogoversary Giveaway!

Not-really-southernvamp chick is having a 113 Follower Giveaway! that you should enter

Aubrey's contests~ So far! More to come.

April NAC Mini-Challenge
Deadline Dames vs. Fangs, Fur & Fey
Hosted by: Literary Escapism -
Dates: April 1, 2010-April 30, 2010
Goal: Read up to 5 new and different authors from either list.

I'm planning on reading:
Jocelynn Drake
Nalini Singh
Vicki Petterson
Jeaniene Frost
Yasmine Galenorn


Debut Urban Fantasy Challenge 2010
Hosted by: Dark Faerie Tales -
Dates: January 2010-December 2010
Goal: To read 15 debut urban fantasy novels in 2010

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Debut Paranormal Romance Challenge 2010
Hosted by: Dark Faerie Tales -
Dates: January 2010-December 2010
Goal: To read 10 debut paranormal romance novels in 2010

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2010 Young Adult Reading Challenge
1. Anyone can join. You don't need a blog to participate.

--Non-Bloggers: Post your list of books in the comment section of the wrap-up post. To learn how to sign up without having a blog, click here.

2. I chose Supersize level: Mini YA reading Challenge

3. Challenge begins January 1st thru December, 2010.

4. Challenge hosted by: Home Girl's Book Blog -


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Challenges I'm Participating In.

April NAC Mini-Challenge
Deadline Dames vs. Fangs, Fur & Fey
Hosted by: Literary Escapism -
Dates: April 1, 2010-April 30, 2010
Goal: Read up to 5 new and different authers from either list.

I'm planning on reading:
Jenna Black
Keri Arthur
Toni Andrews
Carrie Ryan
Jill Myles


Debut Urban Fantasy Challenge 2010
Hosted by: Dark Faerie Tales -

Dates: January 2010-December 2010
Goal: To read 15 debut urban fantasy novels in 2010

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15.

Debut Paranormal Romance Challenge 2010
Hosted by: Dark Faerie Tales -
Dates: January 2010-December 2010
Goal: To read 10 debut paranormal romance novels in 2010

1. Nice Girls Don't Have Fangs by Molly Harper
2. Witch Fire by Anya Bast
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2010 Young Adult Reading Challenge
1. Anyone can join. You don't need a blog to participate.

--Non-Bloggers: Post your list of books in the comment section of the wrap-up post. To learn how to sign up without having a blog, click here.

2. I chose Supersize level: 75 Young Adult Novels

3. Challenge begins January 1st thru December, 2010.

4. Challenge hosted by: Home Girl's Book Blog -

1. Intensely Alice by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor.
2. Taken by Norah McClintock
3. Dark Visions by L.J Smith
4. Moonlight by Rachel Hawthorne
5. Ex-mas by Kate Brian
6. Skinny by Ibi Kasilk
7. Fallen by Lauren Kate
8. Full Moon by Rachel Hawthorne
9. Pretty Little Liars by Sara Shepard
10. Firespell by Chloe Neill
11. Boys That Bite by Mari Mancusi
12. Shiver by Maggie Stiefvator
13. Percy Jackson and the Olympians: The Lightning Thief by Rick Riordan
14. Burned by P.C. Cast
15. The Reckoning by Kelley Armstrong
16. Glass Houses by Rachel Caine
17. The Dead Girls's Dance by Rachel Caine
18. Spirit Bound by Rachel Mead

My First Review

Simon & Schuster
ISBN - 10:0743296435
ISBN - 13:9780743296434

I picked up House Rules by Jodi Picoult - at the local library.(I am a big advocate of the library!). I had picked it up simply because I have read every other book by Jodi Picoult. She is one of my favourite authors, and I had a feeling she wouldn't disappoint, and I was right!

House Rules is about Jacob Hunt, a teenage boy with Asperger's syndrome. Picoult does an awesome job giving the readers symptoms of Asperger's and even Autism. She clearly did her homework on the subject, and was able to grasp what a teen with Aspergers would be like. Jacob, like most people with AS has a special focus, some might even say obession. It's where they learn everything and anything about a topic. In Jacob's case it's forensics. He knows more about forensics and DNA than most police officers. He always shows up at crime scenes to witness everything firsthand and give them tips.

When his social skills tutor comes up dead, the police automatically come to him for answers. What they weren't expecting was the way he answered questions, his tone, etc which are all a part of having AS. Taking these signs as guilt, Jacob is pinned with the murder of his tutor.

Like any other Picoult book, it has a twist of an ending, that I personally was not expecting. She developed all her characters amazingly. I felt empathy for all of them throughout the book.

I would definitely recommend this book to everyone. Picoult fans will love it, as it has all the elements of a Picoult book. Plus it will also attract new fans as well!

I would give this book .

It's a definite must read!

Well, that's my first review! I was nervous enough with it being my first book review ever. Then after reading Aubrey's, I got even more nervous! Can't wait to do the next one.