Quick Overview of What I Read in February (10 Books)

So Over You
Author:  Gwen Hayes
Publisher:  Self Published
Publication Date:  April 29th 2010
Rating: 2 out of 5 stars

From Goodreads:

Layney Logan, girl reporter.

That's all she's ever wanted to be.

The only thing Layney dislikes more than swimming in the high school dating pool is letting her arch-nemesis and co-Chief Editor, Jimmy Foster, get the better of her.  So, she'll take his stupid assignment to go on twelve blind dates and she'll prove to him she's twice the reporter he is.

Unless she listens to her heart...

**********

Short novella.  Cute but really predictable and not at all that interesting.  Because of the length character development suffered.

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Chaising Daisy
Author:  Paige Toon
Publisher:  Simon & Schuster
Publication Date:  August 25th 2009
Rating:  3 Stars

From Goodreads:

If you fall too fast, you just might crash...
Daisy has been dumped, unceremoniously jilted.  Not by any ordinary guy, no...Daisy has a secret in her past that she won't even tell her best friend, Holly. She's given up on men - and on her own family.  But life still has to be lived and where better to recover than as far away from home as possible.

Grabbing a chance to see the world, Daisy packs her bags and joins the team catering to the world's hightest-paid, supercharged racing drivers on Formula 1 Grand Prix circuit.  From Brazil to Italy, from Melbourne to Monte Carlo,  life passes in dizzing whirlwind.  But nothing - and no one- can stop Daisy from falling again...this time for a man who is prepared to risk his life and his heart, for the sake of speed, danger and ultimate success.

*************

Chasing Daisy is a little frustrating to read but the romance between Daisy and the male MC is nicely done.  Not my favorite Paige Toon novel but a solid chick lit.  Holly, Daisy's best friend, has a side story and I actually hated that.

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Requiem
Author:  Lauren Oliver
Publisher:  Harper Teen
Publication Date:  March 5th 2013
Rating: 3

From Goodreads:

And there are more of us every day.
Now an active member of the resistance, Lena has been transformed.  The nascent rebellion that was under way in Pandemonium has ignited into an all-out revolution in Requiem, and Lena is at the center of the fight.

After rescuing Julian from a death sentence, Lena and her friends fled to the Wilds.  But the Wilds are no longer a safe haven- pockets of rebellion have opened throughout the country, and the government cannot deny the existence of Invalids.  Regulators now infiltrate the borderlands to stamp out of the rebels, and as Lena navigates the increasingly dangerous terrain, her best friend, Hana, lives a safe, loveless life in Portland as the fiancee of the young mayor.

Maybe we are driven crazy by our feelings.
Maybe love is a disease, and we would be better off without it.
But we have chosen a different road.
And in the end, that is the point of escaping the cure:  We are free to choose.
We are even free to choose the wrong thing.

Requiem is told from both Lena's and Hana's points of view.  The two girls live side by side in a world that divides them until, at last, their stories converge.

********************

Was being nice with the 3 star rating, probably more of an 2.5.  Not a great finish to the Delirium trilogy.   Basically completed looked over.  Preferred Hana's story over Lena's.  Very disappointed in this last book.

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Safe Haven
Author:  Nicholas Sparks
Publisher:  Grand Central Publishing
Publication Date:  September 14th 2010
Rating: 3 stars

From Goodreads:

When a mysterious young woman named Katie appears in the small North Carolina town of Southport, her sudden arrival raises questions about her past.  Beautiful yet self-effacing, Katie seems determined to avoid forming personal ties until a series of events draws her into two reluctant relationships:  one with Alex, a widowed store owner with a kind heart and two young children; and another with her plainspoken single neighbor, Jo.  Despite her reservations, Katie slowly begins to let down her guard, putting down roots in the close-knit community and becoming increasingly attached to Alex and his family.

But even as Katie begins to fall in love, she struggles with the dark secret that still haunts and terrifies her...a past that set her on a fearful, shattering journey across the country, to the sheltered oasis of Southport.  With Jo's empathic and stubborn support, Katie eventually realizes that she must choose between a life of transient safety and one of the riskier rewards...and that in the darkest hour, love is the only true safe haven.

***************

Very much like Sleeping With the Enemy.  Katie's backstory is more interesting that the present.  Alex is an okay love interest, their love story is slow moving but realistic.  And of course I cried at the ending.

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Dare You To
Author:  Katie McGarry
Publisher:  Harlequin Teen
Publication Date:  May 28th 2013
Rating: 3 stars

From Goodreads:

If anyone knew the truth about Beth Risk's home life, they'd send her mother to jail and seventeen year old Beth who knows where.  So she protects her mom at all costs.  Until the day her uncle swoops in and forces Beth to choose between her mom's freedom and her own happiness.  That's how Beth finds herself living with an aunt who doesn't want her and going to a school that doesn't understand her.  At all.  Except for the one guy who shouldn't get her, but does...

Ryan Stone is the town golden boy, a popular baseball star jock with secrets he can't tell anyone.  Not even the friends he shares everything with, including the constant dares to do crazy things.  The crazies?  Asking out the Skater girl who couldn't be less interested in him.

But what begins as a dare becomes an intense attraction neither Ryan nor Beth expected.  Suddenly, the boy with the flawless image risks his dreams- and his life- for the girl he loves, and the girl who won't let anyone get too close is daring herself to want it all.

*******************

Beth gets on my nerves plenty in Dare to You.  Her walls our definitely up, and for her own good you want her to put them down, but of course it ain't happening...right away, that is.  Ryan is a great character I think.  Different aspects to him make him interesting and likable.  Beth's mom plays a big part in Beth's story and she is awful.  Seriously, a horrible character but fabulously written.  You are suppose to dislike her.  Still the writing and story was just okay.

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Pictures of Lily
Author:  Paige Toon
Publisher:  Simon and Schuster
Publication Date:  July 8th 2010
Rating:  4 Stars

From Goodreads:

'Will you marry me?'  I think of you, then.  I think of you every day.  But usually in the quietest part of the morning, or the darkest part of the nigh.  Not when my boyfriend of two years has just proposed.  I look up at Richard with his hopeful eyes. 'Lily?' he prompts.  It's been ten years, but it feels like only yesterday that you left.  How can I say yes to Richard with all my heart when most of it has always belonged to you?  I take a deep breath and will myself to speak...Ten years ago when Lily was just sixteen, she fell in love with someone she really shouldn't have fallen in love with.  Now, living in Sydney and engaged to another man, she can't forget the one that got away.  Then her past comes back to haunt her, and she has to make a decision that will break her heart - and the heart of at least on of the men who love her.

***************

My second favorite Paige Toon book.  It dragged a little in the middle, it took awhile before Ben made a second appearance, and it was frustrating.  But the romance was great, and Ben is fabulous.  Lily is selfish, but respectfully so in regards to who she loves.  Awesome ending.

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From What I Remember
Author:  Stacy Kramer
Publisher:  May 15th 2012
Publication date:  Hyperion
Rating:  3 Stars

From Goodreads:

Kylie:  Mexico?  What a nightmare!  I should be putting the finishing touches on my valedictorian speech.  Graduation is TODAY! Wait! Is this a wedding band on my finger.
Max:  It started with Kylie's laptop and a truck full of stolen electronics and it ended in Ensenada.  It was hot, the way she broke us out like some chick in an action movie.  But now we're stranded here, with less than twenty-four before graduation.
Will:  Saving Kylie Flores from herself is kind of a full-time occupation.  Luckily, I, Will Bixby, was born for the job.  And when I found out she was stuck in Mexico with dreamy Max Langston, sure, I agree to bring their passports across the border - but there's no reason to rush back home right away.  This party is just getting started.
Lily:  This cannot be happening.  It's like some cruel joke.  Or a bad dream.  I close my eyes and when I reopen them, they're still there.  Max and Kylie Flores, freak of the century.  In bed together.  If Kylie thinks i'm giving him up without a fight, she's dead wrong.

*******************

Frustrating characters, slightly Hangover like, but very PC, of course.  Wish that the story was slightly more realistic since it wasn't really a comedy but dealt with daddy issues and other more serious issues.  Was just okay.

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You Had Me At Hello
Author:  Mhairi McFarlane
Publisher:  Avon
Publication Date:  December 6th 2012
Rating:  4 stars

From Goodreads:

What happens when the one that got away comes back?
Rachel and Ben.  Ben and Rachel.  It was them against the world.  Until it all fell apart.
It's been a decade since they last spoke, but when Rachel bumps into Ben one rainy day, the years melt away.

From the moment they met they'd been a gang of two;  partners in crime and the best of friends.  But life has moved on.  Ben is married.  Rachel is definitely not.  In fact, the men in her life make her want to take holy orders...

Yet in the split second, Rachel feels the old friendship return.  and along with it, the broken heart she's never been able to mend.

*******************

Really enjoyed this one.  Ben and Rachel's story is told in flashbacks and I adored those parts.  In the present Ben is married and has bumped into Rachel who is unmarried.  What ensues is sad, hopeful and frustrating in a good way.  Made me smiled, will definitely read more from Ms. McFarlane.

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Ready Player One
Author:  Ernest Cline
Publisher:  Random House NY
Publication Date:  August 16th 2011
Rating:  3 Stars

From Goodreads:

It's the year 2044, and the real world is an ugly place.

Like most of humanity, Wade Watts escapes his grim surroundings by spending his waking hours jacked into the OASIS, a sprawling virtual utopia that lets you be anything you want to be, a place where you can live and play and fall in love on any of ten thousands planets.

And like most of humanity, Wade dreams of being the one to discover the ultimate lottery ticket that lies concealed within his virtual world.  For somewhere inside the this giant networked playground, OASIS creator James Halliday has hidden a series of fiendish puzzles that will yield massive fortune--and remarkable power--to whoever can unlock them.

For years, millions have struggled fruitlessly to attain this prize, knowing only that Halliday's riddles are based in the pop culture loved--that of the late twentieth century.  And for the years, millions have found in this quest another means of escape, retreating into happy, obsessive study of Halliday's icons.  Like many of his contemporaries, Wade is as comfortable debating the finer points of John Hughs oeuvre, playing Pac-Man, or reciting Devo lyrics as he is scrounging power to run his OASIS rig.

And then Wade stumbles upon the first puzzle.

Suddenly the whole world is watching, and thousands of competitors join the hunt--among them certain powerful players who are willing to commit very real murder to beat Wade to this prize.  Now the only way for Wade to survive and preserve everything he knows is to win.  But to do so, he may have to leave behind his o-so-perfect virtual existence and face up to life--and love--in the real world he's always been so desperate to escape.

A world at stake.
A quest for the ultimate prize.
Are you ready?

************************

Different than anything I've ever read.  Very unique and full of pop culture references.  Writing is good, but sometimes a bit slow.  Ending was exciting and action packed.  Great world building and also realistic.

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Drinking and Tweeting
Author:  Brandi Glanville
Publisher:  Gallery Books
Publication Date:  February 12th 2013
Rating:  3 Stars

From Goodreads:

She's the brutally honest breath of fresh air on the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, know for her dramatic divorce, her barely there clothing, and her inability to keep her mouth shut.  So why should she change now?  Brandi Glanville tells all in this hilarious, no holds barred memoir.  Fans have been waiting for Brandi's scoop on one of the biggest divorces of the decade, since her husband of eight years abandoned her and their two sons to marry country singer Leann Rimes. Not only does Brandi spill the beans about her side of the split, the lovable housewife shares the incredible wild ride that took her from a life in the ghetto to Hollywood's most elite circles.  For the first time, Brandi talks about how she escaped a rough neighborhood on the outskirts of Sacramento and stumbled into a successful modeling career that swept her into a world of Paris Fashion Weeks, private jets, and uncircumcised penises.  Before she knew it, Brandi was the perfect Hollywood trophy wife--at least until her marriage exploded.

Today, the refreshingly filter free housewife and unapologetic mom is the newest full time cast member of Bravo's juggernaut franchise, where she often elicits raised eyebrows and gossip from her costars for her refusal to be the scorned ex wife, to be bullied, to change her sarcastic sense of humor, or on most occasions to wear a bra.  Sassy, raunchy, and compulsively readable, Drinking and Tweeting perfectly captures Brandi's open-book attitude, as she dishes about everything from her DUI, her cheating ex, her one-night stands, and the secret plastic surgery that made her "seventeen"again.  

**********************

Funny, and crazy.  I really enjoyed Brandi's honesty and it was refreshingly real. I laughed plenty, and I now think her husband is a douchebag.

Reviews of The Distant Hours and Silver Linings Playbook

The Distant Hours
 Author:  Kate Morton
Publisher:  Atria
Publication Date:  November 9th 2010
Rating:  4 out of 5 Stars

From Goodreads:

A long lost letter arrives in the post and Edie Burchill finds herself on a journey to Milderhurst Castle, a great but moldering old house, where the Blythe spinsters live and where her mother was billeted 50 years before as a 13 year old child during WWII.  The elder Blythe sisters are twins and have spent most of their lives looking after the third and youngest sister, Juniper, who hasn't been the same since her fiance jilted her in 1941.

Inside the decaying castle, Edie begins to unravel her mother's past.  But there are other secrets hidden in stones of Milderhurst, and Edie is about to learn more than she expected.  The truth of what happened in 'the distant hours' of the past has been waiting a long time for someone to find it.

-----------------------

I am a fan of Kate Morton, her storytelling is mature and well thought out.  The Distant Hours is a very slow moving novel, but it doesn't read like it at all.  Readers don't get answers until the last 50 pages but the way she tells the story  leaves you okay with waiting to get the answer.

I don't really know what exactly it is about Kate Morton's books that grab me and keep me reading especially since they are slow plot moving reads, but I love them.  The Distant Hours is no exception, it truly is a fabulous read with great character building.  She really fleshes out her characters, and the Blythe sisters are a very intriguing bunch.  I enjoyed reading about them and how they were so different from each other, and the roles they played in each other's lives.  Alright on with the characters, Percy, Saffy and Juniper are all sisters, we meet up with them as old ladies still living in the Milderhurst Castle.  We get from the main protagonist Edie that they are a eccentric group, with clearly a leader..Percy.  Juniper is the youngest and also mentally not stable, both Percy and Saffy take care of her.  Edie is linked to the Blythe sisters by her mom, who as a young kid was sent away with her sister and other children to be placed in homes to save them from a possible invasion by Germany.  Edie's mom was placed with the sisters at Milderhurst.  What really peaks Edie's interest in that time of her mom's life is the fact that her mom never talks about it. By chance Edie comes upon the town of Milderhurst and is able to take a tour of Milderhurst Castle...from there the story slowly unfolds the secrets of Milderhurst Castle.

I really can't say enough about the writing and elegant storytelling.  I recommend The Distant Hours, especially if your a fan of castles and family secrets.


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Silver Linings Playbook
Author:  Mathew Quick
Publisher:  Sarah Crichton Books
Publication Date:  April 27th 2010
Rating:  3.5 out of 5
Movie Rating:  4 out of 5

From Goodreads:

Meet Pat Peoples.  Pat has a theory, his life is a movie produced by God.  And his God-given mission is to become physically fit and emotionally literate, whereupon God will ensure him a happy ending-the return of his estranged wife, Nikki.  (It might not come as a surprise to learn that Pat has spent several years in a mental heath facility.)  The problem is, Pat's now home, and everything feels off.  No one will talk to him about Nikki, his beloved Philadelphia Eagles keep losing, he's being pursued by the deeply odd Tiffany, his new therapist seems to recommend adultery as a form of therapy.  Plus, he's being haunted by Kenny G. 

Review:

I like Pat Peoples.  He's funny and good hearted, just a guy trying to make it in a big bad world.  Everything must have a silver lining, right?  For Pat Peoples it does.

I really like how Silver Linings Playbook is written.  The writing is simple and straightforward.  Being in Pat's head is an interesting place to be, as well as entertaining.  Nikki, Nikki, Nikki, I'm so glad somebody is there to tell him to shut the hell up about Nikki.  Tiffany, o'how I enjoy her blunt no bullshit way of talking.  Both of them are a little off so together they are quite a pair.

I even enjoyed the football talk.  A lot of the book centers around the People's love for the Philadelphia Eagles.  Damn, they really love them Eagles.  I know a little about being wacko about a sports team.  We are very crazy when it comes to the San Antonio Spurs, superstitions and all.  It's family bonding time, with a lot of yelling at the T.V, inside out jerseys, and high fives.  I could relate, they are my kind of people.

I recently saw the movie starring Bradley  Cooper as Pat, and I think it's better than the book.  The movie does sway from the book quite a lot, but it's so freaking good.  Go watch the movie and read the book!

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"Waiting On" Wednesday: Here I Go Again

"Waiting On" Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking the Spine.

Here I Go Again by Jen Lancaster

Publication Date:  January 29th 2013

From Goodreads:

Twenty years after ruling the halls of her suburban Chicago high school, Lissy Ryder doesn't understand why her glory days ended.  Back then, she was worshipped....beloved....feared.  Present day, not so much.  She's been pink-slipped from her high-paying job, dumped by her husband, and kicked out of her combo.  Now, at thirty-seven, she's struggling to start a business out of her parents' garage and sleeping under the hair-band posters in her old bedroom.

Lissy finally realizes karma is the only bitch bigger than she was.  Her present is miserable because of her past.  But it's not like she can go back in time and change who she was..or can she?

---------------

Sounds great, right?  And it's Jen Lancaster, ya'll...she's hilarious and awesome. Can't wait to read this one!

The Last Party: Studio 54, Disco, and the Culture of the Night by Anthony Haden-Guest

The Last Party:  Studio 54, Disco, and the Culture of the Night
Author:  Anthony Haden-Guest
Publisher:  It Books
Publication Date:  December 8th 2009
Rating: 3.5 Stars out of 5

From Goodreads:

Packed with stars, models, socialites, and everyone else who could sneak past the fabled velvet ropes, Studio 54 defined disco and launched the celebrity-driven culture of today.  Noted writer Haden-Guest takes readers behind the scenes and tells the whole story--the glory days, the drugs, the deaths, and the corruption.  There was a place where virtually all the themes and energies of the '70's--disco, the cult of celebrity, the coke and the quaaludes, the glam and the glitter, the pre-AIDS sexual abandon, the emergence of gay culture, uninhibited women, the general air of debauchery--were played out with maximum flamboyance.  It was a place that epitomized an era and exemplified the zeitgeist.  No one is better suited to chronicle the Studio 54 story than Anthony Haden-Guest.  he has re-created the scene and rendered the action in vivid detail from his personal experiences with the key players:  the owners, bartenders, and the bouncers; the celebrities and the dealers; the divas, DJs and doormen; even the prosecutor who busted the owners Steve Rubell and Ian Schrager for tax evasion.  "The Last Party" is more than a biography of one place.  It also tells the story of Nightworld, a realm spawned by Studio 54, comprising past and present clubs.  Nightlords, and Nightpeople, their doings and their secrets, which are still unfolding.

---------------------------------


I have always been interested in the whole craziness of Disco and especially Studio 54.  The Last Party is a very interesting read, though there are quite a lot of names to remember as your reading.  I would often forget who a person was and have to go back, or I would say screw it and continuing reading forgetting who I was reading about.  When I didn't look back it was mostly because it was an uninteresting part for me.  The Last Party is not only about Studio 54 but about all sorts of clubs opening up in New York around the same time or after the high of Studio 54, though they are were trying to achieve Studio's greatness.  So the book starts off with Studio 54 and ends with the early 90's era of Club Kids and the ultimate demise of it's scene with the murder of Angel Melendez.  The Party Monster is a movie starring Maculauly Culkin about the Club Kids and the murder, it's very interesting. The movie is great, but then again there is something fascinating to me about New York City especially the dirty crazy club scene.  Sometimes I felt there was a lot of filler, I wanted to read more about the inside of Studio 54, and I wanted more crazy stories.  There are some but I'm sure there is quite a lot that didn't make it in The Last Party.

If you are interested in the New York night scene especially the start of the celebrity induced craziness of the 70's and later the rapid drug freak show that it became I think you will enjoy The Last Party.

The Sea of Tranquility by Katja Millay

The Sea of Tranquility
Author:  Katja Millay
Publisher:  Antisocialite Press LLC
Publication Date:  September 5th 2012
Rating:  4 out of 5

From Goodreads:

Full of rage and without a purpose, former pianist Nastya Kashnikov wants two things:  to get through high school without anyone discovering her past and to make the boy who took everything from her pay.

All 17 year old Josh Bennett wants is to build furniture and be left alone, and everyone allows it because it's easier to pretend he doesn't exist.  When your name is synonymous with death, everyone tends to give you your space.

Everyone except Nastya, a hot mess of a girl who starts showing up and won't go away until she's insinuated herself into every aspect of his life.  The more he gets to know her, the more of a mystery she becomes.  As their relationship intensifies and the unanswered questions begin to pile up, he starts to wonder if he may ever learn the secrets she's been hiding or if he even wants to.

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I hadn't even heard of The Sea of Tranquility till I saw it mentioned in a couple of 'Best Of' lists, the synopsis interested me so I bought the ebook and immediately started it.  I can see why it made some lists....it's good.

In so many ways The Sea of Tranquility is a breathe of fresh air.  So many aspects of YA contemporaries have been done before that it's hard to read a book and feel like it's something different.  It can depend on the writing or the storyline, for The Sea of Tranquility, the story is just well written.  Nastya is a very damaged person, and Josh is a loner, together they make quite a pair.  I liked Nastya, some things irked me about her but I never stopped liking her and that is due to the great writing. I loved that Josh had something he was devoted to, something that he loved doing. Josh loves woodshop, creating and building furniture and a lot of Josh and Nastya's conversations happened in the garage while she was helping him build things. There is no insta-love, just two people drawn to each other because they notice each other's pain, then the gradual flow of two people falling for each other as they learn a little about each other.

Nastya's past is not revealed to us immediately, but slowly in the same way Josh is finding out. I wanted to know the details, but loved that I had to wait.  It was a good kind of anticipation, and made for a much better read, in my opinion.  The Sea of Tranquility isn't only about love but also about anger, depression and trauma.  So many different aspects all making a really good thought out story that is compelling and emotional.

I really enjoyed The Sea of Tranquility, from the writing to the characters, it was a great read.

Baby Be Mine by Paige Toon

Baby Be Mine
Author:  Paige Toon
Publisher:  Simon and Schuster
Publication Date:  July 2011
Rating:  2 out of 5

From Goodreads:

'He's not mine, is he?'  That's the question I fear the most.  You see, I have a secret.  My son is not fathered by my boyfriend, but one of the most famous people that ever lived.  And he doesn't even know it.  One-time celebrity personal assistant to wild boy of rock Johnny Jefferson, Meg Stiles is not settled and living in the South of France with her doting boyfriend Christian and son Phoenix.  But they're living a lie - a lie that will turn their lives upside down and inside out.  Because Meg's son doesn't look like Christian, he looks like his rock star father and, sooner or later, the world is going to realize. 

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What the hell!  I am completely disappointed with Baby Be Mine, the continuation of Meg's story.  If you read my review on Johnny Be Good, you will know that I was super excited about finding out there was a sequel, and even better, I FREAKING had it.  I didn't even know it was sequel, anyways, I was jumping up and down excited.  Okay, so I begin Baby Be Mine and I am immediately like WTF, Meg did nothing but feel sorry for herself.  She was awful, she didn't deserve happiness, and on, and on, and on.  I was 'who the hell is this chick', cause it sure wasn't the Meg from Johnny Be Good.  But I continued, surely it was going to get better?  So the debbie downer slowly started cheering up, but then all of sudden she acted like 50 year women.  Meg is in her late twenties, but I felt like I was reading about a whole different person.  There weren't too many glimpses into the Meg I knew, she was all"Leave it to Beaver"(ed) out.  I know she's a mom now, but what the hell, she's also young.  Johnny was still the same Johnny, who I love...1 star for that!

The plot kept on getting interrupted with these repeated scenes from Johnny Be Good.  I started getting pissed...i've read the first book already, can we continue on with the 'now'.  It's sad, because I really was sooo excited to read Baby Be Mine, and I am so disappointed with it.  I feel bad for the people that had to wait 3 plus years to find out what happens with Johnny and Meg, and got this shit. I can say that the ending is satisfying.  1 star for that!  The epilogue definitely gives us an ending.

I didn't enjoy Baby Be Mine.  I do recommend you read Johnny Be Good, and I know that most likely you will want to read Baby Be Mine, and I say go for if only to get an ending.

Top Ten Tuesday: Top Ten New to Me Authors

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme created by The Broke and the Bookish.

This week's Top Ten:

Top Ten New to Me Authors Read in 2012

Paige Toon:  I just discovered her the other day while searching for a Christmasy Chick Lit.  I've  read Johnny Be Good and Baby Be Mine.  I didn't enjoy Baby Be Mine so much but really LOVED Johnny Be Good.  I can't wait to go through her backlist. 

Jojo Moyes:  Her book Me Before You was the perfect book to get me out of the reading slump I was in.  Such great characters.  I have a couple more of her books now, hoping the rest are just as good.  

Sarah Maclean:  The thing with historical romances is the idea of reading them is much more pleasurable than actually reading them.  I was in the mood for a good historical romance and decided on Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake, and loved it.  It is witty and so much fun.  Will definitely be reading more of her in 2013.

Elizabeth Haines:  Into the Darkest Corner is one of my favorites in 2012.  I read this one in one seating anticipating the climax.  So good.

Gustave Flaubert:  Madame Bovary is my favorite classic, EVER.  It's intense, real and depressing, but o'so good.  I didn't expect to love it so darn much, but I felt things I never thought I could while reading a book.  I must read more of Flaubert's work. 

Paula McLain:  I am so happy I decided to read The Paris Wife.  I thought it might be a little boring, but I went ahead and picked it up, and immediately was drawn into Hemingway's first wife life.  It was interesting to see how she interacted with all these creative geniuses.  

Gillian Flynn:  I started with Dark Places, it's a sad engrossing story, then read Gone Girl....yeah, she has a twisted imagination.  I am a huge fan now....I will read everything she writes.  Brilliant. 

Maria Semple:  Where'd You Go, Bernadette is so freaking good.  Best character hands down that I read this year.  

Amor Towles:  Rules of Civility.  Great book.  Loved the setting and period.